Segmented Vehicle Flooring with Registration Plates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floor systems for securing wheelchairs and cargo in vehicles require multiple people to install due to the weight and complexity of assembled floor plates, leading to increased labor costs and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A floor system featuring non-interconnected floor planks installed using registration plates with tabs and adhesive bonding, allowing a single installer to secure the planks individually, with features like integral twin-track profiles and dual-track grooves for easy alignment and locking, reducing the need for metal fabrication and skilled labor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If floor profiles are interconnected to form an assembled floor plate, then the structural strength and stability are improved, but the installation complexity and labor requirements increase due to the weight and size of the assembled plate
Solution Approach 1:
The floor system is divided into individual floor profiles that are installed separately rather than as a pre-assembled plate. Each profile is a discrete component that can be handled and installed independently, reducing the overall complexity and labor requirements while maintaining structural integrity through the connection of individual segments.
Solution Approach 2:
Registration plates are introduced as intermediary components that facilitate the installation of individual floor profiles. These registration plates provide alignment features and connection points that simplify the assembly process, acting as mediators between the individual profiles and the vehicle floor.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple people are used to install the assembled floor plate, then the installation safety and precision are improved, but the labor costs and installation time increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the floor system into individual installable profiles with registration plates, a single installer can work on one profile at a time with precise alignment features, eliminating the need for multiple people to handle a large assembled plate while maintaining installation precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The registration plates incorporate self-aligning features such as tabs and grooves that automatically guide the floor profiles into correct positions during installation. This self-service alignment mechanism reduces the need for multiple installers to manually position and align components, enabling precise installation by a single person.
3Stability of the object's composition
If pre-assembled floor plates are used, then the structural integrity is improved, but the adaptability to different vehicle configurations decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The floor system uses individual floor profiles rather than a fixed pre-assembled plate, allowing each profile to be independently positioned and configured to match different vehicle floor layouts, wheel well positions, and cargo area requirements while maintaining structural integrity through standardized connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static pre-assembled floor plate to a dynamic configuration where individual profiles can be arranged and rearranged based on specific vehicle requirements. The registration plates provide standardized connection points that enable flexible configuration while maintaining structural stability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient, one-person installation of the floor system, reducing labor costs and installation complexity while maintaining strength and adaptability for various vehicle configurations.
Implementation Method 1
adhesive bonding, allowing a single installer to secure the planks individually
Data Source
AI summary
A flooring system for a vehicle having a corrugated floor comprises a plurality of flooring panels supported at their undersides by two or more registration members having locating members and other features for aligning the flooring panels vertically, laterally, and longitudinally. The flooring panels each have at least one longitudinally aligned load-bearing structure, such as in integrated track or a universal channel configured to receive a flanged track, filler material, or both. The registration members may have depending support members configured to engage in the valleys of the corrugated vehicle floor.