Door Lock Housing Retention Clip Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
The assembly of door locks into door panels often results in misalignment due to the need to hold one portion in place and adjust fasteners, making the process difficult and prone to errors.
Innovation Solution
A door lock assembly with a lock housing and retention clips that engage the cross bore without fasteners, using a disk portion with an inner wall and ribs, and biasing members to securely retain the lock housing within the cross bore, allowing for easy alignment and assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional fasteners are used to attach the lock housing to the door panel, then the connection strength is sufficient, but the assembly process becomes complex and prone to misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes traditional fasteners from the assembly process by extracting the fastening function and replacing it with a retention clip system that uses elastic deformation and geometric interference to achieve secure attachment without screws or bolts
Solution Approach 2:
The retention clip acts as an intermediary component between the lock housing and door panel, providing a simplified interface that automatically maintains proper alignment while securing the assembly, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and alignment precision
2Manufacturing precision
If the lock housing is held manually during assembly, then alignment can be achieved, but the assembly process is difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The retention clip is pre-installed on the lock housing before assembly, and its elastic structure is designed to automatically engage with the door panel features, eliminating the need for manual holding and adjustment during the assembly process
Solution Approach 2:
The retention clip system is self-aligning and self-securing, using its elastic deformation characteristics to automatically position the lock housing correctly and maintain alignment without requiring manual intervention or adjustment during assembly
3Reliability
If fasteners are used to secure the lock housing, then the connection is secure, but the assembly requires multiple steps and fastener adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fastening function from traditional multi-step fastener systems and consolidates it into a single retention clip component that provides secure attachment through elastic deformation and geometric interference, reducing the number of assembly steps while maintaining connection security
Solution Approach 2:
The retention clip combines multiple functions (alignment, retention, and securing) into a single integrated component, eliminating the need for separate fasteners and adjustment mechanisms, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining reliable connection
Data Source
AI summary
A door lock assembly is configured for installation in a cross bore of a door. The lock assembly includes a lock housing including a disk portion having an outer perimeter and an inner wall extending from the disk portion and defining an annular space between the inner wall and the outer perimeter and a lock space inside of the inner wall. The inner wall is sized to fit within the cross bore and define an annular gap between the inner wall and the cross bore. A retention clip is removably attached to the lock housing and includes a retention portion that engages the cross bore to removably retain the lock housing within the cross bore without the use of fasteners.