Communication Vehicle Front Wall Segmentation for Pedestrian Comfort
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Communication seat-type vehicles face the challenge of creating a non-oppressive exterior shape while maintaining a comfortable cabin space for passengers, particularly for elderly individuals and those in wheelchairs, and accommodating luggage, which is difficult due to their box-shaped design that can appear imposing to pedestrians.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle's front wall is designed with a configuration where the upper and intermediate portions are positioned rearward of the lower portion, creating a shorter appearance in the traveling direction, and a forward-facing surface is positioned lower than the upper portion to reduce the oppressive feeling, while maintaining a roomy cabin space by ensuring the upper portion is larger than the intermediate portion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the vehicle is designed with a box shape to maximize cabin space, then the cabin space is comfortable for passengers, but the front wall area becomes large and oppressive to pedestrians
Solution Approach 1:
The front wall is divided into three distinct portions: upper, intermediate, and lower. This segmentation allows each portion to serve different functions - the lower portion maintains structural integrity and cabin space, while the upper and intermediate portions are positioned rearward to reduce the projected front wall area visible to pedestrians, thereby resolving the contradiction between cabin volume and front wall area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional view of the front wall to a three-dimensional configuration by positioning the upper and intermediate portions rearward of the lower portion. This dimensional change creates a stepped or tiered structure that reduces the front wall's projected area in the horizontal plane while maintaining the necessary vertical structure for cabin space, effectively resolving the contradiction between these two parameters.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the front wall upper portion and intermediate portion are positioned rearward to reduce oppressive feeling, then pedestrians feel less oppressed, but the cabin space upper and intermediate portions decrease in size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the cabin space upper portion larger than the cabin space intermediate portion. This localized differentiation ensures that the upper cabin area, which is critical for passenger comfort and headroom, maintains adequate volume even when the upper front wall portion is positioned rearward. The intermediate cabin portion can be reduced accordingly, balancing pedestrian comfort with overall cabin space requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle including a front wall to form a cabin space to accommodate passengers, communication seats for the passengers seated thereon to talk face-to-face, and front and rear wheels. Front ends of upper and lower portions of the front wall are positioned forward of a rear end of an intermediate portion of the front wall. The front wall includes a front face-up surface, of which a front end is not forward of the front end of the lower portion of the front wall, and is not rearward of front ends of the front wheels, and of which a rear end is not forward of the front end of the upper portion of the front wall, and is not rearward of the rear end of the intermediate portion of the front wall. A front end of an upper portion of the cabin space is positioned forward of a front end of the intermediate portion of the cabin space.