Movable Lateral Barriers on Vehicle Boarding Aid
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing boarding aids for motor vehicles are high and prone to lateral slipping or missteps, posing safety risks, especially for wheelchair users, due to their design and the need for larger installation spaces.
Innovation Solution
A boarding aid with lateral barriers that can be moved from an upright to a lowered position, reducing the overall height when retracted, using a planar element with side edges and a folding mechanism involving barrier arms and a barrier rod, which automatically adjusts with the extension and retraction of the aid.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If lateral barriers are added to prevent slipping, then safety is improved, but the overall height and installation space requirement increase
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral barriers are designed as movable elements that can change their position between extended and retracted states. During boarding, the barriers extend laterally to provide safety railings. When not in use, they are retracted to minimize the overall height and installation space requirements, thus resolving the contradiction between safety and compactness.
Solution Approach 2:
The boarding aid is divided into functional segments: the planar element for bridging the gap and the separate lateral barriers for safety. This segmentation allows the safety barriers to be independently controlled and positioned, enabling them to extend only when needed while keeping the main structure compact.
2Reliability
If lateral barriers are extended to prevent missteps, then safety is improved, but the installation space in the entry area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral barriers transition from a static to a dynamic configuration, extending laterally only during the boarding process when safety is needed. When retracted, they occupy minimal space, allowing the boarding aid to be stored in a compact position within the vehicle's entry area, thus reducing the required installation space while maintaining safety functionality.
3Length of stationary object
If the boarding aid is made compact to reduce installation space, then space efficiency is improved, but the safety features may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs dynamic lateral barriers that extend when needed for safety and retract to maintain a compact profile. This dynamic behavior ensures that the boarding aid remains space-efficient in its stored position while providing adequate safety features during operation, thus resolving the contradiction between compactness and safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The lateral barriers are designed to nest alongside the planar element when retracted, similar to a nested doll structure. This nesting arrangement minimizes the overall height and footprint of the boarding aid in its stored position while allowing full extension of safety features when deployed.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a boarding aid (20) for a motor vehicle, in particular a sliding step of a door entry of a passenger transportation vehicle, said boarding aid being capable of being moved from an idle position into a usage position and back in a direction, which runs parallel to the side edges (28), and encompassing a planar element (22), a front side, two side edges (28), and a rear side. The planar element (22), on its side edges (28), encompasses barriers (30), which can be moved from a first upright position, in which they extend upwards in relation to a stepping surface of the planar element (22), into a second lowered position and vice versa, wherein the movement of the barriers (30 is effected by moving the planar element (22).