Pedal-Operated Trash Bin Lid Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing outdoor trash bins pose sanitation and convenience issues due to the need for manual handling and the risk of animal and insect interactions, as they are typically not designed for hand-free operation and are heavy, making it difficult to keep the lid open for depositing waste.
Innovation Solution
A trash bin system utilizing a pedal-operated mechanism with pulleys and arm links to raise and keep the lid open, allowing for hands-free operation and easier waste disposal, with optional motorized assistance for larger bins.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If manual handling of outdoor trash bins is used, then the structure remains simple, but sanitation and safety deteriorate due to hand contact with waste and risk of injury
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a foot pedal as an intermediary device that allows users to open the lid without direct hand contact with the bin. The pedal acts as a mediator between the user and the lid mechanism, transmitting force through a linkage system to lift the lid while keeping the user's hands away from harmful waste materials and potential injury zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the simple manual lid-lifting mechanism with a more complex mechanical system involving foot pedals, linkages, and potentially springs. This substitution transforms the direct hand-based mechanical interaction into a foot-based indirect mechanical interaction, improving sanitation and safety while increasing structural complexity.
2Volume of stationary object
If outdoor trash bins are made larger for municipal use, then waste capacity increases, but ease of operation deteriorates due to weight and difficulty in keeping lid open
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates springs as counterweight elements that assist in lifting and holding the heavy lid of large outdoor bins. The springs provide upward force to counterbalance the weight of the lid, reducing the effort required by users to open and keep the lid open, thereby improving ease of operation for large-capacity bins.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the static lid structure into a dynamic system with movable linkages and pedal mechanisms. This allows the lid to be easily raised and held in various positions during waste disposal, making large bins more operable despite their size and weight.
3Ease of operation
If foot pedal mechanism is added to outdoor bins, then ease of operation improves for hands-free operation, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The foot pedal serves as an intermediary control device that translates foot pressure into lid-opening motion through a linkage system. This intermediary mechanism enables hands-free operation by allowing users to interact with the bin using their feet rather than hands, improving ease of operation while necessarily increasing mechanism complexity.
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, convenient, and sanitary waste disposal by allowing users to open and maintain the lid of trash bins using foot pedals, reducing the risk of injury and improving accessibility for larger outdoor bins.
Implementation Method 1
a first pedal pulley connected to the first pedal, wherein the first pedal pulley moves along a pulley axis in response to pressing on the first pedal
Implementation Method 2
the first pedal pulley is connected to a first distal pulley located higher than a top end of the hollow body, wherein the first distal pulley rotates in response to rotation of the first pedal pulley
Implementation Method 3
a first arm link connected to the first pedal using a link axis and a first arm pole connected on one side to the first arm link and on another side to the first lid, wherein pressing on the first pedal moves the first arm link, thus raising the first arm pole and raising the first lid
Data Source
AI summary
The subject matter discloses a trash bin device, comprising a first trash bin having a first hollow body, an aperture to the first hollow body, a first lid configured to close the aperture, said lid is connected to an axis connected to the first trash bin and moves in a rotational manner along said axis, a first pedal located in the vicinity of a lower portion of the first trash bin, said first pedal moves when pressed on, a raising mechanism configured to transfer movement of the first pedal to movement of the first lid along the axis, such that pressing on the first pedal results in raising the first lid and enabling inserting an article to the first hollow body. The pedal may be connected to an arm mechanism, a cord mechanism or an electrical mechanism for raising the lid.