Caster Device Reciprocating Cam Mechanism for Mode Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing caster devices for medical appliances and removable beds are inconvenient and difficult to operate, especially in emergency situations, as they require manual manipulation of individual actuating parts to move or immobilize the equipment, leading to confusion and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A caster device with a reciprocatingly rotatable cam element, a crank shaft, a rotating member with spaced pins, and a pushing member that converts rotation into reciprocating motion, allowing for easy switching between operating modes by pivoting the pushing member, which includes a pedal plate and a guide rod with a compression spring, to control the caster's swiveling and locking mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If individual actuating parts are provided for each caster to control locking and swiveling, then the caster can be controlled in different operating modes, but the device complexity increases and ease of operation deteriorates due to multiple separate controls
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple actuating parts (locking actuator and swiveling actuator) into a single integrated actuating mechanism. This single actuating part controls both the locking and swiveling functions of the caster through different positions or movements, eliminating the need for multiple separate controls and improving ease of operation while maintaining adaptability across different operating modes.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple actuating parts are provided for each caster, then different operating modes can be controlled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple actuating functions into a single actuating part structure. This unified mechanism incorporates both locking and swiveling control capabilities, reducing the total number of separate components and simplifying the overall caster structure while still enabling multiple operating modes through the single actuator's different positions or movements.
Solution Approach 2:
The single actuating part is designed to perform multiple functions: it can control both the locking mechanism and the swiveling mechanism of the caster. This multi-functional design allows one component to replace what would traditionally require multiple separate components, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining adaptability across different operating modes.
3Reliability
If individual actuating parts are provided for each caster, then precise control is achieved, but loss of time increases due to the need to manipulate multiple controls
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the locking and swiveling actuators into a single actuating part, the patent enables both functions to be controlled simultaneously or in sequence through one control input. This eliminates the time required to manually manipulate multiple separate actuators, reducing operational time while maintaining precise control over the caster's locking and swiveling states through the unified mechanism's different positions or movements.
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 quick and efficient switching between operating modes without user confusion, allowing for easy movement or immobilization of the equipment, improving operational efficiency, especially in emergency situations.
Implementation Method 1
The pushing member may further include a spring for biasing the pushing plate towards the rotating member.
Implementation Method 2
a reciprocatingly rotatable cam element, the caster being coupled to a movable object
Implementation Method 3
The connecting rod and the crank shaft may convert rotation of the rotating member caused by movement of the pushing member into reciprocating rotation of the cam element.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a caster device including a caster, a crank shaft, a rotating member, a pushing member and a connecting rod. The crank shaft is coaxially coupled to a reciprocatingly rotatable cam element of the caster. The rotating member is rotatably coupled to a movable object. The rotating member has a plurality of pins spaced apart from one another in a circumferential direction. The pushing member is vertically movably coupled to the movable object. The pushing member rotates the rotating member by contact with the pin. The connecting rod and the crank shaft convert a rotation of the rotating member to a reciprocating rotation of the cam element. The caster is set to one of a plurality of operating modes according to the reciprocating rotation of the cam element.