Vehicle Door Trim Armrest with Rib-Stiffened Break Line
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing door trims with armrests formed from resin foam molding tend to shrink and develop sink marks, compromising both the deformation needed for side impact protection and the rigidity required to support a person's elbow, as the entire armrest cannot be thinly formed to balance these demands.
Innovation Solution
A door trim design featuring a thinner armrest with a break line and internal ribs arranged in a specific pattern to ensure rigidity while allowing deformation along the break line during side impacts, reducing impact on occupants and preventing sinkage under elbow weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the armrest is made thin to allow deformation during side impact, then impact reduction capability is improved, but rigidity to support elbow weight deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The armrest is designed with non-uniform thickness, featuring a thinner deformation portion at the impact-prone area and thicker portions at the ends. This local variation in thickness allows the thin section to deform during side impact while the thicker sections maintain rigidity to support elbow weight, thus resolving the contradiction between impact reduction and structural strength.
2Manufacturing precision
If the entire armrest is made thin without grooved portions, then sink mark generation is reduced, but deformation capability during side impact deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the entire armrest thin or adding grooves, the invention applies local thinning only to the deformation portion where side impact occurs. This localized approach maintains good surface quality and avoids sink marks in the overall structure while enabling effective deformation in the specific area needed for impact absorption.
3Ease of operation
If the armrest is made thin to deform easily, then ease of deformation is improved, but structural stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The armrest features localized thinning at the deformation portion while maintaining adequate thickness at the ends and mounting areas. This creates a structure that is easy to deform where needed (improving deformation ease) while maintaining structural stability in critical areas for mounting and load bearing.
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 design effectively reduces side impact forces on vehicle occupants by deforming the armrest along the break line and maintains rigidity to prevent sinkage, balancing the need for thinness and strength.
Implementation Method 1
The armrest is pushed against the person to be deformed substantially along the break line and in a direction from the outer surface of the armrest toward the inside of the vehicle compartment in the event of side impact to the vehicle
Implementation Method 2
The plurality of ribs are arranged in a front-back direction of the vehicle and thereby set a position of the break line. When the person rests the elbow on the outer surface of the armrest, the outer surface of the armrest can be prevented from sinking toward the inner surface side
Data Source
AI summary
A door trim having rigidity as an armrest while is easily deformed in an event of side impact to a vehicle and thereby reduces impact to a person located in a compartment of the vehicle, can be provided with the present invention.The door trim 1 for use with the vehicle includes a body 10 and an armrest 20 that protrudes from the body 10. The armrest 20 includes resin foam molding. The armrest 20 is thinner than the body 10. The door trim 1 also includes a plurality of ribs 23 disposed on an inner surface of the armrest 20. The armrest 20 is pushed against the person to be deformed in the event of side impact to the vehicle, thereby reducing impact to the person. A position of a break line 21 is set by the plurality of ribs 23 arranged in a front-back direction of the vehicle.