Sliding Door Guide Rail Drainage via Hollow Chamber
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing guide rails for sliding door assemblies with multiple slidable leaves face challenges in aesthetically draining precipitation due to laborious and visually unappealing drainage solutions, particularly when trying to mill drainage openings across multiple guide ribs.
Innovation Solution
A guide rail design featuring a hollow chamber with a passage opening connecting the collector to the chamber and an outlet opening draining precipitation to the outside, allowing for efficient drainage within the rail with only a single visible outlet, thus improving aesthetics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If drainage openings are milled into guide ribs to drain precipitation, then drainage function is achieved, but aesthetic appearance deteriorates and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drainage function is extracted from the guide ribs themselves and relocated to a separate hollow chamber structure. The guide ribs remain intact and aesthetic, while the hollow chamber internally handles all drainage operations through hidden passage openings, separating the aesthetic exterior from the functional interior.
Solution Approach 2:
The hollow chamber acts as an intermediary element between the collector and the external environment. It provides hidden passage openings that connect the collector to the outside without requiring visible openings in the guide ribs, thus mediating between drainage functionality and aesthetic appearance.
2Reliability
If multiple separate drainage channels are fitted to drain precipitation from multiple guide ribs, then complete drainage coverage is achieved, but device complexity and labor increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple drainage functions for different guide ribs are merged into a single hollow chamber structure. Instead of fitting separate drainage channels for each guide rib, all channels converge into the collector that feeds into the hollow chamber, simplifying the overall structure and reducing assembly labor.
Solution Approach 2:
The hollow chamber serves as a universal drainage structure that handles precipitation from multiple guide ribs simultaneously. A single hollow chamber with appropriate passage openings can drain water from any number of guide ribs that connect to the collector, making the system scalable and reducing complexity.
3Ease of manufacture
If milling cutters with limited length are used to mill drainage openings, then production is simplified, but drainage effectiveness for multiple channels deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The drainage approach transitions from horizontal milling through guide ribs to vertical/diagonal passage openings within the hollow chamber. The passage openings can be oriented at various angles and lengths within the three-dimensional hollow chamber space, allowing effective drainage connection without requiring long horizontal mill cutters through multiple guide ribs.
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 effectively addresses the challenge of draining precipitation from multiple guide ribs while maintaining a visually appealing design, simplifying production and ensuring efficient water management.
Implementation Method 1
a passage opening which connects the collector to the hollow chamber for draining off the precipitation from the collector to this hollow chamber; and an outlet opening which connects the hollow chamber to the outside environment for draining off the precipitation from the hollow chamber to the outside environment
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~6
Figure 7~8
AI summary
The present invention relates to a guide rail (2) comprising upright guide ribs (5, 6) for guiding sliding door leaves (3, 4) in a sliding door assembly (1) and a channel (11) which is delimited by the guide ribs (5, 6) for discharging precipitation landing on the sliding door leaves (4), wherein the guide rail (2) comprises a zone (12) at one end which is free from the guide ribs (5, 6) at the top and in which a collector (13) is provided in which the channel (11) ends, and wherein the guide rail (2) is provided with a hollow chamber (15), a passage opening (16), which connects the collector (13) to the hollow chamber (15), and an outlet opening (17), which connects the hollow chamber (15) to an outside environment (14) for draining off the precipitation.