Motorized Personal Transporter Foldable Frame
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing personal transporters, such as electric skateboards and self-balancing vehicles, require athletic skills and training for safe use, limiting accessibility for elderly or mobility-impaired individuals.
Innovation Solution
A motorized personal transporter with a seat, foldable frame, and unaligned driving and non-driving wheels, powered by electric motors, allowing control via pedals and featuring a support rod for stability, enabling easy operation and folding for compact storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the transporter uses a seated configuration with a frame and seat structure, then ease of operation is improved for users without athletic skills, but device complexity increases due to additional structural components
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is divided into modular components including a base, a seat assembly with strut, and a support rod that can independently move between folded and extended positions. This segmentation allows the complex structure to be managed through simple, independent mechanical components rather than a monolithic complex assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The support rod is designed to be dynamically movable between a folded position (for compact storage) and an extended position (for stable operation). This dynamic capability allows the structure to adapt its complexity: simple and compact when stored, complex and stable when in use, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and device complexity.
2Volume of moving object
If the transporter frame is made foldable with movable strut and support rod, then ease of storage is improved by reducing overall size, but device complexity increases due to additional moving parts and hinges
Solution Approach 1:
The support rod nests within the strut structure when folded, and the seat assembly folds onto the base. This nesting arrangement minimizes the overall volume when stored while using simple hierarchical structural relationships rather than complex mechanisms, thereby reducing the penalty of increased device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The foldable components use simple hinge joints and sliding mechanisms that transition between fixed and movable states. These dynamic elements add minimal complexity while enabling significant volume reduction, as the same structural components serve dual purposes: structural support when extended and compact storage when folded.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the transporter uses three unaligned points of support with separate driving and non-driving wheels, then stability is improved for safe operation, but device complexity increases due to additional wheels and motor components
Solution Approach 1:
The transporter assigns different functional qualities to different wheel positions: two driving wheels at the front with motors for propulsion and control, and one non-driving wheel at the rear for stability. This local differentiation of wheel functions creates inherent stability through the unaligned three-point support geometry while keeping each individual wheel component simple and standardized.
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
Enables safe and accessible use by individuals without athletic skills or training, while allowing for compact storage and easy transportation, as the transporter can be folded and pulled like a trolley case.
Implementation Method 1
a pair of electric motors each suitable for supplying driving torque to a respective driving wheel
Implementation Method 2
the strut is hinged at a first end to the base pivotably between the open position and the folded position
Implementation Method 3
a strut which is connected to said base and which is arranged, in use, to support said seat in a lifted position relative to said base
Data Source
AI summary
A personal transporter includes a seat, a frame having a base and a strut supporting the seat, hinged to the base and pivotable between an open configuration and a folded configuration, a pair of driving wheels and at least one non-driving wheel associated to the base defining, in use, three unaligned points on the ground, a pair of electric motors, a pair of control pedals, each associated to a respective electric motor to drive a respective driving wheel, and a support rod for supporting the strut in the open configuration, hinged to the strut and slidably mounted on the base in a guide. The base has a rear portion for supporting the at least one non-driving wheel and a pair of front portions, each hinged to the strut and integrally rotatable with a respective control pedal.