Expandable Lawn Mower Bag Frame for Debris Flow
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lawn mower bag assemblies often face issues with debris jamming and clogging due to fixed mouth sizes, making it difficult to efficiently collect and empty lawn debris.
Innovation Solution
An expandable bag assembly with a frame that varies in size, allowing the mouth to increase from a smaller to a larger area, preventing debris from wedging and facilitating easy emptying by pivoting the frame sections and disengaging fasteners.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the mouth size is fixed, then the structure is simple, but debris jams and clogs during collection and emptying
Solution Approach 1:
The frame transitions from a fixed structure to a dynamically adjustable one, allowing the mouth to expand and contract. The side rails can pivot relative to each other to change the mouth opening from a closed position to an expanded position, enabling debris to flow freely during emptying while maintaining structural integrity during collection.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame is divided into separable components including side rails, end rails, and fasteners. The side rails can move independently relative to the end rails, allowing the mouth to be adjusted without moving the entire frame structure. This segmentation enables the mouth to expand and contract while keeping the rest of the frame stable.
2Productivity
If the mouth size is small, then debris collection is efficient, but emptying becomes difficult due to clogging
Solution Approach 1:
The mouth size is made dynamic rather than fixed. During debris collection, the mouth maintains a smaller effective opening for efficient gathering. During emptying, the side rails pivot to expand the mouth to a larger opening, allowing debris to flow out freely without clogging, thus improving ease of operation.
3Ease of operation
If the frame is expandable, then debris flow is improved, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The frame incorporates a dynamic expansion mechanism where side rails can pivot on hinges or pivot points. This allows the mouth to expand from a closed position to an open position for easy emptying, while the mechanism remains relatively simple compared to more complex expansion systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame is segmented into movable side rails and fixed end rails connected by fasteners. This segmentation allows the side rails to pivot independently to expand the mouth opening, providing easy debris emptying while keeping the overall mechanism simple and manageable.
4Ease of operation
If the mouth area is increased, then emptying is facilitated, but debris collection efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The mouth area is made variable rather than fixed. During debris collection, the mouth maintains a smaller area for efficient gathering. During emptying, the mouth expands to a larger area to facilitate debris flow. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between collection efficiency and emptying facilitation.
Data Source
AI summary
A bag assembly for a utility machine includes a bag for collecting lawn debris and a frame supporting the bag. The frame defines a mouth configured to receive the lawn debris from the utility machine. The frame is expandable to vary a size of the mouth.