Pickup Tonneau Cover Hinge Assembly for Sealed Folding
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tonneau covers for pickup trucks face challenges in providing robust hinge assemblies for hardtop designs that ensure adequate sealing and are lightweight, as they require more robust construction and effective sealing at hinge assemblies and between panels.
Innovation Solution
A tonneau cover design featuring a hinge assembly with pivot members and a base member that allows panels to fold over each other, utilizing pivot pins and end caps for secure and sealed folding, with panels extending the full length of the tonneau cover for enhanced structural integrity and sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If robust hinge assemblies are used for hardtop tonneau covers, then sealing and structural integrity are improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge assembly is divided into separate components: a base member, pivot members, and pivot pins. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the base member provides structural support and sealing surfaces, while the pivot pins provide rotational functionality with minimal weight, achieving robust sealing without excessive weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivot pins are received within cylindrical portions of the pivot members, creating a nested structure. This nesting allows the pivot pins to be contained within the hinge assembly structure, providing robust connectivity and sealing surfaces while minimizing the overall weight by eliminating redundant structural elements.
2Strength
If robust hinge assemblies are used for hardtop tonneau covers, then structural integrity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge assembly is divided into separate components: a base member, pivot members, and pivot pins. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the base member provides structural support and sealing surfaces, while the pivot pins provide rotational functionality with minimal weight, achieving robust sealing without excessive weight.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having the pivot members rotate within complex bearings, the invention inverts the approach by having pivot pins received within cylindrical portions of the pivot members. This simplified inversion provides robust structural integrity while reducing the complexity of the hinge assembly mechanism.
3Strength
If panels are made rigid for hardtop design, then structural integrity is improved, but sealing at hinge assemblies becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge assembly incorporates sealing members specifically at the locations where panels join at the hinge assemblies. This local application of sealing components addresses the sealing challenge at critical junction points without compromising the rigid structural integrity of the panels themselves, ensuring both strength and effective sealing.
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 design provides a robust, lightweight tonneau cover with improved sealing and aesthetic appeal by allowing panels to fold neatly, ensuring effective closure and protection of the cargo box while maintaining structural integrity and ease of access.
Implementation Method 1
The pivot members including a cylindrical portion within which a pivot pin is received... the base member is connected to the pivot pins so as to be pivotally moveable relative to the two pivot members
Data Source
AI summary
A tonneau cover for a pickup truck. The tonneau cover includes a first panel, a second panel and hinge assembly pivotally connecting the two panels. The hinge assembly has first and second pivot members fixed to respective edges of the panels. The pivot members including a cylindrical portion within which a pivot pin is received. The hinge assembly also includes a base member positioned between the two pivot members. The base member is connected to the pivot pins so as to be pivotally moveable relative to the two pivot members. With this construction, the base member is pivotable relative to the second pivot member, and the first pivot member and first panel are pivotable relative to the base member so that the first panel is foldable into a position where the first panel overlies the second panel.