Retractable Vehicle Running Board Arm Assembly Straddling Holder
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle running board retractable devices have low strength and stability due to the design of the arm assembly and running board holder, which are prone to damage from foreign matter ingress and wear, leading to reduced service life.
Innovation Solution
The retractable device design features an arm assembly where the first and second arms straddle the connecting portion of the running board holder, eliminating the need for grooves and enhancing strength and stability, with a linkage mechanism that includes hinged portions and pin shafts to prevent foreign matter ingress and reduce wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If grooves are provided in the running board holder for fitting arms, then the arms can be connected to the running board holder, but the strength of the running board holder is reduced and it becomes easily damaged
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of fitting the arms into grooves of the running board holder, the invention inverts the connection approach by having the running board holder fitted between the arms. The running board holder is positioned and secured by the arms rather than the arms being secured by the holder, fundamentally reversing the traditional fitting relationship to preserve the holder's structural integrity.
2Ease of manufacture
If the arm assembly and running board holder are connected with grooves and fittings, then the components can be assembled, but foreign matter like mud and sand can easily enter the fitting position causing wear and reducing service life
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the groove structures from the running board holder that created vulnerability to foreign matter ingress. By removing the grooves and adopting a fitting-less connection method where the running board holder is positioned between the arms, the design eliminates the structural weak points where mud and sand could accumulate and cause wear.
3Ease of manufacture
If parallel plates or rods are used to form the arm assembly, then the arms can be connected to the running board holder, but the structure has low strength and requires a large number of parts with complicated processing
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges multiple parallel plates or rods into an integrated arm structure. Instead of using separate parallel elements connected together, the arm assembly is formed as a unified structural component that provides both the necessary connection functionality and enhanced structural strength, reducing the number of parts and simplifying processing while improving overall strength.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relate to a vehicle running board apparatus and a retractable device thereof. In some embodiments, a retractable device includes a running board holder and an arm assembly. The running board holder has a connecting portion, and the arm assembly is configured to drive the running board holder to move between an extended position and a retracted position. The arm assembly includes a first arm and a second arm. The first arm has a first end and a second end. The second end of the first arm is pivotally connected to the connecting portion of the running board holder. The second arm has a first end and a second end. The second end of the second arm is pivotally connected to the connecting portion of the running board holder. The second end of at least one of the first arm or the second arm straddles the connecting portion.