Frangible Motor Vehicle Glove Box Door for Knee Impact Energy Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dashboard glove boxes with protruding doors pose a risk of injury during impacts, as existing designs may not adequately absorb the energy of a passenger's knee strike, potentially failing to meet safety standards like EuroNCAP, which requires a resistance of 250-350 daN over a 170-200 mm stroke.
Innovation Solution
A motor vehicle dashboard glove box with a frangible line formed by a reduced wall thickness across the door's width, integrated into a U- or V-shaped groove, and additional shock absorption zones in the receptacle walls, allowing for enhanced energy absorption during impacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the glove box door is made protruding to close the receptacle opening, then the closing function is improved, but the safety risk increases due to potential knee impact injury
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a frangible line with reduced wall thickness in the glove box door, creating a predetermined weak zone that will break upon impact. This beforehand cushioning mechanism allows the door to fail safely by breaking rather than transmitting full impact force to the passenger's knee, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining door integrity for closing function and preventing impact injury.
2Loss of energy
If the wall thickness is reduced to create a frangible line, then the shock absorption capability is improved, but the structural strength decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a frangible line with reduced wall thickness at a specific location in the glove box door, while the rest of the door maintains its normal wall thickness and structural strength. This localized thinning creates a controlled weak zone that absorbs impact energy through breaking, while the surrounding thicker areas maintain the overall structural integrity and strength of the door.
3Loss of energy
If additional shock absorption zones are added to the receptacle walls, then the energy absorption capability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the shock absorption function with the existing receptacle wall structure by forming frangible zones directly in the receptacle walls. Instead of adding separate shock absorption components, the design integrates energy-absorbing features into the existing structure, thus improving energy absorption capability while minimizing increases in device complexity.
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 effectively absorbs impact energy by deforming the door's frangible line and additional shock absorption zones, improving safety compliance by distributing the force of a knee strike and minimizing injury risk while maintaining aesthetic appeal.
Implementation Method 1
the frangible line is formed by a reduction in the thickness of the wall of the door
Implementation Method 2
in the event of an impact, the passenger's knees risk striking this protruding zone of the glove box door
Implementation Method 3
the groove has a U-shaped profile; the groove has a V-shaped profile
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
Motor vehicle glove box comprising a receptacle formed in a dashboard of the vehicle and a door (22) mounted so as to be movable between a substantially horizontal open position in which an opening of the receptacle is opened up and a substantially vertical closed position in which the opening of the receptacle is closed off, characterized in that the door (22) of the glove box has, in an upper region (24) disposed opposite the knees of a passenger, a horizontal line (34) that is breakable in the event of contact with the passenger's knees during an impact so as to absorb the energy of the impact by deformation of the door (22) towards the inside of the receptacle.