Horizontal Door Glass Assembly for Flush Exterior Styling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing door glass assemblies in vehicles create a stepped portion between the door frame and the door glass, degrading exterior styling, causing turbulence, wind noise, and reducing aerodynamic and noise vibration harshness (NVH) performance, while also narrowing the interior space due to the width required for the door panel and door regulator.
Innovation Solution
A door glass assembly that allows for a flush-glass arrangement by guiding the door glass to move horizontally using upper and lower guide rails, eliminating the need for a stepped portion and reducing the thickness of the door panel, thereby enhancing interior space and aerodynamic performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If a conventional door glass assembly with stepped portion is used, then the door glass can be installed with sufficient space for door regulator, but the exterior styling is degraded and aerodynamic performance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The door glass movement direction is changed from vertical to horizontal, allowing the glass to move parallel to the door panel surface rather than perpendicular to it. This dimensional change enables the door glass to be positioned flush with the door frame while still providing adequate space for the door regulator mechanism within the door panel, thereby resolving the contradiction between exterior styling and structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having the door glass move vertically within a stepped recess, the invention inverts the approach by making the door glass move horizontally in line with the door frame surface. This inversion eliminates the stepped portion and achieves a flush appearance, while the door regulator is repositioned to operate within the door panel thickness rather than requiring additional external space
2Volume of moving object
If the door panel has sufficient space for door glass and door regulator, then the door assembly is functional, but the interior space of the vehicle is narrowed
Solution Approach 1:
By changing the door glass movement from vertical to horizontal, the invention reduces the depth required in the door panel for accommodating the door regulator mechanism. This dimensional change allows more of the door panel volume to be allocated to interior space while still providing sufficient room for the regulator to operate horizontally, thereby increasing vehicle interior space without compromising operational functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the door glass movement plane with the door frame surface by eliminating the stepped portion. This integration allows the door glass to move in the same plane as the exterior surface, reducing the overall depth requirement of the door assembly and thereby maximizing the interior space available within the vehicle door structure
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a stepped portion is provided between door frame and door glass, then the door glass can be recessed for installation, but turbulence and wind noise are generated degrading NVH performance
Solution Approach 1:
The horizontal movement of the door glass changes its positional relationship with the door frame from a recessed vertical arrangement to a flush horizontal arrangement. This dimensional change eliminates the stepped portion that causes turbulence and wind noise, allowing the door glass to move in the same plane as the door frame surface, thereby resolving the contradiction between reducing harmful factors and achieving precise flush alignment
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the potential harm of requiring precise flush alignment into a benefit by using horizontal movement. The door glass is designed to move horizontally along guide rails that are integrated with the flush surface, so that the precision requirement is maintained for the guide rail installation but the door glass itself can move without creating turbulence or noise, transforming the alignment challenge into a streamlined design advantage
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 achieves a flush exterior surface, improves aerodynamic and NVH performance, and increases interior space by eliminating the need for additional parts like the door regulator, resulting in a more compact and cost-effective design.
Implementation Method 1
an upper guide shaft connected between the upper guide rail and the vertical guide rail, wherein the upper guide shaft may have a first roller which is guided along the upper guide rail
Implementation Method 2
a door glass which is movable in a horizontal direction with respect to the fixed wall, and is guided to move along the upper guide rail and the lower guide rail in the horizontal direction
Data Source
AI summary
A door glass assembly for a vehicle, includes a door panel; a fixed wall which is fixedly connected to a top end of the door panel; an upper guide rail which is extended along a top edge of the fixed wall; a lower guide rail which is extended along a bottom edge of the fixed wall; and a door glass which is movable in a horizontal direction with respect to the fixed wall, and is guided to move along the upper guide rail and the lower guide rail in the horizontal direction, wherein the door glass opens and closes a portion of a door opening defined by the door panel and the fixed wall, and an external surface of the door glass is flush with an external surface of the fixed wall when the door glass is in a closed position to close the door opening.