Pivoting Tent-Trailer Floor for Compact Bike Camping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bicycle trailer tents are bulky and difficult to maneuver due to their width, and they lack sufficient storage space for luggage without increasing the occupied floor area when deployed.
Innovation Solution
A trailer tent design featuring a folding cabin with a floor that pivots 90° on a vertical axis, allowing the floor to extend along the trailer's traction axis during transport and perpendicular to it during deployment, providing a stable sleeping surface and external storage space without increasing the occupied area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the trailer width is increased to provide sufficient bed width (at least 80 cm), then the sleeping comfort is improved, but the trailer becomes too wide and difficult to handle
Solution Approach 1:
The floor is designed to be rotatable about a vertical axis, allowing it to change orientation between transport and deployment positions. This dynamic configuration enables the floor to provide sufficient width (80 cm or more) when deployed while maintaining a compact width during transport, thus resolving the contradiction between sleeping comfort and maneuverability
Solution Approach 2:
The floor's width is achieved by extending it along the trailer's length dimension rather than increasing the trailer's width. By rotating the floor 90 degrees from the transport position to the deployment position, the floor extends perpendicular to the trailer's traction axis, providing the required bed width without increasing the trailer's overall width
2Length of stationary object
If the floor is extended to create a bed of sufficient length, then the sleeping length is improved, but the trailer requires significant support and stability
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable floor design allows the bed length to extend along the trailer's length when deployed, providing sufficient sleeping length. The floor's rotation mechanism and its connection to the box structure provide the necessary support and stability, as the floor is backed by the box during the deployment position
Solution Approach 2:
The box and floor are integrated into a unified structure where the box serves as both storage and structural support for the extended floor. The box's cover and sides provide reinforcement to the floor during deployment, ensuring stability while allowing the floor to extend to the required length
3Quantity of substance
If storage space for luggage is added outside the cabin, then the storage capacity is improved, but the floor space occupied increases when deployed
Solution Approach 1:
The storage box is nested within or integrated with the cabin structure, specifically positioned below or adjacent to the floor. This nested configuration provides substantial storage capacity (volume greater than 100 liters) while utilizing vertical or lateral space that does not increase the floor area occupied by the cabin when deployed
Data Source
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AI summary
Tent-trailer for a two-wheeled vehicle, comprising: a chassis; two wheels fixed to the chassis; a box mounted on the chassis, a folding cabin mounted above the box, said cabin comprising a floor rotatably mounted above said cover around a vertical axis so as to be able to pivot 90° between a first position intended for transport with the cabin folded and a second position intended for unfolding the cabin.