Windshield Lower Member Extended Portion Vibration Damping

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle dashboard structures require additional insulators to reduce vibration and noise from the engine room, increasing manufacturing costs and component count.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle front structure featuring a windshield lower member with an extended portion that includes a base portion, a weight portion, and a weak portion, where the weight portion vibrates antiphase to dampen vibrations and noise, eliminating the need for separate insulators and reducing manufacturing steps.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If a dedicated insulator is installed on the dashboard to reduce vibration and noise transmission, then vibration and noise reduction is achieved, but the number of components increases and manufacturing cost rises

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevibration and noise transmissionVSAvoidnumber of components

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent integrates the vibration absorption function directly into the windshield lower member by adding an extended portion with a weight portion, eliminating the need for a separate insulator component. The weight portion (24) is formed as an integral part of the windshield lower member (20), combining structural support and vibration damping functions in one component.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The windshield lower member is designed to perform multiple functions: it provides structural support for the windshield glass and simultaneously serves as a vibration absorber through its extended portion with the weight portion. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for dedicated vibration isolation components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If a dedicated insulator is installed on the dashboard to reduce vibration and noise transmission, then vibration and noise reduction is achieved, but fixing labor is required and manufacturing cost further rises

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevibration and noise transmissionVSAvoidfixing labor

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The vibration absorption function is merged into the windshield lower member itself through the extended portion, eliminating the need for separate installation steps. The weight portion (24) is formed integrally with the main body, requiring no additional fixing operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Strength

If the extended portion is made with high rigidity to provide structural support, then structural strength is improved, but vibration absorption capability decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural support capabilityVSAvoidvibration absorption

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The extended portion is designed with spatially varying rigidity: the base portion (23) has higher rigidity to provide structural support, while the weight portion (24) has optimized rigidity to enable effective vibration absorption. The weak portion (25) creates a gradient in rigidity, allowing each region to perform its specific function optimally.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This design effectively reduces vibration and noise transmission to the passenger compartment while lowering manufacturing costs by integrating the vibration absorption function into the existing windshield lower member, reducing the number of components and manufacturing steps.

Implementation Method 1

the weight portion, which is furthest from the windshield lower member main body, vibrates (oscillates) in an up-down direction with respect to a pivot point at the weak portion

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectVibration: Vibration

Implementation Method 2

vibration of the weight portion becomes antiphase relative to vibration and noise transmitted to the windshield lower member. This makes it possible to damp vibration and noise transmitted to the windshield lower member at the weight portion

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectDamping: Damping

Data Source

PatentUS8915539B2Structure for front portion of vehicle

Publication Date: 2014.12.23 HONDA MOTOR CO LTD

AI summary

A structure for a front portion of a vehicle is provided with a windshield lower member. The windshield lower member includes a windshield lower member main body, and an extended portion formed so as to extend frontward from a front end portion of the windshield lower member main body. The extended portion includes a base portion formed so as to continue from a front end portion of the windshield lower member main body, a weight portion extending in an obliquely front-upward direction from a front end portion of the base portion, and a weak portion that extends in a vehicle width direction at a boundary between the base portion and the weight portion, and that has lower rigidity than the base portion.