Motor Vehicle Front-End Panel With Adjustable Uprights
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing use of a single vehicle platform for different vehicle shapes and heights by car manufacturers leads to higher costs due to the need for specific front ends, which do not provide complete satisfaction in terms of cost and structural rigidity.
Innovation Solution
A series of front faces with movable upright parts that can be assembled into different configurations, using a standardized lower frame to accommodate various vehicle heights, allowing for the same platform to support multiple vehicle designs while maintaining structural rigidity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a specific front end is developed and manufactured for each type of vehicle assembled on the same platform, then the structural rigidity and adaptability to different vehicle shapes are improved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The front end is divided into modular components: a standardized lower frame and vehicle-specific upper body elements. This segmentation allows the lower frame to be mass-produced independently while upper elements are customized for different vehicle types, reducing overall manufacturing costs while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
A universal lower frame design is created that can serve multiple vehicle types on the same platform. This standardized base structure provides common structural rigidity and mounting points, while allowing different upper body configurations to be attached, thereby reducing per-unit manufacturing costs through economies of scale.
2Ease of manufacture
If a standardized lower frame is used across different front end configurations, then the manufacturing cost decreases, but the structural rigidity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The standardized lower frame incorporates locally optimized structural features such as reinforced ribs, strategically placed mounting points, and varied cross-sectional geometries in critical areas. This allows the frame to maintain high structural rigidity where needed while using simpler, more cost-effective designs in less critical areas, balancing strength requirements with manufacturing economy.
3Strength
If the uprights are made as single integral pieces, then the structural strength is improved, but the adaptability to different vehicle heights is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The uprights are designed as telescopic or adjustable-length components rather than fixed integral pieces. This allows the upright length to be dynamically adjusted to match different vehicle heights and body styles while maintaining structural integrity through engineered connection mechanisms such as pinned joints or threaded adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The upright structure employs nested segments where one upright component fits within another, allowing variable effective length while maintaining a compact standardized form factor. This nesting approach enables adaptation to different vehicle heights without requiring completely different upright structures for each application.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a motor vehicle front-end panel (10) consisting of an upper transverse crossmember (18) to be fixed to body elements (12) and a frame (20). The frame (20) is fixed beneath the crossmember (18) and consists of a lower transverse beam (50) and two side struts (52) connecting the lower beam (50) to the crossmember (18). Each strut (52) includes a lower part (54) which is solidly connected to the beam (50) and an upper part (56) which is solidly connected to the crossmember (18). The upper part (56) and the lower part (54) can move in relation to one another between a disassembled configuration in which the upper part (56) is located at a distance from the lower part (54) and an assembled configuration in which the upper part (56) and the lower part (54) are fitted together. The aim of the invention is to provide a series of motor vehicle front-end panels by combining identical inner parts with upper parts having different dimensions.