Insulating Glass Blind Assembly With Tolerance-Compensated Crossbar

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing insulating glass arrangements with integrated sun protection or blackout blinds face challenges in achieving a compact, reliable, and aesthetically pleasing design, particularly for inclined windows, where blinds often sag during operation due to limited installation space and require significant compensating elements like torsion springs, leading to increased friction and impaired function.

Innovation Solution

A motorized insulating glass arrangement with a crossbar connected to a rotatable winding shaft, featuring a compensating mechanism that allows for synchronous movement via tension elements, adjustable mounting of the curtain end to accommodate tolerances, and a magnetic centering system to maintain alignment, ensuring uniform tension and seamless operation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If a torsion spring is used to compensate for winding diameter changes and maintain blind tension, then the blind remains taut during operation, but the device complexity and space requirements increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveblind tension stabilityVSAvoidcompensating mechanism complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the torsion spring from the compensating mechanism and replaces it with a simpler elastic element system. The elastic element is mounted on the winding shaft in a way that allows it to compensate for winding diameter changes without requiring a complex torsion spring arrangement, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining blind tension stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the physical parameters of the elastic element mounting and configuration to optimize its compensating capability. By adjusting the mounting position, elasticity characteristics, and geometric parameters of the elastic element, the system achieves effective tension compensation with minimal complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Volume of moving object

If the blind mechanism is made compact for integration between panes, then the aesthetic appearance and protection are improved, but the installation space becomes insufficient for reliable operation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemechanism volumeVSAvoidmechanism reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies nesting by placing the elastic element within the existing structure of the winding shaft assembly. The elastic element is mounted on the winding shaft in a nested configuration that utilizes available space efficiently, allowing the mechanism to remain compact while maintaining sufficient clearance for reliable operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces dynamic adaptability through the elastic element that can flex and deform to accommodate varying operational conditions. This dynamic characteristic allows the compact mechanism to maintain reliability by adapting to temperature changes, wear, and operational variations without requiring excessive installation space.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Device complexity

If pulling elements and winding shafts are driven by a common motor, then the device complexity is reduced, but the winding diameter changes cause synchronization issues that require additional compensating elements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedrive mechanism complexityVSAvoidsynchronization precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the operational parameters of the common motor drive by introducing elastic element compensation. The elastic element absorbs the dimensional changes caused by winding diameter variations, allowing the motor to maintain consistent rotational speed and position without requiring complex synchronization mechanisms, thereby preserving manufacturing precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP4368807B1Insulating glass unit with integrated sun blind or blackout blind
Publication Date: 2025.12.31 KUSTER HLDG GMBH
  • EP4368807B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4368807B1 patent drawingFigure 2a~2b
  • EP4368807B1 patent drawingFigure 2c~2e

AI summary

The invention relates to an insulating glass assembly (10) with an inner glazing (1) and an outer glazing (2) and with a motor-driven sunshade or blackout blind (3) integrated in the space between the panes (4), wherein: - a winding shaft (5) with the windable blind (3) attached to it is arranged on a rotatable axis, - the free end (7) of the blind (3) is connected to a crossbar (6), - the crossbar (6) is connected at its two ends (15, 16) to a driver (17, 18) which are coupled to the rotatable winding shaft (5) via at least one tension element (19), - an electric motor drive (20) causes the axis driving the winding shaft (5) to rotate and the crossbar (6) to advance in one direction or the other. According to the invention, the blind (3) or blackout blind isthe free end (7) of the curtain (3) is movably connected to the crossbar (6) for tolerance compensation between curtain (3) and crossbar (6).