Sliding Door Assembly with Integral Clamp Structures
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sliding door assemblies for vehicle cup holders and storage compartments are prone to binding issues due to numerous components and manufacturing tolerance problems, particularly with tabs getting stuck in slots of the opposed rails, leading to inefficiencies in the manufacturing process.
Innovation Solution
The sliding door assembly incorporates integral clamp structures at the ends of slats to grasp the opposed rails, eliminating the need for tabs and slots, thereby reducing the number of components and simplifying manufacturing tolerances, with the opposed rails being integrally formed with the cover panel to maintain fixed spacing and prevent binding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If tabs and slots are used to connect slats to rails, then the panel door can be assembled, but binding occurs and manufacturing tolerances become challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the tab and slot features into a single integrated rail component. The slat directly engages with the rail without requiring separate tabs milled into the slat and slots milled into the rail. This merging eliminates the interface between two separate features, thereby eliminating binding issues and reducing manufacturing tolerance requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the tab feature from the slat and the slot feature from the rail. By removing these interlocking features, the design simplifies the connection mechanism to a direct engagement between the slat and rail, reducing the number of components and features that require precise manufacturing tolerances.
2Reliability
If numerous components are used in the sliding door assembly, then the assembly can be functional, but the number of components increases and manufacturing becomes inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple components into fewer integrated components. The rail is designed to incorporate features that previously required separate tabs, slots, and fastening elements. The slat is designed to engage directly with the rail without requiring separate connection elements. This merging reduces the total component count while maintaining functional performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The rail component is designed to perform multiple functions: it provides the tracking path for the panel door, provides the engagement feature for the slat, and eliminates the need for separate fastening or alignment features. This multi-functionality reduces the number of specialized components needed in the assembly.
3Ease of manufacture
If tabs are milled into slats and slots are milled into rails, then connection is achieved, but manufacturing inefficiencies occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the milling operations for creating tabs and slots. Instead of milling these features into separate components, the design uses a direct engagement between the slat and rail that requires minimal or no milling operations, thereby improving manufacturing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the connection features into the basic geometry of the slat and rail components themselves, rather than requiring additional milling operations to create separate tabs and slots. This merging of features into the primary component geometry simplifies the manufacturing process and improves productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A sliding door assembly for selectively covering a cup holder or other storage compartment of a vehicle, the sliding door assembly including: a pair of opposed rails adapted to be disposed on opposed sides of an opening of the cup holder or other storage compartment; and a panel door including a plurality of adjacent slats adapted to be disposed between the pair of opposed rails, wherein one or more of the plurality of adjacent slats includes a central body portion with a clamp structure disposed at each end of the central body portion, wherein each of the clamp structures is adapted to grasp one of the pair of opposed rails to translatably secure the panel door to the pair of opposed rails. The sliding door assembly also includes a cover panel adapted to be disposed between the pair of opposed rails.