Translating Front Cabin Stiffener for Small Offset Collision Loads

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Solution Overview

Problem

Stiffeners of front cabins in vehicles are prone to fractures due to shear loads during small offset collisions, affecting the overall structural integrity and stability.

Innovation Solution

A front cabin stiffener with a translational design, featuring a stiffening beam body that can translate relative to the front shock absorber tower, equipped with support portions that contact the tower to deflect away, converting shear loads into tensile loads, reducing the risk of fractures and enhancing stability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If the stiffening beam body is rigidly connected to the front shock absorber tower, then the structural strength is improved, but the connecting portion is prone to fracture due to shear loads during small offset collisions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural strengthVSAvoidfracture resistance of connecting portion
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The stiffening beam body is designed with translational capability relative to the front shock absorber tower through the connecting portion. During small offset collisions, the stiffening beam body can translate in the transverse direction, transforming the rigid connection into a dynamic semi-rigid connection that reduces shear load on the connecting portion while maintaining structural strength

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The connecting portion is designed with specific translational parameters including translational gap, translational stroke, and translational stiffness. These parameters are optimized to allow controlled translation that reduces shear load while maintaining sufficient connection strength, transforming the connection characteristics from rigid to semi-rigid

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If the stiffening beam body is designed to translate relative to the front shock absorber tower, then the shear load on connecting portion is reduced, but the structural stability may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefracture resistance of connecting portionVSAvoidstructural stability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The support portion is pre-designed to contact the front shock absorber tower after translation occurs. This preliminary design ensures that when collision happens, the support portion engages to push the stiffening beam body deflect away from the front shock absorber tower, converting shear load to tensile load and preventing excessive translation that would compromise structural stability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Solution Approach 2:

The translation mechanism operates in a controlled sequence: first the stiffening beam body translates relative to the front shock absorber tower, then the support portion contacts the tower, and finally the beam body deflects away. This periodic action pattern ensures both shear load reduction and structural stability maintenance

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentEP4653295A1Front cabin stiffener, front cabin assembly and vehicle
Publication Date: 2025.11.26 XIAOMI EV TECH CO LTD
  • EP4653295A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4653295A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4653295A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a front cabin stiffener (5), a front cabin assembly and a vehicle. The present front cabin stiffener (5) includes a stiffening beam body (1), where a connecting portion extending in a first direction is arranged on the stiffening beam body (1), and the connecting portion is used to be connected with a front shock absorber tower; and the stiffening beam body (1) is set to be able to translate relative to the front shock absorber tower in a second direction when the front shock absorber tower is collided, a support portion is formed on the stiffening beam body (1), and the support portion is set to be able to make contact with the front shock absorber tower after the stiffening beam body (1) is translated, so as to push the stiffening beam body (1) to deflect away from the front shock absorber tower in the first direction.