Folding Electric Vehicle Frame With Pivoting Suspension
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional personal mobility vehicles (PMVs) face challenges in storage and transportation due to their bulkiness, and existing folding solutions are structurally weak and difficult to implement effectively.
Innovation Solution
A folding electrically powered vehicle design featuring a stem, fork, handlebar unit, front and rear frames with pivots, and shock absorbers, allowing for a controlled folding mechanism that enables the vehicle to be compactly folded and easily transported or stored.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the PMV is designed with a conventional rigid structure, then structural strength and stability are improved, but storage space requirements and transport difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle frame is divided into multiple segments including front frame, rear frame, seat assembly, and suspension assemblies that can pivot relative to each other. These segmented components allow the vehicle to fold into a compact configuration while maintaining structural integrity during operation
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle employs dynamic folding mechanisms with pivots and joints that enable the frame segments to transition between extended and folded positions. The suspension assemblies and seat assembly can pivot to achieve compact folding while maintaining strength during use
2Volume of moving object
If the PMV is designed with a folding mechanism, then storage space and transport ease are improved, but structural strength and folding reliability may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Shock absorbers are integrated into the suspension assemblies to cushion impacts and protect the folding mechanism during operation and folding. The elastic elements in the suspension provide beforehand cushioning that protects the pivots and joints from damage
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle utilizes composite structural elements combining rigid frame members with flexible suspension components. The suspension assemblies incorporate elastic elements that provide both flexibility for folding and structural support for reliability
3Ease of operation
If the folding mechanism includes multiple pivots and suspension assemblies, then folding compactness and ease of operation are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functions are merged into integrated assemblies. The suspension assemblies combine shock absorption, structural support, and folding pivot functions. The seat assembly integrates seating functionality with folding mechanism, reducing the number of separate components while maintaining ease of operation
Data Source
AI summary
A folding electrically powered vehicle includes a handlebar unit mounted at an upper end of a stem; a front wheel; an inverted U-shaped front suspension assembly including an intermediate joint pivotably mounted on a lower portion of the stem, a rearward curved frame member, and two foot rests; a front frame having two ends of a front portion pivotably secured to the two ends of the suspension assembly, the front frame including two rearward extending bars; a rear frame including two side bars pivotably secured to the rearward extending bars, two rear wheels, and a stop tube across front portions of the side bars; a seat assembly including two bottom tubes pivotably secured to two ends of the rearward extending bars respectively, and a pivotal seat back; and two shock absorbers each pivotably secured to the seat assembly and the rear frame.