Reconfigurable Console Assembly with Movable Wall
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional console assemblies in vehicles consume significant floor space, limiting occupant comfort and usability, especially in smaller vehicles, as they cannot be reconfigured to provide both storage capacity and expanded floor space flexibly.
Innovation Solution
A reconfigurable console assembly featuring a stationary wall and a movable reconfigurable wall that can flex along a longitudinal axis, with a constraining element to control its movement between stowed and deployed positions, allowing for increased floor space and flexible storage options.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional rigid console assembly is used, then storage capacity is provided, but floor space is consumed and cannot be reconfigured
Solution Approach 1:
The console assembly incorporates a movable wall that can transition between extended and retracted positions, transforming the rigid static structure into a dynamic one. This allows the console to adapt its configuration based on storage needs versus floor space requirements, resolving the contradiction between providing storage capacity and maximizing usable floor space.
Solution Approach 2:
The console assembly is divided into separate components including a stationary wall, a movable wall, and a base, with the movable wall capable of independent movement. This segmentation enables selective reconfiguration of the storage compartments without moving the entire console structure, allowing optimization of floor space while maintaining storage functionality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the console assembly is made rigid to maintain structure, then stability is provided, but flexibility to adapt to different configurations is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The design incorporates a movable wall that can be positioned in different states (extended or retracted) and locked into place, providing both adaptability and structural stability. The wall's ability to move and be secured in defined positions allows the console to switch between different stable configurations rather than being fixed in one rigid state.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the movable end is allowed to move freely, then reconfigurability is achieved, but the wall cannot maintain stable positions
Solution Approach 1:
The movable wall is designed with the capability to move freely for reconfiguration but includes mechanisms to lock and hold it in selected positions. This dynamic design allows the wall to transition between positions while maintaining stability once positioned, achieving both movability and position stability.
Data Source
AI summary
A reconfigurable console assembly includes, but is not limited to, a stationary wall adapted for attachment to a vehicle. The assembly further includes a reconfigurable wall having a stationary end, a movable end, and a substantially constant length. The stationary end is attached to the stationary wall and the movable end moves between a stowed position and a deployed position. The reconfigurable wall flexes along a longitudinal axis as the movable end moves between the stowed and deployed positions. The stationary wall and the reconfigurable wall define a storage bin when the movable end is in the deployed position. The assembly further includes a constraining element connected to the movable end. The constraining element constrains the movable end to remain in the stowed position when the movable end is in the stowed position and to remain in the deployed position when the movable end is in the deployed position.