Motorized Vehicle Door Closure with Rectilinear Striker Guide
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motorized closure devices for sliding vehicle doors face issues with construction complexity, limited striker stroke, and wear-related clearance problems, leading to operational issues and potential failure in closing the door leaf correctly.
Innovation Solution
A motorized closure device featuring a gear motor with a movable striker and motion transmitting assembly, including a concentric coupling, oscillating lever, and guide element, which enables rectilinear movement of the striker between open and closed positions, reducing wear and increasing reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a movable striker with curvilinear path movement is used, then the door leaf can be closed, but wear between parts increases and clearances develop
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of moving the striker along a curvilinear path as in prior art, this invention inverts the approach by using a guide element with a rectilinear path that guides the striker. The oscillating connecting rod converts rotary motion from the motor into rectilinear motion of the striker, eliminating the curvilinear path wear problem while maintaining reliable door closing function.
2Reliability
If a movable striker fixed to an oscillating connecting rod is used, then the door can be closed, but the striker movement along a curvilinear path causes increased wear
Solution Approach 1:
This invention extracts the oscillating connecting rod from the striker assembly and replaces it with a guide element that provides rectilinear guidance. The striker is simplified to comprise only the actuating element that engages the abutment, while the guide element separately provides the motion path. This separation reduces the complexity of the striker itself while maintaining the necessary motion control.
3Manufacturing precision
If reduced tolerances are used to prevent clearances, then operating precision improves, but wear causes tolerances to deteriorate faster
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of relying on tight tolerances to prevent clearance, this invention inverts the approach by designing a rectilinear motion path that inherently prevents clearance development. The guide element with its rectilinear groove or slot provides a fixed, wear-resistant path that maintains precision over time, eliminating the need for continuously tightening tolerances to compensate for wear.
4Force
If a motorized mechanism with movable striker is used, then door closing force is sufficient, but the stroke of the striker is limited
Solution Approach 1:
This invention uses an oscillating connecting rod that converts rotary motion from the motor into rectilinear oscillating motion of the striker. The dynamic conversion allows the striker to achieve sufficient stroke length for complete door closure while maintaining the necessary closing force. The rectilinear motion path maximizes the effective stroke within the available space, overcoming the limitations of curvilinear path mechanisms.
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 device provides a reliable, robust, and universally applicable motorized closure system that can be easily mounted on various vehicle models, ensuring smooth operation and reducing manufacturing costs for large-scale production.
Implementation Method 1
a gear motor (12) and a movable striker (14) associated with the gear motor (12) by means of a motion transmitting assembly (16)
Implementation Method 2
a driven shaft (46) of the motion transmitting assembly (16) which receives motion from a drive shaft (44) through a concentric coupling having a male gear (48), mounted concentrically on the drive shaft (44), and a female gear (50), provided with a bore (52) having a shape complementary to the shape of the male gear (48) and mounted concentrically on the driven shaft (46)
Implementation Method 3
The motion transmitting assembly (16) comprises an oscillating lever (54), capable of causing the movable striker (14) to make a rectilinear movement
Implementation Method 4
The guide element (74) preferably comprises a plurality of ferrules (76) solidly connected to the proximal plate (24). A first ferrule (76a) is housed in the hinging bore (58) and defines a corresponding hinge pin for the oscillating lever (54). A second ferrule (76b) is housed in an arc-shaped slot (78) passing through the guide arm (54c) of the oscillating lever (54). This second ferrule (76b) further passes through a first guide slot (80a) provided in the rear plate (20) of the movable striker (14).
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
Motorized closure device (10) for vehicle doors, comprising: a gear motor (12) provided with a drive shaft (44); a movable striker (14) associated with the drive shaft (44) by means of a motion transmitting assembly (16); a guide element (74) attached to the housing (12a) of the gear motor (12) and adapted to guide sliding of the movable striker (14) between a first rear position, corresponding to a configuration of door closing, and a second forward position, corresponding to a configuration of door opening, wherein the motion transmitting assembly (16) comprises an oscillating lever (54) cooperating with the guide element (74) and with the movable striker (14) for causing the movable striker (14) to make a rectilinear movement when shifting from said first to said second position and vice versa.