Sliding Door Roller With Resilient Spring Clips
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sliding door roller systems require complex and time-consuming installation processes, with screws being used to secure the roller housing to the panel, which do not support weight and are unnecessary after assembly, leading to inefficiencies in manufacture and installation.
Innovation Solution
The use of resilient spring clips to engage the backside of the profile wall instead of screws, allowing for adjustable height and spacing of the roller housing relative to the track under load, and an adjustment mechanism that includes a rotatable cam and gear wheel to index the outer housing in multiple height positions, simplifying assembly and increasing load capability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional tab screws are used to secure the roller housing to the panel, then the roller can be held in place, but the installation process becomes time-consuming and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the unnecessary tab screws and tab structure from the roller assembly, extracting only the essential securing function. The resilient members directly engage the panel profile without requiring separate tabs or multiple screws, simplifying both the structure and installation process while maintaining reliable securing.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient members are designed to automatically engage and secure the roller housing to the panel profile through their own elastic deformation and locking action. The installation process becomes self-aligning and self-securing, eliminating the need for precise pre-drilling, tab alignment, or multiple screw fastening steps.
2Reliability
If tab screws are used to secure the roller housing, then the roller can be held in place, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the separate tab components and multiple screw fastening system, extracting only the essential securing function. The resilient members are integrated into the roller housing structure, reducing the total part count and simplifying manufacturing assembly while maintaining reliable roller securing to the panel.
3Reliability
If conventional screw-based tabs are used, then the roller can be secured to the panel, but the tabs do not support weight and require screws only for holding in place
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient members are designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: they provide structural support for the panel weight through their rigid engagement with the profile, and they provide securing force through their elastic locking action. This self-service design eliminates the need for separate weight-bearing tabs and securing screws, simplifying assembly while maintaining reliability.
4Productivity
If resilient spring clips are used to engage the profile wall, then installation time is reduced and manufacturing is simplified, but the mechanism must provide sufficient holding force under load
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient members are designed with optimized material properties and geometric parameters to provide sufficient holding force. The elastic modulus, cross-sectional area, and engagement geometry are carefully selected to ensure the members can withstand the panel load while maintaining enough elastic deformation capability for easy installation and secure engagement.
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
This solution reduces manufacturing complexity and installation time, allows for height adjustment under full load, and enhances load distribution and rigidity, eliminating the need for screws and simplifying the assembly process while ensuring accurate alignment and centering of the roller.
Implementation Method 1
At least one resilient member positioned at an end of the outer housing includes a curved engagement section for mating with an inner surface of a slot defining a bottom edge of a panel secured to the outer housing and a resilient section between the compliant section and the curved engagement section and pivotable about the compliant section. The at least one resilient member being flexible from a first position to a second position when the curved engagement section mates with an inner surface of the slot to provide a holding force between the resilient member and the inner surface of the slot to maintain the roller within the slot.
Implementation Method 2
a rotatable adjustment mechanism coupled to the roller housing and the outer housing, and is rotatable from an exterior of the outer housing and adapted to adjust to a height of the outer housing relative to the roller housing in a plurality of height positions in situ under load of the panel
Data Source
AI summary
A sliding door roller assembly includes a roller housing being at least partially disposed within an outer housing moveable relative to the roller housing and at least one roller wheel in a direction perpendicular to a rotational axis of the at least one roller wheel. At least one resilient member is positioned at an end of the outer housing, and includes a fixed termination section coupled to an end member of the outer housing, a compliant section extending from the fixed termination section, a curved engagement section, and a resilient section between the compliant section and the curved engagement section and pivotable about the compliant section. The at least one resilient member is flexible from a first position to a second position when the curved engagement section mates with an inner surface of a slot defining a bottom edge of a panel secured to the outer housing to provide a holding force between the resilient member and the inner surface of the slot.