Vehicle Subframe With Integrated Mounting Points
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing subframes for motor vehicles are designed for specific units, making it difficult to find a uniform mounting solution for different engines, leading to increased assembly effort and the need for additional add-on parts.
Innovation Solution
A subframe with additional connection points and sleeves allows for flexible mounting of various assemblies without additional parts, featuring a stiffening structure and welded sheet metal elements for enhanced support and stability, enabling precise fit and vibration compensation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If subframes are designed with specific attachment points for specific engine components, then the mounting solution is optimized for those components, but it becomes difficult to accommodate different engine components and requires additional unit bridges and brackets
Solution Approach 1:
The subframe is designed with multiple attachment points (first, second, third, and fourth attachment points) that can accommodate different engine components. The sleeves (first and second sleeves) are integrated directly into the subframe structure, allowing various engine components to be mounted using the same subframe without requiring additional unit bridges or brackets, thus achieving universality while maintaining structural simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The sleeves are pre-integrated into the subframe structure during manufacturing, with reinforcement structures already in place. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for additional attachment components and reduces assembly complexity when mounting different engine components, as the mounting infrastructure is already prepared in advance
2Adaptability or versatility
If additional unit bridges and brackets are used to accommodate different engines, then mounting flexibility is improved, but assembly effort and manufacturing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functional elements (sleeves, attachment points, and reinforcement structures) are merged into a single integrated subframe structure. The first and second sleeves are directly incorporated into the subframe with reinforcement structures, eliminating the need for separate unit bridges and brackets, thereby reducing the number of assembly steps and improving manufacturing efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated subframe design provides universal mounting capability for different engine components through its multiple attachment points and sleeves, eliminating the need for component-specific additional parts. This universal design streamlines the assembly process by using the same subframe structure for various engine types, significantly reducing assembly effort and manufacturing time
3Ease of operation
If sleeves are integrated into the subframe with reinforced support, then freedom in component mount position selection is improved, but the subframe structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Reinforcement structures are locally integrated into the subframe at specific locations where the first and second sleeves are positioned. These localized reinforcement areas provide the necessary structural support for the sleeves without requiring complex reinforcement throughout the entire subframe, thus maintaining mounting freedom while limiting structural complexity to only the necessary local areas
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a subframe (10) for a motor vehicle, comprising a first attachment point (12) and a second attachment point for connection to a vehicle body (14), with at least one sleeve (18) for receiving an assembly bearing (38) for supporting a drive unit, wherein the first attachment point (12) is spaced apart from the second attachment point, and wherein the attachment points are connected to each other by a connecting element in the transverse direction of the vehicle body (14). In a subframe (10) in which significantly different assemblies can be installed with only one variant of a subframe (10) and without additional attachment parts, it is provided that a third attachment point (16) and a fourth attachment point are provided, and that the first attachment point (12)a first sleeve (18) and the third attachment point (16) are located approximately in a first line (20) in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body (14) when installed, and that the second attachment point, a second sleeve and the fourth attachment point are located approximately in a second line in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body (14) when installed, or that the first attachment point (12), a first sleeve (18) and the third attachment point (16) are located approximately in a first line (20) in the transverse direction of the vehicle body (14) when installed, and that the second attachment point, a second sleeve and the fourth attachment point are located approximately in a second line in the transverse direction of the vehicle body (14) when installed.