Rolling Shutter Slat Curved Edge Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional roller shutter slats face issues with significant vertical clearance, noise due to loose articulation, and inefficient compact storage, leading to unsightly large diameters when retracted and potential water retention that can cause damage.
Innovation Solution
The design features slats with engaging and receiving tracks that form a hinge with minimal clearance, allowing slats to lie flush against each other, reducing the diameter of the rolled shutter and preventing water accumulation, by using a convex and concave curvature configuration with articulating surfaces and a receptacle to minimize space and enhance security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If slats are made with loose articulation to conform to a roll, then the shutter can be retractable and compact storage is facilitated, but significant vertical clearance accumulates between slats resulting in large total clearance and noisy operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the slat edges by replacing conventional straight edges with curved surfaces. The first edge has a convex curvature and the second edge has a concave curvature, which allows the slats to nest together with minimal clearance when retracted, eliminating the quarter-inch clearance per slat found in conventional designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies curvature to the slat edges - the first edge features a convex curved surface while the second edge features a concave curved surface. This curvature enables the slats to conform to each other when rolled up, minimizing the overall diameter of the retracted shutter and reducing clearance between slats.
2Adaptability or versatility
If slats are made with loose articulation for flexibility, then the shutter can retract, but the slats rattle against each other creating noise during extension and retraction
Solution Approach 1:
The curved surfaces on the slat edges create a tighter fit between adjacent slats during articulation. The convex and concave curvatures mate together to reduce gaps and prevent the rattling noise that occurs with straight-edged slats that have loose articulation.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional slat configurations are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but water can accumulate between slats causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The curved edges of the slats, with convex and concave surfaces, create a configuration that prevents water accumulation. The curvature eliminates flat surfaces where water could pool between slats, allowing water to drain off more effectively and preventing the damage associated with trapped moisture.
Data Source
AI summary
A slat for use in a rolling shutter is provided. The slat comprises a engaging track located at a first edge of a body and a receiving track located at a second edge of the body. Illustratively, the engaging track has a hook-shaped profile, and the receiving track comprises a lip member and a guard member defining a space adapted to receive therein an engaging track of an adjacent slat. The engaging track and the receiving track are designed to minimize the space required for the rolling shutter to be retracted around a spindle.