Profile Bar Locking Mechanism for Panel Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing glazing systems face challenges in securely fixing profile bars to panels of varying thicknesses, requiring time-consuming installation and potential movement during glue drying, and often necessitate holes or additional screws.
Innovation Solution
A profile bar system incorporating a separate locking piece that allows for easy and quick installation, accommodating panels of different thicknesses without holes or screws, with end plugs locked in place by the locking piece, ensuring stability even before glue drying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a rigid profile bar is used, then the profile bar can be structurally strong, but the installation time increases particularly for wide panels
Solution Approach 1:
The profile bar is divided into a rigid outer structure and a separate flexible locking mechanism. The locking mechanism can elastically deform during installation to accommodate the panel, then locks into place, providing both strength and ease of installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism incorporates elastic deformation capability, allowing it to dynamically adapt during installation. The flexible portion can bend to receive the panel, then returns to its original shape to lock the panel securely, reducing installation time while maintaining strength.
2Reliability
If the slot width is reduced to fit panel thickness precisely, then the fixing becomes more secure, but the installation becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The slot width is designed to be larger than the panel thickness, and the locking mechanism compensates for this difference through elastic deformation. This parameter change allows easy insertion while the locking action provides secure fixing, resolving the contradiction between installation ease and fixing security.
3Strength
If glue is used to enhance fixing, then the bond strength increases, but the panel may move during the glue drying period
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism provides preliminary mechanical fixation before the glue dries. The elastic locking structure holds the panel in the correct position immediately upon installation, preventing movement during the glue drying period, while the glue provides long-term bond strength.
4Reliability
If separate fixing members like screws are used, then the fixing becomes more reliable, but the device complexity and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is integrated directly into the profile bar structure, combining the functions of the profile bar and the locking mechanism into a single component. This eliminates the need for separate fixing members like screws, reducing device complexity while maintaining reliable fixing through the elastic locking action.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1c
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 2c
AI summary
A profile bar to be locked to a panel, the profile bar comprising a frame (110) whose shape is a continuous profile extending in the longitudinal direction. Said frame further comprises: a slot (111) which is continuous in the longitudinal direction and in which the panel (100) can be installed; a first side (111 a) and a second side (111 b) of the slot, delimiting the slot and supporting the panel to be installed in it; and a protrusion (112) provided on the first side (111 a) of the slot and fitted to be placed in a groove (101) in the panel (100). The profile bar also comprises: a locking piece (200) comprising a locking part (230) which can be inserted between the panel in the slot and the second side of the slot (111 b), where said locking part is arranged to make the slot narrower, to push the panel against said protrusion and to support the panel in such a way that said protrusion remains in the groove (101) of the panel, wherein the detachment of the panel from the frame is prevented. A panel system comprises a planar panel (100) equipped with at least one locking groove (101), and profile bar to be locked to the panel.