Integrated Plastic Hinge Knuckle for Vehicle Door Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing assembly process for vehicle doors is complex, time-consuming, and costly due to the need for multiple assembly operations and expensive tools, and the use of metallic hinges makes them heavy and prone to breakage in high-speed impacts, posing safety risks.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle door features a hinge part integrated with the door body, made at least partially of plastic material, which simplifies assembly and reduces weight, and includes a fusible zone to absorb impact forces, reducing the risk of detachment and injury.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metallic hinges are used to ensure strength and rigidity, then the strength and reliability of the hinge connection is improved, but the weight of the hinge increases and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining plastic and metal in the hinge structure. The hinge consists of a plastic knuckle integrated with the door body and a metal pin for connection. This composite approach provides the necessary strength through the metal pin while keeping the overall weight lower than traditional all-metal hinges, resolving the contradiction between strength and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge is segmented into distinct functional parts: a plastic knuckle integrated with the door body and a separate metal pin. This segmentation allows each material to be optimized for its specific function - plastic for lightweight integration and metal for load-bearing connection - thereby reducing overall weight while maintaining strength.
2Reliability
If traditional assembly methods with separate metallic hinges are used, then the reliability of the connection is improved, but the assembly complexity and assembly time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the hinge connection function with the door body structure by integrating the plastic knuckle directly into the door body through molding. This eliminates the need for separate hinge assemblies and multiple fastening operations, significantly reducing assembly complexity while maintaining connection reliability through the integrated design.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge knuckle is preliminarily formed by integrating it with the door body during the molding process. This preliminary action of creating the hinge structure as part of the door body manufacturing eliminates the need for subsequent complex assembly operations, reducing both assembly time and complexity while ensuring reliable connection.
3Strength
If traditional metallic hinges are used, then the strength under impact is improved, but the cost of manufacturing and assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The composite hinge structure uses plastic for the knuckle integrated with the door body and metal for the load-bearing pin. This combination reduces manufacturing costs compared to all-metal hinges while maintaining adequate impact resistance through the metal pin, resolving the contradiction between strength and manufacturing cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The plastic knuckle portion of the hinge is designed as a cost-effective component that can be molded directly with the door body. While the plastic material is less expensive than metal, the critical load-bearing function is handled by the metal pin, achieving a balance between cost and impact resistance.
4Weight of moving object
If plastic material is used for the hinge, then the weight is reduced and manufacturing cost is reduced, but the strength and impact resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials where the plastic knuckle provides lightweight integration with the door body while the metal pin provides the necessary strength for load-bearing and impact resistance. This composite approach resolves the contradiction by assigning different materials to different functional requirements within the same hinge assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge structure applies local quality by using plastic for the knuckle portion requiring lightweight integration and metal for the pin portion requiring high strength. Each material is placed locally where its properties are most beneficial, achieving both weight reduction and adequate strength.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~3
Figure 4A~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a movable panel (10) for a vehicle, comprising: a movable panel body (14) made at least partially from a plastic material; and at least one portion (16) of a hinge capable of connecting the movable panel body to the body shell of the vehicle, said portion being integral with at least one element (14) of the movable panel body and preferably forming a knuckle of the hinge.