Cargo Bed Adaptor Rails for Standard Accessory Module Fit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicles with varying cargo bed sizes face challenges in accommodating standardized vehicle accessory modules, as each cargo bed size requires a specific module design, leading to inefficiencies and increased development costs.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a vehicle accessory module receiving system that includes polymer-based, fiber-reinforced adaptors securable to the cargo bed's side walls, which establish a standardized opening to receive accessory modules through a rail and slot system, allowing for concurrent engagement and electrical coupling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If vehicles with varying cargo bed sizes use custom accessory module designs, then each cargo bed can be optimized for its specific size, but the number of different module designs increases, leading to increased development costs and manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal accessory module design that can be adapted to multiple cargo bed sizes through the use of positionable side walls and adjustable support structures. A single module design serves multiple vehicle configurations, eliminating the need for size-specific variants while maintaining optimal fit and function across different cargo bed dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The accessory module is divided into separable components including side walls with positionable elements and support structures that can be independently adjusted. This segmentation allows the same basic module design to be configured for different cargo bed sizes by repositioning or removing specific components, rather than creating entirely different module designs for each size.
2Ease of manufacture
If standardized accessory modules are used across different cargo bed sizes, then development costs are reduced, but the modules may not fit optimally in all cargo bed configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The module incorporates dynamic, adjustable elements such as positionable side walls and movable support structures that can be reconfigured to match different cargo bed dimensions. This dynamic adaptability allows a single standardized module design to optimize its fit across various vehicle configurations without requiring custom designs for each size.
Solution Approach 2:
The module design utilizes adjustable parameters including side wall positions, support structure heights, and connection point locations that can be modified to accommodate different cargo bed sizes. By changing these parameters rather than the fundamental module design, the system achieves both standardization and optimization.
3Reliability
If multiple accessory module designs are developed for different cargo bed sizes, then each module can be perfectly optimized for its specific application, but manufacturing complexity and inventory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
A single universal module design with configurable elements replaces multiple size-specific designs, maintaining reliable fit across different cargo bed configurations while simplifying manufacturing to a single base design. The universal design achieves application-specific optimization through configuration rather than through creating multiple specialized variants.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle accessory module receiving system includes a first adaptor securable adjacent a first side wall of a cargo bed; and a second adaptor securable adjacent a second side wall of the cargo bed, the first and second adaptors establishing opposing sides of an opening configured to receive a vehicle accessory module, the first and second adaptors configured to concurrently engage the vehicle accessory module when the vehicle accessory module is received within the opening.