Movable Bar Across Vehicle Door Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicles without a B-pillar face challenges in providing structural reinforcement during impacts while also needing to facilitate easy ingress and egress for occupants.
Innovation Solution
A movable bar assembly supported by the front and rear pillars, which transitions between a raised position for impact reinforcement and a lowered position to widen the door opening for access, utilizing a computer-controlled system to manage the bar's position based on vehicle motion and door states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a B-pillar is installed to provide structural reinforcement during impacts, then vehicle safety is improved, but occupant ingress and egress become more difficult due to reduced door opening space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the reinforcement bar movable rather than fixed. The bar can transition between a raised position (providing structural reinforcement during impacts) and a lowered position (widening the door opening for occupant ingress and egress). This dynamic adjustment allows the system to adapt to different operational requirements, resolving the contradiction between safety and ease of access.
2Ease of operation
If the door opening is widened to facilitate occupant access, then ease of ingress and egress is improved, but structural reinforcement during impacts is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The movable reinforcement bar allows the door opening to be widened when the bar is in the lowered position, facilitating occupant access. When impact protection is needed, the bar transitions to the raised position to restore structural reinforcement. This dynamic reconfiguration enables the system to provide both wide access and structural strength at different times as needed.
3Strength
If a movable bar assembly is added to provide both safety and access functionality, then both structural reinforcement and ease of ingress/egress are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The movable bar assembly serves multiple functions: it provides structural reinforcement when raised, widens the door opening when lowered, and can be positioned based on vehicle motion and door states. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by delivering both safety and accessibility benefits from a single integrated system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that monitor vehicle motion and door states to automatically control the bar's position. This feedback control optimizes the bar's placement based on real-time conditions, ensuring safety during motion while facilitating access when stationary, thereby managing the complexity through intelligent automation.
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly for a vehicle includes a front pillar and a rear pillar spaced along a vehicle-longitudinal axis. The pillars define a door opening. The assembly includes a first track supported by the front pillar and a second track supported by the rear pillar. The assembly includes a bar movably engaged with the first track and the second track. The bar is movable between a lowered position and a raised position. The bar is elongated completely across the door opening in the raised position.