SUV Through-Console Storage Layout for Secure Emergency Gear Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Emergency responders in sport utility vehicles face challenges in accessing and securing essential equipment due to underutilized space, particularly in the center regions between seats and rear cargo areas, which are not efficiently utilized by existing storage systems.
Innovation Solution
A retrofit storage system that includes a Thru-To-Driver Cargo and Barrier Storage System, featuring a modular enclosure with access panels, sliding drawers, and shelves, designed to occupy these underutilized spaces, mount to OEM locations, and provide universal fitment across different SUV models, ensuring secure storage and easy access to equipment like shotguns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a storage system is installed in the center region between front seats and rear cargo area, then storage capacity and equipment accessibility are improved, but vehicle interior space and seating flexibility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system is divided into multiple separate compartments including a first storage compartment in the center region and a second storage compartment in the rear cargo area, allowing independent utilization of discrete spaces without requiring a single large storage volume that would block interior passage
Solution Approach 2:
The storage system utilizes the vertical dimension by installing compartments that extend upward from the floor, and the rear compartment is accessible through the cargo area, effectively using three-dimensional space rather than merely horizontal floor area
2Quantity of substance
If a storage system occupies the rear center seat location, then storage capacity is improved, but passenger seating capacity and prisoner separation capability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system extracts the center seat from the seating configuration and replaces it with a storage compartment, removing the conflicting element (center seat) that prevented both adequate storage and prisoner separation, while maintaining the ability to install dividers in the rear cargo area for prisoner separation
Solution Approach 2:
The storage system provides multiple functions: it serves as storage capacity, maintains prisoner separation capability through optional dividers in the rear cargo area, and preserves seating flexibility by keeping the outer rear seats intact and accessible
3Quantity of substance
If equipment is stored in the rear cargo area, then storage capacity is improved, but accessibility from the driver's position is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system is segmented into a first storage compartment accessible from the front seats and a second storage compartment in the rear cargo area, allowing frequently accessed equipment to be stored in the front-accessible compartment while less frequently accessed items are in the rear compartment
Solution Approach 2:
The first storage compartment acts as an intermediary between the driver's position and the rear cargo area, providing a buffer zone for equipment that needs to be accessed from the front without requiring direct access to the rear cargo area
Data Source
AI summary
A storage system for retrofit in police SUVs includes: an enclosure, and front and rear access panels. The plurality of walls of the enclosure create an elongated box shape, with a first end near the front row seats, and second end terminating at the rear cargo area. The walls create a forward opening providing access into a forward enclosure portion from the front row seats; and a rear opening providing access into a rear enclosure portion from the rear cargo area, which openings are releasably enclosed/sealed by the access panels, which are secured using a compression latch to prevent rattling. The enclosure's length permits storing of a shotgun. The storage system also includes: drawers in the rear portion that slide out the rear opening into the rear cargo area; and a tray in the front portion that slides out the forward opening and supports a computer.