Hinged Engine Cover with Elastomeric Grommet Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
The mounting of engine covers to air intake manifolds using multiple steel brackets and fasteners leads to noise, vibration, and harshness issues, as well as increased manufacturing and assembly costs due to a high parts count, and existing solutions like elastomeric ferrules are difficult to implement reliably with automated manufacturing techniques.
Innovation Solution
An engine cover system with a molded polyamide intake manifold featuring parallel slotted ribs and a spindle with elastomeric grommets that compress to capture the spindle within C-shaped slots, eliminating the need for brackets and fasteners and providing a snap-in retention mechanism and vibrational damping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If multiple steel brackets and fasteners are used to mount the engine cover, then the attachment strength is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the mounting function directly into the engine cover by forming hinge sections with integral slots as part of the cover's molded structure. This eliminates the need for separate steel brackets and fasteners, reducing parts count while maintaining attachment strength through the direct integration of mounting features into the cover body.
Solution Approach 2:
The engine cover is designed to perform multiple functions: it provides engine bay aesthetics, noise reduction, and structural mounting attachment. The hinge sections with slots serve both as structural support elements and as mounting interfaces, allowing the cover to attach to various manifold configurations without requiring specialized bracket components.
2Reliability
If multiple steel brackets and fasteners are used to mount the engine cover, then the attachment reliability is improved, but the manufacturing and assembly costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting features (hinge sections with slots) are integrated directly into the engine cover's molded structure, eliminating the need for separate brackets and fasteners. This reduction in parts count directly lowers manufacturing and assembly costs while maintaining reliable attachment through the direct-formed mounting interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The engine cover includes self-contained hinge sections with built-in slots that provide their own mounting capability. The cover serves its own mounting needs without requiring external bracket components, simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing assembly complexity while ensuring reliable attachment.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If elastomeric ferrules are used on hinge pins, then the NVH performance is improved, but the manufacturing and assembly reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the elastomeric ferrule component from the hinge assembly entirely. Instead of using separate ferrules that require manual installation, the hinge sections are formed with integrated slots that provide the necessary NVH damping and retention functions directly as part of the molded structure, eliminating the reliability issues associated with ferrule installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The NVH damping function previously provided by separate elastomeric ferrules is integrated directly into the hinge section structure through the molded slots. The slots themselves provide the compliance and damping characteristics needed for NVH performance, eliminating the need for separate ferrule components and their associated installation reliability issues.
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
This solution reduces noise, vibration, and harshness while lowering manufacturing and assembly costs by simplifying the attachment process and providing a robust, reliable attachment method that can be effectively implemented using automated techniques.
Implementation Method 1
Elastomeric grommets are disposed over the slotted ribs and within the slots adapted to compress within the mouth to capture the spindle within the slots
Implementation Method 2
Elastomeric grommets are disposed over the slotted ribs and within the slots adapted to compress within the mouth to capture the spindle within the slots
Data Source
AI summary
An engine cover system for joining a cover with an intake manifold body. A plurality of structural ribs project from an external surface of the body including a pair of parallel ribs. Each parallel rib carries an integrally-molded U-shaped receiver strip extending transversely from the parallel ribs to form slots having closed ends proximate a first edge of the body and slot openings defined by respective edges of the receiver strips. The engine cover is comprised of a shroud, first and second radial arms, and first and second hinge pins projecting from the first and second radial arms, respectively. The hinge pins are configured to slide into the slots via the slot openings into the closed ends. First and second elastomeric ferrules are installed on the first and second hinge pins, respectively, configured to be compressed by the receiver strips when captured at the closed ends.