Glass Door Auto-Return Apparatus with Eccentric Cam Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of glass doors using traditional hinges is troublesome due to tolerance errors during drilling, leading to misalignment and potential damage to the glass, as grinding holes to adjust for errors can cause cracks or fractures.
Innovation Solution
An auto-return apparatus comprising a clamping base with a hydraulic oil reservoir, a securing axle with an eccentric cam, and a misalignment adjuster with a moving plate and adjustable screw, allowing for secure clamping and adjustment of glass doors to correct left/right and front/rear misalignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional hinges are used to install glass doors, then the door can be pivotally turned relative to the door frame, but tolerance errors during drilling cause misalignment and potential damage to the glass
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a hinge body as an intermediary component between the door frame and glass door. The hinge body includes a first connecting portion that connects to the door frame and a second connecting portion that connects to the glass door, allowing independent positioning of each connection point. This intermediary structure absorbs tolerance errors and enables alignment adjustment without directly connecting the door frame to the glass door, thereby preventing glass damage while maintaining reliable alignment.
2Ease of manufacture
If hinge holes are ground to greater diameter to accommodate tolerance errors, then the hinge can be installed, but cracks may occur on the glass or the grinded holes may be too close causing fractures
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge body serves as a mediator that decouples the connection between door frame and glass door. The first connecting portion attaches to the door frame at a first position, while the second connecting portion attaches to the glass door at a second position. This allows the use of standard-sized holes without grinding, maintaining glass structural integrity while providing installation flexibility through adjustable positioning elements on the hinge body.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge body incorporates adjustable positioning elements that allow dynamic adjustment of the connection positions. This enables the installer to accommodate tolerance errors by adjusting the position of the second connecting portion relative to the first connecting portion, eliminating the need to grind holes to larger diameters and thus preserving glass strength.
3Ease of operation
If conventional hinges are used, then the door can open and close, but misalignment issues persist and require troublesome installation procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge body is pre-configured with a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion with adjustable positioning elements. This preliminary preparation allows for quick adjustment during installation to accommodate any misalignment issues, eliminating the need for time-consuming grinding or re-drilling operations. The adjustable design enables installers to rapidly correct alignment problems by simply repositioning the second connecting portion.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Facilitates easy installation and adjustment of glass doors, preventing misalignment and damage by using hydraulic resistance for smooth operation and allowing post-installation alignment correction.
Implementation Method 1
an oil reservoir for reserving a hydraulic oil... the damper is pushed by said eccentric cam to compress said hydraulic oil to generate a resisting force for door opening and closing
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is related to an auto-return apparatus (10) of a glass door (12), comprising a clamping base (20), a damper (30) and a misalignment adjuster (40). The clamping base (20) is secured onto the glass door (12) and comprises a securing axle (60). The securing axle (60) comprises an eccentric cam (66) and the damper (30) is received within the clamping base (20) and abuts the eccentric cam (66) of the securing axle (60) to provide resisting force for door opening and closing. The misalignment adjuster (40) comprises a moving plate (41) and a securing means (42). The moving plate (41) comprises a long slot (411) provided for the securing means (42) to pass therethrough and a mounting slot (413) provided for the securing axle (60) to be connected thereto such that the moving plate (41) moves together with the clamping base (20) along the extending direction of the long slot (411) and relative to the securing means (42) in order to achieve the objective of adjusting misalignment of the glass door (12).