Sectional Door Water-Cap Structure for Moisture Drainage

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing sectional doors face challenges in effectively removing and disposing of moisture ingress without compromising their outer appearance.

Innovation Solution

The sectional door incorporates intermediate water caps and a dewatering plate with specific designs to collect and guide moisture externally, featuring apertures and protrusions that fit snugly with the door panel profiles, and a receptacle with an oblique surface to prevent internal water penetration.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If intermediate water caps and dewatering plates are added to remove moisture, then moisture removal capability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemoisture removal capabilityVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The door panel profile is divided into multiple functional sections with intermediate water caps installed at different levels (first, second, third water caps). Each cap independently collects and removes moisture from specific zones, enabling distributed moisture management that improves overall effectiveness while maintaining modular simplicity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Intermediate water caps serve as intermediary components between the external environment and the door panel interior. These caps act as mediators that intercept moisture externally through receiving sections and apertures, preventing water ingress before it can penetrate the door structure, thus protecting the interior without requiring complex internal drainage systems

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If apertures are provided in water caps for moisture discharge, then moisture removal efficiency is improved, but protection against water ingress deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemoisture removal efficiencyVSAvoidwater ingress protection

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Different regions of the water cap system have different functional qualities: the receiving section provides open access for moisture collection, while the body portion provides protective enclosure. The apertures are strategically positioned to allow controlled moisture discharge while the overall cap structure maintains protective coverage, creating local quality variations that simultaneously achieve both moisture removal and water ingress protection

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of trying to prevent all water contact with the door panel, the system inverts the approach by actively collecting and channeling moisture through apertures in the water caps. The apertures appear to create openings for water ingress, but they actually serve to drain moisture away from the door interior, inverting the conventional protective barrier concept into an active moisture management system

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Reliability

If dewatering plate with receptacle is installed below door panel profile, then water collection capability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewater collection capabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The dewatering plate is merged with the threshold structure, integrating the water collection function into an existing door component. The receptacle is formed as part of the threshold assembly rather than as a separate attached component, combining multiple functions (threshold, water collection, structural support) into a single integrated element that reduces manufacturing steps and assembly complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The threshold structure serves multiple functions: it provides the base structural support for the door assembly, acts as a weather seal barrier, and incorporates the dewatering plate with receptacle for water collection. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate water collection components, simplifying manufacturing while enhancing water management capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4431693B1Sectional door

Publication Date: 2026.01.14 CONDOOR GROUP

Figure 1A~1C
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 2C

AI summary

Sectional door (1) comprising door panels (2) that are hingedly connected to each other, said sectional door (1) being provided with a wicket door (3) fitting in a wicket door frame (4) of the sectional door (1), wherein the wicket door (3) also has door panels (2') that are hingedly connected to each other, wherein both the door panels (2) of the sectional door (1) and the door panels (2') of the wicket door (3) have door panel profiles (12, 12') delimiting the respective door panels (2, 2'), wherein between the door panel profiles (12, 12') intermediate water caps (6, 7) are provided to collect and receive moist, and to further guide such moist to outside the intermediate water caps (6, 7) in order to dewater the concerning sectional door panel profiles (12) and wicket door panel profiles (12'). Preferably the sectional door is provided with a threshold (13), wherein on top of the threshold (13) and below a sectional door panel profile (12) a dewatering plate (15) is provided which is equipped with a receptacle (16) for moist collected and received therein from higher parts of the sectional door (1).