Retractable Vehicle Pet Container for Spill-Safe Water Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies do not provide a convenient and reliable method for providing water or food to pets during vehicle travel, especially in situations where travel schedules change unexpectedly.
Innovation Solution
A system for deploying a container from a vehicle, which includes a reservoir for storing substances like water or food, and a deployment device that transitions the container between a deployed position outside the vehicle and a retracted position inside the vehicle, allowing for easy access and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If water or food is manually provided by a pet owner/driver to a pet during stops, then the pet can receive hydration and nutrition, but water or food may spill or otherwise be wasted before a pet drinks
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-positions a water container near the pet's location and automatically dispenses water when the pet approaches or signals thirst, eliminating the need for manual intervention and preventing spillage that occurs when water is manually offered during stops
2Ease of operation
If a container is permanently mounted outside the vehicle for pet access, then pets can easily access water during travel, but the system becomes visually incompatible with vehicle design and creates security vulnerabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The water container is designed to dynamically transition between retracted (inside vehicle) and extended (outside vehicle) positions, allowing the system to provide easy pet access when needed while maintaining vehicle aesthetics and security when not in use
Solution Approach 2:
The water container nests within or alongside the vehicle structure when retracted, integrating seamlessly into the vehicle's existing form factor and creating a compact, aesthetically pleasing configuration that does not compromise vehicle design
3Volume of stationary object
If the container is positioned at an angle inside the vehicle for storage, then space is optimized, but water cannot be properly dispensed to the container when deployed
Solution Approach 1:
The container dynamically changes orientation from an angled storage position inside the vehicle to a horizontal deployed position outside, enabling proper water dispensing geometry while optimizing storage space when retracted
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a system for deploying a container from a vehicle. The system includes a container; a reservoir configured to store a substance to be dispensed to the container; and a deployment device configured to transition the container between a deployed position and a retracted position. In the deployed position, the container is placed external to the vehicle, and in the retracted position, the container is placed internal to the vehicle. The system may further include a dispensing device connected to the reservoir and configured to dispense the substance from the reservoir to the container. Preferably, the vehicle is a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) including a fuel cell stack, and the substance includes wastewater exhaust form the fuel cell stack.