Rotatable Vehicle Console for Ergonomic Control Access
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle interior layouts often lack ergonomic design, making it difficult for occupants to easily access and use controls and display screens, particularly when seated, which affects comfort and usability.
Innovation Solution
A console with a rotatable upper part mounted on a support structure that can pivot around a vertical axis, allowing ergonomic orientation, combined with a sliding base for adjustable positioning, and featuring a touch-sensitive display screen, storage area, and wireless charging, along with a hand rest for comfortable interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the console is fixed in position, then the structure is simple and stable, but the ergonomics and accessibility are poor
Solution Approach 1:
The upper part of the console is made rotatable around a vertical pivot axis, transforming the fixed structure into a dynamic one that can be adjusted to different orientations. This allows occupants to access the console from different angles, improving ergonomics without significantly complicating the overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The console is divided into a fixed support structure (base) and a movable upper part. This segmentation allows the base to remain simple and stable while the upper part gains rotational freedom, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and ergonomic accessibility.
2Ease of operation
If the upper part is rotatable, then the ergonomics are improved, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The upper part is designed to rotate around a vertical pivot axis, enabling dynamic adjustment of its orientation. This simple rotational mechanism provides multiple access angles for occupants while maintaining a relatively straightforward mechanical design.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable upper part serves multiple functions: it allows different occupants to access the console, enables adjustment to preferred viewing angles for displays, and provides flexibility for various usage scenarios, justifying the added mechanical complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the support structure is sliding, then the positioning flexibility is improved, but the mounting complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is designed to slide along guides mounted on the floor, transforming a fixed mounting into a dynamic, adjustable one. This allows the console to be repositioned along the sliding path while maintaining stable support through the guide structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Guides are introduced as intermediary elements between the floor and the sliding support structure. These guides enable smooth movement while providing lateral constraint and stability, resolving the contradiction between positioning flexibility and mounting simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle interior layout includes a console having a support structure configured to be mounted on the floor of the vehicle and topped by an upper part, the upper part being rotatable around a substantially vertical pivot axis (A).