Deformable Tapping Plate for Vehicle Door Striker Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing reinforcement tapping plates in vehicles face challenges in achieving precise adjustment of door strikers relative to latches before e-coating and painting, leading to dimensional issues and noise problems during door operation, and require significant force for adjustment, often resulting in misalignment and corrosion risks due to inadequate e-coat coverage.
Innovation Solution
A deformable tapping plate design featuring a central member with mounting and attachment pads connected by arched and notched connecting arms, allowing for adjustable positioning and deformation to align the striker accurately, while maintaining e-coat protection and reducing adjustment forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a rigid reinforcement plate is used to mount the striker, then the structural strength and rigidity are improved, but the ability to adjust the striker position relative to the latch is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement plate is divided into multiple segments or zones with different properties: a rigid central mounting area for structural strength, and flexible connecting arms with narrowed sections that allow deformation and adjustment. This segmentation enables different parts of the same component to fulfill conflicting requirements of rigidity and flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting arms transition from a static rigid structure to a dynamic adjustable structure. The narrowed apex sections are designed to deform under controlled force, allowing the connecting arms to bend and adjust the striker position dynamically during assembly and maintenance operations.
2Measurement precision
If significant force is applied to adjust the striker position on a rigid plate, then the positional adjustment is achieved, but misalignment and damage risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The local thickness parameter of the connecting arms is changed by creating narrowed apex sections. This parameter change allows the material to deform more easily at specific locations, enabling precise adjustment of the striker position with reduced force application, thereby improving both positioning precision and alignment reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The narrowed apex sections act as intermediaries that facilitate the adjustment process. These thinned sections serve as deformation zones that mediate between the applied adjustment force and the rigid mounting areas, allowing controlled positional changes without transmitting excessive force to the mounting points or striker components.
3Reliability
If the reinforcement plate is assembled before e-coating and painting, then e-coat coverage is improved, but the ability to adjust striker position after coating is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement plate is assembled to the bodyside before e-coating and painting operations. This preliminary assembly ensures that all metal surfaces, including the reinforcement plate and surrounding bodyside areas, receive complete and uniform corrosion protection coating coverage before final striker positioning and assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting arms are designed with dynamic adjustment capability that can be exercised after the e-coating process. The narrowed apex sections allow the connecting arms to deform and adjust the striker position even after the protective coating has been applied to the reinforcement plate and bodyside surfaces.
4Ease of manufacture
If the connecting arms have uniform thickness, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but the force required for adjustment increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting arms feature local quality variations through the narrowed apex sections. While the overall structure remains simple and manufacturable, specific localized regions have reduced thickness to create controlled deformation zones. This local modification enables easier adjustment with reduced force while maintaining the simplicity of the overall manufacturing process.
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
Enables precise adjustment of the striker relative to the latch without significant force, prevents misalignment and corrosion, and ensures consistent e-coat coverage, improving the operational silence and durability of vehicle doors.
Implementation Method 1
The first connecting arm can include a first arched portion projecting away from both the mounting plane and the attachment plane and can include a first narrowed apex having a thickness that is less than a thickness of an adjacent portion of the first arched portion
Data Source
AI summary
A deformable tapping plate can include a central member including at least two mounting openings and a mounting surface wherein the mounting surface defines a mounting plane. The deformable tapping plate can also include a first attachment pad located adjacent a first end of the central member that is connected to the central member by a first connecting arm. The first attachment pad includes a first attachment surface defining an attachment plane. The first connecting arm can include a first arched portion that projects away from both the mounting plane and the attachment plane and can include a first narrowed apex having a thickness that is less than a thickness of adjacent portions of the first arched portion.