Automobile Bumper Protector with Deployable Wing Extensions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bumper protectors are bulky, complicated, and expose lateral corners of the bumper, leading to damage during installation and use, and often require elastic straps that can result in soiling and scuffing, with unnecessary openings for license plates if the vehicle doesn't have one.
Innovation Solution
A bumper protector with a main body and deployable wing extensions that secure to the automobile above the bumper, using trunk straps and magnetic extension straps to cover lateral surfaces, with a hinge system and rolling contact units to minimize contact with the bumper and prevent scuffing, and a sliding license plate cover for adaptability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If bumper protectors are designed to wrap around the corners of the bumper, then lateral corner protection is improved, but the device becomes bulky and complicated with large storage space requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The bumper protector is divided into a main body portion and separate deployable wing extensions. The main body covers the central bumper area, while the wing extensions can be deployed to protect the lateral corners only when needed. This segmentation allows the protector to provide comprehensive coverage without requiring a permanently bulky design.
Solution Approach 2:
The wing extensions are designed to be deployable rather than fixed, allowing them to extend from the main body when corner protection is needed and retract when not needed. This dynamic configuration enables the protector to adapt its shape and coverage area, reducing storage space requirements while maintaining protective capability.
2Reliability
If elastic straps are used to secure the protector to the rear wheel wells, then securement is improved, but the protector is likely to come into contact with ground, puddles, and litter during installation and removal
Solution Approach 1:
The securement function is extracted from the main body of the protector and implemented through separate trunk straps that attach to the vehicle interior rather than requiring the protector to reach down to the wheel wells. This eliminates the need for long elastic straps that must pass through contaminated areas during installation and removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The trunk straps serve as an intermediary securement mechanism, attaching the protector to the vehicle through the trunk interior rather than directly to the wheel wells. This intermediary attachment point allows for securement without requiring the protector to contact ground-level contaminants during the installation and removal process.
3Area of stationary object
If the upper ends of the protector straddle or are wrapped over the upper edge of the bumper, then coverage is improved, but the inner surface of the protector scuffs and dulls the bumper with repeated use
Solution Approach 1:
The protector is designed with different functional zones: the main body provides coverage without directly contacting the bumper surface, while the deployable wing extensions provide localized protection at the lateral corners. This local quality differentiation allows coverage without the scuffing that occurs when the entire protector continuously contacts the bumper.
Solution Approach 2:
The wing extensions are deployable rather than continuously contacting the bumper. They can be extended to provide corner protection when needed and retracted to minimize contact with the bumper surface, reducing scuffing from repeated contact during installation, removal, and vehicle movement.
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 solution allows for easy installation and removal with reduced risk of bumper damage, improved protection of lateral corners, and adaptability to vehicles with or without bumper-mounted license plates, while maintaining cleanliness and preventing scuffing.
Implementation Method 1
rolling contact units to minimize contact with the bumper and prevent scuffing
Implementation Method 2
magnetic extension straps to cover lateral surfaces
Data Source
AI summary
A bumper protector and method for protecting a bumper of an automobile. The protector includes a main body that has oppositely-disposed upper and lower ends and oppositely-disposed lateral ends. The upper end of the main body is adapted to be secured to an automobile portion above the bumper, so that the main body covers at least a portion of an outer surface of the bumper. The protector further includes wing extensions that are deployable from the main body by extending each wing extension from a stowed position thereof to a deployed position in which the extensions are deployed from the lateral ends of the main body. The wing extensions are securable to the automobile so that at least portions of the lateral surfaces of the bumper are covered with the wing extensions.