Control Panel Lip Configuration for Vehicle Center Console Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aftermarket vendors face challenges in finding suitable locations within vehicle cabins to mount control panels for aftermarket electronics due to the increasing number and variety of control devices in vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A control panel design featuring a proximal wall, opposing sidewalls, a distal wall, and a panel wall with apertures and a lip configuration that allows for integration with a vehicle's center console, accommodating various control devices and providing storage options.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If control panels are mounted in traditional locations in vehicles, then control devices are easily accessible, but available mounting space is limited due to increasing number of control devices in vehicles
Solution Approach 1:
The control panel is designed to utilize the vertical dimension and unused spaces within the center console structure, rather than only horizontal mounting surfaces. The panel fits into voids and utilizes the three-dimensional space efficiently, allowing mounting in locations that were previously unused while maintaining driver accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The control panel design incorporates multiple mounting configuration options including various lip configurations that can interface with different center console structures. The panel can be mounted in different orientations and positions within the center console, providing universal adaptability to various vehicle designs while maintaining ease of operation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If aftermarket control panels are designed to fit various vehicle configurations, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control panel is divided into distinct functional components including the panel body, lip structures, and mounting features that can be independently configured. This segmentation allows different portions of the panel to be optimized for specific mounting requirements without redesigning the entire assembly, reducing overall complexity while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The control panel incorporates adjustable parameters such as lip extension distances (1.5mm to 1.75mm), aperture dimensions (37mm x 21mm to 38mm x 22mm), and panel wall thickness (2.7mm to 2.8mm) that can be varied to accommodate different vehicle center console configurations. These parameter changes allow adaptability without requiring fundamentally different design structures.
Data Source
AI summary
A control panel comprising a proximal wall, a pair of opposing sidewalls attached at a proximal edge thereof to and extending distally from the proximal wall, a distal wall attached to a distal edge of the pair of opposing sidewalls, and a panel wall attached to an upper portion of and carried by at least one of the proximal wall, one of the opposing sidewalls, and the distal wall. The panel wall comprises at least one aperture formed therein configured to receive a control device.