Segmented Roller Shutter with Plastic Frame and Plug-in Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing roller blinds made of metal rods are heavy and require large, powerful shaft drives, limiting their size and functionality due to their weight and complex production processes.
Innovation Solution
Designing roller blinds with flat, frame-shaped segments made of plastic or fiber-reinforced plastic, connected via plug-in connections with outward-pointing pins and inward-pointing openings, allowing for easier assembly and repair, and using stub axles for pivoting, which reduces weight and production complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If roller blinds are made of metal rods with articulated connections, then stability and burglar-proofing are improved, but weight increases and requires powerful shaft drives
Solution Approach 1:
The roller blind is divided into multiple individual blind segments that are connected in rows. Each segment can be independently manufactured and assembled, allowing the use of lighter materials while maintaining overall structural stability through the segmented architecture and connection system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite construction by combining rigid blind segments with flexible connection elements. The blind segments themselves can be made from lighter materials while the plug-in connections and articulation points provide the necessary structural reinforcement, creating a composite structure that balances weight and strength.
2Reliability
If roller blinds are made of metal rods, then burglar-proofing is improved, but weight increases and limits maximum dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the roller blind into multiple connected units, the patent achieves burglar-proofing through the cumulative strength of many connected segments rather than relying on heavy individual components. The articulated connections and plug-in mechanisms provide resistance to forced entry while keeping each segment lightweight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameters from solid metal rods to hollow or lattice-structured blind segments. This parameter change reduces weight while maintaining or even improving security properties, as the segmented structure with proper connections can provide comparable or superior resistance to forced entry compared to solid metal.
3Ease of operation
If roller blinds use clamp-like connectors with straight rods, then corrugated rods can be connected articulatedly, but production complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the connection function from complex clamp-like connectors with straight rods and implements it through simpler plug-in connections. The articulation is achieved through dedicated hinge elements rather than through the primary connectors, simplifying the connection design and reducing production complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dedicated hinge elements and plug-in connection components as intermediaries between the blind segments. These intermediary elements specialize in providing articulated connection, allowing the main blind segment structure to remain simple and easy to manufacture while the connection function is handled by specialized components.
4Weight of moving object
If roller blinds are made lighter with plastic segments, then weight decreases and shaft drives can be smaller, but impact resistance and resilience may decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite construction where plastic or lightweight blind segments are combined with reinforcement elements and robust connection mechanisms. This composite approach maintains light weight while improving impact resistance through the synergistic combination of lightweight materials and strength-providing connection structures.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the roller blind into multiple interconnected units with articulation points, the patent achieves improved impact resistance through the ability of segments to move independently and absorb impact forces. The segmented structure with proper connections can dissipate impact energy more effectively than a solid structure of the same weight.
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The invention relates to a roller blind (1) with a winding shaft (2) onto which the roller blind (1) can be wound and from which the roller blind (1) can be unwound. This roller blind (1) is a component of a roller door system used for opening or closing an underground parking garage entrance, a door, gate, or window opening, or similar opening of a building. The roller blind (1) according to the invention is characterized in that it is formed from blind segments (3) which are connected to each other in segment rows (4) oriented longitudinally along the winding shaft (2), and that the blind segments (3) provided in each segment row (4) are rigidly connected to each other, and the blind segments (3) of each segment row (4) are pivotably connected to the blind segments (3) of adjacent segment rows (4) about a pivot axis oriented longitudinally along the winding shaft (2) (cf.