Vehicle Door Weather Strip Mounting Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing weather strip mounting process for vehicle doors requires additional processes and components, such as laser piercing to form holes and the use of clips, which increase manufacturing time and cost.
Innovation Solution
A mounting structure where the weather strip is directly coupled to the inner panel of the door using coupling elements on the door frame and weather strip, eliminating the need for clips and machining holes, and utilizing a hemming process and structural adhesive for bonding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If laser piercing process is used to form weather strip hole, then weather strip can be fastened to inner panel, but manufacturing time and production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the unnecessary laser piercing process and weather strip hole from the mounting structure. Instead of forming holes in the inner panel, the weather strip is directly mounted to the door frame using coupling elements, removing the harmful machining step while maintaining fastening reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting structure is segmented into distinct functional components: the door frame with coupling elements, the weather strip with corresponding coupling elements, and the inner panel. This segmentation allows direct mounting of the weather strip to the door frame without requiring holes in the inner panel, simplifying the manufacturing process
2Reliability
If clips are used to fasten weather strip to inner panel, then weather strip can be securely mounted, but number of components and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the fastening function into the door frame structure itself through coupling elements (protrusions or holes) that directly receive the weather strip. This eliminates the need for separate clips as intermediate fastening components, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining secure mounting
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling elements on the door frame serve as intermediary structures that directly connect the weather strip to the door frame. This eliminates the need for clips as intermediary fastening components, simplifying the component structure while maintaining secure weather strip attachment
3Ease of manufacture
If weather strip hole is machined in inner panel, then clip can be inserted for fastening, but additional manufacturing processes and costs are incurred
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the weather strip hole machining process from the manufacturing sequence. The coupling elements are formed as integral parts of the door frame structure, eliminating the need for separate hole drilling or piercing operations and reducing manufacturing costs
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling elements on the door frame are formed in advance as integral parts of the door frame structure during frame manufacturing. This preliminary formation of mounting features eliminates the need for subsequent hole machining operations, reducing overall manufacturing steps and costs
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle includes a door and a door frame installed along a circumference of the door. An upper portion of the door frame is joined to an upper end portion of an inner panel. The upper end portion of the door frame is extended toward the inside of the vehicle to form a coupling portion. A weather strip is mounted on the inner panel along the circumference of the door, the weather strip being coupled to the coupling portion of the inner panel. A first coupling element by which one side of the weather strip is fixed is formed at the coupling portion and a second coupling element is coupled with the first coupling element at the coupling portion so that the weather strip is directly coupled with the door frame.