Solar-Powered Umbrella with Oppositely Movable Weighted Brackets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motorized umbrellas face issues such as increased time and distance required for folding and unfolding, wear and tear on components, rough operation, unreliability, and inefficiency due to unweighted brackets, which affect their size and service lifespan.
Innovation Solution
A solar-powered, pulley-assisted umbrella with simultaneously and oppositely movable weighted top and bottom brackets that reduces travel distance and time for folding and unfolding, integrates gravitational force into motor operations, and reduces wear and electricity consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If unweighted brackets are used in prior-art umbrellas, then the structure is simpler, but the operation becomes rough and unreliable with increased wear and tear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies counterweight principle by adding weights to the brackets. The top bracket and bottom bracket are equipped with weights that balance the gravitational forces during folding and unfolding operations, eliminating rough operation and reducing wear and tear on components.
2Device complexity
If only one bracket is moved in prior-art umbrellas, then the mechanism is simpler, but the travel distance increases and time required for folding/unfolding increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the movement of top and bottom brackets by connecting them through a shared pulley system and cable mechanism. When the motor moves one bracket, the other bracket moves simultaneously in the opposite direction, reducing the travel distance and time required for folding and unfolding operations.
3Power
If unweighted brackets are used, then the motor requires less power, but the gravitational force is not integrated into the motor operations reducing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of gravity (which causes rough operation and increased wear) into a beneficial force by strategically placing weights on the brackets. The gravitational force from these weights assists the motor during folding and unfolding operations, improving efficiency and reducing the power required from the motor.
4Volume of moving object
If the inner tube travel distance is increased to accommodate larger umbrellas, then the umbrella size increases, but the motor requires more power and the mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the vertical dimension by implementing a pulley system that moves brackets up and down the inner tube. This vertical movement allows the umbrella to achieve larger canopy dimensions without increasing the horizontal travel distance of the inner tube, thereby avoiding increased mechanism complexity and motor power requirements.
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
The solution significantly reduces the time and distance required for folding and unfolding, minimizes wear and tear, enhances operational smoothness, extends lifespan, and allows for a larger umbrella design with reduced motor power and size.
Implementation Method 1
The umbrella further has a solar panel and a transparent housing top for allowing sun light to pass, such that the solar panel can collect energy from the sun light
Implementation Method 2
The unique solar-powered, pulley-assisted, simultaneously-and-oppositely-movable-top-and-bottom-weighted-bracket umbrella integrates the gravitational force into the pushing and pulling forces of the motor of the umbrella during the folding and unfolding of the umbrella
Implementation Method 3
The unique solar-powered, pulley-assisted, simultaneously-and-oppositely-movable-top-and-bottom-weighted-bracket umbrella embodies pulley system
Data Source
AI summary
A unique solar-powered, pulley-assisted, simultaneously-and-oppositely-movable-top-and-bottom-weighted-bracket umbrella has movable weighted rib and strut brackets for eliminating the umbrella-operating roughness by having predetermined weights to increase the gravitational forces exerted thereon when they are moving up and down. The umbrella further has an electric motor, a solar panel to collect energy from the sun light, and a circuit-board control center for converting the solar energy into electricity and for regulating the operation and energy management of the electric motor. The umbrella further has lights, a threaded spindle rotated by the motor, pulleys for raising and lowering the weighted rib and strut brackets in opposite directions at the same time to reduce 50% of then travel distances and 50% of their weights, an external electricity storage, and a remote control device for remotely operating the motor and lights.