Window Sill Flange Assembly for Uniform Seal Pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
In vehicle door manufacturing, the assembly of shell components and module components to form a sill flange with uniform wall thickness and sufficient stiffness is challenging, especially when different wall thicknesses along the width of the sill flange affect the attachment and sealing of the seal, leading to potential gaps and reduced sealing pressure.
Innovation Solution
The module assembly includes a shell construction and a module component with flange sections that protrude transversely to the longitudinal extension direction, forming a sill flange with alternating contact regions and non-contact regions, allowing for a uniform wall thickness and increased stiffness by compensating for variations in wall thickness and ensuring a tight seal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a module component is used to form part of the sill flange, then the complexity of the shell construction is reduced and manufacturing is simplified, but the wall thickness of the sill flange becomes non-uniform which negatively affects seal attachment
Solution Approach 1:
The module component is designed with varying wall thicknesses in different regions to compensate for the non-uniformity introduced by the shell construction. Specifically, the module component has a greater wall thickness in regions where the shell construction has a smaller wall thickness, and vice versa, achieving an overall uniform sill flange wall thickness when assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the wall thickness parameter of the module component dynamically across different regions. By adjusting the local wall thickness of the module component, the patent compensates for variations in the shell construction's wall thickness, ensuring uniformity in the final assembled sill flange.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the sill flange is formed by joining shell components and module components, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but the stiffness of the sill flange becomes difficult to control
Solution Approach 1:
The module component incorporates locally varied structural features including reinforcing ribs and adjusted wall thicknesses in specific regions to enhance stiffness where needed, while maintaining manufacturing flexibility through the modular design approach.
3Ease of manufacture
If the seal is attached to a sill flange with non-uniform wall thickness, then manufacturing is simplified, but the sealing pressure becomes insufficient leading to potential gaps
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the wall thickness parameter of the module component to compensate for non-uniformities, ensuring that the assembled sill flange has uniform wall thickness. This uniformity provides consistent support for the seal, ensuring adequate sealing pressure and preventing gaps while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through the modular approach.
Data Source
AI summary
A module assembly for a vehicle, including a shell construction, defining a window opening, and a module component fixed to the shell construction and forming a part of the sill flange extending along a longitudinal extension direction for attaching a seal in a sill region of the window opening, wherein at least one flange section of the shell construction extending along the longitudinal extension direction and/or at least one flange section of the module component extending along the longitudinal extension direction is provided for forming the sill flange. The flange section of the shell construction and/or the flange section of the module component has at least one contact region protruding transverse to the longitudinal extension direction.