Spherical Roller Guide for Lateral Load Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conical rollers in existing roller guides for vehicle seats experience increased radial force and friction, leading to wear and operational inefficiencies due to lateral loads and differing rolling radii.
Innovation Solution
A roller guide design featuring first and second rollers with circular-segment-shaped surfaces, where the first roller has a smaller radius and is in contact with a first planar region via a single contact point, and the second roller has a larger radius and is in contact with a second planar region via a second contact point, minimizing friction and absorbing forces effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conical rollers are used in the roller guide, then the rollers can accommodate lateral loads, but increased radial force acts on the rollers leading to higher friction and wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies spherical rollers instead of conical rollers. The spherical shape provides optimal contact geometry with the guide rail, distributing loads more evenly and reducing concentrated stress points. This curvature-based design minimizes friction and wear while maintaining the ability to handle lateral loads through the spherical contact interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the rollers from conical to spherical shape. This parameter change fundamentally alters the contact mechanics between the roller and guide rail, reducing the radial force concentration that occurs with conical surfaces and thereby reducing friction and wear while preserving lateral load capacity.
2Shape
If conical rollers with different rolling radii are used, then the rollers can provide structural variety, but noticeable slip arises on the conical surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
By using spherical rollers instead of conical rollers, the patent eliminates the slip issue inherent in conical surfaces. The spherical geometry provides consistent contact characteristics regardless of the roller's position or orientation, preventing the noticeable slip that occurs on conical surfaces during operation.
3Force
If multiple contact points are provided between rollers and guide rail, then force distribution is improved, but friction increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the contact geometry between spherical rollers and the guide rail to achieve optimal force distribution. The spherical contact surface is designed to concentrate forces at specific optimal points rather than distributing them over large areas, thereby maintaining good force distribution while minimizing the total contact area and reducing friction.
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
The design reduces friction and wear by minimizing contact points and optimizing force absorption, improving the operational behavior and longevity of the roller guide.
Implementation Method 1
a first and a second roller, which are each in contact with the guide rail and roll thereon
Data Source
AI summary
Roller guide comprising at least one guide rail, which has at least one first and one second planar region, and comprising a first and a second roller, which are each in contact with the guide rail and roll thereon, wherein the first and the second roller are mounted so that they are rotatable about a common axis of rotation and are formed rotationally-symmetrically about the axis of rotation and a radius of the first roller is smaller than a radius of the second roller, the first roller has a first circular-segment-shaped surface rolling region and the second roller has a second circular-segment-shaped surface rolling region and a centre point of the first surface rolling region and a centre point of the second surface rolling region are arranged on the axis of rotation.