Multi-Hinge Tonneau Cover With Sealed Flush-Rotating Panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tonneau covers lack effective solutions for preventing fluid penetration through hinge joints, facilitating unrestricted movement of hinges, and ensuring secure attachment to vehicle beds while maintaining a flush closure.
Innovation Solution
A tonneau cover system featuring expansion links, covers that extend over hinges, standing hinges, and rotary locks, which allow for controlled panel rotation, fluid prevention, and secure vehicle attachment, utilizing expansion caps and connectors to maintain panel integrity and prevent vertical lift when closed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single cover extends over the hinge to prevent fluid penetration and hold the hinge together, then fluid sealing and hinge integrity are improved, but the cover must disconnect from the hinge or panel to facilitate unrestricted hinge movement
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is designed to dynamically change its connection state - connected to the panel for fluid sealing during normal operation, and disconnected to allow unrestricted hinge movement when needed. This dynamic reconfiguration resolves the contradiction between maintaining sealing integrity and enabling free hinge motion.
2Shape
If expansion caps extend the hinge to a location proximate to or over the rail cap, then the hinge reaches the proper location and maintains flush closure, but the hinge must be prevented from vertical movement when closed
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge system is segmented into multiple functional components: expansion caps for position adjustment, rotary locks for stability, and standing hinges for elevation. This segmentation allows each component to address a specific requirement - position accuracy, vertical stability, and flush closure - without compromising the others.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotary locks are engaged in advance to prevent vertical hinge movement before the tonneau cover is closed. This preliminary locking action ensures hinge stability is established beforehand, resolving the contradiction between achieving proper hinge positioning and maintaining stability during operation.
3Ease of operation
If standing hinges lift panels from the rail cap or header panel, then panels are spaced away to facilitate movement, but connectors must prevent longitudinal movement of the tonneau cover
Solution Approach 1:
Connectors serve as intermediaries between the movable panels and the fixed vehicle bed. They transmit and control movement - allowing transverse motion for panel operation while preventing longitudinal displacement. This intermediary function resolves the contradiction between panel mobility and overall cover stability.
Data Source
AI summary
A tonneau cover comprising: (a) a plurality of panels; (b) one or more hinges between each panel of the plurality of panels so that the plurality of panels are rotatably connected together, wherein some or all of the one or more hinges include: (i) a plurality of expansion links that are movably interconnected together, some of the plurality of expansion links including: (1) one or more expansion projections; (2) one or more pockets that receive all or a portion of the one or more expansion projections from an adjacent one of the plurality of expansion links; and (3) one or more expansion stops that restricts movement of the one or more expansion projections from the adjacent one of plurality of the expansion links that extend within the one or more pockets; wherein the one or more hinges rotate so that the one or more hinges form of angle of about 90 degrees or more and about 225 degrees or less.