Roll-Up Truck Bed Cover With Cable Guides for Moving Electrical Loads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional retractable roll-up truck bed covers fail to provide a continuous wired connection between stationary and moving elements, such as light fixtures and sensors, due to the moveable nature of the curtain.
Innovation Solution
The cover assembly incorporates a rollable curtain with a plurality of cable guiding elements that support and guide cable wires during winding and unwinding, ensuring a continuous wired connection between stationary and moving parts without stretching or bending.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cable wires are mounted in side rails of roll-up covers, then wired connection is provided for light fixtures and sensors, but continuous connection cannot be maintained between stationary and moving elements during curtain movement
Solution Approach 1:
The cable management system is divided into multiple cable guiding elements distributed along the curtain panels. Each guiding element independently manages cable routing at its location, allowing the cable system to adapt to curtain movement while maintaining continuous connection. The segmentation enables the cable path to be divided into manageable sections that can flex with curtain operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Cable guiding elements act as intermediary components between the stationary cable supply in the housing box and the moving elements on the curtain. These guiding elements facilitate smooth cable transmission during curtain movement, preventing cable damage while maintaining electrical connection. The intermediaries enable the cable to transition from stationary to moving states without disruption.
2Reliability
If cable wires are stretched to connect stationary housing box elements with moving curtain elements, then wired connection is established, but cable stretching and bending occurs during curtain operation
Solution Approach 1:
The cable management system transitions from a static cable routing approach to a dynamic one where cable guiding elements move with the curtain panels. This dynamic configuration allows the cable path to adapt continuously to curtain position changes, eliminating stretching and bending stresses that would occur with fixed routing. The system maintains cable integrity by dynamically adjusting the cable path length and orientation.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable routing parameters (position, orientation, length) are continuously changed as the curtain moves. Cable guiding elements adjust the cable path parameters in real-time to match curtain position, ensuring the cable remains taut but not stretched, and properly oriented to avoid bending. This parameter adaptation maintains both connection reliability and cable strength.
3Reliability
If conventional side rails are used in roll-up covers, then structural support is provided, but wired connection continuity is lost during curtain extension and retraction
Solution Approach 1:
The cable guiding elements serve multiple functions simultaneously: they provide structural support for cable management, enable curtain movement, and maintain electrical connection continuity. By integrating these functions into single components mounted on curtain panels, the system achieves wired connection reliability without proportionally increasing overall device complexity. The multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated cable management mechanisms.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A cover assembly for the truck bed of a pick-up type vehicle, said assembly comprising a housing box (21) and a rollable curtain (1) formed by a plurality of adjacent transverse panels (2), which are continuously connected along their transverse length by hinge joints (3), and an end slat (4), said curtain (1) coupled at one end to a rotatable transverse shaft to allow winding and unwinding thereon, the assembly further comprises a plurality of cable guiding elements (5) mounted to at least part of the plurality of adjacent transverse panels (2) and/or the end slat (4) and configured to receive cable wires therethrough for providing a wired connection between electrical elements (17, 18, 19) arranged on the rollable curtain (1) and stationary elements of the housing box (21) along at least one longitudinal length of the rollable curtain (1) during winding and unwinding of the later.