Vehicle Roof Locking Apparatus Prevents Bowing During Extraction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional roof locking apparatuses for vehicles fail to prevent the roof from bowing and oscillating when retracted in storage, leading to potential damage during retrieval.
Innovation Solution
A roof locking apparatus featuring a grip member that moves along a rail using a push-pull cable and spring mechanism, allowing controlled gripping and releasing of the roof's front end, preventing bowing and oscillation by utilizing a cable drive mechanism to move the grip member against the elastic force of the spring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the grip member simply releases the roof at the holding position, then the operation is simple, but the roof will tilt forward and bow due to weight and gravity center
Solution Approach 1:
The grip member performs a preliminary lifting action by moving upward along the rail before releasing the roof. This preliminary action counteracts the gravitational force and prevents the roof from tilting forward and bowing during extraction, thereby maintaining roof stability while keeping the operation simple.
2Reliability
If the grip member holds the roof at the holding position during retraction, then the roof is securely stored, but the roof may bow and oscillate during movement
Solution Approach 1:
Before the roof is fully extracted, the grip member performs a preliminary lifting action by moving upward along the rail. This preliminary action supports the roof weight and prevents bowing and oscillation during movement, thereby eliminating harmful factors while maintaining secure storage at the holding position.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the grip member moves along the rail using spring force, then energy consumption is reduced, but control precision during gripping and releasing is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates a cable drive mechanism that provides controlled movement of the grip member along the rail. This mechanism offers feedback control to precisely manage the gripping and releasing positions, ensuring accurate control while the spring provides energy efficiency. The combination maintains both low energy consumption and high control precision.
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
Effectively prevents the roof from bowing and oscillating during retrieval, ensuring safe and damage-free operation by releasing the roof's front end before it is fully removed from the storage space.
Implementation Method 1
a spring provided between the grip member and a bottom of the rail to extend in the up-down direction
Data Source
AI summary
To get out a roof (2) retracted in a storage space (7) therefrom, a link mechanism carries out pushing-out operation of push-pull cable (90) so that a grip member with the roof (2) gripped thereby is moved by an elastic force of a main spring (79) along a rail (74) from a retracted position to a gripping position, where the roof (2) is then released from gripped condition by the grip member.