Pinch-Removable Fastener Clip Assembly for Vehicle Body Panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fasteners for attaching vehicle body panels to chassis face issues with unequal force distribution, wing breakage, misalignment, and inability to self-align, leading to rattling, corrosion, and poor sealing due to variations in slot size and sheet metal thickness, and environmental conditions.
Innovation Solution
A two-piece fastener clip assembly comprising a cap/grommet and pin retainer with a self-centering funnel feature and removable umbrella seal, allowing for easy alignment and reattachment, and accommodating variations in slot size and sheet metal thickness, while minimizing noise and corrosion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional one-piece fasteners are used, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but wing breakage occurs due to unequal force distribution and misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The fastener is divided into two separate pieces: a cap that remains in the chassis slot and a pin retainer that attaches to the body panel. This segmentation allows the cap to be reusable and eliminates wing breakage since the pin retainer can be removed and reattached without damaging the cap's engagement features.
2Device complexity
If conventional fasteners are used, then device complexity is reduced, but alignment and reusability are poor due to inability to self-align
Solution Approach 1:
The cap includes a self-centering funnel feature that automatically guides the pin retainer into proper alignment during installation. This self-aligning mechanism eliminates the need for precise manual alignment and ensures consistent positioning, making the fastener easy to install and reuse.
3Reliability
If conventional fasteners are used, then sealing is insufficient due to variations in slot size and sheet metal thickness, but adding adaptive sealing increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The umbrella seal is designed with flexible material properties and geometric characteristics that allow it to adapt to variations in slot size and sheet metal thickness. The seal's ability to deform and conform to different dimensions provides consistent sealing performance across production tolerances without requiring complex adjustable mechanisms.
4Force
If conventional fasteners are used, then insertion and extraction forces are relatively equal, but body panels require high insertion force and low extraction force
Solution Approach 1:
The fastener system provides different force characteristics during insertion and extraction. During insertion, the cap's funnel guides the pin retainer for smooth engagement with low force. During extraction, the pin retainer can be pulled away from the cap with low force, while the cap remains securely in the slot. This dynamic force distribution matches the requirements of body panel attachment.
Data Source
AI summary
A fastener clip assembly including a cap configured to be secured to a chassis through a chassis slot. The cap comprises one or more wings configured to collapse upon inserting the cap into the chassis slot and to expand upon full insertion. The cap is further configured to be secured to the chassis slot at least upon the wings expanding into the chassis slot. The clip further includes a pin configured to be secured to a body panel. The pin is configured to be secured to the cap. The cap comprises one or more releases. The releases are accessible from a side of the cap configured to receive the pin. The releases are configured, upon release, to collapse the one or more wings. The cap is configured to be extracted from the chassis based at least upon releasing the releases.