Half-Zipper Cloth Connection System for Hidden Seals
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connection systems for cloths, such as roller blinds and facade cloths, face issues like visible seals, limited tension, and deformations due to discrete point attachments, which are inadequate for handling increased forces with larger applications.
Innovation Solution
A connection system utilizing a half-zipper with a first section having a slot over its full length, integrated into a channel-shaped chamber with a second slot, where the geometry ensures the half-zipper remains hidden and provides enhanced resistance by tilting the first section when tensile forces are applied, preventing complete reversal and maintaining seal concealment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a hem with a string is used to connect the cloth to the profile, then the cloth can be connected to the profile, but the seal or connecting line remains visible
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the seal from the visible exterior by routing it through an internal path. The seal is pulled through the profile channel and hidden within the first section, so only the cloth and profile are visible from the outside, eliminating the aesthetic defect of visible seals while maintaining the connection function
Solution Approach 2:
The seal is nested within the first section and profile channel structure. The first section is inserted into the profile channel, and the seal is routed through both components, creating a nested arrangement where the seal is contained within the structural elements rather than being exposed on the surface
2Ease of manufacture
If discrete rivets or reinforcement rings are used to attach the cloth to the frame, then the cloth can be connected to the frame, but deformations occur in the cloth surface and tension is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The connection system is segmented into multiple functional components: the profile channel provides structural support, the first section with inner space accommodates the seal and half-zipper, and the second section provides additional anchoring. This segmentation distributes forces across multiple elements rather than concentrating them at discrete points, preventing cloth deformation while maintaining ease of installation
Solution Approach 2:
The first section acts as an intermediary element between the profile channel and the cloth connection. It provides an internal cavity that houses the seal and half-zipper mechanism, allowing the cloth to be secured without direct attachment to the profile, thereby preventing surface deformation while maintaining structural integrity
3Speed
If the first slot is positioned in line with the second slot, then the half-zipper can exit rapidly, but the seal becomes visible and the section can completely reverse in the channel-shaped chamber
Solution Approach 1:
The first slot is positioned asymmetrically within the first section, offset from the center and not in line with the second slot. This asymmetric positioning creates an angled path for the half-zipper that prevents direct alignment with the second slot, thereby hiding the seal while still allowing sufficient movement speed through the staggered slot configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The solution moves the problem from a two-dimensional slot alignment to a three-dimensional spatial arrangement. By positioning the first slot at an angle and depth offset within the first section, the half-zipper travels through a three-dimensional path that prevents direct exposure of the seal, utilizing the vertical and lateral dimensions of the channel-shaped chamber to conceal the seal while maintaining functionality
4Ease of operation
If the first section is made small to reduce thickening when rolling up the cloth, then the rolling is smoother, but the section cannot resist forces from larger roller blind surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The first section is nested within the profile channel, and the seal is nested within the first section. This nested arrangement allows the first section to be relatively small for smooth rolling while the profile channel provides the additional structural strength needed to resist forces from larger roller blind surfaces, distributing the load across multiple nested structural elements
Data Source
AI summary
Connection system for a cloth or the like, which connection system starts from a cloth (3) provided with a half-zipper (2), a first section (1) with a first slot (9) in which the half-zipper (2) can be inserted, a channel-shaped chamber (4) with a second slot (13) provided in an element (5) with which the cloth (3) is to be connected, whereby the first section (1) is provided in the channel-shaped chamber (4) with a first slot (9) in the zone of the channel-shaped chamber (4) moved away from the second slot (13).