Moving Unit Guide Track Joint Clearance Interference
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Solution Overview
Problem
In large structures like aircraft and ships, the existing moving units face issues with smooth movement across joints between track rails due to clearance interference and deformation, leading to unstable load-bearing and movement hindrance.
Innovation Solution
A moving unit with a pair of guide tracks and moving blocks, where the blocks include contact elements to traverse joint clearances, ensuring that at least three blocks are always loaded and stable, preventing simultaneous positioning at joint clearances, thus maintaining stable movement across track rail joints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If clearances are secured between end portions of track rails at coupling portions, then segments can be coupled and deformed without interference, but rolling elements cannot come into contact with rolling surfaces when moving blocks reach joint clearances, causing load-bearing failure and movement hindrance
Solution Approach 1:
A filler piece is introduced as an intermediary component at the joint clearance between track rails. This filler piece has a rolling surface that enables continuous contact with rolling elements, bridging the gap created by clearance between track rail end portions. The filler piece acts as a mediator that maintains load-bearing capability across the joint clearance, allowing segments to be coupled with deformation tolerance while preventing movement hindrance.
Solution Approach 2:
The track rail system is segmented into multiple track rails that can be coupled together, with each segment capable of independent deformation. The joint clearance between segmented track rails is accommodated by introducing filler pieces at the clearances, allowing each segment to deform independently while maintaining overall system functionality.
2Ease of manufacture
If track rails are fixed while bridging over coupling portions, then assembly is simplified, but clearances must be secured in advance between end portions of track rails, requiring larger dimensions and causing interference when segments deform differently
Solution Approach 1:
The filler piece serves as an intermediary that eliminates the need for complex clearance dimensioning between track rails. By placing filler pieces at joint clearances, the system accommodates deformation differences between segments without requiring precise clearance calculations, simplifying the overall assembly process while maintaining functionality.
3Reliability
If multiple moving blocks are used to ensure stable load-bearing, then at least three blocks should always be loaded, but simultaneous positioning of blocks at joint clearances causes interference and movement hindrance
Solution Approach 1:
The filler piece acts as an intermediary that prevents multiple moving blocks from simultaneously positioning at joint clearances. By providing a continuous rolling surface through the filler piece, the system ensures that blocks pass through joints smoothly one at a time, maintaining stable load-bearing while enabling smooth movement without interference.
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
Enables stable and smooth movement of movable bodies along guide tracks by ensuring that moving blocks are always in a load-bearing state, preventing interference and deformation-related issues, allowing for flexible positioning and maintenance of service units in aircraft cabins.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of moving blocks assembled to the track rails through intermediation of a large number of rolling elements that roll on the rolling surfaces of the track rails
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a moving unit (1) that enables a movable body (41) to be smoothly moved along guide tracks (2) for guiding the movable body (41) across joints between a plurality of track rails (21) arranged in series so as to serve as the guide tracks. The moving unit (1) includes: the pair of guide tracks (2) laid in parallel to each other; a plurality of moving blocks (3) being two or more moving blocks (3) assembled to each of the guide tracks and being freely movable along the guide tracks; and the movable body (41) fixed to the moving blocks. The track rails (21) arranged in series serve as the guide tracks, and each have a guide surface (25) formed along a longitudinal direction of each of the track rails. The moving blocks (3) each include contact elements (31) configured to travel on the guide surface while passing across joint clearances (L) each being formed between the track rails arranged in series. When one of the moving blocks (3) is positioned at any one of the plurality of joint clearances (L) formed on the pair of guide tracks (2), another of the moving blocks is not positioned at another of the joint clearances.