Expandable Vehicle Storage Partition With Climate-Control Coupling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional climate-controlled cases for vehicles are not selectively expandable or concealable, failing to optimize space and portability while not effectively integrating with onboard heating or cooling systems.
Innovation Solution
A thermally managed storage system with a partition structure that couples with the vehicle compartment, featuring moveable walls and a casing that selectively connects with the vehicle's climate control system via a fluid connection, allowing for expansion and concealment, and is thermally insulated to limit heat transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional climate-controlled case is used in a vehicle, then the case can maintain a controlled environment, but it cannot be selectively expandable or concealable to optimize space and portability
Solution Approach 1:
The partition structure is divided into multiple moveable second walls (front, rear, left, right) that can independently extend between retracted and extended positions. This segmentation allows the enclosure to be expanded or concealed selectively without requiring the entire structure to move, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and complexity by breaking down the expansion function into manageable modular components.
Solution Approach 2:
The second walls are designed to be moveable between retracted and extended positions, transforming the enclosure from a static to a dynamic structure. This dynamic capability enables selective expansion and concealment to optimize space utilization in different vehicle configurations, while the moveable mechanism is integrated into the existing partition structure to minimize additional complexity.
2Volume of moving object
If the partition structure is made expandable with moveable walls, then space optimization and portability are improved, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The moveable second walls are nested within the partition structure when in the retracted position, similar to a nested doll configuration. This nesting approach allows the enclosure volume to be expanded when needed while maintaining a compact form factor when concealed, effectively managing the volume-to-complexity ratio by hiding the expansion mechanism within the existing structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition structure serves multiple functions: it provides structural support for the enclosure, enables selective expansion through moveable second walls, and facilitates concealment when not in use. By integrating these multiple functions into a single unified structure, the design achieves volume optimization without proportionally increasing device complexity, as the same structural elements perform multiple roles.
3Ease of operation
If the casing is selectively removable from the fluid connection, then portability is improved, but the thermal management integration is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The casing is designed to be selectively removable from the fluid connection, allowing the climate-controlled enclosure to be detached from the vehicle's climate control system when portability is needed. This extraction capability enables the user to take the casing away from the vehicle while leaving the fluid connection infrastructure in place, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and thermal management integration by allowing selective separation when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The fluid connection acts as an intermediary between the casing and the vehicle's climate control system. When the casing is attached, the fluid connection enables thermal management integration; when the casing is removed, the fluid connection remains as a ready interface for future reconnection. This intermediary design maintains the option for reliable thermal management while enabling selective removability for portability.
4Temperature
If thermal insulation is added to limit heat transfer, then temperature control is improved, but the device complexity and material requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The partition structure and casing incorporate thermal insulation materials to limit heat transfer between the enclosed space and the external environment. By integrating insulation into the composite structure of the partition walls and casing, the design achieves improved temperature control without significantly increasing device complexity, as the insulation becomes an integral part of the existing structural components rather than a separate added system.
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 system optimizes space and enhances portability by allowing dynamic expansion and concealment, effectively integrating with onboard climate control systems to maintain a controlled environment within the vehicle compartment.
Implementation Method 1
A casing is disposed in the compartment and selectively couples with a climate control system of the vehicle via a fluid connection with the compartment
Implementation Method 2
the first and plurality of second walls are thermally insulated to limit heat transfer between the space and a remainder of the compartment
Data Source
AI summary
A thermally managed storage system for a vehicle that includes a partition structure that couples with and is expandable in a compartment of the vehicle. The partition structure includes a first wall fixed with the compartment and a plurality of second walls that are each moveable between a retracted position and an extended position. The plurality of second walls forms a space between the first wall and the plurality of second walls in the extended position. A casing is disposed in a space and selectively couples with a climate control system of the vehicle via a fluid connection with the compartment.