Shower Cubicle Hinge With Internal Angular Adjustment Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Shower cubicle doors often face misalignment issues due to non-perpendicular walls, leading to gaps and requiring additional processing that weakens the door structure and increases costs.
Innovation Solution
A hinge system with a setting device and rotating connector that allows for angular adjustments to compensate for wall misalignments, ensuring proper door closure without the need for additional processing on the door.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If slots and grooves are added to the door for hinge adjustment, then the door can be adjusted to close properly, but the door structure is weakened and the cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment function is segmented from the door and transferred to the hinge mechanism. The hinge includes a mounting plate with adjustment slots and a positioning mechanism that can be adjusted independently, while the door itself remains intact without any slots or grooves.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting plate acts as an intermediary between the hinge and the door. It provides the adjustment capability through its own slots and positioning mechanism, while the door simply connects to this intermediary without requiring any structural modifications.
2Ease of manufacture
If the hinge size is increased to cover slots and grooves, then the adjustments can be hidden, but the aesthetic impact increases
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment slots and positioning mechanism are extracted from the door and placed on the mounting plate. This allows the mounting plate to be designed as a separate component that can be positioned strategically to hide adjustment features while maintaining a clean appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of hiding adjustments on the door by making large hinges, the invention inverts the approach by placing all adjustment mechanisms on the mounting plate, which can be positioned on the wall or frame away from visible areas.
3Adaptability or versatility
If additional processing is done on the door to create slots and grooves, then hinge adjustment is enabled, but the manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment functionality is segmented into a separate mounting plate component with its own slots and positioning mechanism. The door requires no processing, while the mounting plate handles all adjustment requirements independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting plate serves as an intermediary that absorbs all the complexity of adjustment mechanisms. It includes slots, positioning pins, and adjustment capabilities, while the door remains a simple component that only needs to connect to the mounting plate.
Data Source
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AI summary
A hinge (1), preferably for a shower cubicle, comprises a fixed element (2) having a housing (3), a setting device (4) arranged internally to the housing (3) and movable about its own axis of rotation (R) for abutting in its own operating position so as to perform the setting of a closing position of a door with respect to a support frame and, furthermore, at least one rotating connector (5) interposed between the setting device (4) and the door. The rotating connector (5) is rotatably mounted on the setting device (4) for rotating between an opening position and a closing position of the door defined by the setting device (4). In particular, the hinge (1) also comprises an adjustment element (7,8) for adjusting the operating position of the setting device (4) that is configured to rotate and/or maintain the same setting device (4) in an operating position comprised between its own normal position or its own rotated position.