Sliding Door Latch Assembly with Adjustable Spacers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle door latches on sliding doors face issues with proper mounting due to varying door thickness, leading to engagement problems with corresponding strikes.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle latch assembly with a mounting plate and a selection of spacers of different widths, allowing for adjustable mounting to match the door thickness, ensuring proper engagement with the strike.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed latch mounting plate is used, then the manufacturing and installation process is simple, but the latch cannot accommodate varying door thicknesses, leading to improper engagement with strikes
Solution Approach 1:
The latch assembly transitions from a fixed mounting plate to a dynamic configuration where multiple spacers of different thicknesses can be selected and installed. This allows the mounting plate to adapt its effective position based on the specific door thickness, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameter of the mounting system by introducing spacers with varying thicknesses. This allows the distance between the latch and the door surface to be adjusted, enabling proper engagement with strikes across different door thicknesses while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
2Reliability
If the latch is mounted without considering door thickness variation, then the installation process is quick, but the latch will not mate or engage properly with the corresponding strike
Solution Approach 1:
The appropriate spacer is selected and installed before final latch assembly, ensuring proper engagement geometry is established in advance. This preliminary action prevents engagement failures and reduces the need for adjustments during installation, balancing reliability with installation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting system is segmented into separate components: the mounting plate, the selectable spacer, and the latch mechanism. This segmentation allows the spacer to be pre-selected based on door thickness, ensuring proper engagement reliability while making the installation process systematic rather than time-consuming.
3Ease of manufacture
If a single standardized latch mounting plate is used across all doors, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but the latch cannot be properly mounted on doors with different thicknesses
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is divided into standardized components (mounting plate, spacers, latch) where only the spacer varies in thickness. This segmentation allows the majority of components to be manufactured to standard specifications, maintaining ease of manufacture while achieving adaptability through the spacer selection.
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized mounting plate and latch mechanism serve universal functions across all door applications, while the spacer provides the necessary variation. This multi-functionality approach allows a single standardized design to work across different door thicknesses, balancing manufacturing simplicity with adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle latch assembly for a vehicle sliding door includes an exterior latch, an interior latch, and a variety of spacers of different or differentially distinct widths. The interior latch includes a latch mounting plate or housing The latch housing has four latch mounting holes and two spacer mounting holes. Each spacer has four latch mounting holes and two spacer mounting holes which extend from a countersunk screw head recess. The exterior latch is positioned against the exterior side of the sliding door and four mounting bolts pass through four mounting holes extending through the exterior latch, through four mounting holes in the sliding door, through the four latch mounting holes in the spacer, and through the four latch mounting holes in the interior latch. A mounting nut is threaded onto each mounting bolt and tightened to secure the exterior latch and interior latch in this position.