Single-Piece Structural Shelf for Rear Wheel Arch Belt Mounting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing seat belt retractor support systems for rear passengers in vehicles require complex assembly due to multiple parts and numerous welding points, leading to increased manufacturing complexity and potential rigidity issues, especially when dealing with rear wheel arches that are not in one piece.
Innovation Solution
A single-piece structural shelf is designed to connect the rear leg, rear wheel arch, and body side, providing a mechanical connection and serving as a support for the seat belt retractor, with a central zone and contour surfaces for secure attachment, including a fixing zone for the retractor and optional stiffening ribs, manufactured by stamping and assembled by welding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a multi-part support structure is used to connect the rear wheel arch, body side, and rear pillar, then the structural strength and stiffness are improved, but the assembly complexity and number of welding points increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate support parts into a single integrated shelf structure that simultaneously connects the rear wheel arch, body side, and rear pillar. This monolithic design eliminates the need for multiple separate components and their associated assembly operations, thereby reducing assembly complexity while maintaining structural strength through the unified geometry of the shelf.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate parts are assembled to form the support structure, then the manufacturing flexibility is improved, but the manufacturing precision and structural rigidity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The shelf is designed with integrated segmentation features including openings in the lateral surfaces and rib structures that provide both manufacturing adaptability and structural rigidity. These segmented features allow for easy adaptation to different wheel arch configurations while the integrated monolithic construction ensures high manufacturing precision and structural rigidity without the complications of assembling multiple separate parts.
3Reliability
If numerous welding points are used to attach the support structure to the vehicle body, then the reliability of the connection is improved, but the manufacturing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
By merging multiple attachment functions into a single integrated shelf structure, the number of welding operations is significantly reduced. The unified geometry of the shelf allows for fewer, more strategic welding points compared to attaching multiple separate components, thereby improving assembly productivity while maintaining connection reliability through the robust monolithic construction and optimized attachment surfaces.
4Device complexity
If a single-piece shelf is used to connect the rear wheel arch and body side, then the assembly complexity is reduced, but the structural stiffness may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The shelf incorporates local quality enhancements through strategically placed rib structures and optimized thickness variations in different regions. These local reinforcements provide the necessary structural stiffness in critical areas while maintaining the overall simplicity of the single-piece design, thus resolving the contradiction between assembly simplicity and structural stiffness.
5Adaptability or versatility
If the wheel arch is assembled from three separate parts, then the manufacturing flexibility is improved, but the structural integrity and stiffness of the overall assembly deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated shelf structure merges the connection functions for all three wheel arch parts into a single unified attachment system. This allows the shelf to maintain structural integrity and stiffness by providing a continuous load path across the wheel arch assembly, while still accommodating the manufacturing flexibility of using three separate wheel arch components through its adaptable geometry and attachment features.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a shelf (30) for a motor vehicle, intended for being secured between a rear pillar (20), an upper surface (31) of a rear wheel arch (13) and a side of the bodywork (15) of the motor vehicle, characterised in that the shelf (30) comprises a single part comprising: a. a central zone (32) extending substantially along a central plane (33), the central zone (32) being delimited by an edge (34); b. a contour (35) extending at any point of the edge (34) in a secant direction (36, 37, 38, 39), preferably perpendicular, to the central plane (33).