Abrasion-Resistant Door Panel for Autonomous Vehicle Seating
Solution Overview
Problem
In the transition to fully autonomous vehicles, existing passenger cabin designs fail to accommodate non-traditional seating positions, leading to a lack of free space and potential damage from occupant movement, particularly due to the absence of adequate abrasion resistance in conventional door panels.
Innovation Solution
A reconfigurable passenger cabin with a door panel featuring an abrasion-resistant portion that can be selectively covered and uncovered by a moveable armrest or portion, allowing increased legroom and protection against scuffing when occupants change their seating position, and is coordinated with seat movement between driving and autonomous configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the seat is rotated inwardly to increase free volume for autonomous mode, then passenger comfort and freedom of movement are improved, but the door panel becomes vulnerable to scuffing and abrasion damage
Solution Approach 1:
The door panel is divided into different zones with different properties: an upper section with abrasion-resistant material and a lower section with standard material. This local differentiation allows the panel to provide enhanced protection where needed (upper section near the seat rotation path) while maintaining aesthetic and cost-effectiveness in other areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The abrasion-resistant portion is pre-installed on the door panel before the seat rotation occurs. This preliminary preparation ensures that when the seat is rotated inwardly for autonomous mode, the protective surface is already in place to prevent scuffing and abrasion damage to the door panel.
2Reliability
If an abrasion-resistant portion is added to the door panel to prevent scuffing, then durability is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the entire door panel abrasion-resistant, only the upper section that is most vulnerable to damage from seat rotation is treated with abrasion-resistant material. This localized approach maintains durability where needed while minimizing the added complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies abrasion-resistant material to only the necessary portion of the door panel (the upper section) rather than the entire panel. This partial application provides sufficient protection against scuffing while avoiding the excessive complexity and cost of treating the whole door panel.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the door panel is made more robust to prevent damage from seat movement, then protection is improved, but the aesthetic appearance and interior design flexibility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The abrasion-resistant material is applied only to the upper section of the door panel where protection is needed, while the lower section maintains its standard appearance. This local differentiation allows the door panel to provide enhanced protection without compromising the overall aesthetic appearance and interior design flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A personal automotive vehicle includes a door with a door panel that partly defines a reconfigurable passenger cabin. The door panel presents an abrasion-resistant portion to the interior of the passenger cabin at an upper section of the door panel below the window. A seat is mounted in the passenger cabin and can be rotated inwardly to increase the available range of movement of the seat occupant. The abrasion-resistant portion of the door panel is located to prevent scuff-related damage to the door panel when the seat occupant crosses his legs. The abrasion-resistant portion of the door panel can be selectively covered and uncovered by a moveable portion of the door panel, which may include an armrest.