Vehicle Door Guide Shoe with Ovoid Blocking Portion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle door glazed panel systems face challenges in maintaining precise guidance and assembly due to tolerances and clearances, particularly in the longitudinal direction (X), leading to potential play or misalignment during movement.

Innovation Solution

A glazed device with guide shoes and rails featuring a deformable ovoid blocking portion in the X-direction, allowing for precise guidance without play, and a guide rail with a circular section to accommodate the pad, ensuring effective sliding in the Z and Y directions while blocking movement in X.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a frame with rails and runners is used to guide the movable glazed panel, then the panel can move from closed to open position, but tolerances and clearances cause play or misalignment in the longitudinal direction (X)

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveguidance precisionVSAvoidalignment accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The guide portion of the rail changes its geometric parameters dynamically: it has a circular section with radius R1 that allows movement in Z and Y directions, but includes a blocking portion with ovoid shape (maximum radius R2 > R1) that prevents movement in X direction. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by allowing necessary movement freedom while blocking unwanted displacement due to tolerances.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The guide shoe acts as an intermediary element between the movable glazed panel and the guide rail. It transfers the panel's movement to the rail while being constrained by the rail's geometry, thereby eliminating play and ensuring precise guidance despite manufacturing tolerances in the panel-rail assembly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of manufacture

If clearance is provided for tolerances and clearances in the longitudinal direction (X), then assembly is easier, but guidance has play or misalignment

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassembly toleranceVSAvoidguidance stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The guide portion uses an ovoid blocking portion with maximum radius R2 substantially greater than the circular section radius R1. This parameter difference allows the guide shoe to be assembled with tolerance (ease of manufacture) while the ovoid shape prevents longitudinal play (guidance stability) by blocking X-direction movement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Ease of operation

If the guide rail has a circular section, then the guide shoe can slide smoothly in Z and Y directions, but movement in X direction cannot be blocked

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesliding smoothnessVSAvoidlongitudinal positioning
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The guide rail has different geometric qualities in different directions: a circular section with radius R1 that allows smooth sliding in Z and Y directions, and an ovoid blocking portion with maximum radius R2 > R1 that specifically blocks movement in X direction. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction between smooth sliding and longitudinal positioning.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

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 solution provides simple and effective guiding of the glazed panel with minimal play in the X-direction, ensuring accurate alignment and smooth operation, while being easy to implement and assemble on an assembly line.

Implementation Method 1

at least one of said pads has at least one blocking portion in the longitudinal direction of said vehicle (X), essentially ovoid and whose maximum radius R2 is substantially greater than radius R1, said blocking portion being deformable so as to penetrate into said guide portion of the rail

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDeformation: Deformation

Data Source

PatentEP3429875B1Window guidance device for vehicle door with blocking in x-direction, guideshoe, corresponding door and vehicle
Publication Date: 2020.03.11 ADVANCED COMFORT SYST FRANCE ACS
  • EP3429875B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP3429875B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3429875B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The invention relates to a glazed device intended to be fitted on a bodywork casing (11) in order to form a motor vehicle door, comprising at least one movable glazed panel (121) that bears, on its face oriented towards the inside of the vehicle, at least one guide shoe (25), each of which is mounted so as to slide with respect to a guide rail (22A). Said guide rail (22A) has a guide portion of substantially circular cross section, having a radius R1, that is open to allow the passage of a connecting portion of at least one of said shoes (25), and at least one of said shoes has at least one portion for locking in the longitudinal direction of said vehicle (X), said portion being substantially ovoid and having a maximum radius R2 that is substantially greater than the radius R1, said locking portion being deformable so as to pass into said guide portion of the rail.