Retractable Golf Cart Roof with Radial Side Panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Golf carts often lack side protection, and existing fully enveloping plastic covers create uncomfortable conditions in hot and humid environments, as well as being inconvenient to use.
Innovation Solution
A retractable roof system with extendable side panels that can be stored within a housing when not needed, featuring a radial or angled profile to reduce deployment effort and a sliding mechanism for easy extension and locking, allowing for additional side coverage during inclement weather.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If fully enveloping plastic covers are used to provide side protection, then protection from rain and weather is improved, but comfort in hot and humid environments deteriorates and convenience of use worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The side panels are designed to be retractable rather than fixed, allowing them to be extended when protection is needed and retracted when comfort or convenience is prioritized. This dynamic configuration enables the cart to adapt to different environmental conditions and user needs throughout the day.
Solution Approach 2:
The side protection is divided into separate, movable panels rather than a continuous fixed cover. This segmentation allows partial deployment of protection only where and when needed, maintaining convenience while providing weather protection.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If extendable side panels are added to provide side protection, then protection from inclement weather is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The extendable side panels are stored within housing structures that are integrated into the cart's existing framework. When retracted, the panels nest within the housing, maintaining a compact appearance. When extended, they deploy outward to provide protection, adding functionality without permanently increasing structural complexity.
3Ease of operation
If a radial or angled profile is used for the roof system, then effort required to extend panels is reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The roof system employs a radial or angled profile rather than a flat horizontal surface. This curved geometry creates a gravitational component that assists in extending the side panels downward, reducing the manual effort required. The curvature is integrated into the overall roof design, maintaining aesthetic coherence while providing mechanical advantage.
Data Source
AI summary
An extendable roof system for carts, or more specifically golf carts, the extendable roof system having at least one extendable side panel stored inside a housing attached to a cart roof top, and a method of using such a system.