Utility Vehicle Under-Seat Storage Box for Maintenance Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional utility vehicles face difficulties in maintaining and inspecting equipment like batteries and air cleaners due to their placement, which results in poor workability and increased time and labor for maintenance tasks.
Innovation Solution
A utility vehicle design featuring a storage box with a lid that encloses equipment for maintenance, utilizing a ROPS framework, seat placement, and buckles for easy engagement and disengagement, enhancing accessibility and aesthetics while preventing water entry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If equipment is disposed in the engine room or front box portion, then the vehicle structure is simplified, but the workability of inspection and maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the equipment storage space into separate functional zones: the engine room for the engine, the front box portion for the battery, and a newly created storage box under the rear seat for the air cleaner. This segmentation allows each component to be accessed independently, improving maintenance workability while maintaining overall structural efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The air cleaner is relocated from the traditional front box portion or engine room to a storage box positioned under the rear seat, utilizing the vertical and longitudinal space dimension. This dimensional repositioning provides easy access from the rear of the vehicle without interfering with the engine or battery locations.
2Ease of operation
If the driver's seat is removed to access the front box portion, then the air cleaner becomes accessible, but time and labor are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The air cleaner is extracted from the front box portion and placed in a separate storage box under the rear seat. This extraction eliminates the need to remove the driver's seat for air cleaner maintenance, as the storage box can be accessed independently from the rear of the vehicle.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage box acts as an intermediary container that provides direct access to the air cleaner without requiring removal of the driver's seat. The box can be opened from the rear, serving as a mediator between the maintenance worker and the air cleaner component.
3Quantity of substance
If the air cleaner is disposed far from the battery, then each component has dedicated space, but the workability of inspection and maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates dedicated spaces for each component (battery in front box, air cleaner in rear storage box, engine in engine room) while maintaining the ability to access each component independently. The segmentation is designed so that each component has its own access path, allowing maintenance workers to service components in sequence without moving other components.
Data Source
AI summary
A utility vehicle 1 equipped with main frames 11 for forming a framework of a chassis; a ROPS (Roll-Over Protective Structure) 6 provided at an intermediate portion of the main frame in the front-rear direction of a body of the vehicle so as to enclose a cabin 5; a seat 7 disposed inside the ROPS; an engine 20 disposed under the seat; a storage box 30 disposed under the seat and on the outside of the engine in the width direction of the vehicle to store equipment requiring inspection and maintenance; and a lid 40 engaged with a box body to cover an opening 30a for the inspection and maintenance of the equipment.