Rotating Spare Wheel Tool Carrier for Easier Frunk Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Spare wheels and tool kits stored in vehicles are often bulky and cumbersome to handle, especially when stored in a vertical orientation in frunks, making access difficult and cumbersome.
Innovation Solution
An in-vehicle storage assembly comprising a partition and a rigid carrier that can be rotated from a stowed position within the spare wheel well to an open position, allowing easy access to the items stored on the carrier.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the spare wheel and tool kit are stored together in the spare wheel well, then storage organization is improved, but the weight and bulkiness make handling difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system is divided into two separate components: the spare wheel stored in the spare wheel well, and the tool kit stored in a separate carrier that rotates into the inner well of the spare wheel. This segmentation allows the tool kit to be accessed independently without handling the heavy spare wheel, resolving the contradiction between organized storage and handling ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier containing the tool kit is designed to rotate into and nest within the inner well of the spare wheel. When not in use, the carrier is hidden within the spare wheel well area; when needed, it rotates outward for easy access. This nesting approach maintains organization while enabling easy tool kit retrieval without moving the spare wheel.
2Volume of moving object
If the spare wheel is stored in a vertical orientation in the frunk, then space utilization is improved, but user access becomes awkward and difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier is designed with rotational movement capability, transitioning from a static nested position within the spare wheel well to a dynamic extended position where tools are easily accessible. This dynamic mechanism allows the system to adapt between space-saving storage and user-friendly access modes, resolving the contradiction between vertical space utilization and access ease.
3Area of stationary object
If the carrier is kept in the stowed position within the aperture, then storage space appearance is neater and volume is maximized, but item access requires moving the carrier
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier is pre-positioned within the inner well of the spare wheel in a nested configuration that maintains a neat appearance and maximizes storage space. When tool access is needed, the carrier rotates into position, allowing tools to be retrieved without disturbing the spare wheel. This preliminary nesting arrangement resolves the contradiction between maintaining neat storage appearance and enabling easy item access.
Data Source
Figure 1~2a
Figure 2b
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
Storage assembly 7 comprises partition 8 and rigid carrier 9. The carrier has one or more items (10, Fig. 7), e.g. wheel changing tools, attached thereto. The partition has an aperture 11 (Fig. 6) to receive the carrier. A receptacle (15, Fig. 7) is attached to the carrier, which can be rotated around hinge 22 at the carrier foot from a stowed position where the carrier is aligned with the partition to an open position where the tools may be accessed. In a second embodiment, the carrier (9B, Fig. 11) may rotate in an aperture (11B, Fig. 11) in the partition 8B. Chocks (17, Fig. 8) may maintain alignment of the receptacle to the wheel well 6We, even if the tyre is flat. The assembly may be mounted in a frunk (Figs. 2a, 2b), or in a trunk (Figs. 3a, 3b).