Motor Vehicle Tailgate Single Circumferential Seal Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing motor vehicle tailgate designs are complex and require multiple seals for sealing purposes, which complicates the integration of components like antenna amplifiers and brake lights and limits the loading width due to the need for watertight seals.
Innovation Solution
A simplified tailgate design featuring pivot arms with a single circumferential seal on the tailgate opening and an additional seal between the rear window glass and the tailgate body, allowing components to be mounted in a dry interior without requiring a watertight seal, and enabling increased loading width by shifting the seal closer to the tailgate opening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple seals are used for sealing the tailgate and rear window, then sealing reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sealing functions into a single peripheral seal arranged in the tailgate opening. This one seal performs both the sealing between the tailgate and tailgate opening, and the sealing between the rear window and tailgate body, thereby reducing the number of seals from multiple to one while maintaining sealing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The peripheral seal is designed with multi-functionality, serving as both the tailgate seal and the rear window seal simultaneously. This universal seal structure eliminates the need for separate circumferential seals for each interface, simplifying the overall seal system while ensuring reliable sealing at both interfaces.
2Reliability
If a watertight seal is required for component mounting, then reliability is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sealing function from the component mounting function. The single peripheral seal provides watertight sealing for the tailgate opening, while the dry vehicle interior space below the rear window allows easy mounting of components like antenna amplifiers and brake lights without requiring them to be watertight, thus simplifying manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The peripheral seal acts as an intermediary that provides the necessary watertight barrier at the tailgate opening, while creating a dry interior environment that facilitates easy component installation. This intermediary sealing structure separates the sealing requirement from the component mounting requirement.
3Reliability
If seals are positioned to ensure watertight sealing, then sealing reliability is improved, but loading width is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the tailgate seal and rear window seal into a single peripheral seal positioned in the tailgate opening, the design allows the seal to be optimally positioned for sealing effectiveness without compromising loading width. The unified seal structure eliminates the need for multiple seals that would otherwise reduce the available loading width in the rear window area.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a
Figure 2b
AI summary
It is already known to provide a pivotable tailgate for a motor vehicle. It is an object of the invention to create a motor vehicle in which the design of a tailgate is simplified. This is achieved in that pivot arms (16) which are spaced apart from one another are arranged in an integral fashion on the tailgate body (5), in that in each case one hinge arm (22a, 22b) is provided at an upper end (33a, 33b) of the respective pivot arm (16), which hinge arm (22a, 22b) is mounted in each case in a roof section (9) of the body (2), such that sealing takes place between the upper tailgate section (6, 64, 99), the tailgate body (5, 103) and the tailgate opening (3) by means of a single encircling seal (15) which is arranged at the tailgate opening (3), without additional sealing of the respective pivot arms (16) being required.