Rolling Gate Flexible Leaf with Joint Link Guidance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing roller doors face challenges in minimizing space requirements in the open position while maintaining high opening and closing speeds and ensuring reliable guidance of the door leaf movement.

Innovation Solution

The door leaf is designed from flexible material, such as transparent PVC or polycarbonate, which adapts to the winding shape in the open position, combined with stabilization devices and joint arrangements that transmit tensile and shear forces, allowing for a lightweight yet robust construction and efficient movement guidance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a rigid door leaf construction is used, then reliable guidance of door leaf movement is achieved, but space requirements in the open position increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveguidance reliabilityVSAvoidspace requirement
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The door leaf is constructed from flexible material (such as plastic foil or web) that can adapt to the winding contour in the open position, enabling a small spiral diameter and reduced space requirements while maintaining movement guidance through integrated joint members

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The door leaf is divided into multiple segments with joint arrangements containing joint members that can pivot relative to each other, allowing the flexible door leaf to follow the winding path while maintaining structural integrity and reliable guidance

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Speed

If the door leaf is made lightweight, then high opening and closing speed is achieved, but structural strength decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveopening and closing speedVSAvoidstructural strength
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The door leaf combines flexible material (such as plastic foil) with integrated joint members made of rigid material, creating a composite structure that is both lightweight for high speed and sufficiently strong for structural integrity and force transmission

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The joint members are designed with specific geometric parameters and cross-sections that optimize the balance between weight and strength, allowing the flexible door leaf to transmit tensile and shear forces effectively while maintaining lightweight construction

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Volume of moving object

If joint arrangements are placed on end faces perpendicular to joint axis, then thickness increase is avoided, but space requirements and movement speed limitations persist

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovethicknessVSAvoidmovement speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The joint arrangements are arranged along the lateral edges of the door leaf in a direction parallel to the joint axes, utilizing the lateral dimension rather than the thickness dimension, which allows for high-speed movement while maintaining compact thickness

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

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

This design achieves a high-speed door with reduced space requirements in the open position and reliable movement guidance, combining the advantages of roller doors and film doors by forming a rigid skeleton through stabilization profiles and joint arrangements.

Implementation Method 1

The door leaf is designed from flexible material, such as transparent PVC or polycarbonate, which adapts to the winding shape in the open position

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Implementation Method 2

joint arrangements that transmit tensile and shear forces, allowing for a lightweight yet robust construction and efficient movement guidance

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectForce transmission: Force

Data Source

PatentEP3176355B1Rolling gate
Publication Date: 2018.01.31 SEUSTER
  • EP3176355B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3176355B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3176355B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

A gate, in particular a roller gate, with a gate leaf movable between an open position in which it at least partially opens a wall opening and forms a multi-layered roll above the wall opening, and a closed position in which it at least partially closes the wall opening, and with hinge assemblies attached to the gate leaf for guiding the gate leaf movement, each of which has a plurality of joint links articulated to one another with respect to joint axes extending perpendicular to the lateral edges and approximately parallel to the plane of the gate leaf, wherein the gate leaf is formed at least partially from a flexible material, such as a plastic film, which is stabilized by two, three or more stabilizing devices extending perpendicular to the lateral edges and in the plane of the gate leaf.the gate leaf is connected to the hinge arrangements via the stabilizing devices.