Column Blind Device Crease Prevention via Dynamic Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Column blind devices face challenges in maintaining a flexible blind's shape and preventing bending creases and slack creases due to the limited space between instrument-panel and column-cover attachments, especially when the steering column is adjusted in the vehicle's front-rear and up-down directions, leading to uneven advancement and crease formation.
Innovation Solution
A column blind device with a flexible blind supported by instrument-panel and column-cover attachments, where the instrument-panel-side support is positioned at an intermediate point relative to the column-cover-side support, ensuring equal extension/contraction ratios and minimizing crease occurrences by maintaining a linear shape within the blind's endurable range, and featuring a side portion design that mirrors the column-cover support's locus to reduce material and weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the blind is disposed between the instrument-panel attachment and the column-cover attachment with limited space, then the gap coverage function is achieved, but the blind cannot exactly follow the movements of the steering column, causing bending creases and slack creases to occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the instrument-panel attachment movable relative to the instrument panel. The attachment includes a movable body that can move in the vehicle front-rear direction, allowing the blind to dynamically follow the steering column's movements. This resolves the contradiction by enabling the blind to adapt to position changes without creating creases, while still maintaining effective gap coverage.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a front wall is formed in the instrument-panel attachment to suppress advancement of the blind, then advancement in the vehicle front-rear direction is restricted, but advancement at the left and right vertical wall sides cannot be suppressed, causing uneven advancement and crease formation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the blind into multiple independent sections: a front surface blind, left side surface blinds, and right side surface blinds. Each section is independently controllable through corresponding attachments. This allows differential movement control where the front wall suppresses front-rear advancement while side attachments manage lateral movement, preventing uneven advancement and crease formation while maintaining overall position stability.
3Device complexity
If the space between attachments is small to achieve compact design, then the device fits in limited space, but it becomes difficult to make the blind follow steering column movements, increasing crease occurrences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by introducing dynamic movement capability to the instrument-panel attachment. The movable body within the compact attachment structure can move in the vehicle front-rear direction, allowing the blind to follow steering column movements even within limited space. This maintains device compactness while improving reliability by preventing crease formation through adaptive positioning.
Data Source
AI summary
A column blind device includes a blind which covers a gap between a lower instrument-panel support portion and a column cover, an instrument-panel support to which one end of the blind is fastened, and a cover support to which the another end of the blind is fastened. Furthermore, in a vehicle front-rear direction, the instrument-panel support is provided at a position which is an intermediate position of the cover support between a foremost position and a rearmost position of the cover support.