HK1057029B - Stroller - Google Patents

Description

Baby carriage

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a stroller that is highly rigid and foldable.

Background

Many collapsible strollers have been proposed for taking the infant outdoors for walking or shopping, and the ability to fold the stroller will facilitate storage and carrying.

In conventional strollers, the plane that includes the front legs with wheels or casters mounted on the bottom end and the rear legs with wheels or casters mounted on the bottom end is perpendicular to the ground as viewed from the front. However, the stroller has a low stiffness and is difficult to withstand lateral forces, and therefore the stroller cannot move stably. A foldable stroller can be folded in three to reduce its width, but is less rigid because it has a number of pivotable joints. If the rigidity of the body of the foldable stroller is increased, the weight of the foldable stroller inevitably increases and the foldable stroller requires many folding operations, and such a stroller becomes awkward to use.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been developed in view of these problems. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a stroller that has a high degree of rigidity and can be folded by a simple folding operation.

According to the present invention, a stroller comprises: a U-shaped handle having a horizontal portion including a hinge at a middle portion thereof; a pair of armrests pivotally connected to the U-shaped handle; a pair of front legs pivotally connected to the armrest, respectively; a pair of rear legs pivotally connected to the armrest, respectively; front wheels respectively mounted to bottom end portions of the front legs; rear wheels mounted to bottom ends of the rear legs, respectively. Wherein the front legs are arranged to extend away from each other and obliquely towards the front wheels and the rear legs are arranged to extend away from each other and obliquely towards the rear wheels, wherein each of the front wheels is supported to the respective front leg via a swivel structure, which swivel structure is rotatable in relation to each of the front wheels, each swivel structure supporting a front wheel, and the swivel structure supporting a front wheel is rotatable in relation to the front wheel when the stroller is folded and the horizontal part is bent at the hinge, so that the front wheels are kept orthogonal to the ground by rotation of the swivel structure in relation to the front wheels, respectively.

The stroller according to the present invention is characterized in that a pair of front wheels are interconnected by an x-shaped link.

The stroller according to the present invention is characterized in that an x-shaped link is connected to a pair of front legs and a bottom end portion of the handle.

The stroller according to the present invention is characterized in that the x-shaped links extend obliquely downward from the pair of front legs toward the bottom end of the handle.

The stroller according to the present invention is characterized in that a pair of front legs and a handle are connected by a pair of connecting rods, and a pair of front legs are connected to an x-shaped link by a connecting member.

The stroller according to the present invention is characterized in that a pair of connecting rods are connected by a middle stay, a pair of front legs are connected by a footrest, and the middle stay and the footrest have bendable middle portions, respectively.

The stroller according to the present invention is characterized in that a pair of connecting rods are connected to the footrest by means of a connecting member.

The stroller according to the present invention is characterized in that the front wheels are of a two-wheel construction.

The stroller according to the present invention is characterized in that an axle support part on which the rotary structure can be rotated is mounted to the axle of the front wheel.

The stroller according to the present invention is characterized in that the swing structures have axle support parts extending orthogonally to the respective front wheel axes in the moving direction, the axle support parts being integrally provided with arms orthogonal to the respective front wheel axes, the swing structures further including connecting parts connecting the front legs, the bottom ends of the connecting parts being connected to the arms so that each swing structure is turned relative to the respective front wheel by turning the connecting parts on the axes of the arms.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a front view of the stroller in an unfolded state in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the infant stroller of the present invention in an unfolded state;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the infant stroller of the present invention in an unfolded state;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the infant stroller of the present invention in a folded position;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the infant stroller of the present invention in a folded position;

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of the front wheel support mechanism supporting the front wheel of the front legs of the stroller of the present invention in an unfolded state;

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the front wheel support mechanism supporting the front wheel of the front legs of the stroller in a folded position;

FIG. 7A is a partial longitudinal front cross-sectional view of another front wheel support mechanism supporting a front wheel on a front leg;

fig. 7B is a partial longitudinal side sectional view of the front wheel support mechanism shown in fig. 7A.

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 and 2 are front and side views, respectively, of a stroller according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The stroller has two front legs 12 each provided with a front wheel 11 having a two-wheel structure, including two wheels 11 a; two rear legs 14 each provided with a rear wheel 13; a handle substantially similar to an inverted U-shape having right and left side bars 15 a; two armrests 16, and a guard arm, not shown, extend between the armrests 16 and are removably connected to the armrests 16.

The armrest 16 has rear end portions pivotally connected to right and left side rods 15a of the handle 15, respectively. The upper ends of the front legs 12 are pivotally connected to the middle portions of the right and left arm rests 16, respectively. The rear legs 14 have upper end portions extending across the upper end portions of the front legs 12 and are pivotally connected to the arm rests 16 at locations forward of the portions of the arm rests 16 to which the upper ends of the front legs 12 are pivotally connected. As clearly shown in fig. 1, the right or left front leg 12 is provided to be spaced apart toward the front wheel 11 and extend obliquely such that the distance between the bottoms of the front legs 12 is greater than the distance between the upper portions of the front legs when viewed from the front. Similarly, the rear legs 14 are also provided to diverge toward the rear wheels 13 and extend obliquely.

The upper ends of the rear legs 14 are pivotally connected to an armrest 16 at a location forward of the portion of the armrest pivotally connected to the upper portion of the front legs 12 in this embodiment. The upper portion of the rear legs 14 are pivotally connected to the armrest 16, but the connection location is located on the rear side of the armrest portion to which the upper portion of the front legs 12 are pivotally connected. Alternatively, the upper ends of the front legs 12 and the upper ends of the rear legs 14 may be coaxially pivotally connected to the armrest 16.

One end of each bracket 17 is pivotally connected to a portion of a side bar 15a of the handle 15 near the bottom end of the side bar 15 a. The other end is pivotally connected to a middle portion of the rear leg 14. When the stroller is in the unfolded state as shown in fig. 2, the rear legs 14 are engaged in the longitudinal slots 17 of the brackets 17, respectively, so that the rear legs 14 are securely fixed in place.

The front end of each connecting rod 18 is pivotally connected to the front leg 12. The other end is pivotally connected to a side bar 15a of the handle 15. The opposite ends of the intermediate stay 19 are connected to the left and right connecting rods 18, respectively. The intermediate strut 19 is provided with a hinge 20 at its mid-portion to allow the intermediate strut 19 to flex so that portions of the intermediate strut 19 on either side of the hinge 20 extend upwardly. The middle strut 19 is pivotally connected at both ends to the right and left front legs 12, respectively, by pins 23. The footrest 22 is provided with a hinge 24 at its middle to allow the footrest 20 to be bent such that portions of the footrest 20 on both sides of the hinge 24 can be extended upward.

The front legs 12 and the handle 15 are connected by an x-shaped link 25 that is angled downward toward the rear when the stroller is in an unfolded state. The x-shaped link 25 has two interdigitating links 25a and 25b pivotally connected at approximately the mid-point. The bottom ends of the links 25a and 25b are pivotally connected to a connecting member 26, and the connecting member 26 is connected to the bottom ends of the side bars 15a of the handle 15.

A flexible member or pivot joint may be inserted into the middle portion of the horizontal bar of the handle 15 to allow the horizontal portion to flex to some extent.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the connecting rod 18, the intermediate strut 19, the footrest 22 and the x-shaped link 25. Portions of the footrests 22 near the opposite ends are connected to the front ends of the connecting rods 18 by connecting rods 27, respectively.

When the handle 15 is pulled back and pushed down to fold the stroller in the unfolded state shown in fig. 2, the bracket 17 is rotated clockwise at the joint pivotally connecting the bracket 17 to the handle 15, and the handle 15 is moved downward relative to the rear legs 14 as shown in fig. 2. Thereafter, the armrest 16 and the connecting rod 18 are pivoted upward at the joint pivotally connecting the armrest 16 and the connecting rod 18 to the handle 15. The rear wheels 13 are adjacent the front wheels 11 and the stroller decreases in size in the fore-aft direction, as shown in fig. 4. When the connecting rod 18 is thus rotated, the x-shaped link 25 contracts, reducing its width. Next, the front legs 12, the side bars 15a of the handle 15, and the rear legs 14, respectively, are brought closer together, resulting in a reduction in the lateral dimension of the stroller. When the x-shaped links 25 are retracted, the intermediate strut 19 is convexly curved. Then, the footrest 22 is pulled up by the connecting rod 27. When the front legs 12 are brought closer together, the footrest 22 is convexly curved. The front legs are thus moved closer to each other without hindrance. Fig. 4 and 5 are side and front views, respectively, of the folded stroller.

The handle 15 is raised and the horizontal portion of the handle 15 is pulled back to unfold the folded stroller. In this case, the right and left legs 12, 14 are spaced apart from each other, and the front wheel 11 and rear, wheel 13 are displaced from each other to the position shown in fig. 2. In the state shown in fig. 2, the rear leg 14 is engaged in the groove 17a of the bracket 17, fixing the rear leg 14 relative to the handle 15.

Since the front legs 12 diverge and extend obliquely toward the front wheel 11 and the rear legs 14 diverge and extend obliquely toward the rear wheel 13, when the stroller is loaded, the lateral force that pushes the right and left legs 12, 14 apart from each other acts on the right and left legs 12, 14, as viewed from the front. Thus, the pulling force acts on the intermediate brace 19, the footrest 22 and the x-shaped links 25, stabilizing the stroller frame and allowing the stroller to move smoothly. The intermediate brace 19 and the x-shaped linkage 25 connecting the right and left legs 12, 14 receive lateral and vertical forces, strengthening the stroller frame.

To fold the stroller, the stroller can be folded by simply tilting and pressing it down, holding the stroller in the hand, and performing a series of maneuvers on the stroller, without the need for incorporating additional complex manipulative parts into the handle 15.

Although the footrest 22 is pushed in the folding direction by the connecting rod 27 in this embodiment, the footrest 22 may be continuously pushed in the folding direction by a spring or other member.

As mentioned above, in the stroller of the present invention, the two front legs 12 are arranged to extend away and obliquely toward the front wheel 11, and the two rear legs 14 are arranged to extend away and obliquely toward the rear wheel 13. Thus, when the stroller is folded such that the wheels 11a of the front wheel 11 are inclined with respect to the ground G, the wheels 11a cannot rotate on the ground; when the stroller is in the unfolded state, as shown in fig. 1, the front wheels 11 are held so that the wheels 11a are orthogonal to the ground. To avoid such a problem, the shaft 31 supporting the wheel 11a is supported in a position inclined with respect to the front leg 12 and is pressed down by a spring or the like so that the wheel 11a is always orthogonal to the ground G.

A swivel structure 30 supporting the front wheel 11 is connected to the bottom end of each front leg 12. The axis 30a is oblique to the axis 12a of the front legs 12, and when the stroller is opened for use, a plane including the axis 30a of the swivel structure 30 can be made orthogonal to the ground G, as shown in fig. 1. When the stroller is folded as shown in fig. 5, the plane that includes the axis 30a of the swivel structure 30 is inclined to the ground G. Fig. 6A and 6B show a wheel holding mechanism provided to the front wheel 11, and a shaft 31 is extended through the rotation structure 30 and connected to the bottom end of the front leg 12, and the wheels 11a are rotatable at both ends of the shaft 31, respectively. A shaft holding mechanism 32 fixedly connected to the shaft 31 is provided in the cavity 30d of the rotary structure 30. Vertical grooves 30b are formed on both sidewalls of the rotary structure 30. The sectional shape of the shaft holding mechanism 32 on a vertical plane including the axis of the shaft 31 is substantially circular. The shaft holding mechanism 32 is located on the surface of a circular recess 33c formed on the bottom surface of the cavity 30d of the rotary structure 30, and is pressed against the surface of the recess 33c by the spring 33. Both end portions of the shaft 31 protrude outward from the rotary structural body 30 through the grooves 30b, and the wheels 11a of the front wheel 11 can be rotated at both end portions of the shaft 31, respectively.

As shown in fig. 1 and 6A, when the stroller is unfolded, the axis of the shaft 31 is orthogonal to the axis of the rotating body 30, and the right and left front wheels 11 are orthogonal to the ground. As shown in fig. 5, when the stroller is folded, the axis 30a of the rotating body 30 is inclined to the ground G. The shaft 31 is vertically movable along the groove 30b of the rotating structure 30 and finally the wheels 11a of the front wheels 11 are positioned orthogonally to the ground. Thus, the wheels 11a of the right and left front wheels 11 always remain orthogonal to the ground G, and the front wheels 11 can smoothly move when the stroller is unfolded or folded.

The front wheel 11 is precisely manufactured because the front wheel 11 is of a two-wheel structure, two pairs of wheels 11a are provided, and the wheels 11a always maintain contact with the ground. Thus, errors in the stroller that occur during manufacture can be corrected, improving the quality of the stroller.

Fig. 7A and 7B show a modified rotation structure. As shown in fig. 7A and 7B, the swivel structure 30 has a connecting portion 34 to connect the front legs 12; and a shaft support portion 35 that supports the shaft 31. The shape of the revolution 30 substantially approximates the letter L. The shaft support structure 35 is integrally provided with an arm 35a, and the arm 35a projects forward orthogonally to the axis of the shaft 31. The bottom end of the connecting portion 34 is connected to the arm 35a to rotate about the axis of the arm 35 a. The upper end of the connecting portion 34 is connected to the front leg 12 so as to be rotatable on the shaft 31.

When the stroller is opened, the attachment portion 34 extends substantially vertically as shown by the line drawn in fig. 7A, and the front wheel 11 is orthogonal to the ground as shown in fig. 7A. When the stroller is folded, the attachment portion 34 is tilted as shown in phantom in fig. 7A. In this case, when the front axle 11 is positioned on the ground G, the axle supporting part 35 rotates relative to the connecting part 34 so that the wheel 11a of the front wheel 11 is positioned on the ground G perpendicularly to the ground G. Thus, the wheels 11a of the right or left wheel 11 always remain orthogonal to the ground G, and the front wheel 11 can roll smoothly even when the stroller is opened or folded. Because the wheels 11a of the front wheel 11 of the two-wheel structure always remain in contact with the ground G, errors generated in the stroller during the manufacturing process can be corrected and the quality of the stroller can be improved.

As is apparent from the foregoing description, according to the present invention, the two front legs are disposed to diverge away from and extend obliquely toward the front wheels and the two rear wheels are disposed to diverge away from and extend obliquely toward the rear wheels when viewed from the front, so that a lateral force pushing the right and left legs apart acts on the right or left leg when the stroller is loaded. The pulling forces on the middle brace, the footrest, and the x-shaped linkage provide the stroller frame with a high degree of rigidity. Because the right and left front legs are connected by the x-shaped link, the width of the stroller can be reduced by folding the stroller frame in two. The stroller can be opened or folded by hand-grasping the stroller through a series of operations without the need for any complicated operating members on the handle.

Claims (10)

1. A stroller, comprising:

a U-shaped handle having a horizontal portion including a hinge at a middle portion thereof;

a pair of armrests pivotally connected to the U-shaped handle;

a pair of front legs pivotally connected to the armrest, respectively;

a pair of rear legs pivotally connected to the armrest, respectively;

front wheels mounted to bottom ends of the front legs, respectively;

rear wheels mounted to bottom ends of the rear legs, respectively;

wherein the front legs are disposed to diverge from each other and extend obliquely toward the front wheels, and the rear legs are disposed to diverge from each other and extend obliquely toward the rear wheels; and

wherein each of said front wheels is supported to a respective said front leg via a swivel structure, the swivel structure being respectively rotatable with respect to each said front wheel,

each of the swivel structures supports the front wheel, and the swivel structures supporting the front wheel are rotatable relative to the front wheel as the stroller is folded and the horizontal section is flexed at the hinge, such that the front wheels are maintained orthogonal to the ground by rotation of the swivel structures relative to the front wheels, respectively.

2. A stroller according to claim 1, wherein the pair of front legs are connected by an x-shaped link.

3. A stroller according to claim 2, characterized in that the x-shaped link is connected to the pair of front legs and the bottom end of the U-shaped handle.

4. A stroller according to claim 3, wherein the x-shaped links extend obliquely downward from the pair of front legs toward the bottom end of the U-shaped handle.

5. A stroller according to claim 2, characterized in that the pair of front legs and the U-shaped handle are connected by a pair of connecting rods by which the pair of front legs are connected to the x-shaped link.

6. A stroller according to claim 5, wherein the pair of connecting bars are connected by a middle stay, the pair of front legs are connected by a footrest, and the middle stay and the footrest each have a bendable middle portion.

7. A stroller according to claim 5, wherein the pair of connecting bars are connected to the footrest by a connector.

8. A stroller according to claim 1, characterized in that the front wheel is a two-wheel structure.

9. A stroller according to claim 1, characterized in that a shaft bearing part is mounted to a shaft belonging to each front wheel, on which shaft bearing part the swivel structure can be swiveled.

10. A stroller according to claim 1, characterized in that the swivel structures have axle support parts (35) extending orthogonally to the respective front wheel axes in the direction of movement of the front wheels, the axle support parts (35) being integrally provided with arms orthogonal to the respective front wheel axes, the swivel structures further comprising a connecting part (34) connecting the front legs, the bottom end of the connecting part (34) being connected to an arm (35a) so that each swivel structure is turned relative to the respective front wheel by turning the connecting part on the axis of the arm.