Rolling Shutter Spacer Device Variable Slats
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current spacer devices for rolling shutters and gates are not sturdy enough, experience high friction and early wear, and require frequent replacements, as they do not adapt well to traditional slide guides and winding rollers, and are not suitable for variable spacing of slats without complete replacement.
Innovation Solution
A spacer device with widened heads and annular thickened portions that engage with connecting rods and pins, featuring retention caps with wings and projections to prevent slipping and bending, allowing for variable spacing without total removal, and reducing friction through precise curvature matching and self-tapping screws.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional spacer devices are used for rolling shutters, then the device structure is simple, but the joints between slats experience considerable stresses during raising, lowering, and rolling, leading to lack of strength and early wear
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer device is divided into multiple independent components including connecting rods, pins, caps with wings, and retention elements. Each component can be separately manufactured, assembled, and replaced, distributing mechanical stresses across multiple joints rather than concentrating them in a single structure, thereby improving overall strength while maintaining manageable complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The design features nested structural elements where pins are housed within caps, connecting rods connect slats through multiple joints, and retention caps with wings enclose the pin assemblies. This nested arrangement provides multiple levels of structural support and stress distribution, enhancing the strength of the spacer device during operational cycles.
2Reliability
If known spacer devices are used, then the basic spacing function is provided, but the devices experience considerable forces of friction and early wear, forcing frequent replacements
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer device incorporates dynamic elements including pins that can rotate within caps, connecting rods that accommodate movement between slats, and retention mechanisms that allow for easy assembly and disassembly. These dynamic features reduce friction by enabling smooth relative motion between components while maintaining reliable connections, thereby extending operational life and reducing replacement frequency.
Solution Approach 2:
The design allows for adjustment of spacing parameters between slats while maintaining structural integrity. The caps with wings and retention elements can accommodate variations in spacing requirements without compromising the durability of the connection joints, enabling the device to adapt to different operational conditions while maintaining reliability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional spacer devices are used, then the structure is straightforward, but they are not suitable for spacing slats apart by variable distances without complete replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting rods and pin assemblies are designed to accommodate variable spacing between slats through their inherent flexibility and adjustability. The pins can be positioned at different locations within the caps, and the connecting rods can accommodate different lengths and angles, allowing the spacer device to adapt to variable spacing requirements without requiring complete replacement of the structure.
4Duration of action of stationary object
If known spacer devices are used, then the basic function is provided, but the joints are subjected to considerable stresses leading to early wear and frequent replacements
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer device is segmented into replaceable components including pins, caps with wings, and connecting rods. When wear occurs, individual components can be replaced without replacing the entire spacer device structure, extending the overall service life while maintaining ease of repair through modular component replacement rather than complete system replacement.
Data Source
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AI summary
A spacer device for slats of rolling shutters or rolling gates that slide in a first vertical guide and a second vertical guide opposed to one another comprises a first and a second connecting rods (2), each having at least one first slot (3, 4) connected via first pins (5) inside first seats (7) present on the opposed faces (8, 9) of a first slat (10) and connected via second pins (6) inside second seats (4) present on the opposed faces (17, 18) of a second slat (19), said first and second pins having a stem (20), which has a first end (21) that engages in first and second housings (22), present, respectively, on first and second caps (23, 24) for closing said opposed faces of said first and second slats, and a second end (25), opposite to said first end, that engages in said first and second seats (7, 16).