Vehicle Rack and Tray Assembly With Anti-Tip Sliding Guides
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a versatile storage solution in vehicles like vans that can be customized to accommodate various tools and equipment, as standard vehicles often lack specific storage configurations, requiring users to install shelves or racks post-purchase.
Innovation Solution
A rack and tray assembly is fixedly mounted to the floor and sides of a vehicle, featuring guide members that prevent trays from tipping or rotating, allowing for secure storage and easy access by sliding on cross members.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If trays are made removable for access to objects, then accessibility is improved, but structural stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The guide members are designed to be movable along the cross members, transitioning between extended and retracted positions. When trays are installed, the guide members extend to provide stability. When trays are removed, the guide members can be retracted or adjusted, maintaining structural integrity while allowing tray removal for accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide members act as intermediary elements between the fixed rack structure and the removable trays. They provide the necessary support and guidance for trays during insertion and removal, while maintaining the overall structural stability of the rack when trays are not present.
2Stability of the object's composition
If guide members extend out to support trays, then tray stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide members are segmented into multiple components that can move independently along the cross members. This segmentation allows each section to perform a specific function (support, guidance, extension) while keeping the overall structure modular and manageable, reducing complexity through functional decomposition.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide members incorporate movable joints and sliding mechanisms that allow them to extend and retract dynamically. This dynamic capability provides tray stability when needed while allowing the structure to simplify when trays are removed, effectively managing complexity through conditional configuration changes.
Data Source
AI summary
A rack and tray device formed from a pair of side panels mountable on the floor of an area and attached to the sides of the area, such as the inside of a van. Guide members are on the side panels and include a channel shape extending inward to accept a tray member carried by the channel shape and maintained in a substantially horizontal orientation when objects are placed on the at least one tray member. The guide members are slidably mounted to further support the tray and prevent it from tipping.