Motor Vehicle Latch Plate Deformation for Stress Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Motor vehicle latches face challenges in meeting safety requirements under extreme stress conditions while also needing to be lightweight and cost-effective, as they are often subjected to high forces during accidents and must withstand tensile stress without failing.
Innovation Solution
A motor vehicle latch design featuring a latch plate with deformations, such as beads and splays, particularly around the inlet area, forming a U-shaped cross-sectional profile, which enhances tensile strength and stability by distributing stress and providing additional bracing for the locking mechanism, allowing for increased stress resistance with minimal weight and material cost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the latch plate is made stronger to withstand extreme stress, then safety and stability are improved, but weight and material cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by forming deformations (beads) specifically at the inlet area and peripheral regions of the latch plate where stress concentration occurs during accidents. This localized reinforcement provides enhanced strength exactly where needed to withstand extreme tensile forces, while the rest of the latch plate maintains its original lightweight design, thus resolving the contradiction between overall strength and weight reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a third dimension by forming beads that protrude from the plane of the latch plate. These three-dimensional deformations create additional structural volume and material distribution in the critical inlet area, providing enhanced stress resistance without requiring an increase in the overall plate thickness or area, thereby maintaining weight efficiency while improving safety.
2Strength
If additional reinforcing elements are added to the latch plate, then stress resistance is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the reinforcing element directly with the latch plate by forming the beads as integral deformations of the plate itself during the stamping process. This integration eliminates the need for separate reinforcing components, fasteners, or assembly steps, thereby reducing device complexity while providing the necessary stress resistance through the geometric deformation alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the latch plate by introducing controlled deformations (beads) with specific dimensions, positions, and profiles. These parameter changes in the plate's shape and cross-section provide enhanced structural strength and stress distribution without adding new components or complex structural features, thus improving stress resistance while maintaining simplicity.
3Strength
If the latch plate dimensions are increased to provide more material, then strength is improved, but weight and material cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating additional material specifically in the inlet area and peripheral regions where stress concentration occurs during accidents. The beads create localized zones of increased material density and structural volume exactly where needed for stress resistance, while the rest of the latch plate maintains its original dimensions and material quantity, thus improving strength without increasing overall material consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a third dimension by forming beads that protrude from the latch plate surface, creating additional material volume in the critical inlet area. This vertical dimension provides enhanced stress resistance and structural capacity without requiring an increase in the plate's horizontal dimensions or overall material quantity, thereby improving strength while maintaining material efficiency.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The object of the invention is a motor vehicle latch demonstrating a lock- ing mechanism comprising a catch and at least a pawl, a latch plate (1), whereby the locking mechanism can be accommodated in the latch plate (1) and the latch plate (1) demonstrates an inlet area (12), whereby a latch holder (13) can be inserted to interact with the locking mechanism in the inlet area (12) and with at least a deformation (11) formed in a peripheral area of the inlet area (12) in the latch plate (1), whereby the deformation (11) is arranged at least in places directly on an edge of the inlet area (12).