Dampened Hinge Assembly with Removable Compression Gear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dampened hinge assemblies are complex in design, making them difficult to manufacture, repair, and reconfigure on-site, and they often require removal for fluid regulation and recalibration, which is impractical for varying damping needs such as heavy doors or backcheck actions.
Innovation Solution
A hinge assembly with a simpler design featuring a male and female leaf with coaxially rotating end barrels, an axial shaft with a helicoidally threaded spindle, and a compression gear that allows for in-situ reconfiguration of soft closure, end-of-range soft closure, and backcheck damping through removable components like compression struts and springs, eliminating the need for integral oleohydraulic fluid chambers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If integral oleohydraulic fluid chambers are used for damping, then damping function is provided, but structure becomes complex and repair becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge is divided into separate functional components: a hinge body, a removable damping mechanism with piston and chamber, and connection elements. This segmentation allows the damping mechanism to be independently serviced and replaced without replacing the entire hinge, resolving the contradiction between providing reliable damping and maintaining simple structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The damping mechanism is extracted as a separate removable component from the hinge body. The piston, chamber, and associated elements can be removed and replaced independently, eliminating the complexity of integral design while maintaining the damping function. This allows on-site repair and recalibration.
2Ease of operation
If oleohydraulic fluid capacity is regulated to control closing speed, then damping control is achieved, but on-site reconfiguration becomes difficult or impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The damping mechanism incorporates adjustable elements including variable orifice plates with multiple hole configurations and replaceable piston components. These dynamic adjustments allow the damping characteristics to be reconfigured on-site by simply changing components rather than recalibrating fluid capacity, making the system adaptable to different door weights and requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The damping characteristics are controlled by changing physical parameters of the mechanism - specifically the orifice plate hole patterns and piston dimensions - rather than adjusting fluid capacity. Multiple orifice plates with different hole configurations can be installed to provide different damping rates, enabling easy on-site reconfiguration for various applications.
3Reliability
If complex integrally formed oleohydraulic chambers are used, then damping is provided, but manufacturing and repair become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The damping chamber and piston assembly is manufactured as a separate module that can be independently produced and then installed in the hinge. This segmentation simplifies manufacturing by allowing specialized production of the damping component using standard machining processes, rather than requiring complex integral forming of the entire hinge.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex oleohydraulic chamber design is extracted as a separate replaceable damping mechanism. This allows the complex geometry to be manufactured once as a standardized component that can be replicated and replaced, simplifying both initial manufacturing and subsequent repair operations.
4Reliability
If hinge is removed for fluid regulation or recalibration, then proper damping can be achieved, but operational convenience is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The damping mechanism is extracted as a removable component that can be accessed and replaced without removing the hinge from the door or frame. This allows calibration and maintenance to be performed in-situ, maintaining operational convenience while ensuring proper damping function.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge system is designed to be self-servicing through the use of standardized, tool-free or minimal-tool replacement procedures for the damping mechanism. Users can independently replace worn or incorrect damping components without requiring specialized service equipment or hinge removal, enabling easy on-site maintenance and recalibration.
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
Enables easy on-site reconfiguration and repair of damping settings without removing the hinge, providing flexible damping options for different door types and conditions, including heavy doors, and allows for the replacement of worn parts, improving operational reliability and convenience.
Implementation Method 1
an elongate end-of-range soft closure compression strut, and a soft closure helicoidal compression spring wherein the first removable end closure can be removed in use for the installation of the elongate end-of-range soft closure compression strut within the bore in use for bearing against a central distal bearing face of the compression gear to act between the first removable end closure and the compression gear
Implementation Method 2
a soft closure helicoidal compression spring wherein the first removable end closure can be removed in use for the installation of the soft closure helicoidal compression spring coaxially with respect to the axial bore to act between the peripheral distal bearing face and the oppositely facing peripheral bearing face
Implementation Method 3
an axial shaft fixed to the second end barrel of the female leaf at a proximal end of the axial shaft, the axial shaft having a distal helicoidally threaded spindle, a compression gear having a helicoidally threaded bore matching the helicoidal thread of the spindle
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
A dampened hinge assembly has a male leaf and a female leaf. The female leaf has spaced apart first and second end barrels coaxially rotating with respect to a central barrel of the male leaf therebetween. An axial shaft is fixed to the second end barrel of the female leaf at a proximal end of the axial shaft. The axial shaft has a distal helicoidally threaded spindle. A compression gear having a helicoidally threaded bore matching the helicoidal thread of the spindle displaces towards the first end barrel when the leaves move into alignment and towards the second end barrel when the leaves move out of alignment. The dampened hinge assembly may be reconfigured to provide soft closure, end-of-range soft closure and/or backcheck damping.