Vehicle Closure Push-Push Assembly With Floating Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle closure component assemblies face issues with actuator length misalignment, leading to inefficient motion transfer and increased space and material requirements, resulting in high maintenance costs and space constraints.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle closure assembly incorporates a floating alignment component that self-aligns between the actuator and push-push mechanism, allowing for effective motion transfer regardless of actuator length, reducing misalignment and wear, and enabling a compact design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional actuator with fixed length is used in the push-push mechanism, then the structure is simple, but misalignment occurs leading to inefficient motion transfer and increased wear
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator is designed with adjustable length capability, allowing it to dynamically adapt its length to achieve proper alignment between the plunger and actuator rod. This dynamic adjustment eliminates misalignment issues and inefficient motion transfer while maintaining operational reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator length is changed as a variable parameter rather than being fixed. By adjusting the actuator length to match specific alignment requirements, the system achieves optimal motion transfer efficiency and reduces wear on mechanical components.
2Manufacturing precision
If the actuator length is increased to ensure proper alignment, then alignment is improved, but space requirements and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than using a permanently long actuator, the system employs an adjustable-length actuator that extends only when needed for alignment purposes. This dynamic approach achieves precise alignment without permanently increasing the actuator's volume or material consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator is divided into adjustable segments or telescopic sections that can be extended or retracted. This segmentation allows the actuator to achieve necessary alignment precision only when required, while maintaining a compact form factor during normal operation.
3Volume of moving object
If the actuator length is decreased to reduce space usage, then space efficiency improves, but misalignment and wear increase
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable-length actuator allows the system to maintain a compact, space-efficient configuration during normal operation while being capable of extending to achieve proper alignment when needed. This dynamic capability ensures operational reliability without permanently increasing space requirements.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional fixed-length actuators are used, then manufacturing is simple, but maintenance costs increase due to wear and misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable-length actuator, while slightly more complex to manufacture, significantly reduces maintenance costs by eliminating misalignment and wear issues. The ability to adjust length compensates for manufacturing tolerances and prevents premature component failure, reducing repair frequency and costs.
Data Source
AI summary
Examples of a vehicle closure assembly (100) are disclosed. The vehicle closure assembly (100) includes a closure operating component (104) of a vehicle. The vehicle closure assembly (100) includes a closure operating mechanism (104) partly mounted to the vehicle closure component (102) and operably disposable between the vehicle closure component (102) and the access (103) to perform a positional change of the vehicle closure component (102). The closure operating mechanism (104) has a push-push mechanism, an actuator and a floating alignment component (110) disposed at an interface (107) of the actuator (108) and the plunger (112) to exhibit a floating motion, to align and engage the actuator (108) and the plunger (112) at the interface (107) to perform the positional change of the vehicle closure component (102), by transmitting a force between the plunger (112) and actuator (108).