Folding Shopping Cart Stability and Assembly Mechanism
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional folding shopping carts suffer from instability when impacted and require complex assembly processes due to small accessories and specialized tools for rear wheels.
Innovation Solution
A folding shopping cart design featuring a stable structure with a shopping cart basket, sliding wheels, and a cart frame, including a connecting member with first and second connecting sleeves for enhanced stability, and a fixing member with a clamping groove to simplify assembly and prevent rear wheel rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If directional hooks are adopted in traditional shopping carts for blocking the handle tubes, then the shopping carts can be folded or unfolded directionally, but the directional hooks can easily deform or hook objects when the side surface is impacted, resulting in poor use experience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the traditional directional hooks from the shopping cart structure and replaces them with a folding mechanism based on hinged connections between the basket and frame. This extraction eliminates the weak point (hooks that deform under impact) while preserving the folding functionality through a more robust hinge-based system.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using hooks to block and guide the folding motion, the patent inverts the approach by using hinged connections that actively enable folding through controlled rotation. The limiting rods and stop strips provide the directional guidance that previously required hooks, but through a positive engagement mechanism rather than a blocking one.
2Ease of manufacture
If many small accessories and special tools are required for assembling the rear wheels, then the rear wheels can be assembled, but the assembly process becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the rear wheel assembly into the shopping cart frame through a unified structure where the rear wheels are directly mounted to the frame members. This merging eliminates the need for separate assembly components and tools, reducing the assembly process to simple attachment operations that can be performed without specialized equipment.
3Reliability
If a stable structure is implemented to resist impact, then the shopping cart maintains structural integrity, but the structure may become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric arrangement of the limiting rods and stop strips to provide impact resistance in the critical side-impact direction while maintaining simplicity in the overall structure. The limiting rods are positioned and oriented to specifically address lateral forces, creating a targeted solution rather than a comprehensive complex reinforcement system.
Solution Approach 2:
The stop strips are pre-positioned on the basket sides to engage with the limiting rods before impact occurs. This preliminary positioning creates a pre-loaded structural configuration that automatically resists side impacts through the geometric relationship between the stop strips and limiting rods, eliminating the need for additional active stabilization mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A folding shopping cart with a stable structure comprising a shopping cart basket, sliding wheels and a cart frame; the shopping cart basket comprises a front plate, a back plate and a bottom plate, wherein one end of the bottom plate is hinged to the bottom end of the front plate, and the other end of the bottom plate is hinged to the bottom end of the back plate; a stop strip is arranged between the side edges of the front plate and the back plate, wherein one end of the stop strip is hinged to the front plate, and the other end of the stop strip is hinged to the back plate; the sliding wheel comprises a front wheel shaft assembly and a rear wheel assembly.