Swivel Castor Brake Activator with Sliding Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Swivel castors with braking systems often have brake pedals that become inaccessible when mounted on equipment, as they rotate with the castor and can be positioned under the trolley, making it difficult to activate the brakes.
Innovation Solution
A swivel castor assembly with a slidable coupling member that moves between braking, neutral, and direction-lock positions, allowing the brake activator to be foot-engageable and pivotally mounted on the head, enabling easy access and orientation while preventing swiveling and wheel rotation when activated.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the brake pedal is attached to the swivelling fork or frame element of the castor, then the brake pedal rotates with the castor, but in certain positions the brake pedal becomes inaccessible and difficult to activate
Solution Approach 1:
The brake activator is separated from the swivelling body and mounted independently on the head, allowing it to maintain a fixed accessible position while the body swivels freely. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by decoupling the brake activation function from the swivelling function.
Solution Approach 2:
A slidable coupling member acts as an intermediary between the brake activator and the body, transmitting the braking force while allowing independent positioning of the activator. This mediator enables the brake pedal to remain accessible while the castor swivels to different orientations.
2Ease of operation
If the brake activator is mounted to the head for pivotal movement, then the brake pedal remains accessible and foot-engageable, but additional structural components are required
Solution Approach 1:
The head serves multiple functions: it provides the mounting point for the brake activator, supports the slidable coupling member, and maintains the structural integrity of the castor assembly. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional dedicated components.
Solution Approach 2:
The brake activator is designed with pivotal movement capability, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position while remaining foot-engageable. This dynamic design enables easy operation without requiring complex fixed mounting structures.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the slidable coupling member moves between braking, neutral, and direction-lock positions, then the brake can be activated and the castor can be selectively oriented, but the mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The slidable coupling member operates through discrete periodic positions (braking, neutral, direction-lock), allowing the castor to be selectively oriented at specific angles. This periodic positioning simplifies the mechanism compared to continuous adjustment while maintaining versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The slidable coupling member is pre-configured with predetermined positions for braking and direction-locking, allowing the operator to simply select from available orientations rather than requiring complex real-time adjustment mechanisms.
Data Source
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AI summary
A swivel castor assembly, includes a body (20) having at least one rotatable wheel (30, 32) engageable with a floor or ground surface below the body, a brake (80) actuable to brake or prevent rotation of the wheel, and means (22) for mounting the body such that it is able to swivel about a generally upright axis. A head (40) is adapted (60a) to be mounted to prevent or restrict its rotation about the upright axis. A brake activator (50) is mounted to the head (40) for movement between a braking position in which it activates the brake (80), a neutral position in which the brake is inactive and the body is not prevented from swivelling about the upright axis, and a direction-lock position in which the body (20) may be swivelled to one of plural selectable orientations with respect to the head at each of which the body is locked against swivelling but the brake (80) is inactive.