Rocker Guard Automatic Step Mechanism for Off-Road Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Off-road vehicles modified with automatic steps are vulnerable to damage from rock obstacles, limiting their utility on difficult trails and making it difficult to protect rocker panels, which are essential for enhanced off-road performance.
Innovation Solution
Rocker guards with integrated automatic steps that include a body for protecting rocker panels, a retractable step mechanism, and support legs with a dampener, actuator, and sensors to facilitate easy entry and exit while providing robust protection from rock obstacles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If automatic steps are added to facilitate easy entry and exit from lifted vehicles, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to vulnerability from rock obstacle contact
Solution Approach 1:
The step transitions from a static fixed structure to a dynamic movable structure that can automatically extend and retract. The step is mounted on support legs with actuators that enable it to move between retracted (protected) and extended (accessible) positions, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The step system incorporates sensors and actuators that enable automatic operation without manual intervention. The system detects when the step should be extended or retracted and performs the action autonomously, providing self-service functionality that maintains ease of operation while protecting against damage through automatic retraction when obstacles are detected
2Ease of operation
If automatic steps are installed to provide easy access, then ease of operation is improved, but the ability to protect rocker panels deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The step structure transforms from a fixed protective barrier to a dynamic component that can change its position. When obstacles are detected, the step automatically retracts into the rocker guard body, eliminating exposure to harmful factors while maintaining ease of access during normal operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses sensors to detect potential rock obstacles before contact occurs and preemptively retracts the step to avoid damage. This preliminary anti-action prevents the harmful effect of rock contact before it can occur, protecting both the step and the rocker panels
3Reliability
If the step is made retractable to avoid rock contact, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The step system is divided into separate functional modules: the step platform, support legs, actuators, sensors, and the rocker guard body. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall design by distributing functionality across multiple specialized subsystems
Solution Approach 2:
The support legs serve multiple functions: they provide structural support for the step, enable the retraction motion, and can be integrated with the actuator and sensor systems. This multi-functionality reduces the total number of separate components needed, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining reliability
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 rocker guards with automatic steps enhance off-road capability by providing robust protection and easy access without compromising the vehicle's functionality, allowing safe navigation over rocks and maintaining the integrity of rocker panels.
Implementation Method 1
The guard can be a linear actuator such as a hydraulic actuator, pneumatic actuator, or any other suitable actuator
Implementation Method 2
The guard can also include a dampener operably coupled to the body and the step. The dampener may be configured to hold at least a portion of the step in the retracted position
Data Source
AI summary
Rocker guards with automatic step are disclosed that provide robust protection from damage due to rock obstacles to rocker panels and also provide an automatic step to facilitate easy entry and exit from a lifted vehicle. Some embodiments of a rocker guard with automatic step for a vehicle (rocker) can include a body formed to protect rocker panels of a vehicle without damaging the rocker or a step located within the body when the step is in a retracted position, mounts attached to the body for attaching to a vehicle, and an actuator coupled to the step and the body, the actuator being configured to automatically lower the step out of the body to an extended position and retract the step to the retracted position. One embodiment of the invention has a body with an interior volume operable to receive a cartridge with an actuator for moving the automatic step and one or more support legs for extending the automatic step away from the body when the automatic step is coupled to the one or more support legs. This particular embodiment improves the economy of assembly by providing many of the internal workings of the automatic step in a single assembly piece that may be inserted into an end of the body, with minimal additional assembly required, in order to achieve a fully functional and attached step.