Retractable Vehicle Hook Assembly with Sliding Rail
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle trunk items, such as plastic bags, often shift during transit, leading to spills and damage due to the lack of secure attachment points within the vehicle.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle hook assembly with a slidable portion and adjustable length, featuring a housing with internal projections and a rail system that allows for extension and retraction, enabling secure attachment of items and storage when not in use, which can be integrated during vehicle manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If fixed hooks are installed in vehicle interiors, then items can be securely attached, but the vehicle requires aftermarket installation and lacks flexibility in hook positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The hook assembly incorporates a slidable portion that can move laterally within the housing along a rail, transforming a static fixed hook into a dynamic adjustable hook. This allows the hook to be positioned at different locations along the rail to accommodate various item sizes and attachment points, while the housing provides fixed mounting points for easy integration during vehicle manufacturing.
2Adaptability or versatility
If adjustable length hooks are provided, then different item sizes can be accommodated, but the device complexity increases with additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The hook assembly is segmented into distinct functional components: a housing containing the mounting mechanism, a rail providing the adjustment path, a slidable portion that moves along the rail, and a hook at the distal end. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently while simplifying the overall adjustment mechanism - the slidable portion simply translates along the rail to change hook length and position without requiring complex actuation systems.
3Volume of moving object
If hooks are made retractable for storage, then space is optimized when not in use, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The slidable portion and hook nest within the housing when not in use. The slidable portion can be positioned at different locations along the rail, and when retraction is needed, it slides back into the housing cavity, with the hook storing inside the housing. This nesting arrangement optimizes storage space in the vehicle interior without requiring complex retraction mechanisms - the same rail and slidable portion used for adjustment also enable the retraction function through simple lateral movement.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle hook assembly may include a housing having an internal cavity receiving a slidable portion having a hook at a distal end thereof and a rail extending along a side of the slidable portion and at least one depressible knob configured to maintain the slidable portion at a fixed lateral positon relative to the housing in a relaxed state and to allow lateral movement of the slidable portion relative to the housing in a depressed state.