Flat Cable Power Supply for Sliding Door
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional power supply apparatuses for sliding doors often result in wiring damage and noise due to contact with the automobile body or sliding door during opening and closing, as they require flexible wires that are prone to damage and cannot be bent with small curvatures, leading to a large and cumbersome apparatus.
Innovation Solution
A power supply apparatus using a flat cable with a rectangular conductor that is arranged to bend in a predetermined direction, preventing contact with the automobile body or sliding door by directing the flexural portion parallel to the automobile body's length, thus avoiding damage and noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a round wire with high flexibility is used as the wiring body, then the wire can conform to the opening and closing operation of the sliding door, but the wire contacts the automobile body or sliding door during operation, causing noises and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional round wire with a flat cable having a planar flexible structure. This flat cable can bend and deform to accommodate the sliding door's opening and closing movements while maintaining sufficient flexibility, thereby preventing contact with the automobile body or sliding door and eliminating the associated noises and damage risks
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the wiring body from a round cross-section to a flat cross-section. This parameter change enables the cable to achieve the necessary flexibility for door movement while controlling its bending behavior to avoid contact with surrounding components, thus resolving the contradiction between flexibility and reliability
2Reliability
If a corrugated tube accommodating the wire harness is used, then the wire harness is protected from damage, but the corrugated tube cannot be bent with small curvature, causing it to contact the automobile body or sliding door
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flat cable with inherent flexible characteristics that can be bent with small curvatures. Unlike rigid corrugated tubes, this flexible flat cable structure allows the wiring body to conform to the sliding door's movement without contacting the automobile body or sliding door, while still providing protection against damage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a dynamic flexible structure that adapts its shape during the sliding door's opening and closing operations. The flat cable dynamically adjusts its configuration to follow the door's movement trajectory, maintaining protection while avoiding contact with surrounding components
3Adaptability or versatility
If a wire-winding section is used to release and wind the wire, then the wire can conform to the sliding door operation, but the apparatus becomes large in size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the inherent flexibility of the flat cable structure to naturally conform to the sliding door's opening and closing operations without requiring additional wire-winding sections. The flat cable's planar design allows it to bend and deform as needed, eliminating the need for bulky winding mechanisms and reducing overall apparatus size
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a power supply apparatus for a sliding door. The power supply apparatus includes a body-side fixture mounted on an automobile body, a door-side fixture mounted on the sliding door, and a flat cable gripped in the body-side fixture and the door-side fixture for supplying a power to the sliding door. The flat cable is pulled out from the body-side fixture and/or the door-side fixture to form a convex flexural portion during opening and closing of the sliding door. The flat cable pull-out direction conforms with the protrusion direction of the convex flexural portion.