Folding Slide Door Support Arm to Reduce Protrusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing slide door support mechanisms protrude significantly when folded, compromising the appearance design and ease of boarding and alighting from vehicles, and shortening the arm to address this issue leads to interference with the vehicle body when the slide door is opened.
Innovation Solution
A slide door support mechanism featuring a vehicle body-side guide, a first arm bridging between this guide and a door-side guide, a second arm pivotably supported by the slide door, and a configuration that allows the first arm to fold while sliding, reducing its protrusion length and stabilizing it with a support shaft, thereby improving boarding and alighting ease and appearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the arm length is shortened to reduce protrusion, then appearance design and boarding ease are improved, but the slide door may interfere with the vehicle body when opened
Solution Approach 1:
The arm is designed to dynamically change its configuration from a straight extended state during opening/closing operations to a folded state during normal use. This dynamic transformation allows the arm to provide full operational range when needed while minimizing protrusion length to improve appearance and boarding ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The arm is divided into multiple segments (first arm portion and second arm portion) connected by a folding mechanism. This segmentation enables the arm to fold onto itself, effectively reducing its protrusion length while maintaining the necessary length for reliable slide door operation.
2Shape
If the arm is folded to improve appearance design, then protrusion is reduced, but the arm structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The folding mechanism is integrated into the existing arm structure, merging the folding function with the arm's support function. This integration reduces the need for separate folding components and simplifies the overall structure while achieving the desired folded configuration for improved appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The arm incorporates a folding mechanism that allows it to dynamically change between extended and folded states. This dynamic capability enables the arm to adapt its shape based on operational requirements, improving appearance design when folded while maintaining structural simplicity through automated folding action.
Data Source
AI summary
A slide door support mechanism includes a lower rail provided on a vehicle body, a rear slide door configured to open and close a rear door opening portion of the vehicle body by slide movement, a door rail provided on the rear slide door, a first arm that bridges between the lower rail and the door rail, a vehicle body-side roller unit and a vehicle body-side roller provided on the first arm and slidably provided on the lower rail, a door-side roller provided on a first arm and slidably provided on the door rail, and a second arm pivotably supported by the rear slide door and the first arm.