Sliding Door Guide Pin and Mobile Support Mechanism

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Solution Overview

Problem

In motor vehicles with hybrid or electric powertrains, the bulky battery placement at floor level complicates the integration of the lower guide rail for sliding doors, making it difficult to manage the movement and positioning of sliding doors, especially with pronounced rear wheel arches and interior armrests.

Innovation Solution

The arrangement includes a locking mechanism that controls the movement of a sliding door's mobile support along a guide rail, allowing the door to transition between closed, intermediate open, and fully open positions, using a guide pin and latch system that enables the door to pivot and move efficiently around the battery placement, and an adjustable guide rail that can accommodate the curvature of the wheel arch.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a lower guide rail is integrated into the floor of a vehicle with a hybrid or electric powertrain, then the sliding door can be properly guided and positioned, but the bulky battery placement at floor level interferes with the integration of the lower guide rail

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesliding door guidanceVSAvoidguide rail integration
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes the lower guide rail from the floor area where the battery is located. Instead, the guide rail is positioned along the lower edge of the door opening, extracting the guidance function from the conflicted floor space while maintaining proper sliding door operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The guide rail is repositioned from a horizontal floor-mounted configuration to a vertical configuration along the door opening edge. This dimensional change allows the battery to occupy the floor space while the guide rail operates in the vertical dimension, eliminating spatial conflict.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Volume of stationary object

If the guide rail is positioned to accommodate the battery placement, then the battery can be integrated at floor level, but the sliding door movement and positioning becomes difficult to manage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery spaceVSAvoiddoor movement control
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of stationary objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a mobile support with a receiving means (slot with stops) that acts as an intermediary between the guide rail and the sliding door. This intermediary component provides precise positioning control through the slot geometry, ensuring the door moves correctly even with the modified guide rail configuration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The door assembly is segmented into a sliding door and a mobile support that moves along the guide rail. The mobile support contains the receiving means for the drive means, separating the guidance function (guide rail) from the door structure, which allows independent optimization of both components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Manufacturing precision

If a mobile support with receiving means and locking mechanism is used, then the sliding door can be precisely positioned at closed and intermediate open positions, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedoor positioningVSAvoidmobile support mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The locking mechanism is designed to be self-actuating through the interaction between the drive means and the receiving means. As the drive means moves along the slot, it automatically engages with the stop at the first position (closed) and the second position (intermediate open), eliminating the need for separate actuators or complex control systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The receiving means features a slot with stops that provides dynamic positioning - the drive means can move freely within the slot during transition, then automatically locks at predetermined positions. This dynamic mechanism achieves precise positioning without requiring active control at each position.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3633127B1Arrangement for controlling the opening and/or closing of a sliding door of a vehicle
Publication Date: 2021.08.04 RENAULT SA
  • EP3633127B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3633127B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP3633127B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

The invention relates to an arrangement (10) for controlling the opening and/or closing of a sliding door, the arrangement (10) comprising: - a box (2), - a sliding door relative to the box (2), in particular a side door (11) sliding longitudinally or substantially longitudinally, - a guide rail (20) fixed to the box (2), - a movable support (40) fixed to the sliding door, the movable support (40) comprising a drive means, in particular a guide pin (41) with a vertical or substantially vertical axis, fixed to the movable support (40), - a movable carriage (30) mounted movably on the guide rail (20), the movable carriage (30) being provided with a receiving means, in particular a light (31), for the drive means of the movable support (40) so as to allow movement between the movable support (40) and the movable carriage (30).