Snap-in Spring Clip Assembly for Air Filter Housing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air filter housing assemblies for motor vehicles often require integrally molding the spring clip cleat with the housing, which can be undesirable due to unique packaging requirements and limited design flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A snap-in spring clip assembly featuring a discrete clip cleat with resilient locking arms and a fastener, allowing the cleat to be securely mounted in a housing aperture and the lid to be easily secured and removed, utilizing a resilient mounting hook and snap-in cam mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the spring clip cleat is integrally molded with the housing, then manufacturing cost is reduced and structural integrity is improved, but design flexibility and adaptability to different packaging requirements deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the spring clip assembly into separate components: a discrete spring clip cleat and the housing. The cleat can be independently manufactured and then attached to the housing via snap-in mounting, allowing each component to be optimized separately and enabling greater design flexibility while maintaining manufacturing efficiency.
2Reliability
If the spring clip cleat is integrally molded with the housing, then structural strength and reliability are improved, but ease of repair and replacement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The spring clip cleat is extracted as a separate, removable component from the housing. The snap-in mounting mechanism with resilient locking arms allows the cleat to be easily removed and replaced without damaging the housing, significantly improving ease of repair while maintaining structural integrity through the secure locking mechanism.
3Ease of operation
If a discrete clip cleat with multiple resilient locking arms is used, then ease of operation and installation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple resilient locking arms are merged into a single integrated cleat component that snaps into the housing aperture as one unit. This combining of multiple locking features into a single installable component simplifies the overall assembly process and reduces the number of separate parts, thereby improving ease of operation without proportionally increasing complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution provides a flexible and cost-effective way to secure the air filter housing lid, allowing for easy access and maintenance while maintaining reliable sealing and operation.
Implementation Method 1
Each resilient locking arm includes a distal end having an abutment directed toward and spaced from the mounting flange by a cleat retention gap
Implementation Method 2
The abutment includes an abutment face oriented toward the mounting flange and a snap-in cam on a side away from the abutment face
Data Source
AI summary
A snap-in spring clip assembly includes a discrete clip cleat and a fastener carried on the clip cleat. The discrete clip cleat includes a body having a base, a first rib depending from the base and a second rib depending from the base. The first and second ribs each include at least one resilient locking arm that allows the discrete clip cleat to be snapped into and retained in a desired position.