Hidden shower door
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shower doors with glass plates have exposed suspension clamps due to hole-cutting and rail size restrictions, affecting aesthetics and requiring enlargement or heightening of the rail, which wastes resources.
Innovation Solution
A hidden shower door with a low-rail sliding assembly featuring an upper rail assembly, movable door assembly, vertical frame assembly, and bottom guide part, where the sliding assemblies, pulleys, and suspension clamps are fully enclosed within the rail cavity, allowing the suspension clamps to be hidden and reducing the need for rail enlargement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If the suspension clamp is hidden by enlarging and heightening the rail, then the aesthetics of the product is improved, but the rail size increases and resources are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The suspension clamp and pulley are nested within the rail's cavity structure. The rail includes a cavity that accommodates the suspension clamp body and pulley, allowing these components to be hidden inside the rail rather than exposed externally. This nesting approach achieves aesthetic concealment without increasing the overall rail dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The suspension clamp is repositioned from an external attachment to an internal component within the rail's three-dimensional space. By utilizing the vertical dimension of the rail cavity and positioning the clamp within the rail's depth, the design achieves hidden mounting without extending the rail's external dimensions in any direction.
2Ease of manufacture
If the suspension clamp is exposed from the rail, then the installation is simplified, but the aesthetics of the product deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The suspension clamp is nested within the rail cavity, with the clamp body positioned inside the rail's internal space. The clamp's mounting bracket extends through the rail's bottom surface, allowing simple installation while the main body remains concealed within the rail structure, achieving both aesthetic concealment and installation simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The visible portion of the suspension clamp is extracted and minimized to only the necessary mounting bracket that extends through the rail bottom. The main functional body of the clamp is separated and positioned within the rail cavity, removing the aesthetic burden from the external appearance while maintaining installation functionality.
3Shape
If the rail is enlarged to accommodate hidden suspension clamps, then the suspension clamps can be hidden, but the overall weight and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rail's cavity structure is utilized to nest the suspension clamp and pulley components within its existing volume. This approach allows the clamp to be hidden without requiring additional rail material or increasing the rail's external dimensions, thereby avoiding increased weight and manufacturing cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The internal dimensions and configuration of the rail cavity are optimized to accommodate the suspension clamp components. By adjusting the cavity's depth and cross-sectional shape within the existing rail volume, the design achieves component concealment without changing the rail's external dimensions, maintaining original weight and cost parameters.
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
The solution enhances product aesthetics by hiding the suspension clamps, reduces overall weight and manufacturing costs, and avoids resource waste by maintaining the rail size, while ensuring stability and balance.
Implementation Method 1
the pulley on one side of the sliding assembly is in contact with the middle sliding rail, and the pulley on the other side is in contact with the side sliding rail
Implementation Method 2
a damper is mounted in a damper accommodating groove of the damper bracket
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
Disclosed is a hidden shower door with a low-rail sliding assembly, including an upper rail assembly (10), a movable door assembly (20), a vertical frame assembly (30), and a bottom guide part (40), wherein the upper rail assembly (10) includes an upper rail (1010), a damping trigger (1020), and sliding assemblies (1030), and the sliding assemblies (1030) each are mounted in the upper rail (1010); the sliding assemblies (1030) each include pulleys (10311), pulley brackets (1060), adjusting screws (10312), a damper (1050), and a damper bracket (1040); the pulleys (10311) are mounted on the pulley brackets (1060). The two pulley brackets (1060) are connected and fixed to two ends of the damper bracket (1040) respectively, and the damper (1050) is mounted in a damper accommodating groove (1041) of the damper bracket (1040); the upper rail (1010) is provided with a first bottom plate (1011), and a first baffle plate (1012) and a second baffle plate (1013) which are parallel to each other extend out downward from both sides of the first bottom plate (1011). The sliding assemblies (1030) each are entirely accommodated in a cavity enclosed by the first bottom plate (1011), the first baffle plate (1012), and the second baffle plate (1013).