Nested Jack Stand Structure for Same-Point Vehicle Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Standard jack stands are not compatible with contemporary vehicle jacks and often require placement away from designated jacking locations, leading to instability and potential vehicle damage when used with scissor, floor, or racing jacks.
Innovation Solution
A jack stand design featuring a hollow body with a continuous opening at the top and a jack pad with a downturned rail and extension, allowing the jack pad to be supported by the jack stand while maintaining the same jacking location, ensuring stability and compatibility with various jacks and vehicles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If standard jack stands are used with separate support structures, then the jack stand can provide stable support, but the jack stand cannot support the vehicle at the same location as the jack
Solution Approach 1:
The jack stand is designed with a hollow body that receives and nests the jack within it. The jack passes through a continuous opening in the jack stand, allowing the jack to be positioned inside the hollow body while the jack stand provides external support structure. This nesting arrangement enables both the jack and jack stand to support the vehicle at the same location simultaneously.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the jack stand is placed away from the jacking location to accommodate separate support structures, then the jack stand can be positioned on compatible frame portions, but the vehicle support becomes unstable and unsafe
Solution Approach 1:
By nesting the jack inside the hollow body of the jack stand, the system allows both components to occupy the same spatial location. The jack stand's hollow body is positioned at the manufacturer-designated jacking location, and the jack passes through the continuous opening to engage the vehicle frame at the same location, providing stable support without requiring offset placement.
3Ease of operation
If jack stands are designed with curved horizontal supports, then the jack stand can cradle certain portions of the vehicle frame, but only certain parts of the frame or undercarriage can fit in the support
Solution Approach 1:
The jack stand incorporates a universal jack pad with an L-shaped support structure that can accommodate various frame configurations. The jack pad includes a horizontal support portion that contacts the vehicle frame and a vertical support portion that extends downward, providing adaptable support for different frame portions and vehicle types rather than being limited to a single fixed geometry.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a hollow body jack stand design is used with a continuous opening, then the jack can pass through and be supported at the same location, but the jack stand structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The jack stand is divided into distinct functional segments: a hollow body providing the main support structure, a continuous opening allowing jack passage, a jack pad for vehicle frame contact, and an upturned lip for structural reinforcement. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while maintaining overall structural integrity without excessive complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A jack stand for a vehicle includes a plurality of walls joined together to form a body, the body being hollow. A base is formed by lower edges of the walls and a top surface joins top edges of the walls. One of the walls includes a wall opening and the top includes a top opening, the wall opening and the top opening extending towards one another, meeting proximate the top edge of one of the walls, thereby forming a single, continuous opening extending from the top into one of the walls.