Adjustable Exterior Vehicle Structure for Pre-Collision Impact Dampening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle structures are limited by their configuration to accommodate human operation and safety features, leading to inadequate protection during accidents, with existing safety technologies often deploying too late or causing harm due to confined interior configurations and passenger positioning.
Innovation Solution
A system that adjusts the physical configuration of exterior vehicle components in response to detected external driving conditions using actuators and sensors to minimize impact forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing safety technologies such as airbags and seatbelts are used, then passenger safety is provided, but they deploy too late or cause harm due to confined interior configurations and cannot prevent injury in many collision scenarios
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by dynamically adjusting the physical configuration of exterior vehicle components (such as bumpers, hoods, and fenders) to predetermined impact-absorbing positions before the collision occurs. This proactive reconfiguration allows the vehicle structure to be optimally prepared to absorb impact forces, eliminating the need for late-stage deployment of safety devices and providing protection from the moment of impact.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies dynamics by transitioning from static vehicle component configurations to dynamic, real-time adjustable configurations. Sensors detect impending collisions and trigger actuators to move exterior components to optimal positions, enabling the vehicle structure to adapt its physical configuration based on detected driving conditions and potential impact scenarios.
2Reliability
If traditional fixed vehicle structures are used, then vehicle manufacturing is simple and cost-effective, but they provide inadequate protection during accidents and cannot adapt to different collision scenarios
Solution Approach 1:
The system transforms fixed vehicle structures into dynamic, adjustable configurations. Exterior components such as bumpers, hoods, and fenders are equipped with actuators that can change their physical positions and orientations based on detected collision scenarios, enabling the same structure to adapt to different impact types (frontal, side, rear) and optimize protection for various passenger positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes physical parameters of vehicle components (position, orientation, configuration) in response to detected driving conditions. By altering these parameters before impact, the vehicle structure optimizes its ability to absorb and distribute impact forces, providing tailored protection for different collision scenarios without requiring completely different vehicle designs.
3Reliability
If interior safety features are prioritized, then passenger protection is enhanced, but vehicle aesthetics and exterior design are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the safety function from the interior of the vehicle and relocates it to the exterior components. By equipping exterior components like bumpers, hoods, and fenders with adjustable configurations and impact-absorbing mechanisms, the safety function is performed where it can most effectively prevent injury, eliminating the need for bulky interior safety devices that compromise aesthetics and passenger space.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary safety preparation through exterior component reconfiguration before collision, rather than relying on interior safety devices that deploy after impact. This approach maintains vehicle aesthetics by using sleek exterior components that serve dual purposes: maintaining design appearance while providing proactive safety protection through their adjustable configurations.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided for dampening impact to a vehicle. The system may include a vehicle frame component; a plurality of adjustable exterior vehicle body components coupled to the frame component, wherein the vehicle body components are on different sides of a vehicle and are configurable to dampen an external force exerted on the vehicle; a plurality of actuator components configured to adjust physical configurations of the vehicle body components relative to the frame component; a component configured to collect data representing an external environment of the vehicle; and one or more processors configured to detect, by processing the data, an external driving condition, wherein the external driving condition is an impending collision between the vehicle and one or more objects external to the vehicle, and when the external driving condition is detected, cause the actuator components to correspondingly adjust the physical configurations of the vehicle body components.