Vehicle Door Panel Linkage for Stow-to-Deploy Interior Functions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle interior panels lack the ability to provide multiple functional purposes and adapt to evolving user needs, such as enhanced functionality for electronic device use and activities in autonomous vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A reconfigurable vehicle door panel system with a linkage mechanism that allows panels to move from a stowed position to a deployed position, offering functions like a work surface or seating, and can be made of different materials on each side to serve various purposes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the panel is designed to be static and fixed in the door, then the interior side of the door maintains a uniform appearance, but the panel cannot provide multiple functional purposes
Solution Approach 1:
The panel is designed with a linkage mechanism that enables it to transition between a stowed position (flush with the door) and a deployed position (extended outward). This dynamic capability allows the same panel structure to serve multiple functions: maintaining a uniform appearance when stowed and providing work surfaces or seating when deployed, thereby resolving the contradiction between aesthetic simplicity and functional versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel is designed to perform multiple functions through its reconfigurable nature. When deployed, the same panel can serve as a work surface, seating, or support structure depending on the vehicle's needs. This multi-functionality is achieved without permanently increasing structural complexity, as the panel returns to its simple stowed configuration when not in use.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the panel is made movable via a linkage mechanism, then the panel can serve multiple functions, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The linkage mechanism is divided into separate components: a linkage arm connected to the panel, a pivot point attached to the door, and connection points that allow rotational movement. This segmentation enables each component to perform a specific function while maintaining overall simplicity. The modular nature of the segmented linkage reduces manufacturing complexity compared to a monolithic moving mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The linkage mechanism utilizes changes in geometric parameters (arm position, angle, and distance from pivot) to enable panel movement. By controlling the position and orientation parameters of the linkage components, the panel can transition between stowed and deployed states without requiring complex actuators or control systems, thereby maintaining relative simplicity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the panel is deployed from the door, then functional purposes are enabled, but the uniform appearance of the interior side is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The panel dynamically transitions between two distinct states: a stowed position where it is flush with the door interior surface, providing a uniform appearance; and a deployed position where it extends outward to provide functional surfaces. This dynamic state change allows the same component to satisfy both aesthetic requirements and functional needs at different times, resolving the contradiction between appearance and functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A reconfigurable vehicle door trim panel system. A vehicle has a body defining an exterior and an interior with a door that opens to expose the interior to the exterior. When closed, the door has an interior side and an exterior side. A panel is provided on the interior side of the door. A linkage connects the panel to the door. The panel is configured to move, via the linkage, from a position stowed in the door to a position deployed from the door. When in the stowed position, the panel is configured to provide the interior side of the door with a uniform appearance. When in the deployed position, the panel is configured to serve a functional purpose.