Vehicle Door Trim Armrest Mount Base Weak Portion Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle door trims lack sufficient rigidity for downward forces, which can lead to inadequate protection for occupants during side collisions, as the armrests may not deform sufficiently to absorb impact.
Innovation Solution
The door trim design includes a mount base with a weak portion that is supported by a projection and a lower edge support member, allowing the armrest to deform easily in side collisions while maintaining rigidity against downward forces through a U-shaped projection and notched configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the armrest is made with a step between the flange and body to enable easy deformation in side collision, then the impact on occupant is reduced, but the rigidity for downward force applied to the armrest becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The mount base is designed with a weak portion that has different structural properties from other portions. The weak portion includes a reduced thickness area that facilitates easy deformation during side collisions, while other portions maintain sufficient thickness and rigidity to support downward forces when the occupant places their arm on the armrest.
Solution Approach 2:
The mount base is segmented into functionally distinct regions: a weak portion for controlled deformation during side impacts, and stronger portions for supporting vertical loads. This segmentation allows each region to be optimized for its specific function without compromising the other.
2Reliability
If the armrest is made easily deformable with a step structure, then the armrest can break in side collision to protect occupant, but the overall structural strength of the door trim is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than making the entire armrest structure uniformly weak, only specific localized areas (the weak portion of the mount base) are designed with reduced strength. This allows the armrest to deform reliably during side collisions while the rest of the structure maintains sufficient strength for normal use and supports other safety functions.
Data Source
AI summary
A door trim for a vehicle includes a trim body and an armrest. The trim body has an armrest mount hole, a mount member arranged in an edge area of the armrest mount hole, and a support member. The armrest is fitted in the armrest mount hole. The armrest has a mount base to which the mount member is mounted. The mount base has a weak portion and is configured to be supported by the support member. The weak portion has lower rigidity than another portion of the mount base. The support member is configured to guide the mount base toward an outer side of an interior of the vehicle.