Low-Bulkiness Hinge with Cam-Plunger Damping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hinges for cold rooms and glass shutters are high-bulkiness, unaesthetic, and lack performance, often causing damage due to uncontrolled closing and requiring complex and expensive installation.
Innovation Solution
A low-bulkiness hinge with a simple construction that can be easily installed between a shutter and a stationary support frame, featuring a cam element and plunger mechanism with elastic means for automatic closing and controlled movement, suitable for heavy doors and shutters, and designed to maintain the exact closed position without maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional closing means are used to ensure the return of the shutter in the closed position, then the shutter closing function is achieved, but the shutter may crash against the support frame and get damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a cushioning element that is pre-positioned to absorb the impact energy when the shutter closes. This element deformably absorbs the shock before it can damage the shutter or frame, resolving the contradiction by providing both reliable closing and protection against crashing damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful impact energy of shutter closing into beneficial elastic deformation of the cushioning element. The harmful kinetic energy is transformed into elastic potential energy during compression, then returned as a gentle push, eliminating damage while maintaining closing function.
2Ease of operation
If hydraulic damping means are used to damp the closing action, then controlled movement is achieved, but the device becomes extremely high-bulkiness and requires expensive floor installation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the damping function with the hinge mechanism itself, integrating the cushioning element directly into the hinge assembly. This combination eliminates the need for separate hydraulic damping devices, achieving controlled movement while dramatically reducing bulkiness and enabling easy installation on shutters rather than requiring floor mounting.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge device performs multiple functions: it provides the mechanical hinge function for rotation, incorporates damping through the cushioning element, and enables controlled closing movement. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate specialized damping devices, reducing overall system bulkiness while achieving the desired controlled operation.
3Reliability
If high-bulkiness hinges are used for cold rooms or glass shutters, then the closing function is achieved, but they are unaesthetic and have low performances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the aesthetic housing with the functional hinge mechanism, creating an integrated design where the external casing serves both as a protective enclosure and as the visible aesthetic element. The compact design allows the entire assembly to be mounted on the shutter surface, creating a clean, streamlined appearance while maintaining reliable closing function.
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 hinge provides high-performance, automatic closing with controlled movement, safety, and ease of installation, maintaining the exact closed position over time without resistance, and supports heavy loads without maintenance, addressing the issues of bulkiness and installation complexity.
Implementation Method 1
a cam element (21) unitary thereto interacting with a plunger element (30) sliding along an axis Y perpendicular to the axis X, between a rest position and a working position
Implementation Method 2
The hinge (1) may include hydraulic damping means acting upon the plunger element (30) to hydraulically damp the sliding thereof along the axis Y
Data Source
Figure 1a~1c
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
A hinge for cold rooms or glass shutters comprising a stationary support structure (S) and at least one shutter (A) movable between an open position and a closed position. The hinge comprises a hinge body (10) with a working chamber (11); a pivot (20) defining a first longitudinal axis (X) reciprocally coupled with the hinge body (10) to rotate around the first axis (X) between the open and the closed positions of the shutter; a cam element (21) unitary with the pivot (20); a plunger element (30) sliding in the working chamber (11) along a second axis (Y) substantially perpendicular to the first axis (X), the plunger element (30) comprising a slider (31) with an operative face (32) interacting with the cam element (21); counteracting elastic means (40) acting on the plunger element (30) to move it along the second axis (Y) between a position proximal to the bottom wall (12) of the working chamber (11) and a position distal therefrom. The hinge body (10) has a substantially plate-like shape. The cam element (21) includes an elongated appendix (22) extending from the pivot (20) in a direction substantially transversal to the first axis (X) to come in contact engage with the operative face (32) of the slider (31). The pivot (20) is placed at one of the side walls (14', 14") of the working chamber (11).