Deployable Vehicle Ramp Platform for Low Step Height Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing passenger ingress and egress assistance apparatuses in vehicles with batteries under the floor cause increased step height, inconveniencing ordinary passengers and failing to meet wheelchair transportation safety regulations.
Innovation Solution
A passenger ingress and egress assistance apparatus with a case, a moving body, a platform, and a hinge mechanism that allows the platform to move between horizontal and inclined positions, using lift bars and lock assemblies to facilitate deployment and stowage, and a ramp cover to bridge height differences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the passenger ingress and egress assistance apparatus is stacked on the top surface of the floor to assist passengers with disabilities, then accessibility for passengers with disabilities is improved, but the step height increases causing inconvenience for ordinary passengers
Solution Approach 1:
The platform is designed to dynamically change its position and orientation between a stowed horizontal position (flush with vehicle floor) and a deployed inclined position (forming a ramp). This dynamic transformation allows the same structure to serve both ordinary passengers and passengers with disabilities, eliminating the step height issue while maintaining accessibility benefits
2Reliability
If the height of the vehicle floor is increased to accommodate the assistance apparatus, then wheelchair transportation safety regulations may be met, but the step height increases causing inconvenience for ordinary passengers
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than permanently increasing the vehicle floor height, the invention uses a deployable platform that creates the necessary height difference only when needed for wheelchair access. When stowed, the platform remains flush with the vehicle floor, maintaining normal ingress and egress conditions for ordinary passengers while still complying with safety regulations when deployed
3Adaptability or versatility
If the platform is deployed from the cavity to assist ingress and egress, then passenger accessibility is improved, but the device complexity increases with additional mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge mechanism integrates multiple functions into a single rotational joint: it connects the platform to the moving body, enables the platform to pivot between horizontal and inclined positions, and works cooperatively with the actuator and lock assembly to achieve stable deployment. This merging of functions reduces the number of separate components needed while maintaining the required adaptability
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment passenger ingress and egress assistance apparatus includes a case having a cavity defined therein, a moving body configured to move in the cavity of the case in a longitudinal direction of the case, a platform configured to be stowed in and deployed from the cavity of the case by a movement of the moving body, and a hinge mechanism configured to pivotally connect the platform to the moving body.