Sliding Door Assembly Single Pivot Breakaway Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sliding door assemblies often require individual pivot axes for each door panel, which can be inconvenient for limiting breakaway features, especially for security purposes like deterring theft by restricting access during non-operational hours.
Innovation Solution
A door assembly design featuring a track, track header, fixed door panel, and sliding door panels that can pivot collectively about a single axis from a normal to a breakaway configuration, with a lock arrangement to control this movement, allowing the track to be unlocked for breakaway access while preventing unintended pivotal movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If individual pivot axes are provided for each door panel to enable breakaway access, then emergency exit capability is improved, but device complexity increases and security control becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual pivot axes into a single shared pivot axis that serves all door panels simultaneously. This merging reduces the number of separate pivot mechanisms from multiple individual axes to one common axis, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining the breakaway functionality for emergency exit capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The single pivot axis serves multiple functions: it enables breakaway access for all door panels during emergencies, provides a centralized security control point, and allows the entire door assembly to pivot collectively. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate pivot axes while maintaining emergency egress capability.
2Reliability
If individual pivot axes are provided for each door panel, then breakaway functionality is enabled, but ease of operation deteriorates due to limited control over breakaway access
Solution Approach 1:
The single pivot axis serves as a universal control point for all door panels, enabling centralized management of breakaway access. Security personnel can control the entire door assembly's breakaway capability from one location, improving ease of operation compared to managing multiple individual pivot axes separately.
Solution Approach 2:
By merging all pivot functions into a single axis, the system consolidates control authority. This allows security personnel to enable or disable breakaway access for the entire door assembly simultaneously, providing better operational control and reducing the complexity of managing individual panel pivots.
3Reliability
If door panels are configured to pivot separately about individual axes, then each panel can break away independently, but security control is reduced as theft prevention becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The single pivot axis serves as a universal security control point that manages breakaway capability for all door panels simultaneously. This centralized control allows security systems to monitor and control access across the entire door assembly, making it more difficult for thieves to exploit individual panel vulnerabilities and improving overall security posture.
Solution Approach 2:
By combining all pivot functions into one shared axis, the system creates a unified security barrier. All door panels must pivot together as a single unit, preventing selective manipulation of individual panels by thieves and providing better control over unauthorized access attempts.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2~2A
AI summary
A door assembly includes a track, a track header, a fixed door panel, at least two sliding door panels, a pivot mechanism, and a lock arrangement. The sliding door panels are slidably movable on the track between (1) a closed position wherein the sliding door panels are extended across the track, and (2) an open position wherein the sliding door panels are constructed and arranged to be in a compact, overlapping relationship with each other and the fixed door panel. The pivot mechanism is constructed and arranged to enable pivotal movement of the track with fixed door panel and the two sliding door panels mounted thereon about a pivot axis from a normal configuration to a breakaway configuration. The lock arrangement is constructed and arranged to releasably lock the track with respect to the track header to prevent pivotal movement of the track away from the normal configuration.