1 Introduction to Engineering Design 100 Section 10 Team 7 Foldable Shopping Cart Submitted by: Nick Vuotto, Quoc Tran, Pete White, Mark Cecco (from left to right) Submitted to: Xinli Wu Spring 2014
2 Abstract The following project report reflects Design Project One put together by team seven in the Introduction to Engineering Design 100 course at Pennsylvania State University. The requirements and criteria of a portable/folding shopping cart as the first design project were made by the instructor, Dr. Xinli Wu. Team seven s work behind the development of the cart is documented in this project report.
3 Table of Contents Cover page...1 Mark Cecco Abstract 2 Quoc Tran Introduction..5 Mark Cecco Description of the Design Task Problem Statement...6 Quoc Tran Mission Statement 6 Quoc Tran Design Specifications...6 Quoc Tran Design Approach Project Management- Gantt Chart... 7 Quoc Tran Customer Needs Assessment.7 Quoc Tran Concept Generation.8 Team Design Selection Matrices.....11 Mark Cecco The Final Design and its Prototype Working Drawings Final Design....12 Peter White Prototype Scale and Images... 14 Team
4 The Final Design and Prototype (cont.) Design Features.....15 Peter White, Nick Vuotto Operation Instructions 15 Mark Cecco Engineering Analysis Working Mechanism..16 Peter White Cost Analysis.....17 Peter White, Nick Vuotto Summary and Conclusions....18 Team Acknowledgements 19 Team References..20 Quoc Tran
5 Introduction Space is very limited in many apartments in large cities. This not only includes space inside a residence, but also parking. Many people have to walk a block or more in certain areas to get to their residence. Carrying the traditional brown-paper grocery bags from the supermarket over long distances in the city may be inconvenient and frustrating. A durable and foldable shopping cart would allow for easy transportation of groceries across distances in urban environments. According to customer needs assessments on previous foldable shopping carts, analysis on costs of various materials, and research on engineering performance, Group seven's developments on the design project cart focuses on the criteria of a multipurpose cart for single people or college students in urban environments. It is strong enough to hold 100 pounds in the bag, and up to three hundred on the top. Why would anyone need three hundred pounds of groceries? That is where the versatility plays in. Because many people live in small apartments that would need a cart like this, he/she may not have space for a lot of furniture. But when guests come over where will they sit? This shopping cart not only works as a shopping cart, but also as an extra chair that can easily be pulled out and unfolded at a moment s notice. This fold-up cart is a much needed accessory for anyone has a small residence that does not want to take multiple trips every time they go shopping. This portable shopping cart is known as the Urban Shopper.
6 Description of the Design Task Problem Statement The problem is people need a shopping cart for groceries that need to travel far distances from their cars to their homes or even supermarkets to their homes in urban environments. People need to easily transport their groceries after parking in cities. Others need to carry their groceries with a portable shopping cart because they do not own cars. Mission Statement Group seven s mission is to design and build a portable shopping cart that doubles as a cooler/tailgate chair. This chair would be able to store basic groceries such as eggs, milk, and bread while converting into a chair for sport games. This would help those without cars travel around cities with their groceries instead of carrying paper bags. People living by themselves in an apartment would be able to easily fold the cart like a foldable chair and hang it behind a door. When they have guests over, one would be able to use the cart as an extra chair if there were not any other furniture available. Although the target customer group would be for people living in apartments, the elderly would also benefit from this portable shopping cart as they would simply have to push their groceries into their home. Avid sports fans would store their cookout food for tailgates while being able to sit on it to relax before or after athletic events. Design Specifications 1 The folding shopping cart should be easy to use (and assemble, if required). The folding shopping cart should be ideal for transporting groceries and some other materials. The folding shopping cart should fold compactly for easy storage. The material cost for the folding shopping cart should not exceed $50 unless it can be justified. The folding shopping cart should have a weight capacity of 100 lbs.
7 Design Approach Gantt Chart Figure 1. Gantt chart Customer Needs Assessment Customers and consumers need a light-weight, portable, and accessible shopping cart to maneuver and travel back to their homes. This new design aims to make transporting groceries more convenient while optimizing the cart s durability against the outside environment. For example, customers living in cities experience walking on sidewalks when it is sunny, raining, and snowing. The customers would need to have a portable shopping cart that would protect groceries from any type of weather condition. Additionally, the portable chair s wheels steel/aluminum axels would be sturdy enough not to wear out. The wheels themselves would have certain tread patterns in order to get traction on wet or snowy pavements. When looking at reviews of foldable shopping carts it was also found that many customers complain about the handles being too low or in an awkward place. The cart being designed now has handles that adjust up and down to accommodate people of different heights. 2 The intended customers for this project may not have room in the residence for a lot of furniture. The need places for guests to sit when they are over though. It was a focus to make this cart act like an extra chair that can be taken out and used when people come over. When they leave it can be easily folded and stored in a closet.
8 Concept Generation Figure 2. Concept 1
Figure 3. Concept 2 9
Figure 4. Concept 3 10
11 Design Selection Matrices Concepts Selection Criteria Swivel front wheels Thermal bag Finger loop on seat Solid bottom plate Extendable handles Integrated cup holder Ease to set + + + - 0 0 up Durability 0-0 + 0 - Versatility + + 0 + + 0 Cost + - + + - 0 efficiency Practicality + 0 + + 0 0 Net Score 4 0 3 4 0-1 Continue? Yes Revise Yes Yes No No Figure 5. Concept matrix Z-Fold Flat Bottom, Folding Sides Chair Cart Selection Criteria Weighting Score Weighted Score Score Weighted Score Score Weighted Score Cost 5% 3.15 1.05 3.15 Maneuverability 10% 3.3 3.3 4.4 Durability 15% 1.15 4.6 4.6 Versatility 20% 2.4 2.4 5 1 Bag size 30% 5 1.5 5 1.5 3.9 Ease to set up 20% 2.4 1.2 5 1 2.9 3.05 4.05 Figure 6. Selection matrix
12 The Final Design and Prototype Figure 7. Multi-view drawing Figure 8. Leg connector multi-view
13 Figure 11. Front legs multi-view Figure 12. Rear legs multi-view
14 Prototype (scale 1:2) Figure 13. Folded prototype Figure 14. Front prototype Figure 15. Left side prototype Figure 16. Top Prototype
15 Design Features The Urban Shopper is a high quality product with multiple features that customers will find helpful. The most dominant feature is the Urban Shopper s ability to fold up and shrink in size. The Urban Shopper folds similar to a normal folding chair, which minimizes the space it actually occupies. It can then be stored easily and not be in the way of the customer. Another feature is the rotating wheels that are on the cart. The swivel wheels make it easier for the cart to be maneuvered and resulting in less work to the customer. The handles of the cart jut outward to make it easy for the customer to have complete control of the cart. The final feature that really sets the Urban Shopper above all others is its multi-use design. The Urban Shopper not only can be used for grocery shopping but also as a chair. This means the Urban Shopper can be brought to a variety of different events, such as a sporting event. The top of the chair doubles as a seat that can support the weight of a person. Food and or beverages can be stored in the bag beneath the seat and can be easily accessed when needed. Now there is a way to bring all the materials you need (food, a place to sit) all with you in an easy and affordable manner. Operation Instructions Unfolding Place a hand on top of seat and apply force downward until the rear legs come to rest against the front. Fold the base plate under and connect to the rear horizontal leg support by clipping the two expanding snaps to the horizontal bar. The cart is now ready for use. Opening the top of the basket Place a finger in the loop on the front of the seat and pull up. Fold the seat over the back of the cart. The basket is now ready for items to be placed in it. Folding up for storage Unclip the base plate and fold it back forward. Place a hand under the seat and pull upwards to the handles. At this point the cart is ready to be stored.
16 Engineering Analysis Working Mechanism The Urban Shopper design is focused on its simplicity, ease of use, and minimal space it occupies. The main design used for the shopping cart revolves around that of a foldable chair. The main parts of the design are the chair frame design, bag, and seat. The way the shopping cart folds is by lifting the front end of the seat and lifting it towards the back of chair.(as shown in pictures) This makes the space that the actual cart takes up to be minimized and easily stored. The bag underneath will also fold up with the seat and stay tightly secure to the bottom of the cart. The bag that is used on the cart is made up of polyester material that drops down from the base of the seat on the cart. The bag would have 5184 cubic inches of holding capacity. This bag is secured to the two rods that run from the front and rear legs to help keep the bag from swaying. Underneath the bag will be a platform to stop the bag from sliding across the ground and causing possible rips or tears to the bag. This will give the bag further support and cause for less strain to the bag holding the groceries. The seat of the cart will be made of strong steel to support the weight of the groceries. The bag will not support the weight or size of a case of water, so this item will be placed on the top of the seat. At the top of the seat there will be lid which will be lifted to put the groceries in the bag beneath it. This lid will also double as the top of the seat. The seat needs to also be strong enough to support the weight of a person. The shopping cart also doubles as a chair that people can use to sit on for multiple reasons.
17 Cost Analysis Materials Cost Deluxe steel folding chair $8 1.15 square yards of polyester fabric $5.98 per square yard 4 Five Inch Polyurethane Shopping Cart $7.98 per wheel Caster 2 hinges $5.56 1 18in.x18in aluminum sheet $4.32 2 plastic clips $0.55 Total: $57.11 *Note: Due to the alternative use as a chair, and the amount of weight this cart can manage, the price will be $7.11 over budget. The $7.11 went to parts that are able to support large amounts of weight and overall versatility if the chair. When mass produced, the prices will decrease.
18 Summary Design Project I was to research and develop a portable shopping cart. By following guidelines and given criteria from the instructor, teams were able to create multiple designs for a portable shopping cart. After selecting the best design concept for the portable shopping cart that best satisfies customer needs, the teams built prototypes of the design concepts to test the working mechanisms of the project. Conclusion Despite our first prototype being discarded, Team Seven was still able to construct its second prototype. The prototype exhibits full functionality of the final product. It demonstrates a simple folding feature and a seat cover that lifts in order to store items in the bag material. With the cover down, the portable cart is able to hold bulkier and heavier objects on the seat. Along with functioning as a means to transport items, the cart also works as a chair. In addition to its versatility in serving multiple functions, its easy movement and storage space supports the Urban Shopper s convenience asset.
19 Acknowledgements We would like to acknowledge Dr. Xinli Wu for providing us with the guidelines, criteria, and facilities for us to have the opportunity to develop this project.
20 References 1 "Guidelines for the Project Report of the First Design Project." Intro. to Engineering Design 100. Penn State, n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2014. <http://www.engr.psu.edu/xinli/edsgn100/guideline4rpt1_foldingshoppingcart_sp14. pdf>. 2 Moore, V. "Customer Review." Review. Weblog post. Amazon.com. Amazon, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. <http://www.amazon.com/review/r3gsq9afnx3cc/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#r3gsq AFNX3CC>.