Vehicle Door Sealing Member Bead Stiffness Oscillation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional sealing members for vehicle door panels often oscillate due to vehicle vibrations, leading to noise generation when the opening is large, as the covering portion cannot be properly connected to the door inner panel.

Innovation Solution

A sealing member with a covering portion featuring beads that protrude inward, providing increased stiffness and a contact portion that abuts the door inner panel, along with a pushing mechanism like a cable or trim member to secure the sealing member against the panel, preventing oscillation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If a sealing screen is installed to cover the opening, then water or dust prevention is improved, but the covering portion oscillates due to vibrations causing noise

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewater or dust preventionVSAvoidoscillating noise
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by adding beads only to specific areas of the covering portion that are prone to oscillation. These beads are strategically positioned to provide localized stiffness enhancement without modifying the entire sealing member, thereby preventing noise generation while maintaining the sealing function against water and dust.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs composite materials by integrating beads made of a material with different mechanical properties than the covering portion. The beads have higher stiffness and are combined with the flexible covering material to create a composite structure that resists vibration-induced oscillation while preserving the sealing screen's protective function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Area of stationary object

If the covering portion is made larger to cover the opening, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but the covering portion becomes more prone to oscillation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecovering areaVSAvoidoscillation resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent addresses this contradiction by applying local quality through the strategic placement of beads on the covering portion. The beads are positioned in areas where oscillation is most likely to occur, providing localized stiffness enhancement that stabilizes the larger covering area without requiring the entire structure to be rigid.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses composite materials by combining the flexible covering material with stiffer bead materials. This creates a composite structure where the beads provide the necessary rigidity to prevent oscillation in the larger covering area, while the base material maintains flexibility for sealing effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Data Source

PatentEP1839954B1Sealing member in a vehicle door
Publication Date: 2013.10.09 NISSAN MOTOR CO LTD
  • EP1839954B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP1839954B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP1839954B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A sealing member that mitigates oscillating noises and its installation method is provided. In the sealing member (4) for covering an opening (3a) formed at a door inner panel (3), at least one bead (8) is installed at a covering portion facing the opening (3a). Thus, the stiffness of the covering portion of the sealing member (4) is increased. It is therefore possible to prevent the covering portion from oscillating, thereby inhibiting the sealing member from generating the oscillating noises.