Disclosure of Invention
[ problems to be solved by the invention ]
However, in order to connect 2 baby carriages for one person, it is necessary to secure sufficient connection strength. Further, in a state where 2 strollers for one person are connected, it is desirable to switch from an expanded state to a folded state when not in use, and to facilitate storage.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a stroller coupling device capable of firmly coupling 2 strollers and switching the 2 strollers in the coupled state from the unfolded state to the folded state.
[ means for solving problems ]
In order to solve the above problem, a first aspect of the present invention is a stroller coupling device, comprising: for connecting 2 baby carriages in a transverse arrangement, the baby carriage comprises: a front coupling member for coupling front legs of the 2-stroller to each other; a rear coupling member for coupling rear legs of the 2-stroller to each other; an upper coupling member for coupling the stroller frames of the 2-stroller to each other; a 1 st link member having one end fixed to the front coupling member; a 2 nd link member having one end fixed to the rear connecting member and the other end rotatably connected to the other end of the 1 st link member; a 3 rd link member having one end rotatably connected to each of the other ends of the 1 st link member and the 2 nd link member; and a 4 th link member having one end rotatably connected to the other end of the 3 rd link member and the other end fixed to the upper connecting member.
According to the 1 st aspect, the 2 nd aspect of the present invention is characterized in that: in a state of being attached to the stroller, when viewed in a lateral direction, a central joint portion that rotatably connects the other ends of the 1 st link member, the 2 nd link member, and the 3 rd link member substantially coincides with a joint portion that rotatably connects upper ends of the front leg and the rear leg of the stroller.
According to the 1 st or 2 nd aspect of the present invention, the 3 rd aspect is characterized in that: in a state of being attached to the stroller, an upper joint portion that rotatably connects the 3 rd link member and the 4 th link member substantially coincides with a joint portion that rotatably connects an armrest of the stroller to the stroller frame when viewed in a lateral direction.
According to any one of aspects 1 to 3, the 4 th aspect of the present invention is characterized in that: an article storage portion is formed in at least one of the 1 st link member, the 2 nd link member, the 3 rd link member, and the 4 th link member.
According to any one of aspects 1 to 4, the 5 th aspect of the present invention is characterized in that: front retainers releasably attached to the front legs of the 2-wheeled stroller are provided at both left and right ends of the front coupling member; rear anchors releasably connected to the rear legs of the 2-wheeled stroller are provided at both left and right ends of the rear connecting member; upper retainers releasably attached to the stroller frames of the 2-wheeled stroller are provided at both left and right ends of the upper coupling member.
According to the 5 th aspect, the 6 th aspect of the present invention is characterized in that: at least one of the front leg, the rear leg, and the stroller frame of the stroller has a non-circular cross-sectional shape, and at least one of the front anchor, the rear anchor, and the upper anchor has an anchor surface conforming to the non-circular cross-sectional shape.
According to any one of the aspects 1 to 6, the 7 th aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a rotation restricting mechanism is provided for restricting an angle between the 1 st link member and the 3 rd link member in a device-deployed state when switching from the device-deployed state in which the 1 st link member and the 3 rd link member are pulled to the 2 nd link member side to the device-deployed state in which the device is attached to the stroller in the deployed state.
[ Effect of the invention ]
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a stroller coupling device capable of firmly coupling 2 strollers and switching the 2 strollers in the coupled state from the unfolded state to the folded state.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a stroller coupling device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the stroller coupling device shown in fig. 1 is attached to a stroller (only a part of which is shown) in an unfolded state.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the stroller coupling device shown in fig. 1 is attached to a stroller (only a part of which is shown) in a folded state.
Fig. 4 is a front view schematically showing a state in which 2 strollers are coupled in a lateral arrangement by the stroller coupling device shown in fig. 1.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a link structure of the stroller coupling device shown in fig. 1 in an unfolded state.
Fig. 6 is a side view showing a link structure of the stroller coupling device shown in fig. 1 in an unfolded state.
Fig. 7 is a side view showing a link structure of the stroller coupling device shown in fig. 1 in a folded state.
Fig. 8 is a view for explaining a structure of a retainer of the stroller coupling device shown in fig. 1.
Fig. 9 is a side view of the link structure in an expanded state showing a state in which the stroller coupling device shown in fig. 1 is attached to a stroller.
Fig. 10 is a side view of a link structure in a folded state showing a state in which the stroller coupling device shown in fig. 1 is attached to a stroller.
Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing a stroller coupling device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 12 is a side view of the stroller coupling device shown in fig. 11.
Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing the stroller coupling device shown in fig. 11 in a folded state.
Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing a state in which the stroller coupling device shown in fig. 11 is attached to a stroller (only a part of which is shown) in an unfolded state.
Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing a state in which the stroller coupling device shown in fig. 11 is attached to a stroller (only a part of which is shown) in a folded state.
Fig. 16 is a perspective view showing an example of a stroller coupled by the stroller coupling device shown in fig. 1 and 11.
Fig. 17 is a perspective view showing a body structure of the stroller shown in fig. 16.
Fig. 18 is a side view showing a link structure of the stroller shown in fig. 16 in a deployed state.
Fig. 19 is a side view showing a link structure of the stroller shown in fig. 16 in a folded state.
Fig. 20 is a view showing another example of the retainer of the stroller coupling device.
Fig. 21 is a view showing another example of the retainer of the stroller coupling device.
Fig. 22 is a view showing another example of the retainer of the stroller coupling device.
Fig. 23 is a view showing another example of the retainer of the stroller coupling device.
Fig. 24 is a view showing another example of the retainer of the stroller coupling device.
Fig. 25 is a view showing another example of the retainer of the stroller coupling device.
Fig. 26 is a view showing another example of the retainer of the stroller coupling device.
Detailed Description
Hereinafter, a stroller coupling device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, an example of a stroller in which the stroller coupling devices 2 according to the present embodiment are coupled in a lateral arrangement will be described with reference to fig. 16 to 19.
The stroller coupled by the stroller coupling device according to the present embodiment is deformable between an expanded state (in use) shown by the link structure in fig. 18 and a folded state (in storage) shown by the link structure in fig. 19. The following description will focus on the configuration of the stroller in the deployed state.
As shown in fig. 16, the stroller 50 includes: a vehicle body 51, a seat 52 supported by the vehicle body 51, a hood 53 disposed above the seat 52, and a basket 54 disposed below the seat 52.
As shown in fig. 17, the vehicle body 51 includes: a frame part 55, and a front wheel 56 and a rear wheel 57 which movably support the frame part 55. The frame portion 55 is a portion constituting a frame structure of the vehicle body 51. That is, the frame portion 55 includes: a pair of front legs 58 disposed on both sides in the lateral direction (width direction) of the stroller 50 (body 51); a pair of rear legs 59 and a pair of armrests 60; a single hand truck frame 61 disposed to connect the left and right armrests 60; a step 62 serving as a front cross member that couples lower portions of the left and right front legs 58 to each other; and a rear cross member 63 connecting lower portions of the left and right rear legs 59 to each other. The front wheel 56 is provided at the lower end of the front leg 58, and the rear leg 57 is provided at the lower end of the rear leg 59.
On one side in the left-right direction of vehicle body 51, upper end portions of front leg 58 and rear leg 59, and a leg attachment portion 64 at the lower end of armrest 60 are rotatably coupled to each other via a fulcrum pin 65. The same applies to the other side of the vehicle body 51.
The cart frame 61 includes: a pair of left and right handle bars 66; and a grip 67 extending to connect the upper parts of the handle bars 66. Each handle lever 66 has a shape divided into two parts, an upper lever part 66b and a lower lever part 66c, with a curved part 66a in the middle. However, the upper rod portion 66b and the lower rod portion 66c are integrally formed by bending a single metal pipe.
The upper bracket 68 is immovably attached to the lower rod portion 66c via a rivet. The upper end of the armrest 60 is attached to the upper bracket 68 via an upper pin 69. Thus, the armrest 60 and the handle lever 66 of the cart frame 61 are rotatable with respect to each other about the upper pin 69 as a fulcrum.
A rear end portion of a front interlocking lever (front interlocking member) 70 and a front end portion of a rear interlocking lever (rear interlocking member) 71 are rotatably connected to a lower end of a lower lever portion 66c of the handle lever 66 via a lower pin 72. The front end of the front linking lever 70 is rotatably connected to the front leg 58 via a front connecting pin 73. The rear end of the rear interlinking lever 71 is rotatably connected to the rear leg 59 via a rear connecting pin 74.
Further, a lower bracket 75 is fixed to the rear leg 59. When the stroller 50 is in the deployed state, the lower end of the handle bar 66 abuts against the lower bracket 75 and is vertically supported by the rear leg 59. An opening/closing lock mechanism 76 for restricting the stroller 50 to the unfolded state and the folded state is provided around the lower pin 72. In addition, the lower bracket 75 may be formed integrally with the rear leg 59.
The front leg 58, the rear leg 59, the armrest 60, the handle lever 66, the front interlinking lever 70, and the rear interlinking lever 71 form link mechanisms on the left and right sides of the frame portion 55 of the vehicle body 51, respectively. The left and right link mechanisms are identical in structure. The stroller 50 can be deformed between the unfolded state and the folded state by releasing the restriction of the body 51 by the open/close lock mechanism 76 and rotating the components of the link mechanism around the respective connection points.
When the stroller 50 in the unfolded state is viewed from the left-right direction of the body 51, the upper rod 66b of the stroller frame 66, the armrest 60, and the front leg 58 are linearly arranged.
Next, the stroller coupling device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in fig. 1 to 3, a stroller coupling device 1 according to the present embodiment includes: a front coupling member 2 for coupling the front legs 58 of the 2-stroller 50 to each other; a rear coupling member 3 for coupling the rear legs 59 of the 2-stroller 50 to each other; and an upper coupling member 4 for coupling the stroller frames 61 of the 2-stroller 50 to each other. The front connecting member 2, the rear connecting member 3, and the upper connecting member 4 are substantially rod-shaped members extending in the left-right direction, and have a common length.
The stroller coupling device 1 further includes: a 1 st link member 5, a 2 nd link member 6, a 3 rd link member 7, and a 4 th link member 8 for connecting the front connecting member 2, the rear connecting member 3, and the upper connecting member 4 to each other.
One end of the 1 st link member 5 is fixed to the left-right direction center portion of the front connecting member 2, and one end of the 2 nd link member 6 is fixed to the left-right direction center portion of the rear connecting member 3. The other end of the 1 st link member 5 is rotatable about a central rotation axis 9 extending in the left-right direction, and is connected to the other end of the 2 nd link member 6.
One end of the 3 rd link member 7 is rotatably connected to the other ends of the 1 st link member 5 and the 2 nd link member 6 around the central rotation axis 9. One end of the 4 th link member 8 is connected to the other end of the 3 rd link member 7 so as to be rotatable about an upper rotation axis 10 extending in the left-right direction. The other end of the 4 th link member 8 is fixed to the left-right direction center portion of the upper connecting member 4.
As shown in fig. 4, the stroller coupling device 1 according to the present embodiment couples side surfaces of 2 strollers 50 arranged in a lateral direction.
The stroller coupling device 1 having the above-described configuration includes the center joint 11 and the upper joint 12 as shown in fig. 5 to 7, and the 1 st to 4 th link members 5 to 8 are rotated around the two joints 11 and 12, whereby the entire device can be switched between the device unfolded state (fig. 6) and the device folded state (fig. 7).
As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the stroller coupling device 1 is provided with a rotation restriction mechanism 13 for restricting an angle between the 1 st link member 5 and the 3 rd link member 7 in the device unfolded state when switching from the device folded state to the device unfolded state. That is, the rotation restricting mechanism 13 is configured to restrict the relative rotational movement of the 1 st link member 5 and the 3 rd link member 7 in the device developed state shown in fig. 1 by bringing the distal end portion of the 3 rd link member 7 into contact with the surface on the front side of the 1 st link member 5.
The 3 rd link member 7 is formed with an article storage portion 14 functioning as a cup holder or a pouch storage bag. The article storage section 14 is formed so as to have a posture in which an article can be placed in an expanded state. The formation location of the article storage portion 14 is not limited to the 3 rd link member 7, and the article storage portion 14 may be formed in the 1 st link member 5, the 2 nd link member 6, or the 4 th link member 8.
As shown in fig. 1 to 3, front anchors 15 releasably connected to front legs 58 of the 2-stage stroller 50 are provided at both left and right ends of a front connecting member 2 of the stroller connecting device 1. Similarly, rear anchors 16 releasably connected to rear legs 59 of the 2-bed stroller 50 are provided at both left and right ends of the rear connecting member 3. Further, upper anchors 17 releasably connected to the stroller frames 66 of the 2-bed stroller 50 are provided at both left and right ends of the upper connecting member 4.
As shown in fig. 8, the front leg 58, the rear leg 59, and the stroller frame 66 of the stroller 50 each have a non-circular cross-sectional shape, and the front anchor 15, the rear anchor 16, and the upper anchor 17 each have an anchor surface that conforms to the non-circular cross-sectional shape of the front leg 58, the rear leg 59, and the stroller frame 66 of the stroller 50.
Each of the front holder 15, the rear holder 16, and the upper holder 17 has an opening/closing piece 18 having one end rotatably connected to the front connecting member 2, the rear connecting member 3, and the rear connecting member 4. One end of the locking piece 19 is rotatably connected to the other end of the opening/closing piece 18. A projection 20 having a tapered surface is formed on the inner surface of the distal end of the locking piece 19, and the tapered surface of the projection 20 engages with the tapered surface of a projection 21 formed on the side of the coupling member 2, 3, 4. The protrusions 20 on the side of the retainers 15, 16, 17 and the protrusions 21 on the side of the coupling members 2, 3, 4 are slid via the tapered surfaces, and are pressed and engaged to fix the protrusions 20, 21.
As described above, the front anchor 15, the rear anchor 16, and the upper anchor 17 of the stroller coupling device 1 are fixed to the front leg 58, the rear leg 59, and the stroller frame 66 of the stroller 50 by the fixing surfaces having the non-circular cross sections, thereby restricting the rotation of the front anchor 15, the rear anchor 16, and the upper anchor 17 of the stroller coupling device 1 about the longitudinal axes of the front leg 58, the rear leg 59, and the stroller frame 66. Therefore, the 2-carriage stroller 50 can be firmly coupled by the stroller coupling device 1.
As shown in fig. 9 and 10, in the state where the stroller coupling device 1 according to the present embodiment is attached to the stroller 50, the central joint 11 that rotatably couples the other ends of the 1 st link member 5, the 2 nd link member 6, and the 3 rd link member 7 substantially coincides with the joint that rotatably couples the upper ends of the front leg 58 and the rear leg 59 of the stroller 50, as viewed in the lateral direction.
In the stroller coupling device 1 according to the present embodiment, the upper joint 12 that rotatably couples the 3 rd link member 7 and the 4 th link member 8 substantially coincides with the joint that rotatably couples the armrest 60 of the stroller 50 to the stroller frame 66 when viewed in the lateral direction in a state of being attached to the stroller 50.
In the stroller coupling device 1 according to the present embodiment, the 1 st link member 5, the 2 nd link member 6, and the 3 rd link member 7 substantially coincide with the front leg 58, the rear leg 59, and the armrest 60 of the stroller, respectively, when viewed in the lateral direction in a state of being attached to the stroller 50. In the deployed state, the 1 st link member 5 and the 3 rd link member 7 are substantially linear as a whole.
As described above, since the central joint 11 and the upper joint 12 of the stroller coupling device 1 substantially coincide with the respective joints of the stroller 50 when viewed in the lateral direction, the shape of the stroller coupling device 1 changes following the change in the shape of the stroller 50 when switching from the unfolded state shown in fig. 9 to the folded state shown in fig. 10. Therefore, during the folding operation, the smooth folding operation can be realized without applying an excessive force to the stroller coupling device 1.
The rotation axes 9 and 10 of the respective joint portions 11 and 12 of the stroller coupling device 1 do not necessarily coincide with the rotation axes of the respective joint portions of the stroller 50, and the folding operation can be performed even if the rotation axes are slightly offset.
As described above, according to the stroller coupling device 1 of the present embodiment, the 2 strollers can be arranged in the lateral direction and firmly coupled by the stroller coupling device 1 formed by integrating a plurality of components.
Further, the integrated structure of the stroller coupling device 1 can automatically determine the fixing position of each of the retainers 15, 16, 17 with respect to the stroller 50, thereby preventing erroneous assembly.
Further, by fitting the respective joint portions 11 and 12 of the stroller coupling device 1 to the respective joint portions of the stroller 50, the 2-stage stroller 50 in the coupled state can be smoothly switched from the unfolded state to the folded state.
In addition, when the strollers 50 are used separately, the fasteners 15, 16, 17 of the stroller coupling device 1 are removed to easily separate the strollers.
In addition, by providing the article storage section 14 in the stroller coupling device 1, added value can be improved.
Next, a stroller coupling device according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 11 to 15. In fig. 11 to 15, the same reference numerals are given to components having functions common to those of the embodiment shown in fig. 1.
The stroller coupling device 30 of the present embodiment has a common link structure with the stroller coupling device 1 shown in fig. 1, but is different in that: the 3 rd link member 7 is not provided with an article storage part, and the 4 th link member 8 is made large in length.
That is, in the stroller coupling device 30 according to the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 11 to 13, the 3 rd link member 7 has a shape similar to the armrest 60 of the stroller 50 (see fig. 16). Therefore, as shown in fig. 14 and 15, the design coordination between the armrest 60 of the stroller 50 and the 3 rd link structure 7 of the stroller coupling device 30 can be improved.
In the stroller coupling device 30 according to the present embodiment, since the 4 th link member 8 is formed to have a large length, as shown in fig. 14 and 15, the design coordination can be improved between the handle lever 66 of the stroller 50 and the 4 th link member 8 of the stroller coupling device 30.
Other operational effects of the stroller coupling device 30 according to the present embodiment can be obtained similarly to the stroller coupling device 1 shown in fig. 1.
In the present invention, the retainer for fixing the stroller coupling device to the stroller is not limited to the above-described structure, and various types of retainers can be used.
Fig. 20 to 26 are diagrams showing several examples of such a retainer. For example, as shown in fig. 20, a fastener 30 having a surface fastener can be used. As shown in fig. 21, a holder 31 having an attachment structure that can be attached and detached by elastic deformation of a member can also be used. As shown in fig. 22, a fastener 32 having a hinge structure and being screwed may be used. As shown in fig. 23, a holder 33 having a separate buckle may be used. As shown in fig. 24, a retainer 34 having a ratchet structure can also be used. As shown in fig. 25, a holder 35 that fixes by a magnetic attraction force can be used. As shown in fig. 26, a holder 36 having a slide mechanism may be used.
[ description of symbols ]
1. 30 baby carriage connecting device
2 front connection Member
3 rear connecting part
4 Upper connecting member
51 st connecting rod part
6 nd 2 nd connecting rod part
7 rd connecting rod part
8 th connecting rod part
9 central axis of rotation
10 upper axis of rotation
11 central joint part
12 upper joint part
13 rotation restricting mechanism
14 article storage part
15 anterior fixation device
16 rear anchor
17 Upper part fixer
18 opening and closing sheet
19 stop piece
20 protrusion part on the side of locking piece
21 a projection on the side of the connecting member
30. 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 fixator