Automobile Conduit Retainer with Resilient Arms for Vibration Decoupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automobile cable/conduit retainers are expensive to manufacture due to the use of binary injection molding and hard plastic affixation elements, and they do not effectively decouple vibrations from the automobile body part, especially in ABS braking systems where brake conduits experience strong vibrations.
Innovation Solution
A retainer made from a single-component plastic with resilient arms that engage the conduit periphery from multiple sides, providing compliant radial and axial support to decouple vibrations from the automobile body part, and featuring a U-shaped design with integrated resilient arms and an expansion rivet or nut for secure mounting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If binary injection molding with hard plastic affixation elements and soft plastic receiving portion is used, then vibration decoupling is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the affixation function and the vibration-damping receiving function into a single integrated retainer body made of one material. The resilient arms provide both the mounting function (through their connection to the retainer body) and the vibration decoupling function (through their compliance), eliminating the need for binary injection molding with multiple materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the resilient arms, specifically reducing their cross-sectional area in certain regions to increase their compliance. This allows the single-material design to achieve the necessary vibration decoupling performance that previously required a soft plastic receiving portion, while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If resilient arms with reduced cross-sections are used, then compliance and vibration decoupling are improved, but structural strength may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by reducing the cross-sectional area of the resilient arms only in specific regions where compliance is needed for vibration decoupling, while maintaining adequate thickness in other areas to preserve structural strength. This selective thinning allows the resilient arms to be compliant where required but strong where needed.
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 economical manufacturing while effectively decoupling vibrations and providing secure clamping force, enabling the retainer to withstand both low-amplitude vibrations and static loads, ensuring the conduit is securely held and can be easily removed if needed.
Implementation Method 1
the resilient arms are highly compliant in all directions for small amplitude radial displacements of said conduit
Implementation Method 2
the resilient arms thereby receiving all radial and axial vibrations and shunting them from the automobile body part
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4
AI summary
A retainer for a conduit, cable or the like, preferably a fluid conduit in an automobile, includes a retainer body having attaching portions to be mounted to an automobile body part, damping portions for dampening conduit vibrations, an insertion portion that constricts from the outside to the inside, and a receiving portion for the conduit. The retainer body is integrally molded of a plastic material. The receiving portion has three or more engaging portions (54, 56, 60) which are arranged circumferentially of and engage the conduit and which are connected by resilient arms (50, 52, 58) to the retainer body (10, 12, 14) in a manner that, in the event of conduit vibrations, the resilient arms (50, 52, 58) shall yield easily and elastically like leaf springs in all axial and radial directions and shall decouple the vibration-induced forces from the automobile body part.