Swing-out Lever Mounting for Compact Sliding Roof Guide Rails
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sliding roof systems for motor vehicles require a wide transverse construction due to the need to position the swing-out lever beside the guide rail, resulting in a less compact design.
Innovation Solution
The swing-out lever is mounted on the guide rail with a fixed swivel axis, oriented towards the carriage in the starting position, allowing it to swing out of the carriage's path, thus enabling a more compact transverse construction by clearing space for the carriage's movement, and incorporating a swing-out rod and coulisse for precise control and leverage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the swing-out lever is positioned beside the guide rail, then the mechanism can operate reliably, but the transverse width of the guide rail increases
Solution Approach 1:
The swing-out lever is repositioned from a lateral arrangement (beside the guide rail) to a longitudinal arrangement (within the guideway), changing the spatial dimension of placement. This allows the lever to swing out of the carriage's path vertically rather than requiring lateral space, thereby reducing the transverse width of the guide rail while maintaining operational reliability
2Length of stationary object
If the swing-out lever is integrated within the guideway, then the transverse width is reduced, but the lever must clear the carriage path during operation
Solution Approach 1:
The swing-out lever is designed with dynamic positioning capability, changing its position from a static lateral placement to a dynamic arrangement where it can swing between an integrated position (within the guideway) and an operational position (swung out of the carriage path). This dynamic adjustment allows the lever to clear the carriage path during operation while maintaining a compact integrated structure when not in use
Data Source
AI summary
A sliding roof system, in particular for motor vehicles, with at least one guide rail, a carriage which is shiftable in the guide rail, a guide element located at the front, which can cooperate with a cover of the sliding roof, and a swing-out lever located at the rear, which likewise can cooperate with the cover and can be moved by the carriage from a starting position into a position swung out, is wherein the swing-out lever is mounted on the guide rail with a fixed swivel axis and that at least in the starting position the end of the swing-out lever associated to the cover lies on the side of the swivel axis facing the carriage.