Electric Slide Rail Engagement Slot Geometry for Stable Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric slide rails experience fluctuations in the contact position between the screw member and the engagement hole due to manufacturing and assembly errors, leading to precision issues and potential external force-induced movement, and there is a need to reduce the load on harnesses connected to electrical components.
Innovation Solution
The electric slide rail design features a rail with a groove-shaped cross section and a screw assembly where the screw member engages with obliquely oriented engagement holes, ensuring contact only with specific portions to stabilize the position and reduce fluctuations, and a harness protector with slits to limit bending radius and distribute load.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional engagement holes are used in existing electric slide rails, then the structure is simple, but the contact position between the screw member and engagement hole fluctuates due to manufacturing and assembly errors, reducing positioning precision
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement hole is divided into three distinct portions: a first portion extending at an angle, and second portions arranged on both sides. This segmentation allows the screw member to contact only specific portions (second portions) while avoiding the first portion, thereby stabilizing the contact position and reducing fluctuations caused by manufacturing and assembly errors.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the engagement hole are designed with different functions. The first portion is designed to be avoided by the screw member, while the second portions are specifically designed for contact. This local differentiation ensures that the screw member contacts only the appropriate areas, improving contact position stability without requiring complete redesign of the entire engagement hole structure.
2Reliability
If the slider is freely supported by the rail, then the ease of operation is improved, but the slider tends to move in response to external forces, reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement hole structure is designed to preemptively counteract the tendency of the slider to move under external forces. By configuring the engagement geometry such that the screw member contacts only the second portions and avoids the first portion, the system creates inherent resistance to unwanted slider movement while maintaining controlled movement capability during normal operation.
3Reliability
If the harness is held in a bent state with small bending radius, then the device complexity is reduced, but too much load is applied to the harness, reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
A protector with a specific structure is introduced as an intermediary component to support the harness. This protector prevents the harness from being held in a bent state with excessively small bending radius, thereby reducing the load on the harness while avoiding the need for complex alternative protection mechanisms.
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 design stabilizes the contact position between the screw member and engagement hole, reducing precision issues and noise, while also minimizing the load on harnesses by controlling the bending radius, thereby enhancing the operational reliability and safety of the electric slide rail.
Implementation Method 1
a screw member 38 supported on the slider for rotation about the first direction... an electric motor 36 supported by the slider and rotating the screw member... the screw member moves relative to the plurality of engagement holes, and the slider moves relative to the rail
Data Source
AI summary
An electric slide rail that can suppress fluctuations in the contact position between a screw member and an engagement hole in a rail are disclosed. The rail is operable with a sliding assembly that includes a screw member. The rail includes a sidewall extending along a rail axis and having a front end and a rear end, a plurality of engagement slots formed in the sidewall between the front end and the rear end. Each of the plurality of engagement slots has a clearance portion, an upper engagement portion in communication with an upper end of the clearance portion, and a lower engagement portion in communication with a lower end of the clearance portion. Each of the plurality of engagement slots extends with respect to a second axis perpendicular to the rail axis, and the upper engagement portion and the lower engagement portion are configured to engage the screw member.