Sliding Door Assembly with Parallelogram Guide for Flush Closing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sliding door arrangements face challenges such as requiring high operational forces, difficulty in closing the door flush with the floor, and being cumbersome to clean due to design limitations and technical constraints.
Innovation Solution
A door arrangement featuring a movable second plate guided by a parallelogram mechanism with rollers and a spring system, allowing for easy operation and cleaning by moving parallel and vertically to a fixed plate, with a profile and groove system that minimizes friction and enables plane-parallel closure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional sliding door arrangement is used with parallel offset guidance, then the door can be moved horizontally, but the door must be spaced from the floor which limits design options and makes cleaning difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The door assembly transitions from purely horizontal movement to combined horizontal and vertical movement. The guide rails include inclined sections that enable the movable door to be lowered vertically during opening/closing, and raised vertically during operation. This dimensional change allows the door to contact the floor when closed while maintaining clearance during operation, resolving the contradiction between floor contact and cleaning accessibility.
2Manufacturing precision
If a bent rail system is used to achieve plane-parallel closing, then the door can close flush with the floor, but high forces are required to raise the entire door weight from closed position
Solution Approach 1:
The door assembly is divided into the movable door and the fixed door structure. The guide system is segmented into different sections: a first guide section for horizontal movement, inclined guide sections for vertical lowering/raising, and a second guide section for final positioning. This segmentation allows the door to be lowered gradually during closing rather than requiring full weight lifting, reducing operational force while maintaining precise plane-parallel closing.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide rails incorporate inclined sections that dynamically change the movement direction from horizontal to vertical and back to horizontal. During closing, the door is dynamically lowered along the inclined section, reducing the force needed compared to lifting the entire door weight. The dynamic adjustment of movement trajectory resolves the contradiction between achieving flush closing and reducing operational force.
3Device complexity
If the second plate is moved parallel to the first plate with offset, then guidance is simplified, but the door cannot close flush with the floor and requires spacing
Solution Approach 1:
The guidance system incorporates vertical movement dimension in addition to horizontal movement. The guide rails include inclined sections that enable the movable door to move vertically downward during closing, allowing it to contact the floor and achieve flush closing. This maintains relatively simple guidance structure while adding the vertical dimension necessary for floor contact, resolving the contradiction between guidance simplicity and flush closing precision.
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 enables easy operation with reduced effort, ensures a tight seal when closed, and facilitates easy cleaning by allowing the second plate to be spaced from the floor during opening, addressing the limitations of existing sliding door systems.
Implementation Method 1
the first parallelogram guide comprises a spring which, by means of a positioning device, in particular in the form of a linear guide, absorbs forces that act on the second plate from a leg distant from the profile and transmits them to a leg of the first parallelogram guide close to the profile
Implementation Method 2
The door arrangement features a movable second plate guided by a parallelogram mechanism with rollers
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
The invention relates to a door arrangement, in particular a glass door arrangement, comprising a first fixed panel (13) and/or a wall element and at least one second panel (11), in particular a glass panel, movable with respect to the first panel and/or the wall element, wherein the second panel (11) is arranged in a first plane in the closed state and in a second plane parallel to the first plane in the open state, and wherein at least one surface side of the second panel (11) is flush with a surface side of the first panel (13) and/or the wall element in the closed state, in particular almost flush, and wherein the second panel (11) is guided at least partially along a continuously curved curve relative to the first panel (13), and the curve is designed such thatthat the second plate (11) can be moved along the curve in a first direction substantially parallel to the first plate (13) and/or the wall element, and in a second and a third direction, wherein the first, second and third directions are each arranged at right angles to each other.