Vehicle Tailgate Outer Skin With Sealed Equipment Support Plate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicle tailgates face issues with the integration of lighting and other equipment, such as rear lights, radars, and communication devices, which are not sealed, not flush with the rest of the tailgate, and detract from the vehicle's aesthetics, posing sealing and visibility challenges.
Innovation Solution
An opening panel design featuring an inner panel with openings and an outer skin, incorporating a supporting plate attached to the inner surface of the outer skin, allowing equipment to be integrated in a sealed and aesthetically pleasing manner, with a transparent transmission zone for electromagnetic radiation and access openings for maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If side lights are mounted on the outer face of the tailgate, then lighting function is achieved, but sealing difficulties and water penetration risks occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the lighting device directly into the tailgate structure by forming a cavity within the inner panel that houses the lighting unit. The outer skin is then molded to cover this cavity, creating a seamless integrated assembly. This merging of components eliminates the need for separate mounting operations and ensures inherent sealing through the molded construction, resolving both the sealing reliability and manufacturing complexity issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The lighting device is nested within a cavity formed in the inner panel, which is itself nested within the overall tailgate structure. The outer skin acts as a protective envelope that covers the cavity while maintaining a flush exterior surface. This nested arrangement allows the lighting function to be integrated without compromising sealing or adding mounting complexity.
2Shape
If side lights are mounted on the outer face of the tailgate, then lighting function is achieved, but aesthetic continuity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting device is merged with the tailgate structure through integrated cavity formation and molded outer skin coverage. This creates a seamless appearance where the lighting elements are flush with the outer surface, maintaining aesthetic continuity while the integrated manufacturing process keeps production simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner panel is designed with a specific cavity configuration in the lower region to accommodate lighting devices, while the outer skin is molded with corresponding local features to cover these cavities. This localized structural differentiation achieves aesthetic continuity in the visible areas while providing functional integration internally, without complicating the overall manufacturing process.
3Reliability
If equipment is integrated into the tailgate, then aesthetics and sealing are improved, but access for maintenance becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The tailgate is segmented into functional zones, with the inner panel containing accessible cavities for equipment installation and maintenance. The outer skin provides sealing coverage while the segmented cavity structure allows maintenance personnel to access equipment through designated openings in the inner panel without compromising the external sealing integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner panel acts as an intermediary structure between the external environment and the equipment cavities. It provides sealed access points that allow maintenance personnel to reach equipment while the outer skin maintains the protective sealing barrier. This intermediary arrangement resolves the conflict between sealing performance and maintenance accessibility.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple equipment items are mounted on the outer face, then functionality is achieved, but the appearance becomes discontinuous
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple equipment items are merged into a unified tailgate structure through integrated cavity formation in the inner panel and corresponding molded features in the outer skin. This allows diverse equipment (lighting, sensors, communication devices) to be incorporated while maintaining a continuous, seamless exterior surface, achieving both versatility and aesthetic continuity.
Solution Approach 2:
The tailgate structure is designed with universal cavity configurations that can accommodate multiple types of equipment items. The inner panel provides standardized mounting spaces, and the outer skin is molded to cover various equipment configurations, enabling multi-functional integration while preserving surface continuity across different equipment arrangements.
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
The solution ensures equipment is sealed and flush with the tailgate, improving aesthetics, maintaining functionality, and creating a dry zone for equipment protection, while facilitating installation and maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
a plate for supporting equipment attached directly to the inner surface of the outer skin in a sealed manner, preferably by gluing
Implementation Method 2
The opening panel according to the various disclosed embodiments further includes a plate for supporting equipment attached directly to the inner surface of the outer skin in a sealed manner... a device for emitting and/or receiving electromagnetic radiation and the outer skin includes, facing the device for emitting and/or receiving electromagnetic radiation, a transmission zone, made of plastic material, which is at least partially transparent to said electromagnetic radiation
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a motor vehicle opening panel, comprising an inner panel, preferably made of plastic material, an outer skin which is at least partially made of plastic material and attached to the inner panel, comprising an inner surface facing an outer surface of the inner panel, and a plate for supporting equipment covered by the outer skin and directly attached in a sealed manner to the inner surface of the outer skin, said plate being disposed within an internal volume delimited, on the one hand, by the outer surface of an inner panel and, on the other hand, by the inner surface of the outer skin.