U-Shaped Shower Guide Rail with Spring-Loaded Carriage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shower devices with guide rails and carriages for hand showers often result in visible scratches on the rail due to frictional forces, and adjusting the holding force is either impractical or leads to non-linear exponential changes, making them difficult to use and maintain.
Innovation Solution
A U-shaped guide rail with guide members on both sides that rest in corresponding grooves, allowing the carriage to move transversely and be easily removed or installed, using spring-loaded guide members to adjust the contact pressure and prevent visible scratches, while ensuring jerk-free displacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a leaf spring is used to press the carriage against the guide rail to generate frictional force for locking, then the carriage can be locked in any desired position, but the visible side of the rail is scratched
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces guide members as intermediary elements between the carriage and the guide rail. These guide members rest in guide grooves and provide the necessary frictional force for locking without the carriage body directly contacting the visible surface of the rail, thereby preventing visible scratches while maintaining locking capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the contact interface into separate components: the carriage body is separated from the rail surface by guide members that engage with guide grooves. This segmentation allows the functional contact (for locking) to occur through the guide members while the visible rail surface remains protected
2Reliability
If magnets are used to hold the carriage on the rail, then the carriage can be fixed at any point, but adjusting the holding force is difficult due to exponential relationship with distance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the magnetic holding system with a mechanical friction-based system using guide members in guide grooves. This substitution allows for linear, intuitive adjustment of holding force through mechanical means (such as spring pressure or direct mechanical adjustment) rather than dealing with the exponential relationship inherent in magnetic force-distance relationships
3Ease of operation
If the carriage is designed to be easily removable from the rail, then maintenance and cleaning are simplified, but the holding force may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs guide members that can dynamically adjust their engagement with the guide grooves. The guide members are designed to provide sufficient frictional holding force during normal operation but allow for easy disengagement when needed, enabling the system to switch between secure holding and easy removal states
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 solution prevents visible scratches on the rail, allows for easy removal and installation of the carriage for cleaning or replacement, and provides adjustable holding force to accommodate different hand shower weights, ensuring secure and smooth operation.
Implementation Method 1
the guide members arranged on both sides of the sled runner rest in corresponding guide grooves arranged in the two legs of the rail
Implementation Method 2
with spring elements (7) which press the guide members (12, 13) against the guide grooves (3)
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~2a
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The device comprises a U-shaped guide rail (1) that is slidably arranged in a carriage (10). The carriage comprises a holder (20) for holding a hand shower. The carriage has a carriage skid that is provided with a pair of guide element on a guide groove corresponding to the guide rail. The guide elements are arranged on the guide groove, such that the carriage is spaced apart from the guide rail. The guide elements are detachably connected to the guide rail.