Seat-Integrated Cable Storage Box With Projection for Commercial Vehicles

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Solution Overview

Problem

Commercial vehicles lack a dedicated housing for electric charging cables, leading to potential loss, damage, or incorrect positioning, which can cause wear and mismanagement of the cables.

Innovation Solution

A U-shaped compartment in the vehicle seat assembly houses an electric cable, featuring a box with a projection and optional lid, ensuring safe storage and easy retrieval, made of polymeric material for low-cost production.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If no specific housing is provided for the electric cable, then the vehicle structure remains simple and cost-effective, but the cable is prone to loss, incorrect positioning, wear, and damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecable protectionVSAvoidhousing structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The box is nested within the seat assembly structure, utilizing the space between the bottom wall and the seat. This integration allows the cable housing to be embedded within the existing vehicle structure without adding external complexity, while still providing dedicated protection for the electric cable

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The box serves multiple functions: it houses the electric cable, provides structural support within the seat assembly, and offers protection against crushing forces. By making the housing multi-functional, the design avoids adding dedicated separate structures while achieving comprehensive cable protection

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Ease of manufacture

If the cable is left without a dedicated housing, then manufacturing costs and structural complexity remain low, but the cable suffers from wear and damage due to incorrect positioning

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduction costVSAvoidcable wear and damage

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The box provides pre-established protection against crushing forces by positioning the cable within a structured housing that resists external pressure. This beforehand cushioning prevents wear and damage before they can occur during vehicle operation or loading/unloading processes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

3Ease of operation

If a box structure with projection is used to house the cable, then cable positioning and retrieval are improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecable retrievalVSAvoidbox structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The projection is added only at the specific location where cable retrieval is needed, rather than complicating the entire box structure. This localized feature provides the necessary operational advantage while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity and manufacturing cost

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP4035947B1Vehicle equipped with a seat assembly including an improved vehicle storage box

Publication Date: 2025.07.30 IVECO SPA

Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4

AI summary

A vehicle defining a seat assembly defining a compartment suitable to house a box (10) for vehicular use, comprising a bottom wall (11) and a side wall (12) extending from at least part of an edge of the bottom wall (11), on the opposite side thereof, the bottom wall (11) and the side wall (12) delimiting a space (13) configured to house a vehicle cable (C), the box (10) further comprising a projection (14) extending from the bottom wall (11) on the same side as the side wall (12), the space (13) and the projection (14) being sized to allow the housing of the vehicle cable in the space (13) around the projection (14).