Roller Shutter Flange With Captive Locking Piece for Easy Bearing Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing roller shutter flanges face issues with difficult installation and potential loss of locking components, such as spring pins, and fragile indexing elements that require precise alignment.
Innovation Solution
A roller shutter flange design featuring a locking piece that is captive within the mounting portion, allowing for easy locking and unlocking through rotational movement, with indexed positions indicated by markings and a non-return mechanism to prevent loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a spring pin is used to lock the tube shaft to the plate, then the locking function is achieved, but the installation becomes difficult and the pin is prone to loss
Solution Approach 1:
The locking piece is nested within the mounting portion, forming an integrated assembly where the locking piece is received in a recess of the mounting portion. This nesting eliminates the need for separate alignment and insertion operations, making installation straightforward while maintaining secure locking through the protrusion-lock recess mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking piece and mounting portion are combined into a single integrated assembly rather than separate components. The locking piece is captively mounted within the mounting portion, merging the locking function with the mounting structure itself, which simplifies installation and eliminates the risk of losing separate locking elements.
2Measurement precision
If indexing elements are made fragile to achieve precise positioning, then positioning precision is improved, but the elements become prone to breakage
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the indexing elements fragile for precision, the invention inverts the approach by using robust, simple geometric features (protrusions and complementary recesses) that provide precise positioning through their shape and fit, not through fragility. The indexing elements are designed to be strong and durable while maintaining positioning accuracy.
3Manufacturing precision
If the locking piece requires perfect alignment for installation, then the locking precision is improved, but the installation time and effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The locking piece is pre-assembled with the mounting portion in a nested configuration before installation. This preliminary assembly ensures proper alignment and positioning is already established, eliminating the need for precise field alignment during installation. The pre-assembled unit can be installed as a single component, significantly reducing installation time and effort.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3
AI summary
A roller shutter flange comprising a mounting portion (310) with a wall (314) defining a recess (312) and delimiting an internal volume (V314) for receiving an end bearing (22) of a winding tube (20). The flange (300) includes a locking piece (380), which is captive to the mounting portion and movable relative to the mounting portion between a locked position and a retracted position. The locking portion is configured to be received in a complementary recess (22A) formed in the bearing (22), so as to prevent translational movement of the bearing relative to the mounting portion when the bearing is received in the recess and the locking piece is in the locked position.