Under-Door Side Member Recesses for Wiring and Fluid Routing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing car designs face challenges as electrical wirings and supply ducts are either mounted externally along under-door side members, reducing interior space, or internally, requiring complex and lengthy installations.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating longitudinal recesses within the under-door side members to house electrical wirings and supply ducts, allowing them to be mounted internally without occupying additional passenger compartment space, using H-shaped or T-shaped metal section bars for enhanced torsional stiffness.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If electrical wirings and supply ducts are mounted on the outside of under-door side members, then installation is simpler, but interior space is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinstallation simplicityVSAvoidinterior space
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent incorporates electrical wirings and supply ducts inside the under-door side members by creating longitudinal recesses within the side member structure. This nesting approach allows components to be housed within the existing structural elements, eliminating the need for external mounting while preserving interior space.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Volume of moving object

If electrical wirings and supply ducts are mounted on the inside of under-door side members, then interior space is preserved, but installation becomes more complex and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinterior spaceVSAvoidinstallation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The under-door side members are segmented to include longitudinal recesses that are open at both ends, allowing electrical wirings and supply ducts to be independently inserted and positioned. This segmentation simplifies the installation process by enabling separate component placement rather than requiring complex integrated routing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent utilizes the longitudinal dimension of the under-door side members by creating recesses that extend along the length of the side members. This dimensional approach allows components to be routed along the longitudinal axis, simplifying installation while maintaining interior space.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Ease of manufacture

If traditional mounting methods are used, then manufacturing is straightforward, but manufacturing time and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidmanufacturing efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the structural function of under-door side members with the routing function for electrical wirings and supply ducts. By integrating these functions into a single component design with longitudinal recesses, the patent eliminates separate mounting structures and reduces manufacturing steps, thereby improving manufacturing efficiency and reducing costs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP4438445A1Car with under-door side members
Publication Date: 2024.10.02 FERRARI SPA
  • EP4438445A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4438445A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4438445A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A car has a passenger compartment (4), two access doors (9) to access the passenger compartment (4), and a support frame (2), which defines a lower floor (3) of the car, and is provided with two under-door side members (10; 19), each mounted under a relative access door (9) and defined by a section bar (11; 20) with an elongated shape which is longitudinally delimited by two end faces (12; 21) and is laterally delimited by an outer surface (13; 22), and has at least one longitudinal recess (14; 25), which opens outwards in the area of the outer surface (13; 22) and houses, on the inside, at least one electrical wiring (15) and/or at least one supply duct (16) for an operating fluid.