Sliding Door Center Support with Retractable Guide
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing center supports for sliding sashes require significant force for assembly and disassembly, especially for large and heavy sashes, due to the need to lift and pivot them into place, which complicates the installation and removal process.
Innovation Solution
A center support design featuring a base part and a guide part that can be displaced along a parallel axis, with a rotatable roller and actuable clamping elements, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly by retracting or extending the guide part, and using a spring to facilitate the operating position, enabling simpler installation and secure engagement with the guide rail.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional one-piece safety guide is used, then the center support provides stable support for the sliding sash, but the assembly and disassembly require considerable force and complex operations (lifting and pivoting)
Solution Approach 1:
The center support is divided into a base part and a guide part that can be displaced relative to each other. The guide part can be retracted into the base part to reduce the overall profile during assembly/disassembly, eliminating the need for lifting and pivoting operations required by traditional one-piece designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide part is made dynamically movable along the displacement axis within the base part, allowing it to transition between retracted and extended positions. This dynamic capability enables the center support to adapt its shape during installation and operation, reducing assembly complexity.
2Reliability
If the guide part is extended to engage the guide rail, then the center support provides proper support function, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The guide part can be retracted into the base part, creating a nested configuration when not in use. This nesting principle reduces the overall size and simplifies the appearance of the center support while maintaining the full support function when the guide part is extended and engaged with the guide rail.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide part is extracted as a separate, displaceable component from the base part, allowing it to be independently positioned. This extraction enables the guide part to be engaged with the guide rail for proper support function while keeping the base part as a stable mounting structure on the sliding sash.
3Stability of the object's composition
If clamping elements are added to lock the guide part in position, then the center support maintains proper positioning, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The clamping elements are designed to automatically engage with the guide part when it is in the correct position, providing self-locking functionality. This self-service mechanism maintains stable positioning without requiring additional complex locking systems or manual intervention to secure the guide part.
4Productivity
If the center support is designed for easy assembly, then installation time is reduced, but the tightness and support stability might be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The base part is pre-configured with the mounting structure and fastening elements, allowing the guide part to be simply displaced into its engaged position. This preliminary preparation of the base part enables quick assembly while ensuring that the guide part achieves proper engagement with the guide rail for maintaining sash tightness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design significantly reduces assembly and disassembly efforts, maintains the sash's tightness, and does not increase operating forces, while allowing for easy retrofitting and maintaining a compact structure.
Implementation Method 1
a roller, preferably a roller with roller bearings or ball bearings, is mounted on the guide part for rotation about a rotation axis
Implementation Method 2
using a spring to facilitate the operating position
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a central support (10) for a sliding sash (104), comprising a base part (12) and a guide part (16) slidably guided in the base part (12) along a displacement axis (14), wherein the guide part (16) is displaceable along the displacement axis (14) between a retracted mounting position relative to the base part (12) and an extended operating position relative to the base part (12), wherein a roller (20) is rotatably mounted at the free end (18) of the guide part (16) about a pivot axis (22), wherein the displacement axis (14) and the pivot axis (22) are parallel or congruent to each other. A sliding door assembly (100) with such a central support (10) is shown.