Rolling Shutter Slat Toggle Joint Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing closure systems for construction openings, such as rolling shutters, face challenges due to complex design and high manufacturing costs, reduced mobility and lifespan of components like connecting rods, and increased risk of damage from wear and aging, leading to difficulties in deployment and folding.
Innovation Solution
The use of a toggle joint with an upper and lower portion, pivotally mounted and articulated, which eliminates the need for external links and side chains, enhancing robustness and simplifying the manufacturing process by integrating securing and attachment means within the toggle joint.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If connecting rods and side chains are used to control the pivoting of movable blade parts, then the closure system can achieve the required mobility and control, but the device complexity increases and manufacturing costs rise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the control function directly into the blade structure by incorporating a pivotable connection element that combines the functions of the connecting rod and side chain into a single integrated component. This merging eliminates the need for separate external links and side chains, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining the required mobility and control of movable blade parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivotable connection element serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as both the connecting rod (providing rotational control) and the side chain (providing lateral guidance and support). This multi-functionality reduces the number of components needed while ensuring reliable operation of the movable blade parts.
2Reliability
If connecting rods are used to control blade pivoting, then the required mechanical linkage is achieved, but the lifespan of the connecting rod is reduced due to concentrated stress and wear
Solution Approach 1:
The connection element is divided into distinct functional zones: a pivotable connection portion that handles rotational stresses and a lateral connection portion that handles guiding forces. This segmentation distributes mechanical stresses more evenly across different sections of the component, preventing concentrated wear at single critical points and extending the lifespan of the mechanical linkage.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivotable connection element is designed with controlled degrees of freedom, allowing it to adapt its orientation and stress distribution dynamically during operation. This dynamic capability enables the component to optimize stress paths and reduce wear accumulation, thereby extending service life while maintaining reliable mechanical linkage.
3Reliability
If external links and side chains are used for blade control, then the closure system can achieve proper blade movement, but the manufacturing and installation process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the control functionality directly into the blade structure through the pivotable connection element, the patent eliminates the need for separate external links and side chains. This merging simplifies both the manufacturing process (fewer components to produce and assemble) and installation (fewer parts to position and connect) while maintaining proper blade movement control.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade structure itself provides the control mechanism through the integrated pivotable connection element, eliminating the need for separate external control components. This self-service approach reduces manufacturing complexity and simplifies installation, as the control functionality is inherent to the blade design rather than requiring additional external systems.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
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AI summary
The invention relates to a slat (2) of a curtain (1) of a closing system for an opening in a building, said slat (2) comprising, on the one hand, a fixed part (3) of slat (2), on the other hand, a movable part (4) of slat (2) mounted to pivot relative to the fixed part (3) of slat (2), this between a retracted position and a deployed position and, on the other hand, control means (7) for controlling the pivoting of the movable part (4) of slat (2) relative to the fixed part (3) of slat (2), this under the impulse of another slat (2') following or another previous slat.This blade (2) is characterized by the fact that the control means (7) comprise a toggle joint (8) having, on the one hand, an upper portion (9) which is fixed in movement to the moving part (4) of blade (2) and which is mounted pivotally relative to the fixed part (3) of blade (2), on the other hand, a lower portion (10), which is designed to be mounted pivotally relative to the next blade (2'), and which is mounted in an articulated manner relative to the upper portion (9) of the toggle joint (8).