Vehicle Sleeper Cab Bunk with Hinge-Adjustable Pitch and Roll
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle bunk mattresses in sleeper cabs often provide an undesirable sleeping attitude due to uneven vehicle surfaces, as they are not designed to adjust for pitch or roll, leading to discomfort for occupants.
Innovation Solution
A bunk with adjustable attitude featuring a hinge-mounted frame, lock inserts, and indexing holes that allow selective pivot angles to align the mattress support surface with a horizontal plane, even on non-level surfaces, ensuring comfort by allowing pitch and roll adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the bunk frame is made fixed and non-adjustable, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability to non-level surfaces deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The bunk frame is transformed from a fixed structure to a dynamically adjustable one through the introduction of a hinge mechanism. This allows the bunk frame to pivot between a stowed position (flush with cab wall) and a deployed position (extending into cab interior), enabling adaptation to various sleeping preferences and compensating for non-level surface conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The bunk frame is divided into segmented components including the bunk frame itself, hinge mechanism, lock insert, and indexing holes. This segmentation allows independent adjustment of each component, enabling the bunk to achieve multiple deployable positions and angles to adapt to different sleeping attitudes and surface conditions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the bunk frame is made adjustable with hinge and lock mechanism, then the adaptability to non-level surfaces is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lock insert is designed with spring bias that automatically engages with the indexing holes when the bunk frame is moved to a desired position. This self-servicing mechanism eliminates the need for manual locking operations, reducing operational complexity while maintaining multiple adjustable positions for adapting to non-level surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The indexing holes are pre-positioned at specific angles along the hinge axis to correspond with desired sleeping attitudes. This preliminary arrangement of locking positions allows the bunk frame to be quickly adjusted to appropriate angles without requiring complex control systems, balancing adaptability with simplicity.
3Ease of operation
If the lock insert is spring biased for automatic engagement, then the ease of operation is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The spring bias force on the lock insert is designed to provide sufficient engagement force for reliable locking while remaining within tolerable manufacturing variations. By using a spring mechanism with appropriate force characteristics, the system achieves reliable automatic engagement without requiring extremely tight manufacturing tolerances on the indexing holes and lock insert interface.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a bunk with adjustable attitude for a vehicle cab. The bunk includes a hinge, bunk frame provided with a mattress support surface, a lock insert, and a plurality indexing holes. The bunk frame is pivotably mounted to the hinge about an axis so that at least one of the pitch or roll of the mattress support surface may be selectively adjusted. The lock insert releasably engages the indexing holes to releasably hold the bunk frame at a plurality of selectable pivot angles about the axis.