Modular Cargo Cover with Segmented Seatback and Guard Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle seat and cargo bed covers are often limited to specific configurations and dimensions, failing to accommodate multiple seat configurations and may obstruct seat belt functionality or require removal to allow seat movement, while also being vulnerable to damage from pets, children, and spills.
Innovation Solution
A modular cover system with adjustable sections and coupling mechanisms that can extend over various vehicle seat and cargo bed configurations, featuring a lower and upper portion with vertical slits and coupling mechanisms to facilitate folding and secure attachment to headrests, and a guard portion that can elevate to provide additional protection and retention within the vehicle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cover is designed to fit a particular vehicle seat configuration, then it provides protection for that configuration, but it cannot accommodate other seat configurations or movements
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is divided into multiple sections (first section, second section, third section) separated by vertical slits, allowing each section to move independently and accommodate different seat configurations while maintaining overall protection coverage
Solution Approach 2:
The cover incorporates movable sections that can shift and adjust their positions dynamically to match various seat configurations, transforming a static cover into an adaptive system that maintains reliability across different states
2Reliability
If a cover is designed to fully cover the seat, then it provides complete protection, but it obstructs seat belt functionality and requires removal for seat movement
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is segmented into multiple sections with vertical slits between them, creating gaps that allow seat belts to pass through without requiring cover removal, thus maintaining both protection and functionality simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The vertical slits act as intermediary spaces that allow seat belts to penetrate through the cover structure, enabling the cover to serve as both a protective barrier and a non-obstructive element for safety features
3Ease of manufacture
If a cover is made from a single piece of material, then it is simple to manufacture, but it cannot be easily cleaned or adapted to different configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is constructed as multiple separate sections joined by coupling mechanisms, allowing each section to be individually cleaned or replaced while maintaining overall structural integrity and adaptability
Data Source
AI summary
A cargo liner for a vehicle may include a cargo area portion sized and configured to extend over a horizontally-oriented cargo area of a vehicle. The cover may also include a seatback portion coupled to the lower portion. The seatback portion may be sized and configured to extend upwardly over a seatback of a vehicle seat. The seatback portion may include a first section, a second section, and a third section. Each of the first section, the second section, and the third section may extend from an upper edge of the upper portion to the cargo area portion. The cargo liner may include a guard portion elevating mechanism that is manipulable to cause the guard portion to transition between a lowered state and an elevated state wherein at least a segment of the guard portion proximate the cargo bed portion extends upwardly to provide a rear barrier.