U-Shaped Tailgate Upright Bonding Track Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The design of vehicle tailgate uprights faces challenges in balancing structural rigidity, rear vision field, seal and bonding track placement, and aesthetics, while also adhering to molding constraints that require open shapes without undercuts.
Innovation Solution
A U-shaped upright with a concave cross-section and an insert at the rear end of the second wall, featuring a bonding track that extends inward, allows for increased rear vision and efficient placement of seal and bonding surfaces, while maintaining mechanical rigidity and enabling one-piece molding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the pillar width is increased to provide structural rigidity and accommodate bonding tracks, then the structural strength is improved, but the rear field of vision is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The pillar is divided into two distinct parts: a structural core that provides rigidity and accommodates bonding tracks, and a trim panel that can be shaped to optimize vision. This segmentation allows the structural requirements to be separated from the aesthetic and functional vision requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The bonding track is positioned on a surface that is angled relative to the pillar axis, creating a multi-dimensional arrangement. This allows the bonding track to be accommodated without increasing the apparent pillar width in the critical vision direction.
2Reliability
If the pillar width is increased to accommodate weatherstrip bearing surfaces and bonding tracks, then the sealing function is improved, but the aesthetics are worsened due to wider screen-printed deposits
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing and bonding functions are segregated onto specific surfaces and angles of the pillar structure, allowing the main visual face of the pillar to remain narrow and aesthetic while the functional surfaces extend at angles to accommodate weatherstrips and bonding tracks.
Solution Approach 2:
The angled surface acts as an intermediary zone that carries the bonding track and weatherstrip bearing surfaces, mediating between the structural requirements for sealing and the aesthetic requirements for a narrow pillar appearance.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the pillar cross-section is designed with complex shapes to satisfy multiple constraints, then the functional requirements are met, but the molding complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pillar is segmented into a structural core and a trim panel that can be molded separately or as an integrated assembly with simplified geometry. This segmentation reduces molding complexity while maintaining the ability to satisfy multiple functional constraints through the arrangement of structural elements.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4a~4b
AI summary
Vehicle tailgate structural panel (2) comprising a side post (3) forming a U-shaped open cross-section profile comprising a first wall (31) and a second wall (32) forming a rearward open concavity in which an insert is disposed at the rear end of the second wall (32), said insert (4) supporting a bonding track (40) intended to receive the rear window (7).