Gas Spring Attachment System for Lift-Up Door Hinges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas spring attachment systems for lift-up/drop-down doors face challenges in maintaining linearity and are prone to accidental release due to complexity and susceptibility of parts, requiring a simpler, safer, and more economical solution with fewer components.
Innovation Solution
A gas spring attachment system featuring a coupling body with a cylindrical shape and a safety cap, utilizing spherical components to maintain linearity and prevent accidental release, composed of a minimal number of components, including threaded pins, a coupling body with a blocking jaw, and a safety cap that securely locks the spherical ends, ensuring stability and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If known gas spring attachment systems are used, then the door can be supported, but the linearity of the gas spring cannot be maintained and accidental release may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling body integrates multiple functions into a single component: it provides the spherical seating surface for the gas spring rod, incorporates the blocking jaw for safety, and includes threaded holes for mounting. This merging of functions reduces the number of separate parts while maintaining reliability and preventing accidental release.
Solution Approach 2:
The blocking jaw is integrated within the coupling body structure, with the spherical seating surface and blocking features nested within the same component. The safety cap or cover can be placed over the coupling body, creating a nested arrangement that secures the spherical element while maintaining a compact design.
2Ease of operation
If known gas spring attachment systems are used, then the door can be supported, but the system complexity increases and safety risks arise
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling body combines the mounting interface, spherical seating surface, and blocking jaw into one integrated component, simplifying assembly while ensuring safety. The threaded holes for mounting and the blocking jaw features are built into the same piece, reducing assembly steps and potential safety risks associated with multiple separate parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The blocking jaw is pre-configured within the coupling body structure, with the spherical seating surface and blocking features already in position. The safety cap or cover is designed to be placed over the coupling body, pre-securing the spherical element before operation. This preliminary configuration ensures safety is built-in from the start, eliminating the need for complex assembly procedures.
3Ease of manufacture
If a minimal number of components is used, then the system is simpler and more economical, but safety and functionality must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling body integrates the spherical seating surface, blocking jaw, and mounting features into a single manufacturable component. This merging reduces the total number of parts, simplifying manufacturing and assembly while maintaining the linearity of the gas spring through the spherical interface and ensuring safety through the integrated blocking jaw that prevents accidental release.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling body is designed with specific geometric parameters: a spherical seating surface with a defined radius to maintain gas spring linearity, and a blocking jaw with dimensions that prevent accidental release. By carefully selecting these parameters, the single component achieves both the linearity maintenance and safety functions that would otherwise require multiple parts, making the system economical to manufacture while reliable in operation.
Data Source
Figure 1~1B
Figure 2~2B
Figure 2C~2E
AI summary
The present invention relates to a gas spring attachment system for a hinge for a lift-up/drop-down door of a furniture unit, where the furniture unit comprises at least one door and one side panel. The system respectively comprises at least one attachment (14) relative to a side panel (16) and at least one attachment (15) relative to a door (17), where a rod of a gas cylinder (18) that governs the movement of the door relative to the side panel of the furniture unit is arranged between the pair of attachments (14, 15), wherein - each attachment (14, 15) comprises a pin (39, 40) with spherical free end (42, 45), - the spherical free end (42, 45) of each attachment (14, 15) can be inserted into a respective coupling body (20) and can be blocked relative thereto by means of a safety cap (30) associated with said coupling body so that it is not freely releasable, - each coupling body (20) is provided with a threaded hole (22) that receives threaded pins (19) arranged at opposite ends of the rod of a gas cylinder (18).