Annulus Wheel Hub Nesting for Compact Bicycle Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Human-powerable wheeled vehicles, such as bicycles, face challenges in compact storage and transport due to their space frame geometries, which are difficult to pack efficiently, especially with full-size wheels, leading to issues with airline luggage size and weight restrictions, and require complex disassembly and tools for packing.
Innovation Solution
The use of annulus wheels with removable hubs and eccentric cam quick release mechanisms allows for compact storage by nesting wheels and simplifying the packing process, eliminating the need for external containers and reducing the weight and cost of packaging, while maintaining structural integrity and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If space frame geometries are used for strength and stiffness, then structural integrity is improved, but packing volume increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel is divided into separate components: the rim with tire assembly and the hub with spokes. The spokes are detached from the hub, allowing the hub to be removed completely. This segmentation enables the rim and hub to be packed separately, reducing overall packing volume while maintaining structural integrity when assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The hub is designed to nest within the rim structure when packed. The conical hub fits inside the cylindrical rim, creating a compact nested configuration. This nesting arrangement significantly reduces the volume occupied by wheel components during storage and transport while allowing easy reassembly by simply extracting the hub from the rim.
2Reliability
If full-size wheels are used for performance, then riding performance is improved, but packing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hub component is extracted from the assembled wheel, allowing the rim with full-size tire to remain intact for optimal riding performance. The extracted hub can be separately packed in a compact form. This extraction enables full-size wheels to be used for performance while simplifying the packing process by removing the bulky hub structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel design allows dynamic transformation between assembled and disassembled states. In the assembled state, full-size wheels provide optimal riding performance. In the disassembled state, the hub is removed and nested within the rim, enabling compact packing. This dynamic adaptability resolves the contradiction between performance and packing ease.
3Strength
If wheels with conical hubs are used for structural strength, then wheel strength is improved, but packing efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel is segmented into the rim assembly and the hub assembly, with spokes serving as the connecting element. By detaching the spokes from the hub, the hub becomes a separate removable component. This segmentation allows the strong conical hub structure to be used for wheel strength while enabling efficient packing by nesting the hub within the rim or packing it separately in a compact form.
Data Source
AI summary
A bicycle frame system comprises a connection module that rotatably connects a front frame section to a rear frame section. The connection module comprises a hinge section and a clamp section. The hinge section is below the clamp section when the bicycle frame system is in a ridable orientation. The connection module hinge section has a horizontal axis of rotation configured for rotating a front bicycle frame section approximately 180 degrees downwards and rearwards relative to a rear bicycle same frame section to convert the bicycle frame system from a ridable configuration to a folded configuration. The connection module clamp section comprises a front clamp block, a rear clamp block and a fastening device. The fastening device is configured to secure the front clamp block to the rear clamp block when the bicycle frame system is in a ridable configuration. The interface between the front clamp block and the rear clamp block comprises at least one v-shaped feature configured to prevent the front clamp block from moving laterally relative to the rear clamp block when the front clamp block is pressed against the rear clamp block.