Deployable Trolley Deck for Wheeled Luggage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wheeled luggage lacks additional load-bearing capacity and maneuverability when in upright orientation, limiting its ability to support extra luggage and navigate through various orientations efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A deployable trolley deck mechanism is integrated into the luggage, pivotally coupled to the base and supported by trolley wheels, which can be stowed against the luggage surface and deployed at a right angle to provide an upper load-bearing surface, along with additional handles for enhanced maneuverability and omnidirectional movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional wheeled luggage is used in upright orientation, then the luggage can be manoeuvred using the trolley handle, but the luggage lacks additional load-bearing capacity and cannot support extra luggage
Solution Approach 1:
The trolley deck is designed to be deployable rather than fixed, allowing it to transition between stowed and deployed states. This dynamic configuration enables the luggage to adapt its load-bearing capacity based on need, while maintaining a compact form when the additional capacity is not required. The deck pivots on a hinge axis and can be secured in multiple positions, providing versatility without permanent structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The luggage is divided into functional segments: the main luggage body and the separate deployable trolley deck. This segmentation allows the deck to be independently configured - stowed against the luggage surface when not needed, or deployed at an angle to create an additional load-bearing platform. The deck is further divided into a support portion and a load-bearing surface portion, enabling modular functionality that addresses the load-bearing capacity limitation without complicating the overall structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the trolley deck is deployed to provide additional load-bearing surface, then the luggage can support extra luggage, but the device complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The deployable trolley deck serves multiple functions: it acts as a structural reinforcement for the luggage body when stowed, and transforms into an additional load-bearing platform when deployed. The same components (hinge, deck, fasteners) enable both the stowed and deployed configurations, providing universal functionality that increases carrying capacity without requiring entirely separate systems for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
When in the stowed configuration, the trolley deck is positioned against the rear surface of the luggage, effectively nesting the deck within the overall luggage envelope. The deck does not protrude significantly when stowed, and can be secured in this compact position using the releasable fasteners. This nesting approach minimizes the space required for the additional components while maintaining their functionality when deployed.
3Ease of operation
If conventional wheeled luggage is used, then the structure is simple, but the luggage lacks maneuverability and cannot navigate through various orientations efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The deployable trolley deck provides dynamic maneuverability options. When deployed, the deck creates a stable platform that allows the luggage to be pulled or pushed more easily, and can support the luggage in both vertical and horizontal orientations. The hinge mechanism allows smooth transition between configurations, and the releasable fasteners enable quick adjustment. This dynamic capability significantly improves ease of operation compared to fixed conventional luggage, while the mechanism remains relatively simple.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a trolley mechanism for wheeled luggage, the wheeled luggage comprising four luggage wheels at a lower surface of the wheeled luggage and a deployable trolley handle at an upper surface of the wheeled luggage such that, in use, the wheeled luggage may be manoeuvred about by the deployable trolley handle in a substantially upright orientation supported by the luggage wheels and wherein the trolley mechanism comprising a deployable trolley deck, the trolley deck being pivotally coupled substantially at the lower surface of the wheeled luggage at a proximal edge of the trolley deck and having at least one trolley wheel at an opposite distal end of the trolley deck such that the deployable trolley deck is pivotally configurable between: a stowed configuration wherein the trolley deck lies against a surface of the wheeled luggage; and a deployed configuration wherein the trolley deck is deployed at a substantial right angle to the surface such that, when the wheeled luggage is in the substantially upright orientation and supported by the luggage wheels, the trolley deck defines an upper load bearing surface for supporting additional luggage thereon and wherein the trolley deck is supported at the distal end thereof by the at least one trolley wheel.