Pivoting Window With Vertical Axis And Dual Tracks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing window solutions, such as sliding, pivoted, and canopy windows, create encumbrances and are not aesthetically pleasing, making it difficult to achieve a full opening of glazed surfaces without adjacent compartments in valuable areas like terraces and orangeries.
Innovation Solution
A window design featuring a steady frame, a movable frame, and an actuator that allows the window to open fully by sliding and rotating, eliminating the need for adjacent compartments and minimizing encumbrances, with a mechanism that includes a main track, auxiliary track, pivot, pin, and crank for smooth operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If sliding windows are used to achieve full opening without encumbrance, then the glazed surface cannot be fully opened as half must remain closed for structural support
Solution Approach 1:
The window panel transitions from a 2D planar element to a 3D articulated structure by introducing a vertical pivot axis. The panel rotates out of its original plane and translates vertically, moving the closure from a horizontal sliding mechanism to a vertical pivoting mechanism. This dimensional transformation allows the entire glazed surface to open while maintaining structural support through the vertical axis.
Solution Approach 2:
The window system transitions from a static closed position to a dynamic open position through controlled movement. The panel is designed to pivot vertically and translate along the guide, creating a dynamic opening mechanism. This dynamic behavior allows the window to transition between fully closed and fully open states, eliminating the need to leave half the surface closed as required by traditional sliding windows.
2Ease of operation
If retractable sliding windows are used to achieve full opening, then adjacent compartments are required which are not available in valuable areas
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the compartment requirement from the opening mechanism. Instead of needing an external adjacent compartment to house the retractable panel, the system uses the window frame itself as the pivot structure. The vertical pivot axis is integrated into the steady frame, and the panel rotates within the plane defined by the frame, eliminating the need for additional structural compartments.
Solution Approach 2:
The steady frame serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, acts as the pivot axis for the movable panel, and guides the vertical translation. The guide structure serves both to constrain the movement path and to support the panel during opening. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate adjacent compartments that would be required in traditional retractable window systems.
3Volume of moving object
If horizontally pivoted windows are used to minimize floor encumbrance, then the window creates a hazardous encumbrance at half height
Solution Approach 1:
The pivot axis is moved from a horizontal axis at half-height to a vertical axis extending from the floor to the ceiling. This dimensional change transforms the rotation plane from horizontal to vertical, allowing the panel to open upward and outward without creating horizontal encumbrance at dangerous heights. The entire movement occurs in the vertical dimension, eliminating the safety hazard.
Solution Approach 2:
The vertical pivot axis provides structural counterbalance that prevents the panel from creating hazardous encumbrances. The axis is anchored to the floor and extends upward, providing a stable rotation point that controls the panel's movement path. This counterbalancing structure ensures the panel opens safely upward and outward rather than creating a horizontal obstacle at half-height.
4Ease of operation
If canopy door structure is used to achieve full opening, then service rods are required which are aesthetically unpleasant
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the service rods from the opening mechanism. Instead of using external rods to facilitate the canopy motion, the system uses an integrated vertical pivot axis that is concealed within the steady frame. The movement is achieved through the interaction between the movable panel and the frame structure itself, eliminating the need for visible service rods and improving aesthetic appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivot axis and guide structure are merged with the steady frame, creating a unified aesthetic structure. The vertical axis is integrated into the frame design, and the movement mechanism is concealed within the frame boundaries. This merging eliminates the need for separate aesthetic elements like service rods, as the frame itself serves both structural and aesthetic functions.
Data Source
Figure 1.a~4.b
Figure 2.a~5.b
Figure 6
AI summary
The invention relates to a window 20 comprising a steady frame 22, a movable frame 24, and an actuator 26 for moving the movable frame 24. The steady frame mainly extends in a plane σ, comprises at least one plate 220 which mainly extends in a plane τ perpendicular to the plane σ, the plate 220 comprises a main track 222 and an auxiliary track 224. The movable frame extends predominantly in a plane π perpendicular to the plane τ and comprises: at least one pivot 242 defining a rotation axis X, perpendicular to the plane τ and parallel to the planes σ and ττ, the pivot 242 being conformed so as to be able to be slidingly held in the main track; at least one pin 244 which is rigidly mounted on the movable frame, which extends in a direction parallel to axis X, which is spaced from axis X, and which is conformed so as to be slidingly held in the auxiliary track. Furthermore, the actuator is suitable for imposing to the pivot a slide movement along the main track; the slide movement of the pivot along the main track imposes to the pin a slide movement along the auxiliary track; the auxiliary track is shaped so as to impose to the pin a rotation around axis X during the slide movement of the pin along the auxiliary track; and the pin is supported by a crank 246 rigidly mounted on the pivot 242.