Pillar Garnish Cover Part Conceals Dimensional Errors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dimensional errors in pillar garnish components due to thermal shrinkage and linear expansion lead to gaps and deviations, affecting the appearance of the pillar garnish.
Innovation Solution
An elongated pillar garnish design featuring separate attachment and decorative members, where the attachment member includes a cover part that conceals deviations between the members, with a supporting wall portion and a concave or convex configuration to accommodate dimensional errors, and a softer cover part for easy assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the decorative molding and dam member are configured as separate members, then designability and ease of manufacture are improved, but dimensional errors and gaps between members occur due to thermal shrinkage and linear expansion
Solution Approach 1:
The pillar garnish is divided into separate members: a decorative molding and a dam member. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured independently with optimized processes, improving ease of manufacture while maintaining the ability to assemble them into a complete functional unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a flexible intermediate member between the decorative molding and dam member. This intermediate member has adjustable flexibility parameters that allow it to compensate for dimensional variations. By changing the flexibility parameter of this intermediate component, the system can accommodate thermal shrinkage and linear expansion without creating visible gaps, thus resolving the dimensional precision issue while maintaining separate manufacturing.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the decorative molding and dam member are assembled separately, then design flexibility is improved, but gaps and deviations occur at the end of the pillar garnish due to dimensional errors
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible intermediate member is introduced between the decorative molding and dam member. This intermediate member's flexibility parameter allows it to bridge dimensional gaps and conceal deviations at the ends of the pillar garnish. The flexibility enables the intermediate member to adapt to dimensional errors while maintaining a continuous, gap-free appearance, thus preserving appearance quality despite separate assembly and design flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible intermediate member acts as an intermediary element between the decorative molding and dam member. It mediates the connection between these two components, absorbing dimensional discrepancies and preventing visible gaps. This intermediary component allows the system to benefit from separate manufacturing and design flexibility while maintaining aesthetic appearance by concealing any deviations at the junction points.
3Productivity
If dimensional errors occur in the longitudinal direction, then manufacturing variability is reduced, but gaps occur between members affecting appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible intermediate member is designed with specific flexibility parameters that enable it to compensate for longitudinal dimensional errors. This allows manufacturing to proceed efficiently with standard tolerances without requiring high-precision control, while the flexible intermediate member ensures that any dimensional variations do not result in visible gaps, thus maintaining appearance quality despite improved manufacturing efficiency.
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
Prevents deterioration in appearance by covering and concealing dimensional errors between the decorative and attachment members, ensuring a consistent and aesthetically pleasing finish.
Implementation Method 1
the surface of the end of the decorative member in the longitudinal direction is covered by the cover part of the attachment member. Thereby, even when dimensional errors occur for the decorative member and the attachment member, it is possible to cover and conceal a deviation or gap between the end of the decorative member and the end of the attachment member by the cover part
Implementation Method 2
a supporting wall portion erected from the main body part toward the outer side and configured to support the covering portion
Data Source
AI summary
An elongated pillar garnish configured to be attached to a gap between a peripheral edge portion of a window pane of a vehicle and a pillar of the vehicle, the pillar garnish including: an elongated attachment member for attaching the pillar garnish to the gap; and an elongated decorative member assembled to a front surface side of the attachment member, in which the attachment member includes an elongated main body part, and a cover part provided to at least one end of the main body part in a longitudinal direction, in which the cover part has a covering portion covering at least a part of a front surface of the decorative member, and a supporting wall portion erected from the main body part toward the outer side and supporting the covering portion, and in which the supporting wall portion is provided along a direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction.