Wheel orientation mechanism and stroller

Abstract

A wheel-orienting mechanism and a children's bicycle are disclosed. The wheel-orienting mechanism includes: a locking part disposed at the wheel assembly of the children's bicycle for locking or unlocking the wheel; and a traction part including a first end and a second end opposite to each other, the first end being connected to the locking part and the second end being connected to the pivot joint of the children's bicycle. When the frame of the children's bicycle is in a closed state, the traction part is relaxed to lock the direction of the wheel through the locking part; when the frame of the children's bicycle is in an extended state, the traction part is tightened to unlock the wheel through the locking part. The wheel-orienting mechanism of the present invention has a simpler structure, effectively reduces costs, and improves product competitiveness.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a wheel orientation mechanism and a baby carriage comprising the wheel orientation mechanism. Prior Art

[0002] Strollers can relieve the fatigue caused by holding a baby for a long time and improve the comfort of people's lives. Strollers usually include a frame part and a wheel part. In order to facilitate storage and carrying when not in use, the frame part of the stroller is usually foldable, thereby reducing the volume occupied by the stroller when stored.

[0003] However, the existing baby strollers cannot usually be placed upright when folded, or the folded baby strollers may easily fall over due to the slipping of the wheels when placed upright; and if the folded baby strollers are placed flat, they still take up a large storage space, which is inconvenient to use. Especially when temporarily storing for a short period of time, if the folded baby strollers cannot be placed upright stably, it will cause many inconveniences. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, an object of the present invention is to provide a wheel orientation mechanism which is easy to use and has a simple structure, and a baby carriage including the wheel orientation mechanism.

[0005] To this end, one embodiment of the present invention provides a wheel orientation mechanism, comprising: a locking portion, which is arranged at a wheel assembly of a child stroller and is used to lock or release the wheel; and a traction portion, which comprises a first end and a second end opposite to each other, wherein the first end is connected to the locking portion, and the second end is connected to a pivot joint of the child stroller; wherein the frame of the child stroller relaxes the traction portion when the pivot joint is in a folded state, so as to lock the direction of the wheel through the locking portion; and the frame of the child stroller tightens the traction portion when the pivot joint is in an unfolded state, so as to release the wheel through the locking portion.

[0006] According to one embodiment, the pivot joint is connected to the upper end of the rear foot.

[0007] According to one embodiment, the pivot joint includes an outer cover and a decorative cover arranged outside the outer cover, and the second end of the traction portion is fixed to the outer cover and is covered by the decorative cover.

[0008] According to one embodiment, a fixing portion and a guide groove are provided on the inner side of the outer cover, and after the traction portion is guided by the guide groove, the second end of the traction portion is fixed to the fixing portion.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the fixing portion is a through hole, and the second end of the traction portion is fixed after passing through the through hole from the inner side of the outer cover.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the pivot joint includes a gear folding mechanism, and the gear folding mechanism includes: a first gear transmission part, which is fixed to the handle of the child stroller, and a first slide groove is arranged on the surface of the first gear transmission part; a second gear transmission part, which is fixed to the front foot of the child stroller, and a second slide groove and a guide groove are arranged on the surface of the second gear transmission part; a driving gear, which is meshed with both the first gear transmission part and the second gear transmission part; a pin, which passes through the first slide groove and the second slide groove and is exposed from the gear folding mechanism, wherein after the traction part is guided by the guide groove, the second end of the traction part is fixed to the pin.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the driving gear includes a first gear set and a second gear set respectively arranged on two opposite surfaces thereof, the first gear set is meshed with the first gear transmission part, and the second gear set is meshed with the second gear transmission part.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the locking portion includes: a directional pin, to which the first end of the traction portion is connected; and a locking hole, located in the wheel seat, into which the directional pin enters when the traction portion is relaxed, and the directional pin leaves the locking hole when the traction portion is tightened.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the locking portion further includes: an elastic return member fixed between the directional pin and the fixing seat of the locking portion, and when the baby stroller is unfolded, the elastic return member is compressed; when the baby stroller is folded, the compressed state of the elastic return member is released to push the directional pin to be inserted into the locking hole.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the locking portion further includes: a rotating portion, and after the traction portion is relaxed, the directional pin pushes against the rotating portion and rotates so that the locking hole is aligned with the directional pin for locking.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the rotating portion is a helical surface arranged on the end surface of the wheel seat, and the locking hole is located at the lowest point of the helical surface; or a step surface is arranged between the lowest point of the helical surface and the locking hole.

[0016] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a children's stroller, comprising: a frame, the frame comprising a handle, a front foot, and a rear foot, the handle, the front foot, and the rear foot being able to pivot and fold closer to each other and pivot and unfold away from each other at a pivot joint; a wheel assembly, comprising a wheel and a wheel seat connecting the wheel to the front foot and the rear foot; and the wheel orientation mechanism as described above.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the front foot is tubular, and after the traction part passes through the interior of the front foot and enters the pivot joint, the second end of the traction part is fixed to the outer cover of the pivot joint or the latch of the gear folding mechanism.

[0018] The wheel orientation mechanism of the present invention can automatically trigger the action when the baby stroller is folded, so that the wheel seat rotates and then locks the wheel (for example, the front wheel), thereby preventing the wheel from interfering with the frame, for example, the frame cross bar, and affecting the folding of the frame, so that the folding of the baby stroller is smoother; at the same time, the folded baby stroller can be stably in an upright state, which is convenient for temporary storage. When the baby stroller is in the unfolded state, the wheel orientation mechanism releases the wheel, so that the wheel can rotate freely 360 degrees, which is convenient for pushing the baby stroller.

[0019] In addition, compared with the wheel orientation mechanism in the prior art, the wheel orientation mechanism of the present invention omits the driving part, so the structure is simpler, the cost is effectively reduced, and the competitiveness of the product is improved. Simple diagram description

[0020] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a baby stroller, wherein the baby stroller is in an unfolded state.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a baby stroller, wherein the baby stroller is in a folded state.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a wheel orientation mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the wheel orientation mechanism is in a state of unlocking the wheel.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a wheel orientation mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the wheel orientation mechanism is in a state of locking the wheel.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the inner side of the outer cover of the pivot joint of the present invention.

[0025] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a wheel orientation mechanism provided by another embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] FIG. 7 is an exploded schematic diagram of the gear folding mechanism in FIG. 6 . Implementation

[0027] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the present invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein, but on the contrary, the present invention will cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives that fall within the spirit and scope of the embodiments.

[0028] The following description takes a baby stroller as an example, however, the wheel orientation mechanism according to this embodiment can also be applied to other children's equipment that requires wheels to be locked, such as a children's dining chair, and can also be applied to other equipment such as wheelchairs for the disabled.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 1 , FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a child stroller 1, wherein the child stroller 1 is in an unfolded state; the child stroller 1 includes a wheel assembly 30 and a frame 20 disposed on the wheel assembly 30, and the frame 20 may include a front leg 22, a rear leg 24, and a handlebar 26. The front leg 22, the rear leg 24, and the handlebar 26 of the child stroller 1 are pivotally connected to each other at a pivot joint 40, so that the front leg 22, the rear leg 24, and the handlebar 26 can be pivoted away from each other so that the child stroller 1 is in an unfolded state, or can be pivoted close to each other so that the child stroller 1 is in a folded state. FIG. 2 shows the child stroller 1 in a folded state. According to the embodiment shown in the figure, the pivot joint 40 is connected to the upper end of the rear leg 24.

[0030] The wheel assembly 30 of the baby stroller 1 includes a wheel 34 and a wheel seat 32 for connecting the wheel 34 to the front leg 22 and the rear leg 24. The baby stroller 1 is provided with two left and right front wheels and two left and right rear wheels. For convenience, in the following description and drawings, only one front wheel of the baby stroller is used as an example for description.

[0031] The baby stroller 1 is provided with a wheel orientation mechanism 10, so that when the baby stroller 1 is in the unfolded state (as shown in FIG. 1 ), the wheels 34 can freely rotate 360 ​​degrees to facilitate pushing, and when the baby stroller 1 is in the folded state (as shown in FIG. 2 ), the wheels 34 are locked, so that the folded baby stroller 1 can stand upright stably for temporary storage.

[0032] The specific structure of the wheel orientation mechanism 10 of the present invention is described below with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 , both of which are schematic diagrams of the wheel orientation mechanism 10, wherein FIG. 3 shows that the wheel orientation mechanism 10 is in a state of unlocking the wheel 34, and FIG. 4 shows that the wheel orientation mechanism 10 is in a state of locking the wheel 10. The wheel orientation mechanism 10 includes a locking portion 110 and a traction portion 120. The locking portion 110 is disposed at the wheel assembly 30, and is used to lock the direction of the wheel 34 to prevent it from rotating freely, or to unlock the wheel 34 to allow it to rotate freely. The traction portion 120 includes a first end 122 and a second end 124 opposite to each other, the first end 122 is connected to the locking portion 110, and the second end 124 is connected to the pivot joint 40 of the child stroller 1. When the frame 20 of the baby stroller 1 is folded, the traction part 120 is relaxed, and the wheel assembly 30 can be rotated to the direction in which the locking part 110 locks the wheel 34, so that the locking part 110 locks the wheel 34, so that the folded baby stroller 1 can stand upright stably and is convenient for storage; and when the frame 20 of the baby stroller 1 is unfolded, the traction part 120 is tightened, and the locking part 110 releases the wheel 34, so that the wheel 34 can be rotated freely to facilitate pushing.

[0033] Specifically, the locking portion 110 includes a directional pin 112, a first end 122 of the traction portion 120 is connected to the directional pin 112, and the locking portion 110 also includes a locking hole 116, which is, for example, opened in the wheel seat 32. When the traction portion 120 is relaxed, the directional pin 112 is inserted into the locking hole 116 to lock the direction of the wheel 34, and when the traction portion 120 is tightened, the directional pin 112 leaves the locking hole 116 to release the wheel 34. In addition, the locking portion 110 also includes an elastic reset member 114, such as a spring, which is fixed between the directional pin 112 and the fixing seat 115 of the locking portion 110, and is used to ensure that the directional pin 112 is inserted into the locking hole 116 to lock the direction of the wheel 34 through the elastic force of the elastic reset member 114 when the traction portion 120 is relaxed.

[0034] According to other embodiments of the present invention, the locking portion 110 may further include a rotating portion (not shown in the figure), and when the traction portion 120 is relaxed, the directional pin 112 pushes downward against the rotating portion, so that the wheel seat 32 rotates an angle together with the wheel 34, and then the directional pin 112 enters the locking hole 116. As shown in FIG3, the locking hole 116 is located at the left side of the wheel seat 32 when the baby stroller 1 is unfolded, and when the baby stroller 1 is folded, as shown in FIG4, the directional pin 112 pushes downward against the rotating portion so that the locking hole 116 rotates, for example, 180 degrees, together with the wheel 34 and the wheel seat 32, and is located at the right side of the wheel seat 32 in FIG4, and then the directional pin 112 enters the locking hole 116. In view of the above structure, it is possible to avoid interference between the wheel and the frame, such as the frame cross bar, which affects the folding of the frame, so that the folding of the baby stroller is smoother. The rotating part can be, for example, a spiral surface provided on the end surface of the wheel seat 32, and the locking hole 116 is located at the lowest point of the spiral surface; or a step surface is provided between the lowest point of the spiral surface and the locking hole 116. The form of the rotating part is not limited to the above-mentioned example, and can also be other forms, as long as it can rotate based on the downward push of the directional pin 112.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the pivot joint 40 includes an outer cover 42. In this embodiment, the outer cover 42 is connected to the upper end of the rear leg 24, and a decorative cover 44 is also provided on the outer side of the outer cover 42. The decorative cover 44 can be provided with a product logo or other decorative patterns. FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 show the outer cover 42 after the decorative cover 44 is removed. FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of the inner side of the outer cover 42 of the pivot joint 40 according to the present invention. The inner side of the outer cover 42 is provided with a fixing portion 422 and a guide groove 424. The traction portion 120 can extend into the inner side of the outer cover 42. After being guided by the guide groove 424, the second end 124 of the traction portion 120 is fixed to the fixing portion 422. According to the embodiment shown in the figure, the fixing portion 422 is a through hole, and the second end 124 of the traction portion 120 is fixed after passing through the through hole, and then the decorative cover 44 is installed.

[0036] Of course, according to other embodiments not shown, the traction portion 120 may extend into the outside of the outer cover 42 , and the second end 124 of the traction portion 120 is fixed to the outside of the outer cover 42 and covered by the decorative cover 44 .

[0037] In view of the above-mentioned structure, when the front leg 22, the rear leg 24 and the handle member 26 of the frame 20 are pivoted toward each other to fold the baby stroller 1, the traction part 120 will be relaxed, and under the elastic force of the elastic return member 114 in a compressed state, the directional pin 112 moves downward, pushes the rotating part to rotate and enters the locking hole 116 to lock the direction of the wheel 34; and when the front leg 22, the rear leg 24 and the handle member 26 are pivoted away from each other to unfold the baby stroller 1, the traction part 120 will be tightened, pulling the directional pin 112 upward to leave the locking hole 116 and compressing the elastic return member 114, at which time the wheel 34 is unlocked and can freely rotate to different directions.

[0038] The wheel orientation mechanism 10 according to another embodiment is described below with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 , wherein FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of the wheel orientation mechanism 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is an exploded schematic diagram further showing the gear folding mechanism in FIG. 6 . FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 show a gear folding mechanism 50, which includes a first gear transmission part 52 fixed to the handle member 26 of the baby carriage 1, a second gear transmission part 54 fixed to the front foot 22 of the baby carriage 1, a driving gear 53, and a latch 58. The driving gear 53 is, for example, a double-sided gear, and a first gear set 532 and a second gear set 534 are respectively arranged on the opposite surfaces thereof. The first gear set 532 is meshed with the first gear transmission part 52, and the second gear set 534 is meshed with the second gear transmission part 54, thereby, the driving gear 53 can simultaneously drive the handle member 26 and the front foot 22 to pivot and fold relative to the rear foot 24. A first slide groove 521 is provided on the surface of the first gear transmission part 52, and a second slide groove 541 and a guide groove 542 are provided on the surface of the second gear transmission part 54. The latch 58 passes through the first slide groove 521 and the second slide groove 541 and then emerges from the gear folding mechanism 50, so that the relative sliding of the latch 58 and the first slide groove 521 and the second slide groove 541 can guide the pivoting of the first gear transmission part 52 and the second gear transmission part 54 to assist the folding action.

[0039] The wheel orientation mechanism 10 according to this embodiment is different from the aforementioned embodiment in that after the traction portion 120 is guided by the guide groove 542 , the second end 124 of the traction portion 120 is fixed to the latch 58 of the gear folding mechanism 50 .

[0040] The structure of the locking portion 110 according to this embodiment is completely the same as the structure of the aforementioned locking portion 110 and will not be described in detail.

[0041] The front foot 22 of the present invention may be tubular, and after the traction portion 120 passes through the interior of the front foot 22 and enters the pivot joint 40 , the second end 124 of the traction portion 120 is fixed to the outer cover 42 of the pivot joint 40 or to the latch 58 of the gear folding mechanism 50 .

[0042] Similarly, based on this embodiment, when the stroller 1 is folded, the traction portion 120 will be relaxed, and under the elastic force of the elastic return member 114 in a compressed state, the directional pin 112 moves downward, rotating the wheel assembly 30, and the directional pin 112 of the locking portion 110 will be inserted into the locking hole 16 to lock the direction of the wheel 34; when the stroller 1 is unfolded, the traction portion 120 will be tightened, pulling the directional pin 112 upward to leave the locking hole 116 and compressing the elastic return member 114, at which time the wheel 34 is released and can rotate freely in different directions.

[0043] Compared with the existing wheel orientation mechanisms, the wheel orientation mechanism 10 according to the present invention omits the setting of the driving part, and directly fixes the second end 124 of the traction part 120 to the pivot joint 40 or the pin 58 of the gear folding mechanism 50, so the structure is simpler, the cost is effectively reduced, and the competitiveness of the product is improved.

[0044] Since the features of the present invention can be embodied in a variety of forms without departing from the characteristics of the present invention, it should also be understood that the above-mentioned embodiments are not limited to any details described above, unless otherwise noted, but should be broadly interpreted as being within the scope defined by the attached claims. Therefore, all modifications and variations that fall within the scope and limits of the claims or the equivalents of such scope and limits should be covered by the attached claims.

[0045] 1: Children's car 10: Wheel orientation mechanism 110: Locking part 112: Directional pin 114: Elastic reset member 115: Fixed seat 116: Locking hole 120: Traction unit 122: First End 124: Second End 20: Frame 22: Front foot 24: Back foot 26: Driver parts 30:Wheel assembly 32: Wheel seat 34:Wheels 40: Pivot joint 42: Outer cover 422: Fixed part 424:Guide slot 44: Decorative cover 50: Gear folding mechanism 52: First gear transmission part 521: First chute 53: Driving gear 532: First gear set 534: Second gear set 54: Second gear transmission part 541: Second chute 542: Guide slot 543: Drive gear 58: Latch

Claims

1. A wheel orientation mechanism, comprising: A locking mechanism is located at the wheel assembly of the stroller to lock or unlock the wheels. The traction unit includes a first end and a second end, the first end being connected to the locking part, and the second end being connected to the pivot joint of the stroller. The pivot joint has a guide groove, and the traction unit extends to the connection point between the second end and the pivot joint after being guided by the guide groove. When the pivot joint is in a closed state, the stroller frame relaxes the traction unit to lock the direction of the wheels via the locking part. When the pivot joint is in an extended state, the stroller frame tightens the traction unit to release the wheels via the locking part.

2. The wheel orientation mechanism as described in claim 1, wherein: The pivot joint is connected to the upper end of the rear leg of the frame; or the pivot joint includes an outer cover and a decorative cover disposed on the outside of the outer cover, the second end of the traction part is fixed to the outer cover and is covered by the decorative cover.

3. The wheel orientation mechanism as claimed in claim 2, wherein a fixing part and the guide groove are provided on the inner side of the outer cover, and after the traction part is guided by the guide groove, the second end of the traction part is fixed to the fixing part.

4. The wheel orientation mechanism as claimed in claim 3, wherein the fixing part is a perforation, and the second end of the traction part is fixed after passing through the perforation from the inside of the outer cover.

5. The wheel orientation mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pivot joint includes a gear retraction mechanism, the gear retraction mechanism comprising: A first gear transmission part is fixed to the handlebars of the stroller, and a first groove is provided on the surface of the first gear transmission part; a second gear transmission part is fixed to the front leg of the stroller, and a second groove and the guide groove are provided on the surface of the second gear transmission part; a drive gear meshes with both the first gear transmission part and the second gear transmission part; and a pin passes through the first groove and the second groove and protrudes from the gear retraction mechanism, wherein the second end of the traction part is fixed to the pin after being guided by the guide groove.

6. The wheel orientation mechanism as claimed in claim 2 or 5, wherein the locking part comprises: A directional pin is used, and the first end of the traction part is connected to the directional pin; A locking hole is located on the wheel seat of the wheel assembly. When the traction unit is relaxed, the directional pin enters the locking hole, and when the traction unit is tightened, the directional pin leaves the locking hole.

7. The wheel orientation mechanism as claimed in claim 6, wherein the locking part further comprises: After the traction part is relaxed, the directional pin pushes against the rotating part and rotates, causing the locking hole to align with the directional pin and lock.

8. The wheel orientation mechanism as claimed in claim 7, wherein the rotating part is a helical surface disposed on the end face of the wheel seat of the wheel assembly, and the locking hole is located at the lowest point of the helical surface; or a stepped surface is provided between the lowest point of the helical surface and the locking hole.

9. The wheel orientation mechanism of claim 1, wherein the frame includes a front leg and a rear leg, the wheel assembly is disposed at the bottom of the front leg and the rear leg, and the guide groove is disposed on the front leg or the rear leg.

10. A children's vehicle, comprising: The frame includes a handlebar, a front leg, and a rear leg, wherein the handlebar, the front leg, and the rear leg are pivotable at pivot joints, allowing them to retract and retract towards each other; the wheel assembly includes a wheel and a wheel seat connecting the wheel to the front leg and the rear leg; And a wheel orientation mechanism as described in any one of claims 1-9.

11. The stroller as claimed in claim 10, wherein the front leg is tubular, and after the traction part passes through the interior of the front leg into the pivot joint, a second end of the traction part is fixed to the outer cover of the pivot joint or a pin of the gear retraction mechanism.

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