Low-Bulkiness Hinge for Cold Rooms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hinges for cold rooms and glass shutters are bulky, aesthetically unpleasing, and lack functionality, often causing damage due to improper closure and requiring complex and costly installation.
Innovation Solution
A low-bulkiness hinge design that integrates a pivot and hinge body with a cam element and coil spring, allowing for automatic closure, controlled movement, and easy installation, suitable for mounting between shutters and frames, while minimizing bulkiness and component count.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If hydraulic damping means are used to counteract closing action, then controlled movement is achieved, but device bulkiness increases and installation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential closing function from complex hydraulic damping systems, retaining only the necessary closing action while eliminating bulky hydraulic components. The hinge body is simplified to perform closing without requiring external hydraulic damping means, thus reducing volume while maintaining controlled movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge is designed to be self-regulating through its internal cam element and spring mechanism, eliminating the need for external hydraulic damping systems. The cam element automatically controls the closing movement and positioning, making the system self-sufficient and compact.
2Ease of operation
If hydraulic damping means are used to counteract closing action, then controlled movement is achieved, but installation difficulty and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes complex hydraulic damping components from the system, extracting only the essential closing function. This simplification reduces installation complexity from requiring specialized personnel and breaking works to simple mounting between shutter and frame.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge incorporates self-regulating mechanisms through its cam element and spring design, eliminating the need for complex external damping systems. This self-service approach reduces both device complexity and installation requirements to basic mounting operations.
3Extent of automation
If conventional closing means are used, then shutter returns to closed position, but damage risk increases due to strong impact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a cam element with a specifically shaped surface that gradually guides the closing movement, cushioning the impact before it occurs. The cam's geometry ensures smooth, controlled closing that prevents sudden impact and potential damage to the shutter and frame.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam element acts as an intermediary between the spring's closing force and the shutter, mediating the transition to prevent direct impact. The cam's shaped surface distributes the closing force over time, reducing peak impact forces that could cause damage.
4Adaptability or versatility
If bulky hinge designs are used, then functional features are achieved, but aesthetic appearance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent nests functional components within a compact hinge body structure. The cam element, spring, and pivot are integrated within a small, aesthetically pleasing housing that maintains functionality while presenting a clean, compact appearance suitable for various applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge design optimizes the arrangement of components in three-dimensional space, nesting them efficiently within a compact volume. This dimensional optimization allows the hinge to maintain full functionality while achieving a compact, aesthetically pleasing shape that does not protrude excessively.
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 ensures safe, controlled, and automatic closure of heavy doors and frames without adjustments, maintains precise closing positions, and is easy to install, addressing the issues of bulkiness and damage from improper closure.
Implementation Method 1
coil spring
Implementation Method 2
coil spring
Implementation Method 3
cam element
Data Source
AI summary
A hinge for cold rooms or glass shutters, coupling a stationary support structure and a shutter movable between an open position and a shutter position, includes a hinge body having a working chamber; a pivot defining a first longitudinal axis coupled to the hinge body to rotate around the first axis between the open and the closed shutter position; a cam element integral with the pivot; a plunger element sliding in the working chamber along a second axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis, the plunger element having a slider with an operative face interacting with the cam element; and an elastic counteracting member acting upon the plunger element to move it along the second axis between a position proximal to the bottom wall of the working chamber and a position distal therefrom. The hinge body has a substantially plate shape.