Vehicular Interior Member Mounting Structure Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mounting structures for vehicular interior members fail to reliably fix the edge portion of interior members to opening flanges, especially when subjected to loads that can cause the insertion piece to deflect or come off, and are not adaptable to varying inner panel shapes.
Innovation Solution
A mounting structure featuring an insertion piece with a protrusion that locks to the edge end of the opening flange, combined with a joggle-shaped part on the inner flange, ensuring secure pinching and stability regardless of the inner panel shape, and incorporating a reinforcing rib for enhanced rigidity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a projection part is provided in a bent portion of the insertion piece to abut against the vertical wall surface of the inner panel, then the insertion piece can resist loads applied to the interior member, but this structure cannot be adopted when the inner panel has a flat shape having no vertical wall surface
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the insertion piece adapt to different panel shapes by changing its own structure, the invention inverts the approach by making the opening flange adapt to the insertion piece through a standardized locking structure. The protrusion at the tip of the insertion piece locks with the opening flange regardless of the inner panel shape, ensuring consistent fixing reliability across different panel configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The opening flange is designed with a universal locking mechanism that works with the protrusion of the insertion piece across different inner panel shapes. The flange structure serves multiple functions: providing a standardized locking interface, accommodating different panel geometries, and ensuring reliable fixation without requiring modifications to the insertion piece design.
2Device complexity
If the insertion piece is simply pinched by the opening trim together with the opening flange, then the structure is simple, but the insertion piece may deflect or come off under load
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusion is preliminarily formed at the tip of the insertion piece before assembly, and the opening flange is designed with a corresponding locking structure. During assembly, the protrusion automatically locks with the opening flange before the opening trim is fully installed, ensuring that the fixation reliability is established in advance rather than relying solely on the pinching action of the finished assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixing mechanism is segmented into distinct functional elements: the protrusion at the tip of the insertion piece, the locking structure on the opening flange, and the pinching action of the opening trim. This segmentation allows each element to perform its specific function - the protrusion provides positive locking, the flange provides the locking interface, and the trim provides clamping force - resulting in a reliable fixation system that remains relatively simple in overall structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A mounting structure for a vehicular interior member is provide and includes an opening flange formed by joining an outer flange of an outdoor-side panel and an inner flange of an indoor-side panel to each other at the peripheral edge of a door opening, an opening trim fitted to the opening flange, and an interior member that covers the vehicle indoor side of the indoor-side panel. An insertion piece extending from the edge part back surface of the interior member, together with the opening flange, is pinched by the opening trim. At the tip end of the insertion piece, a protrusion capable of being locked to the edge end of the opening flange is formed, and by fitting the opening trim to the opening flange in the state in which the protrusion is locked, the edge part of the interior member is fixed to the opening flange.