EP4159950A1

EP4159950A1 - Tilting clamping system for railing panels

Info

Publication number: EP4159950A1
Application number: EP22020246.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Vladimir Lacko
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-08-10
Filing date: 2022-05-30
Publication date: 2023-04-05
Also published as: SK582021A3

Abstract

The tilting clamping system (1) is intended for clamping and adjusting the inclination of the glass or other panel filling of a railing in the area of the structural clamping of the railing. The presented tilting clamping system (1) allows the installation of glass railings with simple setting of the required tilting of the glass panel (50) in a vertical plane in both directions and has the following main parts - supporting U-profile (10), IN-disk (40), OUT-disk (30). The glass panel (50) inserted in the U-profile (10) is supported on two sides by the pressure plane of the disc (252) and the bearing area (311) on the OUT-disc (30). The IN-disk (40) represents a set of two axially contacting parts - a ring (24) and a disk (25) with oppositely chamfered inclined planes (242) and (251) by an angle of inclination α. The internal gear mechanism ensures the opposite rotation of the ring (24) and the disc (25) relative to the carrier (21). The required tilt angle β of the glass panel (50) is achieved by turning the IN-disc (40) (by the service key) on the IN side of the support U-profile (10) and by turning the OUT-disc (30) simultaneously by the external gear slider (32). Through the two parallel pressure planes of the disc (252) on the IN side and the OUT side of the supporting U-profile (10), the glass railing panel (50) is tilted, the position of which is fixed by the locking disc (42).

Description

Field of Technology

Construction and installation of railings, installation of panels made of glass, plastic, plexiglass, or fillings of other materials.

Current State of the Art

Various systems are currently being used to adjust the inclination of the glass railing filling, which must be achieved in the exterior glass railing applications in order to eliminate the inclination or unevenness of the building structure. The adjustable clamping system usually comprises a basic U-profile, tilting beds for accommodating the glass panel, the tilting mechanism itself, and clamping elements to clamp the glass panel in.
Figure 2 shows the solution according to DE 202017105703 U1 of the German Patent and Trademark Office (Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt). It is a system designed for adjusting the vertical inclination of the railing panels in the railing panel U-holder by a support part, which slides into the U-holder of the railing panel. The part in the U-holder that can be longitudinally slid in the direction of the railing forms an inner contact surface, which defines the vertical inclination of the railing panel, and one outer contact surface, which provides support in the U-holder of the railing panel.
Another solution for adjusting the inclination of the clamping systems in the glass railings is shown in Figure 3 according to AU 2020100403 A4 of the Australian Patent Office. The adjustable glass railing system includes a support profile with a glass carrier at the bottom. The upper part of the glass carrier is provided with a clamping groove for the glass; there is a connecting shaft rotatably mounted below the glass carrier, which connects the side fan-shaped guides with gradual thicknesses. The inclination angle of the glass is adjusted by turning the guides to the left (right), thus moving the lower part of the glass forwards (backwards), and tilting the glass around the longitudinal axis located in the upper part of the support profile.

The Essence of the Invention

The invention represents a tilting clamping system intended for clamping and adjusting the inclination of a glass or any other panel filling of a railing in the area of the structural clamping of the railing. In the exterior applications of glass railings, it is necessary to eliminate the inclination or unevenness of the building structure (terrace, balcony, etc. - water drainage). Installation of the glass railing with the inclination adjustment consists of clamping the support U-profile to the building structure, subsequent inserting of the required number of the supporting OUT-discs on the OUT side of the U-profile cavity (from the point of view of the service operator - behind the glass panel), inserting the glass panel, inserting the required number of IN-disks into a gap between the glass panel and the inner surface of the U-profile cavity on the IN side (from the point of view of the service operator - in front of the glass panel). Simple turning (using a service key) of the IN-discs sets the required tilting of the glass panel in the vertical plane. After adjusting the tilt, the glass panel is secured with locking elements.
The tilting clamping system is inserted into a support U-profile, which has a cavity inside to accommodate individual parts in order to adjust the inclination and secure the position of the glass panel. The tilting clamping system has two main parts - the OUT-disk and the IN-disk. The OUT-disk is inserted into the OUT-side of the support U-profile cavity and supported on the outer surface of the support U-profile cavity, forming a support surface for the outer side of the glass panel and a bearing surface for the lower edge of the glass panel. The IN-disk is inserted on the inner side of the support U-profile cavity, forming a pressure surface for the inner side of the glass panel.
The essence of the present invention - the tilting clamping system - lies in the design of the shape and mutual positions of several parts and their contact functional surfaces (Figure 5). Both, the OUT-disc and the IN-disc, are formed by a tilting disc, which consists of the following parts - a carrier, pins, gear wheels, a ring, and a disc. The carrier has a support plane of the carrier on the inside, which is parallel to the outer vertical surface of the U-profile and, at the same time, is a contact surface for axial resting of the ring. The ring has a support plane of the ring and an inclined plane of the ring to allow resting on the inclined plane of the disc. The disc has an inclined plane of the disc and a pressure plane of the disc, which is the contact surface for the glass panel. The described planes on the ring and on the disc are not parallel; they are inclined at the same angle α. Simultaneous contra-directional rotation of the disc and the ring around the axial axis with a 1:1 gear ratio provides the tilting of the pressure plane of the disc around the horizontal tilting axis by the angle β. Using the tilting disc on the OUT-side and the IN-side of the support U-profile, two parallel pressure planes of the disc are formed (support surfaces for the outer and inner side of the glass panel), which position the glass panel by the required tilt angle (β_max = α + α) by way of mutual opposite tilting.
Due to the unequal application of the tilting disk on the OUT-side and the IN-side of the support U-profile, the OUT-disk has its own OUT-carrier and, additionally, contains a geared slider, and the IN-disk has an IN-carrier of a different shape, and a locking disk. The basic body of the tilting disc is the carrier, the lower surface of which rests on the bottom of the U-profile. In the middle of the carrier, there are two symmetrical pins for accommodating a pair of gear wheels with external gearing. A ring and a disk are slid on them; they have internal gearing in a certain angular segment, but on the opposite side. The internal gear mechanism described in this way with a 1:1 gear ensures that the disc and the ring rotate in the opposite direction around the axial axis, and thus tilt the pressure plane of the disc around the horizontal tilt axis by an angle β.
The disk has an outer gearing in a certain angular segment in the lower part on the outer side, which transmits the rotation from the IN-disk via a geared slider further to the OUT-disk. This external gear mechanism with a 1:1 gear ensures a co-directional rotation of the disc on both the IN-side and the OUT-side of the support U-profile, and thus an opposing tilting of the OUT-disc around the horizontal tilting axis.
The essence of the present invention lies in the following principle of the tilting clamping system. When mounted, the OUT-disc is inserted on the OUT-side of the support U-profile cavity in the initial position (0°). There is also a geared slider in this position (0°), which engages the lower gearing on the OUT-disc. In this case, the ring and the disk are rotated around the axial axis so that the pressure plane of the disk is parallel to the support plane of the OUT-carrier and, at the same time, to the outer vertical surface of the U-profile. After placing the glass panel on the bearing surface, the IN-disc is inserted, which is also rotated in the initial position (0°). Its lower gearing engages with the geared slide, and the pressure plane of the IN-disk is parallel to the pressure plane of the OUT-disk and to the outer vertical surface of the U-profile.
Turning the disc (by a service key) on the IN-side by a certain angle will simultaneously turn also the ring in the opposite direction by the same angle. This is ensured by the internal gear mechanism inside the IN-disk. Such a rotation of the disc causes the pressure plane of the disc to incline relative to the support plane of the carrier by an angle of +β. Turning the disc (by a service key) on the IN-side by a certain angle in the opposite direction simultaneously also rotates the ring by the same angle in the opposite direction; such rotation of the disc causes the pressure plane of the disc to incline relative to the support plane of the carrier by an angle -β. When rotating a disc on the IN side, the disc will also co-directionally rotate on the OUT-side via the gear slider.
The parallel pressure planes of the disc on the IN-disc and the OUT-disc (on which the glass panel rests with its inner and outer side) are tilted oppositely around the horizontal tilting axis by a desired angle β. The tilting of the glass panel is set by the operator from the IN-side of the support U-profile by turning the IN-disc. After adjusting the tilt, the operator locks the glass panel by turning the locking disc.

Overview of Figures in the Drawings

Figure 1, which is also a figure for annotation, shows the tilting clamping system with reference marks.
Figure 2 shows an adjustable system (according to DE 202017105703 U1 ) currently used as a current state of the art.
Figure 3 shows an adjustable system (according to AU 2020100403 A4 ) currently used as a current state of the art.
Figure 4 shows the tilting clamping system, geometry and the tilt range of the glass panel.
Figure 5 shows the tilting clamping system also with reference marks, namely the principle of a tilting disc with functional planes.
Figure 6 shows the tilting clamping system also with reference marks, namely an exploded view of the tilting disc in the initial position (0°).
Figure 7 shows the tilting clamping system also with reference marks, namely the functional planes of the IN-disk in the section in the position -β.
Figure 8 shows the tilting clamping system also with reference marks, namely an exploded view of the OUT-disk in the initial position (0°).
Figure 9 shows the tilting clamping system also with reference marks, namely an exploded view of the IN-disk in the initial position (0°).

Examples of Embodiments of the Invention

It is to be understood that the various embodiments of the invention are presented by way of illustration and not by way of limitation of technical solutions. Those skilled in the art would find, or would be able to ascertain many equivalents to specific embodiments of the invention using no more than routine experimentation. Such equivalents will also fall within the scope of the following patent claims. It cannot be a problem for those skilled in the art to optimally design the structure and its elements.
Such optimized solutions will also fall within the scope of the following patent claims.
An example of the embodiment of the invention - the tilting clamping system - intended for clamping and adjusting the inclination of a glass panel 50 or any other panel railing filling is shown in Figure 1. The assembly of the glass railing consists in clamping the support U-profile 10 to the building structure, then inserting the required number (depending on the length of the U-profile) of the support OUT-discs 30 on the OUT-side (from the service point of view - behind the glass panel) of the U-profile cavity 10, and inserting the glass panel 50 on the bearing surface 311.
This is followed by the insertion of the required number of IN-discs 40 into a gap between the glass panel and the inner surface of the U-profile cavity 10 on the IN-side of the U-profile cavity 10 (from the service point of view - in front of the glass panel). Simple turning (using a service key) of the IN-discs 40 sets the desired tilting of the glass panel 50 in the vertical plane by the tilt angle ± β. After the required tilt was adjusted, the glass panel is secured with locking discs 42. The glass panel 50 inserted into the cavity of the U-profile 10 is supported on two sides (outer and lower) on the pressure plane of the disc 252 and the bearing surface 311 on the OUT-disc 30, which is inserted on the OUT-side of the U-profile 10 cavity. The inner side of the glass panel 50 is supported on the pressure plane of the disc 252 on the IN-disc 40.
Both, the OUT disk 30 and the IN disk 40, are formed by a tilting disk 20 (Figure 6), which consists of the following parts - a carrier, pins, gear wheels, a ring and a disk. The base body is a carrier 21, the lower surface of which rests on the bottom of the U-profile 10, which has a support plane of the carrier 211. In the middle of the carrier 21, there are two symmetrically mounted pins 22 for accommodating a pair of identical gear wheels 23 with external gearing. The ring 24 is inserted in the circular guide groove on the carrier 21 and in the co-engaging gearing of one wheel 23, which has an internal gearing in a certain angular segment. The disk 25 is inserted on the outer cylindrical surface of the ring 24 and in the co-engaging gearing of the second wheel 23, which has an internal gearing in a certain angular segment, but on the opposite side as the ring. The ring 24 and the disc 25 have front planes (241, 242, 251, and 252), which are not parallel; they are inclined at the same angle of inclination α. The guide grooves on the carrier 21 and on the ring 24 secure the position of the ring 24 in the radial direction, and the locks around the circumference of the carrier 21 and the disc 25 secure the disc 25 in the axial direction. The described internal gear mechanism ensures the contra-directional rotation of the disc 25 and the ring 24 with a 1:1 gear. Such turning of the disc 25 (by a service key) and subsequently the ring 24 causes the pressure plane of the disc 252 to incline around the horizontal tilt axis 26 by the desired tilt angle +β (β_max = α + α). Similarly, the opposite tilting by the tilt angle -β occurs, when the disk 25 is turned (by a service key) by a certain angle, but in the opposite direction.
The tilting of the pressure plane of the disc 252 around the horizontal tilting axis 26 is in a vertical plane perpendicular to the support plane of the carrier 211.
The disc 25 has an outer gearing in a certain angular segment in the lower part on the outer side, which transmits the rotation of the tilting disc 20 on the IN-side via a geared slider 32 to the tilting disc 20 on the OUT-side. This external gear mechanism with a 1:1 gear ensures a co-directional rotation of the disk 25 on the IN-disk 40 and the disk 25 on the OUT-disk 30, and the opposite tilting of the pressure plane 252 around the horizontal tilt axis 26 by a tilt angle β on the OUT-side of the support U-profile. When rotating, the two parallel pressure planes of the disc 252 on the IN-disc 40 and the OUT-disc 30 (on which the glass panel 50 rests with its inner and outer side) tilt around the horizontal tilt axis 26 by the desired tilt angle β. After adjusting the tilt, the glass panel 50 is secured by the locking disc 42.

Industrial Applicability

The tilting clamping system finds application mainly in the construction industry, in the installation of railings made of glass or other panel fillings, and also in the installation of decorative or advertising panels.

List of Reference Marks

Legend to the attached drawings - figures 1, 4 - 9:

1: Tilting clamping system
10: U-profile
20: Tilting disc
21: Carrier
211: Support plane of the carrier
22: Pin
23: Gear wheel
24: Ring
241: Support plane of the ring
242: Inclined plane 1 of the ring
25: Disc
251: Inclined plane 2 of the disc
252: Pressure plane of the disc
26: Horizontal tilt axis
27: Axial axis
30: OUT-disc
31: OUT-carrier
311: Bearing area
32: Gear slider
40: IN-disk
41: IN-carrier
411: Positioning elements
42: Locking disc
50: Glass panel
α: Angle of inclination
β: Tilt angle

Claims

The tilting clamping system (1) consists of a support U-profile (10), the OUT-disc (30) inserted on the OUT-side of its cavity, where the glass panel (50) inserted into the U-profile (10) cavity rests from the outer side and bottom side on the OUT-disc (30); the IN-disc (40) inserted on the IN-side of the U-profile cavity (10) and resting on the bottom of the U-profile cavity (10), which rests, by the pressure plane of the disc (252), on the inside of the glass panel (50); a geared slider (32) with an external gear mechanism designed to connect the IN-disk (40) and the OUT-disk (30), and characterized in that the required β tilt angle of the glass panel (50) is achieved by turning the IN-disc (40) on the IN-side of the support U-profile (10) and, through the external gear mechanism of the coupled gear slider (32), also by simultaneously turning the OUT-disc (30).
The tilting clamping system (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the support plane of the carrier (211) is a contact surface to axially support the ring (24) and is parallel to the outer vertical surface of the U-profile (10), where the ring (24) has a support plane of the ring (241) to axially rest on the support plane of the carrier (211) and an inclined plane of the ring (242) to rest on the inclined plane of the disc (251); that the inclined plane of the ring (242) is not parallel to the support plane of the ring (241); that the disc (25) has an inclined plane of the disc (251) and a pressure plane of the disc (252), which is a contact surface with the glass panel (50), where these planes are also not parallel and are inclined at the same α angle of inclination as the support plane of the ring (241) and the inclined plane of the ring (242); and that the guide grooves and locks on the carrier (21), the guide grooves on the ring (24) and the guide grooves and locks on the disc (25) secure the position of the ring (24) and the disc (25) in the radial and axial directions.
The tilting clamping system (1) according to Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the turning of the disc (25) (by a service key) by a certain angle around the axial axis (27) simultaneously rotates the ring (24) by the same angle in a counter direction, which is provided by an internal gear mechanism with a gear 1:1 ratio through the inner gear segment on the ring (24) and the disc (25), and through a pair of gear wheels (23) with external gearing mounted on symmetrical pins (22), where such counter-directional rotation of the disc (25) and the ring (24) causes the pressure plane of the disc (252) to continuously tilt relative to the support plane of the carrier (211) by a tilt angle +β (β_max = α + α) around the horizontal tilt axis (26); and that turning of the disc (25) (by a service key) by a certain angle, but in the opposite direction, rotates the disc (25) and the ring (24), causing the pressure plane of the disc (252) to continuously tilt relative to the support plane of the carrier (211) by an opposite angle -β around the horizontal tilt axis (26).
The tilting clamping system (1) according to Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a tilting disc (20) is used for tilting the glass panel (50) in the support U-profile (10) on the IN-side and OUT-side of the support U-profile (10); that the two opposing discs (25) are simultaneously co-directionally rotated around the axial axis (27); that the two parallel pressure planes of the disc (252) lying on them, which are in contact with the inner and outer side of the glass panel (50), are simultaneously tilted in the opposite direction by the tilt angle +β (-β) around the horizontal tilt axis (26).
The tilting clamping system (1) according to Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the shape of the carrier (21) depends on the side of the support U-profile (10), on which it is used; that the IN-disk (40) has its own IN-carrier (41) and the OUT-disc (30) has a differently shaped OUT-carrier (31); that the other parts of the tilting disc (20) for the IN-disc (40) and the OUT-disc (30) are the same.
The tilting clamping system (1) according to Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the discs (25) have outer gearing in a certain angular segment on the outer side, which engage with a geared slider (32) slidably mounted in the lower part of the OUT-carrier (31); that this external gear mechanism ensures a simultaneous co-directional rotation of the disc (25) with a 1: 1 gear on the IN-disc (40) and the OUT-disc (30), and thus an opposite tilting of the pressure plane of the disc (252) by a tilt angle +β (-β) around the horizontal tilt axis (26) on both, the IN-side and the OUT-side, of the support U-profile (10).
The tilting clamping system (1) according to Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the design of the individual components and their interconnections allows for the unambiguous assembly adjustment of the OUT-disk (30) and the IN-disk (40) in the initial position (0°), and simple assembly and adjustment of the required inclination of the glass panel (50) from the IN-side of the U-profile (10) cavity; and that after releasing the clamped position (by a service key), gradual disassembly of the IN-disk (40), glass panel (50) and OUT-disk (30), the tilting clamping system (1) is reusable for a new application.
The tilting clamping system (1) according to Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that after the pair of gears (23) is inserted into the OUT-carrier (31), the ring (24) in the extreme assembly position, the shape of which is defined by a groove on the OUT-carrier (31) and on the ring (24), and by the shape of the end tooth on the segment of the internal gearing of the ring (24), and after the disc (25) is inserted in the extreme assembly position, the shape of which is defined by the guide grooves on the disc (25) and on the OUT-carrier (31), then, after turning the disc (25) to the initial position (0°) and inserting a geared slider (32), which is secured by a form lock against unintentional falling out, it is not possible to turn the disc (25) back into the assembly position, in which it might become spontaneously released.
The tilting clamping system (1) according to Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that after inserting a pair of gear wheels (23) into the IN-carrier (41), and the ring (24) in the extreme assembly position, the shape of which is defined by a groove on the IN-carrier (41) and on the ring (24), and by the shape of the end tooth on the segment of the internal gearing of the ring (24), and after the disc (25) is inserted in the extreme assembly position, the shape of which is defined by the guide grooves on the disc (25) and on the IN-carrier (41), and after turning the disc (25) to the initial position (0°), it is not possible to turn the disc (25) back to the extreme assembly position, in which it could be released spontaneously, as it is prevented by a pre-sprung latch on the IN-carrier (41) and a shaped groove on the disc (25).