Multi-segment Ramp Assembly with Nested Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle ramps are limited in length due to space constraints, resulting in steep slopes that are unsafe and impractical for wheelchair-bound passengers, violating ADA compliance and posing a risk of injury.
Innovation Solution
A compact ramp assembly with a multi-segment platform that deploys by rotating and translating, reducing slope angles through a combination of rotational and translational motion, facilitated by a drive assembly and stow/deploy mechanism, allowing for longer deployment while occupying minimal stowed space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the ramp length is increased to reduce slope angle, then accessibility and safety are improved, but the space required in the vehicle increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ramp is divided into multiple segments (first ramp segment, second ramp segment, third ramp segment) that can be deployed in a folded configuration. This segmentation allows the ramp to achieve a longer effective length when deployed while maintaining a compact stowed volume, directly resolving the contradiction between ramp length and stowed space requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The ramp segments are nested within each other when stowed, with the second ramp segment positioned within the first ramp segment, and the third ramp segment positioned within the second ramp segment. This nesting arrangement minimizes the stowed volume while enabling extended ramp length during deployment, effectively resolving the space-length contradiction.
2Reliability
If the ramp length is increased to reduce slope angle, then safety and accessibility are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ramp is segmented into multiple sections that can be deployed independently through a coordinated mechanism. This segmentation allows the system to achieve a longer, safer ramp while managing complexity through modular design, where each segment can be controlled and positioned separately.
Solution Approach 2:
The ramp assembly incorporates dynamic deployment mechanisms that allow the segments to move from a compact stowed position to an extended deployed position. This dynamic capability enables the ramp to adapt its length and configuration, achieving safety requirements without permanent complex structures.
3Volume of moving object
If a compact stowed configuration is used to minimize space, then space utilization is improved, but the ramp deployment mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ramp segments are nested within each other in the stowed configuration, with each subsequent segment positioned inside the previous segment. This nesting arrangement achieves compact volume while using relatively simple mechanical interfaces between segments, balancing stowed space requirements with mechanism complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The deployment mechanism combines rotational and translational motions to achieve ramp extension from a compact stowed position. By merging these motion types into a coordinated system, the patent achieves efficient space utilization while managing deployment mechanism complexity through integrated control.
Data Source
AI summary
A ramp assembly includes a ramp platform movable for reciprocating motion between a stowed position and a deployed position. The ramp platform has an inner ramp panel, an intermediate ramp panel slidably associated with the inner ramp panel, and an outer ramp panel rotatably associated with the intermediate ramp panel. Movement of the ramp assembly from the stowed position to the deployed position defines a deployment motion that includes (1) rotation of the outer ramp panel through at least 90 degrees relative to the intermediate ramp panel; and (2) translation of the intermediate ramp panel relative to the inner ramp panel. A drive assembly is associated with the ramp platform, the drive assembly being movable to reciprocate the ramp platform between the stowed position and the deployed position.