Roll Up Shutter Reinforcement Using Self-Forming Structural Shapes
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional roll-up and roll-down shutters lack sufficient structural strength to resist forces normal to the plane of the curtain, limiting their ability to cover larger openings without obstructing the protected area with reinforcing bars or additional tracks.
Innovation Solution
The use of self-forming structural shapes, such as deployable slats that exit the plane of the flat curtain to form three-dimensional beams, enhances the flexure strength of the shutter, allowing for larger coverage without additional reinforcement, and can be selectively reinforced for security applications like vehicle barriers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the curtain is widened to protect larger openings, then the coverage area is increased, but the structural strength against flexure normal to the curtain plane deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the flat two-dimensional curtain into a three-dimensional structure by deploying slats that exit the plane of the curtain to form beams. This dimensional change provides structural strength against flexure normal to the curtain plane while maintaining large coverage area, resolving the contradiction between width and strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs deployable slats that can transition between a retracted state (flat curtain) and a deployed state (three-dimensional beams). This dynamic capability allows the curtain to adapt its structural strength based on operational needs, providing enhanced strength when required while maintaining flexibility for large openings.
2Strength
If storm bars or additional tracks are added to reinforce the curtain, then the structural strength is improved, but the complexity of the device and obstruction of the protected area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the slats multi-functional by enabling them to serve both as the curtain covering and as structural reinforcement elements. When deployed, the same slats form three-dimensional beams that provide strength, eliminating the need for separate storm bars or additional tracks and reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the curtain function and reinforcement function into a single integrated structure. The slats serve dual purposes: providing coverage when flat and providing structural strength when deployed into beams, merging what were previously separate components into one system.
3Strength
If storm bars or additional tracks are added to reinforce the curtain, then the structural strength is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to obstruction during retraction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamically deployable slats that can transition between flat and beam configurations. During retraction, the slats return to a flat state that allows smooth operation without obstruction, while during operation, they deploy to provide necessary structural strength, thus maintaining ease of operation while achieving reinforcement.
Data Source
AI summary
A shutter for protecting an opening. The shutter comprising a plurality of horizontal curtain slats for covering the opening, wherein horizontal refers to a direction when viewing slats from a front surface, and wherein the curtain slats hang freely from a upper region of the opening; an upper transition slat movably affixed to a lower end of a first curtain slat; a lower transition slat movably affixed to an upper end of a second curtain slat; and a horizontal reinforcing member comprising at least an upper and a lower reinforcing slat, wherein the upper reinforcing slat is rotatably affixed to a lower end of the first transition slat and the lower reinforcing slat is rotatably affixed to an upper end of the second transition slat, and wherein the upper and lower reinforcing slats are rotatably joined.