Tailgate Assembly with Pivotable Door for Direct Cargo Bed Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tailgate assemblies for vehicles do not provide efficient access to the cargo bed, as they often require users to navigate around or over the tailgate when opening, which can be cumbersome and unsafe, especially when loading or unloading cargo.
Innovation Solution
A tailgate assembly with a pivotable door sub-assembly that opens vertically downward, allowing direct access to the cargo bed floor, and a retractable step system that includes a flip step with a ribbed support structure for enhanced usability, along with gooseneck hinges for smooth pivoting, ensuring the door and frame sub-assemblies pivot together between closed and open positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the tailgate assembly is opened horizontally to access the cargo bed, then the user can access the cargo bed, but the user must navigate around or over the tailgate which is cumbersome and unsafe
Solution Approach 1:
The tailgate assembly is divided into two independent pivotable components: a frame sub-assembly that pivots horizontally to open the tailgate, and a door sub-assembly that pivots vertically to open the cargo bed access. This segmentation allows the door to provide direct vertical access to the cargo bed floor without requiring the user to navigate around or over the horizontally opened tailgate, thereby improving safety and ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If a door sub-assembly is added to provide vertical access to the cargo bed, then direct access to cargo bed floor is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The door sub-assembly is integrated with the frame sub-assembly through shared pivot axes and coupling mechanisms. The door sub-assembly pivots relative to the frame sub-assembly about a second axis, while both pivot together about a first axis. This merging approach allows the two sub-assemblies to function as a coordinated unit, providing complex functionality while maintaining a unified structural design that manages overall device complexity.
3Ease of operation
If the door sub-assembly and frame sub-assembly pivot together about a first axis, then smooth coordinated movement is achieved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
A connection member couples the driver side section to the passenger side section of the frame sub-assembly, serving as an intermediary element that ensures synchronized movement. This connection member, along with the shared first pivot axis, acts as a mediator that coordinates the movement of the frame sub-assembly and door sub-assembly, enabling smooth pivoting while distributing the precision requirements across multiple coordinated components rather than demanding extreme precision from single joints.
Data Source
AI summary
A tailgate assembly for a vehicle includes, among other things, a frame sub-assembly that includes a driver side section, a passenger side section, and a connection member coupling the driver side section to the passenger side section. The assembly further includes a door sub-assembly disposed between the driver side section and the passenger side section. The door sub-assembly and the frame sub-assembly are pivotable together about a first axis between a tailgate closed position and a tailgate open position. The door sub-assembly is pivotable relative to the frame sub-assembly about a second axis between a door closed position and a door open position. The door sub-assembly in the door open position provides a cargo bed access opening that extends vertically downward at least as far as a floor of the cargo bed.