Audi has filed a patent with the European Patent Office and it caught our eye as it’s one of those ideas that are elegant in its simplicity. It relates to a new design for interior storage compartments, where one wall of the compartment is made of a flexible, deformable material that can adapt to the shape of the compartment’s contents, yet contracts unobtrusively when not in use.
One Flexible Wall Makes All the Difference
The usefulness of an adaptable storage compartment becomes readily apparent if one considers the limitations of current in-vehicle storage solutions. Door pockets, for example, are usually made of a stiff material that clearly defines its volume. Some may have hinges and lids to grant easier access, but the space’s shape is rigidly set. Furthermore, the opening of fixed door pockets can be restrictive, making it difficult to store or retrieve items.
In the context of a door pocket, Audi replaces the cabin-facing wall of the receptacle with a flexible wall made of an elastic material that contracts snugly to resemble a regular door pocket when not in use. However, this material comprises many folded slits and grooves that expand concertina-like to adopt the shape of the object placed in it. As long as it fits within the cabin confines, larger objects can now be accommodated in such a pocket, yet the wall retracts to its original size when emptied. Its elasticity also makes it very easy to access.
Applications
This storage-compartment wall can be implemented in the cabins of any kind of car, truck, SUV, or minivan, and in many places, wherever there is a need for storage space. It improves on existing luggage nets that, although flexible, allow small items to fall through, whereas Audi’s wall has no openings in it and can hold even small items securely.
Applications include:
- Door pockets
- The sides of the center tunnel
- The sidewalls of the luggage compartment
- Seatback pockets
