Sliding Door Guide Mechanism for Compact Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sliding doors have a large support element and associated casing that extend beyond the door compartment, leading to an undesirable aesthetic impact and laborious installation/maintenance due to complex coupling/decoupling of carriages on the support element.
Innovation Solution
A sliding door design featuring rotating organs fixed to the vertical wall to support longitudinal guide organs near the upper edge and second sliding means with flexible plates and idle wheels at the lower edge, allowing for compact installation and easy maintenance, with sliding groups comprising a flexible plate, idle wheel, and elastic plates for enhanced flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a conventional support element and casing are used to support and guide the door, then the door can slide between open and closed positions, but the overall volume and aesthetic impact are compromised due to the support element extending beyond twice the door's transversal dimension
Solution Approach 1:
The support system is segmented into two independent parts: (1) rotating organs fixed to the vertical wall that provide support, and (2) longitudinal guide organs fixed to the door that provide guidance. This segmentation eliminates the need for a single large support element extending beyond the door, reducing overall volume while maintaining both support and guidance functions through coordinated interaction of the separated components.
Solution Approach 2:
The support function is transferred from a horizontal extension beyond the door to a vertical arrangement where rotating organs are fixed to the wall above the door compartment. This dimensional change allows the support mechanism to be compact and aesthetically pleasing while still providing the necessary support and guidance functionality.
2Ease of operation
If carriages are coupled to the support element for optimal door closing, then the door can be properly guided, but installation and maintenance become particularly long and laborious
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of coupling carriages to a support element, the invention inverts the relationship by fixing simple rotating organs to the wall and simple guide organs to the door. The complexity is inverted from a complex coupling mechanism to a simple interaction between rotating and guiding components, dramatically simplifying installation and maintenance while achieving the same door closing and guidance function.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex coupling mechanism between carriages and support element is extracted and replaced with two simple independent components: rotating organs fixed to the wall and guide organs fixed to the door. This extraction eliminates the laborious coupling/decoupling operations while maintaining the essential function of supporting and guiding the door during translation.
3Shape
If the support element and casing extend beyond the door compartment for proper support, then the door can be properly supported, but the aesthetic impact becomes undesirable due to the large visible structure
Solution Approach 1:
The guide organs are contained within the door profile itself, nesting the guidance function within the existing door structure. The rotating organs are positioned within or near the door compartment boundary. This nesting eliminates the need for external casings and support elements extending beyond the door, achieving a clean aesthetic appearance while maintaining full support functionality.
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 solution provides a compact sliding door system with reduced overall volume, enabling rapid and easy installation and maintenance, even for non-specialized operators, by simplifying the coupling process and utilizing flexible components for adaptable floor support.
Implementation Method 1
a first flexible plate, associated to the lower edge of the door, provided with a projecting fork able to support at least an idle wheel
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of second plates having a high elastic coefficient destined to be positioned in a stack on the first plate in order to give greater mechanical flexibility
Data Source
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AI summary
The sliding door 1 comprises, in known ways, a door (2) able to translate between extreme positions of opening (W1) and closing (W2) in order to respectively enable a maximum discovery and a maximum obscuring of a door compartment (3) afforded in a vertical wall (4); first means, associated to the vertical wall (4), being provided for supporting and guiding the door (2) during translation thereof between the extreme positions (W1, W2). In a novel way, the first support and guide means comprise: rotating organs (5) fixed idle to the vertical wall (4), superiorly of the door compartment (3), destined to slidably support longitudinal guide organs (6), fixed to the door (2) in proximity of an upper edge thereof and contained within a profile thereof. Second means are also provided, associated to the lower edge of the door (2), for enabling sliding of the door (2) restingly on the floor (P).