Spring Assist Mechanism for Manual Soft Top Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current manually deployable soft tops for vehicles are cumbersome and require two or more people to move between stowed and deployed configurations due to their weight and size, making it difficult for a single person to efficiently and safely operate them.
Innovation Solution
A spring assist mechanism is integrated into the soft top system, featuring a bracket secured to the vehicle with a pivot pin, a pivot plate, and a coil spring that pre-tensions to assist in rotating the side strut and back bow of the soft top frame, allowing a single person to easily deploy or stow the top from one side of the vehicle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a manual soft top is deployed without assistance, then the structure remains simple, but the weight and size make it difficult for a single person to operate
Solution Approach 1:
A coil spring is mounted on the pivot pin to provide a counterbalancing force that offsets the weight of the soft top frame. The spring is pre-tensioned to exert a rotary force on the pivot plate, making the frame easier to lift and deploy. This counterweight mechanism allows a single person to deploy the soft top despite its significant weight.
Solution Approach 2:
A pivot plate with an outwardly projecting arm is introduced as an intermediary component between the pivot pin and the side strut. This mediator transfers and amplifies the spring force to the side strut, enabling efficient force transmission and making deployment feasible for one person.
2Ease of operation
If the soft top is designed to be lightweight, then ease of operation improves, but structural strength and stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The coil spring mounted on the pivot pin provides a counterbalancing force that effectively reduces the perceived weight of the soft top frame during deployment. This allows the frame to maintain its necessary strength and structural integrity while being easy for a single person to operate.
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
The spring assist mechanism significantly reduces the effort required for a single person to deploy or stow the soft top by distributing the weight and providing a rotary force, enabling quick and easy operation between configurations.
Implementation Method 1
A coil spring is mounted on the pivot pin with an inner end of the coil spring secured within the slot of the pivot pin and the outer end of the coil spring secured to the retaining pin of the pivot plate. The coil spring is pre-tensioned such that it exerts a rotary force on the pivot plate urging the pivot plate, the attached side strut, and thereby the back bow and entire soft top from its collapsed configuration toward its deployed configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A spring assist mechanism is disclosed for aiding manual deployment of a collapsible soft top that has a frame incorporating a back bow that includes spaced side struts joined at upper ends by a crossbar. The spring assist mechanism includes a bracket securable to the body of the vehicle on one side thereof. A pivot pin extends from the bracket to a distal end and a pivot plate is rotatably supported on the pivot pin. An attachment feature is fixed to the pivot plate displaced from the pivot pin and the pivot plate forms an attachment arm configured to be fixed to a lower end of one of the side struts. The pivot plate thus facilitates pivotal movement of the side strut and back bow between a generally vertical deployed configuration and a generally horizontal stowed configuration. A biasing member, which can be a coil spring, has a first end fixed relative to the bracket and a second end coupled to the attachment feature. The biasing member is configured to urge the pivot plate and an attached side strut and back bow toward the deployed configuration thereby aiding manual deployment of the soft top. Spring assist mechanisms may be disclosed on both sides of the vehicle if desired.