Pivoting Rear Cargo Bicycle Loading Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cargo bicycles face challenges with loading capacity, usability, and versatility due to fixed and closed loading devices, which limit cargo weight capacity, volume, and ease of use, especially for passengers and merchandise.
Innovation Solution
A novel cargo bicycle design featuring a rear loading device with a central structure and pivotally connected side structures, equipped with telescopic joints and a mechanism allowing the side structures to deploy and retract, enhancing cargo volume and usability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If permanently installed boxes and crates are used as loading devices, then loading capacity is improved, but overall volume and weight increase even when not in use
Solution Approach 1:
The loading device transitions from a fixed, static structure to a dynamic, movable one. The side structures can pivot between deployed and retracted configurations, allowing the device to adapt its volume based on whether it is in use or stored, thereby reducing overall volume when not carrying cargo while maintaining full loading capacity when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The loading device is divided into a central structure portion and separate left-side and right-side structure portions that can move independently. This segmentation allows the side portions to be retracted toward the central structure when not in use, reducing overall volume, while still providing full loading capacity when deployed.
2Quantity of substance
If permanently installed boxes and crates are used as loading devices, then loading capacity is improved, but ease of loading and installing passengers deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The movable side structures create open access points when retracted, making it easier to load passengers and merchandise. The dynamic configuration allows the loading device to transition between a protected enclosed state during transport and an open accessible state during loading operations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If expandable panniers or slings are used as loading devices, then adaptability is improved, but cargo weight capacity and volume are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The loading device maintains a rigid structural framework that can dynamically adjust its configuration while supporting heavy loads. The pivotal connection mechanism is designed to bear significant weight, combining the adaptability of movable structures with the load-bearing capacity of rigid construction, unlike flexible panniers or slings.
4Adaptability or versatility
If expandable panniers or slings are used as loading devices, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases due to fiddly closing and securing mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The side structures pivot on simple hinge joints connected to the central structure, providing adaptability through straightforward rotational movement. This mechanical pivoting action is simpler than complex closing and securing mechanisms required by expandable panniers or slings, reducing device complexity while maintaining adaptability.
5Stability of the object's composition
If loading devices are designed with fixed configuration, then structural stability is improved, but versatility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The loading device incorporates pivotal connections that allow controlled movement between stable deployed and retracted configurations. The central structure portion remains stable and fixed to the bicycle frame, while the side structures can dynamically adjust, combining structural stability with versatility for different loading scenarios.
6Volume of stationary object
If loading devices are made wider to increase cargo volume, then cargo volume is improved, but ease of manoeuvring deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The side structures can be retracted toward the central structure to reduce the overall width of the loading device. This dynamic width adjustment allows the device to provide large cargo volume when needed while minimizing its footprint for easier maneuvering and storage when the cargo volume is not required.
Data Source
AI summary
A rear loading device for a bicycle is disclosed with a central structure portion configured to be secured to a bicycle frame rearwardly of its crankset, a left-side structure portion and a right-side structure portion pivotally connected to the central structure portion, and a mechanism including at least one joint connecting the left-side structure portion and the right-side structure portion to the central structure portion or to the frame of the bicycle, the mechanism enabling displacement of the left-side structure portion and the right-side structure portion relative to one another between a deployed configuration in which top ends of the left-side structure portion and the right-side structure portion are distanced to define a cargo volume therebetween, and a retracted configuration in which the top ends of the left-side structure portion and the right-side structure portion are adjacent to one another to reduce the cargo volume.