Reusable Vehicle Door Clip Assembly with Disposable Tip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional door clip assemblies for holding vehicle doors, hoods, or trunk gates closed during painting and manufacturing processes are prone to breaking and result in material waste due to their disposable plastic construction, requiring manual assembly and disassembly with driver tools, which increases complexity and cost.
Innovation Solution
A door clip assembly utilizing a reusable metal or plastic body with a disposable plastic or rubber tip, allowing for easy installation and removal without tools, and enabling periodic cleaning and reuse while minimizing material waste by using a design with expandable post structures and a biasing spring for secure closure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional disposable plastic door clip assembly is used, then the door can be held closed during painting, but the assembly is prone to breaking and results in material waste
Solution Approach 1:
The door clip assembly is divided into two distinct segments: a reusable body portion made from durable metal or plastic material, and a disposable tip portion made from softer plastic or rubber material. This segmentation allows the durable body to be reused while only the consumable tip is discarded, resolving the contradiction between reliability and material waste.
Solution Approach 2:
Different materials are applied to different parts of the assembly based on local requirements: the body portion uses hard, durable material for structural integrity and reuse, while the tip portion uses softer, disposable material for safe contact with vehicle surfaces. This local differentiation of material properties eliminates the need for complete disposal while maintaining reliability.
2Ease of operation
If a conventional door clip assembly with removable post member is used, then the door can be held closed, but manual assembly and disassembly with driver tools adds complexity and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The complex threaded post member and driver tool assembly mechanism is extracted and replaced with simple expandable post structures that require no tools for assembly or disassembly. The posts simply expand to engage holes in the door frame, eliminating the need for manual threading and driver tools, thus improving ease of operation while reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The expandable post structures are designed to be self-installing and self-securing without requiring external driver tools or complex assembly procedures. The posts automatically engage with the door frame holes when inserted, providing tool-free installation and removal, which resolves the contradiction between ease of operation and device complexity.
3Reliability
If a deflectable retention member with ramp structure is used, then the door can be held securely closed, but the retention member is prone to breaking when the door is opened
Solution Approach 1:
The design discards the vulnerable deflectable retention member with ramp structure and replaces it with a biasing spring mechanism that applies continuous elastic force to keep the door closed. The spring can repeatedly compress and expand without breaking, providing ongoing secure closure while eliminating the breaking-prone deflectable member, thus resolving the contradiction between security and strength.
4Productivity
If a reusable metal or plastic body is used, then the assembly can be cleaned and reused, but the material must withstand coating stripping processes
Solution Approach 1:
The door clip assembly uses composite material construction with the body portion made from either metal or chemically resistant plastic materials that can withstand coating stripping processes. This material selection allows the assembly to be reused multiple times through cleaning and paint stripping without degradation, resolving the contradiction between productivity through reusability and resistance to harmful stripping factors.
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 solution provides a cost-effective and efficient means to hold vehicle components closed during painting and assembly, reducing material waste and operational costs by allowing the reusable body to withstand coating stripping and the disposable tip to safely contact vehicle surfaces without damage, while accommodating various vehicle configurations.
Implementation Method 1
The keyed receptacle portion of the body portion is coupled to a remainder of the body portion via an intervening biasing spring member that allows the tip portion and keyed receptacle portion of the body portion to translate with respect to the remainder of the body portion
Implementation Method 2
The body portion includes one or more expandable post structures adapted to be removably inserted into one or more holes disposed in the body structure of the vehicle
Data Source
AI summary
A door clip assembly that utilizes both reusable and disposable components, thereby minimizing material waste and providing significant cost savings. The bulk of the door clip assembly is manufactured from a reusable metal or plastic material that is resistant to both heat and chemicals so that it can be periodically paint stripped and/or cleaned and reused. Only the tip of the door clip assembly is manufactured from a disposable plastic or rubber material that is inexpensive so that it can be discarded, and that can safely contact an exposed surface and/or finish of a vehicle without damaging it. The door clip assembly is easy to install/remove and does not require a driver tool.