Motor Vehicle Air Filter Housing Impact Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air filter designs for motor vehicle hoods face challenges in providing effective impact protection under the hood while maintaining structural integrity and ease of installation, as they require flexible components that may not adequately absorb external forces during accidents.
Innovation Solution
An air filter housing with a clamp connection between two parts, where the first part is divided into a support frame and a receiving part, allowing telescopic displacement when an external force exceeds a limit value, enabling improved impact protection without compromising structural integrity or ease of assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the air filter housing is designed with a flexible structure to improve impact protection, then pedestrian safety is improved, but the structural integrity and reliability of the air filter is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The first housing part is divided into two sub-parts: a support frame and a receiving part. The support frame maintains structural integrity and connection to the second housing part, while the receiving part provides telescopic displacement capability for impact absorption. This segmentation allows different parts to fulfill different functions - structural support and impact protection - simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the housing have different mechanical properties tailored to their specific functions. The support frame is designed with high structural integrity for stable connection, while the receiving part is designed with telescopic capability for impact absorption. This local differentiation of mechanical properties resolves the contradiction between overall structural integrity and localized impact protection.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the housing parts are designed to telescope into one another for impact protection, then the ability to absorb external forces is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving part is designed to telescope into the support frame, creating a nested structure where one component fits within another. This nesting arrangement enables the telescopic displacement function for impact absorption while maintaining a compact overall structure and avoiding the need for complex external mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection between the receiving part and support frame is designed to be dynamic rather than rigid. The clamping connection allows controlled telescopic displacement when external forces exceed a threshold, enabling the structure to adapt its configuration in response to impact conditions while maintaining simplicity through elastic deformation rather than complex mechanical joints.
3Ease of manufacture
If a clamping connection is used between housing parts to allow telescopic displacement, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the reliability of the connection under normal operating conditions may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The clamping connection is pre-designed with specific geometric features (such as lugs or ribs) that automatically engage and lock the receiving part to the support frame in the normal assembled position. This preliminary configuration ensures stable connection under normal operating conditions without requiring additional fastening actions, while still allowing controlled displacement when forces exceed the design threshold.
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 allows for effective absorption of external forces during impacts by setting a load limit through the receiving part's design, ensuring the air filter can be reused and providing enhanced impact protection without compromising the structural integrity or ease of installation.
Implementation Method 1
the connection is advantageously released by the inherent elasticity of the receiving part, which allows at least one wall of the receiving part to deviate transversely to the direction of displacement when the load limit is exceeded
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3a~6
AI summary
A component for installation under the hood of a motor vehicle has a housing consisting of a first and a second housing part (3, 4) which are to be connected to each other, wherein the connection is to be released upon application of an external force and the housing parts are to be telescopically slid into one another. A first housing part (3) is constructed in two parts and consists of a support frame (6) and a receiving part (5), wherein the support frame (6) is supported on the second housing part (4) and the receiving part (5) and the support frame (6) are held together by the releasable connection.