Sliding Door Handle Pivot Pin Engagement Mechanism
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sliding door handle pivoting mechanisms are noisy, wear rapidly, and lack ease of assembly and component replacement, failing to provide a smooth and quiet operation.
Innovation Solution
A pivoting mechanism using axially aligned pivot pins with plastic inserts and clips, where the pins slide to engage and disengage with the handle, allowing for smooth, quiet operation and easy assembly/disassembly, with plastic wedges for secure engagement and screwdriver-accessible grooves for easy removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional pivoting mechanisms are used, then the handle can be pivoted to operate the lock, but the mechanism squeaks and wears rapidly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces plastic inserts and plastic clips as intermediary components between the metal pivot pins and the metal handle/base. These plastic intermediaries act as mediators that reduce direct metal-to-metal contact, thereby eliminating squeaking noise and reducing wear on the metal components. The plastic materials provide a low-friction interface that allows smooth pivoting without the harmful effects of metal-on-metal contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite construction combining metal pivot pins with plastic inserts and plastic clips. This composite approach integrates the strength and durability of metal with the low-friction, quiet-operating properties of plastic. The combination creates a pivoting mechanism that is both reliable in terms of wear resistance and silent in operation, resolving the contradiction between reliability and noise generation.
2Device complexity
If the pivoting mechanism is integrated into the handle or base, then the structure is compact, but the components cannot be easily replaced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the pivoting mechanism into separate, modular components: pivot pins, plastic inserts, and plastic clips. This segmentation allows each component to be independently replaced without affecting the others. The pivot pins can be removed from the plastic clips, and the plastic inserts can be replaced in the handle, providing ease of repair while maintaining a compact integrated structure when assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a dynamic assembly where the pivot pins can be inserted into and removed from the plastic clips, and the plastic inserts can be placed into and removed from the handle. This dynamic design allows the mechanism to transition between assembled and disassembled states, providing both structural compactness when assembled and ease of repair when disassembled.
3Device complexity
If metal-to-metal contact is used in the pivot mechanism, then the structure is simple, but friction is high and operation is noisy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces plastic materials as intermediary components between the metal pivot pins and the metal handle/base structure. These plastic intermediaries replace direct metal-to-metal contact with plastic-to-metal contact, which has lower friction and generates less noise. The plastic clips and inserts act as mediators that reduce the harmful effects of friction and noise while maintaining the simplicity of the overall mechanical structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter of the contact surfaces from metal to plastic. This parameter change fundamentally alters the friction and noise characteristics of the pivoting mechanism. The plastic materials provide a lower coefficient of friction and dampen vibrations, thereby reducing noise generation while maintaining the structural simplicity of the design.
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 quiet, low-friction pivoting mechanism that reduces wear and allows for easy replacement of components without requiring full handle or base replacement, enhancing user experience and maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
the pivoting operation is smooth, low friction and extremely quiet
Implementation Method 2
each clip is provided with a respective plastic wedge. The wedge drives its corresponding pivot pin away from the clip and into engagement with the insert in the handle
Data Source
AI summary
A door handle for a sliding door having a handle and a handle base having a pair of opposed arms. The arms are provided with corresponding clips, each clip having an opening that receives a corresponding pivot pin. The handle pivots between the arms on the pivot pins. The pins are axially aligned and slidably installed in the clips for sliding motion to extend towards and retract away from each other, into and out of engagement with the handle. With the pins extended, they engage the handle, preferably with each pin engaging a corresponding insert in each end of the handle. With the pins retracted, the handle may be removed from between the arms of the handle base. The pins are preferably held in the extended position with corresponding wedges that snap into the corresponding clips behind the pins.