Vehicle Roof Box Four-Link Hinge for Smooth Cover Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing roof boxes on vehicles face issues with cover and body interference during opening due to hard materials, making it difficult to access contents and compromising the streamlined design.
Innovation Solution
A storing apparatus with a hinge mechanism comprising a four-link mechanism, including first and second link rod members and base members, allowing the cover to rotate smoothly away from the body without abutting, and incorporating strength accumulating pieces for easy opening and closing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cover and body are made of hard materials and constructed with streamline shape, then the stability and fluid resistance performance are improved, but the cover abuts against the body when rotated to be opened, making it difficult to open
Solution Approach 1:
A hinge mechanism is introduced as an intermediary component between the cover and body. This hinge mechanism includes link rods and pivot shafts that enable the cover to rotate relative to the body without direct contact, thereby avoiding abutting interference while maintaining the hard material construction for stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection between the cover and body is segmented into multiple components (link rods, pivot shafts, base members) rather than a direct rigid connection. This segmentation allows independent movement of the cover and body, enabling smooth opening without abutting while preserving the streamlined shape of each component.
2Ease of operation
If side walls of the body are arranged to shrink inward to form an avoiding space, then the abutting of the cover and body is avoided, but the space inside the box is occupied and the streamlined design is affected
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge mechanism serves as an intermediary that resolves the opening conflict without requiring internal space reduction. The link rods and pivot shafts provide the necessary clearance and movement path externally, preserving the full internal capacity and streamlined external shape of the body.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of creating avoiding space by shrinking side walls in the horizontal dimension, the hinge mechanism utilizes the vertical dimension and rotational movement to achieve cover opening. This dimensional shift allows the cover to move away from the body through rotation rather than horizontal clearance, maintaining the streamlined profile.
3Reliability
If the cover is in close contact with the body in the closed state, then articles are prevented from falling out, but the hard materials cause abutting-interference when the cover is rotated to be opened
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge mechanism acts as a mediator that decouples the closed-state contact function from the opening-motion function. During closing, the cover maintains close contact with the body for security, while the hinge mechanism manages the opening motion to prevent abutting interference through controlled rotational movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection between cover and body transitions from a static rigid connection to a dynamic articulated connection via the hinge mechanism. This dynamic connection allows the system to adapt between two states: close contact for security when closed, and controlled separation for easy opening when the hinge is actuated.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a storing apparatus, suitable for being attached to a vehicle. The storing apparatus includes a body and a cover, the body and the cover are connected through a hinge mechanism, and the hinge mechanism allows the cover to be rotatably opened and closed relative to at least one edge of the body. The hinge mechanism includes a first link rod member and a second link rod member, the first link rod member is swingably connected between the body and the cover, and the second link rod member is swingably connected between the body and the cover.