Motor Vehicle Leg Apron with Impact-Absorbing Foam Bars
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicle leg aprons provide protection against bad weather but fail to safeguard driver limbs during impacts or falls, and they can be difficult to detach in emergency situations.
Innovation Solution
A leg apron design featuring semi-rigid, impact-absorbing protective bars made of polymeric foam, integrated into the side portions to protect femoral and tibial areas, with removable coupling elements like Velcro strips to ensure secure attachment without damaging clothing, allowing for enhanced protection and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a legs apron is designed to provide maximum freedom of movement, then the driver's mobility is improved, but the protection against impacts is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The apron incorporates semi-rigid protective bars in specific locations (side portions) while maintaining flexible fabric in other areas. This local differentiation provides impact protection where needed while preserving overall freedom of movement for the driver's legs.
Solution Approach 2:
The apron combines different materials with contrasting properties: flexible fabric for movement freedom and semi-rigid polymeric foam bars for impact protection. This composite structure resolves the contradiction by integrating both requirements into a single system.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a legs apron uses stiffening systems to limit fluttering, then the apron's stability is improved, but the ease of separation is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The apron is divided into modular components including removable protective bars and separable side portions. This segmentation allows the stiffening elements to be detached independently, improving ease of separation while maintaining stability during normal use.
Solution Approach 2:
The apron transitions from a static stiffened structure to a dynamic system where protective elements can be easily added or removed. The semi-rigid bars provide stability when attached but can be quickly detached in emergencies, creating a dynamic adaptability that resolves the contradiction.
3Reliability
If a legs apron provides comprehensive limb protection, then the safety is improved, but the device complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The apron uses thin flexible fabric combined with slender semi-rigid bars rather than bulky protective structures. This approach provides comprehensive limb protection while minimizing added complexity and maintaining a simple, lightweight design.
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 leg apron effectively protects lower limbs from impacts at low speeds while maintaining comfort and ease of separation, enhancing both active and passive safety for motor vehicle drivers.
Implementation Method 1
semi-rigid, impact-absorbing protective bars made of polymeric foam
Data Source
AI summary
A legs apron for a motor vehicle includes a middle portion having a longitudinal axis; a first side portion and a second side portion, which extend laterally on opposite sides. The side portions define a first and a second folding portion, which extend according in a prevalent direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. The legs apron has an operating configuration in which the side portions are folded along the folding portions to extend over a respective side transversely with respect to the middle portion. The apron has protection against impacts to protect the lower limbs of the driver. First and second protective bar couple to the first and second side portions. The protective bars each extend parallel or substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. The protective bars are proximal to the first and second folding portions, to protect at least the femoral portions of the driver's legs.