Deployable Vehicle Assist Handle for User-Specific Reach Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle assist handles do not adapt to the unique characteristics of individual users, such as height and arm length, which can hinder ease of entry and exit, especially for passengers with mobility limitations.
Innovation Solution
A deployable assist handle system that includes sensors (imaging cameras, radar, and ultrasonic sensors) to detect user characteristics and adjust its length and position using a reel and actuator, allowing the handle to extend to optimal heights based on user dimensions, ensuring accessibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed assist handle is used, then the structure is simple and reliable, but it cannot accommodate different user characteristics such as height and arm length
Solution Approach 1:
The assist handle is transformed from a fixed structure to a dynamic, adjustable structure. The handle can extend and retract along the door pillar to different positions based on user characteristics, allowing it to adapt to various heights and arm lengths while maintaining structural simplicity through controlled movement rather than multiple fixed components
Solution Approach 2:
The handle's position parameter is made variable rather than fixed. By changing the handle's location along the door pillar based on sensed user characteristics, the system achieves adaptability without requiring complex reconfiguration mechanisms, simply adjusting the single parameter of position
2Adaptability or versatility
If a pivotable assist handle is used, then some adjustment is possible, but it cannot provide sufficient extension to accommodate users with different physical dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The handle transitions from limited pivotable movement to extended linear movement along the door pillar. This dynamic extension capability allows the handle to reach positions that accommodate users with varying arm lengths and heights, significantly improving ease of operation for diverse users
Solution Approach 2:
The handle's adjustment capability is expanded from one-dimensional pivoting to two-dimensional positioning along the door pillar. By adding the extension dimension, the system can accommodate a wider range of user characteristics and provide better accessibility
3Adaptability or versatility
If sensors and actuators are added to detect user characteristics and adjust handle position, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects user characteristics and adjusts the handle position without requiring manual input from the user. The sensors and actuators work autonomously to sense the user's presence and physical characteristics, then self-adjust the handle to the optimal position, reducing the perceived complexity for the user
Solution Approach 2:
A feedback loop is established where sensors continuously monitor user characteristics and the controller adjusts the handle position accordingly. This closed-loop system automatically adapts to different users, managing the complexity through intelligent control rather than mechanical complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle includes a cabin interior, a support structure within or proximate to the cabin interior, and a deployable assist handle coupled to the support structure. The deployable assist handle includes a handle body, a flexible member coupled to the handle body, a reel configured to receive the flexible member, an actuator operatively coupled to the reel to actuate the reel to extend and retract the flexible member, at least one sensor for sensing a user proximate to the vehicle and generating sensed data based on the sensed user, and a controller determining one or more characteristics of the user from the sensed data and controlling the actuator to actuate the deployable assist handle assembly to adjust a length of the flexible member based on the determined one or more characteristics of the user.