Horizontal Retractable Vehicle Step for Ground Clearance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Fixed running boards on vehicles are ineffective as stepping assists due to high height, potential for head injury, dirt accumulation, interference with adjacent vehicles, reduced ground clearance, and damage during off-road use.
Innovation Solution
A horizontally extending step with a rotating stepping platform that can move between stowed and deployed positions, remaining generally parallel to the ground, and featuring a self-energizing mechanism to prevent damage and improve usability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a fixed running board is used to assist stepping, then stepping assistance is provided, but the step height becomes too high to be practical
Solution Approach 1:
The running board is made movable rather than fixed, allowing it to extend horizontally when deployed and retract when not in use. This dynamic mechanism enables the board to provide stepping assistance at the optimal height while maintaining vehicle ground clearance, resolving the contradiction between effective stepping assistance and excessive step height.
2Ease of operation
If a fixed running board extends significantly from the vehicle side, then stepping assistance is improved, but it becomes a source of dirt rubbing onto user clothing
Solution Approach 1:
The retractable mechanism allows the running board to be deployed only when needed for stepping assistance and retracted when not in use, minimizing the time the board is extended and thus reducing the opportunity for dirt to accumulate and transfer to user clothing.
3Ease of operation
If a fixed running board is installed, then stepping assistance is provided, but ground clearance of the vehicle is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
By making the running board retractable rather than fixed, the system provides stepping assistance only when deployed while maintaining full ground clearance when retracted, eliminating the permanent reduction in ground clearance that would result from a fixed installation.
4Ease of operation
If a fixed running board is used, then stepping assistance is available, but it can be damaged or torn off during off-road driving
Solution Approach 1:
The retractable running board can be retracted during off-road driving conditions, eliminating the vulnerability of a fixed board to damage or detachment. The movable design allows the board to be stowed away when not needed, preventing the damage that would occur to a permanently mounted fixed board.
5Ease of operation
If a fixed running board is installed, then stepping assistance is provided, but it interferes with adjacent parked vehicles when doors are opened
Solution Approach 1:
The retractable mechanism allows the running board to be extended only when needed for stepping and retracted when not in use, eliminating the persistent interference with adjacent vehicle doors that would occur with a fixed board extending permanently from the vehicle side.
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
Enhances safety by reducing the step height, minimizing dirt contact, avoiding curb interference, and maintaining vehicle ground clearance, while being self-energizing to prevent damage and easy to deploy and retract.
Implementation Method 1
the horizontally extending step can be self-energizing in the stowed position. In some embodiments, the horizontally extending step can be self-energizing in the deployed position.
Data Source
AI summary
A horizontally moving retractable vehicle step is attachable to a vehicle, such as a low to the ground vehicle like a van. The horizontal vehicle step can provide access to different portions of the vehicle. Further, the horizontal vehicle step can act as a safety mechanism to reduce potential harm to a user in accidentally stepping in gaps between the vehicle and a curb.