Bicycle Rack with Compressive Arm for Pickup Truck Bed
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing load carrier systems for securing bicycles in vehicle beds, such as pickup trucks, often require wheel removal, are not universally compatible with different fork types, and lack sufficient stability, leading to potential damage and safety issues during transport.
Innovation Solution
A rack assembly that secures bicycles with both wheels attached, using a compressive force applied by an extensible arm to the front tire, which is adjustable and pivotable, ensuring stable engagement with the truck bed without requiring physical modifications to the truck.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a rack assembly is secured to the vehicle bed using existing methods (straps through gap between bed and tailgate), then the assembly can be installed without drilling holes, but the assembly lacks sufficient stability and may shift or work loose during transport
Solution Approach 1:
The rack assembly incorporates an extensible arm that can dynamically adjust its length and position to accommodate different bicycle sizes and types. The arm extends to engage the front tire, providing adaptive securement that maintains stability during transport while allowing for easy installation and adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a buffer element as an intermediary between the rack assembly and the bicycle/tire. This buffer provides cushioning and stable engagement without requiring permanent modifications to the vehicle bed, resolving the contradiction between easy installation and securement stability.
2Ease of operation
If the rack assembly uses tension from crossbars or straps as the primary means for securing the assembly between sidewalls, then installation is simple, but if tension is reduced through loosening or failure, the bicycle may become loose and cause damage
Solution Approach 1:
The rack assembly incorporates a buffer element that provides beforehand cushioning between the securing mechanism and the bicycle. This buffer prevents direct hard contact that could cause damage, while still allowing for simple installation and maintenance of securement tension throughout transport.
3Adaptability or versatility
If existing assemblies require removal of the front wheel to attach forks to the assembly, then the assembly can accommodate the bicycle, but the wheel must be separately stowed where it can shift and cause damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the wheel removal requirement from the bicycle securing process. The extensible arm directly engages the front tire while it remains attached to the bicycle, eliminating the need to separate the wheel from the bike. This prevents the harmful effect of detached wheels shifting and causing damage during transport.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a rack assembly is designed to accommodate various bicycle fork types, then versatility is improved, but the complexity of the assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rack assembly employs a universal extensible arm mechanism that can accommodate various bicycle fork types without requiring complex adjustments or multiple specialized components. The arm's extensibility and adjustable positioning provide multi-functionality that simplifies the overall assembly design while maintaining broad compatibility.
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
The system provides upright stability for bicycles, prevents damage by acting as a buffer, and maintains the bicycle in a fixed position during transport, accommodating various bicycle types without the need for wheel removal or truck modifications.
Implementation Method 1
A rack assembly that secures bicycles with both wheels attached, using a compressive force applied by an extensible arm to the front tire
Implementation Method 2
prevents damage by acting as a buffer
Data Source
AI summary
Method and arrangement for providing a bicycle transport system that includes a rack assembly securing a bicycle, with both wheels still attached, in the bed of a pickup truck without requiring physical modification of the pickup truck bed. The transport system includes a rack frame having a securing assembly releasably securing the rack frame in the bed of a transporting pickup truck. The system also includes a bicycle restraining portion that is maintained in abutting engagement with a front tire of a bicycle being transported in the pickup truck bed. The securing assembly has an anchor member that in a secured configuration maintains the rack frame in abutment with the pickup truck bed so that the rack frame is substantially fixing relative to the truck bed. The bicycle restraining portion has a constrictable arm that presses upon the front tire of the bicycle in a transporting configuration. The arm exerts a compression force, obliquely directed with respect to both horizontal and vertical, upon the bicycle front tire in such a manner that the tire is compressed into a substantially fixed position above the truck bed when in the bicycle transporting configuration.