Adjustable-Wheelbase Personal Mobility for Passenger and Cargo Loads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Typical personal mobility devices, such as electric bicycles and scooters, are designed for single users and struggle to accommodate multiple passengers or cargo, limiting their usability and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A personal mobility system with a front body and a rear body that can adjust wheelbase via a sliding connection unit and extension/contraction drive unit, utilizing sensors and a locking device to automatically adjust the wheelbase based on passenger and cargo load, allowing for flexible use by one or more users and accommodating varying cargo volumes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the personal mobility is designed for single user, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but the adaptability to different number of passengers and cargo amounts deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The wheelbase of the personal mobility is made dynamically adjustable through a sliding connection unit with extension/contraction drive unit. The rear body can slide relative to the front body along guide rails, allowing the wheelbase to be extended or contracted based on the number of passengers and cargo amount, resolving the contradiction between fixed design simplicity and adaptive versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical parameter of wheelbase length is changed to adapt to different usage scenarios. By adjusting the wheelbase parameter according to passenger count and cargo weight, the personal mobility achieves versatility without requiring multiple different device designs, thus managing the complexity-adaptability tradeoff.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the wheelbase is extended to accommodate multiple passengers and cargo, then the adaptability and cargo capacity are improved, but the device complexity and structural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The personal mobility is segmented into front body and rear body that can move independently relative to each other. The sliding connection unit divides the structure into movable segments connected by guide rails and locking mechanisms, allowing the wheelbase to be adjusted without creating a completely complex monolithic structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The sliding connection unit acts as an intermediary mechanism between the front body and rear body. It includes extension/contraction drive units with rack and pinion gears, guide rails, and locking devices that mediate the movement and positioning of the rear body relative to the front body, managing structural complexity through modular intermediate components.
3Ease of operation
If manual adjustment of wheelbase is required, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ease of operation and user convenience deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The personal mobility performs self-service by automatically adjusting its wheelbase based on sensor inputs. The detection unit senses the number of passengers and cargo weight, and the control unit automatically commands the extension/contraction drive unit to adjust the wheelbase, eliminating the need for manual adjustment and improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
A feedback control system is implemented where detection units continuously monitor passenger count and cargo weight, feed this information to the control unit, which then adjusts the wheelbase accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism automates the adjustment process, improving user convenience while managing control system complexity through systematic sensing and response.
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 convenient and efficient use by automatically adjusting the wheelbase to accommodate multiple passengers and cargo, enhancing usability and operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a rack gear mounted on the upper extension part to extend in a longitudinal direction of the upper extension part, a pinion gear engaged with the rack gear, and a driving motor fixed to the front body to rotate the pinion gear in a forward direction and a reverse direction
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are a personal mobility and a control method thereof. The personal mobility includes a front body on which a front wheel is installed, and a rear body slidably coupled to the front body in a front-rear direction to enable wheelbase adjustment and on which a rear wheel is installed.