Motor Vehicle Splash Guard With Integrated Air Deflector Hinge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current motor vehicle shields require additional manufacturing and assembly steps for separate air deflectors, increasing production costs and complexity, while also needing separate pedestrian impact absorbers, which adds material and time costs.
Innovation Solution
A motor vehicle shield made of moldable plastic with an integrated air deflector that forms a hinge for easy pivoting into position, reducing manufacturing complexity and allowing for integrated pedestrian impact absorption, with fixing means to secure the deflector in place, thus simplifying production and assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a separate air deflector is added to the shield, then air loss at the air inlet grille is reduced, but manufacturing complexity and assembly time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The air deflector is integrated into the shield as a single molded piece rather than being a separate component. The shield includes a part forming an air deflector made in one piece with the shield, connected by a connecting zone that forms a hinge, eliminating the need for separate manufacturing and assembly operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated deflector serves multiple functions: it prevents air loss at the grille, provides pedestrian impact absorption, and maintains structural integrity. The part forming an air deflector is shaped to form a pedestrian impact absorber, combining aerodynamic and safety functions in one component.
2Loss of energy
If a separate air deflector is added to the shield, then air flow control is improved, but assembly time and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The air deflector and shield are manufactured as a single integrated component through one molding operation, eliminating separate assembly steps for indexing and fixing the deflector to the shield, thereby reducing assembly time and production costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The deflector is pre-formed as an integral part of the shield during the molding process, with the connecting zone already configured as a hinge. This preliminary formation eliminates the need for subsequent assembly operations to attach the deflector.
3Device complexity
If the shield includes integrated pedestrian impact absorbers, then material and assembly costs are reduced, but structural design complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The part forming an air deflector is shaped to form a pedestrian impact absorber, combining aerodynamic function with safety function in the same structural element, eliminating the need for a separate shock absorber component.
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting zone is designed with thinned material to form a hinge that provides controlled flexibility for pedestrian impact absorption while maintaining overall structural integrity. The local variation in material thickness enables the hinge function without compromising the shield's strength.
4Ease of operation
If the connecting zone uses thinned material to form a hinge, then the deflector can be easily pivoted into position, but the connection strength may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting zone features localized thinning of material specifically at the hinge region to enable pivoting motion, while the rest of the shield and deflector maintain full material thickness and structural strength. This localized modification provides flexibility only where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The thinned connecting zone forms a functional hinge that allows dynamic pivoting motion during assembly from a demolding position to a position of use, while the overall structure remains rigid. The hinge provides controlled movement without compromising the static strength of the integrated structure.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a motor vehicle splash guard (10) made of a moldable plastic material including an air intake grille (20), said splash guard having a lower edge (11) extending in a substantially horizontal plane when the splash guard is in the operating position, the splash guard including an air deflector portion (30) that is integral with the splash guard (10) and extends in a substantially horizontal plane, beneath the air intake grille, when the splash guard (10) is in the operating position, a connecting area (31) joining said air deflector portion (30) to the lower edge (11) of the splash guard, characterized in that the connecting area (31) is an area consisting of a thinned-out material forming a hinge, in such a manner that the air deflector portion (30) is movable between a mold release position and an operating position in which the same extends in a substantially horizontal plane when the splash guard is in the operating position, and in that the air deflector portion (30) includes at least two attachment means (32) on the splash guard (11) and/or on the air intake grille (20), which attachment means are capable of holding the air deflector portion (30) in the operating position.