Vehicle Fastening Device With Breaking Point for Injury Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fastening devices do not allow for the attachment to be mounted at a distance from the carrier part and fail to release the attachment for guided movement when a predetermined load is exceeded, posing a risk of injury, especially in vehicle instrument panels.
Innovation Solution
A fastening device with a guide column, head part, and abutment part where the abutment part is fixed via a predetermined breaking point, allowing the attachment to move guided by the guide column towards the carrier part, reducing the risk of injury by deflecting force when the breaking point is destroyed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the attachment is fixed directly to the carrier part, then the connection strength is high, but the attachment cannot be mounted at a distance and cannot release upon excessive load
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening device is divided into distinct functional segments: a support part integrated into the carrier, a guide column with head part and abutment part that creates a mounting distance, and rear latching elements for securing. This segmentation allows the attachment to be mounted at a controlled distance while maintaining connection strength through the distributed latching mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide column with head part and abutment part acts as an intermediary element between the carrier part and the attachment. It provides the mounting distance flexibility while the predetermined breaking point serves as a safety intermediary that releases the attachment under excessive load, preventing direct force transmission to the carrier.
2Reliability
If the attachment is rigidly fixed to the carrier part, then the connection is stable, but the risk of injury increases when excessive load is applied
Solution Approach 1:
The predetermined breaking point is designed in advance as a weak link that will fail before the carrier part or attachment suffers damage. This prior cushioning mechanism protects against excessive loads by intentionally creating a failure point that absorbs the energy of impact, reducing injury risk in applications like vehicle instrument panels.
Solution Approach 2:
The predetermined breaking point converts the potentially harmful excessive load into a controlled failure mode. When excessive force is applied, the breaking point fails in a predictable manner, allowing the attachment to release and move guided by the guide column, thereby transforming a harmful situation into a safe, controlled event.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a fixing device in which a head part (6) and a counter-bearing part (7) are provided at a distance from a contact part (2) in order to fix an attachment part (15) at a distance from a support part (16), clip arms (19) that are attached to the attachment part (15) being insertable between said head part and counter-bearing part for example. The counter-bearing part (7) is connected to the guiding column (5) via at least one connecting means (8), and a predetermined breaking point is formed on the connecting means (8) or on each connecting means. When an extreme load is applied onto the attachment part (15) in the direction of the support part (16), the counter-bearing part (7) can be released from the guiding column (5) by means of the predetermined breaking point, and the attachment part (15) can move in the direction of the support part (16). When used in a motor vehicle, the risk of injury in the event of high negative accelerations is thus reduced for example.