Split Tailgate Door Check Mechanism for Wider Rear Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle tailgates, particularly those on pickup trucks and SUVs, often have limited opening widths and require sequential opening and closing of doors, leading to reduced space utilization, potential damage, and difficulty in maintaining desired positions.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle tailgate apparatus with a main frame and independently operable doors, equipped with a door check mechanism that includes a check strip, stopper, and folding sensor to allow various opening states and prevent malfunctions and damage, using a pair of bottom hinges and side hinges for enhanced movement and positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the tailgate opens in a drop-down manner, then the tailgate can be simple in structure, but the opening width of the luggage compartment is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The tailgate is divided into a main frame and a pair of independently operable doors. Each door can be opened separately to different positions, allowing the opening width to be maximized while maintaining structural simplicity. The doors are segmented from the traditional single-piece tailgate design.
2Ease of operation
If the two doors open and close sequentially, then the door operation is controlled, but the risk of door damage increases and operation flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The door check mechanism dynamically adjusts the opening angle of each door independently. The check strip can be positioned at different locations along the door's travel path, allowing the door to be held at various angles. This dynamic positioning enables flexible operation while preventing excessive opening that could cause damage.
3Device complexity
If the doors are located behind the rear of the vehicle when opened, then the door positioning is simple, but the space utilization at the rear of the vehicle is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The door check mechanism allows doors to be positioned dynamically at multiple locations - either behind the rear of the vehicle or extended outward to the sides. The check strip can be positioned to hold doors in different configurations, enabling flexible space utilization while maintaining simple positioning through the same mechanism.
4Device complexity
If the check strip is in the folded position, then the door check mechanism is compact, but the tailgate closing operation may cause malfunction or damage
Solution Approach 1:
The folding sensor provides feedback on the position of the check strip. When the sensor detects that the check strip is in the folded position, it signals the control unit to prevent closing operation. This feedback mechanism ensures that the tailgate closing operation will not cause malfunction or damage while maintaining the compact folded position of the check strip.
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 wider opening of the luggage compartment, improves space utilization, prevents door damage, and maintains desired positions through independent door operation and sensor-controlled mechanisms.
Implementation Method 1
The check strip may be biased to the unfolded position by a torsion spring.
Implementation Method 2
a main frame configured to move between an open position and a closed position through a pair of bottom hinges at a rear end of a luggage compartment of a vehicle body
Implementation Method 3
a pair of doors pivotally connected to the main frame
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle tailgate apparatus can include a main frame configured to move between an open position and a closed position through a pair of bottom hinges at a rear end of a luggage compartment of a vehicle body, a pair of doors pivotally connected to the main frame, and a door check mechanism configured to hold each door in a predetermined position when the door is opened and/or closed.