Engine Mount Bracket Side Access Clamp Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional engine mount installations in crowded automobile engine compartments make it difficult or impossible to access and remove engine mounts without partially disassembling the engine, especially in wide V and W configuration engines.
Innovation Solution
A modified bracket with a parallel-sided gap and a perpendicular bore allows the engine mount to be released and removed by accessing the fitting from the side, using a clamp mechanism that reduces the aperture size to secure or release the fitting, enabling removal without accessing the bolt from above.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional engine mount installations use horizontal bolts passing through brackets into bores in the engine block, then the engine mount can be securely attached to the engine, but the bolt becomes inaccessible for removal when the engine is fitted in a crowded engine compartment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the dimensional approach by providing access to the release mechanism from a different direction (perpendicular to the fitting reception direction) rather than from above. The bracket includes a gap and clamp mechanism accessible from the side, allowing operation in the horizontal plane rather than requiring vertical access from above the engine mount.
2Volume of moving object
If engine mounts are located towards the bottom of the engine to save space, then packaging efficiency is improved, but access to the mounting bolt becomes difficult or impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the mounting structure into distinct functional elements: the bracket attached to the engine block, the fitting on the engine mount, and the clamp mechanism for release. This segmentation allows the release function to be accessed from the side through the gap in the bracket, separating the mounting function (vertical) from the release function (horizontal access).
Solution Approach 2:
The clamp mechanism acts as an intermediary device that enables release of the fitting without requiring direct access to a traditional bolt. The clamp provides a new interface for release that is accessible from the side, mediating between the need for secure attachment and the need for easy removal.
3Ease of repair
If the bracket includes a gap and clamp mechanism for side access, then engine mount removal is enabled without disassembly, but the bracket structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing the gap and clamp mechanism only in the specific location where side access is needed, rather than redesigning the entire bracket. The gap is provided in the bracket wall at the appropriate position, and the clamp mechanism is localized to this gap, allowing easy removal without requiring complex changes throughout the entire bracket structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A mounting structure for an engine mount (9) for an internal combustion engine. A fitting (19), such as a spigot, having an axis is provided for fitment to the engine mount. A bracket (11) is provided for fitment to the internal combustion engine. The bracket is arranged to receive the fitting in a direction parallel to its axis. The bracket includes an arrangement, such as a clamp, which is operable to cause the bracket to retain or release the fitting and the arrangement is accessible along a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the fitting is received into the bracket. This enables the engine mount to be released from the bracket by accessing the bracket from alongside rather than above.