Vehicle Door Shock Absorber with Variable Thickness Wings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shock absorber members in vehicle doors have limitations, such as requiring thicker foam blocks for increased protection, which reduces occupant space, and provide uniform energy absorption along the height, failing to vary energy absorption rates effectively.
Innovation Solution
A shock absorber member with an outer wall and reinforcing wings of varying thickness and position, allowing adjustable energy absorption rates along the height, made from injection-molded thermoplastic material, enabling compact design and improved manufacturing and thermal regulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If foam blocks are made thicker to increase protection, then energy absorption capability is improved, but occupant space is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The shock absorber member features variable thickness along its height, with thicker sections at specific locations (such as the lower portion) and thinner sections elsewhere. This local quality variation allows concentrated energy absorption where most needed while preserving occupant space in other areas. The reinforcing wings also create localized thickening at strategic positions to enhance protection without uniformly increasing overall thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameter of thickness along the height direction of the shock absorber member. By making the thickness variable rather than uniform, the design achieves different energy absorption characteristics at different heights. This parameter change allows the same component to provide both high protection where needed and space efficiency where less protection is required.
2Ease of manufacture
If uniform foam blocks are used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but energy absorption rate cannot vary along the height
Solution Approach 1:
The shock absorber member is segmented into different functional zones along its height through the inclusion of reinforcing wings. These wings divide the structure into sections with different thicknesses and energy absorption characteristics. The segmentation allows each zone to be optimized for specific protection needs while maintaining a single integrated component that can be manufactured in one piece using injection molding.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the shock absorber member are given different local qualities through variable thickness design. The reinforcing wings create localized areas of enhanced material distribution, while other areas remain thinner. This local quality differentiation enables the uniform component to provide non-uniform energy absorption rates at different heights, adapting to varying protection requirements along the door panel.
3Strength
If thicker shock absorber members are used, then protection capability is improved, but device compactness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than uniformly increasing thickness throughout the shock absorber member, the design applies local quality enhancement only where protection capability is most critical. The variable thickness profile concentrates material in strategically important zones while maintaining thinner sections in areas where full protection is less critical, thus achieving high protection capability with reduced overall thickness and improved compactness.
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 provides a compact, adjustable shock absorber that enhances energy absorption variability, improving protection during side collisions while maintaining a thinner profile, reducing manufacturing costs and increasing productivity.
Implementation Method 1
Shock absorber members are used, for instance in vehicle doors, to absorb shocks occurring during a collision
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle door panel shock absorber having a outer wall and first and second reinforcing wings each extending between two opposite ends which are unitary with the outer wall, the first and second reinforcing wings crossing themselves at a center inside the outer wall and being unitary with one another at this center.