Modular Low-Floor Bus Structure for Flat-Floor Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional low floor buses have limited modularity, leading to inefficiencies in manufacturing and accessibility issues due to a fixed structure that does not easily accommodate varying vehicle lengths, and the front axle location restricts passenger access.
Innovation Solution
A modular low floor bus design featuring a front module with a load-carrying axle at the front, a rear module with a load-carrying axle, and a central module with a flat floor and lateral side walls that extend to define attaching portions for the front and rear modules, allowing for adjustable length configurations and improved passenger access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional fixed structure is used for low floor buses, then the structural integrity is maintained, but the modularity is limited and manufacturing complexity increases when varying vehicle lengths
Solution Approach 1:
The bus is divided into distinct modular sections (front module, central module, rear module) that can be independently manufactured and assembled. The central module has a standardized interface with lateral walls extending beyond the flat floor to define attaching portions, allowing different configurations to be created by combining the same basic modules in different sequences or numbers.
2Ease of operation
If the front axle is located behind the driver area, then the structural design is simplified, but the access to the passenger area is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle is segmented into a front module containing the driver area and a central module containing the passenger area with a flat floor. This segmentation allows the front axle to be positioned at the front of the vehicle while maintaining clear separation between driver and passenger spaces, improving passenger access without significantly complicating the overall structural design.
3Productivity
If a standardized modular design is used, then the manufacturing efficiency is improved, but the customization for specific applications is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The central module is designed with universal attaching portions on its lateral walls that can accommodate different front and rear modules. The flat floor configuration and standardized interfaces allow the same central module to be used in various bus configurations (different lengths, different numbers of axles) by simply changing the end modules, thus achieving both manufacturing efficiency and customization.
Data Source
AI summary
A low floor road vehicle, in the form for example of a passenger bus, includes a front module that includes the front load-carrying axle at its front, a rear module including the rear load-carrying axle, a central module having a flat floor and lateral side walls that longitudinally extend beyond both longitudinal ends of the flat floor so as to define front and back module attaching portions, and a roof mounted to both lateral side walls so as to extend beyond the floor both towards the front and back, which brings rigidity to the overall structure. The vehicle being modular, the central module can be configured to a specific application, for example by varying the length thereof, while same configurations of the front and rear modules can be used in all applications. Also, the front axle being located at the front of the front module, the access to the passenger area defined by the flat floor is improved.