Multi-Panel Door Indexing via Frictional Follower
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current multi-panel doors experience noise due to the trailing door remaining stationary until impacted by the leading door, lacking effective motion control as they move between open and closed positions.
Innovation Solution
An indexing multi-panel door system with a leading and trailing door panel, each sliding on separate tracks, featuring a motion control track and a follower with a spring-biased roller ball that engages with friction surfaces to synchronize the movement of both panels, allowing controlled relative motion and reducing noise through adjustable frictional engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the trailing door remains stationary until impacted by the leading door, then the door structure is simple, but noise increases and motion control is poor
Solution Approach 1:
A follower component with a roller ball acts as an intermediary between the leading and trailing doors. The roller ball engages with a motion control track on the follower, transferring motion from the leading door to the trailing door in a controlled manner, eliminating direct impact while maintaining simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The motion control track incorporates friction surfaces with adjustable friction characteristics that allow controlled slippage. This dynamic friction-based mechanism enables the trailing door to follow the leading door's motion smoothly without rigid coupling, reducing noise while maintaining motion control
2Ease of operation
If frictional engagement allows slippage between the follower and motion control track, then motion control is improved, but energy loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The friction characteristics of the motion control track are optimized by adjusting parameters such as surface material, surface area, and normal force. This allows the friction force to be tuned to provide sufficient grip for motion control while minimizing excessive friction that would cause energy loss
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 system ensures smooth, synchronized movement of leading and trailing door panels, reducing noise and allowing for tuned relative motion, enhancing the operational efficiency and quiet operation of multi-panel doors.
Implementation Method 1
frictional engagement between the first distal end of the follower and features within the motion control track simultaneously moves the trailing door back and forth between the open and closed positions along with the leading door panel
Data Source
AI summary
An indexing multi-panel door includes a leading door panel supported on a first track and moveable between open and closed positions, a trailing door panel supported on a second track and moveable between open and closed positions, a motion control track mounted to one of the door panels, a follower mounted to the other one of the door panels, the follower including a first distal end received within the motion control track, the motion control track including features to frictionally engage the first distal end, wherein when the leading door is moved between the open and closed positions, engagement between the first distal end and the features moves the trailing door panel along with the leading door panel, and allows slippage, wherein the leading and trailing door panels move relative to one another as the leading and trailing door panels are moved between the open and closed positions.