Vehicle Interior Board Merging Hinge and Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle interior boards require complex assembly processes, numerous parts, and additional reinforcing members, leading to increased production costs, assembly failures, and reduced surface flatness due to the need for separate hinge parts and fastening components, which complicates manufacturing and increases weight.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle interior board design featuring a first board with thin plates and a hard polyurethane foam layer, integrated with a second board having a recessed groove for bending, eliminating the need for separate hinge parts and reducing the number of components by using a porous structure and injection holes to form a strong, lightweight multilayer structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If separate hinge parts and fastening components are used to couple divided boards, then the board can be assembled, but the manufacturing process becomes complex and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the hinge function and board structure into a single integrated component. The hinge portion is formed as an integral part of the board body through molding, eliminating the need for separate hinge parts and fastening components. This integration simplifies the manufacturing process to a single molding operation and significantly improves productivity by eliminating multiple assembly steps.
2Ease of manufacture
If multiple separate parts are used for the board structure, then the board can be assembled, but the number of parts increases and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functional parts into a single integrated board structure. The board includes a board body with an integrated hinge portion, eliminating the need for separate hinge parts, fastening components, and reinforcing members. This reduction in part count simplifies parts management and reduces production costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The board body serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the structural platform, contains the hinge mechanism, and includes reinforcing features. The single molded structure performs what previously required multiple specialized parts, reducing complexity while maintaining functionality.
3Strength
If reinforcing members are added to secure strength at coupling portions, then the strength is improved, but the weight increases and the number of parts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcing features are integrated directly into the molded board structure rather than being separate components. The hinge portion and surrounding areas are formed with built-in reinforcement through the molding process, eliminating the need for separate reinforcing members while maintaining strength and reducing weight.
4Ease of operation
If separate hinge parts are used to couple boards, then the board can be assembled, but the assembly process becomes complicated and assembly failure rate increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge portion is formed as an integral part of the board body through a single molding process, eliminating the need for separate hinge parts that require assembly. This integration eliminates positioning and fixing operations, simplifying the assembly process and eliminating assembly failures related to part coupling.
5Ease of operation
If divided boards are used with separate hinge parts, then the board can be opened and closed, but the surface flatness around the coupling portion decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge portion is formed as a seamless integral part of the board body through molding, eliminating the visible seams and unevenness that occur with separate coupled parts. The recessed groove design allows the hinge to be embedded within the board structure, maintaining surface flatness while preserving the openable/closable function.
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
This design simplifies the manufacturing process, reduces assembly failures, and achieves a lightweight, strong product with improved surface flatness by integrating the boards and eliminating the need for additional reinforcing parts, thus enhancing productivity and reducing production costs.
Implementation Method 1
The hard polyurethane foam layer is also formed in gaps between the thin plates and the second board to join the first board and the second board
Implementation Method 2
The hard polyurethane foam layer is also formed in gaps between the thin plates and the second board to join the first board and the second board
Data Source
AI summary
Included are a first board having a hard polyurethane foam layer formed in a space sandwiched between a pair of thin plates, and a second board having a porous structure where a recessed groove is formed in one main surface, a part of the second board being arranged in the space and joined to the first board. The hard polyurethane foam layer is also formed in gaps between the thin plates and the second board to join the boards. Thus, the step of molding the first board can join and integrate the boards, and mold a bendable, lightweight, and very strong vehicle interior board. Therefore, the vehicle interior board can be reduced in number of parts, simplified in manufacturing process, and improved in productivity.