BRACKET FOR SLIDING MECHANISM

Abstract

A sliding mechanism includes a first part and a second part adapted for sliding translation within the first part. A bracket attached to the first part includes a bracket guide rib structure for constraining a lateral motion of the second part, including a rib defining an unbroken interface surface for the second part. The bracket guide rib structure may include a continuous rib member defining a continuous a continuous planar slider interface surface, a sinusoidal wave pattern, or a trapezoidal wave pattern. The sinusoidal wave pattern and the trapezoidal wave pattern may include a plurality of waves having a same or a different wave frequency.

Claims

1. A sliding mechanism, comprising: a first part; a second part adapted for sliding translation within the first part; and a bracket attached to the first part comprising a bracket guide rib structure including a rib defining an unbroken interface surface for the second part.

2. The sliding mechanism of claim 1, wherein the bracket guide rib structure constrains a lateral motion of the second part.

3. The sliding mechanism of claim 2, wherein the bracket guide rib structure comprises a continuous rib member.

4. The sliding mechanism of claim 3, wherein the continuous rib member defines a continuous planar slider interface surface.

5. The sliding mechanism of claim 3, wherein the continuous rib member defines a sinusoidal wave pattern.

6. The sliding mechanism of claim 5, wherein the sinusoidal wave pattern comprises a plurality of waves having a same or a different wave frequency.

7. The sliding mechanism of claim 3, wherein the continuous rib member defines a trapezoidal wave pattern.

8. The sliding mechanism of claim 7, wherein the trapezoidal wave pattern comprises a plurality of waves having a same or a different wave frequency.

9. The sliding mechanism of claim 1, wherein the bracket further includes a guide structure configured to constrain an up-down motion of the second part.

10. The sliding mechanism of claim 9, wherein the bracket guide rib structure is connected to the guide structure at one or more junctures.

11. A trim assembly for a seat belt height adjusting mechanism, comprising: a pillar trim panel; a slider adapted for sliding translation within the pillar trim panel; and a bracket attached to the pillar trim panel comprising a bracket guide rib structure including a rib defining an unbroken interface surface for the slider.

12. The trim assembly of claim 11, wherein the bracket guide rib structure constrains a lateral motion of the slider.

13. The trim assembly of claim 12, wherein the bracket guide rib structure comprises a continuous rib member.

14. The trim assembly of claim 13, wherein the continuous rib member defines a continuous planar slider interface surface.

15. The trim assembly of claim 13, wherein the continuous rib member defines a sinusoidal wave pattern.

16. The trim assembly of claim 15, wherein the sinusoidal wave pattern comprises a plurality of waves having a same or a different wave frequency.

17. The trim assembly of claim 13, wherein the continuous rib member defines a trapezoidal wave pattern.

18. The trim assembly of claim 17, wherein the trapezoidal wave pattern comprises a plurality of waves having a same or a different wave frequency.

19. The trim assembly of claim 11, wherein the pillar trim panel further includes a pillar trim panel guide structure configured to constrain an up-down motion of the slider.

20. The trim assembly of claim 19, wherein the bracket guide rib structure is connected to the pillar trim panel guide structure at one or more junctures.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The accompanying drawing figures incorporated herein and forming a part of the specification, illustrate several aspects of the guide rib structure for sliding mechanism, and together with the description serve to explain certain principles thereof. In the drawings:

[0020] FIG. 1A illustrates a prior art guide rib structure for a sliding mechanism, in the depicted embodiment being a B-pillar trim piece having a D-ring slider or gap hider;

[0021] FIG. 1B illustrates an ideal slider geometry;

[0022] FIG. 2 illustrates an ideal guide rib structure;

[0023] FIG. 3 depicts a bracket including a guide rib structure according to the present disclosure;

[0024] FIG. 4 shows the bracket of FIG. 3, in place in an assembly including a substrate and associated slider;

[0025] FIG. 5A depicts a bracket including an embodiment of a guide rib structure according to the present disclosure;

[0026] FIG. 5B depicts a bracket including an alternative embodiment of a guide rib structure according to the present disclosure;

[0027] FIG. 5C depicts bracket including another alternative embodiment of a guide rib structure according to the present disclosure;

[0028] FIG. 6A is a sectional view of an assembly comprising a substrate, a slider, and the bracket of FIG. 5A;

[0029] FIG. 6B is a side sectional view of an assembly comprising a substrate, a slider, and the bracket of FIG. 5B; and

[0030] FIG. 6C is a side sectional view of an assembly comprising a substrate, a slider, and the bracket of FIG. 5C.

[0031] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the disclosed bracket for sliding mechanism, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] To solve the foregoing and other problems, at a high level the present disclosure provides a bracket for use in conjunction with a substrate and a slider configured for sliding translation on and/or within the substrate. The bracket comprises a guide rib structure for constraining lateral movement of the slider which, by provision of a continuous rib member having a particular configuration, provides an uninterrupted and continuous point of contact at an interface of the slider and the substrate, or at least significantly increases the amount of contact between the substrate and slider to simulate such uninterrupted and continuous contact.

[0033] With reference to FIG. 3, a bracket 260 includes a body 265 carrying one or more apertures for positioning the bracket on a portion of a substrate (not shown in this view). The apertures may be configured as one or more of a two-way locator 270, an oversized aperture 275, and a four-way locator 280. In the depicted embodiment, the bracket 260 is dimensioned and configured to secure to an interior surface of the substrate. Heat stakes (not shown) may be provided to allow welding the bracket 260 to the substrate once properly positioned. The bracket 260 further includes a plurality of constraining structures for constraining a lateral and/or an up-down movement of a slider (not shown) within the substrate (not shown). As will be described in more detail below, these constraining structures include a guide structure 285 for constraining up-down movement of the slider and a guide rib structure 290 for constraining a lateral movement of the slider.

[0034] In more detail, FIG. 4 shows an assembly comprising a substrate 300, a slider 310, and a bracket 260 as described above, configured for a sliding translation of the slider within a portion of the substrate. As will be appreciated, the bracket body 265 may include an outer surface (not visible in this view) configured for a close nesting fit to a portion of an interior surface of the substrate 300. In the depicted embodiment, the substrate 300 is configured as a B-pillar trim piece and the slider 310 is configured as a gap hider for a seat belt height adjustment mechanism (not shown). However, as will be appreciated, the substrate 300 and slider 310 are easily adapted to other uses, and so this example will not be taken as limiting. In the depicted embodiments, the substrate 300 and slider 310 may be manufactured by a suitable molding process as is commonly used in the automotive industry, such as injection molding. The substrate 300 and slider 310 may be fabricated of a suitable plastic or polymer as is known in the art.

[0035] As can be seen from the FIG. 4 inset portion, the bracket 260 is configured to, by the constraining structures described above, constrain up-down motion of the slider 310 by way of the guide structure 285. Likewise, by guide rib structure 290 the bracket 260 constrains lateral motion of the slider 310. The guide rib structure 290 may further be configured to account for differences in geometry between the slider 310 and the substrate 300 as shown in FIG. 4, whereby the ideal slider geometry as shown in FIG. 1B may be implemented in a substrate 300 of any desired geometry, matching or not.

[0036] Various embodiments of the guide rib structure 290 are contemplated. With reference to FIG. 5A, in one embodiment the guide rib structure 290 is provided by a continuous rib member 320 defining a continuous planar slider interface surface 330. As will be appreciated, by this continuous planar slider interface surface 330 an uninterrupted interface for the slider 310 is provided, i.e. similar to the ideal guide rib structure shown in FIG. 2. Because the bracket 260 is manufactured using separate tooling, this more complex structure can be provided.

[0037] FIG. 5B depicts an alternative embodiment of a bracket 260 including a guide rib structure 290 provided by a continuous rib member 340 defining a trapezoidal wave pattern. FIG. 5C depicts an alternative embodiment of a bracket 260 including a guide rib structure 290 provided by a continuous rib member 350 defining a sinusoidal wave pattern.

[0038] As will be appreciated, each of the continuous planar slider interface surface 330, the continuous rib member 340, and the continuous rib member 350 provide an unbroken edge defining an interface between the respective guide rib structure 290 and a slider 310. This is shown in more detail in FIGS. 6A-6C.

[0039] FIG. 6A shows the interface provided by the guide rib structure 290 embodiment of FIG. 5A. As shown in that sectional view, lateral movement (see arrow) is constrained along a full length of the interface I between the continuous planar slider interface surface 330 and the slider 310.

[0040] FIG. 6B shows the interface provided by the guide rib structure 290 embodiment of FIG. 5B. As shown in that side view, lateral movement is constrained along a significant portion of the interface between the continuous rib member 340 and the slider 310. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 6C which provides a side view of the interface provided by the guide rib structure 290 embodiment of FIG. 5C, lateral movement is constrained along a significant portion of the interface between the continuous rib member 350 and the slider 310.

[0041] As will be appreciated each of the continuous rib member 340 and continuous rib member 350, while not providing a fully continuous, uninterrupted point of sliding contact or interface for the slider 310 as does the continuous rib member 320, do provide a significantly enhanced sliding contact therebetween. This approximates the uninterrupted point of sliding contact as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6A. That is, at least one point of contact (an unbroken edge of the continuous rib member 340 and/or the continuous rib member 350) is always maintained between the bracket 260/guide rib structures 290 and the slider 310, providing a smoother sliding operation by eliminating steps as is the case for the guide rib structures 120 shown in FIG. 1A. Thus, the sliding contact between the guide rib structures 290 and the slider 310 is improved, and the steps encountered using the guide rib structure shown in FIG. 1 are avoided.

[0042] Further modifications to the guide rib structures 290 are contemplated. For the wave patterns of the continuous rib member 340 and continuous rib member 350, as is known each wave defines a frequency and an amplitude. In the embodiments depicted herein, each wave of the trapezoidal and sinusoidal wave patterns has a same frequency. In alternative embodiments (not shown) a guide rib structure 290 is contemplated comprising a continuous rib member 340 defining a trapezoidal wave pattern or a continuous rib member 350 defining a sinusoidal wave pattern wherein each wave defines a different frequency F. As will be appreciated, by increasing or decreasing the frequency of the continuous rib member waves, the amount of contact between the guide rib structure 290 and the slider 310 can be increased or decreased as needed according to the particular application. It will also be appreciated that the frequency F of the rib members is also a function of a minimum steel condition feasible in a mold (not shown) to provide for a robust mold design. The higher the frequency F, the better simulation of constant contact between substrate 300 and slider 310 is provided. However, the rib height is an inversely proportional function of frequency F in order to keep the design feasible.

[0043] In an embodiment, the sinusoidal wave pattern shown in FIGS. 5C and 6C is selected due to a desirable material flow within a mold, reducing risk of short shots or cold weld lines, allowing fabrication of taller and thinner rib members, and allowing increased wave frequency F. The trapezoidal wave pattern shown in FIGS. 5B and 6B is compatible with lower frequency F wave patterns, as it reduces bad steel conditions in a mold.

[0044] While the continuous rib members 340, 340, 350, and 350 may be provided contacting only an interior surface of the bracket body 265, in embodiments it is contemplated to provide such rib members which are provided with one or more points of contact 360 also to the guide structure 285. This is depicted in FIGS. 6B-6C. As will be appreciated, this provides structural stability and rigidity to the continuous rib members 340, 340, 350, and 350 so formed.

[0045] As will be appreciated, by use of the described bracket 260 including an integral guide rib structure 290 to constrain lateral movement of a slider 310, numerous advantages are realized. The degree of contact between the bracket 260 and slider 310 is significantly improved, always providing at least two points of contact between the bracket and the slider, and indeed provides or approximates the continuous sliding contact interface provided by the ideal rib 250 shown above in FIG. 2. By these features, a smooth sliding action between the bracket 260 and the slider 310 is provided without significant intermittent contact or steps during the sliding motion. Thus, user satisfaction is increased by providing devices incorporating the described features.

[0046] In turn, use of a separate bracket 260 provides attendant advantages because this improved sliding contact can be provided without requiring matching geometries between a substrate 300 and the slider 310. This is so regardless of any distance between a slider 310 edge and a substrate 300 resulting from the pieces' respective geometries. By inclusion of heat stakes, attachment of the bracket 260 to the substrate 300 can be accomplished without leaving sink marks by simply providing suitable bosses on the substrate. Likewise, use of the bracket 260 will not affect appearance of a substrate 300 class A surface because the bracket is attached to the substrate. Therefore, rib members of a greater thickness can be provided without impairing appearance of the substrate.

[0047] Advantageously, the bracket 260 can be fabricated in a different mold as is used to fabricate the substrate 300, and so molding constraints are eliminated. The described guide rib structures 290 by their configurations are inherently more robust and rigid than the vertical rib structures 120 shown in FIG. 1A. Further, heat stakes (not shown) may be provided to attach the bracket 260 to the substrate 300, advantageously eliminating the constraint of material welding compatibility, i.e. the need to ensure that the materials of which the bracket and substrate are fabricated are compatible for welding to attach one to the other.

[0048] The foregoing has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, the foregoing description focused on the described guide rib structures 330 can be applied to manufacture B-pillar trim piece including a gap hider a seat belt height adjustment mechanism. However, the skilled artisan will readily appreciate that the descriptions herein equally apply to any situation wherein a sliding translation of a vehicle part on or in another, static vehicle part is desired, particularly when a geometry of the static part is not parallel to that of the sliding part. For example, this may include sliding lids on quarter trim panels, sliding lids on floor consoles, etc.

[0049] All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally and equitably entitled.