Intelligent Vehicle Side Step with Automatic Height and Width Adjustment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional side steps for vehicles are inflexible, unable to adjust vertically or expand in width, making it inconvenient for passengers to get in or out, and lack safety features like automatic lighting for nighttime use.
Innovation Solution
An intelligent side step apparatus with fixing rails, a movable rail, a rotary link module, and a step lamp, powered by actuators and controlled by a unit that adjusts height and width automatically based on passenger signals and illuminance, ensuring safety and convenience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the side step is fixed to the vehicle body, then the structure is simple and stable, but the side step cannot adjust vertical height or expand in width direction, making it inconvenient for passengers
Solution Approach 1:
The side step is transformed from a fixed structure to a dynamic adjustable structure. The movable rail allows the side step to expand in the width direction, while the rotary link module enables height adjustment. This dynamic design allows the side step to adapt to different passenger needs and vehicle conditions, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The side step system is divided into multiple independent components: fixing rails, movable rail, rotary link module, and step panel. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently while working together as a unified system, enabling adjustability without requiring complete structural redesign.
2Ease of operation
If the side step can adjust height and expand width, then passenger convenience is improved, but the passenger must manually adjust and expand the side step
Solution Approach 1:
The side step system performs self-adjustment through automatic control. The control unit receives signals from sensors (door opening/closing, illuminance) and automatically activates the rail actuator and link actuator to adjust the side step position and height without requiring manual operation by the passenger, thereby improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms through sensors that detect door status and ambient light conditions. This feedback information is processed by the control unit, which then automatically adjusts the side step configuration, eliminating the need for manual adjustment and improving operational convenience.
3Reliability
If a lamp is added for nighttime safety, then passenger safety is improved, but the device complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The step lamp operates periodically rather than continuously. It is activated only when the illuminance sensor detects low light conditions and a getting-on or getting-off mode signal is generated. This periodic operation provides necessary nighttime safety lighting while minimizing energy consumption compared to continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual operation of checking light conditions and activating lighting is replaced by an automated optical sensing system. The illuminance sensor automatically detects ambient light levels and triggers the lamp when needed, eliminating the need for manual intervention and optimizing energy usage based on actual environmental conditions.
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 apparatus automatically adjusts height and width for easy entry and exit, and turns on a lamp at night, enhancing passenger safety and convenience while improving commercial value.
Implementation Method 1
a lead screw that has one end connected to the gear box to be able to transmit power and the other end rotatably coupled to the stopper bracket
Implementation Method 2
a link spring that is wound on a rotary shaft of the rotary link passing through the lower bracket, with one end supported by the lower bracket and the other end supported by the rotary shaft, and provides an elastic force to the rotary link
Implementation Method 3
a coil disposed in a pin hole, that the locking pin passes through, at the lower bracket, and when a current is applied to the coil by adjusting the control unit, the locking pin moves into/out of the locking hole
Data Source
AI summary
An intelligent side step apparatus for a vehicle includes a step panel (13) that protrudes and expands to a side of a vehicle body (16) when a getting-off mode signal of a passenger is generated. The step panel (13) moves down to a side of the vehicle body when a getting-on mode signal of a passenger is generated. A step lamp (14) mounted on the step panel (13) is turned on when a night mode signal is generated.