Motor Vehicle Central Console Wire Harness Mounting Plate

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing motor vehicle central consoles face challenges in efficiently supporting electrical wire harnesses and protecting electronic boxes from liquid flow, leading to increased manufacturing and assembly costs and positioning difficulties due to the use of multiple components and flexible plastic films without precise shapes.

Innovation Solution

A central console with a single rigid plate having a main face for attaching electrical wire harnesses and a cover extension that protects electronic boxes, providing precise positioning and liquid protection, is integrated into the vehicle's floor, combining support for wire bundles and protection in a single, easy-to-install component.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple separate components (support plate + flexible plastic film) are used to attach wire harnesses and protect electronic boxes, then the functions of wire support and liquid protection are achieved, but the device complexity and assembly costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveliquid protection of electronic boxesVSAvoidnumber of components
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the support plate and flexible plastic film into a single integrated plate component. The plate has a main face for supporting wire harnesses and a cover extension that folds down to protect electronic boxes, eliminating the need for separate protection components and reducing assembly steps.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The plate serves multiple functions: it supports electrical wire harnesses on its main face, provides structural mounting for electronic boxes, and protects these boxes from liquid through its cover extension. This multi-functional design replaces multiple specialized components with one versatile part.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If flexible plastic film is used to cover electronic boxes, then liquid protection is provided, but positioning precision and assembly repeatability deteriorate due to the film's lack of precise shape

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveliquid protectionVSAvoidpositioning repeatability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The plate is segmented into distinct functional zones: a main face for wire support and a cover extension for protection. The cover extension is a precisely defined rigid structure with specific geometry, replacing the formless flexible film and enabling accurate, repeatable positioning during assembly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The protection mechanism changes from a flexible, shapeless film to a rigid structure with fixed geometric parameters. The cover extension has defined dimensions, angles, and positions that ensure consistent placement and effective liquid protection, transforming the protection system from imprecise to precision-engineered.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Volume of moving object

If a compact base is used for electric control in the transmission lever, then space is saved, but the ability to hook wire harnesses onto the transmission beam is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebase size of control leverVSAvoidwire harness attachment capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The plate extends in a new spatial dimension beyond the compact control lever base. By projecting the cover extension and attachment devices outward from the limited space around the lever, the design provides wire harness attachment capability without increasing the lever base size, utilizing available space in three-dimensional space efficiently.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP3638538B1Motor vehicle equipped with a central console containing electronic packages
Publication Date: 2021.05.05 PSA AUTOMOBILES SA
  • EP3638538B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3638538B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The invention relates to a motor vehicle comprising a central console which is fastened to a floor (2) of the passenger compartment and which is equipped with receptacles (20) for stowing drinks containers, provided with liquid discharge ducts (22) at the base, comprising electronic packages (10) arranged in the console below the discharge ducts (22), and comprising a mounting plate having a main face (30) fastened to the floor (2) supporting bundles of electric wires (12), this vehicle being noteworthy in that the main face of the mounting plate (30) comprises, on top, attachment devices (14) for the bundles of electric wires (12), and comprises, on one side, an extension forming a cover (42) covering the electronic packages (10).