Sunshade Positioning Member Recess Design

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing sunshade assemblies face challenges in retaining the longitudinal edges of the sunscreen within the guides due to the combined thickness of the positioning member and sunscreen, which limits the size of the entrance opening, leading to increased forces required for repositioning and potential disengagement.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating a recess in the positioning member with an inwardly folded wing connected to the sunscreen, either through a transversal constriction or a through hole, and using mechanical connections like stitches or adhesives to prevent relative longitudinal shifts, allowing for a smaller entrance opening and improved retention.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the combined thickness of positioning member and sunscreen is reduced to allow smaller entrance opening, then the retention of longitudinal edges in guides is improved, but the force required for repositioning increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveretention of longitudinal edges in guidesVSAvoidforce required for repositioning
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The positioning member is inserted into a recess of the sunscreen, creating a nested configuration where one component fits within another. This nesting arrangement reduces the combined thickness profile of the assembly, enabling the longitudinal edges to remain properly retained in the guides without requiring excessive repositioning force.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Reliability

If the entrance opening is made as small as possible to improve retention, then the longitudinal edges remain better in guides, but the positioning member with folded wing cannot pass through

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveretention of longitudinal edges in guidesVSAvoidmovement of positioning member and sunscreen along guide
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The positioning member incorporates a collapsible or foldable wing structure that can dynamically change its cross-sectional profile. During installation, the wing is folded back to reduce thickness for passing through the entrance opening. During operation, the wing extends to provide proper retention of the longitudinal edges in the guides, thus adapting the geometry to different operational phases.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The positioning member is divided into distinct functional segments: a core body that provides structural support and a separate wing element that can be folded or collapsed. This segmentation allows the wing to be temporarily displaced during installation to reduce the overall thickness, while still providing full retention function when extended during normal operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Area of stationary object

If the positioning member and sunscreen extend through the entrance opening at the same location, then the entrance opening can be smaller, but the positioning effectiveness is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveentrance opening sizeVSAvoidpositioning effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The positioning member extends beyond the plane of the sunscreen in the longitudinal direction, creating a multi-dimensional arrangement. This longitudinal extension allows the positioning member to engage with the guides at a different location than where the sunscreen passes through the entrance opening, thereby maintaining both a small entrance opening and effective positioning function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP2987668B1Sunshade assembly
Publication Date: 2019.04.24 INALFA ROOF SYST GROUP
  • EP2987668B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2987668B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2987668B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A sunshade assembly comprises a flexible sunscreen having opposed longitudinal edges and opposed transversal edges, a rotatable winding shaft and an operating beam and two opposed longitudinal guides each defining a guide channel for receiving therein and guiding inwardly folded parts of corresponding ones of said longitudinal edges of the sunscreen. The guides further each define an entrance opening for the respective guide channel. The operating beam at opposite ends is provided with positioning members around which inwardly folded wings of the longitudinal edges of the sunscreen are positioned. The positioning members extend from the operating beam into corresponding ones of said longitudinal guides longitudinally in a direction towards the winding tube and are movable with the operating beam for again positioning the longitudinal edges of the sunscreen into the longitudinal guides after coming out of said guides. Each positioning member is positioned entirely within the respective guide channel without extending through the entrance opening.