One-Piece Guide Rail for Vertical Awning Breakage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing guide rails for vertical awnings are prone to breakage due to susceptibility at the point of division, making them irreparably damaged under lateral loads, and require complex replacement processes.

Innovation Solution

A guide rail design featuring a one-piece guide groove profile with sliding surfaces that allow for easy removal and reconnection, enabling the guide groove profile to be replaced without dismounting the carrier profile, thus eliminating the risk of breakage and simplifying maintenance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of repair

If the guide rail is designed in two parts to allow removable guide groove profile, then the cloth guide insert can be easily replaced, but the guide rail becomes susceptible to breakage at the division point

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereplaceability of cloth guide insertVSAvoidresistance to breakage
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of repairVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The guide rail is divided into two separable parts: a carrier profile that remains fixed and a guide groove profile that can be removed and replaced. This segmentation allows the cloth guide insert to be easily replaced by removing the guide groove profile, while the carrier profile maintains structural integrity and resists breakage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The connection between the carrier profile and guide groove profile is designed to be dynamically changeable - permanently fixed during operation to ensure reliability, but easily separable when maintenance is needed. This is achieved through a permanent connection mechanism that allows controlled disassembly and reassembly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If the guide groove profile is permanently fixed to the carrier profile, then the guide rail has high resistance to breakage, but the cloth guide insert cannot be easily replaced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresistance to breakageVSAvoidreplaceability of cloth guide insert
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The guide rail system is segmented into a carrier profile and a guide groove profile that can be separated. The permanent connection ensures structural reliability during operation, while the ability to disconnect allows the guide groove profile to be removed for replacing the cloth guide insert.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The guide groove profile is designed to be temporarily discarded (removed) for maintenance purposes, then recovered and reconnected to the carrier profile. This allows the cloth guide insert to be replaced without permanently damaging or discarding the entire guide rail structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #34Discarding and recovering

3Reliability

If the entire guide rail is removed for replacing the guide groove profile, then the connection remains strong, but the replacement process becomes complex and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection strengthVSAvoidreplacement time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The guide rail is segmented into a permanently fixed carrier profile and a removable guide groove profile. This allows only the necessary component (guide groove profile) to be removed for replacement, while the carrier profile remains in place, significantly reducing replacement time and complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The guide groove profile is extracted as a separate, removable component from the overall guide rail system. This extraction allows maintenance work to be performed on just the necessary component without disturbing the permanently fixed carrier profile, saving time and effort.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP2631414B1Guide rail for vertical awning and vertical awning
Publication Date: 2018.01.17 ROMA KG
  • EP2631414B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2631414B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2631414B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The guide rail has a guide groove profile with a rear wall and two shanks protruding from the rear wall. The guide groove profile is formed in one-piece. A support profile (100) is provided, which is fastened to a wall embrasure or to a window frame, and with which the guide groove profile is detachably connected in a mounted state. The support profile has two holding projections, which hold the guide groove profile on the support profile in a form-fit manner in the mounted state in a pulling direction. An independent claim is included for a vertical awning with two longitudinal sides.