Front Pillar Structure with Aligned Mounting Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional front pillar structures result in large dead angles due to the intersecting mounting directions of the front window glass and sub-window glass, leading to an inconvenient width and increased visibility obstructions for drivers and passengers.
Innovation Solution
A front pillar structure featuring a transparent member between the front and rear side pillar frame members, with an angle absorbing member mounted to a planar portion facing the vehicle front side, allowing the outer side end of the front windshield glass and the transparent member's end to be mounted to the same planar portion, reducing the pillar's width and dead angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the front window glass and sub-window glass are mounted to surfaces that face different directions (vehicle front side and vehicle transverse direction outer side), then the structural stability is maintained, but the front pillar width increases and dead angles are enlarged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the mounting surfaces for the front window glass and sub-window glass onto a single planar portion facing the vehicle front side. By combining what were previously separate mounting surfaces into one unified surface, the front pillar width is reduced and dead angles are minimized while maintaining structural stability through the integrated mounting configuration.
2Ease of operation
If the front pillar width is reduced to minimize dead angles, then visibility is improved, but the structural strength and stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric design in the mounting configuration, where the planar portion is positioned to face the vehicle front side at an optimized angle and location. This asymmetric arrangement allows the mounting surface to be strategically placed to minimize pillar width and dead angles while the structural reinforcement elements are positioned to maintain strength, achieving both visibility improvement and structural integrity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A front pillar structure has: a front side pillar frame member (30) and a rear side pillar frame member (40) that structure a front pillar disposed at a vehicle transverse direction outer side of a front windshield glass (18); a transparent member (50) that extends between the front side pillar frame member (30) and the rear side pillar frame member (40), and that is disposed along a direction intersecting the front windshield glass (18); a planar portion (32C) that is formed at the front side pillar frame member (30) so as to face toward a vehicle front side, and to which a vehicle transverse direction outer side end portion (18A) of the front windshield glass (18) is mounted from a vehicle front side; and an angle absorbing member (56) that is provided at a vehicle front side end portion of the transparent member (50), and that is mounted to the planar portion from the vehicle front side.