Plastic Lifter Plate Assembly for Vehicle Window Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Frameless vehicle doors lack stability for windows due to the absence of a guide track, leading to the need for heavy and costly metal lifter plates that are not lightweight or economical.
Innovation Solution
The development of plastic lifter plates with rail guide hooks, a window clamp plate, and a fastener assembly that includes a threaded member and nut, along with ribs for enhanced strength and stability, allowing for a lightweight and cost-effective solution while maintaining high strength and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If metal lifter plates are used in frameless doors, then window stability is improved, but weight and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The lifter plate is constructed as a composite structure combining plastic material with integrated metal reinforcement elements (such as metal inserts or stamped metal sections). This allows the plate to achieve the strength and stability of metal components while maintaining the weight advantages of plastic, directly resolving the contradiction between stability and weight in frameless door applications
Solution Approach 2:
The lifter plate is divided into distinct functional zones: plastic sections for weight reduction and metal reinforcement sections for strength enhancement. This segmentation allows each material to be placed where it is most needed, achieving optimal stability-to-weight ratio by concentrating metal reinforcement only in high-stress areas rather than using solid metal throughout
2Stability of the object's composition
If metal lifter plates are used in frameless doors, then window stability is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The composite construction using plastic with integrated metal reinforcement reduces manufacturing cost compared to solid metal plates. The plastic components can be molded using efficient injection molding processes, and the metal reinforcement can be added as inserts during molding or as thin stamped sections, avoiding the need for expensive solid metal fabrication and machining operations
Solution Approach 2:
The design uses cost-effective plastic materials for the main body of the lifter plate, replacing expensive metal components with more economical plastic alternatives that still provide adequate performance. This substitution significantly reduces material costs and manufacturing complexity while maintaining necessary functionality
3Weight of moving object
If plastic lifter plates are used, then weight and manufacturing cost are reduced, but strength and rigidity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The plastic lifter plate incorporates metal reinforcement elements (inserts, stamped sections, or woven fabrics) within the plastic matrix to enhance strength and rigidity. This composite approach allows the plate to maintain lightweight characteristics while achieving the mechanical properties necessary for frameless door applications through the synergistic combination of plastic and metal materials
Solution Approach 2:
Metal reinforcement is strategically placed only in specific high-stress areas of the plastic lifter plate rather than uniformly throughout. This localized reinforcement approach enhances strength where needed while minimizing added weight and cost, allowing the majority of the plate to remain lightweight plastic
Data Source
AI summary
A lifter plate assembly for a window of a motor vehicle has a plastic main body. The main body includes a pair of rail guide hooks formed therein. The rail guide hooks are laterally spaced from one another and configured for sliding receipt of window regulator rails therein. A window clamp plate formed of the main body plastic extends in spaced relation from the main body to provide a receptacle configured for receipt of an edge of the window. A fastener assembly includes an elongate threaded member and a nut. The elongate threaded member extends through an opening in the main body and through an opening in the window clamp plate. At least one of the elongate threaded member and the nut is rotatable relative to the other to draw the window clamp plate and the main body toward one another to clamp against the edge of the window.