Modular Off-Road Vehicle Frame With Identical Rails
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Solution Overview
Problem
Custom-designed vehicle frames with numerous unique components are inefficient to manufacture and assemble, lacking a modular and standardized approach that could simplify production and enhance structural consistency.
Innovation Solution
A modular frame assembly featuring identical left and right frame rails with adapters and interchangeable modules, allowing for parallel assembly and enhanced structural rigidity, with each frame rail having a consistent cross-section and mating structure for easy component mounting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If custom-designed frames with numerous unique components are used, then the frames can be tailored to specific vehicle requirements, but the manufacturing complexity and assembly difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is divided into modular components including frame rails, adapters, and frame modules that can be independently manufactured and assembled. Each frame rail includes standardized mating structures that interface with adapters, which in turn connect to various frame modules, creating a hierarchical modular architecture that reduces overall manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The frame rails are designed with universal mating structures that can interface with multiple types of adapters and frame modules. The adapters serve as universal intermediaries that can connect different frame modules to the frame rails, allowing the same basic frame rail design to be used across multiple vehicle configurations while maintaining customization capability
2Adaptability or versatility
If custom-designed frames with numerous unique components are used, then the frames can be tailored to specific vehicle requirements, but the assembly time and production efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
Frame modules are pre-assembled with their respective adapters into complete assembly units before being mounted to the frame rails. This preliminary assembly reduces the number of discrete components that need to be handled during final assembly, thereby improving production efficiency while maintaining the ability to customize different vehicle configurations
Solution Approach 2:
The frame system is segmented into standardized modules that can be independently manufactured and tested before final assembly. This segmentation allows for parallel production of different frame modules, reducing overall assembly time and improving productivity while enabling customization through selective module combination
3Strength
If traditional welded frame construction is used, then structural integrity can be achieved, but production flexibility and ease of customization are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is constructed from modular components connected through standardized interfaces rather than being welded as a single unit. This segmentation maintains structural integrity through proper connection design while enabling easy disassembly, reconfiguration, and customization of different vehicle types from the same basic frame components
Data Source
AI summary
A frame assembly for an off-road vehicle including a left frame rail and a right frame rail that are identical to each other, a front frame module that includes at least one left toot and at least one right foot, an occupant frame module that includes at least one left foot and at least one right foot, a rear frame module that includes at least one left foot and at least one right foot, and a plurality of identical adapters mounting the components to the left and right frame rails.