Rear Window Roller Blind Pull-Out Element Slit Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rear-window roller blinds in motor vehicles require an auxiliary cover to close the slit when retracted, which is aesthetically and safety-wise undesirable and increases assembly costs.
Innovation Solution
A pull-out element with a center piece and telescoping end pieces that adjust to match the slit's width, allowing it to close the slit without an additional cover, integrated with guide rails and a mechanism to adapt to varying spacing, ensuring complete closure and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an auxiliary cover is used to close the slit when the roller blind is retracted, then the slit closure function is achieved, but the device complexity and assembly costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the slit closure function with the pull-out element itself. The pull-out element is designed with a width that matches the slit width, and when retracted, it automatically closes the slit without requiring a separate auxiliary cover. This merging of functions eliminates the need for additional components and simplifies the overall device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The pull-out element serves multiple functions: it guides the roller blind during extension and retraction, and simultaneously closes the slit when retracted. By making the pull-out element multi-functional, the patent eliminates the need for dedicated auxiliary covering components, thereby reducing device complexity and assembly costs.
2Shape
If the pull-out element is made wide enough to close the slit completely, then aesthetic appearance and safety are improved, but the ease of movement through guide rails may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the pull-out element's width match the slit width only in the retracted position where closure is needed. The element maintains this width throughout its length to ensure complete slit closure, while its telescoping end pieces allow it to adjust its effective operational width during extension, facilitating smooth movement through the guide rails.
Solution Approach 2:
The pull-out element incorporates telescoping end pieces that can extend and retract, making the element dynamic in length while maintaining a constant width. This dynamic characteristic allows the element to close the slit completely when retracted (providing aesthetic and safety benefits) while still being able to navigate the guide rails during extension and retraction operations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If telescoping end pieces are added to adapt to varying guide rail spacing, then adaptability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pull-out element is segmented into a center piece and two telescoping end pieces. This segmentation allows each end piece to independently adjust its position relative to the center piece, enabling the element to adapt to varying guide rail spacing. The segmented structure provides the necessary adaptability while keeping each individual component relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The telescoping end pieces are designed to nest within or alongside the center piece, allowing compact storage when not in use and smooth extension when needed. This nesting arrangement provides an elegant solution for adapting to varying guide rail spacing without significantly increasing overall device complexity, as the telescoping mechanism is integrated into the existing pull-out element structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A rear-window roller blind assembly for motor vehicles in which the roller blind is movable out of a pull-out slit to an extended position through movement of a pull-out element on a free edge thereof. The pull-out element includes a center piece and relatively movable end pieces shaped so that when the pull-out element is in a retracted position the pull-out slit is covered over its entire length by the pull-out element.