Truck Bed Shutter Sealing Structure for Rear-End Water Blocking
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing sealing structures for truck cargo beds with shutters face challenges in sealing the upper parts of the left and right rear ends, leading to water permeation due to misalignment issues and limited sealing performance, which impairs the protrusion and requires precise alignment of the end cap with seal beads.
Innovation Solution
A sealing structure that includes an end cap with horizontal surfaces, a bed liner seal member with a hollow wall and extended installation member, and additional water-cutting off members to address misalignment and enhance sealing performance by making elastic contacts and guiding water away from the cargo bed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the end cap is made to touch the seal beads precisely to ensure sealing, then the sealing performance is improved, but the alignment precision requirement increases and misalignment tolerance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by designing the end cap with a resilient portion that can elastically deform to compensate for misalignment between the end cap and seal beads. This resilient portion acts as a buffer that absorbs alignment errors before they reach the sealing interface, ensuring reliable sealing without requiring high manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state of the end cap portion by making it resilient or elastic rather than rigid. This parameter change allows the end cap to adapt to misalignment through elastic deformation, maintaining sealing performance while reducing the need for precise alignment during assembly.
2Strength
If the protrusion is designed to engage with the end cap for coupling, then the coupling strength is improved, but the sealing reliability deteriorates due to misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the end cap into two distinct functional portions: a coupling portion with the protrusion for mechanical attachment, and a resilient portion for sealing and alignment compensation. This segmentation allows the coupling function and sealing function to be optimized independently, so strong coupling does not compromise sealing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient portion of the end cap acts as an intermediary between the rigid coupling protrusion and the seal beads. It mediates the mechanical connection while compensating for misalignment, ensuring that the protrusion provides strong coupling without transmitting alignment errors to the sealing interface.
3Reliability
If the shutter is extended to fully close the cargo bed opening, then the cargo protection is improved, but water permeation increases from the upper rear end space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses water permeation from the upper rear end by adding a bed liner seal member that extends in the vertical dimension from the cargo bed. This creates an additional sealing dimension that blocks water from entering through the upper rear end space, complementing the horizontal sealing action of the shutter and end cap.
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 proposed sealing structure effectively prevents water permeation by allowing for misalignment tolerance and improving sealing performance at the upper rear ends of the truck cargo bed, ensuring the cargo remains dry even with the shutter in closed positions.
Implementation Method 1
a bed liner seal member (50) provided on rear ends of the left and right side walls (2, 3)... makes elastic contact with the tailgate (5) when the tailgate (5) is in the closed position
Implementation Method 2
the end cap (30)... makes elastic contact with the bed liner seal member (50) when the shutter (100) is in the closed position
Implementation Method 3
a shutter seal member (120) provided on a rear end of the shutter (100)... makes elastic contact with the tailgate (5) when the tailgate (5) is in the closed position
Data Source
AI summary
An end cap couples a shutter to an upper part of a track cargo bed between left and right tracks. A shutter seal member is provided on a rear end of the shutter, and makes elastic contact with a tailgate mounted on a rear end of the truck cargo bed. A bed liner seal member is provided on rear ends of left and right side walls, and includes an installation plate member and a hollow wall. An extended wall extends vertically from part of an upper end of the hollow wall closer to an exterior of an automobile. The hollow wall has an opening at an upper part. A first horizontal surface of the end cap of a sealing structure covers an upper part of the tailgate, and a second horizontal surface faces and contactlessly approaches a top edge of the extended wall.