Motorized Window Actuator with Rotatable Guide
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motorized drive devices for tilting windows are bulky, complex, and costly due to integrated pulleys, which prevent them from being integrated with the window and result in high manufacturing costs and friction issues.
Innovation Solution
A tubular electromechanical actuator with rotatable supports that orient the passage opening for the flexible element, minimizing size and avoiding friction, allowing for compact and reliable operation by positioning the actuator in a window rebate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pulleys are integrated into the motorized drive device, then the flexible element can be guided effectively, but the device footprint becomes significant and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the pulley function from the motorized drive device housing and relocates it to the fixed frame. The housing now only contains the opening for flexible element passage, while the pulley is mounted separately on the fixed frame, reducing the housing's complexity and footprint while maintaining effective flexible element guidance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces the fixed frame as an intermediary structure that hosts the pulley. This separates the guidance function from the actuator housing, allowing each component to be optimized independently - the housing for compactness and the fixed frame for structural support and pulley mounting.
2Reliability
If the guide pulley is positioned at the opening in the housing, then the flexible element is protected from rubbing against edges, but the housing opening must be larger and the device bulkier
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the guide pulley from the housing opening area and mounts it on the fixed frame. This allows the housing opening to be minimized for rigidity while the pulley, positioned outside the housing, continues to protect the flexible element from rubbing against edges by guiding it smoothly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent relocates the pulley from the housing's opening plane to the fixed frame structure, utilizing a different spatial dimension. This allows the housing opening to be small while the pulley operates in the extended space outside the housing, maintaining protective guidance without compromising housing rigidity.
3Reliability
If multiple parts are used in the motorized drive system, then the flexible element can be properly guided and protected, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the motorized drive system into distinct functional components: the actuator housing for motor containment, the fixed frame for structural support and pulley mounting, and the pulley for flexible element guidance. This segmentation allows each part to be manufactured independently using standard processes, reducing overall manufacturing complexity and cost compared to integrated designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixed frame serves multiple functions: providing structural support for the actuator, mounting the pulley for flexible element guidance, and protecting the flexible element from rubbing against edges. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, lowering manufacturing costs while maintaining reliability.
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
The solution enables a compact, cost-effective, and friction-reduced motorized drive system that can automatically tilt the window sash, minimizing the window's opening size and ensuring reliable operation while maintaining aesthetic integration.
Implementation Method 1
an electric motor and an output shaft, the electromechanical actuator being mounted on the fixed frame or on the opening by means of fixing elements
Data Source
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AI summary
A window (2) comprises a sash (3), a fixed frame (4), and a motorized drive device (5) for tilting the sash (3) relative to the fixed frame (4). The device (5) comprises an electromechanical actuator (6) and a flexible element (9). The actuator (6) is mounted on the fixed frame (4) or on the sash (3) by means of fasteners (22, 23). The flexible element (9) cooperates, on one side, with the sash (3) or the fixed frame (4) and, on the other side, with the actuator (6). The fasteners (22, 23) comprise a first support (22) assembled to one end of a housing (16) of the actuator (6) and a second support (23) assembled to a second end of the housing (16). An opening for the passage (21) of the flexible element (9) provided in the housing (16) is configured to be oriented by rotation around a longitudinal axis of the actuator (6) by means of the first and second supports (22, 23).