Flat Cable Orientation for Sliding Door Power Supply
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional power supply apparatuses for sliding doors face issues with flat cables sagging due to reversed curvature and weight, leading to damage during repetitive opening and closing, as they are difficult to maintain in a vertical orientation when bent.
Innovation Solution
The power supply apparatus features a flat cable with first and second cable bend restricting portions on the vehicle body and sliding door fixing portions, ensuring the cable is extracted in a direction parallel to sliding motion, maintaining a vertical width direction and restricting curvature to prevent sagging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the flat cable is extracted from the vehicle body in the direction substantially vertical to the sliding directions, then the flat cable can be fixed on both vehicle body and sliding door, but the flat cable is largely bent in S-shape and the width direction shifts from vertical causing sagging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the extraction direction of the flat cable from the conventional vertical-to-sliding-directions approach to an approach parallel to the sliding directions. This inversion prevents the S-shaped bending and maintains the width direction substantially vertical, thereby preventing sagging while still enabling flexible movement during door operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the dimension of extraction from vertical (perpendicular to sliding directions) to horizontal (parallel to sliding directions). This dimensional change transforms the cable's path from an S-shaped configuration to a linear configuration that maintains proper orientation and prevents sagging.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the flat cable is bent with reversed curvature to accommodate sliding door movement, then the cable can follow door motion, but the cable becomes difficult to support and sags downward due to weight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the bending configuration from reversed curvature (S-shape) to single-direction curvature that maintains the width direction vertical. This inversion preserves cable flexibility for door movement while eliminating the sagging problem caused by reversed curvature.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the curvature parameter of the flat cable from reversed curvature to single-direction curvature aligned with the sliding directions. This parameter change maintains the necessary flexibility for door motion while ensuring the cable remains supportable and does not sag downward.
3Shape
If the flat cable is extracted parallel to sliding directions, then the width direction remains vertical preventing sagging, but the cable path becomes longer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the extraction dimension from vertical to horizontal (parallel to sliding directions). Although this increases the cable path length, it maintains the width direction substantially vertical, preventing sagging. The increased length is an acceptable trade-off for maintaining proper cable orientation and preventing damage.
Data Source
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AI summary
An electric power supply device (100) for a slide door has a flat cable (110), a vehicle body-side fixation section (121) and a first cable-bend restriction section (122) that are arranged on a vehicle body (120), and a door-side fixation section (131) and a second cable-bend restriction section (132) that are arranged on a slide door (130). The flat cable (110) is led out such that, at the vehicle body-side fixation section (121) and the door-side fixation section (131), the cable (110) is substantially parallel to the sliding direction and the width direction of the cable (110) is substantially aligned with the vertical direction.