Pickup Tailgate Bicycle Rack with Rotating Arms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bicycle transport systems for pickup trucks face issues with bike security and safety during transit, as bikes can fall off or become misaligned due to road conditions and forces, and tailgate pads risk damaging the truck's surface.
Innovation Solution
A novel bicycle rack that attaches to the inside of the pickup truck bed, rotating up and out for deployment, with transversely oriented crossmembers and longitudinally oriented rack arms, featuring hinging elements and squash toggles to secure the system during movement, and a height adjustor for versatility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a typical bike rack is used on the tailgate, then bicycles can be transported, but the bikes can fall off or get out of position due to road conditions and forces
Solution Approach 1:
The rack arms are designed to be movable and adjustable, allowing the rack to adapt to different bicycle positions and road conditions. The rack arms can be positioned at different angles and heights to securely hold bikes during transport, resolving the contradiction between reliability and complexity through dynamic adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The rack is divided into separate functional components including rack arms, crossmembers, and mounting elements that can be independently adjusted or removed. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall system reliability without excessive complexity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a tailgate pad is used to protect the tailgate surface, then the surface is protected from debris, but the pad itself can be damaged by the same debris
Solution Approach 1:
The rack system is designed to be removable from the pickup truck, allowing the entire rack structure to be taken off and stored when not in use. This extraction principle eliminates the need for a permanent tailgate pad that would be continuously exposed to debris damage, while still providing surface protection during transport through the rack's mounting design.
3Reliability
If the rack is designed to be secure during transport, then bike safety is improved, but the rack becomes difficult to store when not in use
Solution Approach 1:
The rack arms are designed to be movable and collapsible, allowing the rack to transition from a secure transport configuration to a compact storage configuration. The mounting elements allow the entire rack to be easily removed and stored in the truck bed or elsewhere, resolving the contradiction between security and storage convenience through dynamic reconfigurability.
Data Source
AI summary
A bicycle rack system for transporting bicycles within a pickup truck is disclosed. The system attaches to the inside of the pickup bed using an L-shaped base bracket which extends through the aperture between the truck bed and the tailgate. During a period when the tailgate is in the horizontal (open) position, a gap exists between the tailgate and the truck bed. Once the tailgate closed, this gap disappears. has and drapes over the pickup's existing tailgate, thereby providing support and contact surfaces for transporting one or more bicycles in an upright position. In an embodiment, the bicycle's front wheel drapes over and outside the pickup's tailgate and the rear wheel rests within the bed of the pickup truck.