Motor Vehicle Front Foot Support Integrating Cable and Connector Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The front foot area of a motor vehicle is cramped and difficult to assemble due to the increased number of electrical connectors and cables, leading to risks of disconnection, damage, and noise, as well as quality defects during the installation process.
Innovation Solution
A support system for the front foot of a motor vehicle that includes means for guiding and retaining cables, fixing a lining, indexing a mat, and fixing electrical connectors, featuring a U-shaped groove for cable retention, notches for lining fixation, and a tube for belt indexing, which facilitates correct arrangement and reduces environmental constraints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If elements are fixed directly to the sheet metal in the front foot area, then the installation can be completed, but the assembly process becomes complex and error-prone with multiple separate steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate installation steps into a single integrated support structure. The support simultaneously provides cable guidance, connector fixation, lining attachment, and carpet indexing functions, allowing all elements to be installed together in one operation rather than through multiple sequential steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure serves multiple functions: it guides cables through grooves, fixes electrical connectors with dedicated positioning, attaches the lining with integrated means, and indexes the carpet with protruding elements. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate components for each function.
2Reliability
If multiple electrical connectors and cables are installed in the cramped front foot area, then electrical functionality is achieved, but the risk of disconnection, damage, and noise increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure pre-establishes correct positions for all cables and connectors before final assembly. The grooves and fixation means are already in place to guide and secure elements, preventing misrouting and disconnection risks that occur during later assembly steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The support acts as an intermediary structure between the sheet metal and the various electrical elements. It provides a stable intermediate platform with integrated guidance and fixation mechanisms that protect cables and connectors from damage and disconnection while maintaining their required positions.
3Manufacturing precision
If long fixing studs are used to attach the front foot covering, then the covering can be secured, but the geometric quality is compromised due to stacking of preceding elements
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure shifts the attachment approach from vertical stacking (using long studs through multiple layers) to a distributed attachment system. By providing lateral notches for lining fixation and integrating cable guidance within the same structural plane, it eliminates the need for excessive vertical stacking and improves geometric precision.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a support (30) for one or more elements (42, 49, 55) which are intended to be fastened to a front pillar (20) of a motor vehicle so that they can be supported along said structure, characterized in that the support (30) comprises: at least one means (44, 46, 52, 53, 54, 57, 63) for guiding and retaining cables (42), at least one means (48, 49, 50) for fastening a trim of said structure, at least one means (61) for indexing a carpet, and at least one means (62) for fastening an electrical connector.