Extruded Rescue Vehicle Step Profile with Integrated Lighting Grooves
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Rescue vehicles, particularly fire fighting vehicles, face challenges in providing easy accessibility and integrating modular, cost-effective illumination systems into their ladder steps without increasing production and mounting costs, while maintaining anti-slip requirements and compatibility with other vehicle components.
Innovation Solution
A step profile with a cross-sectional design featuring grooves for band-shaped lighting devices and a fixing mechanism, allowing for integrated illumination and modular compatibility, using a metal extruded profile body with plastic lighting bars that are flush with the step surface, reducing component count and costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If an integrated illumination system is added to the ladder step, then visibility and safety are improved, but production costs and component count increase
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination system is merged with the ladder step structure by integrating LED lighting elements directly into the step profile. The lighting elements are embedded within grooves of the step structure, combining the structural function of the step with the illumination function in a single integrated component, thereby improving visibility without proportionally increasing component count
Solution Approach 2:
The step profile serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support for the ladder, maintains anti-slip surface properties, and delivers illumination through integrated lighting elements. This multi-functionality allows the same component to address both safety/visibility requirements and structural requirements without adding separate dedicated components
2Adaptability or versatility
If the step profile is designed with integrated lighting grooves, then adaptability to modular systems is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The step profile is designed as a modular extruded section with distinct functional zones including grooves for lighting elements and areas for anti-slip surfaces. This segmentation allows the profile to be manufactured as a standardized module that can be adapted to different ladder configurations while maintaining consistent manufacturing processes through extrusion technology
Solution Approach 2:
The extruded profile design allows for parameter standardization in the manufacturing process. By defining specific groove dimensions, depths, and positions as standard parameters, the profile can be manufactured cost-effectively using extrusion while maintaining adaptability to modular assembly requirements through consistent interface dimensions
3Device complexity
If the lighting devices are integrated into grooves, then the number of components is reduced, but installation complexity may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The grooves for receiving lighting elements are pre-formed as integral features of the extruded step profile during the manufacturing process. This preliminary action of creating the mounting structures during primary manufacturing eliminates the need for separate mounting operations or additional fastening components, reducing overall installation complexity despite the integrated design
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides enhanced visibility under poor conditions, meets anti-slip standards, and integrates seamlessly into the vehicle's modular system, reducing production costs while ensuring accessibility and safety.
Implementation Method 1
a first band-shaped lighting device is arranged to illuminate the upper step surface and make the upper step contour visible even under poor visibility conditions
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
Step profile (100) for a rescue vehicle, in particular for a fire fighting vehicle, comprising an extruded profile body (10) with a mainly rectangular cross section and a mainly flat upper step surface (12), characterized in that the cross section of the profile body (10) comprises a first groove (20) opening towards the upper side of the profile body (10) in which a first band-shaped lighting device (32) is arranged, a second groove (42) opening towards the bottom side of the profile body (10) in which a second band-shaped lighting device (46) is arranged, and a cross section portion (50) for engaging with a fixing means for fixing the step profile (100) to a vehicle body.