Floor Mat Covering Portion Design to Reduce Thickness and Mold Cost
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing floor mats for working machines, such as backhoes, face an issue where cutout portions for mount members increase the thickness and manufacturing cost due to the need for a larger mold to accommodate covering portions that are higher than the main mat body.
Innovation Solution
A floor mat design where the covering portion can be bent to close the opening at the connecting portion with the mat main body, ensuring the height of the cover walls matches or is less than the main body thickness, thus maintaining the overall thickness without increasing it.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the covering portion is made higher than the mat main body to cover the cutout portion, then the coverage effectiveness is improved, but the total thickness of the floor mat increases
Solution Approach 1:
The covering portion is designed to be bendable at the connecting portion, allowing it to dynamically adjust its shape. When installed, the covering portion bends downward to cover the cutout portion, achieving effective coverage while maintaining the overall thickness within acceptable limits. This dynamic flexibility resolves the contradiction between coverage effectiveness and thickness control.
Solution Approach 2:
The height of the covering portion is specifically controlled to be equal to or less than the thickness of the mat main body. By changing the dimensional parameter of the covering portion height, the design achieves effective coverage of the cutout portion without increasing the total thickness beyond the main body thickness, thus resolving the contradiction between coverage and thickness.
2Reliability
If the covering portion height is increased to cover the cutout portion, then the coverage is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases due to requiring a larger mold
Solution Approach 1:
The height of the covering portion is constrained to be equal to or less than the thickness of the mat main body. This parameter change allows the floor mat to be manufactured using a standard-sized mold, avoiding the need for a larger mold that would increase manufacturing costs, while still achieving effective coverage of the cutout portion through the bendable design.
Solution Approach 2:
The bendable connecting portion allows the covering portion to achieve its coverage function without requiring excessive height. This dynamic flexibility means the covering can be formed within the thickness constraints of the main body, enabling production with conventional molds and maintaining cost-effectiveness.
3Reliability
If the covering portion is made bendable to cover the cutout portion, then the coverage effectiveness is improved, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The floor mat is segmented into the mat main body and the covering portion, with the connecting portion serving as a hinge between them. This segmentation allows the covering portion to be positioned and fixed at an appropriate angle to cover the cutout portion effectively, achieving good coverage while maintaining relatively simple structure through modular design.
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
This design allows for effective coverage of the cutout portions without raising the total thickness of the floor mat, thereby reducing manufacturing costs and maintaining the mat's integrity.
Implementation Method 1
a covering portion (42L, 42R) extending from both side portions of the mat main body in the front-rear direction and having a height equal to or less than a thickness of the mat main body; and a connecting portion (43L, 43R) connecting the covering portion to the mat main body, the connecting portion allowing the covering portion to be bent
Data Source
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AI summary
A floor mat (32) arranged in a working machine (1) includes a floor portion (419), a wall portion (396) arranged on a circumferential portion of the floor portion (419), and an opening portion (417, 418) arranged on a part of a connecting portion of the wall portion (396), the connecting portion connecting to the floor portion (419). The floor mat (32) includes a mat main body (420) arranged on the floor portion (419), a covering portion (421, 422) configured to cover the opening portion (417, 418), and an connecting portion (427) configured to connect the covering portion (421, 422) flexibly to a circumferential portion of the mat main body (420).