Rotatable Hub Latch Assembly for Sliding Door
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing latch assemblies for sliding security doors face challenges in efficiently adjusting between left-hand and right-hand opening configurations without requiring separate inventory for each, and they often obstruct access due to crowded door furniture and limited space.
Innovation Solution
A latch assembly with rotatable actuator and lock hubs, inner and outer hand-operable members, and a deadlatching mechanism that allows for adjustment between active and inactive conditions, including a pawl to prevent damage and an indicator for lock status, all integrated with streamlined door furniture for versatile operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate latch assemblies are manufactured for left-hand and right-hand opening doors, then the lock mechanism can be properly configured for each opening direction, but the inventory complexity and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The latch assembly incorporates rotatable actuator and lock hubs that can be rotated 180 degrees to change the opening direction configuration. This dynamic adjustment capability allows a single standardized latch assembly to adapt to both left-hand and right-hand opening doors, eliminating the need for separate inventory while maintaining proper configuration for each opening direction.
Solution Approach 2:
The latch assembly is designed with universal components including actuator hubs, lock hubs, and hand operable members that can perform multiple functions depending on their rotational orientation. The same physical components can configure the latch for left-hand or right-hand opening, making the assembly universally applicable to both door types without requiring separate manufacturing variants.
2Shape
If door furniture is placed adjacent the bolt for streamlined appearance, then the aesthetic appeal improves, but access to the hand grip is obstructed when the door is closed
Solution Approach 1:
The hand grip is positioned on the escutcheon plate in a location that is accessible from the front face of the door, rather than on the side adjacent to the bolt. This dimensional repositioning allows the grip to be reachable when the door is closed while still maintaining the streamlined appearance of the door furniture arrangement.
3Ease of manufacture
If the latch assembly uses traditional fixed components, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the likelihood of bolt or strike damage during door operation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pawl component is designed to rotate dynamically during door operation, allowing it to engage with the ratchet teeth on the strike. This rotational movement enables the pawl to properly position and engage the strike, preventing bolt or strike damage while maintaining a relatively simple manufacturing process using standard metal forming and machining operations.
4Device complexity
If the latch assembly lacks a visible lock status indicator, then the structure remains simple, but the user cannot easily determine whether the lock is engaged
Solution Approach 1:
The lock status indicator uses color changes to communicate the locked/unlocked state to the user. When the lock is engaged, the indicator displays one color (e.g., red), and when disengaged, it displays another color (e.g., green). This visual information transmission allows users to easily determine lock status without adding significant structural complexity to the latch assembly.
Data Source
AI summary
A latch assembly 1 and a latch set 1, 2, 3, 4 for use with a sliding door frame 6. The latch assembly 1 includes a housing 48, 49, and a bolt 17 pivotable relative to the housing 48, 49 on rotation of either one of a pair of actuator hubs 51, 52. The latch assembly 1 also includes a pair of locking hubs, 53, 54 which are also rotatable to adjust the lock mechanism between an active condition and an inactive condition.