Upward-Tilting Door Hinge Mechanism for Position Hold and Soft Closing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mechanisms for upward-tilting doors fail to maintain the door in desired positions, cause slamming, and are bulky, making them unsatisfactory for user convenience and aesthetics.
Innovation Solution
A mechanism with a hinge system of articulated levers and springs that allows the door to be stationary at any position, featuring a cam profile to invert spring thrust for smooth closing and a damper to prevent slamming, housed in a compact design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a lever mechanism with spring assembly is used to actuate an upward-tilting door, then the door can be opened and closed, but the door cannot remain stationary in all opening positions and causes slams at the end of strokes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic hinge mechanism where the lever can freely rotate around the fulcrum point, allowing the door to be held stationary at any position through gravitational balance rather than mechanical locking. The system transitions from static positioning to dynamic equilibrium, where the lever's ability to rotate freely enables the door to remain stable at various angles without requiring complex locking mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam profile undergoes parameter changes along its length, with the first portion having a different slope than the second portion. This allows the spring force to be effectively inverted during the closing phase, providing controlled deceleration and preventing slams while maintaining the door's ability to stay stationary during the opening phase.
2Ease of operation
If conventional hinge mechanisms are used for upward-tilting doors, then the door can move between open and closed positions, but the mechanisms are of considerable size and very noticeable inside the furniture
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge mechanism is nested within a compact housing that is integrated into the furniture structure. The lever, cam profile, and spring assembly are arranged in a space-efficient configuration where components are nested within each other, minimizing the overall volume occupied by the mechanism while maintaining full door movement functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanism utilizes vertical space within the furniture by positioning the fulcrum point and lever arm to exploit the third dimension. The cam profile is oriented vertically, allowing the spring to compress and extend in the vertical direction, thereby reducing the horizontal footprint of the mechanism and making it less noticeable from the front view.
3Ease of operation
If springs are used to support door weight in all positions, then the door can be held stationary, but the spring thrust cannot be inverted in the final closing phase to prevent slamming
Solution Approach 1:
The cam profile is designed with dynamic characteristics that change its mechanical advantage ratio as the door closes. In the opening phase, the cam geometry maintains spring thrust in one direction to support the door weight. In the final closing phase, the cam profile geometry changes to invert the spring thrust direction, providing a decelerating force that prevents slamming while the door is still being held stationary earlier in the closing sequence.
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 the door to remain stationary at any position with minimal user effort and prevents slamming, while being compact and cost-effective to manufacture.
Implementation Method 1
a linear slider, subjected to the direct action of elastic means generating a force that tends to open the mechanism and therefore to support the weight of the door
Implementation Method 2
with a damper to prevent slamming
Data Source
AI summary
Mechanism for moving a furniture item door with an upward-tilting opening, the mechanism being contained in a box having two half-shells, and including a hinge with five points (P1, P2, P3, P4, P5), having three levers (L1, L2, L3), the levers (L1, L2) are articulated one with the other at the fulcrum point (P2), arranged in one of their intermediate zones, lever (L2) is articulated at one of its end in the fulcrum point (P3) to one end of the lever (L3), the other end is articulated to the door in the point (P4), one end of lever (L1) is articulated to the door at the point (P5), while the other end of lever (L1) carries a pin sliding in a track formed in the box, lever (L2) being likewise articulated to the box in the fulcrum point (P1), around which it rotates during the movement of the door.