Windshield Setting System with Roller Channel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automobile windshield replacement often requires two people due to the weight and size of windshields, posing challenges for technicians in terms of safety, efficiency, and cost, particularly in the competitive auto glass industry where speed and quality must be balanced.
Innovation Solution
A kit comprising precision-machined anodized aluminum components, including a deck plate with cross-link rollers, slide plates, and base plates, allows a single technician to securely handle and position windshields using a series of rollers and adjustable hardware for precise alignment and support during removal and installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a single technician handles windshield removal and installation, then labor cost and time are reduced, but safety and handling difficulty worsen due to windshield weight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a positioning device as an intermediary tool between the technician and the windshield. This device includes a base plate that attaches to the vehicle frame, a vertical rod, and a positioning plate with adjustable arms that contact the windshield edges. The positioning device supports the windshield weight and enables precise positioning without requiring the technician to manually hold or lift the heavy glass, thus maintaining high productivity while eliminating injury risk.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If heavy machinery is used to assist windshield positioning, then handling safety improves, but equipment cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the positioning system into separate, simple components: a base plate that attaches to the vehicle, a vertical rod that provides height adjustment, and a positioning plate with adjustable arms. Each component is independently simple in design, yet together they provide comprehensive support and positioning capabilities. This segmented approach achieves safe handling without requiring complex heavy machinery.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning device incorporates multiple adjustable elements including the height of the vertical rod and the position of the positioning plate arms. These dynamic adjustments allow the device to adapt to different windshield sizes and vehicle types, providing safe handling across various applications without requiring different pieces of equipment or complex mechanisms.
3Manufacturing precision
If precise windshield positioning is achieved manually, then installation quality improves, but time consumption and physical strain increase
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning device enables the windshield to essentially position itself. The adjustable arms of the positioning plate contact the windshield edges and guide it into the correct position as it is lowered onto the sealing compound. This self-positioning mechanism eliminates the need for technicians to manually adjust and align the heavy windshield, achieving high precision quickly without physical strain or time consumption.
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
Enables a single technician to safely and efficiently remove and install windshields without heavy equipment, reducing the risk of injury and improving installation quality while minimizing costs and time, thus addressing the industry's challenges of productivity and liability.
Implementation Method 1
The deck plate incorporates a cross link roller design which provides a secure rolling channel for the windshield to travel in
Data Source
AI summary
A device for facilitating the removal and installation of a windshield by a single technician without use of heavy equipment includes a base plate, a slide plate and a deck plate. The base plate may be secured to a wiper blade post. The slide plate is secured to the base plate and may be slidably adjusted to a desired position. A deck plate may be secured to the slide plate. The deck plate has a roller or other channel within which the edge of windshield may easily slide in order to position the windshield and support most of its weight as it is manipulated by a technician.