Telescopic Vehicle Bicycle Rack With Pivotable Arm Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle bicycle racks are cumbersome to install and remove, protrude from vehicles, and lack height adjustability, making them difficult to use in confined spaces and incompatible with various bicycle sizes.
Innovation Solution
A telescopic, height-adjustable vehicle bicycle rack with a pivotable arm assembly that can be stowed downward and deployed rearward, allowing for compact configuration and easy adjustment to accommodate different bicycle sizes and vehicle hatch clearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the bicycle rack is made rigid and mounted on the vehicle, then the rack provides stable support for bicycles, but the rack protrudes from the vehicle and increases the overall dimensional footprint
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the rack support telescopic rather than rigid. The support can extend when bicycles are mounted to provide stable support, and retract when bicycles are removed to minimize the vehicle footprint. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between maintaining stability and reducing protrusion.
2Ease of operation
If the rack is mounted outside the vehicle, then rapid and easy access to the rack is achieved, but the rack interferes with parking in confined areas
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic support allows the rack to dynamically adjust its position. When extended, it provides easy accessibility for loading bicycles. When retracted, it minimizes the parking space requirement by reducing the protrusion from the vehicle. This resolves the contradiction between accessibility and parking space.
3Device complexity
If the rack height is fixed, then the structure is simple, but the rack cannot accommodate bicycles of different sizes with appropriate ground clearance
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic support provides dynamic height adjustment capability. The support can extend to increase ground clearance for larger bicycles, and retract for smaller bicycles, allowing the rack to accommodate different bicycle sizes. This resolves the contradiction between structural simplicity and adaptability.
4Loss of time
If the rack is left mounted on the vehicle when not in use, then installation and removal time is avoided, but the rack continuously protrudes and occupies space
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic support allows the rack to remain mounted on the vehicle while dynamically adjusting its protrusion. When not in use, the support can be retracted to minimize footprint, eliminating the need to remove the rack entirely. This resolves the contradiction between avoiding installation time and reducing continuous space occupation.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle bicycle rack is provided including a telescopic, height-adjustable support, attachable to a vehicle, and an arm assembly carried by the support for holding one or more bicycles. The arm assembly is pivotably mounted to the support and is height-adjustable by adjusting the height of the support. The arm assembly can adopt various rotational positions, including a stowed position in which the arm assembly is pivoted downward, and a deployed position in which the arm assembly is pivoted rearward and one or more bicycles can be carried by the arm assembly.