Tight-coil Rolling Grille with Symmetrical Linkage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional rolling grilles require excessive headroom for installation, which is a challenge in spaces with limited clearance, such as commercial or multifamily parking garages that need to comply with accessibility guidelines.
Innovation Solution
A tight-coil rolling grille system with symmetrical, uniformly sized links and rods that coil tightly to minimize headroom requirements, using a tab and notch linkage design for stability and self-alignment, reducing the need for spacer tubes and enhancing assembly efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If traditional rolling grille designs are used, then the grille provides adequate barrier function, but the headroom requirement becomes excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The grille links are designed with curved geometry that enables tight coiling around the drum. The curved shape of the links allows them to nest closely together in a compact coil configuration, minimizing the headroom space required above the opening while maintaining the barrier function when deployed.
Solution Approach 2:
The grille system employs a nested configuration where multiple links and rods are arranged to coil tightly around a central drum. The links nest within each other in a compact arrangement, allowing the entire grille assembly to fit into a minimal headroom space when retracted, similar to nested dolls.
2Length of stationary object
If tight-coil design with symmetrical links is used, then headroom space is minimized, but assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The linkage design uses asymmetrical tab and notch features on the links that, while creating a symmetrical overall appearance, provide inherent self-alignment during assembly. The asymmetrical geometry of individual tabs and notches guides proper orientation of links during installation, reducing assembly complexity despite the tight-coil design requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The symmetrical link design with tab and notch linkages provides self-alignment and self-assembly capabilities. The geometry of the tabs and notches automatically guides correct orientation and positioning of links during assembly, eliminating the need for complex alignment procedures or additional alignment features, thereby reducing assembly complexity.
3Ease of manufacture
If uniform symmetrical links are used, then manufacturing efficiency improves, but linkage stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The tab and notch linkages incorporate asymmetrical geometric features on uniform symmetrical links. This asymmetry provides mechanical interlocking that enhances linkage stability, preventing unintended disengagement while maintaining manufacturability through consistent link geometry. The asymmetrical tabs and notches create a stable connected state that is difficult to accidentally disrupt.
Solution Approach 2:
The curved geometry of the uniform links, combined with the tab and notch design, creates a stable articulated structure. The curvature of the links works in conjunction with the tab-notch mechanism to provide both rotational freedom for coiling and mechanical stability when deployed, ensuring the linkage maintains its composed state during operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A tight-coiling rolling grille link and rolling grille system. Curved links are interconnected in vertical rows for a required height of the grille, rows are spaced apart for a required width of the grille, horizontal rods are inserted through aligned holes in the links, tubes are placed intermittently over the rods between the rows of links to maintain even spacing, and ends of the rods are mechanically secured to hold the rolling grille curtain together. The links of the grille are identical and are attached symmetrically via a tab and notch linkage scheme. The system prioritizes coiling as tightly as possible to fit in as little space above the opening as possible.