Motor Vehicle Roof Cover with Coupling Element
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicle roof covers lack reliable attachment mechanisms that prevent detachment during accidents and do not efficiently manage light transmission for interior illumination, leading to potential safety issues and increased material and weight costs.
Innovation Solution
A motor vehicle roof cover comprising two sheets with a coupling element that securely fastens the smaller sheet to a larger sheet, using an adhesively bonded joint and a surrounding frame, while incorporating a light source and diffusing elements to distribute light homogeneously, ensuring the cover remains attached and provides interior lighting without visible structural elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the second sheet is made smaller than the first sheet to save material and reduce weight, then material cost and weight are reduced, but the attachment reliability and structural integrity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is divided into two separate sheets (first sheet and second sheet) with different sizes, where the second sheet is smaller and arranged on the main area of the first sheet. This segmentation allows material optimization while maintaining structural integrity through the coupling element that connects the sheets at the projecting region.
Solution Approach 2:
A coupling element is introduced as an intermediary component to connect the first sheet and the second sheet at the projecting region. This coupling element ensures reliable attachment between the two sheets of different sizes, preventing detachment during accidents while allowing the second sheet to be smaller for material savings.
2Loss of substance
If the second sheet is made smaller to be only visible from the interior, then material usage is reduced, but the light transmission and interior illumination may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The second sheet is strategically positioned and sized to be smaller than the first sheet, covering only the regions that are visible from the interior of the vehicle. This local optimization ensures that material is used only where necessary for both structural and aesthetic purposes, while the coupling element maintains the connection to the larger first sheet for overall integrity.
3Reliability
If a coupling element is added to securely fasten the two sheets, then attachment reliability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling element serves multiple functions simultaneously: it connects the first sheet to the second sheet, provides attachment to the vehicle roof, and bridges breaks in the sheets. By merging these functions into a single component, the overall structural complexity is minimized while maintaining high attachment reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A cover for a motor vehicle roof has a first sheet of planar extent with a main area, a second sheet of planar extent, which is arranged on the main area of the first sheet and has a main area facing away from the first sheet, the main area of the second sheet being smaller than the main area of the first sheet, so that the first sheet has a region projecting beyond the second sheet, a coupling element, which is coupled to the first sheet at the projecting region and is coupled to the main area of the second sheet, in order to fix the second sheet to the first sheet.