Compact Sliding Glass Door Clamp With Dual-Effect Damping

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing sliding door clamps for glass doors face challenges in compact design, as they require large installation space and often result in non-linear deceleration with rebound effects, making it impossible to implement a double damping system for both opening and closing on small doors.

Innovation Solution

A compact clamp with a double-effect damping assembly combining gas and oil technology, featuring two gas chambers and a central oil tank separated by watertight pistons, which provides harmonic and linear deceleration without rebound, allowing for dual damping systems on small doors by reducing the overall size of the device.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a conventional pneumatic piston and spring damping system is used, then the door deceleration function is achieved, but the installation space requirement increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedoor deceleration functionVSAvoidinstallation space
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the pneumatic piston and spring damping elements into a single integrated clamp body. The piston rod is directly connected to the clamp, and the spring is positioned within the same housing, merging multiple damping components into one compact unit that performs both deceleration and end-of-stroke positioning functions without requiring separate mounting spaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The damping components are nested within the clamp body structure. The pneumatic piston is housed inside the clamp, with the spring positioned around or within the piston assembly. This nested arrangement allows the damping system to be contained within the existing clamp footprint, eliminating the need for additional external mounting space.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Reliability

If a protruding plunger with end-of-stroke damper is used, then the door stopping function is achieved, but the device complexity and installation space increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedoor stopping functionVSAvoidclamp structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the damping function from a separate protruding plunger mechanism and integrates it directly into the clamp body. The piston rod itself serves as the actuating element, eliminating the need for an additional protruding plunger with its own damper system. This extraction and integration simplifies the overall structure by removing redundant components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The clamp body is designed to perform multiple functions: clamping the door, providing deceleration through the integrated piston-damper, and achieving end-of-stroke positioning. By making the clamp body universal and multi-functional, the patent eliminates the need for separate specialized components like protruding plungers with dedicated dampers, thereby reducing structural complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Area of stationary object

If a compact clamp design is implemented, then the installation space is reduced, but the ability to provide dual damping for opening and closing is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinstallation spaceVSAvoiddual damping capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the damping function into two independent integrated clamp units, one for opening and one for closing. Each clamp contains its own piston-damper-spring assembly, allowing both damping functions to operate independently within compact form factors. This segmentation enables dual damping capability without requiring a single large complex mechanism.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions from a single large-dimension damping system to two smaller-dimension integrated clamps arranged in different spatial orientations. By utilizing different dimensions and orientations for the two clamp units, the system achieves dual damping functionality while maintaining compact overall size that can accommodate narrow door configurations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

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

The compact clamp effectively decelerates glass sliding doors with harmonic and linear motion, eliminating rebound and enabling dual damping systems for both opening and closing on narrow doors, where conventional systems fail due to size constraints.

Implementation Method 1

a cylinder in which two gas chambers are distinguished, preferably nitrogen gas, located at the ends and a central oil tank, separating the gas chambers and the central oil tank by two watertight floating pistons

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGas compression: Compression

Implementation Method 2

a third non-watertight piston is arranged in the central oil tank which is connected to shank of the damping assembly and which divides it into two chambers allowing the transfer of oil between them

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectViscous damping: Viscous Damping

Data Source

PatentEP3477031B1Compact clamp for sliding glass doors with incorporated damper
Publication Date: 2021.03.31 TORRABIAS CANTAL OSCAR
  • EP3477031B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3477031B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3477031B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The invention relates to a new compact clamp for sliding glass doors, which comprises two jaws, left jaw (1) and right jaw (2). One of the jaws has damping means formed by a double-effect damper (4) with gas and oil technology, using a cylinder (6) containing a front gas chamber (7) and a rear gas chamber (8) which are located at the ends of the cylinder, and a central oil tank (9), the gas chambers and the oil tank being separated by a blind piston (11) and an annular piston (12), which are both leak tight. In the central oil tank (9) is disposed a non-leak tight damping piston (12) that is connected to a rod (13) of the damper (4) and divides the tank into two oil chambers.