Car manufacturers can design engineering marvels

Car manufacturers can design engineering marvels. They can park the car automatically and also let the car brake itself when it senses an impact. But what about an ideal placement point for a handbag or mobile phone? This is the real challenge.

General Motors Co. engineer Chris Shinouskis talks about letting go
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The problem between the two said: "We realized that this problem needs to be solved, but there is no good way."
Xinnuskis is an Engineering Specialist for Storage. In the automotive industry, there are a handful of engineers or designers who, like her, should pay attention to the increasing number of items that people bring into their cars. Then you have to design storage space for these items in the car.

Adding storage space to the car has been difficult Laptop Tray Manufacturers , and today's cars are equipped with a variety of high-tech security information and entertainment systems that require space for wires and hardware.

However, users have a need for storage space, especially when people are driving longer and longer, and there are more and more items stored in the car. These objects have become an indispensable part of people's lives. For example, a tablet PC owner who is expensive can not want to slide it from the front seat.

This is not just a matter of convenience. Unfixed items can easily get off the driver's feet or get out in a sudden braking or traffic accident.

Tina Parker, a 45-year-old teacher in Detroit, said she was not worried about throwing the bag in the passenger seat or in the gap between the driver's seat and the door. She said: "Once the emergency brakes, all the things in the car will be pulled out." Parker said that she often travels around her 2003 Nissan Altima, but has not been able to find an ideal place for the phone. . She said that she usually puts the phone in a cup holder on the center console, but if another cup holder has coffee, the phone will splash coffee if it is in a hurry.

According to San Diego research firm Strategy Vision, 65% of new car buyers believe that the design of internal storage space is “very” or “extremely important” when making purchase decisions.

Alexander Edwards, chairman of Strategic Vision, said consumers are particularly interested if the storage space is designed to be thoughtful or even unexpected, such as an embedded dashboard that is visually integrated into the entire interior. Small storage bin or pop-up tray.

He said: "This is just a small design, it doesn't cost much. But when the buyer makes a choice between the two cars, it is this ingenious and creative little design that makes this car finally win."

Developing or redesigning a car can sometimes take up to four years, but technological advances are much faster, making the “space challenge” even more difficult. In contrast, Apple Inc. was able to launch a four-generation iPad and an iPad Mini in just three years. In addition, the specifications of objects such as mobile phones are also different.

In 2007, when Ford Motor Co. was working on the current generation of Explorer, Apple just launched the iPhone Ford engineer and storage expert Matt Rattman ( Matt Rutman) insisted on adding a space in front of the shift lever of the new SUV to store the phone and charge.

The slot in which the phone is stored needs to be designed next to the multimedia console. Designers often refer to this area as “Manhattan Real Estate” because it is the location within reach of the driver. Ratman asked designers and other engineers to redesign the center console area, from the front seat to the entire area at the top of the dashboard.

Latman has been with Ford for eight years. Prior to this, he was an office chair designer, and he often browsed major technology websites to ensure that he kept up with the trend of new mobile devices. He said: "Others have told me countless times that this is impossible. So I designed it myself on the computer."

His solution included redesigning the ventilation system behind the dashboard and moving the screen and console up overall. This frees up space to design a switchable storage slot that can hold two mobile phones.

The storage space in the car itself is not enough, so when the space is wasted, the driver will be particularly annoyed. The typical example is that glove boxes are often used to stack a variety of debris.

Some companies have redesigned the use of glove boxes, and Chrysler Group LLC is one of them: in the new Dodge Dart, Chrysler designed a glove box that was deep enough to hold a small laptop or tablet. To make room for it, Chrysler arranged the heaters and radiators vertically instead of horizontally and moved the tubes to the back of the dashboard.

Chrysler's chief interior designer Ryan Nagode said: "This design creates a deep space that is not found in the usual glove boxes."

Undoubtedly, every new storage design requires additional materials, which can to increased steps on the production line, which adds cost. Nagord said: "It may just be a 10 cents here, and it costs 15 cents more, but in the end it will accumulate more."

To get inspiration, designers have adopted a variety of methods to better determine people's storage needs. Recently, the team of GM Shinuskis sent several members to the mall to investigate the size and shape of sunglasses.

Space puzzle in the car 1
Chrysler Chrysler's interior designers saw a car owner fixing the water bottle with a rubber cord from the window of an old Jeep Wrangler. Inspired by this, they added a stretchable nylon mesh to the new Wrangler. Nagold said Chrysler's storage ideas came from focus groups in market research, but not when they met with them. Nagold said that when the members of the focus group were still in the meeting, the designers would sneak into the parking lot to see how these people used the space inside the car.

On one occasion, the designers saw a Jeep Wrangler owner hit a few eyes on the doorknob, then put on a rubber cord and made a water bottle bag. Nagord said: "This is why our new Wrangler has a nylon mesh that can be opened."

Thinner new materials, an increasingly popular electronic operating system, and fewer and more bulky wires and components help designers design more storage space. Some car manufacturers have abandoned handbrakes and shifters, and replaced them with buttons and knobs that have the same function, thus freeing up more interior space.

The location between the front seat and the center console is also a problem. This little black hole can swallow the change pen and the fallen French fries.

Auto parts supplier Johnson Controls Inc. believes it has a solution. At the Detroit Auto Show in January, Johnson Controls showed a "anti-drop". This U-shaped tray can surround the armrest and extend into the gap where objects often fall. Han Hendriks, head of Johnson Controls' interior design and electronics division, said: "This design solves a problem that has existed since the car was born."

For Sinuskis, the cup holder design has always been a headache for her. She said that although the cup holders have been around for a long time, their position seems to be a bit inappropriate: they are not the wrong size, or they are not properly spaced from other parts. After the cup is placed, it will affect other operations.

Moreover, people often want to put the phone in a fixed position. So GM has met two needs in the 2014 Chevy Malibu: two cup holders, two cell phone slots, a driver and co-pilot.

However, in solving the problem of unpacking space, Xinnuskis said that her team's design trials have failed several times. Hooks don't work because they don't fix the package. The slots on the door are often not big enough.

Xinnuskis said that because there are many types of bags from small hand bags to large tote bags, no single design can cover everything. Her team is looking for ways to fix the bag while braking.

Another big challenge on her task list is the design of the trash can. She said: "We talked about this issue, but the consumer's preferences are completely different. Some people hope that the trash can is designed on the door, and some people hope to cover it."