Pivoting Work Surface Assembly for Vehicle Cargo Bed
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Solution Overview
Problem
Construction jobsites often lack adequate work surfaces, and transporting work surfaces or tables to these sites is cumbersome and inconvenient.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle cargo compartment with a work surface assembly that is quickly deployable and stowable, featuring a worktable and arms pivotally attached to a storage compartment, allowing the work surface to extend out of the compartment for use and retract within for storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a work surface assembly is stored within the cargo compartment, then storage space is utilized efficiently, but the work surface is not accessible for use at jobsites
Solution Approach 1:
The work surface assembly is designed with movable arms that can pivot between a retracted position (stored within the cargo compartment) and an extended position (deployed outward). This dynamic mechanism allows the work surface to transition between compact storage and functional deployment, resolving the contradiction between space efficiency and accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The work surface assembly is divided into modular components: a base structure within the cargo compartment and extendable arms that can be deployed outward. This segmentation allows the work surface to be stored compactly when not in use and quickly deployed when needed, addressing both space constraints and accessibility requirements.
2Ease of operation
If a work surface assembly is deployed outward from the cargo compartment, then work surface accessibility is improved, but the cargo bed space is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The arms are designed as movable components that pivot between retracted and extended positions. When retracted, the work surface assembly occupies minimal space within the cargo compartment. When extended, the work surface becomes accessible for use. This dynamic design allows the system to adapt between maximizing cargo space and providing work surface accessibility as needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The work surface assembly is nested within the cargo compartment structure when not in use, with the arms stored within the compartment boundaries. When deployment is needed, the arms extend outward from this nested configuration. This nesting approach ensures that the work surface assembly does not permanently reduce cargo bed space while still providing accessibility when required.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the work surface assembly is made removable from the cargo compartment, then flexibility and adaptability are improved, but the complexity of the attachment mechanism increases
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment mechanism uses simple pivot joints that allow the arms to rotate between stored and deployed positions. These dynamic pivot connections provide easy removal and reattachment capability without requiring complex locking or fastening systems, thus achieving flexibility while maintaining relatively simple mechanics.
Solution Approach 2:
The work surface assembly is segmented into separable components (base and arms) that can be easily detached from the cargo compartment. This modular segmentation enables flexible removal and reinstallation while keeping individual components simple, avoiding the need for complex attachment mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle includes a cargo bed attached to a rear of a cab. The cargo bed includes a plurality of walls defining a periphery of the cargo bed. At least one of the plurality of walls includes a storage compartment formed therein. A work surface assembly includes a worktable and a plurality of arms attached to the worktable and pivotally attached to a wall of the storage compartment at a location inside of the storage compartment. The work surface assembly is pivotal between a stowed position in which the work surface assembly is wholly contained within the storage compartment and a deployed position in which the worktable and a portion of each arm extend out of the storage compartment.