Foldable Carriage Pivot Lock With External Transverse Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing foldable carriages, such as strollers, face issues with complex and weighty pivot lock mechanisms that can lead to wear and damage, making it difficult to detect wear issues and increasing the risk of user injury during folding.
Innovation Solution
A foldable carriage with a pivot lock system that uses a transverse elongated frame component to operate pivot locks, reducing the need for internal mechanisms and allowing for simultaneous control of multiple locks with fewer components, thereby simplifying the design and reducing weight and complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wires or rods are used inside the tubular frame to operate the pivot lock, then the pivot lock can be operated, but the components are subjected to wear and damage that is difficult to detect
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the operating mechanism from inside the tubular frame and relocates it to the external surface. The pivot lock is operated by moving an element on the outer surface of the frame, eliminating the need for wires or rods running inside the frame. This extraction resolves the wear and damage issues while maintaining operational reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new intermediary mechanism that connects the external operating element to the pivot lock without requiring internal wires or rods. This intermediary transmission mechanism allows the lock to be operated from the outside while maintaining structural integrity and eliminating wear-prone internal components.
2Reliability
If additional mechanisms are placed inside the elongated frame components, then the pivot lock can be retained, but the weight, costs and complexity of the product increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the additional internal mechanisms from inside the frame components and relocates the operating elements to the external surface. This extraction eliminates unnecessary weight while maintaining the pivot lock's retention capability through the simplified external operating mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs the frame components to serve multiple functions without additional internal mechanisms. The existing frame structure is utilized for both structural support and pivot lock operation, eliminating the need for separate internal operating mechanisms and reducing overall weight.
3Ease of operation
If wires run inside the tubular frame, then the pivot lock can be operated, but wear is difficult to discover in advance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the operating mechanism from the internal space and places it on the external surface of the frame. This allows direct visual inspection and easy detection of wear or damage without disassembling the frame, resolving the detection difficulty while maintaining operational ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs the external operating mechanism to be self-monitoring, where wear or damage is visibly apparent during normal use or inspection. The mechanism serves itself by providing obvious visual cues of its condition, eliminating the need for complex detection systems while maintaining ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A carriage having a frame which includes a plurality of elongated frame components. A first attachment point couples a first and second elongated frame component. A second attachment point couples a third and fourth elongated frame component. A transverse elongated frame component couples to the first and second attachment points. A rotation lock is disposed on the transverse elongated frame component. The rotation lock is configured to prevent rotation of the transverse elongated frame component in a locked configuration.