Vehicle Side Structure Bracket Engagement for Door Restraint
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle side structures face challenges in maintaining high dimension accuracy and effectively restraining rear side doors from entering the cabin during side collisions, as they require precise joining of components which can be difficult to assemble and may lead to abnormal noise and increased weight.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle side structure design that includes a reinforcement extending from the rear wheel well, a side outer panel, a striker, and a bracket with an engaging portion and hole portion configuration, allowing the striker to be attached to the bracket and engaged with the reinforcement during collisions, thereby transmitting collision loads and preventing door entry while minimizing assembly complexity and weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the bracket is joined to the reinforcement, then the structural strength is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket is divided into two functional parts: a fixed portion attached to the side outer panel and a movable portion that can engage with the reinforcement during collision. This segmentation allows the bracket to provide structural support without requiring high precision joining between the bracket and reinforcement, as the movable portion can tolerate dimensional variations while still achieving proper engagement under collision conditions.
2Force
If the bracket is joined to the reinforcement, then the collision load transmission is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket transitions from a static joined structure to a dynamic system where the movable portion can shift position. During normal conditions, the movable portion remains disengaged, simplifying the assembly. During collision, the movable portion is pushed into engagement with the reinforcement, enabling load transmission without requiring permanent complex joining mechanisms.
3Reliability
If the bracket is joined to the reinforcement, then the rear side door restraint is improved, but the weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The joining function is extracted from the bracket structure itself and replaced by a separate engagement mechanism between the movable portion and the reinforcement. This allows the bracket to maintain door restraint functionality through the engagement mechanism rather than through permanent structural joining, reducing the overall weight while preserving reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle side structure includes a reinforcement extending upward from a rear wheel well, a side outer panel placed outward of the rear wheel well and the reinforcement in the vehicle width direction, a striker configured to lock a rear side door, and a bracket to which the striker is attached. An engaged portion is provided in the reinforcement, the striker is placed on an outer side of the side outer panel, and the bracket is provided with an engaging portion configured to engage with the engaged portion.