Automobile Headrest Hat Rack Oval Support Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle hat hangers are inefficient and not cost-effective for securely storing American cowboy hats and traditional Police Sheriff's hats, as they often cause deformation and damage due to single-point contact and inadequate support, and obstruct the driver's vision.
Innovation Solution
An automobile headrest hanging hat rack with an oval-shaped hat hanging member that engages the hat above the sweatband, providing multi-point support and stability, and is configured as a single-piece, knock-down structure for easy assembly and disassembly, which can be coupled to the headrest of an automobile seat.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a conventional single-point hook is used to hang the hat, then the device complexity is reduced, but the hat deformation and damage occurs due to inadequate support
Solution Approach 1:
The hat hanging member is segmented into multiple contact points (front contact point, rear contact point, and side contact points) instead of a single hook. This segmentation distributes the hat's weight across multiple locations, preventing deformation while maintaining structural simplicity. The segmented design allows the hanging member to conform to the hat's crown shape and provide comprehensive support.
2Device complexity
If the hat is placed on the seat or dash, then the device complexity is minimized, but the hat shape is distorted due to bouncing and passenger contact
Solution Approach 1:
The hat hanging member is designed with different contact point qualities optimized for specific locations on the hat crown. The front and rear contact points engage with the crown's upper surface, while side contact points engage with the crown's sides. This localized quality distribution provides targeted support at each contact point, preventing shape distortion while keeping the overall device simple.
3Reliability
If a wire frame hat rack is mounted on the seat base, then the hat support stability is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to occupying passenger seat space
Solution Approach 1:
The hat rack transitions from a horizontal seat-base mounting to a vertical headrest-mounted configuration. By utilizing the vertical dimension and the headrest's available space, the design provides stable hat support without occupying horizontal seat space. This dimensional change allows passenger seats to remain fully accessible while maintaining reliable hat hanging capability.
4Ease of operation
If the hat is stored in dash storage, then the ease of operation is improved, but the driver's vision is obstructed
Solution Approach 1:
The hat storage function is extracted from the dash storage area and relocated to the headrest area. This extraction removes the hat from the driver's field of view while maintaining easy accessibility. The headrest-mounted position places the hat above the driver's line of sight, eliminating vision obstruction while keeping the hat within reach for the driver.
Data Source
AI summary
An automobile head rest hanging hat rack is configured to be coupled to the headrest of an automobile seat, wherein the hat rack is formed as a single piece, knock down structure, a back configured to be adjacent to the automobile seat, a base coupled to a lower end of the back and extending away from the back and a hat hanging member coupled to the base at a position opposite the position of the coupling of the back to the base, wherein the hat hanging member is configured to be spaced from the automobile seat and configured to engage the interior of an American cowboy hat or traditional Police Sherriff's hat to be engaged at a position above the sweatband of the hat.