Curved Roller Blind Rib Segmentation for Automotive Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional roller blinds with stiff ribs and a soft component find it difficult to implement curvature, especially along the direction of rib extension, due to varying distances between neutral fibers and the rotary axis, making it hard to unroll and limiting design flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A roller blind manufacturing method using hard component ribs joined by a soft component with a flat underside, allowing for flexible contouring by aligning ribs parallel to each other and using guide pins for movement, with the soft component having a three-dimensional contour and recesses/protrusions for stable integration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a soft component joins a plurality of ribs to each other as a closed layer in conventional roller blinds, then the roller blind achieves integral stability and durability, but it becomes considerably more difficult or even impossible to implement curvature along the transverse direction and longitudinal direction without functional limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The soft component is segmented into multiple independent soft components, each joining adjacent ribs. This segmentation allows each soft component to independently accommodate curvature requirements while maintaining the overall structural integrity of the roller blind, resolving the contradiction between stability and curvature adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The soft component is designed with dynamic characteristics that allow it to flex and adapt to curved configurations. The material properties and structural design enable the soft component to maintain connection stability while accommodating the dynamic curvature needs of the roller blind during operation.
2Ease of operation
If the soft component changes direction around the rotary axis D, then the roller blind can be wound and unwound, but the varying distances between neutral fiber points and the rotary axis make it difficult to unroll the roller blind
Solution Approach 1:
The soft component is designed with varying local properties along its length, with different sections having optimized characteristics for their specific positions relative to the rotary axis. This local quality variation allows each section to accommodate its specific curvature requirements while maintaining overall unrolling functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The design incorporates parameter changes in the soft component's geometry and material properties to compensate for the varying distances from the rotary axis. By adjusting parameters such as thickness, flexibility, and neutral fiber positioning in different sections, the component maintains consistent unrolling behavior despite the curvature variations.
3Shape
If the roller blind is designed with curvature in the transverse direction, then the surface contour can be freely designed, but the distances between neutral fiber points and the rotary axis differ, creating functional limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The soft component incorporates local quality variations that match the desired surface contour. By adjusting the properties of the soft component at different locations, the design achieves the desired curvature while compensating for the functional limitations caused by varying distances from the rotary axis.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing a roller blind and a roller blind is provided for opening and closing a tray, a storage compartment, a control panel or the like, particularly for use in motor vehicles. The roller blind includes a plurality of ribs manufactured from a hard component. A soft component joins the ribs to each other on a connecting side of the soft component. The soft component is manufactured with at least one underside opposite the connecting side that is flat along the direction of extension of the ribs.