Folding Rearview Mirror with Independent Ramps and Wear-Resistant Ring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Folding rearview mirrors for vehicles face issues with wind noise due to clearance between rotating parts, leading to seal wear and increased motor consumption, with existing solutions requiring high energy and complex mechanisms to overcome friction.
Innovation Solution
A folding rearview mirror design featuring independent sets of ramps with varying inclinations for manual and motor-driven operations, along with resilient elements and a low-friction wear-resistant ring, reduces friction and energy consumption by allowing smoother displacement between the mirror housing and base element.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a flexible seal is provided between the rotating rearview mirror housing and the base element to eliminate wind noise, then wind noise is reduced, but the seal is subjected to constant friction during rotation cycles resulting in severe wear and deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful friction effect by introducing a low-friction wear-resistant ring (such as a PTFE or PEEK ring) between the seal and the rotating parts. This ring is taken as a separate component that specifically addresses the friction problem without removing the necessary seal for wind noise prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite material solutions by employing low-friction wear-resistant rings made from advanced materials like PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) or PEEK (polyether ether ketone). These materials combine low friction coefficients with high wear resistance, creating a composite solution that addresses both wind noise sealing and friction reduction.
2Reliability
If a mechanism with wedges or ramps is used to displace the rearview mirror housing relative to the base element to reduce seal friction, then seal wear is reduced, but the mechanism becomes complex and requires high energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the friction-reduction function from the complex wedge/ramp mechanism and implements it through a simple low-friction wear-resistant ring. This ring is placed directly at the contact interface between the seal and rotating parts, eliminating the need for additional displacement mechanisms while achieving the same friction reduction goal.
Solution Approach 2:
The low-friction wear-resistant ring acts as an intermediary element between the seal and the rotating housing. Instead of using complex wedges or ramps to displace components, this intermediate ring directly reduces friction at the contact surface, simplifying the overall mechanism while maintaining reliability.
3Reliability
If a mechanism with wedges or ramps is used to displace the rearview mirror housing relative to the base element to reduce seal friction, then seal wear is reduced, but motor consumption increases due to high energy requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the friction-reduction function from the energy-intensive wedge/ramp mechanism and implements it through a passive low-friction wear-resistant ring. This ring reduces friction without requiring additional motor energy, as it works passively through its material properties rather than active mechanical displacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The low-friction wear-resistant ring serves as an intermediary that reduces friction through its material characteristics rather than through active mechanical work. This eliminates the need for the motor to overcome the resistance of wedges or ramps, significantly reducing energy consumption while maintaining seal reliability.
4Stability of the object's composition
If resilient members with high spring rate are used to push the mirror housing to the base element, then the assembly is held in position, but the motor has to work hard to overcome the resistance resulting in high energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the position-stabilizing function from the high spring rate resilient members and implements it through the low-friction wear-resistant ring combined with gravity and lighter resilient elements. This separation allows position stability to be maintained while reducing the resistance that the motor must overcome.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters of the resilient members by reducing their spring rate and combining this with the low-friction wear-resistant ring. This parameter change allows the system to maintain position stability through a combination of lighter spring force, gravity, and reduced friction, rather than relying on high spring rates that increase motor energy consumption.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively reduces wear on seals, extends motor service life, and minimizes wind noise and vibration during vehicle operation, while allowing for efficient and cost-effective operation without the need for high-energy consumption.
Implementation Method 1
a low-friction wear-resistant ring arranged between the base element and the rearview mirror housing
Implementation Method 2
a resilient element intended to push the rearview mirror housing to the base element when the latter is driven to be rotated with respect to the former
Data Source
AI summary
A base member fixed to a vehicle, a housing with a rearview mirror, a motor component to rotate the rearview housing relative to the base, two sets of ramps independent of each other, capable of sliding on corresponding fixed ramps of the base element and first and second resilient elements. The ramps of the first and second sets have different inclinations and the resilient elements have different spring rates from one another, depending on whether the drive housing is manually or motor driven.