Vehicle Center Console Side Trim Panel Lateral Restraint
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle interior center console assemblies face challenges in securely attaching side trim panels to the main body, as existing attachment structures fail to effectively restrain them against lateral movement, leading to potential instability and aesthetic issues.
Innovation Solution
A center console assembly design featuring a top finisher panel that attaches directly to side trim panels, which are in turn attached to the main body, utilizing snap-fitting projections and apertures to securely retain the side trim panels in position, thereby preventing lateral movement and enhancing stability and aesthetics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If side trim panels are attached directly to the main body using conventional attachment structures, then the attachment process is simple, but the side trim panels cannot be effectively restrained against lateral movement
Solution Approach 1:
The top finisher panel serves as an intermediary component that directly attaches to the side trim panels through downwardly extending projections fitting into apertures. This intermediary connection provides effective lateral movement restraint while keeping the overall attachment system manageable in complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment structure utilizes vertical projections extending downward from the top finisher panel to engage with apertures in the side trim panels. This vertical dimension approach creates lateral restraint through a different spatial orientation, effectively preventing side-to-side movement without complicating the horizontal attachment process.
2Stability of the object's composition
If top finisher panel attaches directly to side trim panels, then lateral movement is prevented, but the attachment process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The downwardly extending projections on the top finisher panel are designed to self-align and snap into the apertures of the side trim panels during assembly. This self-service mechanism provides stable positioning while maintaining ease of operation, as the components guide themselves into the correct position without requiring complex alignment procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical fastening systems with a simpler snap-fit projection-aperture mechanism. The downwardly extending projections engage with apertures in the side trim panels, providing stable attachment through a straightforward mechanical interaction that is easier to assemble than traditional multi-component fastening systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle interior structure includes a main body, a first side trim panel and a top finisher panel. The main body has a first side defining a plurality of first side attachment portions. The first side trim panel at least partially covers the first side of the main body and has a plurality of first panel attachment portions attached to the first side attachment portions of the main body. The first side trim panel also includes at least one first projection spaced apart from the first panel attachment portions and located adjacent to the upper end of the main body, the at least one first projection having an aperture. The top finisher panel covers the upper end of the main body and has at least one downwardly extending second projection that extends into the aperture of the at least one first projection retaining the first side trim panel in position.