Expandable Plate Mechanism for Automotive Rooftop Tent
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automotive rooftop tents are complicated and time-consuming to pitch, limiting their usability for family camping due to narrow internal space and difficult setup processes.
Innovation Solution
An automotive rooftop tent design featuring a lower case detachably fixed to the vehicle, an upper case with opening/closing mechanisms, an expandable plate, a pivotable pole, and tenting fabric, allowing for easy setup by opening the upper case and pulling out the expandable plate to create a wider internal space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the internal space of the rooftop tent is increased for family camping, then the usability and comfort are improved, but the structure becomes more complicated and the pitching time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rooftop tent is divided into a hard case body and a separate expandable plate that can be pulled out independently. This segmentation allows the tent to maintain a compact form when stored while providing expanded space when needed, avoiding the need for complex internal mechanisms throughout the entire structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The expandable plate introduces a dynamic element to the otherwise static hard case structure. By allowing the plate to slide between retracted and extended positions, the tent can adapt its internal volume based on usage requirements without requiring a completely reconfigurable complex structure.
2Volume of moving object
If the internal space of the rooftop tent is increased, then the comfort for family camping is improved, but the pitching time becomes longer
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable plate is pre-positioned within the hard case in a specific orientation. When pitching the tent, users simply need to pull the plate outward rather than assembling multiple components from scratch. This preliminary positioning significantly reduces the time required to set up the expanded space compared to traditional assembly methods.
3Ease of manufacture
If a traditional rooftop tent structure is used, then the manufacturing is simpler, but the pitching process becomes complicated and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable plate is stored nested within the hard case structure when not in use. This nesting arrangement allows the compact storage form while enabling quick deployment by simply extracting the plate. The manufacturing remains relatively simple as it involves basic sliding mechanisms rather than complex assembly systems, while dramatically improving the ease of operation during pitching.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design enables simple pitching and packing of the tent by pulling out the expandable plate, providing a wider space and addressing the complexity and time issues of existing rooftop tents.
Implementation Method 1
an assist device for opening/closing the upper case; a gas spring having both ends pivotably coupled to the upper link and the lower link, respectively
Implementation Method 2
the pole is positioned adjacent to the expandable plate when the expandable plate is at the first position, and is lifted up by the tenting fabric when the expandable plate is at the second position
Data Source
AI summary
An automotive rooftop tent includes a lower case detachably fixed to the roof of a vehicle and an upper case closing or opening the lower case by means of opening/closing mechanisms. The automotive rooftop tent includes: an expandable plate slidably coupled to the lower case; a pole having both ends pivotably coupled to both sides of the rear of the expandable plate; and a tenting fabric connected at least to the upper case, the pole, and the expandable plate, in which the expandable plate slides between a first position, where the expandable plate overlapping the lower case, and a second position, where the expandable plate is fully pulled out, and the pole is positioned adjacent to the expandable plate when the expandable plate is at the first position, and is lifted up by the tenting fabric when the expandable plate is at the second position.