Luggage with Segmented Hard-Soft Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing luggage technologies face a trade-off between resistance to piercing and weight, with hard cases being heavy and soft cases having other drawbacks, lacking a balance between these attributes.
Innovation Solution
An article of luggage with a lower structural assembly providing stability for wheel fixings and a retractable towing handle, combined with an upper lightweight structural assembly secured by stitching, featuring a unitary moulded shell and zip fastener hinge arrangement, and incorporating multiple wheel assemblies and storage volumes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If hard case construction is used, then resistance to piercing is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The case is divided into two distinct portions: a lower structural assembly made of hard material for piercing resistance, and an upper structural assembly made of soft material for weight reduction. This segmentation allows each portion to optimize for its specific function, resolving the contradiction between strength and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the case are assigned different material properties - the lower portion uses hard, pierce-resistant material where structural strength is critical, while the upper portion uses soft, lightweight material where weight reduction is prioritized. This local differentiation resolves the overall contradiction by optimizing each region for its primary requirement.
2Weight of moving object
If soft case construction is used, then weight is reduced, but resistance to piercing deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The case is divided into two distinct portions: a lower structural assembly made of hard material for piercing resistance, and an upper structural assembly made of soft material for weight reduction. This segmentation allows each portion to optimize for its specific function, resolving the contradiction between strength and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the case are assigned different material properties - the lower portion uses hard, pierce-resistant material where structural strength is critical, while the upper portion uses soft, lightweight material where weight reduction is prioritized. This local differentiation resolves the overall contradiction by optimizing each region for its primary requirement.
3Stability of the object's composition
If heavy foamed or moulded materials are used in upper structure, then structural stability is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The upper structural assembly changes the material parameter from hard foamed/moulded materials to soft materials, maintaining adequate structural stability while significantly reducing weight. The soft material parameters are selected to provide sufficient stability for the upper portion without the density of hard materials.
Data Source
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AI summary
Generally suitcases, or other articles of luggage, can be divided into 'hard' and 'soft' constructions. Both kinds of cases have their advantages, but each has its own disadvantages. An article of luggage is disclosed comprising a first portion and a second portion connected by a hinge arrangement, each of the first and second portions including a lower structural assembly (6,10) comprising a shell and an upper structural assembly (8,12) comprising a framework provided with a covering (50), the lower structural assembly and the upper structural assembly being secured together by stitching. Such an article of luggage has as an advantage that the lower structural assembly (6,10) provides stability for wheel fixings (30) and for location of a retractable towing handle assembly (74), while the upper structural assembly provides for a lightweight construction.