Passenger Car Side Sill Cover With Flexible Gap Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing cladding devices for passenger car side skirts, while effective in protecting against stone chips and dirt, compromise ergonomics and comfort, especially for older people or those with limited mobility, due to their protrusion into the door opening area, which can hinder easy entry and exit and increase noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) issues.
Innovation Solution
A cladding device with a flexible element attached to an inherently rigid outer cladding element, allowing displacement between positions to cover gaps and free spaces, thereby reducing NVH issues and preventing contamination, featuring a bearing axis in the lower portion and a flexible cladding element that can be tensioned or fixed to ensure coverage, along with a pivotally mounted angle strip element for easy alignment and adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the outer trim element is extended outwards beyond the lower edge of the door in the transverse direction to protect the side door from stone chips and dirt, then protection against corrosion and dirt is improved, but the ease of entry and exit is worsened as the trim obstructs the legs of passengers
Solution Approach 1:
The outer trim element is made movable between a trim position (extending outwards for protection) and a release position (retracted for ease of entry/exit). This dynamic positioning allows the system to adapt between two opposing requirements: when the vehicle is stationary, the trim extends to protect the door; when the vehicle is in use, the trim retracts to not obstruct passengers' legs during entry and exit
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the outer trim element is extended outwards to cover the lower edge of the door, then protection against corrosion and dirt is improved, but noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) issues worsen due to gaps and spaces created during movement
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible trim element (film-like structure) is introduced to cover gaps and spaces between the rigid outer trim element and surrounding components. This flexible element dynamically adapts to the movement of the outer trim, maintaining coverage and preventing noise, vibration, and harshness issues that would arise from gaps, while allowing the outer trim to move between positions
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a cover device for a side sill (10) of a passenger car, comprising an inherently stiff outer cover element (24) which is arranged in a longitudinal region (22) of the side sill (10), beneath a door opening (14), and can be shifted between a covering position and an uncovering position, wherein a flexible cover element (62) is provided, one end (64) of which is at least indirectly arranged on the inherently stiff cover element (24), and, during a shifting movement between the covering position and the uncovering position, can be shifted with the inherently stiff cover element (24). Furthermore, according to the invention, when the outer cover element (24) is arranged in the covering position, the flexible cover element (62) is arranged in a region of the side sill (10), which is covered by a vehicle door (12) associated with the door opening (14), and also when the outer cover element (24) is arranged in the covering position, a gap between another component and the end of the inherently stiff outer cover element (24), comprising the flexible cover element (62), is covered. The invention further relates to a method for operating such a cover device.