Deployable Running Boards for Vehicle Door Ding Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Parked vehicles often suffer door dents or dings when adjacent vehicles' doors are opened forcefully, causing inconvenience and limited preventive measures are available.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing vehicle running boards that can move between retracted and extended positions to shield the vehicle's doors/body, determining distances and door dimensions to adjust the boards' position accordingly, and optionally adjusting vehicle height to prevent door dents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If running boards are extended to shield the vehicle body from door dings, then protection against door dents is improved, but device complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by detecting the presence of adjacent vehicles and pre-extending the running boards before a door opening event occurs. The processor monitors sensor data to identify when another vehicle is parked nearby, then automatically extends the running boards to a protective position in advance, ensuring protection is already in place when the adjacent door is opened.
Solution Approach 2:
The running boards transition from a static component to a dynamic one that can automatically adjust its position. The system extends the running boards when protection is needed and retracts them when not needed, creating a movable protective barrier that adapts to parking conditions rather than being fixed in position.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If running boards are extended continuously to prevent door dings, then door dent protection is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous extension, the system employs periodic action by extending the running boards only during specific periods when protection is needed. The processor continuously monitors sensor data and extends the running boards when adjacent vehicles are detected within a certain distance, then retracts them when no threat is present, creating an on-demand protection cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts the protective function from a continuous state and applies it only when necessary. By using sensors to detect the presence of adjacent vehicles, the system determines when the protection function should be activated, separating the protection need from continuous operation and enabling energy-efficient selective deployment.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If vehicle height is adjusted to prevent door dings, then door dent protection is improved, but device complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The running boards serve as an intermediary protective element between the adjacent vehicle door and the own vehicle body. Instead of adjusting the entire vehicle height, the system deploys these intermediate structures that extend outward to intercept potential door contacts, providing protection through a localized intermediary barrier rather than global vehicle elevation.
Data Source
AI summary
A first vehicle including a detection unit, a transceiver and a processor is disclosed. The detection unit may be configured to detect a distance between the first vehicle and a second vehicle located adjacent to the first vehicle. The transceiver may be configured to receive a second vehicle door dimension. The processor may be configured to compare the distance with the second vehicle door dimension, and determine that the second vehicle door dimension may be greater than the distance. Responsive to determining that the second vehicle door dimension may be greater than the distance, the processor may control an operation of a first vehicle component.