Pillar Interior Trim Attachment Using Seal-Groove Boss Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing interior trim attachment methods for motor vehicle body openings are insufficient, particularly at the seal junction, leading to potential detachment issues and aesthetic concerns.
Innovation Solution
An interior trim design featuring a main wall with bosses on its internal or external faces, which engage with a seal groove, and transverse ribs on the internal face for enhanced grip and stability, allowing the trim to be securely mounted against the vehicle body.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the interior trim is attached using conventional methods, then the manufacturing cost is reduced and the structure is simple, but the attachment strength to the seal is insufficient leading to potential detachment
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment system is segmented into multiple functional elements: the insertion edge for initial engagement, multiple bosses distributed along the insertion edge for enhanced mechanical interlocking, and ribs for additional structural support. This segmentation allows each element to contribute specifically to attachment strength without requiring complete redesign of the entire trim structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The bosses act as intermediary elements between the trim and the seal groove. These protrusions engage with the groove to create a mechanical interlocking mechanism that transfers and distributes attachment forces, thereby strengthening the connection without requiring direct complex interaction between the trim and seal.
2Ease of manufacture
If the trim structure is simplified for ease of manufacture, then the manufacturing cost decreases, but the solidity and stability of the trim are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The ribs are pre-formed as integral parts of the trim structure during manufacturing, extending from the main body toward the insertion edge. This preliminary formation of structural support elements ensures that the trim maintains its stability during assembly and operation without requiring additional reinforcement components or complex post-processing operations.
3Reliability
If conventional attachment methods are used, then the manufacturing process is simple and cost-effective, but the attachment reliability at the seal junction is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment structure employs local quality by concentrating the bosses and ribs specifically at the insertion edge and seal junction areas where attachment reliability is most critical. The rest of the trim maintains a simpler geometry, thus improving reliability at the critical interface without unnecessarily complicating the entire structure.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
An internal trim (13) for the bodywork of a motor vehicle, comprising a main wall intended to be mounted against a lining of an external element of the bodywork, said lining having at least one edge forming, with said element, a junction rebate supporting a seal (11) with an opening of said bodywork; said wall comprising an insertion edge (15A) intended to be inserted into a groove (11A) of said seal (11), an inner face (15C) and an outer face (15D); the trim (13) further comprising, on at least one of the inner (15C) and outer (15D) faces of the main wall, at the insertion edge (15A) in the seal (11), at least one boss (23) able to engage with a shoulder (11A.1) in the groove (11A) of the seal (11).