Vehicle Roof Guide Rail Integration for Assembly Simplification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing roof structures for passenger cars face challenges in efficiently accommodating lateral guide rails and cover elements, requiring complex assembly and ensuring secure connection without additional fasteners.
Innovation Solution
A structural support system comprising a first and second supporting wall, a guide rail, and a sealing body, where the cover element is functionally integrated with the guide rail and second support wall using form-fitting holding devices, allowing for easy assembly and secure connection without additional fasteners, and providing a sealing function in the closed position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional roof structures are used with separate components for guide rails and cover elements, then structural flexibility is maintained, but assembly complexity increases and secure connection without additional fasteners becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the guide rail and cover element into a single integrated structural support component. The guide rail is formed as an integral part of the structural support, eliminating the need for separate assembly steps and additional fasteners, thereby simplifying manufacturing while maintaining structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The structural support serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural reinforcement, guides the movable roof, supports the cover element, and enables sealing. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed, simplifying assembly while maintaining comprehensive structural capability
2Reliability
If complex fastening systems are used to secure cover elements and guide rails, then connection reliability improves, but assembly effort and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
By combining the guide rail and cover element support into a single structural support component, the patent eliminates multiple fastening operations. The integrated design ensures connection reliability through monolithic construction while reducing assembly time by removing the need to install separate fasteners and secure multiple independent components
3Reliability
If additional fasteners are used to connect cover elements and guide rails, then connection security improves, but the compactness and simplicity of the assembly deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the guide rail and cover element support into a single structural support component, eliminating the need for additional fasteners. This integration maintains connection security through monolithic construction while preserving assembly simplicity by removing extra fastening hardware and installation steps
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the need for separate fasteners by incorporating the fastening function directly into the structural support design. The structural support itself provides the secure connection through its integrated geometry, removing the harmful factor of additional fastening components while maintaining connection security
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The structure (2) has a roof opening (16) limited by lateral roof supports (9, 10) and transverse supports (5). The lateral roof supports comprise a structure support that is provided with guide rails (20, 21) for a movable roof (17), where the guide rails are covered by a cover element that points away from a vehicle top side. The cover element and the guide rails supported on the structure support are connected with each other. A cover wall of the cover element is limited by a sealing body, where the cover wall runs in a vehicle transverse direction.