Glass Door Hinge Arrangement for Thick Panel Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hinges for glass cabinet doors are inadequate for supporting thicker or heavier glass doors, as they are designed for lightweight doors and cannot accommodate the increased thickness effectively.
Innovation Solution
A hinge arrangement where a conventional cabinet hinge part with a cup-shaped design is used, with the cup extending into a recessed external plate, allowing for secure clamping of thicker doors, and incorporating gaskets and screw spacers for additional support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a conventional shallow cup-shaped hinge part is used for glass doors, then the hinge is suitable for lightweight glass doors (less than 8mm thickness), but it cannot support heavier or thicker glass doors
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge system is divided into two functional parts: a shallow cup-shaped hinge part for clamping the door, and a separate deep recess in the external plate for accommodating the door thickness. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the hinge part remains shallow for ease of installation while the plate recess provides the necessary depth for thicker doors.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution moves the depth accommodation from the vertical dimension (cup depth) to the horizontal dimension (plate recess). Instead of increasing the cup-shaped part's depth vertically, the invention creates a recess in the external plate that extends horizontally to accommodate the door thickness, effectively solving the depth problem in a different spatial dimension.
2Strength
If the cup-shaped hinge part depth is increased to support thicker doors, then heavier doors can be supported, but the hinge complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge system is divided into two functional parts: a shallow cup-shaped hinge part for clamping the door, and a separate deep recess in the external plate for accommodating the door thickness. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the hinge part remains shallow for ease of installation while the plate recess provides the necessary depth for thicker doors.
Solution Approach 2:
The external plate serves multiple functions: it provides the mounting surface for the hinge, creates the recess to accommodate door thickness, and acts as the clamping structure. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, simplifying the overall hinge system while maintaining support capacity for various door thicknesses.
3Productivity
If a single hinge is used for thick glass doors, then the number of hinges is reduced, but the clamping stability may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The cup-shaped hinge part provides a curved, conforming surface that matches the contour of the door edge, distributing clamping forces more evenly across the door thickness. This curved geometry enhances stability by creating better contact area and force distribution, allowing a single hinge to effectively secure thick doors that would otherwise require multiple hinges.
Solution Approach 2:
The external plate acts as an intermediary structure between the shallow hinge part and the thick door. It provides the additional depth and clamping surface area needed to stabilize thick doors, while the hinge part itself remains unchanged. This intermediary element enables a single hinge to effectively secure thick doors by providing the necessary mechanical leverage and distribution surface.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
A hinge arrangement is provided for a glass door. A hinge part (1) includes a cup-shaped part (2). A plate (4) has a recess (6), for receiving an outermost portion of the cup-shaped part (2) when the hinge part (1) and the plate (4) are located on opposite sides of a glass door (7) and screwed together. The invention also provides a door (7) with the hinge arrangement fitted through an opening (8) in the door.