Motor Vehicle Lock Sealing Interface Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicle door locks with flexible plastic housings face challenges in sealing the passage of transmission arrangements, leading to water ingress, with existing solutions like foam covers being inefficient and cumbersome.
Innovation Solution
The lock features a housing with a rail-and-slide sealing interface, where the housing and transmission arrangement cooperate through translation, using rigid or flexible materials with sealing baffles and optionally deformable gadroons, ensuring effective sealing by aligning the exit plane parallel or inclined to the insertion direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a foam cover device is arranged at the passage place to prevent water ingress, then sealing is improved, but device complexity and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is merged with the transmission arrangement itself. The sealing interface is integrated into the transmission arrangement that passes through the housing, eliminating the need for separate foam cover devices. The sealing interface cooperates with the housing to provide sealing while the transmission arrangement is in use, combining multiple functions into a single component.
Solution Approach 2:
The transmission arrangement performs its own sealing function through its integrated sealing interface. The sealing interface is designed to automatically seal against the housing when the transmission arrangement is inserted and positioned, without requiring external sealing components or additional assembly steps.
2Reliability
If additional sealing components are added to the passage slot, then water ingress is prevented, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing functionality is merged into the transmission arrangement component itself rather than being added as a separate element to the housing. This maintains the advantage of the single-piece housing design while achieving effective sealing through the cooperative sealing interface between the housing and the transmission arrangement.
3Reliability
If the exit plane is inclined with respect to the insertion direction, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but transmission arrangement design complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing interface is designed to be dynamic rather than static. The interface comprises a flexible band that can deform and adapt to the inclined exit plane geometry, allowing effective sealing without requiring complex rigid structures. The flexibility enables the interface to conform to the inclined plane while maintaining sealing contact.
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 configuration provides a robust and efficient seal, preventing water infiltration and ensuring reliable operation across various orientations, suitable for both electrical connectors and cables.
Implementation Method 1
The interfaces constitute a arrangement of rail and slideway with sealing baffles
Implementation Method 2
the interface of said transmission arrangement comprises a flexible band carrying said sealing interface of the transmission arrangement
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3~4A
AI summary
The invention relates to a lock for a movable panel of a motor vehicle, comprising a housing (1) which consists of a single part made of a flexible plastic material, and into which the lock mechanism (2) is inserted in a so-called insertion direction (SI), said housing (1) having at least one slot through which a transmission arrangement of the mechanism is to pass in a so-called exit plane. According to the invention, said housing (1) and said transmission arrangement (5) each comprise a sealing interface, which translatably engage with one another when said mechanism (2) is inserted into the housing (1).