Vehicle Door Lock Housing Integrating Cable Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing vehicle door lock apparatus has a high part count and increased thickness due to the requirement of an auxiliary cover, which hinders the reduction in thickness in the vehicle inward-outward direction.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle door lock apparatus design eliminates the need for an auxiliary cover by using a housing with a base wall and engaging parts that allow the transmission cables to be fixed directly to the second housing, reducing the part count and thickness by integrating the contact and engaged parts within the existing structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an auxiliary cover is used to fix the transmission cable to the housing, then the fixation is secure, but the part count increases and the thickness in the vehicle inward-outward direction increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the auxiliary cover's fixation function directly into the housing structure. The housing includes a base wall with a through-hole and engaging parts that directly secure the transmission cable's casing cap, eliminating the need for a separate auxiliary cover component while maintaining secure fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing is designed to perform multiple functions: it provides structural support, houses the latch mechanism, and directly fixes the transmission cable through integrated engaging parts. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for dedicated auxiliary fixing components.
2Reliability
If an auxiliary cover is used to fix the transmission cable to the housing, then the fixation is secure, but the thickness in the vehicle inward-outward direction increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation structure is merged into the housing itself. The base wall with through-hole and engaging parts forms an integrated fixing mechanism that eliminates the need for additional thickness from a separate auxiliary cover, thereby reducing the overall thickness in the vehicle inward-outward direction.
3Ease of manufacture
If the transmission cable is fixed using a separate auxiliary cover, then the installation is straightforward, but the assembly requires multiple components increasing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation function is merged into the housing structure, reducing the number of components that need to be assembled. The housing itself provides the fixing mechanism through its base wall and engaging parts, simplifying the assembly process by eliminating the need to separately install an auxiliary cover.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle door lock apparatus has a first housing superimposed on a second housing that includes a base wall, a first concave wall projecting from the base wall, an engaging part formed in or on the first concave wall, and an opening that provides a path from the outside into an inner housing chamber. A transmission cable includes an inner cable slidably housed in an outer cable. A portion of the inner cable is exposed from a first end of the outer cable, passes through the opening, and is coupled to a rotatable element disposed in the inner housing chamber via a linkage. A casing cap that surrounds an end of the outer cable has a contact part that contacts the first concave wall in a second direction and an engaged part that engages with the engaging part in the second direction when the contact part contacts the first concave wall.