Recessed Utility Bed Layout for Spare Wheel Storage and Drainage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) lack efficient designs for utility beds that can accommodate spare wheels and provide adequate drainage for heat sources, compromising cargo capacity and safety.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a utility bed with a recessed, stepped portion for spare wheel storage and angled troughs with drains to manage heat sources, ensuring both cargo space and safety features are integrated into the vehicle's structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a utility bed is designed to accommodate spare wheels, then cargo capacity is improved, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The utility bed is divided into a recessed portion and a stepped portion, creating distinct zones for different storage needs. The recessed portion accommodates spare wheels while the stepped portion provides additional cargo space, allowing the structure to handle multiple storage functions without requiring entirely separate compartments.
Solution Approach 2:
The utility bed utilizes vertical dimension by creating a recessed area that extends downward from the upper surface. This allows spare wheels to be stored below the main cargo plane, effectively adding storage capacity without increasing the horizontal footprint or overall vehicle length.
2Reliability
If drainage troughs are positioned away from heat sources, then safety is improved, but the design complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drainage function is extracted from the main utility bed structure through the creation of separate angled troughs. These troughs channel water away from heat sources along designated paths, isolating the drainage function from the primary cargo storage area while maintaining integration within the overall utility bed design.
Solution Approach 2:
The angled troughs act as intermediary channels that intercept water flow and redirect it away from heat sources before water can reach critical components. This intermediary drainage path prevents direct contact between water and heat sources without requiring complete separation of the drainage system from the utility bed.
3Ease of operation
If the utility bed is recessed below the upper surface, then cargo organization is improved, but the available cargo volume is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The utility bed is segmented into a recessed portion for organized storage of smaller items and a stepped portion that rises to the upper surface level. This segmentation allows items to be neatly arranged in the recessed area while the stepped portion provides additional flat storage space, maintaining both organization and volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The recessed design utilizes the vertical dimension to create organized storage compartments without significantly reducing the overall cargo volume. By dropping certain areas downward rather than reducing horizontal dimensions, the design maintains cargo capacity while improving organization through vertical stratification of storage spaces.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle shown herein is a side by side powersports vehicle having a utility bed recessed in the rear body portion below an upper surface, the utility bed forming a stepped portion relative to the rear body portion and having a maximum lateral width greater than a diameter of at least one of the wheels, and a minimum width less than a diameter of at least one of the wheels, whereby a spare wheel may be stored on the stepped portion of the utility bed. As shown herein, the utility bed is defined as a removable tub, which can be removed from the rear body portion. The utility bed has defined troughs in a floor thereof angled rearwardly wherein the utility bed has drains which drain away from any heat source of the vehicle. The seats of the vehicle allow longitudinal movement and tilt capability.