Vehicle Sunroof Panel Tilt Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sunroof apparatuses for vehicles face challenges in securing a sufficient opening amount of the movable panel in a tilt-up state, with increased load per unit operation stroke and potential enlargement of the electric drive source required for shorter tilt operation strokes.
Innovation Solution
A sunroof apparatus with a guide rail system, including a first sliding member and a second sliding member connected to a support bracket, a check mechanism, and an engagement and disengagement switching mechanism, allowing for increased movement of the movable panel while maintaining it in a tilt-up state, thereby enhancing the opening amount without restricting the movement in the front-rear direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If the tilt operation stroke is elongated to reduce load per unit operation stroke, then the load per unit operation stroke decreases, but the device complexity increases due to the need for check mechanism and engagement/disengagement switching mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the constraint conditions dynamic through the check mechanism and engagement/disengagement switching mechanism. The movable panel transitions from a constrained state (during tilt operation) to an unconstrained state (during opening operation), allowing the system to adapt its degrees of freedom based on operational phase. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction by enabling elongated tilt operation stroke without permanently increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The check mechanism acts as an intermediary between the movable panel and the guide rail system. It temporarily restricts front-rear movement during tilt operation and releases this restriction during opening operation. The engagement/disengagement switching mechanism serves as another intermediary that controls the coupling between sliding members. These intermediary elements enable the system to achieve elongated tilt operation stroke while managing complexity through controlled, phase-specific constraints.
2Device complexity
If the tilt operation stroke is shortened to simplify the device structure, then the device complexity decreases, but the load per unit operation stroke increases requiring larger electric drive source
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic constraint management through the check mechanism allows the tilt operation stroke to be elongated without proportionally increasing the drive source size. By restricting front-rear movement only during the tilt phase and releasing it during the opening phase, the system distributes the operational workload, reducing the peak load per unit stroke while maintaining relatively simple device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the sunroof operation into distinct phases: tilt operation (with restricted front-rear movement) and opening operation (with released front-rear movement). The check mechanism and engagement/disengagement switching mechanism manage this segmentation by activating constraints only when needed. This segmentation allows the tilt operation stroke to be elongated without requiring a proportionally larger drive source, as the load is distributed across different operational phases.
3Length of moving object
If the guide rail penetrates through the front frame to increase the opening amount of the movable panel, then the opening amount increases, but the device complexity increases and the effect is insignificant
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by changing the dimension in which the guide rail is positioned. Instead of extending the guide rail in the front-rear direction (penetrating through the front frame), the solution allows the movable panel to move in the width direction along the guide rail. This dimensional change enables increased opening amount without requiring the guide rail to penetrate the front frame, thereby avoiding the associated device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by not extending the guide rail forward through the front frame. Instead, it utilizes the width direction movement along the guide rail to achieve increased opening amount. This inversion of the design approach (moving sideways rather than forward) resolves the contradiction by achieving the desired opening amount without the structural complexity of penetrating guide rails.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A sunroof apparatus (11) for a vehicle includes a movable panel (12), a guide rail (13), a support bracket (31), a first sliding member (21), a second sliding member (41), a check mechanism (40) restricting a movement of the panel in a front-rear direction to bring the panel to a tilt-up state and releasing the restriction while maintaining the tilt-up state, an engagement and disengagement switching mechanism (50) including a first member (51) and a second member (48) supported by one and the other of the first sliding member and the second sliding member, a holding portion (61, 62) provided at the first sliding member, and a retention portion (63) provided at the second sliding member and held to be non-movable in a vehicle width direction by the holding portion in a case where the first member and the second member are engaged with each other.