Electric Mobility Vehicle Foldable Frame with Stand-Alone Roller
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric mobility vehicles face challenges in folding mechanisms that compromise stability and storage convenience, often resulting in increased weight and complex folding procedures due to the need for large structures to support the vehicle when folded.
Innovation Solution
An electric mobility vehicle design featuring a front-wheel-side body and rear-wheel-side body linked by a pivoting mechanism, utilizing an X-shaped frame to fold by bringing the front and rear wheels close together, with a front-end roller or caster that contacts the floor in the folded state to stabilize the vehicle, allowing it to stand alone and simplify storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a large structure is used to support the vehicle when folded, then stability is improved, but weight and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the support function from a complex dedicated support structure and assigns it to the front-end roller/caster, which is already part of the vehicle's basic components. This single component performs dual functions: enabling forward movement when unfolded and providing stability when folded, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The front-end roller or caster is designed to serve multiple functions: it acts as a steering component during normal operation and transforms into a support point for the folded vehicle. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate support structures, reducing both weight and complexity while ensuring stability in the folded state.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a large structure is used to support the vehicle when folded, then stability is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support function is extracted from a heavy dedicated structure and assigned to the existing front-end roller/caster, which is a lightweight component already integrated into the vehicle's frame. This eliminates the need for additional heavy support structures while maintaining stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The front-end roller/caster serves dual purposes as both a steering mechanism during operation and a support point when folded. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional components, thereby reducing overall vehicle weight while ensuring stability in the folded state.
3Ease of operation
If the front-end roller or caster contacts the floor in the folded state, then ease of operation is improved, but the vehicle cannot maintain proper position in the in-use state
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes the role of the front-end roller/caster based on the vehicle's state. During normal operation, the roller/caster is positioned to avoid floor contact, allowing proper vehicle positioning. When folded, the roller/caster contacts the floor to provide stability. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between ease of operation and position stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The front-end roller/caster is pre-positioned and designed to automatically contact the floor when the vehicle is folded, providing immediate stability without requiring additional support structures or manual intervention. This preliminary positioning ensures ease of operation while maintaining proper vehicle position during use.
Data Source
AI summary
An electric mobility vehicle including a front-wheel-side body, a rear-wheel-side body, a seat on which a passenger sits in an in-use state, and a linking mechanism that links the front-wheel-side body with the rear-wheel-side body so as to be pivotable about a pivoting axis extending in a vehicle width direction. The electric mobility vehicle is foldable by pivoting the front-wheel-side body and the rear-wheel-side body relative to each other in a vehicle front-to-rear direction. The electric mobility vehicle includes a footrest provided in the front-wheel-side body, a front-end roller or a front-end caster provided in the front-wheel-side body and disposed at a vehicle front side relative to a front end of the front wheel in the in-use state, and comes into contact with the floor surface in the folded state to make the electric mobility vehicle stand alone.