Vehicle Attachment Clip With Dual-Sided Sealing and Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing attachment devices for vehicles, such as clips and adhesive strips, fail to provide a reliable seal and adequate protection against corrosion, especially in external regions, due to insufficient sealing and high assembly forces required.
Innovation Solution
An attachment device featuring a retaining element with a sealing ring that bears against both sides of a support component's opening, combined with a locking element that secures the retaining element in place, reducing assembly forces and ensuring a comprehensive seal without additional fasteners like screws.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If adhesive strips are used to attach components to support components, then attachment is achieved, but reliable sealing and corrosion protection are not provided due to insufficient seal over the entire bonding surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a sealing ring as a flexible film element that is inserted into the retaining element and extends beyond its end. This sealing ring makes contact with the support component to create a reliable seal, preventing corrosion while maintaining the attachment function. The flexible nature of the sealing ring allows it to conform to the support component surface, ensuring complete sealing coverage.
2Strength
If clips or grommets with additional screws are used for attachment, then attachment strength is improved, but device complexity and cost increase due to additional fasteners
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into a single integrated retaining element. The retaining element simultaneously provides attachment strength through its latching mechanism (with resilient limbs that engage with the support component) and sealing function through the integrated sealing ring. This eliminates the need for separate screws or additional fasteners, reducing device complexity while maintaining strong attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining element is designed as a multi-functional component that performs attachment, sealing, and locking functions simultaneously. The resilient limbs provide both attachment and sealing contact, while the integrated sealing ring enhances the sealing capability. This universal design replaces multiple specialized components with a single element that accomplishes all required functions.
3Force
If high assembly forces are applied to push components with sufficient force for adhesive bonding, then attachment is achieved, but the sealing reliability is compromised due to surface damage or misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs resilient limbs that are elastic and capable of deforming under assembly forces. During assembly, these resilient limbs can flex and adapt to the support component geometry, allowing insertion with controlled forces. The dynamic nature of the resilient limbs enables them to maintain continuous contact and sealing pressure without requiring excessive assembly force, thereby preserving sealing reliability.
4Reliability
If the sealing ring bears against both sides of the support component opening, then sealing reliability is improved, but assembly complexity increases slightly
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing ring is pre-positioned on the retaining element during manufacturing, extending beyond its end in a predetermined configuration. This preliminary arrangement ensures that during assembly, the sealing ring is already in the correct position to contact both sides of the support component opening, eliminating the need for complex alignment procedures and simplifying the assembly process while maintaining dual-sided sealing.
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 a reliable seal and enhanced protection against corrosion by minimizing assembly forces, ensuring secure locking with high retaining forces, and allowing attachment before anti-corrosion coating application, while simplifying the assembly process.
Implementation Method 1
The retaining element (10) has a sealing ring (28) for bearing in a sealing manner against the opening (34) of the support component (32), which ring, when inserted into the opening of the support component, bears in a sealing manner against opposite sides of the support component
Implementation Method 2
The retaining element (10) has, as latching means, multiple elastic resilient limbs (22) which, when the retaining element is inserted into the opening (34) of the support component (32), releasably latch to the opening of the support component
Implementation Method 3
The attachment device comprises a locking element (12) that can be inserted into the retaining element (10), wherein, when the locking element is inserted into the retaining element, the latching means of the retaining element are blocked so as to prevent release of the latching
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an attachment device for attaching a component to a support component, in particular a support component of a vehicle, comprising a retaining element (10) which can be inserted into an opening of the support component and which has latching means (22) for releasably latching to the opening of the support component, and comprising a locking element (12) that can be inserted into the retaining element, wherein, when the locking element is inserted into the retaining element, the latching means of the retaining element are blocked so as to prevent release of the latching, wherein the retaining element has a sealing ring (28) for bearing in a sealing manner against the opening of the support component, which ring, when inserted into the opening of the support component, bears in a sealing manner against opposite sides of the support component.