Handlebar Latching Mechanism for Compact Transport Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing compact personal transport devices, such as electric scooters, require significant time to set up and collapse, hindering their widespread adoption due to inefficiency in transitioning between riding and stowed configurations.
Innovation Solution
A handlebar latching mechanism integrated into the steering assembly of compact personal transport devices, which includes a telescopic steering shaft, a neck, a rotatable collar, and a handlebar secured to the collar. The mechanism allows for quick conversion between riding and stowed configurations by securing or releasing the rotatable collar through a lever and pin system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the steering assembly uses a traditional locking mechanism, then the handlebar is securely fixed, but the time required to set up and collapse the device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is segmented into discrete components: a locking pin with a head, a groove in the collar, and a spring-loaded retention system. This segmentation allows for quick engagement and disengagement of the locking function, reducing the time required to transition between riding and stowed configurations while maintaining secure handlebar fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring is pre-compressed and positioned to automatically engage the locking pin with the groove when the collar is rotated into the locked position. This preliminary action eliminates the need for manual locking operations, allowing users to simply rotate the collar to lock or unlock the handlebar, significantly reducing setup and collapse time.
2Volume of moving object
If the steering shaft is made telescopic to improve portability, then the device becomes more compact, but the complexity of the steering assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The steering shaft is designed as a telescopic structure where one shaft segment nests within another, allowing the steering assembly to be collapsed to a compact volume for portability. The locking mechanism integrates with this telescopic structure, with the locking pin engaging features on the nested shaft segments, enabling quick expansion and collapse without complex additional mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The collar serves multiple functions: it rotates to lock/unlock the handlebar, it controls the telescopic expansion and collapse of the steering shaft, and it provides a user interface for both operations. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate controls and mechanisms, managing the complexity of the telescopic design through a unified component.
Data Source
AI summary
A compact personal transport device convertible between a riding configuration and a stowed configuration is described. In one embodiment, a steering assembly for the compact personal transport device includes a telescopic steering shaft, a neck disposed at a top of the telescopic steering shaft, and a rotatable collar connected via a rotation mechanism to the neck. A handlebar is secured to the rotatable collar and the steering assembly also includes a handlebar latching mechanism. In a locked configuration, the handlebar latching mechanism secures the rotatable collar from being rotated. In an unlocked configuration, the handlebar latching mechanism permits the rotatable collar to rotate relative to the neck.