Backpack Machine Arm Layout for Ergonomic Throttle Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing backpack blower designs fatigue users due to uncomfortable arm positioning and difficulty in operating the throttle lever, requiring awkward hand positions and leading to thumb fatigue during prolonged use.
Innovation Solution
A backpack work machine with a rotatable arm supported by a support axis angled obliquely rearward from the perpendicular direction, allowing one-handed operation and featuring a block-shaped throttle lever with curved surfaces and anti-slip features for improved grip and reduced vibration transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the arm is positioned in front of the body to allow throttle lever operation, then the throttle lever becomes accessible, but the worker must close off the left side of the body causing fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The arm is repositioned from a horizontal rotation axis to a vertical rotation axis, changing the dimensional orientation of the rotation movement. This allows the arm to be positioned outward from the body without requiring the worker to close off the left side, enabling throttle lever operation while maintaining an open body posture and reducing fatigue
2Device complexity
If the throttle lever is made as a small projection to reduce size, then the device becomes more compact, but the throttle lever becomes difficult to rotate
Solution Approach 1:
The throttle lever is designed with non-uniform cross-sectional geometry, being wider at the grip portion and narrower at the rotation axis. This local variation in dimensions provides a comfortable grip area for the thumb while maintaining a compact overall structure, enabling easy rotation without excessive size
3Ease of operation
If the coil spring is used to position the grip outward from the body, then the grip can be positioned more comfortably, but the spring cannot be bent sufficiently to achieve a comfortable position
Solution Approach 1:
The rotation axis is changed from horizontal to vertical orientation, fundamentally altering the dimensional approach to arm positioning. This eliminates the need for excessive spring bending while achieving comfortable outward positioning of the grip, as the vertical axis rotation naturally positions the arm in a ergonomically favorable position
Data Source
AI summary
A backpack work machine is provided and may include a backpack frame, a motor mounted on the backpack frame, a driven device driven by the motor, and an arm provided at a lower portion of the backpack frame. The arm is rotatable around an axis line that extends in a left-right direction of the backpack frame and has in a fore end portion thereof a throttle lever regulating output of the motor. The backpack frame also has in the lower portion thereof a support axis having an axis line, and the arm is supported by the support axis so as to be rotatable around the axis line of the support axis within a rotation range that extends between an up-down direction of the backpack frame and a front-rear direction of the backpack frame.