Motor Vehicle Door Lock Seal Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Motor vehicle door locks face issues with longevity and functional reliability due to the ingress of dust, dirt, and moisture through openings for levers protruding from the lock housing, which can lead to corrosion and malfunction.
Innovation Solution
A motor vehicle door lock with a lock housing made of thermoplastic material and an elastomeric plastic seal, produced in a common manufacturing process, where the seal is molded onto the edge of the opening to largely close or reduce the opening gap, allowing the lever to pass through while preventing contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If openings are provided in the lock housing for levers to protrude through, then the door lock can be operated mechanically from outside, but dust, dirt, and moisture can penetrate into the lock housing causing corrosion and malfunction
Solution Approach 1:
A seal made of elastomeric material is integrated into the thermoplastic lock housing to form a flexible barrier that closes the opening gap while allowing lever movement. The elastomeric seal deforms elastically to accommodate the pivot lever's motion through the opening while maintaining the protective barrier against contaminants.
Solution Approach 2:
The lock housing is produced as a composite structure combining thermoplastic material for the housing body and elastomeric material for the seal, created through a two-stage injection molding process. This composite construction allows the housing to provide structural support while the elastomeric seal provides flexible sealing functionality.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a seal is added to close the opening gap, then protection against contaminants is improved, but the complexity of the manufacturing process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is integrated directly into the lock housing structure through a two-stage injection molding process, combining what would traditionally be separate components (housing and seal) into a single molded part. This integration eliminates the need for separate seal installation steps and reduces assembly complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal is pre-formed and integrated into the lock housing during the molding process itself, rather than being added as a separate post-processing step. The elastomeric material is injected into the mold cavity and bonds to the thermoplastic housing, creating the sealed structure in one manufacturing operation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If separate components are used for the lock housing and seal, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The lock housing and seal are merged into a single integrated component produced by two-stage injection molding. The thermoplastic housing and elastomeric seal form a unified structure with the seal embedded in the housing, reducing the component count from two separate parts to one integrated part.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated housing-seal structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: the thermoplastic housing provides structural support and mounting features, while the integrated elastomeric seal provides contamination protection. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate structural and sealing components.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a motor vehicle door lock, comprising a lock housing (1) and at least one lever (2) that is arranged in the lock (1) and projects through an opening (4) at least partially out of the lock (1), wherein the lever (2) is formed as a pivot lever (2) which is movable along the opening (4) and mounted in the interior and/or on the lock housing (1) and the opening (4) is equipped with at least one seal (6) that, for the most part, closes an opening gap (5).