Low-Bulkiness Hydraulic Hinge for Cold Room Shutters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hinges for cold rooms and glass shutters are bulky, aesthetically unpleasing, and lack performance, often causing shutters to crash due to uncounteracted closing mechanisms, and require complex and expensive installation on the floor, making them unsuitable for cold rooms.
Innovation Solution
A low-bulkiness hydraulic hinge with a simple construction that can be integrated between the shutter and the stationary support frame, providing automatic closing, controlled movement, and maintenance-free operation, suitable for heavy doors and shutters, with a minimum number of parts and easy installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional hydraulic damping means are used to damp the closing action, then the shutter can be protected from crashing, but the device becomes extremely high-bulkiness and requires expensive floor installation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the hydraulic damping function directly with the hinge mechanism, merging two previously separate components (hinge and damping device) into a single integrated unit. This eliminates the need for separate floor-mounted damping devices and reduces overall bulkiness while maintaining protection against shutter crashing.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the mechanical connection for rotation, enables automatic closing through cam mechanism, and provides hydraulic damping to control closing speed and prevent crashing. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate specialized damping devices.
2Reliability
If conventional hydraulic damping means are used to damp the closing action, then the shutter can be protected from crashing, but the installation becomes expensive and difficult requiring specialized operators
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the damping function into the hinge itself, the patent eliminates the need for separate installation of floor-mounted damping devices. The hinge can be installed as a single unit using standard hinge installation procedures, significantly reducing installation complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge is designed to be self-contained with all damping and closing mechanisms integrated into a single unit that can be installed by standard carpenters or installers without requiring specialized operators or complex floor break-in work.
3Ease of operation
If high-bulkiness door closers are used, then the closing action can be controlled, but the device cannot be assembled on the stationary support structure or shutter of cold rooms
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge is designed as a universal component that can be installed on various types of shutters and doors including cold room applications. The integrated design with low bulkiness allows it to be mounted directly on the shutter or frame without requiring floor installation, making it adaptable to cold room environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from floor-mounted damping devices (requiring vertical space and floor installation) to a hinge-mounted solution that operates in the horizontal plane of the shutter, enabling installation on cold rooms where floor modification is not feasible.
4Device complexity
If conventional hinges are used for cold rooms, then the construction is simple, but the appearance is unaesthetic and performances are low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions (hinge, automatic closer, and hydraulic damper) into a single integrated mechanism, maintaining relative construction simplicity while dramatically improving performance through the addition of cam-driven automatic closing and hydraulic damping controls.
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 hydraulic hinge ensures safe, reliable, and efficient automatic closing with minimal maintenance, maintaining the exact closed position over time and allowing easy installation without the need for specialized operators, while avoiding resistance when pulled.
Implementation Method 1
hydraulic damping means acting upon the plunger element to hydraulically damp the sliding movement thereof
Implementation Method 2
counteracting elastic means acting on the slider to move it between the proximal and the distal positions
Data Source
Figure 1a~1c
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
A hydraulic hinge for rotatably moving and/or controlling door, a shutter or the like, anchored to a stationary support structure (S). The hinge comprises: a hinge body (10) within including a working chamber (11); a pivot (20) reciprocally coupled to the hinge body (10) to rotate between an open door position and a closed door position; a slider (31) slidably movable within the working chamber (11); hydraulic damping means acting on the slider (31); a separation element (60) inserted into a hydraulic circuit (50). The separation element (60) includes at least one calibrated opening (54) and a pin (650) passing therethrough, the at least one calibrated opening (54) being defined by the interspace between the separation element (60) and the passing-through pin (650).