Vehicle Tube Container Joint Collar for Hermetic Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tube containers for vehicles face challenges in withstanding harsh conditions, ensuring hermeticity and mechanical resistance while being cost-effective and easy to assemble, particularly at the connection joints where they are cantilevered to the vehicle support structure.
Innovation Solution
A tube container design featuring a joining collar with inclined half-shells and folded flaps, sealed by peripheral gaskets, which provides axial and radial compressive forces for secure connection, ensuring hermeticity and mechanical resistance without exposed rivets or through holes, and allows quick assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metal half-shells covered with plastic sheets are fixed together by screws or pins, then mechanical resistance and impermeability are ensured, but manufacturing and assembly costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the joining collar and connection function into a single integrated component made of flexible material. This eliminates the need for separate metal half-shells, screws, and pins, thereby reducing both manufacturing complexity and assembly costs while maintaining the required mechanical resistance through the flexible material's inherent properties
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter from rigid metal to flexible material for the joining collar. This parameter change allows the collar to provide both mechanical strength and sealing functionality through its flexibility, eliminating the need for additional fastening components and reducing overall manufacturing costs
2Loss of time
If connection joints are designed for quick assembly, then assembly time and costs are reduced, but mechanical resistance and hermeticity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible material for the joining collar that can be easily deformed during quick assembly and then maintains its shape to provide robust mechanical resistance. The flexibility enables simple installation without complex fastening operations, while the material's elastic properties ensure the connection remains strong and hermetic under operational loads
3Reliability
If the tube container is designed to withstand harsh conditions and ensure hermeticity, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions (joining, sealing, and mechanical reinforcement) into a single flexible joining collar component. This merger eliminates the need for separate sealing elements and fastening mechanisms, thereby maintaining hermeticity and reliability while reducing the overall complexity of the connection joint
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 design achieves hermeticity, mechanical resistance, and cost-effectiveness by using a joining collar with inclined half-shells and gaskets, reducing assembly time and costs, while maintaining structural rigidity and preventing water infiltration.
Implementation Method 1
The connection of the inner ends of the parts, mutually facing each other, is a crucial element. In fact, such a connection must simultaneously ensure mechanical resistance and impermeability to water or external agents.
Implementation Method 2
A tube container design featuring a joining collar with inclined half-shells and folded flaps, sealed by peripheral gaskets, which provides axial and radial compressive forces for secure connection
Implementation Method 3
The respective outer ends, opposite to said inner ends, are provided with caps, usually made of plastic, which act as a bottom and as an opening for the insertion of objects into the tube containers.
Data Source
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AI summary
A tube container (4) for vehicles comprising a first part (12) and a second part (16), both hollow, provided with an inner side wall (20) peripherally closed so as to delimit a containment compartment (8) for objects, said first part (12) and second part (16) each extending along a main longitudinal direction (X-X) from a cantilevered free end (24) to an inner end (28) opposite to said free end (24), and having a centerline plane (M-M) parallel to said main longitudinal direction (X-X), a closing lid (32), associated with the free end (24) of at least one of said parts (12,16), openable so as to allow access to the containment compartment (8), through an access threshold (36) thereof. The inner ends (28) of said parts (12,16) directly face and are connected to each other by means of at least one joining collar (40), so as to create a single device body, parallel to said main longitudinal direction (X-X), the joining collar (40) being superimposed on the inner ends (28) of the parts (12,16) and on an outer side wall (44) opposite to the inner side wall (20) of the parts (12,16). The joining collar (40) comprises two half-shells (48) connected to each other at opposing bases (52) oriented, with respect to a projection plane parallel to said centerline plane (M-M), according to an inclined direction forming an acute angle (56) with the main longitudinal direction (X-X).