Foldable Trolley Frame With Stationary Base Connectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Foldable trolleys face a contradiction between minimizing volume in the folded state and maintaining robustness and carrying capacity in the unfolded state, with the bearing capacity of the base frame often overlooked, affecting the trolley's ability to carry goods and ensure safety and comfort when carrying persons.
Innovation Solution
A foldable trolley design featuring telescopic rod assemblies with stationary bottom connectors during folding, combined with a structural framework of triangle connection structures and auxiliary support assemblies, enhances the trolley's bearing capacity and robustness in the unfolded state while allowing for compact storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the trolley is designed to be highly foldable and retractable in various directions, then the volume occupied in folded state is minimized, but the bearing capacity and firmness of the frame may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is divided into multiple telescopic rod assemblies that can independently fold and retract. Each assembly consists of segmented rods that can be divided into different sections, allowing the overall structure to be compacted into a minimal volume while maintaining structural integrity through the segmented design that distributes mechanical loads across multiple segments during both folded and unfolded states
Solution Approach 2:
The telescopic rod assemblies incorporate dynamic adjustment mechanisms that allow the frame to transition between extended and retracted states. The bottom connectors are designed to remain axially stationary during folding operations, creating a dynamic system that adapts its geometry for compact storage while preserving the structural rigidity needed for bearing capacity when in the unfolded load-bearing configuration
2Ease of operation
If the bottom connectors are made movable axially during folding, then the folding process is simplified and more compact, but the bearing capacity of the base frame is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom connectors are designed with differentiated functionality: they are constrained to remain axially stationary during folding operations to maintain bearing capacity and base frame stability, while the upper portions of the telescopic rod assemblies remain freely movable to enable the folding and retraction actions. This local differentiation of mobility constraints allows the system to achieve compact folding without compromising the structural integrity of the base frame
Data Source
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AI summary
The present application discloses a foldable trolley having a trolley frame, the trolley frame comprising: a front left strut assembly, a front right strut assembly, a rear left strut assembly, and a rear right strut assembly, each of which strut assemblies is provided with a top connector and a bottom connector movable axially relative to each other; a front end folding assembly configured to be coupled respectively to the top connectors and the bottom connectors of the front left strut assembly and the front right strut assembly and to be foldable in a widthwise direction of the trolley frame; a rear end folding assembly; a left side folding assembly; a right side folding assembly; and a chassis assembly configured to be foldable both in the widthwise and lengthwise directions of the trolley frame.