Foldable mobility scooter

Abstract

The folding mobility scooter (100) includes a chassis (1), a first support rod (2), a second support rod (3), a seat (4), a swing rod (5), and a locking member (6). The lower end of the first support rod (2) is pivotally attached to the chassis (1), and the upper end of the first support rod (2) is movably connected to the rear end of the seat (4). The second support rod (3) and the first support rod (2) are arranged to intersect and pivotally attached to each other in the center. The upper end of the second support rod (3) is pivotally attached to the front end of the seat (4), and the lower end of the second support rod (3) is pivotally attached to one end of the swing rod (5). The other end of the swing rod (5) is pivotally attached to the chassis (1). The locking member (6) is provided on the second support rod (3) and can engage with the chassis (1) and lock when the vehicle frame is unfolded. This foldable mobility scooter has the advantages of being easy to fold, easy to store and transport, and low-cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to a mobility scooter, and particularly to a foldable mobility scooter.

Background Art

[0002] To facilitate the going out of the elderly, many mobility scooters are currently on the market. These mobility scooters are classified into two types: non-foldable mobility scooters and foldable mobility scooters. However, each of the two types of mobility scooters has drawbacks. Non-foldable mobility scooters cannot be folded, so they occupy a large space when not in use, and storage and transportation are very inconvenient. Foldable mobility scooters can be folded into a small volume, and folding, storage, and transportation are very easy. However, since the vehicle body is provided with many rod-shaped folding mechanisms and locking mechanisms for realizing folding, the structure of the vehicle body is very complicated, assembly is very time-consuming, and the cost of the entire vehicle is extremely high. It is expensive for the elderly with low economic power and the penetration rate is also low.

Summary of the Invention

[0003] The object of this application is to provide a foldable mobility scooter that is easy to fold, easy to store and transport, and has a low cost.

[0004] To achieve the above objective, the folding mobility scooter according to the present invention includes a chassis, a first support rod, a second support rod, a seat, a swing rod, and a locking member, wherein the lower end of the first support rod is pivotally attached to the chassis, the upper end of the first support rod is movably connected to the rear end of the seat, the second support rod and the first support rod are arranged to intersect and pivotally attached to each other in their center, the upper end of the second support rod is pivotally attached to the front end of the seat, the lower end of the second support rod is pivotally attached to one end of the swing rod, the other end of the swing rod is pivotally attached to the chassis, and the locking member is provided on the second support rod and can engage with the chassis and lock when the vehicle frame is unfolded.

[0005] Compared to the prior art, the present invention provides a chassis equipped with a first support rod and a second support rod, the first and second support rods intersecting and pivotally connected, the seat portion provided between the first and second support rods, and the swing rod pivotally connected between the chassis and the second support rod, thereby allowing the first and second support rods to be movably deployed and folded relative to the chassis. When deployed, the first and second support rods can support the seat portion and are locked to the chassis by the locking member, resulting in a stable deployed state for the entire vehicle frame. When folded, the first and second support rods can move closer to each other from the chassis 1, resulting in a folded state. This effectively reduces the overall volume of the vehicle frame, making storage and transportation easier. Furthermore, when folding, it is only necessary to control one of the first support rod, second support rod, or swing rod, making folding simple and easy. Furthermore, the overall frame has fewer parts than existing folding mobility scooters, making assembly easier and thus lower in cost. This is advantageous for widespread adoption and improves the convenience of getting around for the elderly.

[0006] Preferably, the locking member is pivotally attached to the second support rod, and a hook portion is provided at one end of the locking member, and the chassis is provided with an engaging portion that engages with the hook portion. This facilitates the engagement connection between the locking member and the second support rod, improving the convenience of unfolding and folding operations, as well as improving stability and safety during use.

[0007] Specifically, the engaging portion is a pin.

[0008] Preferably, a third support rod is further included, one end of which is pivotally attached to the upper end of the first support rod, and the other end of which is pivotally attached to the rear end of the seat. By providing the third support rod, a deformable rectangle is formed by the upper section of the first support rod, the upper section of the second support rod, the seat, and the third support rod, thereby enabling deformable folding, resulting in a simple structure and ease of use.

[0009] Preferably, a sliding groove is provided at the rear end of the seat portion, extending in the front-rear direction, and the upper end of the first support rod is slidably mounted in the sliding groove via a sliding shaft. By providing the sliding groove and slidably engaging the first support rod with the sliding groove, a variable triangular structure is formed by the first support rod, the second support rod, and the seat portion, making it foldable, simple in structure, and easy to use.

[0010] Preferably, the folding mobility scooter further includes a reset member, which is provided between the second support rod and the locking member to maintain engagement between the locking member and the chassis. This prevents the locking member from unexpectedly detaching from the chassis and avoids the vehicle frame from unexpectedly folding, thereby improving stability and safety in use.

[0011] Specifically, a connecting base is fixedly provided at the lower end of the second support rod, and the reset member is connected to the connecting base. This ensures the stability of the connection between the reset member, the second support rod, and the locking member, and prevents interference.

[0012] Preferably, the folding mobility scooter further includes an elastic member, which is provided between the swing rod and the chassis such that the swing rod is held in place at the location where the swing rod is located when the body frame is unfolded. This prevents one or more of the first support rod, second support rod and swing rod from swinging unexpectedly, avoids the body frame from folding unexpectedly, and improves stability and safety when the body frame is unfolded.

[0013] Preferably, the folding mobility scooter further includes a steering rod provided at the front end of the chassis.

[0014] Specifically, the folding mobility scooter further includes a pivot base and an air spring, the pivot base being rotatably mounted at the front end of the chassis, the lower end of the steering rod being pivotally attached to the pivot base, the lower end of the air spring being pivotally attached to the pivot base, and the upper end of the air spring being pivotally attached to a connecting tab of the steering rod. By providing the air spring and utilizing its expandable and contractible properties, a variable triangular structure is formed between the steering rod, the pivot base, and the air spring, allowing the steering rod to be folded closer to the chassis, thereby reducing the volume occupied by the vehicle frame and improving convenience for storage and transport. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the foldable mobility scooter related to the present invention. [Figure 2]This is a perspective view of the foldable mobility scooter related to the present invention, seen from a different angle. [Figure 3] This is a side view of the foldable mobility scooter according to the present invention when it is unfolded. [Figure 4] This is an enlarged view of section A in Figure 2. [Figure 5] This diagram shows the swing state of each rod when the folding mobility scooter according to the present invention is folded. [Figure 6] This figure shows the folding mobility scooter according to the present invention in its folded state. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] In order to explain in detail the technical content, structural features, and effects achieved by this application, the following description will be based on embodiments and accompanied by the attached drawings.

[0017] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the folding mobility scooter 100 of the present invention comprises a chassis 1, a first support rod 2, a second support rod 3, a seat 4, a swing rod 5, and a rocking member 6. The first support rod 2, the second support rod 3, the swing rod 5, and the rocking member 6 are each symmetrically provided on both sides of the chassis 1 and jointly support the seat 4. The chassis 1 is a fixed bracket connected and fixed by a plurality of rods, with front wheels 11 provided on opposing sides of the front end of the chassis 1 and rear wheels 12 provided on opposing sides of the rear end of the chassis 1. The lower end of the first support rod 2 is pivotally attached to the chassis 1, with the pivot axis being a, and the upper end of the first support rod 2 is movably connected to the rear end of the seat 4. A backrest plate 41 is pivotally attached to the rear end of the seat 4. The second support rod 3 and the first support rod 2 are arranged to intersect and are pivotally connected to each other at their center, with pivot axis b. The upper end of the second support rod 3 is pivotally connected to the front end of the seat portion 4, with pivot axis c. The lower end of the second support rod 3 is pivotally connected to one end of the swing rod 5, with pivot axis d, and pivot axis d is located at the rear end of pivot axis a. The other end of the swing rod 5 is pivotally connected to the chassis 1, with pivot axis e. The locking member 6 is provided on the second support rod 3 and can engage with and lock the chassis 1 when the vehicle frame is deployed.

[0018] Referring again to Figure 3, the folding mobility scooter 100 further includes a third support rod 7, one end of which is pivotally attached to the upper end of the first support rod 2, with pivot axis f, and the other end of which is pivotally attached to the rear end of the seat portion 4, with pivot axis g. By providing the third support rod 7, a deformable rectangular structure is formed by the upper part of the first support rod 2, the upper part of the second support rod 3, the seat portion 4, and the third support rod 7, thereby enabling deformable folding, resulting in a simple structure and ease of use.

[0019] As shown again in Figure 3, the locking member 6 is pivotally attached to the lower end of the second support rod 3. Specifically, the pivot axis of the locking member 6 pivotally attached to the second support rod 3 is coaxial with the pivot axis d of the second support rod 3 and the swing rod 5, and a hook portion 61 is provided at one end of the locking member 6, and an engaging portion 13 that engages with the hook portion 61 is provided on the outside of the chassis 1. Specifically, the engaging portion 13 is a pin. The hook portion 61 engages with the pin. This facilitates the engagement connection between the locking member 6 and the second support rod 3, improving the convenience of deployment and folding operations, as well as improving stability and safety during use. Furthermore, an operating lever 130 is connected between the two locking members 6 on opposite sides of the chassis 1, and by operating the operating lever 130, the locking members 6 can be driven simultaneously to lock or unlock, improving convenience of use.

[0020] Referring to Figures 2 and 4, the folding mobility scooter 100 further includes a reset member 8, which is provided between the second support rod 3 and the locking member 6 to maintain engagement between the locking member 6 and the chassis 1. The reset member 8 is a tension spring. This prevents the locking member 6 from unexpectedly detaching from the chassis 1, avoiding the vehicle frame from unexpectedly folding, thereby improving stability and safety in use. Specifically, a connecting base 31 is fixedly provided at the lower end of the second support rod 3, and the reset member 8 is connected to the connecting base 31. This ensures stability of the connection between the reset member 8 and the second support rod 3 and the locking member 6, and avoids interference.

[0021] Referring again to FIGS. 2 and 4, the folding mobility scooter 100 further includes an elastic member 9. The elastic member 9 is provided between the swing rod 5 and the chassis 1 such that the swing rod 5 is held at a location where the swing rod 5 is located when the vehicle body frame is deployed. The elastic member 9 is a tension spring. One end of the tension spring is connected to a first tab portion 51 inside the swing rod 5, and the other end is connected to a second tab portion 14 inside the chassis 1. Thereby, it is possible to prevent one or more of the first support rod 2, the second support rod 3, and the swing rod 5 from swinging unexpectedly, avoid the vehicle body frame from folding unexpectedly, and improve the stability and safety when the vehicle body frame is deployed.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the folding mobility scooter 100 further includes a steering rod 10, a rotating base 110, and an air spring 120. The steering rod 10 is provided at the front end of the chassis 1. The rotating base 110 is rotatably provided at the front end of the chassis 1, and the lower end of the steering rod 10 is pivotally attached to the front end of the rotating base 110. The lower end of the air spring 120 is pivotally attached to the rear end of the rotating base 110, and the upper end of the air spring 120 is pivotally attached to a connecting tab 101 of the steering rod 10. By providing the air spring 120 and utilizing the expandable and contractible characteristics of the air spring 120, a variable triangular structure is formed among the steering rod 10, the rotating base 110, and the air spring 120, so that the steering rod 10 can be folded closer to the chassis 1, reducing the occupied volume of the vehicle body frame and improving the convenience of storage and transportation.

[0023] In summary, referring to Figures 3, 5, and 6, when folding the folding mobility scooter 100, first, the operating lever 130 is pulled, and the locking member 6 rotates around the pivot axis h in conjunction with the operating lever 130, thereby disengaging the hook portion 61 of the locking member 6 from the pin. At this time, the lock between the second support rod 3 and the chassis 1 is released. Further pulling the operating lever 130 backward causes the swing rod 5 to swing backward around the pivot axis e, and at the same time, the lower end of the second support rod 3 also swings backward. As a result, the first support rod 2 and the second support rod 3 move closer to the chassis 1. Simultaneously, the third support rod 7 swings in conjunction with the first support rod 2, and the seat portion 4 moves closer to the chassis 1 through the cooperation of the first support rod 2 and the third support rod 7. After the first support rod 2, the second support rod 3, and the seat portion 4 are folded so that they are completely close to the chassis 1, the backrest plate 41 on the seat portion 4 is pressed so that it folds closer to the seat portion 4. Finally, by pressing the air spring 120, the length of the air spring 120 is reduced, causing the steering rod 10 to fold closer to the chassis 1. In this way, the folding mobility scooter 100 can be completely folded. If it is necessary to unfold it, the above operations are simply reversed, and finally, by engaging the locking member 6 with the pin, the folding mobility scooter 100 can be unfolded and locked.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, in the present application, a first support rod 2 and a second support rod 3 are provided on the chassis 1. The first support rod 2 and the second support rod 3 are cross-mounted pivotally, and the seat portion 4 is provided between the first support rod 2 and the second support rod 3. Further, the swing rod 5 is pivotally mounted between the chassis 1 and the second support rod 3. Thus, the first support rod 2 and the second support rod 3 can be deployed and folded movably with respect to the chassis 1. When deployed, the first support rod 2 and the second support rod 3 can support the seat portion 4 and be locked to the chassis 1 by the locking member 6, so that the entire vehicle body frame is in a stable deployed use state. When folded, the first support rod 2 and the second support rod 3 can approach each other on the chassis 1 to be in a folded state. Thereby, the volume of the entire vehicle body frame is effectively reduced, facilitating storage and transportation. Also, when folding, it is only necessary to control any one of the first support rod 2, the second support rod 3, and the swing rod 5, and the folding is simple and easy. Furthermore, the components of the entire vehicle body frame are fewer than those of existing folding mobility scooters and the assembly is simpler, so the cost is lower than that of existing folding mobility scooters. This is advantageous for wide spread and use, improving the convenience of the elderly going out.

[0025] Also, in another embodiment, a slide groove is provided along the front-rear direction at the rear end of the seat portion 4, and the upper end of the first support rod 2 is provided slidably in the slide groove via a slide shaft. By providing the slide groove and engaging the first support rod 2 slidably with the slide groove, a variable triangular structure is formed by the first support rod 2, the second support rod 3, and the seat portion 4, enabling folding, with a simple structure and easy use.

[0026] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present application and do not limit the scope of the claims of the present application. Therefore, modifications made by equivalents based on the scope of the claims of the present application are still included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. It includes a chassis, a first support rod, a second support rod, a seat, a swing rod, and a rocking member. The lower end of the first support rod is pivotally attached to the chassis, and the upper end of the first support rod is movably connected to the rear end of the seat portion. The second support rod and the first support rod are arranged to intersect and are pivotally connected to each other at their center. The upper end of the second support rod is pivotally attached to the front end of the seat portion, and the lower end of the second support rod is pivotally attached to one end of the swing rod. The other end of the swing rod is pivotally attached to the chassis. The locking member is provided on the second support rod and can engage with and lock the chassis when the vehicle frame is deployed. A foldable mobility scooter characterized by the following features.

2. The locking member is pivotally attached to the second support rod, and a hook portion is provided at one end of the locking member. The chassis is provided with an engaging portion that engages with the hook portion. The foldable mobility scooter according to feature 1.

3. The engaging portion is a pin. The foldable mobility scooter according to feature 2.

4. The third support rod is further included, one end of which is pivotally attached to the upper end of the first support rod, and the other end of which is pivotally attached to the rear end of the seat portion. The foldable mobility scooter according to feature 1.

5. A sliding groove is provided at the rear end of the seat portion, extending in the front-rear direction, and the upper end of the first support rod is slidably mounted in the sliding groove via a sliding shaft. The foldable mobility scooter according to feature 1.

6. The system further includes a reset member, the reset member being provided between the second support rod and the locking member to maintain engagement between the locking member and the chassis. The foldable mobility scooter according to feature 1.

7. A connecting base is fixedly provided at the lower end of the second support rod, and the reset member is connected to the connecting base. The foldable mobility scooter according to feature 6.

8. The structure further includes an elastic member, which is provided between the swing rod and the chassis such that the swing rod is held in place at the location where the swing rod is positioned when the vehicle frame is deployed. The foldable mobility scooter according to feature 1.

9. The steering rod is further provided at the front end of the chassis. The foldable mobility scooter according to feature 1.

10. It further includes a rotating base and an air spring, The pivot base is rotatably mounted at the front end of the chassis, and the lower end of the steering rod is pivotally attached to the pivot base. The lower end of the air spring is pivotally attached to the rotating base, and the upper end of the air spring is pivotally attached to the connecting tab of the steering rod. The folding mobility scooter according to feature 9.

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