Wheel-Well Door Frame Layout for Wheelchair Lift Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing handicap accessible vehicles require intensive and expensive modifications to accommodate wheelchair-bound individuals, with doorways often located away from the vehicle's wheel wells, affecting safety and performance.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle doorway frame that partially protrudes into the rear wheel well, utilizing a mounting and secondary frame secured within the vehicle's body-in-white, with a cutout for wheel clearance and a supporting member to accommodate axial and radial wheel movement, allowing a wheelchair lift assembly to pass through.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a doorway is located away from the wheel wells to accommodate wheelchair access, then wheelchair accessibility is improved, but vehicle modification complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewheelchair accessibilityVSAvoidmodification complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The doorway frame is positioned to partially protrude into the rear wheel well space, utilizing the third dimension (depth into wheel well) to resolve the conflict between accessibility and structural integrity. This allows the doorway to be located at the rear end proximate to the wheel well rather than requiring modifications away from wheel wells.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Device complexity

If a doorway frame protrudes into the wheel well to reduce modification complexity, then modification cost is reduced, but wheel movement clearance may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemodification complexityVSAvoidwheel movement interference

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The doorway frame is divided into a mounting frame portion fixedly secured within the body-in-white and a secondary frame portion that may be removable or adjustable. This segmentation allows the frame to protrude into the wheel well while maintaining wheel clearance through proper positioning and potential adjustment of the secondary frame.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The doorway frame is specifically positioned to protrude into the rearward arcuate section of the wheel well, utilizing the available space in that specific location. This localized positioning ensures wheel clearance is maintained while still achieving the goal of reduced modification complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Ease of manufacture

If a doorway is positioned at the rear end proximate to the wheel well to simplify modifications, then installation cost is reduced, but structural strength may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinstallation costVSAvoidvehicle structural strength

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The mounting frame is fixedly secured within the body-in-white, merging the doorway structure with the vehicle's existing structural framework. This integration ensures that the doorway frame benefits from the structural strength of the body-in-white while still allowing cost-effective installation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS20250332041A1Retrofittable frame for a vehicle

Publication Date: 2025.10.30 FOREST RIVER BUS LLC

AI summary

A vehicle door assembly in a vehicle having a body-in-white, the body-in-white having a rear wheel well, the vehicle door assembly comprising a door frame, the door frame having an aperture therein, the frame extending into the rear wheel-well.