Vehicle Panel Slot Support for Component Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
During vehicle assembly, components require temporary support for fastener installation without the need for separate positioning mechanisms, which existing technologies do not adequately address.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle body structure with a horizontally oriented panel featuring slots of varying widths and upper surface portions that allow tabs on a component's mounting structure to be inserted and rest on the panel, providing temporary support and restricting movement until fasteners are installed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate component positioning mechanism is used to hold the component in place, then the component can be securely positioned during fastener installation, but the device complexity and assembly time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the positioning function directly into the panel structure by integrating slots and upper surface portions into the panel itself. The slots receive the tabs, while the elevated upper surface portions provide positioning support, eliminating the need for separate positioning mechanisms and reducing overall system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The tabs act as intermediary elements that bridge the component and the panel. These tabs are inserted through the slots and rest on the upper surface portions, providing a simple yet effective positioning interface that prevents component movement during fastener installation without requiring complex positioning devices
2Reliability
If manual or robotic holding is used to position the component, then the component can be held in position, but the assembly process requires additional tools or personnel and reduces productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The panel structure is designed to be self-positioning through its integrated slots and upper surface portions. When the tabs are inserted through the slots, the elevated upper surface portions automatically provide positioning support, allowing the component to be securely positioned without requiring manual holding or robotic assistance, thereby improving assembly efficiency
3Ease of manufacture
If the panel uses a flat uniform surface, then the manufacturing is simpler, but the component cannot be temporarily retained in the correct position
Solution Approach 1:
The panel features localized elevations in the form of upper surface portions that are positioned at specific locations. These localized elevations provide the necessary positioning support for the tabs without requiring the entire panel surface to be complex, thus maintaining manufacturing simplicity while achieving reliable component retention at critical positions
Data Source
AI summary
A panel of a vehicle body structure has a first slot and a second slot spaced apart from one another. A component has a mounting structure that includes a first tab and a second tab spaced apart from the first tab. A first head of the first tab is inserted through a wide second end of the first slot and the second head of the second tab is inserted through a wide second end of the second slot. The first tab and the second tab thereafter moved to a corresponding one of respective narrow first ends of the first and second slots. Consequently, the first head of the first tab rests on a first upper surface portion of a first area of the panel and the second head rests on a third upper surface portion of a second area of the panel thereby suspending the component from the panel.