Structural Door Module Carrier Plate Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional motor vehicle door assembly methods require high assembly cycles, are labor-intensive, and do not effectively enhance door body structural support, leading to inadequate protection in side-impact collisions and inefficiencies in component installation and testing.
Innovation Solution
A structural door module with a carrier plate that integrates pre-configured hardware components and energy absorption features, such as crumple zones and energy absorption blocks, to provide enhanced structural support and simplify assembly by allowing pre-mounting and testing of subsystems before installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional door assembly methods are used with individual hardware components mounted separately, then each component can be installed to the door body, but the assembly cycle becomes very long and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple hardware components (window regulator, latch assembly, handle assemblies, speaker assemblies) and safety components (crash beams, energy absorbing foam) onto a single structural carrier plate, creating an integrated door module that reduces the number of separate assembly operations required at the OEM facility
Solution Approach 2:
The door module is pre-assembled with all hardware components mounted and interconnected on the carrier plate before delivery to the OEM, allowing testing of operability to be performed in advance and eliminating the need for sequential installation and interconnection of individual components at the final assembly facility
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the door body is reinforced with additional structures to improve side-impact safety, then passenger protection is enhanced, but the door becomes more complex and heavier
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates safety functions directly into the structural carrier plate by forming crash beams and energy absorbing foam blocks as integral parts of the plate itself, eliminating the need for separate reinforcing structures and reducing overall structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The structural carrier plate serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as the mounting platform for all hardware components, provides structural reinforcement through integrated crash beams, and offers energy absorption capabilities through built-in foam blocks, thereby protecting passengers without adding separate safety components
3Productivity
If hardware components are mounted individually to the door body, then each component can be installed, but additional time is required to inventory and ensure availability of all components
Solution Approach 1:
The door module is pre-assembled with all hardware components mounted on the carrier plate before delivery to the OEM, allowing complete inventory verification and component availability confirmation to be performed in advance at the module manufacturing facility rather than at the final assembly facility
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 reduces assembly time and labor, enhances passenger safety by providing structural support and energy absorption during side-impact collisions, and ensures operability of hardware components before final installation.
Implementation Method 1
one or more energy absorbing foam blocks are typically mounted between the inner and outer sheet metal panels to reduce the severity of a side-impact collision
Implementation Method 2
an array of crumple zones are provided around the surface of the arm rest support to minimize the dangers of a side-impact collision
Data Source
AI summary
A structural door module for a motor vehicle door, comprising of a carrier plate with a plurality of door hardware components mounted to the dryside and wetside surfaces of the carrier plate. The carrier plate includes a number of preformed components that allow door subsystems to be pre-mounted to the door module and tested prior to mounting the structural door module in the motor vehicle door body. An energy absorbing area is molded into the carrier plate. Additionally, a protruding arm rest support is designed to collapse during a side-impact collision.