Toy Vehicle Wheel Slip Rings for Hair and Pinch Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Toy vehicle wheels with motors pose a risk of catching hair or pinching body parts due to their spinning motion, as existing solutions do not adequately address the issue of hair entanglement and finger pinching.
Innovation Solution
The wheel design includes an axle hub, a primary tire with high friction, and two slip rings with different diameters that rotate freely, allowing the primary tire to provide traction while the slip rings can stop rotating if an obstruction is encountered, reducing the risk of hair or finger entanglement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a motor is added to rotate the wheel, then the toy vehicle gains mobility and propulsion capability, but the spinning wheel creates a risk of catching hair or pinching body parts
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel is divided into two independently rotating parts: the primary tire and the outer wheel cap. The wheel cap can rotate independently or remain stationary while the primary tire rotates, creating separate functional zones that reduce the harmful spinning effect on children's body parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel cap's rotation is made dynamic and conditional rather than fixed. It can rotate freely when not in use, rotate with the primary tire during normal operation, or remain stationary when safety is concerned, adapting its behavior to different operational states.
2Force
If the primary tire has high friction for traction, then the toy vehicle gains better grip and propulsion, but the high friction surface may increase the risk of hair entanglement
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel is segmented into the primary tire that provides high-friction traction and the wheel cap that provides a lower-friction surface. This segmentation allows each component to have optimized surface properties for its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel assembly has non-uniform surface properties: the primary tire has high friction for propulsion while the wheel cap has a smoother, lower-friction surface that is less likely to catch hair, with each zone optimized for its local function.
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
This design significantly reduces the risk of hair entanglement and finger pinching by ensuring only the primary tire continues to rotate if an obstruction is encountered, while the slip rings stop, thus minimizing contact with spinning parts.
Implementation Method 1
the primary tire frictionally engaging with the axle hub
Data Source
AI summary
A wheel for a toy vehicle, the wheel comprising an axle hub defining a wheel axis of rotation and a rim with an inboard flange and an outboard flange each having an outer diameter. The wheel further comprises a primary tire forming the tread of the wheel with a tread diameter and a tread width. The primary tire is attached to the axle hub between the inboard and the outboard flange such that it rotates with the axle hub. The wheel further comprises an outboard slip ring rotatably mounted between the primary tire and the outboard flange so that the outboard slip ring can rotate with respect to the primary tire about the wheel axis of rotation. The outboard slip ring has an outer diameter smaller than the tread diameter and larger than the outer diameter of the outboard flange.