Segmented Folding Top with Composite Frame for Compact Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Folding tops in motor vehicles face issues such as rapid aging, poor acoustic insulation, deformation, and security concerns due to canvas materials, and rigid metal tops have large dimensions incompatible with certain vehicle designs.
Innovation Solution
A folding top design featuring a covering element with a rigid outer frame, a hollow central portion, and a deformable closing body that can switch between engaged and disengaged positions, using either flexible canvas or rigid plates, allowing for compact folding and improved accessibility, with a transparent glass rear panel for enhanced visibility and insulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a canvas folding top is used, then the folding top is simple and inexpensive to produce, but the useful life is relatively short and it presents poor acoustic insulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining a rigid outer frame made of metal elements with a covering made of fabric or leather. This composite structure merges the strength and durability of metal with the flexibility and aesthetic qualities of soft materials, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and useful life while also providing good acoustic insulation.
2Ease of manufacture
If a canvas folding top is used, then the folding top is simple and inexpensive to produce, but the acoustic insulation is poor and the passenger compartment is particularly noisy
Solution Approach 1:
The combination of rigid metal frame and fabric covering creates a composite structure that provides effective acoustic insulation. The rigid frame blocks sound transmission while the fabric layer absorbs acoustic energy, significantly reducing noise in the passenger compartment compared to pure canvas constructions.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a rigid folding top made of sheet metal is used, then the acoustic insulation is improved, but the overall dimensions in the folded position are large and incompatible with some vehicle types
Solution Approach 1:
The folding top is segmented into multiple rigid elements that can fold onto one another. This segmentation allows the top to maintain good acoustic insulation when closed while reducing to a compact size when folded, resolving the contradiction between acoustic performance and storage dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid elements of the folding top are designed to nest within each other when folded, similar to nested dolls. This nesting arrangement minimizes the overall volume required for storage, making the folding top compatible with vehicles that have limited space such as those with central or rear engine positions.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If a rigid folding top made of sheet metal is used, then the acoustic insulation is improved, but the folding top presents large overall dimensions that may prove incompatible with vehicles having the engine housed in a central or rear position
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the folding top into multiple rigid elements that can fold and nest, the design achieves both good acoustic insulation and compact folded dimensions, thereby adapting to various vehicle configurations including those with central or rear engine positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The folding top transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic system that can change its configuration. When closed, it provides excellent acoustic insulation; when opened or folded, it adapts to different spatial requirements, enhancing versatility across different vehicle types.
Data Source
AI summary
A motor vehicle provided with a folding top, which is supported by a frame of the motor vehicle and can be set in an open position or in a closed position. The folding top has an element of covering, which is substantially horizontal in the closed position and is hinged at the rear to the frame of the motor vehicle so that it can rotate about a first horizontal axis between the open position and the closed position. The element of covering is made up of two half-elements, which are connected together in such a way that one half-element of front covering is folded on a half-element of rear covering when the folding top passes from the closed position to the open position.