Kickboard

Abstract

To provide a kickboard of a new configuration.SOLUTION: A kickboard includes a foot plate part provided with wheels on both ends, and a handle part. In a use state, the handle part stands. In a self-standing state having a wheel on the rear side of the foot plate part on a lower side, orthogonal projection of a center of gravity of the whole of the foot plate part and the handle part is stored inside a profile configured by a grounding part. Here, the grounding part may use a rear edge of a rear side frame covering an edge on the rear side of the foot plate part, and / or a lower end of the handle part and the rear wheel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an improvement of a kickboard.

Background Art

[0002] A kickboard includes a riding board portion provided with wheels at both ends, and a handle erected on the front side in the traveling direction of the riding board portion. The operator places one hand on the handle, places one foot on the riding board portion, and kicks the road surface with the other foot to move the kickboard forward. Also, a type of kickboard in which one wheel is electrically driven has been proposed. The wheel to be driven is generally arranged behind the riding board portion.

[0003] In consideration of compact storage suitable for indoors or in a passenger car, a foldable kickboard is known ((see Patent Document 1, FIG. 1), (see Patent Document 2, FIG. 2)). In the foldable kickboard, the handle is inclined relative to the riding board portion, and the two are self-standing in a form where they overlap each other.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the kickboard described in Patent Document 1, the front end side of the riding board portion and the lower end of the handle are connected by a hinge or the like, the handle is tilted relative to the riding board portion, and the upper surface of the riding board portion and the handle come into contact with each other. The kickboard folded in this way stands on its own with the front wheel of the riding board portion on the grounded side. The rear wheels of the riding board portion are positioned at a high position along the handle. Here, when the rear wheels are used as drive wheels, it is inevitable that the center of gravity position of the folded kickboard becomes high and the self-standing becomes unstable. Therefore, as shown in Patent Document 2, it has been proposed to separately provide a folding mechanism on the lower surface of the riding board portion and move the rear wheels toward the front wheel side during self-standing. However, providing the folding mechanism inevitably increases the number of parts and makes the kickboard itself heavier, and the coexistence of the front wheels and the rear wheels requires a large area for self-standing, which goes against the requirement for compactness.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the inventor noticed that there is no folding kickboard in which the rear wheels of the riding board portion are arranged on the lower side during self-standing. That is, this invention proposes a kickboard with a novel configuration, and its first aspect is defined as follows. A kickboard including a riding board portion having wheels at both ends and a handle portion, In the use state, the handle portion is erected, In a self-standing state with the rear wheels of the riding board portion on the lower side, a kickboard in which the vertical projection of the overall center of gravity of the riding board portion and the handle portion is contained inside the outer contour formed by the grounding portion.

[0007] According to the kickboard of the first aspect defined in this way, when this is folded and self-standing, the center of gravity of the kickboard is contained inside the outer contour of the grounding portion that contacts the floor surface. Thereby, the self-standing state becomes stable. Even if a drive system is attached to the rear wheels, since the rear wheels are on the lower side during self-standing, it is possible to avoid the center of gravity of the kickboard becoming unnecessarily high, and a stable self-standing state is achieved. Here, the grounding portion refers to the portion that contacts the floor surface. By providing at least three points of this grounding portion on a virtual horizontal plane, the self-standing state can be stabilized. As such a grounding portion, the rear edge of the riding board portion or the lower end of the handle portion can be used (second aspect), and the outer circumference of the rear wheel can also be arranged on the same virtual horizontal plane as the grounding surface of the grounding portion. It is also possible to use the trailing edge of the rear frame, which is connected to the rear end of the riding board and protects the rear wheel, as the grounding portion (third aspect).

[0008] In order to make the self-standing state of the folded kickboard more stable, it is preferable that the vertical projection of the center of gravity of the riding board portion and the vertical projection of the center of gravity of the handle portion are both located inside the outline formed by the grounding portion (fourth aspect). Furthermore, in order to further stabilize the self-standing state, it is preferable to substantially align the vertical projection of the overall center of gravity of the handle portion and the riding board portion with the center of the outline formed by the grounding portion (fifth aspect). By aligning the center of gravity positions of the handle portion and the riding board portion in this way to ensure self-standing stability, it becomes possible to make the outline of the grounding portion narrower. Thus, the storage property of the kickboard is improved.

[0009] From the viewpoint of improving the storage property of the kickboard and further improving the design property during storage, in the self-standing state, the handle portion and the riding board portion can be overlapped (sixth aspect). A slider is provided between the pair of columns of the handle portion and the riding board portion. When folding the kickboard, the front end side of the riding board portion is slid along between the pair of columns of the handle portion toward the grip portion side. Thereby, the kickboard can be smoothly folded so that the rear wheel is positioned downward. As a result, in the self-standing state of the kickboard, the grip portion of the handle portion is located above the riding board portion, and the lower end of the vertical column of the handle portion is disposed below the riding board portion (seventh aspect). A part of the grounding portion may or may not be borne by the lower end of such a vertical column.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The kickboard 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a riding board portion 10 and a handle portion 40. In this example, for the sake of explanation, the riding board portion 10 has a frame structure composed of a longitudinal frame 11 and a transverse frame 12, but a wooden board or the like can be fixed to the upper surface of this frame structure. A receiving frame 13 is arranged at the front end of the riding board portion 10. This receiving frame 13 protrudes in the width direction from the longitudinal frame 11. The lower ends of the vertical columns 41, 41 of the handle portion 40 are engaged with this receiving frame 13. A front wheel 20 is attached to the front end of the riding board portion 10 so that its axis can tilt with respect to the front frame 21. The front frame 21 includes a pair of each of a lower frame 22, a vertical frame 23, a support frame 24, and a support plate 25.

[0012] The lower frame 22 protrudes horizontally forward from the front end of the riding board portion 10. The vertical frame 23 protrudes vertically upward from the front end of the riding board portion 10. The support frame 24 has a substantially U-shape and is connected to the lower frame 22 and the vertical frame 23, and a support plate 25 is fixed inside thereof. The support plate 25 pivotally supports the front wheel 20. Reference numeral 26 in the figure is a protective plate, which prevents the front wheel 20 from interfering with the user or others. A slider 27 is attached to the vertical frame 23. This slider 27 includes a hook portion 28 that slidably engages with the vertical columns 41, 41 of the handle portion 40.

[0013] A rear frame 31 is connected to the rear end of the boarding section 10, and a rear wheel 30 is pivotally supported by this rear frame 31. The rear frame 31 includes a pair of lower frames 32, support frames 34, support plates 35, and a receiving frame 36. The lower frame 32 projects horizontally rearward from the rear end of the boarding section 10. The support frame 34 has a substantially U-shape and is fixed to the upper surfaces of the boarding section 10 and the lower frame 32. The support plate 35 projects from the lower frame 32 and pivotally supports the rear wheel 30. The receiving frame 36 projects in the width direction of the boarding section 10 from the rear end and the upper end of the support frame 34. This receiving frame 36 engages with the lower ends of the vertical columns 41, 41 of the handle section 40 when stored (when the kickboard is folded). Reference numeral 37 in the figure is a protective plate, which prevents the user from interfering with the rear wheel 30.

[0014] The handle section 40 includes a pair of vertical columns 41, 41 and a gripping section 45. The vertical columns 41, 41 include main columns 42, 42 and slide columns 43, 43 inside thereof. The slide columns 43, 43 can project axially to an arbitrary length with respect to the main columns 42, 42 and are fixed at desired positions (the fixing mechanism is omitted). The gripping section 45 is a rectangular annular member installed at the upper ends of the vertical columns 41, 41, and is formed of a foamed resin or other soft material to soften the contact with the user. In this example, the lower end of the handle section 40 is attached to the boarding section 10, but depending on the type of kickboard, the lower end of the handle section 40 can also be attached to the support frame of the front wheel.

[0015] Note that the vertical columns 41, 41 and each frame constituting the boarding section 10, the front frame 21, and the rear frame 31 can be made of steel pipes or other metal materials or reinforced plastics. The front end side 47 of the gripping section 45 is inclined upward in FIG. 3. This is to make the gripping section 45 parallel to the floor surface (road surface) when the folded kickboard is in an inclined state as shown in FIG. 4.

[0016] Next, the operation of the kickboard 1 will be described. In the traveling state shown in FIG. 3, this kickboard 1 exhibits general-purpose operation. When the lock mechanism (not shown) of the slider 27 is released, the slider 27 becomes movable in the axial direction with respect to the vertical columns 41, 41. Once the slider 27 is displaced vertically with respect to the vertical columns 41, 41, the engagement between the vertical columns 41, 41 and the receiving frame 13 is disengaged. As a result, the vertical columns 41, 41 are separated from the riding plate portion 10, and the slider 27 becomes slidable above the vertical columns 41, 41 (on the grip portion 45 side).

[0017] FIG. 4 shows a state where the slider 27 is slid to a predetermined position of the vertical columns 41, 41 and fixed there. In this state, the riding plate portion 10 is not overlapped parallel to the vertical columns 41, 41, but is inclined at 10 degrees to 30 degrees, and the rear wheel 30 protrudes from the rear frame 31 and contacts the floor surface (road surface). The receiving frame indicated by reference numeral 13 can be used as the handle of the slider 27. By inclining the folded kickboard 1 in such a manner that the rear frame 31, particularly the receiving frame 36, does not contact the ground, the rear wheel 30 becomes movable, and a state suitable for transportation (dragging) is achieved.

[0018] FIG. 5 shows a state where the slider 27 is further slid toward the grip portion 45 side with respect to the vertical columns 41, 41. In this state, the riding plate portion 10 becomes parallel to the vertical columns 41, 41. The lower ends of the vertical columns 41, 41 engage with the receiving frame 36. The outer contour of the trailing edge of the rear frame 31 becomes the grounding portion. In the state of FIG. 5, the center of gravity of the handle portion 40 is on the left side in the drawing with respect to the vertical columns 41, 41 due to the influence of the grip portion 45. Therefore, the vertical projection of this center of gravity is located inside the grounding portion formed by the trailing edge of the rear frame 31. Here, the vertical projection refers to the position of the center of gravity that appears on the virtual plane when the center of gravity of the element is projected perpendicularly onto the virtual plane where the grounding portion is located. Similarly, the vertical projection of the center of gravity of the riding plate portion 10 is also located inside the above-described grounding portion due to the influence of the front wheel 20 and the rear wheel 30. Since the boarding section 10 equipped with the front wheels 20 and the rear wheels 30 is heavier than the handle section 40, it is preferable to arrange the vertical projection of the center of gravity of the boarding section 10 more preferentially on the center of the grounding section.

[0019] The present invention is not limited to the description of the embodiments and examples of the above invention. Without departing from the scope of the claims, various modifications that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art are also included in the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0020] 1 Kick Scooter 10 Boarding Section 20 Front Wheel 21 Front Frame 27 Slider 30 Rear Wheel 31 Rear Frame 40 Handle Section 41 Vertical Post 45 Grip Portion

Claims

1. A kickboard comprising a riding board portion having wheels at both ends and a handle portion, In the use state, the handle portion is erected, A kickboard in which, in a self-standing state with the rear wheel of the riding board portion facing downward, the vertical projection of the overall center of gravity of the riding board portion and the handle portion is contained within the outer contour formed by the grounding portion.

2. The kickboard according to claim 1, wherein the grounding portion is an edge on the rear side of the riding board portion and / or the lower end of the handle portion.

3. The kickboard according to claim 2, wherein a rear frame for the rear wheel is connected to the rear end of the riding board portion, and the rear edge of the rear frame serves as the grounding portion.

4. The kickboard according to claim 1, wherein in the self-standing state, both the vertical projection of the center of gravity of the riding board portion and the vertical projection of the center of gravity of the handle portion are located within the outer contour formed by the grounding portion.

5. The kickboard according to claim 1, wherein in the self-standing state, the vertical projection of the overall center of gravity of the handle portion and the riding board portion substantially coincides with the center of the outer contour formed by the grounding portion.

6. The kickboard according to claim 4, wherein in the self-standing state, the handle portion and the riding board portion overlap.

7. The handle portion includes a pair of vertical columns and a gripping portion connecting the upper sides of the pair of vertical columns, The kickboard according to claim 1, wherein in the self-standing state, the gripping portion is located above the riding board portion and the lower ends of the vertical columns are located below the riding board portion.

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