Air Inlet Shutter Flap Groove-Lock End Piece Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing shutter devices for motor vehicle air inlets face challenges in achieving reliable and cost-effective connection between the flap body and end pieces, requiring tight manufacturing tolerances to prevent damage and ensure proper placement, which is difficult and costly to achieve.
Innovation Solution
A flap design featuring a profiled flap body with a groove on the rear wall and a hooking finger on the end pieces, where the hooking finger has a tooth that embeds into the groove to secure the end pieces, allowing for easier insertion and deformation to prevent removal, along with a central reinforcing wall and complementary cross-sections for enhanced stability and manufacturing flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If reduced manufacturing tolerances are used to prevent end pieces from damaging the flap body, then the connection reliability is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases and production difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a groove in the rear wall and a hooking finger with a tooth on the end piece that embeds into the groove. This pre-designed mechanical interlocking structure provides beforehand cushioning against misalignment and damage during assembly, allowing larger manufacturing tolerances while maintaining connection reliability. The groove acts as a guide and cushioning element that prevents the end piece from damaging the flap body even when tolerance variations occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The groove in the rear wall serves as an intermediary element between the end piece and the flap body. Instead of requiring direct contact between the end piece and the flap body surfaces (which would demand tight tolerances), the groove mediates the connection by providing a receptacle for the hooking finger, thereby accommodating tolerance variations and simplifying manufacturing.
2Reliability
If tight manufacturing tolerances are required for end piece placement, then the connection security is improved, but the assembly difficulty increases and production efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The groove-hooking finger mechanism provides beforehand cushioning that guides the end piece into proper position during assembly. The groove acts as a pre-prepared receptacle that accommodates the hooking finger, providing self-aligning features that reduce assembly difficulty and maintain connection security without requiring tight tolerances, thereby improving production efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The groove is pre-formed in the rear wall before assembly, creating a predetermined path and position for the hooking finger. This preliminary action of creating the groove eliminates the need for precise real-time alignment during assembly, allowing for faster and more efficient production while maintaining secure connections.
3Strength
If the end piece is designed to be securely retained in the flap body, then the structural integrity is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connection structure is segmented into distinct functional elements: a groove in the rear wall and a hooking finger with a tooth on the end piece. This segmentation allows each element to be designed and manufactured independently with standard processes, reducing overall manufacturing complexity while achieving secure retention and maintaining structural integrity through the interlocking mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
A flap including a flap with a front wall and a rear wall, the rear wall including a groove extending concentrically to the axis of rotation of the flap, the front wall and the rear wall being connected edge to edge and delimiting an inner cavity, the flap further including an end piece at each of the ends of the flap body, the end pieces including an inner part inserted into the cavity of the flap body and an outer part protruding from the flap body, at least one end piece including a hooking finger projecting from the end piece along the axis of rotation and being inserted within the groove, the hooking finger including at least one tooth intended to be implanted within the groove, the tooth being oriented so as to oppose the extraction of the end piece from the flap body.