Shower Door Hinge Assembly with Recessed Axis to Reduce Water Leakage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Frameless shower doors experience water leakage due to the lack of a frame to engage with the shower cubicle panel, and relative movement can cause surface scratches leading to rust or mold issues in the wet environment.
Innovation Solution
A hinge assembly with narrower neck portions than body portions, designed to reduce collisions and maintain a narrow gap between panels, featuring stop-pads made of resilient materials to prevent contact and minimize scratching, and a screw cover for a uniform shape.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If a frameless shower door is used to improve aesthetics, then the visual appearance is improved, but water leakage occurs between the door and panel
Solution Approach 1:
A hinge assembly with integrated sealing elements acts as an intermediary component between the frameless door and panel, providing the water sealing function that would otherwise require a frame. The sealing elements in the hinge assembly fill the gap and prevent water leakage while maintaining the frameless aesthetic.
2Ease of operation
If moveable hinge parts are used to allow door rotation, then the door can open and close, but surface scratches occur leading to rust or mold
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge assembly uses resilient sealing elements that can deform and adapt during rotation, changing their physical state to accommodate movement while protecting the panel surface. The materials and structural parameters are designed to eliminate scratching during the rotation operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge assembly incorporates protective sealing elements as intermediaries between the moving hinge parts and the panel surface, preventing direct contact that would cause scratches while still allowing rotational movement.
3Length of moving object
If the hinge assembly is designed with narrower neck portions to reduce gap, then the gap between door and panel is reduced, but collision between panels increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge assembly uses stop-pads with specific material properties and dimensions that change the interaction parameters between panels during movement, preventing collision while maintaining the narrow gap design.
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
The hinge assembly effectively reduces water leakage and minimizes scratching and collisions between panels, maintaining a narrow gap and preventing rust or mold formation by using stop-pads and a screw cover for smooth operation.
Implementation Method 1
one or more stop-pads, each arranged to be attached to either the first hinge member or the second hinge member and arranged to prevent contact between a surface of the first hinge member and a surface of the second hinge member at any angle of rotation
Data Source
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AI summary
A hinge assembly (100), for a shower door comprising a first panel (102) rotatably connected to a second panel (104), comprises a first hinge member (106) having a first body portion (118a) for attachment to the first panel and a first neck portion (116a), the first hinge member being arranged to allow rotation of the first panel with respect to the second panel about a hinge axis. The first body portion (118a) is arranged to be connected to the first panel (102) so as to lie at least partially within a recessed region thereof, such that the hinge axis lies within a footprint of the first panel. The hinge assembly further comprises a second hinge member 108 having a second body portion (118b) for attachment to the second panel such that the hinge axis lies outside a footprint of the second panel 104, and a second neck portion (116b) arranged to be rotatably connected to the first neck portion to allow the rotation. The neck portions are narrower than the body portions and shaped to prevent the hinge members (106), (108) from colliding as the panels (102, 104) rotate.