Center Frame Layout for Protecting Vehicle Control Units
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Solution Overview
Problem
The control device in automobiles is vulnerable to high heat and impact, particularly due to its placement below the instrument panel, and lacks sufficient protection against impact loads from various directions.
Innovation Solution
The control device is positioned below a center frame that extends in the vehicle's front-rear direction, with additional components like an air-conditioning device, air introducing duct, instrument panel, and connecting members to enhance protection and thermal insulation, dispersing impact loads and shielding from sunlight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the control device is arranged below the instrument panel, then it is protected from direct sunlight, but it becomes vulnerable to impact loads from the front side
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the control device from a conventional position under the instrument panel to a lower position below the center frame, utilizing the vertical space dimension. This dimensional change allows the control device to be positioned in a location that is naturally protected from both sunlight (above) and impact loads (the center frame acts as a protective barrier from front-side collisions)
Solution Approach 2:
The center frame serves as an intermediary protective structure between the external environment (impact loads from front-side collisions) and the control device. By positioning the control device below the center frame, the center frame absorbs and disperses impact forces, protecting the control device while maintaining accessibility and functionality
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the control device is positioned at a lower position, then it is protected from heat and sunlight, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The center frame is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides structural support for the vehicle body, acts as a protective barrier against impact loads, and simultaneously serves as a thermal shield for the control device positioned below it. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate protective structures, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the protective functions against impact and heat into a single integrated positioning strategy. By merging the control device placement with the existing center frame structure, the design utilizes the center frame's inherent properties to provide both mechanical protection and thermal insulation, avoiding the need for separate protective enclosures
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle-body structure may include a floor panel constituting a floor of an occupant space, a center frame disposed to be higher than and away from the floor panel at a vehicle-width-direction central portion of the occupant space and extending in a vehicle front-rear direction, and a control device configured to control a control target unit mounted on an automobile. The control device may be arranged at a lower position than a vehicle front portion of the center frame.