Thermoplastic Sunshade Guide Strips for Taut Low-Force Roof Shades

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing sunshade systems for vehicle roofs face performance issues due to differences in cloth materials, leading to variations in guiding strip performance, such as sliding and noise problems, and difficulties in maintaining lateral tension, which result in undesirable pull or push forces during winding and unwinding.

Innovation Solution

The use of thermoplastic guiding strips with specific design features, including parallel hinge parts and a manufacturing process that ensures straightness and buckling resistance, allows for optimal material selection matching the guide channels, reducing the need for material tuning with different cloth types and enhancing the system's ability to maintain tension without excessive forces.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If a more robust type of guidance is required to enable a higher lateral tension in the cloth to keep the cloth taut over time, then the cloth can be kept taut, but the sunshade system pull or push force increases negatively

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecloth tautnessVSAvoidpull or push force

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the material parameter of the guiding strip from cloth-like material to thermoplastic material, which has different mechanical properties including higher stiffness and lower friction. This material substitution allows maintaining cloth tautness through proper structural design while reducing the pull/push forces during operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the cloth-like guiding strip material with a thermoplastic material that has superior mechanical properties. The thermoplastic material provides the necessary structural support and tension maintenance without the friction and deformation issues of cloth materials, thereby reducing operational forces.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Ease of manufacture

If guiding strips are made of cloth like material, then the system can be manufactured, but the performance varies significantly with different cloth material types

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveguiding strip manufacturingVSAvoidguiding strip performance consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies homogeneity by using thermoplastic material for all guiding strips regardless of the flexible sunscreen material type. This standardization ensures consistent performance characteristics across different configurations, eliminating the variability inherent in using different cloth materials for guiding strips.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #33Homogeneity

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the guiding strip function from the flexible sunscreen material and creates a separate, dedicated component with optimized thermoplastic material. This separation allows the guiding strip to have consistent, reliable performance independent of the flexible sunscreen material variations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Weight of moving object

If lightweight semi-transparent cloth like material is used, then the sunshade system can be made lighter, but the guiding strips experience sliding and noise problems

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesunshade system weightVSAvoidsliding and noise

Core Design Contradiction:

Weight of moving objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the cloth-like guiding strip with thermoplastic material that has lower friction coefficients and better dimensional stability. This substitution eliminates sliding issues between the guiding strip and guide channels, and significantly reduces noise during operation while maintaining the lightweight overall system design.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

4Force

If thick and heavy cloth material is used, then the guiding strips can maintain tension, but the cloth sags over time due to relaxation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelateral tensionVSAvoidcloth tautness over time

Core Design Contradiction:

ForceVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the guiding strip material from cloth to thermoplastic, which has superior dimensional stability and resistance to relaxation. The thermoplastic material maintains its tensioning properties over time without the sagging and relaxation issues that plague cloth materials, even under continuous load.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS12024001B2Sunshade system and method of manufacturing parts thereof

Publication Date: 2024.07.02 INALFA ROOF SYST GROUP

AI summary

Sunshade system for a vehicle roof assembly, comprising a flexible sunscreen having at least a main part with two opposite lateral edges with guiding strips attached thereto. Each guiding strip comprises inwardly foldable parts foldable inwardly towards a centerline of the sunshade in an acute angle with the main part of the guiding strips and being folded flat in the same plane as the main part when the sunscreen is wound on the shaft. A foldable first hinge part extends in longitudinal direction of said strip formed as a depression. Two opposed longitudinal guides are provided with locking members and with guide chambers for engaging the inwardly foldable part of the flexible sunscreen. Each guiding strip is made of thermoplastic material and comprises at least a second hinge part extending parallel to the first hinge part, longitudinally along the guiding strip.