Vertically Displaceable Slats Gate for Compact Underground Retraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vertical sliding gates are difficult to install and produce due to their complex and expensive construction, which makes them unsuitable for industrial production and widespread use, despite their potential for compact underground space occupation.
Innovation Solution
A compact gate design with a retractable casing that occupies less underground space when open, utilizing a motor and belt system for movement, along with a specially shaped casing and modular construction for simplified installation and transport, allowing for reduced installation time and costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a vertical sliding gate is designed to retract into the ground, then the occupied space when open is reduced, but the installation complexity and cost increase due to required underground structure
Solution Approach 1:
The gate is divided into multiple horizontal slats that can move independently relative to each other. This segmentation allows the gate to compact into a smaller underground space while maintaining structural integrity, resolving the contradiction between reduced occupied space and installation complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The slats are designed to nest within each other when the gate is in the open position, with each slat containing or overlapping the next. This nesting mechanism enables the gate to occupy minimal underground space while preserving the vertical sliding functionality
2Strength
If a vertical sliding gate is constructed as a single solid structure, then structural strength is improved, but production and transport costs increase due to difficulty in industrial manufacturing
Solution Approach 1:
The gate structure is segmented into multiple slats connected by hinges, allowing each component to be manufactured separately using standard industrial processes. This segmentation reduces production costs and facilitates mass production while maintaining overall structural strength through the interconnected design
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple individually manufactured slats are combined through hinged connections to form the complete gate structure. This merging of separately produced components achieves the required structural strength while benefiting from the cost efficiencies of modular industrial manufacturing
3Reliability
If a vertical sliding gate requires a deep underground structure for installation, then the gate can retract fully, but the installation time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The gate employs a dynamic sliding mechanism where slats move relative to each other along guided tracks, enabling full retraction into a shallow underground space. This dynamic design achieves reliable retraction functionality without requiring the deep static structure that would increase installation time
Data Source
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AI summary
A compact gate realized with suitable, shaped profiles which are superposed one over the other in the open position occupying a space in the underground with minor height compared to the height of the closed position out of the ground having a specially shaped casing in order to hold and install the gate.