Golf Cart Front Wheel Foldable Device with Rotating Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional golf cart front wheels are not efficiently foldable, resulting in increased storage volume, transportation costs, and inconvenient assembly procedures due to their perpendicular orientation when folded.
Innovation Solution
A front wheel foldable device with a main body featuring locking grooves, an articulation mechanism, and an elastic member that allows the wheel frame to rotate 90 degrees, enabling the front wheel to transition from an upright to a horizontal position, parallel with the cart frame, thereby reducing storage volume and eliminating the need to remove the wheel before assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the front wheel is kept perpendicular to the cart frame when folded, then the wheel remains stable and easy to mount, but the storage volume increases and transportation costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel frame is designed with a rotating mechanism that allows it to change orientation from perpendicular to parallel with the cart frame. This dynamic adjustment enables the wheel to be positioned horizontally during storage to reduce volume, while automatically returning to its operational perpendicular position when needed, thus resolving the contradiction between compact storage and ease of mounting.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic member pre-loads the wheel frame in a perpendicular orientation before use. When the cart frame is folded, the wheel frame automatically rotates to a horizontal position due to the elastic restoring force, and the locking mechanism automatically engages to secure it. This preliminary positioning action eliminates the need for manual wheel removal and reinstallation, reducing assembly procedures while achieving compact storage.
2Volume of moving object
If the front wheel is removed before assembly to shorten package volume, then storage space is reduced, but assembly procedures become more complex and inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel assembly is segmented into the wheel frame and the wheel itself, with the wheel frame capable of independent rotation and locking. This segmentation allows the wheel frame to be positioned horizontally for compact storage while the wheel remains attached, eliminating the need to remove the wheel before assembly and thus reducing assembly complexity while achieving reduced package volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel frame is designed to nest within or alongside the cart frame when positioned horizontally, with the locking mechanism securing it in place. This nesting arrangement reduces the overall package volume without requiring wheel removal, as the wheel and wheel frame remain integrated but repositioned, thereby simplifying assembly procedures.
3Volume of moving object
If the wheel frame is made foldable to reduce storage volume, then transportation costs and storage space are reduced, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The foldable mechanism is designed to be self-operating through the elastic member and locking grooves. When the cart frame is folded, the elastic restoring force automatically rotates the wheel frame to the horizontal position, and the locking portions automatically engage with the locking grooves to secure it. This self-service mechanism reduces storage volume without requiring complex external actuation systems, thereby minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic member acts as an intermediary element that stores and releases mechanical energy to automatically position the wheel frame. The locking grooves and locking portions serve as intermediary components that mediate the engagement between the wheel frame and cart frame. These intermediary elements enable the foldable mechanism to function reliably while keeping the overall device complexity manageable by using simple, well-understood mechanical components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively reduces storage volume and transportation costs while simplifying the assembly process by allowing the front wheel to be parallel with the cart frame when folded, enhancing user convenience and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic member mounted on the sleeve and biased between an end head of the sleeve and the stop member
Data Source
AI summary
A front wheel foldable device for a golf cart includes a main body, a wheel frame, a positioning member, a sleeve, a stop member, and an elastic member. Thus, the wheel frame is pulled outwardly relative to the main body so that the locking portions of the positioning member are moved to detach from the locking grooves of the main body respectively. Then, the wheel frame is rotated through ninety (90) degrees and is released, so that the post of the wheel frame is retracted into the main body by a restoring force of the elastic member, the locking portions are locked in the locking grooves respectively, the front wheel is turned from an upright state to a horizontal state, and the front wheel is parallel with and rested on the cart frame when the cart frame is folded.