Compact Power Running Board With Nested Pivot Shafts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power running board systems for automotive applications are bulky and heavy, making them unsuitable for smaller vehicles like sport utility vehicles (SUVs), which require a compact and lightweight solution for movable running boards with reduced internal stresses and increased ground clearance.
Innovation Solution
A compact running board assembly featuring a low-profile design with a rotary actuator, parallel linkage, and bushing arrangement that reduces reaction forces, allowing for a smaller housing and lighter weight, along with an electronic control unit to manage the motor assembly for smooth movement between stowed and deployed positions, utilizing a drive arm and idler arm mechanism within the housing to maintain balance and reduce weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If parallel swing arms are connected on the outside of housings to pivot shaft ends, then the running board can be moved between stowed and deployed positions, but the overall height of the assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent places the pivot shaft ends inside the housings rather than outside, nesting the mechanical components within the existing housing structure. This eliminates the need for external swing arm connections and significantly reduces the overall height of the assembly while maintaining the running board's movement capability between stowed and deployed positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent repositions the pivot shaft ends from an external horizontal arrangement to an internal vertical arrangement within the housings. This dimensional reconfiguration allows the swing arms to pivot within the housing depth rather than extending outward, reducing the assembly's height profile.
2Reliability
If a cantilever structure is used to avoid high internal forces and stresses, then the running board can operate smoothly, but a larger housing is required which increases the weight of the assembly
Solution Approach 1:
By nesting the pivot shaft ends inside the housings and positioning bushings within the housing structure, the patent creates a compact cantilever arrangement that contains all support elements within the housing boundaries. This eliminates the need for oversized housings while maintaining the cantilever structure's stress-reducing benefits, thereby reducing overall assembly weight.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a compact structure is designed for smaller vehicles like SUVs, then the running board becomes adaptable for vehicles with less ground clearance, but the structure must handle reduced space constraints and lower loads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent nests all critical mechanical components (pivot shaft ends, bushings, swing arms) within compact housings, creating a low-profile assembly suitable for SUVs with limited ground clearance. This nested configuration maintains structural integrity while adapting to the space constraints of smaller vehicles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent positions the bushings at specific locations between the pivot shaft end and the swing arm connection points, creating localized force distribution zones. This local optimization of component placement ensures adequate load handling in a compact configuration, making the running board adaptable to smaller vehicles without requiring excessive housing dimensions.
Data Source
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AI summary
A compact deployable/retractable running board assembly for a motor vehicle including a running board, linkage coupled to the running board, and a motor assembly coupled to an actuator, the running board moveable between at least one stowed position and at least one deployed position. The linkage includes a drive arm connected to a pivot shaft within a housing at a location on the pivot shaft between two bushings that are coupled to the pivot shaft within the housing. The linkage also includes an idler arm connected to a pivot shaft within an idler housing. The actuator is operably coupled to the linkage to cause rotation of the linkage to move the running board between the at least one stowed position generally under the motor vehicle and at least one deployed position to provide a step surface for a user.