Vehicle Component Tray Assembly with Collision Deformation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle designs face challenges in safely securing rear speakers outside the vehicle's body or frame, as they may detach during collisions, posing risks to passengers and compromising sound quality and accessibility.
Innovation Solution
A component tray assembly is designed to be installed within the vehicle, featuring a weakened region that deforms during collisions, absorbing forces and preventing transmission to the passenger compartment, while securely holding speakers and other components using various connection mechanisms and materials like Polypropylene Impact Copolymer filled with glass fiber.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If rear speakers are installed outside the vehicle's body or frame, then speaker accessibility and sound quality are improved, but the speakers may detach during collisions and impact passengers
Solution Approach 1:
The component tray assembly is segmented into a tray body and a separate cover portion. The tray body is attached to the vehicle structure while the cover can be independently removed, allowing speaker access without removing the entire assembly. This segmentation enables the speakers to be accessible yet securely retained during collisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The component tray assembly acts as an intermediary structure between the speakers and the vehicle interior. It provides a dedicated mounting platform that secures speakers outside the body while preventing direct contact with passengers, thus mediating between accessibility requirements and safety concerns.
2Reliability
If rear speakers are installed within the vehicle's body or frame, then speaker security during collisions is improved, but speaker accessibility and sound quality deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the assembly into tray body and cover, the design allows the secure tray body to remain attached during collisions while the cover can be removed for speaker access, resolving the contradiction between security and accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover is designed to be removable under normal conditions for accessibility, while the tray body maintains permanent attachment for collision security. This dynamic configuration allows the system to adapt between accessibility mode and safety mode.
3Ease of operation
If a component tray assembly is used to hold speakers outside the body, then speaker accessibility is improved, but the assembly may transmit collision forces to passengers
Solution Approach 1:
The weakened region is designed to fail in a controlled manner during collisions, converting the harmful force transmission into beneficial energy absorption. The deliberate weakness becomes a safety feature that protects passengers by sacrificing the tray structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The weakened region acts as a pre-designed cushioning element that activates during collisions. By incorporating this vulnerability in advance, the assembly is prepared to absorb collision forces before they can reach the passengers.
4Strength
If the component tray assembly is made strong to support speaker weight, then structural stability is improved, but the assembly cannot deform during collisions to protect passengers
Solution Approach 1:
The tray assembly has non-uniform strength distribution: the main body is strong enough to support speakers, while the weakened region is deliberately designed with reduced strength to deform during collisions. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction between structural stability and collision protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The assembly is functionally segmented into load-bearing regions (strong) and deformation regions (weakened). This segmentation allows different parts to fulfill conflicting requirements: supporting weight versus absorbing collision forces.
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 component tray assembly effectively absorbs collision forces, reducing the risk to passengers and maintaining the integrity of the speakers and vehicle design by deforming in a controlled manner, ensuring safety and sound quality.
Implementation Method 1
the component tray assembly is configured to deform in a manner such that the component tray assembly does not materially transmit forces on the passengers during a collision
Implementation Method 2
the weakened region deforms to minimize forces imparted to a seat of the vehicle
Data Source
AI summary
A component tray assembly for a vehicle. For example, the component tray assembly may be installed between a body of the vehicle and a seat bulkhead of the vehicle. The component tray assembly may include at least a component shelf, a cover disposed over the component shelf, and one or more components. In some examples, the component shelf includes three openings and the one or more components include three speakers respectively disposed within the openings. The component shelf may further include notches located proximate to the side of the component shelf where the component shelf attaches to the seat bulkhead. The positions and shapes of the openings and the notches may create a weakened region of the component shelf that is configured to deform the component tray assembly during a collision. By deforming, the component tray assembly is configured to minimize the amount of force that is imparted to the seat.