Sliding Door Bracket with Cam Guides for Aligned Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mechanisms for aligned closure of sliding doors in furniture compartments with multiple doors face issues such as complexity, bulkiness, imprecision, and difficulty in supporting large and heavy doors, especially when using a single track for multiple doors, which limits accessibility and stability.
Innovation Solution
A mechanism featuring a single bracket with sensing wheels and cam guides for each door, allowing transversal and longitudinal movement, and equipped with pulleys and adjustable bearings for smooth alignment and overlapping, utilizing a single track for all doors while ensuring stability and easy access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single track is used for multiple sliding doors, then the device complexity and length are reduced, but the accessibility and operational smoothness deteriorate due to bracket interference
Solution Approach 1:
The support mechanism is divided into multiple independent carriages, each responsible for supporting one door panel. Each carriage operates independently on the single track, eliminating interference between adjacent doors while maintaining the simplicity of a single-track structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The carriages are designed to nest within each other along the single track when doors are in closed position, minimizing space occupation. When doors need to be accessed, carriages can slide out independently without blocking adjacent compartments.
2Device complexity
If brackets and carriages are positioned on one side of the door, then the device complexity is reduced, but the supporting strength and stability deteriorate for large and heavy doors
Solution Approach 1:
The support function is extracted from a single-side bracket configuration and distributed to multiple carriages positioned at different locations along the door panel. This allows the door to be supported at multiple points, increasing overall strength without requiring a complex single-side bracket structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple carriages work together in combination to support the door panel, merging their individual support capabilities into a unified strong support system. The carriages are connected through the door panel itself, creating a distributed support structure that is both strong and simple.
3Manufacturing precision
If curved guides and inclined sliding elements are used, then the aligned closure of doors is achieved, but the reliability deteriorates due to frequent exit of sliding devices from guides
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using fixed curved guides that require precise geometric matching, the invention uses dynamic carriages with rollers that can adapt to the movement requirements. The carriages move along a straight track but achieve the necessary door panel inclination through the interaction of multiple rollers and the door panel's own geometry, reducing the risk of derailment.
Solution Approach 2:
The carriage acts as an intermediary between the straight track and the door panel, mediating the transformation from linear track movement to the required door panel inclination and alignment. This intermediary absorbs the complexity of curved path guidance while maintaining reliable contact with a simple straight track.
4Strength
If wide brackets with multiple carriages are used, then the supporting strength is improved, but the device complexity and length increase, preventing use of single track for multiple doors
Solution Approach 1:
Each carriage is designed as a universal module that can support any door panel regardless of size or weight. The same carriage design is used for all doors in the system, reducing overall complexity through standardization while maintaining the strength needed for large doors through the use of multiple carriages.
Solution Approach 2:
The carriages are pre-positioned along the track in a retracted state when doors are closed, minimizing their space occupation. When a door needs to be opened, the specific carriage is activated and moves into position independently, allowing multiple doors to share the same track without interference.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
The invention regards to a mechanism for the aligned closure of sliding doors (1 - 3), in particular for furniture or compartments (Vl - V3) with two or more doors, with a sliding door (1, 2 or 3) for each compartment, and where each compartment opens by sliding and overlapping of one door with one of the adjacent doors and closes in alignment with the adjacent doors. The mechanism consists of a single bracket (10) for each door, one end of the bracket (10) being fixed on the door, and its opposite end being equipped with a first sensing bearing (13) to run along a cam guide (70), said bracket (10) being suitable for inclination and transversal movement with a carriage (30), which also allows it to slide along a rail (50) to be positioned on the upper surface of the compartments. The carriage (30) can be adjusted transversally and the bracket (10) can move axially in relation to the carriage (30). An arm (14), one end of which is firmly attached to the bracket (10), while the other end (14a) is equipped with at least a second sensing device having a bearing (15, 15'), can run along an other longitudinal cam guide (60) using the same bracket (10) for inclination and movement.