Foldable Ski-Mounted Child Seat with Support Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing child transportation devices for skiing are either unstable on short skis, lack comfort for small children, and are cumbersome for carrying or storing, making them unsuitable for family ski trips with small children.
Innovation Solution
A foldable and adjustable child transportation device that can be mounted on cross-country skis, featuring two ski binding fixing elements, a seat back, and a seat with support elements positioned between the seat and the skis to maintain stability and comfort, allowing easy folding for storage in a backpack.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a child transportation device is made spacious and stable for carrying children, then it provides comfort and safety, but it becomes cumbersome to transport and store
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separable components: a backpack unit and ski mounting elements. The backpack can be detached from the skis and carried independently, allowing the stable seating structure to be transported without the bulk of the entire assembly. This segmentation enables the device to provide stability when in use while maintaining portability when stored.
Solution Approach 2:
The device incorporates adjustable and foldable elements including the seat back angle adjustment and collapsible frame structure. These dynamic features allow the device to transform from a stable, spacious configuration during use to a compact form for transport, resolving the contradiction between stability and portability.
2Ease of operation
If a child transportation device is designed for downhill sledging with a seat at rear position, then it provides steering capability, but it becomes unsteady for small children who cannot actively steer
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of placing the seat at the rear of the skis for steering control, the device inverts this arrangement by positioning the backpack seat above and behind the ski bindings. This inversion allows the child to be passively transported while the parent controls the skis from ahead, eliminating the need for the child to steer while maintaining stability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a ski chair is mounted on short children's skis with center of mass at rear part, then it accommodates small children, but it creates instability
Solution Approach 1:
The device uses the parent's weight as a counterweight to balance the child's weight in the backpack. The parent skis ahead while the child is carried in the backpack mounted on the parent's skis, creating a balanced system where the parent's mass compensates for the rearward center of mass created by the child, thereby maintaining stability on short skis.
4Device complexity
If a foldable seat structure is implemented for easy storage, then it improves portability, but it may reduce structural stability during use
Solution Approach 1:
The device incorporates locking mechanisms that are engaged before use to secure the foldable seat in its stable configuration. The locking elements pre-establish the structural integrity needed for stable operation, allowing the seat to be foldable for storage while maintaining rigidity and stability during use. This preliminary action of locking resolves the contradiction between foldability and stability.
Data Source
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AI summary
Ski mountable and foldable child transportation device (1) comprising two ski binding fixing elements (5a, 5b), configured for being fixed to ski bindings (101a, 101b) arranged on respective two skis (100a, 00b), and a seat back (2) and a seat (3) interconnected with each other and the two ski binding fixing elements (5a, 5b), wherein the seat back (2) and the seat (3) are foldable relative each other, and wherein the seat (3) comprises two support elements (30a, 30b) in front of the two ski binding fixing elements (101a, 101b), wherein the support elements (30a, 30b) are configured to be arranged between the seat (3) and the respective two skies (100a, 100b).