Vehicle Overhead Console Windshield Unit Floating Cover Mount
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for assembling roof consoles and windshield units in vehicles face challenges in achieving a dimensionally accurate transition, as they require complex mechanical coupling and late bonding of adhesive plates, which leads to space constraints and tolerance-related misalignments, especially when laying electrical cables.
Innovation Solution
The windshield unit and roof console are installed independently, allowing for initial assembly tolerances, with a floatingly mounted cover element that compensates for lateral offsets between the windshield and roof console, using a combination of guide profiles and securing elements to ensure dimensional accuracy and secure mounting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the windshield unit and roof console are mechanically coupled in a complex articulated manner to ensure dimensional accuracy, then the alignment precision is improved, but the device complexity increases and space for electrical cables is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cover element is divided into multiple independent attachment points: a first attachment point to the windshield-side carrier and a second attachment point to the roof console. This segmentation allows each attachment point to function independently, simplifying the overall mechanical coupling while maintaining dimensional accuracy through the floating mounting capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover element acts as an intermediary component between the windshield unit and the roof console. By providing a floating attachment at the first attachment point, it mediates the connection in a way that absorbs tolerance variations without requiring complex mechanical coupling mechanisms, thus simplifying the overall assembly.
2Ease of manufacture
If the windshield unit and roof console are installed independently allowing assembly tolerances, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the manufacturing precision deteriorates due to offset between components
Solution Approach 1:
The first attachment point between the cover element and the windshield-side carrier is designed with floating mounting capability, allowing dynamic adjustment and movement. This dynamic connection absorbs assembly tolerances and offset variations, enabling independent installation of the windshield unit and roof console while maintaining final alignment accuracy through the cover element's compensatory movement.
3Manufacturing precision
If the cover element is fastened without play to both the windshield-side carrier and roof console, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the ease of manufacture deteriorates due to inability to compensate tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
Different attachment points of the cover element have different fastening characteristics: the first attachment point to the windshield-side carrier has floating mounting capability with play to accommodate tolerance variations, while the second attachment point to the roof console has play-free fastening to ensure dimensional accuracy. This local differentiation of fastening quality allows both ease of manufacture and manufacturing precision to be achieved.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a vehicle having a roof lining (1) which is bounded at the front by a front windscreen (5) and has an overhead console (2) which is extended toward the front by a front windscreen unit (9) in the longitudinal direction (x) of the vehicle, the covering element (23) of said front windscreen unit being attached to a front windscreen-end support (17) at at least a first attachment point (29) and to the overhead console (2) at at least a second attachment point (31). According to the invention, the covering element (23) is mounted so as to float with play (?x, ?y) in the longitudinal direction (x) of the vehicle and/or in the lateral direction (y) of the vehicle at the first attachment point (29), and is mounted without play at the second attachment point (31) for accurate alignment with the overhead console (2).