Hinged Loading Floor Elements for Flexible Luggage Compartment Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing loading floors for motor vehicle luggage compartments lack flexibility in space utilization and handling, as they are often rigid and do not easily adapt to varying storage needs or provide quick access to underlying spaces.
Innovation Solution
A three-part loading floor with hinge-like connections between elements, allowing 180-degree pivoting and folding, along with locking mechanisms using electromagnets, spring-loaded levers, and hooks, enables flexible positioning and secure storage configurations, including the ability to fold elements on top of each other for enhanced access and storage flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the loading floor is designed as a rigid single-piece structure, then structural strength is improved, but flexibility in space utilization and handling deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The loading floor is divided into multiple separate elements (first loading floor element, second loading floor element, and third loading floor element) that can move independently relative to each other. This segmentation allows each element to be positioned flexibly to create different storage configurations while maintaining structural integrity through their interconnected design
Solution Approach 2:
The loading floor elements are designed with movable connections that allow dynamic reconfiguration. The elements can pivot and fold relative to each other, transforming from a rigid flat surface to various three-dimensional configurations, enabling adaptive space utilization while preserving structural strength through controlled movement mechanisms
2Ease of operation
If the loading floor elements are made movable and foldable, then flexibility and ease of handling are improved, but structural stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Locking mechanisms are pre-positioned on the loading floor elements to automatically engage when elements are folded or pivoted into desired positions. This preliminary preparation of locking features ensures that once the elements are moved to a configuration, they are immediately secured, maintaining structural stability while enabling easy reconfiguration
Solution Approach 2:
The connection parameters between loading floor elements are designed to change state - transitioning from a locked fixed position to an unlocked movable position and back again. This parameter change allows the structure to switch between stable and flexible states, enabling easy handling during reconfiguration while maintaining stability during use
3Stability of the object's composition
If locking mechanisms are added to secure folded positions, then structural stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanisms are designed to automatically engage and disengage based on the position of the loading floor elements themselves. When elements are folded or pivoted to specific positions, the locking features self-align and secure without requiring external actuation or complex control systems, maintaining structural stability while minimizing added complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanisms are integrated directly into the loading floor elements rather than being separate external components. The locking features are combined with the hinge and pivot connections, merging the stabilization function with the existing structural elements, thereby improving stability without proportionally increasing device complexity
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a loading floor for the luggage compartment of a motor vehicle, in particular a passenger car equipped with a tailgate, wherein the flat loading floor is divided into a first, rear loading floor element, a second, middle loading floor element, and a third, front loading floor element, wherein the first and second loading floor elements and the second and third loading floor elements are designed to be movable relative to each other such that they can be pivoted relative to each other and also folded onto one another by means of a hinge-like connection provided between the loading floor elements. In order to enable a flexible usage concept of the luggage compartment, the individual loading floor elements are connected in a hinge-like manner and, in conjunction with front and/or rear supports on the vehicle or integrated into the loading floor elements, can be folded and fixed in different positions.