Hard-Shell Suitcase Wheel and Handle Layout for Stable Seating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing suitcases, both for children and adults, face challenges in providing stable support and versatile handling options, especially when used as a seat or towed at different angles, with conventional designs often resulting in uneven packing surfaces and limited adaptability for multiple users.
Innovation Solution
A hard-shell suitcase design featuring multiple wheel assemblies and retractable handles that allow sitting and towing in various configurations, with retractable handles housed in the lid portion to maximize packing space and include flexible options for different users.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If traditional suitcases are made large and heavy to accommodate more items, then the quantity of items that can be stored increases, but the weight and difficulty of carrying increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The suitcase is divided into multiple collapsible compartments that can be independently adjusted or removed. Users can segment their belongings into different sections, allowing flexible packing arrangements that maximize space utilization without requiring a uniformly large suitcase, thereby reducing unnecessary weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The suitcase incorporates collapsible walls and adjustable compartments that can dynamically change volume based on packing needs. The compartments can be expanded when more space is required and collapsed when space is needed, allowing the suitcase to adapt its size and weight to the actual quantity of items being carried.
2Strength
If traditional suitcases use fixed rigid structures to maintain shape and durability, then strength and reliability improve, but adaptability and space efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid structure is segmented into multiple modular compartments with collapsible walls. Each compartment maintains structural integrity through its frame, while the overall structure gains adaptability as compartments can be independently adjusted, expanded, or collapsed to accommodate different packing configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The suitcase employs flexible panel structures that can bend and collapse while maintaining durability. These flexible panels are integrated into the rigid frame, allowing the suitcase to transition between expanded and collapsed states without compromising structural strength or reliability.
3Ease of operation
If traditional suitcases collapse unpredictably under weight, then ease of operation deteriorates, but structural simplicity is maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The collapse behavior is segmented into controlled sections through the collapsible compartment design. Each compartment has defined collapse pathways guided by its frame structure, making the overall collapse behavior predictable and manageable rather than chaotic, while adding only minimal structural elements to achieve this control.
Solution Approach 2:
The suitcase structure is pre-configured with guide rails and hinge mechanisms that direct the collapse motion along predetermined paths. This preliminary structural arrangement ensures that when the suitcase collapses under weight, it does so in a controlled and predictable manner, improving ease of operation without requiring complex active control systems.
Data Source
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AI summary
A hard-shell suitcase comprising a base portion and a lid portion connected to the base portion by a hinge. In the closed position an edge of the lid portion is adjacent to the edge of the first concave shell in the first plane. The hard-shell suitcase further comprises first, second, third and fourth wheel assemblies attached to the exterior of the base portion in a second plane parallel to the first plane. Each wheel assembly is configured to rotate about a first axis parallel to the second plane and about a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. The hard-shell suitcase further comprises a retractable handle configured to be movable in a direction parallel to the first plane from a retracted position to an extended position and from the extended position to the retracted position. In the retracted position a portion of the retractable handle is housed inside the lid portion.