Panel Fastener Structure With Dual-Position Pin Flange Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fasteners used to attach mounting members to automobile panels face challenges in reducing manufacturing costs while improving waterproof performance and sealing properties, with insufficient sealing preventing their use in waterproof applications.
Innovation Solution
A fastener design featuring a pin with a pin flange and a main body with a pin flange temporary holding part and locking part, where the pin flange is temporarily held and locked at different positions, and a ring-shaped annular part for surface contact, eliminating the need for an undercut structure and reducing manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an undercut structure is provided on the pin tip side to temporarily hold and lock the pin on the main body, then the pin can be temporarily fixed before mounting, but it requires a slide core in the mold which increases manufacturing cost
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of forming the temporary holding structure on the pin (which requires complex mold features like slide cores), the patent inverts the approach by forming the temporary holding claws directly on the main body. This allows the pin to be temporarily held without requiring complex mold features, thereby reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining the temporary holding capability.
2Ease of manufacture
If the pin structure is simplified to reduce manufacturing cost, then mold components can be reduced, but the sealing property between the pin and main body becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating specific sealing structures at critical locations. The temporary holding claws and locking claws on the main body are designed with sealing surfaces that contact the pin at specific points, providing adequate sealing without requiring a complex overall pin structure. This maintains sealing property while allowing pin structure simplification.
3Strength
If the pin flange is locked at a position closer to the bottom part, then the fastening strength is improved, but the pin structure becomes more complex requiring additional locking mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the temporary holding function and the locking function into a unified claw structure on the main body. The same claw that provides temporary holding also provides locking when engaged with the pin flange at the lower position. This integration achieves strong fastening without requiring separate complex locking mechanisms on the pin itself.
Data Source
AI summary
A fastener provided with a pin and a body configured to insert the pin. The pin has a pin flange and a pin shaft extending in the vertical direction from the pin flange; and the main body has a bottom, an opening formed in the bottom for inserting the pin, a member to be mounted locking part formed vertically from the bottom along the opening in order to lock to the member to be mounted, a pin flange temporary holding part for temporarily fixating, before attaching to the member to be mounted, the pin flange at a first position opposite to the member to be mounted locking part relative to the bottom, and a pin flange lock for locking the pin flange at a second position closer to the bottom than the first position while mounted on the member to be mounted.