Vehicle Window Sealing Assembly with Spring-Clamped Guide Channel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sealing arrangements for vehicle windows require high latching forces and suffer from poor positioning accuracy, making them inefficient and difficult to manufacture with tight tolerances.
Innovation Solution
A sealing arrangement featuring a retaining rail with a locking channel and a cover with a guide channel, where a spring element is clamped between the guide rail and the cover's contact surface, allowing the latching rail to be latched into the locking channel with reduced force and ensuring precise positioning through a funnel-shaped guide channel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If a seal is arranged essentially flush with the outer surfaces of the pane and water tank cover, then the sealing arrangement achieves good aesthetic appearance, but only very small manufacturing tolerances are permitted for functional locking and sealing
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing arrangement is divided into separate functional components: a retaining rail for structural support and positioning, a cover for sealing, and a sealing element for weatherproofing. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured and assembled with appropriate tolerances, reducing the need for extremely tight tolerances across the entire assembly while maintaining aesthetic appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
A sealing element is introduced as an intermediary component between the retaining rail and the water tank cover. This sealing element compensates for manufacturing tolerances and ensures functional sealing without requiring the outer surfaces to be perfectly flush, thus resolving the contradiction between aesthetic appearance and manufacturing precision.
2Force
If a soft lip is used to reduce latching forces, then latching can be achieved with low force, but positioning accuracy of the cover deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The latching system is segmented into a rigid retaining rail for positioning and a flexible sealing element for latching. The retaining rail provides precise positioning through its rigid structure, while the sealing element provides flexible latching with low force, thus resolving the contradiction between latching force and positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the sealing arrangement have different mechanical properties: the retaining rail is rigid for positioning accuracy, while the sealing element is flexible for low-force latching. This local differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between force and positioning accuracy.
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
This solution reduces latching forces, enhances positioning accuracy, and allows for a more efficient manufacturing process with improved sealing and reduced wind noise and vibration, while maintaining a visually appealing and invisible joint.
Implementation Method 1
a spring element is clamped in the guide channel between a contact surface on the underside of the cover and the guide rail
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3a
AI summary
The invention relates to a sealing arrangement for vehicle windows, comprising at least a holding rail (20) that has a locking channel (27), which is formed by a guide rail (41) and a resilient leg (25), and is fastened to a window (10) and a cover (14) that has a guide channel (40), which is formed by a locking rail (16) and a positioning stop (42), wherein the guide rail (41) is arranged in the guide channel (40) and the locking rail (16) is latched into the locking channel (27), wherein a locking hook (28) is latched onto the resilient leg (25) in a projecting region (23) of the locking rail (16) and a resilient element (13) is clamped in the guide channel (40) between a stop face (19) on the underside of the cover (14) and the guide rail (41).