Vehicle Running Board Drainage and Splash Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing running boards for large vehicles face issues with liquid and solid accumulation, as well as being slippery when wet, and are either complex and expensive or fail to prevent splashing from the ground during vehicle movement.
Innovation Solution
A running board design featuring a shaped body with first passing through holes for discharging liquids and solids, combined with a covering element having second passing through holes arranged to prevent splashing, made from low-cost materials like plastic with a web structure for support and non-slip projections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If retractable footrests are used to prevent liquid and solid accumulation, then drainage is improved, but the structure becomes complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The footrest structure incorporates a movable covering element that can transition between open and closed positions. This dynamic feature allows the structure to adapt to different conditions: open for drainage and closed for protection against ground-borne contaminants, eliminating the need for complex retractable mechanisms while maintaining both functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The covering element serves multiple functions: it acts as a barrier against ground-borne liquids and solids, provides structural support for the footrest, and can be designed with non-slip properties. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components and simplifies the overall structure.
2Ease of operation
If covering elements with non-skid material are added to footrests, then slip resistance is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The non-skid covering element is merged with the footrest structure itself rather than being a separate attachment. The covering element is integrated into the molded footrest body, combining the structural function with the non-slip surface function in a single manufacturing process, thereby avoiding increased manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The footrest is manufactured as a composite structure combining the base material with a non-skid surface layer. This can be achieved through co-molding or surface treatment processes that integrate the non-slip properties directly into the footrest material, maintaining ease of manufacture while improving slip resistance.
Data Source
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AI summary
A running board for vehicles (V) comprising: a shaped body (2) in which there is a footrest (3) provided with a plurality of first passing through holes (4) to allow the discharge of fluids and/or solids from the footrest (3); a covering element (9) of the footrest (3) provided with a plurality of second passing through holes (10) to allow the discharge of fluids and/or solids from the covering element (9) to the footrest (3) The outputs of the second passing through holes (10) to the footrest (3) are placed in correspondence of areas of the footrest (3) without first passing through holes (4).