Tire set and the wheels attached to it

Abstract

The objective is to provide a tire set that enhances handling performance during use while enabling efficient integration of the wheel and shaft when not in use. [Solution] A tire set X comprising a wheel 1 used on a handcart V, a shaft 2 for rotatably attaching the wheel 1 to the handcart V, and a tire 3 mounted on the wheel 1, wherein the wheel 1 has a rim portion 11 on which the tire 3 is mounted, a mounting portion 12 to which the shaft 2 is attached, and a housing space 13 in which the shaft 2 is housed, the housing space 13 being interposed between the rim portion 11 and the mounting portion 12.

Description

Technical Field

[0005] , ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a tire set including a wheel and a tire used for a wheelbarrow.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a wheelbarrow (see FIG. 8) having a loading platform has been used to transport earth and sand, fertilizers, agricultural implements, building materials, etc.

[0003] Such a wheelbarrow often travels on an unpaved road such as a gravel road with heavy loads loaded on the loading platform, so the tires are likely to wear out. In addition, wheelbarrows are often parked outdoors, and the tires and wheels are easily exposed to rain, wind, and ultraviolet rays. For these reasons, the tires and wheels provided on the wheelbarrow are likely to deteriorate and need to be replaced frequently. In particular, many replacement tire sets including tires and wheels to be attached to wheelbarrows have been proposed. <00000​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​[Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] Incidentally, in the tire sets described in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2, which include tires, wheels, and shafts, the wheel and shaft are separate components. Therefore, when the tire sets are not mounted on a handcart, such as when sold in retail stores, the shaft is attached to the wheel with the tire mounted on it to prevent loss of the shaft.

[0007] However, while it is possible to package a wheel with a tire attached and a shaft together using packaging materials, this would require additional packaging materials, leading to increased manufacturing and sales costs.

[0008] Furthermore, while it is possible to integrate the wheel with the tire attached and the shaft by inserting the shaft into the wheel hole where the shaft is inserted, the shaft protrudes from the wheel, resulting in wasted space when transporting or storing multiple tire sets, leading to increased transportation and storage costs.

[0009] This invention was made in view of the above-described circumstances, and aims to provide a tire set that improves handling performance during use while enabling efficient integration of the wheel and shaft with the tire attached when not in use. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention, for solving the above problems, is a tire set comprising a wheel used in a handcart, a shaft for rotatably attaching the wheel to the handcart, and a tire mounted on the wheel, wherein the wheel has a rim portion on which the tire is mounted, a mounting portion to which the shaft is attached, and a housing space for housing the shaft, the housing space being interposed between the rim portion and the mounting portion.

[0011] According to the present invention, since the shaft can be housed in the accommodation space interposed between the rim portion and the mounting portion, it is possible to space-efficiently integrate the wheel with the tire attached and the shaft when not in use. Furthermore, because the storage space is located between the rim and the mounting section, the wheel can be kept compact while still providing storage space.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the accommodation space is configured to accommodate a plurality of shafts. This configuration makes it possible to accommodate a single shaft in the storage space at multiple locations. Additionally, it will be possible to accommodate a spare shaft.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the accommodation space is formed in an annular shape in plan view. This configuration allows the shaft to be housed in the storage space regardless of the orientation of the wheel in a plan view.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the tire includes a reference plane that includes the highest point in a side view, and the housing space is configured such that, in a side view, the height of the shaft when the shaft is housed in the housing space is lower than the height from the bottom surface of the housing space to the reference plane. This configuration makes it possible to stack wheel sets, with the shafts housed in the storage space, on top of other wheel sets.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the housing space is provided with a fixing portion for attaching the shaft. This configuration prevents the shaft from being ejected from the containment space.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fixing portion includes a fixing hole and an elongated member for locking the shaft into the fixing hole. With such a configuration, it becomes possible to attach and detach the shaft without using tools or the like.

[0017] In a preferred form of the present invention, the accommodation space includes an outer connection portion that is connected to the rim portion and is circular in a plan view, and a plurality of fixing holes are provided. A pair of adjacent fixing holes are arranged at an interval shorter than the length of the shaft, and among the chords of the outer connection portion that contact both of a pair of adjacent fixing holes, the shorter chord is formed longer than the length of the shaft. With such a configuration, the shaft can be arranged on a pair of adjacent fixing holes, and the distance between the fixing holes and the shaft becomes short. Therefore, it becomes possible to fix the shaft more firmly with a long member.

[0018] Another aspect of the present invention is a wheel of a tire set including a shaft for rotatably attaching a wheel to the handcart, and a tire attached to the wheel, the tire having a rim portion to which the tire is attached, a mounting portion to which the shaft is attached, and an accommodation space in which the shaft is accommodated, and the accommodation space is a wheel interposed between the rim portion and the mounting portion.

Advantages of the Invention

[0019] According to the present invention, by accommodating the shaft in the accommodation space, it is possible to provide a tire set that can integrally combine the wheel with the shaft in a space-efficient manner when not in use, with the tire mounted on the wheel.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020] [Figure 1] It is a perspective view of a tire set according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is an exploded view of a tire set according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view of a wheel and a long member. [Figure 3] It is a plan view of a tire set according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4]These are a cross-sectional view of line A-A' and an enlarged view of the A-A' cross-section of a tire set according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is an exploded view of a tire set according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view of the tire and shaft. [Figure 6] This is a diagram illustrating a method of using a tire set according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a diagram illustrating a method of using a tire set according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a perspective view of a conventional hand truck with a loading platform. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0021] <This embodiment> The tire set according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 7. The embodiments shown below are examples of the present invention and are not limited to these embodiments. In these figures, the reference numeral X indicates a tire set according to this embodiment. Additionally, dashed lines indicate virtual lines, and wavy lines indicate the omission of the drawing area.

[0022] <Structure> As shown in Figure 1, the tire set X comprises a wheel 1 used on a handcart V (see Figure 6), a shaft 2 for rotatably attaching the wheel 1 to the handcart V, and a tire 3 mounted on the wheel 1. In this embodiment, the handcart V is a wheelbarrow used for transporting goods, but the number of wheels is not particularly limited. Furthermore, the handcart V may be equipped with a power source such as an engine or motor to assist the user's propulsion.

[0023] As shown in Figure 2 or Figure 3, the wheel 1 has a rim portion 11 on which the tire 3 (see Figure 1) is mounted, a mounting portion 12 on which the shaft 2 is attached, and a housing space 13 in which the shaft 2 is housed.

[0024] Wheel 1 is preferably a steel wheel, but its material is not particularly limited as long as it has sufficient strength to withstand use as a wheel.

[0025] The mounting portion 12 includes a mounting portion body 121 to which the shaft 2 is attached, and a raised portion 122 that surrounds the mounting portion body 121.

[0026] The mounting body 121 has a through hole H along the height direction. More specifically, the diameter of the through hole H is formed to be slightly larger than the diameter of the shaft body 21 (see Figure 5), which will be described later. This makes it possible to rotatably attach the wheel 1, to which the tire 3 is attached, to the handcart V via the shaft 2.

[0027] Furthermore, a bearing (not shown) is provided in the through hole H. This allows wheel 1 to rotate more smoothly.

[0028] The raised portion 122 extends from the inner connecting portion 13i, which will be described later, around the mounting portion body 121, forming a dome shape. This improves the strength of the mounting body 121, and because the center of gravity of the wheel 1 is positioned at the center of the wheel 1 in a plan view, the tire set X mounted on the handcart V (see Figure 6) can rotate and move more stably.

[0029] The storage space 13 is interposed between the rim portion 11 and the mounting portion 12. In this embodiment, the storage space 13 is the space enclosed between the bottom surface 13c of the storage space 13 (see Figure 4(a)), the rim portion 11 erected on the bottom surface 13c of the storage space 13, the mounting portion 12 including the raised portion 122, and the reference surface S of the tire 3, which will be described later.

[0030] Furthermore, the storage space 13 is formed in a ring shape when viewed from above. More preferably, the bottom surface 13c of the storage space 13 is plate-shaped, and the width of the ring is formed to be smaller than the diameter of the raised portion 122. This maintains the strength of the wheel 1.

[0031] Furthermore, the storage space 13 includes an outer connecting portion 13o that is connected to the rim portion 11 and has a circular shape in plan view, and an inner connecting portion 13i that is connected to the mounting portion 12 and has a circular shape in plan view.

[0032] The storage space 13 is provided with a fixing part 131 for attaching the shaft 2 (see Figure 1).

[0033] As shown in Figure 3 or Figure 4, the fixing portion 131 includes a fixing hole 131a and a long member 131b for locking the shaft 2 into the fixing hole 131a.

[0034] Multiple fixing holes 131a are provided. More specifically, the multiple fixing holes 131a are arranged at equal intervals along the inner connection portion 13i. As a result, the center of gravity of wheel 1 is positioned at the center of wheel 1 in a plan view, allowing the tire set X mounted on the handcart V (see Figure 6) to rotate and move more stably.

[0035] Furthermore, of the strings s1 and s2 of the outer connecting portion 13o that contact both adjacent fixing holes 131a, the length of the shorter string s1 is formed to be longer than the length h0 of the shaft 2. Similarly, the length of the longer string s2 is formed to be longer than the length h0 of the shaft 2.

[0036] As shown in Figure 4(a), the adjacent pair of fixing holes 131a are arranged with a spacing i0 shorter than the length h0 of the shaft 2.

[0037] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4(b), the storage space 13 is configured such that, in a side view, the height h1 of the shaft 2 when it is housed in the storage space 13 is lower than the height i1 from the bottom surface 13c of the storage space 13 to the reference surface S including the top 3p of the tire 3. More preferably, in a side view, the height of the nut 22 when the shaft 2 is housed in the housing space 13 is lower than the height i1 from the bottom surface 13c of the housing space 13 to the tire 3. In this way, as shown in Figure 7, it becomes possible to stack the tire sets X vertically with the shaft 2 housed in the storage space 13.

[0038] The elongated member 131b is a member whose length is sufficiently long relative to its diameter, and is, for example, an elastic rubber band. This makes it possible to attach the shaft 2 to the wheel 1 more securely. The long member 131b is preferably made of an elastic rubber band or elastic cord, a cable tie that is easy to adjust in length, or a wire that can be firmly fixed. However, it is not particularly limited to any member that has enough length and flexibility to wrap the shaft body 21 (described later) around the wheel 1 via the fixing hole 131a.

[0039] As shown in Figure 5(a), the shaft 2 has a shaft body 21 and a nut 22.

[0040] The shaft body 21 is provided with threaded portions (not shown) at both ends for screwing in nuts 22.

[0041] The outer diameter of the nut 22 is formed to be larger than the diameter of the through hole H (see Figure 2) and the wheel bearing portion V1. This makes it possible to fix the shaft body 21, which is inserted into the through hole H, to the wheel bearing portion V1 of the wheelbarrow V (see Figure 6).

[0042] As shown in Figure 5(b), tire 3 is a puncture-proof tire with rubber filling inside. This prevents tire 3 from puncturing, allowing tire set X to be used for a longer period of time.

[0043] As shown in Figure 4(a) or Figure 4(b), the tire 3 includes its highest point 3p in a side view. Furthermore, the reference plane S includes the highest point 3p and is formed horizontally.

[0044] <How to use> When attaching or detaching the tire set X to the handcart V, the procedure is the same as that for conventional tire sets (for example, the tire sets described in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2 above). To put it simply, when attaching the tire set X to the handcart V, the user inserts the shaft 2 into the through hole H of the wheel 1. Next, the user uses a tool such as a nut driver or monkey wrench to loosen the nut 22 on shaft 2, attach the tire set X to the wheel bearing section V1 of the wheelbarrow V, and tighten the nut 22.

[0045] When fixing the shaft 2 in the storage space 13, the user first places the shaft 2 in the storage space 13 in a position that covers the two adjacent fixing holes 131a.

[0046] Next, as shown in Figure 4(a), the user passes the long member 131b through the fixing hole 131a and wraps the long member 131b around the shaft 2.

[0047] Next, the user ties or fastens the long member 131b in a manner that suits the user's preferences, needs at the time, and the characteristics of the long member 131b.

[0048] In this way, as shown in Figure 1, the unused shaft 2 can be housed and fixed in the storage space 13. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, it is possible to stack tire sets X with shafts 2 housed in the storage space 13 on top of other tire sets X.

[0049] When removing the shaft 2 from the housing space 13, it can be removed by following the reverse procedure of the procedure used to house the shaft 2 in the housing space 13.

[0050] <Effects> According to this embodiment, the wheel 1 has a housing space 13 in which the shaft 2 is housed, and the housing space 13 is interposed between the rim portion 11 and the mounting portion 12, making it possible to house the shaft 2 in the housing space 13 interposed between the rim portion 11 and the mounting portion 12, and when not in use, the wheel 1 with the tire 3 attached and the shaft 2 can be space-efficiently integrated into one unit. Furthermore, since the storage space 13 is interposed between the rim portion 11 and the mounting portion 12, the wheel 1 can be kept compact while still having the storage space 13.

[0051] Furthermore, since the storage space 13 is configured to accommodate multiple shafts 2, it is possible to accommodate one shaft 2 in the storage space 13 at multiple locations. In addition, it is possible to accommodate a spare shaft (for example, another shaft similar to shaft 2).

[0052] Furthermore, because the storage space 13 is formed in an annular shape in plan view, the shaft 2 can be accommodated in the storage space 13 regardless of the orientation of the wheel 1 in plan view.

[0053] Furthermore, the storage space 13 is configured such that, in a side view, when the shaft 2 is housed in the storage space 13, the height from the bottom surface 13c of the storage space 13 to the shaft 2 is lower than the height i1 from the bottom surface 13c of the storage space 13 to the reference surface S of the tire 3. This makes it possible to stack a tire set X with the shaft 2 housed in the storage space 13 on top of other tire sets X.

[0054] Furthermore, the storage space 13 is provided with a fixing part 131 for attaching the shaft 2, thereby preventing the shaft 2 from being released from the storage space 13.

[0055] Furthermore, since the fixing part 131 includes a fixing hole 131a and a long member 131b for locking the shaft 2 into the fixing hole 131a, the shaft 2 can be attached to and detached from the housing space 13 without using any tools.

[0056] Furthermore, the housing space 13 includes an outer connecting portion 13o that is circular in shape in plan view and is connected to the rim portion 11, and is provided with a plurality of fixing holes 131a, with adjacent pairs of fixing holes 131a spaced at intervals shorter than the length h0 of the shaft 2, and of the chords s1 and s2 of the outer connecting portion 13o that are in contact with both adjacent pairs of fixing holes 131a, the shorter chord s1 is formed to be longer than the length h0 of the shaft 2. This configuration allows the shaft 2 to be positioned on a pair of adjacent fixing holes 131a, and since the distance between the fixing holes 131a and the shaft 2 is shortened, the shaft 2 can be more firmly fixed by the elongated member 131b.

[0057] <Example of changes> The shapes and dimensions of the components shown in the above embodiment are merely examples and can be modified in various ways based on design requirements, etc.

[0058] For example, the fixing part 131 may be a hook (not shown) provided in the storage space 13. This prevents the loss of the fixing part 131 when the shaft 2 is attached to the handcart V.

[0059] For example, the long member 131b may be a cable tie. This method allows the shaft 2 to be firmly fixed to the wheel 1 with a single wrap. Furthermore, even if the long member 131b is wrapped around the shaft 2 for a long period of time, it will not stretch as easily as a rubber band or elastic cord.

[0060] For example, tire 3 may be a pneumatic tire. This allows the handcart V to travel more stably by suppressing impacts from rough roads and bumps.

[0061] In addition, for example, wheel 1 may have a valve for filling tire 3 with a gas such as air or nitrogen. This makes it possible to adjust the amount of gas, such as air or nitrogen, that is filled inside the tire 3.

[0062] For example, wheel 1 may have two wheel components (not shown), and the two wheel components may be fixed together by fastening means (not shown) such as bolts and nuts. This makes it possible to disassemble wheel 1 into its individual components, making it easier to replace tire 3. Furthermore, if only one wheel component corrodes or breaks, it is not necessary to replace the entire wheel; only that component needs to be replaced, thus reducing replacement costs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] X Tire Set 1 Wheel 11 Rim section 12 Mounting part 121 Mounting part body 122 Ridge H through hole 13 Containment Space 13c Bottom 13o Outer connection 13i Inner connection 131 Fixed part 131a Fixing hole 131b Long member 2 shafts 21 Shaft body 22 nuts 3 tires threesome top S reference plane V Handcart

Claims

1. A tire set comprising a wheel used in a handcart, a shaft for rotatably attaching the wheel to the handcart, and a tire mounted on the wheel, The wheel has a rim portion on which the tire is mounted, a mounting portion on which the shaft is attached, and a housing space on which the shaft is housed. The aforementioned storage space is a tire set interposed between the rim portion and the mounting portion.

2. The tire set according to claim 1, wherein the storage space is configured to accommodate a plurality of shafts.

3. The tire set according to claim 2, wherein the storage space is formed in an annular shape in plan view.

4. The tire includes a reference plane that includes the highest point in a side view, The tire set according to claim 1, wherein the storage space is configured such that, in a side view, the height of the shaft when the shaft is housed in the storage space is lower than the height from the bottom surface of the storage space to the reference surface.

5. The tire set according to claim 1, wherein the storage space is provided with a fixing part for attaching the shaft.

6. The tire set according to claim 5, wherein the fixing portion includes a fixing hole and an elongated member for locking the shaft into the fixing hole.

7. The aforementioned storage space includes an outer connecting portion that is connected to the rim portion and has a circular shape in plan view, Multiple fixing holes are provided. The adjacent pair of fixing holes are arranged at a distance shorter than the length of the shaft, Of the strings of the outer connecting portion that contact both of the adjacent pair of fixing holes, the shorter string is formed to be longer than the axial length of the shaft. The tire set according to claim 6.

8. A wheel of a tire set comprising a shaft for rotatably attaching the wheel to a handcart, and a tire mounted on the wheel, It has a rim portion on which the tire is mounted, a mounting portion on which the shaft is attached, and a housing space on which the shaft is housed, The aforementioned housing space is a wheel interposed between the rim portion and the mounting portion.

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