Universal Vehicle Rear Window Frame Architecture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle body designs require separate configurations for fixed and movable rear windows, increasing costs due to added sheet metal and structural modifications.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle body frame with a rear wall, reinforcement beam, and pillars that allows for either a fixed or movable rear window, using a single architecture without additional structural changes, where the movable window moves within a defined gap and the fixed window is secured to the reinforcement beam and rear wall with overmolding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a full inner panel is installed to enable a dropping back glass, then the glass can move from closed to open position, but the cost increases due to added sheet metal and structural modifications
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle body frame is designed with a universal structure that can accommodate both fixed and movable rear windows without requiring different body configurations. The reinforcement beam and gap structure serve multiple functions: providing structural support, enabling window movement when desired, and allowing fixed window installation when preferred, eliminating the need for separate body designs
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate body configurations are used for fixed and movable windows, then each window type can be optimized, but the manufacturing cost increases due to requiring two configurations
Solution Approach 1:
A single body frame design serves dual purposes by incorporating a reinforcement beam spaced from the rear wall to create a gap that can accommodate movable windows while also supporting fixed window installations, allowing manufacturers to produce one body type that adapts to different window preferences
Solution Approach 2:
The body structure incorporates dynamic adaptability through the gap between the reinforcement beam and rear wall, which can accommodate the movement of movable windows while maintaining structural integrity, allowing the same body to support both fixed and movable window configurations
3Ease of manufacture
If a single vehicle body architecture is used for both fixed and movable windows, then costs are reduced, but the structural design becomes more complex to accommodate both options
Solution Approach 1:
The body structure is segmented into distinct functional components: the rear wall, the reinforcement beam spaced from the rear wall, and the resulting gap. This segmentation allows each component to serve its specific function while collectively supporting both fixed and movable window configurations without requiring complex integrated designs
Data Source
AI summary
A body frame of a vehicle is provided. The body frame having: a rear wall extending between a pair of pillars of the body frame; a reinforcement beam that is spaced from the rear wall to define a gap and wherein the reinforcement beam extends between the pair of pillars of the body frame; a rear window opening partially defined by the rear wall and the reinforcement beam; and wherein the body frame is configured for use with either a fixed window or a moving window, wherein the fixed window when secured to the body frame is fixedly secured to the reinforcement beam and the rear wall and the fixed window has an overmolding located about a periphery of the fixed window and a bottom portion of the overmolding traverses the gap and wherein the moving window when secured to the body frame moves in the gap.