Cantilevered Tailgate Step Assembly with Pivot Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tailgate designs for motor vehicles are heavy, expensive to produce, and difficult to deploy, limiting ease of access to the cargo bed.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight tailgate assembly with a cantilevered step subassembly featuring a single L-shaped rail and pivot subassembly that allows the step to be easily deployed and concealed, ensuring proper orientation for accessing the cargo bed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If traditional tailgate step designs are used, then the step provides access to the cargo bed, but the assembly is heavy and expensive to produce
Solution Approach 1:
The step assembly is divided into separate functional components: a rail member with first and second legs, a step member, a molding member, and a pivot subassembly. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently for weight and manufacturing cost while maintaining overall functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of mounting the step directly to the tailgate or using a complex support structure, the invention inverts the approach by using a cantilevered rail structure where the step hangs from the rail, which is pivoted to the tailgate. This inversion simplifies the support structure and reduces material requirements.
2Ease of operation
If traditional tailgate step designs are used, then the step provides access to the cargo bed, but the assembly is difficult to deploy
Solution Approach 1:
The step assembly transitions from a static structure to a dynamic one through the pivot subassembly, allowing the rail to rotate between a stowed position (flush with tailgate) and a deployed position (protruding for step access). This dynamic capability enables easy deployment without complex mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivot subassembly is extracted as a separate, simple functional unit that provides the rotation capability. This extraction allows the main rail and step structure to remain simple while adding deployment functionality through the isolated pivot mechanism.
3Ease of operation
If the step is made wider for better access, then ease of access improves, but the molding may contact user feet during use
Solution Approach 1:
The molding member is positioned in a different spatial dimension relative to the step - it extends along the first leg of the rail rather than beneath the step. This dimensional separation allows the step to be wider for better access while the molding remains clear of the user's feet during use.
Solution Approach 2:
The rail structure uses asymmetric leg positioning where the first leg carries the molding and the second leg carries the step. This asymmetric arrangement allows independent optimization of each leg's function, enabling the step to be wider without compromising molding protection.
Data Source
AI summary
A tailgate assembly includes a tailgate and a step subassembly having a rail, a step carried on the rail and a pivot subassembly connecting the rail to the tailgate. That pivot subassembly includes two pivot pins. A molding is also carried on the rail.