Crowned Striker Mounting Plate for Non-Planar Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle latching mechanisms fail to provide a reliable and secure mounting of a striker plate on non-uniform, potentially non-planar mating surfaces, leading to issues such as over slam, fit and finish problems, and operational misalignment.
Innovation Solution
A striker apparatus featuring a base plate with a concave profile and sufficient flexure to adapt to non-planar mounting surfaces, ensuring secure attachment through a radius of curvature that flattens with tightening fasteners, eliminating gaps and enhancing stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a flat base plate is used for mounting the striker, then the manufacturing and assembly process is simple, but the mounting reliability on non-planar surfaces deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The base plate is designed with a crowned (curved) surface instead of a flat surface. This curvature allows the base plate to conform to non-planar mounting surfaces on the vehicle body, ensuring reliable mounting even when the support surface varies from perfectly flat. The curved surface contacts the non-planar mounting surface more uniformly, distributing fastener loads and preventing striker movement.
2Strength
If the base plate is made rigid to maintain structural strength, then the strength is improved, but the adaptability to non-uniform mounting surfaces deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The base plate's physical parameters are optimized by introducing a moderate crown curvature and selecting appropriate thickness and material properties. This allows the plate to exhibit controlled flexibility that enables it to adapt to non-uniform mounting surfaces while maintaining sufficient structural strength to resist fastener loads and prevent deformation under operational forces.
3Reliability
If fasteners are tightened to eliminate gaps between the base plate and mounting surface, then the mounting security is improved, but the risk of base plate deformation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The crowned surface of the base plate distributes the tightening forces from fasteners more evenly across the mounting interface. This curvature prevents localized stress concentrations that would occur with a flat plate on a non-planar surface, allowing fasteners to be tightened sufficiently to eliminate gaps and secure the mounting without causing deformation or warping of the base plate.
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 provides a secure, stable, and noise-reduced mounting of the striker, improving fit and finish, reducing over slam, and enhancing operational reliability by accommodating varying tolerances in vehicle support structures.
Implementation Method 1
The base plate can have sufficient flexure to be substantially flexed into a generally mating mounting surface shape when attached to a support structure of a vehicle
Data Source
AI summary
A striker apparatus for mounting to a support structure of a vehicle and for engagement with a corresponding latching mechanism can include a striker, and a base plate for supporting the striker extending outwardly from a first surface. A second surface opposite from the first surface of the base plate can include at least one radius of curvature defining a generally concave profile on the second surface or through the entire base plate. The base plate includes sufficient flexure to be substantially positioned in mating contact with a support structure of the vehicle when attached by one or more fasteners.