Vehicle Ramp Linkage for Flush Floor Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mass-produced passenger vehicles lack design features to accommodate physically limited passengers, leading to challenges in stowing and deploying ramps for easy access, particularly ensuring the ramp is flush with the conventional vehicle floor when deployed.
Innovation Solution
A ramp assembly with a frame, track system, and linkage mechanism that allows the ramp to move between stowed, lowered, and raised positions, using rollers and pivot points to adjust height and position relative to the vehicle floor, ensuring seamless integration and access for physically limited passengers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the ramp is stored below the conventional vehicle floor, then vehicle space is preserved and the floor appearance is maintained, but the ramp deployment mechanism becomes complex and alignment with the floor is difficult to ensure
Solution Approach 1:
The ramp assembly is nested within the vehicle floor structure, with the ramp stored in a recessed compartment below the conventional floor level. The frame includes side walls that form the boundaries of the storage compartment, and the ramp can be deployed upward through the opening in the floor. This nesting approach preserves vehicle space while providing a structured deployment mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The ramp assembly incorporates a dynamic deployment mechanism that allows the ramp to transition between stored and deployed positions. The linkage system includes movable components that enable the ramp to be raised and lowered, with the ability to adjust the ramp angle and position. This dynamic mechanism resolves the complexity issue by providing a controlled, repeatable deployment process that ensures proper alignment with the floor.
2Ease of operation
If the ramp is deployed to accommodate wheelchair access, then accessibility is improved, but ensuring the ramp is flush with the vehicle floor becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The ramp surface is configured to match the color and texture of the conventional vehicle floor. When the ramp is in the raised position, its top surface is substantially flush with the floor level, creating a visually seamless transition. This attention to surface matching ensures that the ramp integration is both functional and aesthetically pleasing, resolving the alignment challenge.
Solution Approach 2:
The deployment mechanism includes positioning features that provide feedback to ensure the ramp reaches the correct raised position. The linkage system is designed to automatically align the ramp with the floor when deployed, using mechanical stops, guide rails, or sensor-based positioning to achieve precise alignment. This feedback mechanism ensures consistent, accurate positioning that maintains flush alignment with the vehicle floor.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a ramp is added to accommodate physically limited passengers, then accessibility is enhanced, but the device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The ramp assembly is designed as a multi-functional component that serves both as a structural element and an accessibility feature. The frame integrates with the vehicle floor structure, providing both support for the ramp and structural reinforcement for the vehicle body. The same assembly that enables wheelchair access also serves as part of the vehicle's floor structure, reducing overall device complexity by combining multiple functions into a single integrated system.
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
Enables efficient storage and deployment of the ramp, ensuring it is flush with the vehicle floor in the raised position, enhancing accessibility for wheelchair users without compromising vehicle space or inconveniencing other passengers.
Implementation Method 1
an upper roller pivotably coupled to the linkage panel for rotation about a second pivot axis of the linkage panel
Implementation Method 2
a lower roller pivotably coupled to the linkage panel for rotation about the first pivot axis of the linkage panel
Implementation Method 3
a drive block configured to translate longitudinally along the track system
Implementation Method 4
a linkage arm having a first end pivotably coupled to the drive block and a second end spaced apart from the first end
Data Source
AI summary
A ramp assembly to accommodate a wheel-chaired passenger to enter or exit a motorized vehicle includes a frame, a ramp movable relative to the frame, a drive block configured to move the ramp relative to the frame, a linkage arm having a first end pivotably coupled to the drive block, a linkage panel pivotably coupled to the linkage arm and a rear end of the ramp, and an upper roller pivotably coupled to the linkage panel for rotation about a pivot axis of the linkage panel to facilitate rotation of the ramp relative to the frame.