Vehicle Slide Rail Lock Mechanism with Biaser
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing slide rail device for vehicles faces challenges with shallow lock grooves, making it difficult to achieve a favorable operational feel due to limited rotatable range and increased operational force required for lock release, especially when the lock lever's range is restricted.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a lock mechanism with a biaser that maintains the lock operational lever in a locked position, allowing a larger rotatable range for the handle connected to the lock operational lever, reducing the necessary operational force for lock release, and preventing unintentional release by positioning the handle's supported portions to maintain a supported state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the lock grooves are made shallow to reduce play between lock grooves and lock lever, then the structural compactness is improved, but the operational feel deteriorates because the lock lever releases engagement with only slight rotation of the operational lever
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an operational lever as an intermediary between the user's hand and the lock lever. The operational lever has a rotatable range of 90 degrees or more, amplifying the user's input motion. This intermediary mechanism allows shallow lock grooves to maintain compactness while providing sufficient rotational travel for comfortable operation, as the operational lever's large rotation range compensates for the shallow engagement depth.
2Ease of operation
If the lock grooves are increased in length to improve operational feel, then the rotatable range of the lock lever is improved, but the device complexity increases and the rotatable range is still restricted by the narrow internal space of the upper rail
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the space constraint by changing the dimensional approach: instead of extending the lock lever's rotation arc horizontally (which would increase device complexity and require more internal space), the operational lever rotates in a vertical dimension with a 90-degree or greater range. This vertical rotation within the narrow internal space achieves the desired operational feel without increasing horizontal footprint or structural complexity.
3Reliability
If the biasing force of the biaser is increased to prevent unintentional release of engagement, then the reliability of locking is improved, but the operational force required to rotate the operational lever increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the operational lever's rotational resistance variable rather than constant. The operational lever is designed to rotate with relatively light force during the first portion of its rotation, then requires stronger force only during the final portion where it overcomes the biaser's maximum biasing force. This dynamic force profile allows the biaser to maintain high locking reliability while keeping the overall operational force requirement manageable for the user.
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
This configuration provides a favorable operational feel with reduced operational force for lock release, ensuring secure transfer to an unlocked state even with a narrow rotatable range of the lock operational lever and preventing unintentional unlocking.
Implementation Method 1
a biaser provided in the internal space of each upper rail and which rotatably biases the locking lever toward a direction of engagement with the lock grooves
Implementation Method 2
the upper rails can slide relative to the lower rails
Data Source
AI summary
A slide rail device for a vehicle is provided, which can increase the rotatable range of a handle that is connected to a lock operational lever, and the operational force that is necessary for carrying out a lock release operation can be reduced, even if the rotatable range of the lock operational lever is limited to a narrow range by an upper rail.The slide rail device includes a biaser 70 which rotatably biases the handle with respect to said lock operational lever in a direction so as to constantly maintain a supported state of a lower supported portion by a lower support portion and a supported state of an upper supported portion by an upper supporting portion.