Utility Vehicle Door Latch Operation Member Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
In utility vehicles, the existing latch devices require users to bend their arms unnaturally to operate the lever, making it difficult for seated users to easily unlock the doors due to the lever's placement at the upper end portion of the door's inner side.
Innovation Solution
The latch device is redesigned with a striker member protruding outward in the vehicle width direction and an operation member positioned on the outer surface of the door, allowing users to easily access and operate the latch member from outside the vehicle, enhancing usability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the lever is provided at the upper end portion of the door at the inner side in the vehicle width direction, then the latch device structure can be simplified, but the user seated on the seat has to bend the user's arm unnaturally to operate the lever
Solution Approach 1:
The operation member is moved from the inner side of the door to the outer surface of the door body, changing the spatial dimension of operation. This allows the user to operate the latch device from outside the vehicle without bending the arm unnaturally, while the lever remains on the inner side for structural simplicity
2Ease of operation
If the operation member is positioned on the outer surface of the door body, then the user can easily operate the latch device without bending arms, but the door structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The operation member serves dual functions: it operates the latch member from the outer surface of the door body, and simultaneously allows the door structure to maintain its simplicity through the existing lever mechanism on the inner side. This multi-functional design resolves the contradiction between ease of operation and structural complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A utility vehicle includes a vehicle body including a main frame, a seat, and an entrance, and a door including a door body, a hinge, and a latch device. The latch device includes a striker member mounted to the vehicle body to protrude outward in a vehicle width direction, a latch member attached to the door body and actuated to switch between a first state where the latch member engages with the striker member and a second state where the latch member disengages from the striker member, and an operation member attached to the door body to operate the latch member. The operation member is positioned on an outer surface of the door body in the vehicle width direction.