Foldable Vehicle Base Plate Segmentation for Bag Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional foldable vehicles face issues such as buckling during braking or acceleration, and they remain too large to be carried in a shoulder bag even when folded, limiting their portability and usability as both a scooter and a handcart for transporting goods.
Innovation Solution
A foldable vehicle design featuring a base plate divided into multiple elements connected by hinges, a telescopic handlebar, and four wheels, allowing for a compact foldable structure that can be carried in a bag, with enhanced stability and flexibility, and the ability to function as both a scooter and a handcart for transporting goods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the floor panel is made as a single continuous piece, then the vehicle structure is simpler and more stable, but it cannot be folded into a compact size for portability
Solution Approach 1:
The floor panel is divided into multiple sections (front section, middle section, rear section) that can be folded relative to each other. This segmentation allows the panel to be compacted into a small volume when folded, while maintaining structural integrity through the connection elements that join the sections together.
2Ease of operation
If the hinge is positioned at the front of the floor panel, then the vehicle can be folded, but the hinge buckles during braking causing safety issues
Solution Approach 1:
The connection element is designed with a specific geometric shape that preliminarily prepares the structure to resist buckling forces. The shape includes features that engage before the hinge reaches its full folded position, providing preemptive structural support during braking or acceleration to prevent the hinge from buckling.
3Area of moving object
If the base plate is made large to provide stable transport surface, then it can hold goods securely, but it cannot be carried in a shoulder bag when folded
Solution Approach 1:
The base plate is segmented into multiple sections that can be folded together. When unfolded, the sections form a large continuous surface area suitable for transporting goods. When folded, the sections collapse into a compact configuration with minimal volume, enabling portability in a shoulder bag.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the steering rod is made extendable to provide adjustable height, then it adapts to different users, but it protrudes when folded creating obstruction
Solution Approach 1:
The steering rod is constructed as a telescopic structure with nested segments that can extend to provide adjustable height for different users. When folded, the segments retract and nest within each other, allowing the steering rod to be stored compactly without protruding from the folded vehicle configuration.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a foldable vehicle (10) that can assume a folded state in which it is unusable and can be stored in a bag (230), and an unfolded state in which it can be used either as a scooter for transporting a person or as a handcart for transporting goods. The vehicle (10) has a base plate (12), a steering rod (14), and four wheels (16, 18, 20, 22). In the unfolded state, the base plate (12) forms a continuous flat surface, wherein the base plate (12) is divided into at least three plate elements (24, 26, 28, 30) connected by at least two hinges (32, 34, 36) arranged transversely to the direction of travel, by means of which the base plate (12) can be folded towards the underside of the vehicle (10).All wheels (16, 18, 20, 22) are arranged on the outer plate elements (24, 30), namely two wheels (16, 18) on a front plate element (24) and two wheels (20, 22) on a rear plate element (30). The steering rod (14) is a telescopic rod that, when folded, can be stored between the plate elements (24, 26, 28, 30) without disassembling it. The steering rod (14) can be tilted forward into various tilting positions and raised backward. The steering rod (14) is connected to a steering axis (46), which allows the wheels (16, 18) on the front plate element (24) to be steered in any tilting position of the steering rod (14) by pivoting the steering rod (14) laterally about the steering axis (46). In a forward-tilted position of the steering rod (14), the vehicle (10) can be pulled by the steering rod (14).