Steering Wheel Tray Mounting Device Guide Elements

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing motor vehicle designs face challenges in securely mounting and storing a tray on a steering wheel or steering wheel rim, leading to movement and rattling during vehicle operations.

Innovation Solution

A mounting device with guide elements and counter-guide elements is designed to securely hold a tray in place on a steering wheel or steering wheel rim, featuring annular raised guide portions, funnel-shaped openings, and flexible hold-down elements to prevent movement and rattling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If the tray is stored in a mounting device during vehicle operation, then the tray stability is improved, but the tray may move and contact walls during accelerations or irregular road conditions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetray stabilityVSAvoidtray movement and rattling

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The mounting device is divided into separate functional components: guide elements on the tray, counter-guide elements in the mounting device, hold-down elements, and positioning elements. This segmentation allows each component to address specific stability issues independently, preventing tray movement during vehicle accelerations and irregular road conditions while maintaining overall tray stability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The guide elements and counter-guide elements act as intermediary components between the tray and the mounting device structure. These intermediate elements guide and constrain the tray's position, preventing direct contact between the tray and wall surfaces during vehicle motion, thereby eliminating rattling while maintaining stability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If the mounting device uses guide elements and counter-guide elements, then the tray positioning precision is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetray positioning precisionVSAvoidmounting device structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The hold-down elements are designed as flexible components that can elastically deform to accommodate the tray during insertion and then apply holding force to secure it. This flexibility simplifies the mounting operation and reduces the need for complex adjustment mechanisms, achieving precise positioning without excessive device complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of using complex active mechanisms to position and secure the tray, the design uses passive geometric features (guide elements and counter-guide elements with complementary shapes) that automatically guide the tray into the correct position through their interlocking geometries, simplifying the overall device structure while maintaining high positioning precision

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentUS20250074282A1Motor vehicle having a mounting device for a tray

Publication Date: 2025.03.06 FORD GLOBAL TECH LLC

AI summary

A motor vehicle having a mounting device for a tray for use on a steering wheel or steering wheel rim arranged in a tray support position, wherein the tray has at least one guide element on a mounting side arranged opposite a tray surface, and wherein the mounting device has a counter-guide clement corresponding to the at least one guide element.