Soft Top Rear Window Sealing System With Retaining Strip
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing folding top solutions for motor vehicles require more space when closed due to immovable panes and rely on high contact pressure for sealing, which complicates assembly and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A sealing system featuring a pane frame with sealing lips and a retaining strip, where the pane is glued into the frame, and sealing elements form a U-shaped channel to reduce contact pressure and facilitate easy assembly and water drainage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the pane is mechanically fixed to the top cover with high contact pressure, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but assembly complexity and maintenance difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing system is divided into separate functional components: a retaining strip for mechanical attachment and sealing elements with sealing lips for creating the seal. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, simplifying assembly while maintaining effective sealing.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing element acts as an intermediary component between the retaining strip and the pane. It includes a sealing body with sealing lips that interface with the pane edge, transferring the retaining force into effective sealing contact pressure without requiring direct high-pressure fastening mechanisms.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the pane is fixed immovably in the top cover, then sealing stability is improved, but space requirement when top is closed increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing system allows for dynamic adjustment and movement of the pane relative to the top cover through the flexible sealing elements. The sealing lips can accommodate pane movement while maintaining contact pressure, enabling compact folding positions without compromising sealing stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing elements utilize flexible sealing lips made of elastomeric or polymeric materials that can deform and adapt to pane movement. This flexibility allows the pane to move closer to the top cover when folded, reducing overall space requirements while maintaining stable sealing through the compliant sealing lips.
3Reliability
If high contact pressure is applied to seal the pane, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but force requirement and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing design changes the pressure distribution parameters by using sealing lips with specific geometric profiles and material properties. Instead of applying high contact pressure through mechanical fastening, the system uses the elastic deformation of the sealing lips to generate adequate sealing pressure with lower overall contact forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing elements incorporate porous or cellular structured materials that can deform under low pressure to create effective sealing contact. The porous structure allows the material to compress and conform to surface irregularities, achieving effective sealing with reduced contact pressure requirements.
4Ease of manufacture
If separate bead elements with detachable fasteners are used, then assembly ease is improved, but manufacturing precision and sealing reliability worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining strip and sealing elements are combined into an integrated assembly where the sealing elements are attached to the retaining strip. This merging ensures precise relative positioning between the mechanical attachment components and sealing components, eliminating fit errors that would occur with separate detachable fasteners while maintaining assembly ease.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The cover (1) has an outer bonnet cover (2) arranged in a region of a rear window (3), which is mechanically, firmly and tightly connected to outer bonnet material by using a bonnet cover sealing element (4). An edge region of the outer bonnet cover and an edge region of the rear window are surrounded by sealing element portions. An inner sealing lip (8) and an outer sealing lip (9) of a pane (7) are associated to the outer bonnet cover and sealed against a retaining strip (5) of a top seal. The retaining strip is formed as a sealing element, which comprises a seal lip (6).