Suitcase caster

Abstract

Provide a casters for suitcases that are easy to assemble, stable in operation, and highly reliable. 【Solution means】The casters for suitcases include a caster bracket 1, roller bodies 2 attached to both lateral sides of the caster bracket via roller shafts 2-1, and a roller body locking assembly. The roller body locking assembly includes a brake component 3 disposed on the caster bracket and a traction component for pulling the brake component. The brake component has a locking head 30 that fits into a lock locking port 21 on the roller body. The brake component is combined with an elastic element 5. The brake component includes a drive bottom plate 31, there is a channel in the vertical axis mounting portion of the caster bracket, and the traction component is connected to the brake component via the channel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to accessories for cases and bags, and more specifically, to casters for suitcases.

Background Art

[0002] To prevent a suitcase from accidentally moving when it is stationary, a braking system is installed on the suitcase. Among them, a manually controlled handbrake system is a common design solution for suitcases, which controls the brake device of the caster through an operation part installed on the top of the case body to realize the braking of the caster. However, the existing braking mechanism of the caster of this type of suitcase adopts a swing brake frame, and generally has the problem of inconvenient assembly.

Summary of the Invention

[0003] Objective of the present invention: To overcome the defects of the prior art, the present invention provides a caster for a suitcase with a sliding brake part, which has the advantages of easy assembly, stable operation of the brake frame, and high reliability.

[0004] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides the following technical solutions.

[0005] A caster bracket, roller bodies mounted on both lateral sides of the caster bracket via roller shafts, and a roller body locking assembly for locking / unlocking the roller bodies. A plurality of locking engagement openings are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction on the roller bodies. The roller body locking assembly includes a brake component disposed on the caster bracket and a traction component for pulling the brake component. The brake component has a locking head that fits into the locking engagement opening, and the brake component is combined with an elastic element for driving the brake component to reset until the locking head exits from the locking engagement opening. There is a channel connected to the brake component at the longitudinal axis mounting portion of the caster bracket. The traction component is a suitcase caster connected to the brake component via the channel. The brake component is configured to be restricted by the caster bracket and slide in the longitudinal direction. The brake component includes a driving bottom plate, the traction component is connected to the driving bottom plate, and the driving bottom plate is provided with side vertical plates protruding longitudinally on both lateral sides corresponding to the axial direction of the roller shaft. The side vertical plates extend towards one side close to the roller shaft. The brake component is sleeved on the bottom of the caster bracket through the space between the two side vertical plates. The side vertical plates are fitted with the caster bracket in a positionable and guidable manner. The locking head is disposed on the side vertical plate.

[0006] Preferably, a guide post protrudes longitudinally on the driving bottom plate, a guide hole is provided at the bottom of the caster bracket, and the guide post is inserted into the guide hole and fitted in a guidable manner.

[0007] Preferably, the elastic element is a coil spring sleeved on the guide post. The guide hole has an enlarged-diameter spring positioning port. One end of the coil spring is supported by the driving bottom plate, the other end of the coil spring is inserted into the spring positioning port and supported by the caster bracket.

[0008] Preferably, a convex portion projects from a side wall of the side vertical plate near the caster bracket, and a concave mating surface lower than the convex portion is formed on a side surface of the convex portion. The caster bracket is provided with a boss corresponding to the position of the concave mating surface and a recess for placing the convex portion.

[0009] Preferably, a guide groove hole extending in the vertical direction is formed in the convex portion of the side vertical plate, a hook convex column is convexly provided inside the recess of the caster bracket, and the side vertical plate is configured to be restricted to slide with the caster bracket by inserting the hook convex column into the guide groove hole. A guide bump is protruding from the concave mating surface, a sliding guide groove is formed in the vertical direction in the boss of the caster bracket, and the guide bump is slidably fitted into the sliding guide groove.

[0010] Preferably, the guide bump is T-shaped with a large tip and a small root. Correspondingly, the sliding guide groove is a convex-shaped groove matching the shape of the guide bump. The sliding guide groove has a lower end opening, and the guide bump is slidably inserted into the sliding guide groove along the lower end opening.

[0011] Preferably, a pin shaft is inserted into the caster bracket, hook convex columns inserted into the guide groove holes are formed at both ends of the pin shaft. One end of the pin shaft has a head, and the other end has a limiting end formed by riveting. An avoidance concave surface is recessed at a position corresponding to the convex portion on the outer wall of the side vertical plate, and the head and the limiting end of the pin shaft are respectively placed on the corresponding avoidance concave surfaces of the side vertical plate.

[0012] Preferably, the guide bump and the guide groove hole are respectively located on both sides of the lock head.

[0013] Preferably, the width of the recess is adapted to the width of the convex portion to constitute a positioning guide for the convex portion.

[0014] Preferably, the traction component comprises a traction steel wire, a spherical enlarged end is provided at the end of the traction steel wire, an insertion hole is provided on the driving bottom plate, a wire hooking buckle is fixed in the insertion hole by a buckle, the wire hooking buckle includes a limiting dish portion and at least two buckle feet formed on the limiting dish portion, a hooking hole having a side opening is provided on the limiting dish portion, a concave port is provided in the hooking hole, the side opening of the hooking hole is connected corresponding to one interval between the two buckle feet, the traction steel wire is hooked into the hooking hole along the side opening, the spherical enlarged end is placed in the concave port and is fitted with the limiting dish portion in a stopable manner, and the wire hooking buckle is mounted on the insertion hole through the buckle feet.

[0015] By adopting the above technical solution, since the brake component is mounted on the bottom of the caster bracket and slides, the assembly of the brake component becomes more convenient, and the brake component operates stably and reliably in a sliding manner, ensuring a stable and highly reliable braking and unlocking operation.

[0016] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the present invention provides a caster for a suitcase. The caster for the suitcase includes a caster bracket 1, roller bodies 2 attached to both lateral sides of the caster bracket 1 via roller shafts 2-1, and a roller body locking assembly for locking / unlocking the roller bodies 2. A plurality of lock locking ports 21 are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction on the roller body 2. The roller body locking assembly includes a brake component 3 disposed on the caster bracket 1 and a traction component 4 for pulling the brake component 3. The brake component 3 has a lock head 30 that fits into the lock locking port 21. The brake component 3 is combined with an elastic element 5 for driving the brake component 3 to reset until the lock head 30 exits from the lock locking port 21. There is a channel 110 connected to the brake component on the vertical axis mounting portion 11 of the caster bracket 1. A hollow vertical axis 6 is inserted into the vertical axis mounting portion 11 of the caster bracket 1. The hollow cavity of the vertical axis 6 constitutes part (as shown in the figure of the embodiment) or all of the channel 110. The traction component 4 is connected to the brake component 3 via the channel 110. The brake component 3 is configured to be restricted by the caster bracket 1 and slide in the vertical direction (the direction of the X axis in the figure). The brake component 3 includes a driving bottom plate 31, and the traction component 4 is connected to the driving bottom plate 31. The driving bottom plate 31 is provided with side vertical plates 32 protruding in the vertical direction (the direction of the X axis in the figure) on both lateral sides corresponding to the axial direction of the roller shaft 2-1. The side vertical plates 32 extend toward one side close to the roller shaft 2-1 (for the sake of convenience, this direction is called the front y1, the opposite direction is called the rear y2, and the front-rear direction is the direction of the Y axis). The brake component 3 is sleeved on the bottom of the caster bracket 1 through the interval between the two side vertical plates 32, and the side vertical plates 32 are fitted with the caster bracket 1 in a positionable and guidable manner. The lock head 30 is disposed on the side vertical plate 32. The side vertical plate 32 realizes positioning and is simultaneously used for the arrangement of the lock head 30. The brake component 3 has a design with an enlarged overall stack, and is sleeved and assembled on the bottom of the roller bracket 1, so the assembly becomes more convenient.The two side vertical plates 32 are realized to be positionally guidable and fitted to the two lateral sides in the transverse direction of the roller bracket 1, ensuring that the brake component 3 slides stably and reliably, thereby ensuring the reliability of the brake operation.

[0019] To further improve the stability and reliability after the installation of the brake component, a guide post 311 projects vertically from the drive bottom plate 31, a guide hole 12 is provided at the bottom of the caster bracket 1, and the guide post 311 is inserted into the guide hole 12 and fitted in a guidable manner. To improve the stability of the brake component, a corresponding guide structure design is also adopted for the drive bottom plate 31. To ensure the compactness of the structure, the elastic element 5 is a coil spring sleeved on the guide post 311, and the guide hole 12 has an enlarged-diameter spring positioning port 121. One end of the coil spring is supported by the drive bottom plate 31, the other end of the coil spring is inserted into the spring positioning port 121 and supported by the caster bracket 1. In this way, the guide post also realizes the positioning installation of the elastic element 5 at the same time. In this embodiment, two guide posts 311 are designed at symmetric positions on both sides of the center of the drive bottom plate 31. Of course, one guide post can also be designed at the center.

[0020] In this embodiment, there are many structural designs in the prior art for realizing a sliding positioning guide. Under the guidance of the present invention, those skilled in the art can complete the corresponding normal selection design in combination with the prior art, such as using the positionable fit between the rail groove and the rail bump. However, in order to better adapt to the positioning in the caster, the following optimized design is adopted: a convex portion 321 protrudes from the side wall of the side vertical plate 32 close to the caster bracket 1, and a concave mating surface 322 lower than the convex portion 321 is formed on the side surface of the convex portion 321 accordingly. The caster bracket 1 is provided with a boss 13 corresponding to the position of the concave mating surface 322 and a concave portion 14 where the convex portion 321 is placed. The surfaces of the side vertical plate and the roller close to each other are uneven and adapted to each other, realizing the corresponding avoidance and uneven positioning. Preferably, by optimizing the width, the width of the concave portion 14 is adapted to the width of the convex portion 321, and the concave portion realizes the positioning and sliding guide for the convex portion.

[0021] More importantly, based on the above design, a guide groove hole 323 extending in the vertical direction is formed in the convex portion 321 of the side vertical plate 32, and a hook convex column 151 is convexly provided inside the concave portion 14 of the caster bracket 1. The hook convex column 151 is inserted into the guide groove hole 323 so that the side vertical plate 32 is restricted to slide on the caster bracket 1. A guide bump 324 protrudes from the concave mating surface 322, and a sliding guide groove 131 is formed in the boss 13 of the caster bracket 1 in the vertical direction. The guide bump 324 is slidably fitted into the sliding guide groove 131. By utilizing the position avoidance relationship of the above-mentioned convex portion, concave mating surface, boss and concave portion, and further adopting the design of the guide hole groove, hook convex column, guide bump and sliding guide groove at the corresponding positions, a compact and reliable sliding positioning design is realized, having a compact structure and a highly reliable guide fit between the side vertical plate 32 and the roller bracket. At the same time, by fitting the hook convex column 151 and the guide hole groove 323, the brake component 3 can be restricted on the roller bracket 1. Since the hook convex column is realized by a pin shaft, assembly becomes easy and the brake component can be firmly fixed to the roller bracket. Specifically, the pin shaft 15 is inserted into the roller bracket 1, hook convex columns 151 inserted into the guide hole groove 323 are formed at both ends of the pin shaft 15, a head 152 is provided at one end of the pin shaft 15, and a limiting end 153 is formed by riveting at the other end. In order to realize a compact structural design, an avoidance concave surface 325 is recessed on the outer wall of the side vertical plate 32 corresponding to the convex portion 321, and the head 152 and the limiting end portion 153 of the pin shaft are respectively arranged on the avoidance concave surface 325 of the corresponding side vertical plate 32.

[0022] Furthermore, the guide bump 324 is T-shaped with a large tip and a small root. Correspondingly, the sliding guide groove 131 is a convex-shaped groove matching the shape of the guide bump 324. The sliding guide groove 131 has a lower end opening, and the guide bump 324 is slidably inserted into the sliding guide groove 131 along the lower end opening 1311. Thereby, the arrangement direction of the two side vertical plates is restricted, and the brake component operates stably and reliably.

[0023] In order to ensure the stability of the position of the lock head 30 and the stability and reliability of the locking operation, the guide bump 324 and the guide groove 323 are respectively located on both sides of the lock head 30.

[0024] Here, the traction component may be a shaft-shaped component or a flexible rope or wire. In this embodiment, it is a bendable traction steel wire. In order to realize a convenient and reliable connection between the traction steel wire and the braking component, the following optimized design is adopted. The traction component 4 includes a traction steel wire 40, and a spherical enlarged end 41 is provided at the end of the traction steel wire 40. An insertion hole 312 is provided in the drive bottom plate 31, and a wire hook buckle 313 is fixed in the insertion hole 312 by a buckle. The wire hook buckle 313 includes a limiting plate portion 3131 and at least two buckle legs 3132 formed on the limiting plate portion 3131. A hook hole 3130 having a side opening is provided in the limiting plate portion 3131, and a recessed port is provided in the hook hole 3130. The side opening of the hook hole 3130 is connected corresponding to one interval between the two buckle legs 3132. The traction steel wire 40 is hooked into the hook hole 3130 along the side opening, and the spherical enlarged end 41 is placed in the recessed port and is fitted with the limiting plate portion 3131 in a stopable manner. The wire hook buckle 313 is mounted in the insertion hole via the buckle legs 3132. The traction steel wire is hooked into the hook hole along the side opening portion, and the spherical enlarged end is arranged in the recessed port to prevent the spherical enlarged end from protruding too much. The two buckle legs of the wire hook buckle are inserted into the insertion hole and fixed by a buckle. A side shield is realized through the hook hole to prevent the traction steel wire from escaping laterally. The disassembly and assembly of the traction steel wire are relatively convenient.

Claims

1. The roller body includes a caster bracket, a roller body attached to both lateral sides of the caster bracket via a roller shaft, and a roller body lock assembly for locking / unlocking the roller body, the roller body having a plurality of locking engagement openings evenly distributed along the circumferential direction, the roller body lock assembly includes a brake part arranged on the caster bracket and a traction part for towing the brake part, the brake part has a lock head that fits the locking engagement opening, the brake part is combined with an elastic element for driving to reset the brake part until the lock head is withdrawn from the locking engagement opening, and the vertical shaft mounting part of the caster bracket includes a brake part connected to the brake part. A suitcase caster having a channel and a towing part connected to a brake part through the channel, the brake part being configured to be restricted by a caster bracket and to slide vertically, the brake part having a driving bottom plate, the towing part being connected to the driving bottom plate, the driving bottom plate having side uprights protruding vertically on both lateral sides corresponding to the axial direction of a roller shaft, the side uprights extending toward one side closer to the roller shaft, the brake part being sleeved to the bottom of the caster bracket through a gap between the two side uprights, the side uprights fitting with the caster bracket so as to be positionally guided, and the lock head being disposed on the side uprights.

2. 2. The suitcase caster according to claim 1, wherein a guide post protrudes vertically from the driving bottom plate, a guide hole is provided at the bottom of the caster bracket, and the guide post is inserted into the guide hole to be fitted in a guiding manner.

3. 3. The suitcase caster according to claim 2, wherein the elastic element is a coil spring sleeved in the guide post, the guide hole has an enlarged spring positioning port, one end of the coil spring is supported by the driving bottom plate, and the other end of the coil spring is inserted into the spring positioning port and supported by the caster bracket.

4. A suitcase caster as described in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that a convex portion protrudes from a side wall of the side upright plate close to the caster bracket, a concave mating surface lower than the convex portion is correspondingly formed on the side surface of the convex portion, and the caster bracket is provided with a boss corresponding to the position of the concave mating surface and a concave portion in which the convex portion is placed.

5. 5. The caster for a suitcase according to claim 4, characterized in that a guide groove hole extending vertically is formed in the convex portion of the side upright plate, a hooking protrusion is provided on the inwardly protruding side of the concave portion of the caster bracket, and the hooking protrusion is inserted into the guide groove hole to restrict the side upright plate from sliding on the caster bracket, a guide bump is provided on the concave mating surface, a sliding guide groove is formed vertically in the boss of the caster bracket, and the guide bump is slidably fitted into the sliding guide groove.

6. The suitcase caster according to claim 5, characterized in that the guide bump is T-shaped with a large tip and a small base, and accordingly the sliding guide groove is a convex groove that matches the shape of the guide bump, the sliding guide groove has a lower end opening, and the guide bump is slidably inserted into the sliding guide groove along the lower end opening.

7. A caster for a suitcase as described in claim 5, characterized in that a pin shaft is inserted into the caster bracket, and both ends of the pin shaft are formed with hooking protrusions that are inserted into the guide groove holes, one end of the pin shaft has a head and the other end is riveted to form a limiting end, and an avoidance concave surface is recessed at a position corresponding to the convex portion of the outer wall of the side upright, and the head and limiting end of the pin shaft are each placed on the corresponding avoidance concave surface of the side upright.

8. 6. The suitcase caster according to claim 5, wherein the guide bump and the guide slot are located on both sides of the lock head, respectively.

9. 5. The suitcase caster according to claim 4, wherein the width of the recess is adapted to the width of the protrusion, and serves as a positioning guide for the protrusion.

10. 2. The suitcase caster according to claim 1, wherein the traction part comprises a traction wire, an end of the traction wire is provided with a spherical enlarged end, the driving bottom plate is provided with an insertion hole, a wire hook buckle is buckled and fixed in the insertion hole, the wire hook buckle includes a limiting plate and at least two buckle feet formed on the limiting plate, the limiting plate is provided with a hook hole with a side opening, the hook hole is provided with a recessed port, the side opening of the hook hole is connected corresponding to one interval between the two buckle feet, the traction wire is hooked into the hook hole along the side opening, the spherical enlarged end is placed in the recessed port and fits with the limiting plate in a stoppable manner, and the wire hook buckle is attached to the insertion hole through the buckle feet.

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