Thermo-insulating Cover Manipulation via Gas Pressure Spring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for manipulating thermo-insulating covers of massage pools are cumbersome and require significant manual effort due to the weight and size of the covers, often necessitating two people for operation and resulting in inefficient storage solutions that obstruct access and aesthetics.
Innovation Solution
A device utilizing a gas pressure spring with a rotatable piston rod connected to a carrier thermo-insulating segment, combined with grips and a lifting arm, allows for effortless angle adjustment between thermo-insulating segments from 180° to 0°, enabling single-person operation and efficient storage by minimizing energy expenditure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If manual manipulation of thermo-insulating cover is used, then device complexity is reduced, but ease of operation deteriorates due to high weight requiring two persons
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a gas pressure spring to provide automated lifting force for the thermo-insulating cover segments. The gas pressure spring converts gas pressure into mechanical force, automatically raising the segments from covering to opened position without requiring manual lifting, thus resolving the contradiction between device complexity and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas pressure spring enables the cover system to serve itself by automatically transitioning between covering and opened positions. The system uses the weight of the segments and gas pressure to create self-powered movement, eliminating the need for human intervention in the lifting process.
2Ease of operation
If thermo-insulating cover is stored in vertical position on edge of massage pool, then ease of operation is improved, but object-affected harmful factors worsen due to restricted access and view
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions the storage position of the thermo-insulating cover from a vertical position on the pool edge to a horizontal position parallel to the pool edge. This dimensional change allows the cover to be stored in a location that does not obstruct access or aesthetics while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas pressure spring enables dynamic positioning of the cover segments, allowing them to be easily moved between covering and opened positions. This dynamic capability ensures the cover can be quickly deployed when needed while being stored unobtrusively during pool usage.
3Ease of operation
If gas pressure spring is used for angle adjustment, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional mechanical components
Solution Approach 1:
The gas pressure spring provides a compact pneumatic mechanism that delivers significant lifting force in a space-efficient manner. This single component replaces what would otherwise require complex mechanical linkages, pulleys, or motors to achieve the same lifting function with comparable force.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the lifting function from complex mechanical systems and implements it through a dedicated gas pressure spring. This extraction allows the angle adjustment mechanism to focus solely on providing lifting force, while the gas pressure spring handles the weight-bearing function independently.
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
Enables easy and energy-efficient manipulation of thermo-insulating covers between covering and opened positions, reducing operational effort and allowing for compact storage without obstructing access or aesthetics, thus addressing the challenges of weight and size in existing solutions.
Implementation Method 1
means for changing the angle between the bottom surfaces of the thermo-insulating segments from 180° to 0° during the opening and from 0° to 180° during the closing of the thermo-insulating cover comprise a gas pressure spring
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to the method and device for manipulation with thermo-insulating cover (4) of massage pool or swimming massage pool (1) between its covering position and opened position and vice versa, while the thermo-insulating cover (4) comprises at least one pair of thermo-insulating segments (41, 42) formed of carrier thermo-insulating segment (41) and carried thermo-insulating segment (42), which are together rotatably connected and in covering position are lying by their bottom surfaces (411, 421) on circumference of the massage pool (1), while the carrier thermo-insulating segment (41 ) is rotatably mounted on the massage pool (1). At transition from covering into opened position the angle, which is formed by bottom surfaces (411, 421) of thermo-insulating segments (41, 42) of a pair of thermo-insulating segments (41, 42), decreases from 180° in covering position to 0° in opened position, in which originally bottom surfaces (411, 421) of both thermo-insulating segments (41, 42) mutually touch, and during transition from opened into covering position the angle, which is formed by the bottom surfaces (411, 421) of thermo- insulating segments (41, 42), increases from 0° to 180°.