Vehicle Cargo Panel Slot Structure for Tool-Free Reconfiguration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle cargo area dividers and mesh materials are difficult to install and remove due to their awkward design, requiring tools or mechanical fasteners.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle cargo area structure with lateral opposing walls featuring slots and a movable panel with projections that can be easily installed in multiple orientations without tools, allowing for horizontal, vertical, and stowed positions by sliding into and out of the slots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If dividers and mesh materials are used to create cargo area configurations, then cargo area organization is improved, but installation and removal difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The panel is divided into multiple sections with protrusions at each end that can independently engage with slots in the wall portions. This segmentation allows the panel to be easily installed and removed by simply sliding the protrusions into the slots without requiring tools or mechanical fasteners, while still providing effective cargo area organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The slots in the wall portions are designed to accommodate panels in multiple orientations (horizontal, vertical, and at various angles), making the same slot structure universally applicable for different panel configurations and cargo organization needs without requiring different installation mechanisms.
2Reliability
If mechanical fasteners are used to secure the panel to the walls, then panel stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the fastening function from complex mechanical fasteners and implements it through simple protrusion-slot engagement. The protrusions at the ends of the panel are received by corresponding slots in the wall portions, providing stable securing without requiring any fasteners, thus eliminating device complexity while maintaining panel stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel's protrusions automatically engage with the wall slots when the panel is positioned correctly, providing self-securing functionality without requiring external fasteners or complex installation mechanisms. The panel essentially secures itself through the geometric compatibility of its protrusions with the wall slots.
3Device complexity
If fixed panel orientations are used, then structural simplicity is improved, but adaptability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The slots in the wall portions are designed with sufficient length and appropriate orientation to accommodate panels in multiple positions including horizontal, vertical, and intermediate angles. This universal slot design allows the same simple structural elements to support diverse panel orientations without requiring additional structural components.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel installation system transitions from fixed orientations to a dynamic configuration where panels can be easily repositioned to different orientations by simply sliding the protrusions in and out of the slots, allowing the cargo area configuration to adapt to different user needs while maintaining structural simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle cargo area structure has a first wall portion and a second wall portion spaced apart from one another by a first distance. The first wall portion and the second wall portion define respective first and second pairs of slots. Recessed surfaces defined within the first pair of slots are a second distance away from recessed surfaces of the second pair of slots. The second distance is larger than the first distance. A first end a panel has a first pair of projections extending therefrom. A second end of the panel has a second pair of projections extending therefrom. The panel and the first and second pair of projections are dimensioned and shaped such that the panel can be positioned in an upright or vertical orientation, a shelf or horizontal orientation and a stowed orientation.