Carrier device and vehicle-holding vehicle

Abstract

A carrying device and a vehicle capable of carrying a vehicle. The carrying device can be mounted on a first vehicle to carry a second vehicle, and includes: a support member having a plurality of receiving elements for supporting the second vehicle; and a boom member coupled to the support member and located between the plurality of receiving elements. The boom member further includes: a carrying element configured to hold the second vehicle; a first rotating element coupled to the carrying element and configured to rotate the carrying element along a first rotation axis; a first locking element configured to control whether the first rotating element allows rotation of the carrying element along the first rotation axis; and a column element coupled to the first rotating element and a pivot control element of the support member. The pivot control element is perpendicular to the first rotation axis, and the column element is pivotally rotatable about the pivot control element of the support member to allow the boom member to rotate between loading and unloading positions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a carrying device and a means of transportation, and more specifically, to a means of transportation capable of carrying a vehicle. Prior Technology

[0002] The development of load-bearing devices (such as bicycle frames) for carrying items and mounting on vehicles is progressing rapidly. Typically, rear-mounted load-bearing devices are used as bicycle frames configured to carry one or more bicycles. However, the increasing popularity of new types of electric bicycles (e-bikes) in recent years has created a demand for new bicycle frames. These new e-bikes are heavier than traditional bicycles and more difficult to mount onto frames. Furthermore, due to the integration of batteries within the frame, these e-bikes are also wider than traditional bicycles.

[0003] Therefore, the need for a technological solution to assist users in loading bicycles is becoming increasingly important. A ramp device for loading bicycles by the wheels can be one solution. However, the use of ramp devices still presents difficulties because the vertical support arms of the bicycle frame can obstruct the movement of the bicycle. Therefore, different types of bicycle frames remain a necessary requirement to allow users to easily and effortlessly load their bicycles onto their vehicles.

[0004] Furthermore, when a vehicle brakes suddenly or accelerates rapidly, objects on the vehicle often tilt forward or slide backward due to inertia. Therefore, when a bicycle is loaded onto a vehicle (e.g., on the top or back), it will also tilt or slide due to inertia. Moreover, because electric bicycles are significantly heavier than traditional bicycles, the degree of forward tilting or backward sliding due to inertia is greater for electric bicycles than for traditional bicycles. Therefore, different types of bicycle frames are necessary to securely load the bicycle onto the vehicle. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In some embodiments of this disclosure, a carrying device can be mounted on a first vehicle to carry a second vehicle different from the first vehicle. Furthermore, the carrying device can be mounted on the first vehicle to form a means of transport capable of carrying vehicles.

[0006] In a first aspect of this disclosure, a carrying device is available for mounting on a first vehicle to hold a second vehicle different from the first vehicle. The carrying device includes: a support member having a plurality of receiving elements for supporting the second vehicle; and an arm member coupled to the support member and located between the plurality of receiving elements. The arm member further includes: a carrying element configured to hold the second vehicle; a first rotating element coupled to the carrying element and configured to rotate the carrying element along a first rotation axis; a first locking element configured to control whether the first rotating element is allowed to rotate the carrying element along the first rotation axis; and a column element coupled to the first rotating element and a pivot control element of the support member, wherein the pivot control element is perpendicular to the first rotation axis, and the column element is pivotally rotatable about the pivot control element of the support member to allow the arm member to rotate between a loading position and an unloading position.

[0007] In one embodiment of the first aspect, the outrigger member is rotated to the loading position to hold the second vehicle on the support member, and while the second vehicle is being loaded onto the support member along the plurality of receiving elements, the bearing element is rotated by the first rotating element along the first rotation axis to a release position to prevent the second vehicle from contacting the outrigger member located at the loading position.

[0008] In another embodiment of the first aspect, the boom member further includes: a pivoting rotating element coupled to the pivoting control element of the support member for rotating between the loading position and the unloading position, wherein: when the second vehicle is held by the load-bearing element, the pivoting control element of the support member restricts a rotation of the pivoting rotating element, and when the first vehicle is moving along a vehicle orientation, the rotation of the pivoting rotating element is restricted to prevent the second vehicle from deviating along the vehicle orientation.

[0009] In another embodiment of the first aspect, the outrigger component further includes: a height adjustment element configured to adjust the height of an element of the load-bearing element to correspond to a vehicle height of the second vehicle.

[0010] In another embodiment of the first aspect, the arm member further includes: a second locking element configured to control whether the height adjustment element allows adjustment of the height of the load-bearing element, wherein the second locking element is integrally formed with the first locking element or is formed separately.

[0011] In another embodiment of the first aspect, the carrier element further includes: a base member; and a retaining member coupled to the base member, wherein the retaining member is movable to tighten or loosen a tubular member of the second carrier.

[0012] In another embodiment of the first aspect, the arm member further includes: a second rotating element coupled to the load-bearing element and the first rotating element, wherein the second rotating element is rotatable to rotate the base member along a second rotation axis to adjust an orientation of the load-bearing element to correspond to a tubular orientation of the tubular member, wherein the second rotation axis is perpendicular to the first rotation axis.

[0013] In another embodiment of the first aspect, the arm member further includes: a third locking element configured to control whether the second rotating element allows adjustment of the orientation of the load-bearing element, wherein the third locking element is integrally formed with the first locking element or is formed separately.

[0014] In another embodiment of the first aspect, when the first locking element is in an unlocked state, the first rotating element is rotatable to allow the load-bearing element to rotate along the first rotation axis to be perpendicular to the pivot control element, and when the second carrier is being loaded onto the support member, the load-bearing element is rotated along the first rotation axis to be perpendicular to the pivot control element to prevent the second carrier from contacting the arm member.

[0015] In another embodiment of the first aspect, when the first locking element is in a locked state, the first locking element restricts a rotation of the first rotating element, and when the first vehicle is moving along the vehicle orientation, the rotation of the first rotating element is restricted to prevent the second vehicle from deviating along the vehicle orientation.

[0016] In another embodiment of the first aspect, the support member further includes: a receiving element coupled to one of the plurality of receiving elements, wherein the receiving element receives the support member when the arm member is in the unloading position.

[0017] In another embodiment of the first aspect, the support member further includes: a rotating element coupled to one of the plurality of receiving elements, wherein the bearing device is movable via the rotating element when the rotating element is placed on a surface.

[0018] In a second aspect of this disclosure, a vehicle capable of carrying a vehicle includes: a first vehicle; and a carrying device coupled to the first vehicle to hold a second vehicle different from the first vehicle, the carrying device further including: a support member having a plurality of receiving elements to support the second vehicle; and a support arm member coupled to the support member and located between the plurality of receiving elements, the support arm member further including: a carrying element configured to hold the second vehicle; and a first rotating element, which... Coupled to the load-bearing element and configured to rotate the load-bearing element along a first rotation axis; a first locking element configured to control whether the first rotating element is allowed to rotate the load-bearing element along the first rotation axis; and a column element coupled to the first rotating element and a pivot control element of the support member, wherein the pivot control element is perpendicular to the first rotation axis, and the column element is pivotally rotatable about the pivot control element of the support member to allow the outrigger member to rotate between a loading position and an unloading position.

[0019] In one embodiment of the second aspect, the outrigger member is rotated to the loading position to hold the second vehicle on the support member, and while the second vehicle is being loaded onto the support member along the plurality of receiving elements, the bearing element is rotated by the first rotating element along the first rotation axis to a release position to prevent the second vehicle from contacting the outrigger member located at the loading position.

[0020] In another embodiment of the second aspect, the boom member further includes: a pivoting rotating element coupled to the pivoting control element of the support member for rotating between the loading position and the unloading position, wherein: when the second vehicle is held by the load-bearing element, the pivoting control element of the support member restricts a rotation of the pivoting rotating element, and when the first vehicle is moving along a vehicle orientation, the rotation of the pivoting rotating element is restricted to prevent the second vehicle from deviating along the vehicle orientation.

[0021] In another embodiment of the second aspect, the outrigger component further includes: a height adjustment element configured to adjust the height of an element of the load-bearing element to correspond to a vehicle height of the second vehicle.

[0022] In another embodiment of the second aspect, the arm member further includes: a second locking element configured to control whether the height adjustment element allows adjustment of the height of the load-bearing element, wherein the second locking element is integrally formed with the first locking element or is formed separately.

[0023] In another embodiment of the second aspect, the carrier element further includes: a base member; and a retaining member coupled to the base member, wherein the retaining member is movable to tighten or loosen a tubular member of the second carrier.

[0024] In another embodiment of the second aspect, the arm member further includes: a second rotating element coupled to the load-bearing element and the first rotating element, wherein the second rotating element is rotatable to rotate the base member along a second rotation axis to adjust an orientation of the load-bearing element to correspond to a tubular orientation of the tubular member, wherein the second rotation axis is perpendicular to the first rotation axis.

[0025] In another embodiment of the second aspect, the arm member further includes: a third locking element configured to control whether the second rotating element allows adjustment of the orientation of the load-bearing element, wherein the third locking element is integrally formed with the first locking element or is formed separately.

[0026] In another embodiment of the second aspect, when the first locking element is in an unlocked state, the first rotating element is rotatable to allow the load-bearing element to rotate along the first rotation axis to be perpendicular to the pivot control element, and when the second vehicle is being loaded onto the support member, the load-bearing element is rotated along the first rotation axis to be perpendicular to the pivot control element to prevent the second vehicle from contacting the arm member.

[0027] In another embodiment of the second aspect, when the first locking element is in a locked state, the first locking element restricts a rotation of the first rotating element, and when the first vehicle is moving along the vehicle orientation, the rotation of the first rotating element is restricted to prevent the second vehicle from deviating along the vehicle orientation.

[0028] In another embodiment of the second aspect, the support member further includes: a receiving element coupled to one of the plurality of receiving elements, wherein the receiving element receives the support member when the arm member is in the unloading position.

[0029] In another embodiment of the second aspect, the support member further includes: a rotating element coupled to one of the plurality of receiving elements, wherein the bearing device is movable via the rotating element when the rotating element is placed on a surface. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0030] This disclosure will be better understood by reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, as shown below.

[0031] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle capable of carrying a vehicle, including a carrying device and a first vehicle, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 2A is a perspective view of the carrier device illustrated in Figure 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of a load-bearing device coupled to a ramp member for loading a second vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the first support arm component illustrated in Figure 2A according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 4 is an exploded view of the first support arm component illustrated in Figure 3 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 5 is a partial enlarged view of region A illustrated in Figure 3 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 6 is a perspective view of the height adjustment element illustrated in Figure 4 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figure 7 is an exploded view of the first rotating element, the bearing element, and the second rotating element illustrated in Figure 3 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 8 is a perspective view of another carrier device illustrated in Figure 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figure 9 is a perspective view of the first support member illustrated in Figure 8 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figure 10 is an exploded view of the first support arm component illustrated in Figure 9 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] Figure 11 is a partial enlarged view of region B illustrated in Figure 9 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0043] Figure 12 is another perspective view of the first support arm component illustrated in Figure 9 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Implementation

[0044] The following disclosure contains specific information relating to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The accompanying drawings and detailed descriptions are for illustrative purposes only. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these exemplary embodiments. Other variations and embodiments of the present disclosure will occur to those skilled in the art. Unless otherwise stated, the same or corresponding elements in the drawings may be represented by the same or corresponding reference numerals. Furthermore, the drawings and illustrations in this disclosure are generally not drawn to scale and do not necessarily correspond to actual relative dimensions.

[0045] For the purposes of consistency and ease of understanding, similar features are identified by numbers in the exemplary figures (although not shown in some examples). However, features in different implementations may differ in other respects and should not be narrowly limited to what is shown in the figures.

[0046] This disclosure uses the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in some embodiments,” etc., which may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. The term “coupled” is defined as a direct connection or an indirect connection via an intermediate component, and is not necessarily limited to a physical connection. The term “comprising” means “including but not limited to”; it specifically indicates an open inclusion or member in the foregoing combinations, groups, series, and equivalents.

[0047] Furthermore, for illustrative and non-restrictive purposes, specific details such as functional entities, technologies, protocols, and standards are described to provide an understanding of the described technologies. In other examples, detailed disclosures of well-known methods, technologies, systems, architectures, etc., are omitted to avoid unnecessary obfuscation.

[0048] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle 1 capable of carrying a vehicle, including a carrying device 10 and a first vehicle 20, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The carrying device 10 may be coupled to the first vehicle 20 to hold a second vehicle different from the first vehicle 20. In some embodiments, the carrying device 10 may be adapted to be mounted on the first vehicle 20 to hold the second vehicle. In other words, the carrying device 10 is detachably mounted on the first vehicle 20. In some other embodiments, the carrying device 10 may be fixedly mounted on the first vehicle 20.

[0049] In some embodiments, the first vehicle 20 may be a car, truck, bus, off-road vehicle (ORV), etc. Furthermore, the first vehicle 20 may also be a gasoline vehicle, hybrid vehicle, plug-in electric vehicle, hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, etc. In some embodiments, the second vehicle may be smaller than the first vehicle 20. Since the carrying device 10 can be mounted on the rear side of the first vehicle 20, the second vehicle can be secured to the rear side of the first vehicle 20 by the carrying device 10. The rear side of the first vehicle 20 can be determined based on a vehicle orientation Ov of the first vehicle 20 from the front to the rear. In some embodiments, the second vehicle may be a bicycle, such as a regular bicycle, mountain bike, road bike, folding bicycle, electric bicycle, or hybrid bicycle.

[0050] Figure 2A is a perspective view of the carrying device 10 illustrated in Figure 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The carrying device 10 may include a first arm member 11 and a support member 12. The support member 12 may further include a planar element 121, a plurality of first receiving elements 122 for supporting the second vehicle, and a pivot control element 123 coupled to the first arm member 11. The first arm member 11 may be coupled to the support member 12 and is located between the plurality of first receiving elements 122. The plurality of first receiving elements 122 may be obliquely coupled to the planar element 121. The plurality of tilt angles of the plurality of first receiving elements 122 relative to the planar element 121 may be equal or different from each other. An tilt angle between the plurality of extensions of the plurality of first receiving elements 122 may be an obtuse angle. The pivot control element 123 may be parallel to the planar element 121. Furthermore, referring to Figures 1 and 2A together, the pivot control element 123 may be parallel to the vehicle orientation Ov of the first vehicle 20.

[0051] The first support arm component 11 may further include a column element 111, a first rotating element 112, and a load-bearing element 113. The load-bearing element 113 can be used to hold the second carrier. The first rotating element 112, coupled to the load-bearing element 113, can be used to rotate the load-bearing element 113 along a first rotation axis. In addition, the column element 111 coupled to the first rotating element 112 and the pivot control element 123 can support the first rotating element 112 and the load-bearing element 113. In some embodiments, a portion of the column element 111 coupled to the first rotating element 112 may be the first rotation axis of the first rotating element 112. In addition, the first rotation axis may be perpendicular to the pivot control element 123. Since the pivot control element 123 may be parallel to the carrier orientation Ov of the first carrier 20, the first rotation axis perpendicular to the pivot control element 123 may also be perpendicular to the carrier orientation Ov of the first carrier 20.

[0052] The column element 111 is pivotally rotatable about a pivot control element 123 of the support member 12 to allow the first arm member 11 to rotate between a loading position and an unloading position. The unloading position may be a position where the first arm member 11 is substantially or nearly parallel to one of the plurality of first receiving elements 122. The first arm member 11 can be rotated to the loading position to hold the second carrier on the support member 12. In some embodiments, the loading position may be a position where the first arm member 11 is substantially or nearly perpendicular to one of the plurality of first receiving elements 122 and the planar element 121. In some other embodiments, the loading position may be a position where the first arm member 11 can stably hold the second carrier on the support member 12. However, when the second carrier is being loaded onto the carrier 10, the first arm member 11 may be an obstacle to moving the second carrier.

[0053] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of a carrying device 10 coupled to a ramp member 101 for loading a second carrier 30 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. One end of the ramp member 101 is detachably mounted to one of a plurality of first receiving elements 122, while the other end of the ramp member 101 can be placed on a surface 100. In other words, referring to Figures 2A and 2B together, one of the plurality of first receiving elements 122 can be adapted to be coupled to the ramp member 101 to load the second carrier 30 from the surface 100 onto the support member 12 along the ramp member 101. While the second carrier 30 is being loaded onto the carrying device 10, the ramp member 101 can be mounted to one of the plurality of first receiving elements 122. Thus, the second carrier 30 can climb the ramp member 101 to be loaded onto the carrying device 10. Then, when the second carrier 30 is mounted onto the carrying device 10, the ramp member 101 can be detached from the carrying device 10. In some implementations, surface 100 may be a floor.

[0054] As the second carrier 30 is being loaded onto the support member 12 along the plurality of first receiving elements 122, the carrier element 113 is rotated by the first rotating element 112 along the first rotation axis to a release position to prevent the second carrier 30 from contacting the first support member 11 located at the loading position. The carrier element 113 may be rotated to this release position before the second carrier 30 is loaded. Therefore, the carrier element 113 does not traverse a loading path of the second carrier 30, thus avoiding becoming an obstruction to the loading process. In some embodiments, the release position may be a position where the carrier element 113 is substantially or nearly parallel to the plurality of first receiving elements 122. After the second carrier 30 moves along the ramp member 101 onto the first receiving elements 122, the carrier element 113 may rotate back along the first rotation axis to an operating position to hold the second carrier 30. In some embodiments, this operating position may be a position where the carrier element 113 is allowed to hold the second carrier 30.

[0055] Referring to Figure 2A, the support member 12 may further include a plurality of second receiving elements 124 for supporting the third carrier and a pivot control element 125. Furthermore, the carrying device 10 may further include a second support member 13 coupled to the support member 12 among the plurality of second receiving elements 124. The second support member 13 is pivotally rotatable about the pivot control element 125 of the support member 12 to allow the second support member 13 to rotate between a loading position and an unloading position.

[0056] The plurality of second receiving elements 124 may be different from, similar to, or the same as the plurality of first receiving elements 122. The second support arm member 13 may be different from, similar to, or the same as the first support arm member 11. Therefore, the method for determining the loading and unloading positions of the second support arm member 13 may be the same as or similar to the method for determining the loading and unloading positions of the first support arm member 11. In addition, the pivot control element 125 may be different from, similar to, or the same as the pivot control element 123. The third vehicle may be different from, similar to, or the same as the second vehicle 30.

[0057] Multiple first receiving elements 122 and first support arm members 11 can be used as a first carrier base, while multiple second receiving elements 124 and second support arm members 13 can be used as a second carrier base. The number of carrier bases can be greater than or equal to one. For example, the number of carrier bases can be three or four.

[0058] In some embodiments, the support member 12 may further include a first receiving element 1261. The first receiving element 1261 may be directly or indirectly coupled to one of the first receiving elements 122. When the first support arm member 11 is not holding the second carrier 30, the first receiving element 1261 may receive the first support arm member 11 to prevent the first support arm member 11 from rotating between the loading position and the unloading position. In other words, when the first support arm member 11 is received by the first receiving element 1261, the first support arm member 11 can be considered to be in the unloading position. The first receiving element 1261 may be a clamping element for holding the first support arm member 11. Furthermore, the first receiving element 1261 may be aligned with the pivot control element 123 in a direction corresponding to the length of the first support arm member 11.

[0059] In some other embodiments, the support member 12 may further include a second receiving element 1262. The second receiving element 1262 may be directly or indirectly coupled to one of the second receiving elements 124. When the second arm member 13 is not holding the third carrier, the second receiving element 1262 may receive the second arm member 13 to prevent rotation of the second arm member 13 between the loading and unloading positions. In other words, when the second arm member 13 is received by the second receiving element 1262, the second arm member 13 can be considered to be in the unloading position. The second receiving element 1262 may be another clamping element for holding the second arm member 13. Furthermore, the second receiving element 1262 may be aligned with the pivot control element 125 in a direction corresponding to the length of the second arm member 13.

[0060] The support member 12 may further include a plurality of rotating elements 127. In some embodiments, a first rotating element of the plurality of rotating elements 127 may be directly or indirectly coupled to a specific first receiving element of the first receiving element 122, and a second rotating element of the plurality of rotating elements 127 may be directly or indirectly coupled to a specific second receiving element of the second receiving element 124. The specific first receiving element and the specific second receiving element may be located on the same side of the support device 10. For example, the first and second rotating elements of the plurality of rotating elements 127 may be located on the left side of the support device 10. Furthermore, when the support device 10 is mounted to the first carrier 20, the first rotating element may be relatively far away from the first carrier 20, while the second rotating element may be relatively adjacent to the first carrier 20. In other words, the first rotating element may be located to the left rear of the support device 10, while the second rotating element may be located to the left front of the support device 10. When the plurality of rotating elements 127 are placed on the surface 100, each rotating element 127 may be used to make the support device 10 movable. Therefore, when the first rotating element is placed on the surface, the bearing device 10 can be moved by the first rotating element.

[0061] In some other embodiments, a third rotating element of the plurality of rotating elements 127 may be directly or indirectly coupled between the specific first receiving element and the specific second receiving element. In still other embodiments, the support member 12 may further include a plurality of rolling elements. The arrangement of the plurality of rolling elements may be the same as or different from the arrangement of the plurality of rotating elements 127. When both the plurality of rolling elements and the plurality of rotating elements 127 are arranged on the support device 10, the support device 10 may tilt to the left or right and may be moved by the plurality of rolling elements or the plurality of rotating elements 127.

[0062] The support member 12 may further include a first connecting element 1281 and a second connecting element 1282. The first connecting element 1281 may be located on the left side of the support device 10, while the second connecting element may be located on the right side of the support device 10. A first first receiving element of a plurality of first receiving elements 122 may be coupled to a first second receiving element of a plurality of second receiving elements 124 via the first connecting element 1281. A second first receiving element of a plurality of first receiving elements 122 may be coupled to a second second receiving element of a plurality of second receiving elements 124 via the second connecting element 1282. In some embodiments, a first receiving element 1261 may be disposed on the first connecting element 1281 to be indirectly coupled to the first first receiving element. Furthermore, a second receiving element 1262 may be disposed on the second connecting element 1282 to be indirectly coupled to the second second receiving element. Therefore, the first receiving element 1261 and the second receiving element 1262 may be disposed on different connecting elements.

[0063] In some other embodiments, the rotating element 127 may be disposed on both sides of the first connecting element 1281. Therefore, the first rotating element can be indirectly coupled to the first receiving element via the first connecting element 1281, and the second rotating element can be indirectly coupled to the first second receiving element via the first connecting element 1281. In still other embodiments, both the first receiving element 1261 and the rotating element 127 may be disposed on the first connecting element 1281.

[0064] To clearly illustrate the embodiments of this disclosure, the first support arm member 11 will be used as an example. FIG3 is a perspective view of the first support arm member 11 illustrated in FIG2A according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure. In addition to the column element 111, the first rotating element 112, and the bearing element 113, the first support arm member 11 may further include a height adjustment element 114, a locking element 115, and a pivoting rotating element 116.

[0065] The height adjustment element 114 may be surrounded by the first rotating element 112. The height adjustment element 114 can be used to adjust the height of a component of the support element 113 to correspond to the height of a component of the second carrier 30. When the height of the second carrier 30 is higher, the center of gravity of the second carrier 30 will also be higher. Therefore, the height of the support element 113 may need to be high enough to ensure that the support element 113 can stably hold the second carrier 30. The higher the height of the support element 113, the longer the component distance between the support element 113 and the planar element 121 will be. This component distance may need to be greater than a distance threshold that can stably hold the second carrier 30. This distance threshold may be determined based on the height of the second carrier 30. In some embodiments, the height of the second carrier 30 may be determined based on the highest point of the top tube, the lowest point of the top tube, or the highest point of the seat tube of a carrier frame 32 of the second carrier 30.

[0066] Locking element 115 may be coupled to first rotating element 112. First rotating element 112 may be clamped between locking element 115 and bearing element 113. In some embodiments, when locking element 115 is locked, movement of height adjusting element 114 and rotation of first rotating element 112 and bearing element 113 are restricted. Furthermore, when locking element 115 is unlocked, height adjusting element 114 is allowed to move, and first rotating element 112 and bearing element 113 are allowed to rotate. In some other embodiments, first arm member 11 may include multiple locking elements. When one of the multiple locking elements is locked, movement of height adjusting element 114 is restricted. When another of the multiple locking elements is locked, rotation of first rotating element 112 is restricted. When the remaining locking element is locked, rotation of bearing element 113 is restricted.

[0067] Referring to Figures 2A, 2B, and 3 together, the pivoting element 116 can be coupled to the pivot control element 123 of the support member 12 to rotate the first outrigger member 11 between the loading position and the unloading position. In some embodiments, before the second vehicle 30 is loaded onto the carrier 10, the pivot control element 123 of the support member 12 can allow the pivoting element 116 to be rotatable so that the first outrigger member 11 can rotate along the pivot control element 123 to the loading position. In some embodiments, when the second vehicle 30 is held on the carrier 10, the rotation of the pivoting element 116 is limited by the pivot control element 123 of the support member 12. When the first vehicle 20 is traveling along its vehicle orientation Ov, the rotation of the pivoting element 116 can be limited to prevent the second vehicle 30 from deviating along its vehicle orientation Ov.

[0068] In some embodiments, one of the pivoting rotating element 116 and the pivoting control element 123 may further include a rotation fixing member. The other of the pivoting rotating element 116 and the pivoting control element 123 may further include a rotation engaging member. The structure of the rotation fixing member and the rotation engaging member allows the first arm member 11 to switch between allowed and disallowed rotation. For example, the structure of the rotation fixing member and the rotation engaging member may be a tightly helical wrapping structure to allow the first arm member 11 to switch between allowed and disallowed rotation.

[0069] In some other embodiments, the carrier 10 may further include a first external fixing element detachably disposed between the pivoting rotating element 116 and the pivot control element 123 to allow the first outrigger member 11 to switch between allowing rotation and disallowing rotation. For example, when the second carrier 30 is loaded onto the carrier 10, the first external fixing element may be removed from the carrier 10 to allow the first outrigger member 11 to rotate along the pivot control element 123 to the loading position. Furthermore, when the second carrier 30 is held in place on the carrier 10, the first external fixing element may be disposed in the carrier 10 to limit the rotation of the pivoting rotating element 116, thereby preventing the second carrier 30 from shifting due to inertia.

[0070] Figure 4 is an exploded view of the first support arm member 11 illustrated in Figure 3 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figures 3 and 4 together, the column element 111 may be surrounded by a height adjustment element 114, which may be further surrounded by a first rotating element 112. In other words, the column element 111 is also surrounded by the first rotating element 112.

[0071] The first rotating element 112 may further include an annular component 1121 and a clamping component 1122. The cylindrical component 111 and the height adjustment component 114 may be surrounded by the annular component 1121 of the first rotating element 112. The clamping component 1122 of the first rotating element 112 may be clamped between the supported component 113 and the locking component 115.

[0072] The carrier element 113 may further include a connecting member 1130. The connecting member 1130 may extend across the clamping member 1122 of the first rotating element 112 to couple with the locking element 115. When the locking element 115 is locked, it may move slightly along the connecting member 1130, slightly closer to the carrier element 113. When the locking element 115 is unlocked, it may move slightly along the connecting member 1130, slightly further away from the carrier element 113. In some embodiments, the connecting member 1130 may be a screw.

[0073] Figure 5 is a partially enlarged view of region A illustrated in Figure 3 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The height adjustment element 114 may further include a plurality of blade components, such as blade components 1141 and 1142. The number of the plurality of blade components can be determined based on the external shape of the cross-sectional area of ​​the column element 111. When the external shape of the cross-sectional area of ​​the column element 111 is circular, the number of the plurality of blade components can be greater than or equal to two, for example, 2, 3, or 4. When the external shape of the cross-sectional area of ​​the column element 111 is triangular, the number of the plurality of blade components can be greater than or equal to three, for example, 3, 4, 5, or 6. When the external shape of the cross-sectional area of ​​the column element 111 is quadrilateral, the number of the plurality of blade components can be greater than or equal to four, for example, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8.

[0074] Each blade component may further include multiple movable fixing units. Figure 6 is a perspective view of the height adjustment element 114 illustrated in Figure 4 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The height adjustment element 114 may include multiple blade components, such as multiple blade components 1141-1148. To clearly illustrate the multiple blade components 1141-1148 in the embodiments of the present disclosure, blade component 1141 will be used as an example for description.

[0075] Referring to Figures 5 and 6 together, since the first rotating element 112 is rotatable relative to the height adjusting element 114, the external shape of the cross-sectional area of ​​the height adjusting element 114 can be substantially similar to or identical to a circle. Furthermore, since the height adjusting element 114 is movable along the column element 111 in a moving direction Dm, the internal shape of the cross-sectional area of ​​the height adjusting element 114 can correspond to the external shape of the cross-sectional area of ​​the column element 111. In other words, the external shape of the cross-sectional area of ​​the column element 111 can be substantially similar to or identical to the internal shape of the cross-sectional area of ​​the height adjusting element 114. For example, when the external shape of the cross-sectional area of ​​the column element 111 is circular, the internal shape of the cross-sectional area of ​​the height adjusting element 114 can also be circular. When the external shape of the cross-sectional area of ​​the column element 111 is square, the internal shape of the cross-sectional area of ​​the height adjusting element 114 can also be square.

[0076] Referring to Figures 5 and 6 together, the external shape of the cross-sectional area of ​​the column element 111 and the internal shape of the cross-sectional area of ​​the height adjustment element 114 are both square. Therefore, the internal and external shapes of the cross-sectional area of ​​the height adjustment element 114 are not the same. This results in the multiple moving and fixing units of each blade component having different lengths. In other words, the lengths of the multiple moving and fixing units are related to the external shape of the cross-sectional area of ​​both the column element 111 and the height adjustment element 114. Furthermore, the lengths of the multiple moving and fixing units can also be related to both the external and internal shapes of the cross-sectional area of ​​the height adjustment element 114.

[0077] In some embodiments, the lengths of multiple movable fixing units in a particular blade component are also associated with multiple distances between the multiple movable fixing units and a centerline of that particular blade component. When a first distance between a first movable fixing unit in that particular blade component and the centerline is longer than a second distance between a second movable fixing unit in that particular blade component and the centerline, the length of the first movable fixing unit will be shorter than the length of the second movable fixing unit. For example, the length of a first movable fixing unit farther from the centerline of blade component 1141 will be shorter than the length of a second movable fixing unit adjacent to the centerline of blade component 1141.

[0078] Referring to Figure 5, the first rotating element 112 may further have a slit member 1120. The slit member 1120 cuts apart the annular member 1121 to create a notch and cuts apart the clamping member 1122 to create two clamping sub-members. Referring to Figures 4 through 6 together, when the locking element 115 is locked and the locking element 115 is moved, causing the bearing element 113 to move slightly closer along the connecting member 1130, the two clamping sub-members of the clamping member 1122 also move and move slightly closer to each other. In other words, the slit member 1120 may narrow, and the height adjusting element 114, the annular member 1121, and the clamping member 1122 can be secured by the locking element 115 and the bearing element 113. Because the height adjustment element 114 is tightened by the annular component 1121, the multiple slit components 1140 between the multiple blade components 1141-1144 also narrow, causing the multiple blade components 1141-1144 to fasten the column component 111. Therefore, when the locking element 115 is in the locked state, the height adjustment element 114 will fasten the column component 111 to prevent relative movement between the column component 111 and the height adjustment element 114.

[0079] When the locking element 115 is unlocked, allowing it to move away from the bearing element 113 along the connecting member 1130, the two clamping sub-parts of the clamping member 1122 can move away from each other. In other words, the slit member 1120 may widen, and the height adjusting element 114, the annular member 1121, and the clamping member 1122 can be released. Because the height adjusting element 114 is released, the multiple slit members 1140 between the multiple blade members 1141-1144 are also enlarged, and the height adjusting element 114 becomes movable along the column element 111 in the direction of movement Dm. Furthermore, the height adjusting element 114 may further include a pair of stepped members 1149 as illustrated in FIG. 6. Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 together, the annular member 1121 of the first rotating element 112 can be surrounded by this pair of stepped members 1149. In some embodiments, the annular component 1121 of the first rotating element 112 can be completely locked by the pair of stepped components 1149. Therefore, when the height adjusting element 114 moves along the cylindrical component 111 in the unlocked state, the first rotating element 112, along with the supporting element 113, can also be moved by the pair of stepped components 1149 of the height adjusting element 114. Therefore, the locking element 115 can be considered a second locking element. This second locking element is used to determine whether the height adjusting element 114 is allowed to move the first rotating element 112 and the supporting element 113 to adjust the height of the supporting element 113. It should be noted that the locking method between the locking element 115 and the height adjusting element 114 can be changed without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0080] Furthermore, when the locking element 115 is locked, the slit member 1120 can widen, and the annular member 1121 can loosen. Since the annular member 1121 of the first rotating element 112 can be surrounded by the pair of stepped members 1149 of the height adjustment element 114, the annular member 1121 of the first rotating element 112 can be allowed to rotate along the first rotation axis in a first rotation direction Dr1 within the range of the pair of stepped members 1149. Therefore, when the locking element 115 is unlocked, the first rotating element 112 and the bearing element 113 coupled to the first rotating element 112 can be allowed to rotate. Furthermore, when the locking element 115 is locked, the slit member 1120 can narrow, and the annular member 1121 can be tightened by the clamping member. Therefore, the rotation of the first rotating element 112 and the bearing element 113 along the first rotation axis in the first rotation direction Dr1 is restricted. Therefore, the locking element 115 can be considered a first locking element. The first locking element controls whether the first rotating element 112 allows the bearing element 113 to rotate along the first rotation axis in the first rotation direction Dr1. In other words, when the first locking element is in an unlocked state, the first rotating element 112 can be rotatable to allow the bearing element 113 to rotate along the first rotation axis perpendicular to the pivot control element 123. Furthermore, when the first locking element is in a locked state, it restricts the rotation of the first rotating element 112. Since the locking element 115 can simultaneously perform the functions of both the first and second locking elements, it can be considered as both the first and second locking elements. In other words, as shown in FIG. 5, the second locking element can be the same as the first locking element. In some embodiments, the second locking element and the first locking element are integrally formed or formed separately. In some embodiments, the column element 111 can be the first rotation axis of the first rotating element 112. It should be noted that the locking method between the locking element 115 and the first rotating element 112 can be changed without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0081] Referring to Figures 2A and 5 together, when the locking element 115 is in the unlocked state, the first rotating element 112 can be rotatable along the first rotation axis in the first rotation direction Dr1, allowing the carrying element 113 to rotate along the first rotation axis perpendicular to the pivot control element 123. In other words, the first rotating element 112 can rotate the carrying element 113 to be parallel to the plurality of first receiving elements 122. When the carrying element 113 is parallel to the plurality of first receiving elements 122 and perpendicular to the pivot control element 123, the carrying element 113 will not be an obstacle during the loading of the second carrier 30 onto the carrying device 10. Therefore, before the second carrier 30 is loaded onto the support member 12, the carrying element 113 can rotate along the first rotation axis to be perpendicular to the pivot control element 123 to avoid the second carrier 30 coming into contact with the carrying element 113 of the first support member 11 during subsequent loading. Next, the locking element 115 can be locked again, so that the first rotating element 112 can fix the bearing element 113 to be perpendicular to the pivot control element 123.

[0082] The bearing element 113 can be rotated 360 degrees along the first rotation axis in the first rotation direction Dr1 by the first rotating element 112. Therefore, when the second carrier 30 has been loaded onto the support member 12, the bearing element 113 can be rotated by the first rotating element 112 along the first rotation axis to be parallel to the pivot control element 123 and facing the second carrier 30 to hold the second carrier 30. Then, the locking element 115 can be locked again, so the first rotating element 112 can fix the bearing element 113 to be parallel to the pivot control element 123 to stably hold the second carrier 30.

[0083] Figure 7 is an exploded view of a first rotating element 112, a support element 113, and a second rotating element 117 illustrated in Figure 3, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The second rotating element 117 may be coupled to the support element 113 and the first rotating element 112. In some embodiments, the second rotating element 117 and the support element 113 may be two different elements coupled to each other. In some other embodiments, the second rotating element 117 and the support element 113 may be manufactured as a single integral unit.

[0084] In some embodiments, one of the clamping member 1122 and the second rotating element 117 may include a rotation-fixing member (not shown). The other of the clamping member 1122 and the second rotating element 117 may include a rotation-engaging member (not shown). The structure of the rotation-fixing member and the rotation-engaging member allows the support element 113 to switch between allowing rotation and disallowing rotation. For example, the structure of the rotation-fixing member and the rotation-engaging member may include a combination of multiple grooves and a protrusion unit to allow the support element 113 to switch between allowing rotation and disallowing rotation.

[0085] As shown in Figure 7, the clamping member 1122 of the first rotating element 112 may further include a first rotating engagement unit 11221, which has a plurality of grooves disposed on the inner surface of the clamping member 1122. The second rotating element 117 may further include a first rotating fixing unit 11710, which corresponds to one of the grooves in the first rotating engagement unit 11221 of the first rotating element 112. For example, the first rotating fixing unit 11710 may include at least one protrusion unit, each protrusion unit corresponding to one groove in the first rotating engagement unit 11221 of the first rotating element 112.

[0086] Referring to Figures 4, 5, and 7 together, when the locking element 115 is unlocked, the first rotating fixing unit 11710 can be separated from the first rotating engaging unit 11221. Therefore, the second rotating element 117 can be rotatable along the second rotation axis in the second rotation direction Dr2, thereby rotating the bearing element 113, wherein the second rotation axis is perpendicular to the first rotation axis. When the locking element 115 is locked, the first rotating fixing unit 11710 can engage with a groove in the first rotating engaging unit 11221 to fix the bearing element 113 and prevent the bearing element 113 from rotating further along the second rotation axis. In some embodiments, the connecting member 1130 can be the second rotation axis of the second rotating element 117.

[0087] In some other embodiments, the second rotating element 117 may further include a first rotating engagement unit (not shown) having a plurality of grooves disposed on the outer surface of the second rotating element 117. Furthermore, the clamping member 1122 of the first rotating element 112 may further include a first rotating fixing unit (not shown) corresponding to one of the grooves in the second rotating element 117. For example, the first rotating fixing unit of the clamping member 1122 may include at least one protrusion unit, each protrusion unit corresponding to one groove in the first rotating engagement unit of the second rotating element 117.

[0088] In some other embodiments, the support device 10 may further include a second external fixing element (not shown) detachably disposed between the second rotating element 117 and the clamping member 1122 to allow the support element 113 to switch between being allowed to rotate or not to rotate. In some embodiments, the second external fixing element may be separable from the locking element 115 and disposed independently between the second rotating element 117 and the clamping member 1122. Thus, for example, when the second external fixing element is removed from the second rotating element 117 and the clamping member 1122, the support element 113 may be rotatable along the second rotation axis in the second rotation direction Dr2, wherein the second rotation axis is perpendicular to the first rotation axis. Furthermore, when the second external fixing element is disposed on the support device 10, the support element 113 may be prevented from rotating along the second rotation axis. In some other embodiments, the second external fixing element may be integrated with the locking element 115 as a single unit. Therefore, for example, when the locking element 115 is in the unlocked state, the second external fixing element can be removed from the second rotating element 117 and the clamping member 1122, so that the bearing element 113 can be rotatable along the second rotation axis in the second rotation direction Dr2, wherein the second rotation axis is perpendicular to the first rotation axis. Furthermore, when the locking element 115 is in the locked state, the second external fixing element can be mounted on the bearing device 10 to prevent the bearing element 113 from rotating along the second rotation axis.

[0089] The carrier element 113 may further include a base member 1131 and a retaining member 1132. The retaining member 1132 may be coupled to the base member 1131. The retaining member 1132 may further include a retaining engagement unit 11321 having a plurality of protrusions. The base member 1131 may further include a retaining fixing unit 11311 for engaging with the retaining engagement unit 11321. In some embodiments, the retaining member 1132 may be a movable strip member including the plurality of protrusions, and the retaining fixing unit 11311 may be a strip fixing unit to engage with one of the protrusions of the retaining member 1132 to fix the retaining member 1132.

[0090] Referring to Figures 2A, 2B, and 7 together, after the second carrier is loaded onto the first receiving element 122, the carrying element 113 can be rotated along the first rotation axis parallel to the pivot control element 123. Next, the holding and fixing unit 11311 can be adjusted to an unfixed state, so that the holding member 1132 is movable within the holding and fixing unit 11311. To stably hold the second carrier 30, the holding member 1132 can tighten or loosen the tubular component of the second carrier, bypassing it, to hold the second carrier 30. Therefore, the holding member 1132 is movable to tighten or loosen the tubular component of the second carrier 30. When the tubular component of the second carrier is tightly secured by the holding member 1132, the holding and fixing unit 11311 can be adjusted to a fixed state to fix the holding member 1132. Therefore, the retaining and fixing unit 11311 can engage with a protrusion in the retaining engagement unit 11321 of the retaining member 1132 to prevent the retaining member 1132 from moving and loosening. In some embodiments, the tubular member in the carrier frame 32 of the second carrier 30 can be one of the upper tube, seat tube, and lower tube of the second carrier 30.

[0091] Furthermore, to stably hold the second carrier 30, the holding member 1132 can be perpendicular to the tubular component of the second carrier 30 that is being tightened. Since both sides of the holding member 1132 are coupled to the base member 1131, the orientation of the holding member 1132 can be controlled by one orientation of the base member 1131 of the bearing element 113. Therefore, to stably hold the second carrier 30, the base member 1131 can be rotated along the second rotation axis by the second rotating element 117 to adjust the orientation of the bearing element 113 to correspond to a tubular direction of the tightened tubular component. In other words, the orientation of the bearing element 113 can also be adjusted to be perpendicular to the tubular orientation of the tightened tubular component to tightly tighten the tubular component. The number of grooves in the first rotary engagement unit 11221 can be an integer. The more grooves in the first rotary engagement unit 11221, the more orientations in which the bearing element 113 is allowed to rotate.

[0092] When the locking element 115 is in the unlocked state, the second rotating element 117 can be allowed to rotate the bearing element 113 to adjust the orientation of the bearing element 113. Furthermore, when the locking element 115 is in the locked state, the first rotating fixing unit 11710 of the second rotating element 117 can engage with the first rotating engaging unit 11221 to fix the bearing element 113. In other words, when the locking element 115 is in the locked state, the second rotating element 117 cannot adjust the orientation of the bearing element 113. Therefore, the locking element 115 can be a third locking element used to control whether the second rotating element 117 allows adjustment of the orientation of the bearing element 113. Since the locking element 115 can simultaneously perform the functions of a first locking element and a third locking element, the locking element 115 can be considered as both a first locking element and a third locking element. In other words, as shown in FIG. 5, the third locking element can be the same as the first locking element. In some embodiments, the first locking element and the third locking element can be integrally formed or formed separately. It should be noted that the locking method between the locking element 115 and the second rotating element 117 can be changed without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In some embodiments, since the locking element 115 can simultaneously perform the functions of the first locking element, the second locking element, and the third locking element, the locking element 115 can be considered as each of the first locking element, the second locking element, and the third locking element. Furthermore, the first locking element, the second locking element, and the third locking element can be integrally formed with each other or formed separately.

[0093] In some embodiments, one of the annular component 1121 and the height adjustment element 114 may include a rotation-fixing component (not shown). The other of the annular component 1121 and the height adjustment element 114 may include a rotation-engaging component (not shown). The structure of the rotation-fixing component and the rotation-engaging component allows the first rotating element 112 to switch between allowing rotation and disallowing rotation. For example, the structure of the rotation-fixing component and the rotation-engaging component may include a combination of multiple recessed units and a protruding unit to allow the first rotating element 112 to switch between allowing rotation and disallowing rotation.

[0094] Referring to Figures 6 and 7 together, the annular component 1121 of the first rotating element 112 may further include a second rotating fixing unit 11211 protruding from the inner surface of the annular component 1121. Furthermore, the height adjusting element 114 may further include a plurality of second rotating engaging units 11400 corresponding to the second rotating fixing unit 11211. For example, the second rotating fixing unit 11211 may include at least one protrusion unit, and the second rotating engaging unit 11400 may include a plurality of recessed units. When the locking element 115 is in the unlocked state, the slit component 1120 can be enlarged and the annular component 1121 can be released. Therefore, the second rotating fixing unit 11211 may be movable between the second rotating engaging units 11400, and the first rotating element 112 is rotatable relative to the height adjusting element 114. However, when the locking element 115 is in the locked state, the slit component 1120 can be reduced and the annular component 1121 can be tightened. Therefore, the second rotation fixing unit 11211 can be enclosed within the second rotation engaging unit 11400, preventing the first rotating element 112 from rotating relative to the height adjusting element 114. Thus, the locking element 115 can control the relative movement of the second rotation fixing unit 11211 and the second rotation engaging unit 11400 to determine whether the first rotating element 112 is allowed to rotate along the first rotation axis.

[0095] In some other embodiments, the height adjustment element 114 may further include a second rotation fixing unit (not shown) protruding from the outer surface of the height adjustment element 114. Furthermore, the annular component 1121 of the first rotating element 112 may further include a second rotation engagement unit (not shown) corresponding to the second rotation fixing unit of the height adjustment element 114. For example, the second rotation fixing unit of the height adjustment element 114 may include at least one protrusion unit, and the second rotation engagement unit of the annular component 1121 may include a plurality of recessed units.

[0096] In some other embodiments, the support device 10 may further include a third external fixing element (not shown) detachably disposed between the annular member 1121 and the height adjusting element 114 to allow the first rotating element 112 to switch between being allowed to rotate or not to rotate. In some embodiments, the third external fixing element may be separable from the locking element 115 and disposed independently between the annular member 1121 and the height adjusting element 114. Thus, for example, when the third external fixing element is removed from the annular member 1121 and the height adjusting element 114, the first rotating element 112 is rotatable relative to the height adjusting element 114. Furthermore, when the third external fixing element is disposed on the support device 10, the first rotating element 112 may be prevented from rotating relative to the height adjusting element 114. In some other embodiments, the third external fixing element may be integrated with the locking element 115 as a single unit. Therefore, for example, when the locking element 115 is in the unlocked state, the third external fixing element can be removed from the annular member 1121 and the height adjusting element 114, so that the first rotating element 112 can be rotatable relative to the height adjusting element 114. Furthermore, when the locking element 115 is in the locked state, the third external fixing element can be mounted on the support device 10 to prevent the first rotating element 112 from rotating relative to the height adjusting element 114.

[0097] When the first vehicle 20, which is holding the second vehicle 30, brakes suddenly, objects on the first vehicle 20 (e.g., the carrier 10 and the second vehicle 30) tend to tilt forward due to inertia. In addition, when the first vehicle 20, which is holding the second vehicle 30, accelerates rapidly, objects on the first vehicle 20 tend to shift backward due to inertia.

[0098] Since the support member 12 of the bearing device 10 can be directly mounted on the first carrier 20, the offset of the support member 12 relative to the first carrier 20 due to inertia may be negligible. Furthermore, the plurality of wheels 31 of the second carrier 30 can be engaged with the support member 12, which has a small offset relative to the first carrier 20 due to inertia. The offset of the wheels 31 relative to the first carrier 20 due to inertia may also be negligible. Therefore, when the second carrier 30 offsets due to inertia, the wheels 31 of the second carrier 30 can serve as a fulcrum for the swinging of the second carrier 30.

[0099] Furthermore, the first end of the first outrigger member 11 can be mounted on the support member 12, which has a small offset due to inertia relative to the first carrier 20, through the engagement of the pivoting element 116 with the pivoting control element 123. The offset of the first end of the first outrigger member 11 relative to the first carrier 20 due to inertia may also be negligible. Therefore, when the first outrigger member 11 offsets due to inertia, the pivoting element 116 of the first outrigger member 11 can serve as a fulcrum for the swinging of the first outrigger member 11.

[0100] The longer the distance between the connecting line of wheel 31 and a specific tubular component in the carrier frame 32 of the second carrier 30, the greater the offset of that specific tubular component in the carrier frame 32 of the second carrier 30. Therefore, although the offset of wheel 31 of the second carrier 30 is negligible, the offset of that specific tubular component in the carrier frame 32 of the second carrier 30 relative to the support member 12 of the bearing device 10 due to inertia may be too large to be ignored. Furthermore, the longer the distance between pivoting element 116 and a specific element among the other elements in the first arm member 11, the greater the offset of that specific element in the first arm member 11. Therefore, although the offset of support member 12 is negligible, the offset of a specific end point of the first arm member 11 relative to the support member 12 of the bearing device 10 due to inertia may be too large to be ignored.

[0101] The weight of the second vehicle 30 may differ from that of the first support arm 11, and the center of gravity height of the second vehicle 30 may also differ from that of the first support arm 11. Therefore, although the load-bearing element 113 of the first support arm 11 can secure the tubular component of the second vehicle 30, the offset of the load-bearing element 113 of the first support arm 11 may differ from the offset of the tubular component of the second vehicle 30. In other words, when the first vehicle 20, which holds the second vehicle 30, performs an emergency brake or rapid acceleration, the load-bearing element 113 of the first support arm 11 may rotate due to the offset difference between the load-bearing element 113 of the first support arm 11 and the tubular component of the second vehicle 30. Furthermore, since the load-bearing element 113 of the first support arm 11 may rotate due to this offset difference, the pivoting element 116 may rotate due to the rotation of the load-bearing element 113 of the first support arm 11. Therefore, when the first vehicle 20, which holds the second vehicle 30, brakes suddenly or accelerates rapidly, the first rotating element 112 and the pivoting rotating element 116 may rotate due to the difference in offset caused by inertia. Even if the bearing device 10 does not include the first rotating element 112 for rotating the bearing element 113 along the first rotation axis and the pivoting rotating element 116 for rotating the first support arm member 11, the bearing element 113 and the first support arm member 11 may still rotate slightly due to inertia. However, repeated abnormal slight rotations may lead to fatigue and eventually damage over time. Therefore, the bearing device 10 may need to overcome the problem of inertia.

[0102] Referring to Figures 6 and 7 together, the structure of the rotation fixing component (e.g., second rotation fixing unit 11211) and the rotation engaging component (e.g., second rotation engaging unit 11400) formed by the first rotating element 112 and the height adjusting element 114 allows the first rotating element 112 to switch between allowing rotation and disallowing rotation. Therefore, when the first rotating element 112 tends to rotate due to the offset difference caused by inertia, the structure of the rotation fixing component and the rotation engaging component of the first rotating element 112 and the height adjusting element 114 can fix the direction of the bearing element 113 to avoid the first rotating element 112 from rotating due to the offset difference.

[0103] Furthermore, referring to Figures 2A and 3 together, the structure of the rotation fixing component and the rotation engaging component formed by the pivoting rotating element 116 and the pivoting control element 123 allows the first arm member 11 to switch between allowing rotation and disallowing rotation. Therefore, when the first arm member 11 tends to rotate due to the offset difference caused by inertia, the structure of the rotation fixing component and the rotation engaging component of the pivoting rotating element 116 and the pivoting control element 123 can fix the orientation of the first arm member 11 to avoid the first arm member 11 from rotating due to the offset difference.

[0104] Figure 8 is a perspective view of another carrying device 40 illustrated in Figure 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The carrying device 40 may include a first arm member 41 and a support member 42. The support member 42 may further include a horizontal bar element 421, a plurality of first receiving elements 422 for supporting a second vehicle, and a pivot control element 423 coupled to the first arm member 41. The first arm member 41 may be coupled to the support member 42 and is located between the plurality of first receiving elements 422. The plurality of first receiving elements 422 may be obliquely coupled to the horizontal bar element 421. The plurality of oblique angles of the plurality of first receiving elements 422 relative to the horizontal bar element 421 may be equal or different from each other. The oblique angle between the plurality of extensions of the plurality of first receiving elements 422 may be an obtuse angle. The pivot control element 423 may be parallel to the horizontal bar element 421. Furthermore, referring to Figures 1 and 8 together, the pivot control element 423 may be parallel to the vehicle orientation Ov of the first vehicle 20.

[0105] The first arm member 41 may further include a column element 411, a first rotating element 412, and a load-bearing element 413. The load-bearing element 413 can be used to hold the second carrier. The first rotating element 412, coupled to the load-bearing element 413, can be used to rotate the load-bearing element 413 along a first rotation axis. In addition, the column element 411, coupled to the first rotating element 412 and the pivot control element 423, can support the first rotating element 412 and the load-bearing element 413. In some embodiments, the first rotation axis may be perpendicular to the column element 411 and the pivot control element 423. Since the pivot control element 423 may be parallel to the carrier orientation Ov of the first carrier 20, the first rotation axis perpendicular to the pivot control element 423 may also be perpendicular to the carrier orientation Ov of the first carrier 20.

[0106] The column element 411 is pivotally rotatable about a pivot control element 423 of the support member 42 to allow the first arm member 41 to rotate between a loading position and an unloading position. The unloading position may be a position where the first arm member 41 is substantially or nearly parallel to one of the plurality of first receiving elements 422. The first arm member 41 can be rotated to the loading position to hold the second carrier on the support member 42. In some embodiments, the loading position may be a position where the first arm member 41 is substantially or nearly perpendicular to the horizontal bar element 421 and one of the plurality of first receiving elements 422. In some other embodiments, the loading position may be a position where the first arm member 41 can stably hold the second carrier on the support member 42. However, when the second carrier is being loaded onto the carrying device 40, the first arm member 41 may be an obstacle to moving the second carrier.

[0107] Referring to Figures 2B and 8 together, one end of the ramp member 101 is detachably mounted to one of a plurality of first receiving elements 422, while the other end of the ramp member 101 can be placed on the surface 100. In other words, one of the plurality of first receiving elements 422 can be adapted to couple with the ramp member 101 to load the second carrier 30 from the surface 100 onto the support member 42 along the ramp member 101. While the second carrier 30 is being loaded onto the carrier 40, the ramp member 101 can be mounted to one of the plurality of first receiving elements 422. Thus, the second carrier 30 can climb the ramp member 101 to be loaded onto the carrier 40. Then, when the second carrier 30 is loaded onto the carrier 40, the ramp member 101 can be detached from the carrier 40. In some embodiments, the surface 100 can be a ground surface.

[0108] As the second carrier 30 is being loaded onto the support member 42 along the plurality of first receiving elements 422, the carrier element 413 can be rotated along the first rotation axis by the first rotating element 412 to a release position to prevent the second carrier 30 from contacting the first support member 41 located in the loading position. The carrier element 413 can be rotated to this release position before the second carrier 30 is loaded. Therefore, the carrier element 413 does not traverse a loading path of the second carrier 30, thus avoiding becoming an obstruction during the loading of the second carrier 30. In some embodiments, this release position can be a position where the carrier element 413 is substantially or nearly perpendicular to the plurality of first receiving elements 422 and facing downwards. After the second carrier 30 has moved along the ramp member 101 onto the plurality of first receiving elements 422, the carrier element 413 can be rotated back along the first rotation axis to an operating position to hold the second carrier 30. In some embodiments, this operating position can be a position where the carrier element 413 is allowed to hold the second carrier 30.

[0109] Referring back to Figure 8, the support member 42 may further include a plurality of second receiving elements 424 for supporting the third carrier and a pivot control element 425. Furthermore, the carrying device 40 may further include a second support member 43 coupled to the support member 42 among the plurality of second receiving elements 424. The second support member 43 is pivotally rotatable about the pivot control element 425 of the support member 42 to allow the second support member 43 to rotate between a loading position and an unloading position.

[0110] Multiple second receiving elements 424 may be different from, similar to, or the same as multiple first receiving elements 422. A second outrigger member 43 may be different from, similar to, or the same as a first outrigger member 41. Therefore, the method for determining the loading and unloading positions of the second outrigger member 43 may be the same as or similar to the method for determining the loading and unloading positions of the first outrigger member 41. Furthermore, a pivot control element 425 may be different from, similar to, or the same as a pivot control element 423. A third vehicle may be different from, similar to, or the same as a second vehicle 30.

[0111] Multiple first receiving elements 422 and first support arm members 41 can be used as a first carrier seat of the carrying device 40, while multiple second receiving elements 424 and second support arm members 43 can be used as a second carrier seat of the carrying device 40. The number of carrier seats can be greater than or equal to one. For example, the number of carrier seats can be three or four.

[0112] The support member 42 may further include a first connecting element 4281 and a second connecting element 4282. The first connecting element 4281 may be located on the left side of the support device 40, while the second connecting element 4282 may be located on the right side of the support device 40. A first of a plurality of first receiving elements 422 may be coupled to a first of a plurality of second receiving elements 424 via the first connecting element 4281, and a second of a plurality of first receiving elements 422 may be coupled to a second of a plurality of second receiving elements 424 via the second connecting element 4282.

[0113] In some embodiments, the support member 42 may further include a first receiving element (not shown) that can be directly or indirectly coupled to a first of a plurality of first receiving elements 422. Furthermore, the support member 42 may further include a second receiving element (not shown) that can be directly or indirectly coupled to a second of a plurality of second receiving elements 424. Therefore, the first receiving element and the second receiving element may be disposed on different connecting elements. The arrangement and function of the first receiving element and the second receiving element in the support device 40 may be the same as or similar to the arrangement and function of the first receiving element 1261 and the second receiving element 1262 in the support device 10.

[0114] In some other embodiments, the support member 42 may further include a plurality of rotating elements (not shown) that can be directly or indirectly coupled to the first of a plurality of first receiving elements 422 and the first of a plurality of second receiving elements 424. The arrangement and function of the rotating elements in the bearing device 40 may be the same as or similar to the arrangement and function of the rotating element 127 in the bearing device 10.

[0115] To clearly illustrate the embodiments of this disclosure, a first support arm member 41 will be used as an example. FIG9 is a perspective view of the first support arm member 41 illustrated in FIG8 according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure. In addition to the column element 411, the first rotating element 412, and the load-bearing element 413, the first support arm member 41 may further include a height adjustment element 414, a first locking element 4151, a second locking element 4152, a third locking element 4153, and a pivoting rotating element 416. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG9, the second locking element 4152 may be different from the first locking element 4151, and the third locking element 4153 may also be different from the first locking element 4151. Furthermore, the second locking element 4152 may be formed separately from the first locking element 4151, the third locking element 4153 may be formed separately from the first locking element 4151, and the third locking element 4153 may also be formed separately from the second locking element 4152.

[0116] The height adjustment element 414 can be used to adjust the height of one element of the support element 413 to correspond to the height of one element of the second vehicle 30. When the height of the second vehicle is higher, the center of gravity of the second vehicle 30 will also be higher. Therefore, the height of the support element 413 may need to be high enough to ensure that the support element 413 can stably hold the second vehicle 30. The higher the height of the support element 413, the longer the distance between the support element 413 and the horizontal bar element 421 will be. This distance may need to be greater than a distance threshold that can stably hold the second vehicle 30. This distance threshold may be determined based on the height of the second vehicle 30. In some embodiments, the height of the second vehicle 30 may be determined based on the highest point of the upper tube, the lowest point of the upper tube, or the highest point of the seat tube of the vehicle frame 32 of the second vehicle 30.

[0117] A first locking element 4151 may be coupled to a first rotating element 412. When the first locking element 4151 is locked, the rotation of the first rotating element 412 and the supporting element 413 is restricted. Furthermore, when the first locking element 4151 is unlocked, the first rotating element 412 and the supporting element 413 are allowed to rotate. A second locking element 4152 may be coupled to a height adjusting element 414. When the second locking element 4152 is locked, the movement of the height adjusting element 414 is restricted. Furthermore, when the second locking element 4152 is unlocked, the height adjusting element 414 is allowed to move.

[0118] Referring together to Figures 2B, 8, and 9, the pivoting element 416 can be coupled to the pivot control element 423 of the support member 42 to rotate the first outrigger member 41 between a loading position and an unloading position. In some embodiments, the pivot control element 423 of the support member 42 may allow the pivoting element 416 to be rotatable so that the first outrigger member 41 can be rotated along the pivot control element 423 to the loading position before the second carrier 30 is loaded onto the carrier 40. In some embodiments, the rotation of the pivoting element 416 can be limited by the pivot control element 423 of the support member 42 when the second carrier 30 is held on the carrier 40. When the first carrier 20 is traveling along its carrier orientation Ov, the rotation of the pivoting element 416 can be limited to prevent the second carrier 30 from deviating along its carrier orientation Ov.

[0119] In some embodiments, one of the pivoting element 416 and the pivoting control element 423 may include a rotation fixing member (not shown). The other of the pivoting element 416 and the pivoting control element 423 may include a rotation engaging member (not shown). The structure of the rotation fixing member and the rotation engaging member allows the first arm member 41 to switch between allowing rotation and disallowing rotation. For example, the structure of the rotation fixing member and the rotation engaging member may be a tightly helical wrapping structure to allow the first arm member 41 to switch between allowing rotation and disallowing rotation.

[0120] In some other embodiments, the carrier 40 may further include a first external fixing element (not shown) detachably disposed between the pivoting rotation element 416 and the pivot control element 423 to allow the first outrigger member 41 to switch between allowing rotation or disallowing rotation. For example, before the second carrier 30 is loaded onto the carrier 40, the first external fixing element may be removed from the carrier 40 to allow the first outrigger member 41 to rotate along the pivot control element 423 to the loading position. Furthermore, when the second carrier 30 is held on the carrier 40, the first external fixing element may be disposed on the carrier 40 to limit the rotation of the pivoting rotation element 416 to prevent the second carrier 30 from shifting due to inertia.

[0121] Figure 10 is an exploded view of the first support arm member 41 illustrated in Figure 9 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figures 9 and 10 together, the column element 411 may further include a first column component 4111 and a second column component 4112. The first column component 4111 and the second column component 4112 can be respectively inserted into a height adjustment element 414. A second locking element 4152 can be used to control the movement of the height adjustment element 414.

[0122] The first rotating element 412 may further include a connecting member 4121, a circular member 4122, and a connecting member 4123. The connecting member 4123 can be used to couple the first rotating element 412 to the cylindrical element 411. The connecting member 4121 can be coupled to the connecting member 4123 and can rotate relative to the connecting member 4123 along a first axis of rotation. The circular member 4122 can be coupled to the connecting member 4121 to allow the bearing element 413 to rotate along a second axis of rotation different from the first axis of rotation.

[0123] The carrier element 413 may further include a connecting member 4130, a base member 4131, and a retaining member 4132. The connecting member 4130 may penetrate the circular member 4122 of the first rotating element 412. The connecting member 4130 may rotate within the circular member 4122 to control the distance between the carrier element 413 and the second carrier 30. In some embodiments, the connecting member 4130 may further include a plurality of threads. The retaining member 4132 may be coupled to the base member 4131. The retaining member 4132 may be a movable strip member including a plurality of protrusions, and the base member 4131 may further include a strip fixing unit to engage with one of the protrusions of the retaining member 4132 to stably retain the second carrier 30.

[0124] Figure 11 is a partially enlarged view of region B illustrated in Figure 9 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 12 is another perspective view of the first support member 41 illustrated in Figure 9 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring together to Figures 10 to 12, the height adjustment element 414 may further include a first adjustment member 4141, a second adjustment member 4142, and a slit member 4140. The first column member 4111 of the column element 411 can be inserted into the first adjustment member 4141, and the second column member 4112 of the column element 411 can be inserted into the second adjustment member 4142. The slit member 4140 may be formed in a wall between the first adjustment member 4141 and the second adjustment member 4142. In some embodiments, the height adjustment element 414 may further include a locking member 4143 penetrating the second adjustment member 4142 and the second column member 4112 to prevent relative movement between the second adjustment member 4142 and the second column member 4112. In some other embodiments, the locking member 4143 may be excluded from the height adjustment member 414. Therefore, the second column member 4112 may be movable relative to the height adjustment member 414.

[0125] The second locking element 4152 can penetrate the wall between the first adjusting member 4141 and the second adjusting member 4142 to control a gap width of the crack member 4140. The second locking element 4152 controls this gap width to determine whether the height adjusting member 414 is allowed to move the first rotating member 412 and the supporting member 413 to adjust the height of the supporting member 413. When the second locking element 4152 is locked in the locked state to reduce the gap width of the crack member 4140, the first column member 4111 can be tightly clamped by the first adjusting member 4141. Therefore, the first adjusting member 4141 is not allowed to move along a movement direction Dm. Furthermore, the second column member 4112 can also be tightly clamped by the second adjusting member 4142. Therefore, the second column member 4112 is not allowed to move along the movement direction Dm.

[0126] When the second locking element 4152 is unlocked in the unlocked state to widen the gap width of the crack component 4140, the first column component 4111 can be released. Therefore, the first adjusting component 4141 can be allowed to move along the first column component 4111 in the direction of movement Dm. In other words, the second column component 4112, the first rotating element 412, and the supporting element 413 can move in the direction of movement Dm to adjust the height of the supporting element 413. In some embodiments, when the height adjusting element 414 includes the locking component 4143, the second column component 4112 may not be allowed to move in the direction of movement Dm in the unlocked state. However, in some other embodiments, when the locking component 4143 is removed from the height adjusting element 414, the second column component 4112 can be allowed to move in the direction of movement Dm in the unlocked state. Therefore, the second locking element 4152 can be used to control whether the height adjustment element 414 is allowed to move the first rotating element 412 and the supporting element 413 to adjust the height of the supporting element 413. It should be noted that the locking method between the second locking element 4152 and the height adjustment element 414 can be changed without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0127] The connecting member 4123 can be used to couple the first rotating element 412 to the second cylindrical member 4112. The connecting member 4121 can be coupled to the connecting member 4123 and can rotate relative to the connecting member 4123 along a first rotation axis in a first rotation direction Dr1. The connecting member 4121 and the connecting member 4123 may have a coaxial axis. This coaxial axis may be the first rotation axis of the connecting member 4121. The circular member 4122 can be coupled to the connecting member 4121 and the bearing element 413 to rotate the bearing element 413 in the first rotation direction Dr1. The first locking element 4151 can be used to lock the connecting member 4121 and the connecting member 4123 together to prevent relative rotation between the connecting member 4121 and the connecting member 4123. In some embodiments, the connecting member 4121 may include a plurality of first serrated units, and the connecting member 4123 may also include a plurality of second serrated units, each second serrated unit corresponding to one of the first serrated units. Therefore, the plurality of first sawtooth units and the plurality of second sawtooth units can be used to control a rotation angle of the connecting member 4121. It should be noted that the engagement method between the connecting member 4121 and the coupling member 4123 can be changed without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0128] In some embodiments, one of the connecting member 4121 and the engaging member 4123 may include a rotation-fixing member (not shown). The other of the connecting member 4121 and the engaging member 4123 may include a rotation-engaging member (not shown). The structure of the rotation-fixing member and the rotation-engaging member allows the connecting member 4121 to switch between allowing rotation and disallowing rotation. For example, the structure of the rotation-fixing member and the rotation-engaging member may include a combination of multiple recessed units and multiple protruding units to enable the connecting member 4121 to switch between allowing rotation and disallowing rotation.

[0129] As shown in Figure 12, the connecting member 4121 may further include a second rotation fixing unit 41211 facing the connecting member 4123. Furthermore, the connecting member 4123 may further include a second rotation engaging unit 41231 corresponding to the rotation fixing unit 41211. For example, the second rotation fixing unit 41211 may include multiple protrusion units, and the second rotation engaging unit 41231 may include multiple recessed units. When the first locking element 4151 is locked in the locked state to lock the connecting member 4121 and the connecting member 4123 together, the connecting member 4121 is not allowed to rotate relative to the connecting member 4123 along the first rotation axis in the first rotation direction Dr1. When the first locking element 4151 is unlocked in the unlocked state, the connecting member 4121 is allowed to separate from the connecting member 4123. Therefore, the connecting member 4121 is allowed to rotate relative to the connecting member 4123 along the first rotation axis in the first rotation direction Dr1. Therefore, the first locking element 4151 can be used to control whether the first rotating element 412 is allowed to rotate the bearing element 413 along the first rotation axis in the first rotation direction Dr1. It should be noted that the locking method between the first locking element 4151 and the connecting part 4121 can be changed without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0130] In some other embodiments, the connecting member 4123 may further include a second rotational fixing unit (not shown) facing the connecting member 4121. Furthermore, the connecting member 4121 may further include a second rotational engaging member (not shown) corresponding to the second rotational fixing unit. For example, the second rotational fixing unit may include the plurality of protrusion units, and the second rotational engaging member may include the plurality of recessed units.

[0131] In some other embodiments, the support device 40 may further include a third external fastening element (not shown) detachably disposed between the connecting member 4123 and the connecting member 4121 to allow the connecting member 4121 to switch between being rotatable and not rotatable. In some embodiments, the third external fastening element may be separable from the first locking element 4151 and disposed independently between the connecting member 4123 and the connecting member 4121. Thus, for example, when the third external fastening element is removed from the connecting member 4123 and the connecting member 4121, the connecting member 4121 may be rotatable relative to the connecting member 4123. Furthermore, when the third external fastening element is disposed on the support device 40, the connecting member 4121 may be prevented from rotating relative to the connecting member 4123. In some other embodiments, the third external fastening element may be integrated with the first locking element 4151 as a single unit. Therefore, for example, when the first locking element 4151 is in the unlocked state, the third external fixing element can be removed from the connecting member 4123 and the connecting member 4121, so that the connecting member 4121 can be rotatable relative to the connecting member 4123. Furthermore, when the first locking element 4151 is in the locked state, the third external fixing element can be mounted on the bearing device 40 to prevent the connecting member 4121 from rotating relative to the connecting member 4123.

[0132] The carrier element 413 may further include a connecting member 4130, a base member 4131, and a retaining member 4132. The connecting member 4130 may penetrate the circular member 4122 of the first rotating element 412. The connecting member 4130 may rotate within the circular member 4122 to control the distance between the carrier element 413 and the second carrier 30. In some embodiments, the connecting member 4130 may further include multiple threads, and the threads of the connecting member 4130 may be multiple external threads. In addition, the circular member 4122 may also include multiple threads, and the threads of the circular member 4122 may be multiple internal threads corresponding to the external threads of the connecting member 4130. The connecting member 4130 and the circular member 4122 may have a coaxial axis. Therefore, the connecting member 4130 of the carrier element 413 may rotate within the circular member 4122. The connecting member 4130 of the carrier element 413 may be allowed to rotate along a second rotation axis in a second rotation direction Dr2, wherein the second rotation axis is perpendicular to the first rotation axis. The coaxial axis can be the second rotation axis of the connecting component 4130. It should be noted that the engagement method between the connecting component 4130 and the circular component 4122 can be changed without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0133] When the third locking element 4153 is locked in the locked state, the connecting part 4130 of the bearing element 413 is not allowed to rotate relative to the circular part 4122 along the second rotation axis in the second rotation direction Dr2. When the first locking element 4151 is unlocked in the unlocked state, the connecting part 4130 of the bearing element 413 is allowed to rotate relative to the circular part 4122 along the second rotation axis in the second rotation direction Dr2. Therefore, the third locking element 4153 can be used to control whether the connecting part 4130 is allowed to adjust the orientation of the bearing element 413 and the distance between the bearing element 413 and the second carrier. It should be noted that the locking method between the third locking element 4153 and the connecting part 4130 can be changed without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0134] The retaining member 4132 may further include a retaining engagement unit 41321 having a plurality of protrusions. The base member 4131 may further include a retaining fixing unit 41311 for engaging with the retaining engagement unit 41321. In some embodiments, the retaining member 4132 may be a movable strip member including the plurality of protrusions, and the retaining fixing unit 41311 may be a strip fixing unit to engage with one of the protrusions of the retaining member 4132 to fix the retaining member 4132.

[0135] Referring to Figures 2A, 2B, and 12 together, after the second carrier is loaded onto the plurality of first receiving elements 422, the carrying element 413 can be rotated along the first rotation axis parallel to the pivot control element 423. Next, the holding and fixing unit 41311 can be adjusted to an unfixed state so that the holding member 4132 is movable within the holding and fixing unit 41311. To stably hold the second carrier 30, the holding member 4132 can tighten or loosen the tubular component of the second carrier, bypassing it, to hold the second carrier 30. Therefore, the holding member 4132 is movable to tighten or loosen the tubular component of the second carrier 30. When the tubular component of the second carrier is tightly secured by the holding member 4132, the holding and fixing unit 41311 can be adjusted to a fixed state to fix the holding member 4132. Therefore, the retaining and fixing unit 41311 can engage with a protrusion in the retaining engagement unit 41321 of the retaining member 4132 to prevent the retaining member 4132 from moving and loosening. In some embodiments, the tubular member in the carrier frame 32 of the second carrier 30 can be one of the upper tube, seat tube, and lower tube of the second carrier 30.

[0136] When the first vehicle 20, which is holding the second vehicle 30, brakes suddenly, objects on the first vehicle 20 (e.g., the carrying device 40 and the second vehicle 30) tend to tilt forward due to inertia. In addition, when the first vehicle 20, which is holding the second vehicle 30, accelerates rapidly, objects on the first vehicle 20 tend to shift backward due to inertia.

[0137] Since the support member 42 of the bearing device 40 can be directly mounted on the first carrier 20, the offset of the support member 42 relative to the first carrier 20 due to inertia may be negligible. Furthermore, multiple wheels 31 of the second carrier 30 can be engaged with the support member 42, which has a small offset relative to the first carrier 20 due to inertia. The offset of the wheels 31 relative to the first carrier 20 due to inertia may also be negligible. Therefore, when the second carrier 30 offsets due to inertia, the wheels 31 of the second carrier 30 can serve as a fulcrum for the swinging of the second carrier 30.

[0138] Furthermore, the first end of the first outrigger member 41 can be mounted on the support member 42, which has a small offset due to inertia relative to the first carrier 20, through the engagement of the pivoting element 416 with the pivoting control element 423. The offset of the first end of the first outrigger member 41 relative to the first carrier 20 due to inertia may also be negligible. Therefore, when the first outrigger member 41 offsets due to inertia, the pivoting element 416 of the first outrigger member 41 can serve as a fulcrum for the swinging of the first outrigger member 41.

[0139] The greater the distance between the connecting line of wheel 31 and a specific tubular component in the carrier frame 32 of the second carrier 30, the greater the offset of that specific tubular component in the carrier frame 32 of the second carrier 30. Therefore, although the offset of the wheel 31 of the second carrier 30 is negligible, the offset of that specific tubular component in the carrier frame 32 of the second carrier 30 relative to the support member 42 of the bearing device 40 due to inertia may be too large to be ignored. Furthermore, the greater the distance between the pivoting rotating element 416 and a specific element in the first arm member 41, the greater the offset of that specific element in the first arm member 41. Therefore, although the offset of the support member 42 is negligible, the offset of a specific end point of the first arm member 41 relative to the support member 42 of the bearing device 40 due to inertia may be too large to be ignored.

[0140] The weight of the second vehicle 30 may differ from that of the first support arm 41, and the center of gravity height of the second vehicle 30 may also differ from that of the first support arm 41. Therefore, although the load-bearing element 413 of the first support arm 41 can secure the tubular component of the second vehicle 30, the offset of the load-bearing element 413 may differ from the offset of the tubular component of the second vehicle 30. In other words, when the first vehicle 20, which holds the second vehicle 30, performs an emergency brake or rapid acceleration, the load-bearing element 413 of the first support arm 41 may rotate due to the offset difference between the load-bearing element 413 of the first support arm 41 and the tubular component of the second vehicle 30. Furthermore, since the load-bearing element 413 of the first support arm 41 may rotate due to this offset difference, the pivoting element 416 may rotate due to the rotation of the load-bearing element 413 of the first support arm 41. Therefore, when the first vehicle 20, which holds the second vehicle 30, brakes suddenly or accelerates rapidly, the first rotating element 412 and the pivoting rotating element 416 may rotate due to the difference in offset caused by inertia. Even if the bearing device 40 does not include the first rotating element 412 for rotating the bearing element 413 along the first axis of rotation and the pivoting rotating element 416 for rotating the first support arm member 41, the bearing element 413 and the first support arm member 41 may still rotate slightly due to inertia. However, repeated abnormal slight rotations may lead to fatigue and eventually damage over time. Therefore, the bearing device 40 may need to overcome the problem of inertia.

[0141] Referring to Figure 12, the structure of the rotating fixing component (e.g., the second rotating fixing unit 41211) and the rotating engaging component (e.g., the second rotating engaging unit 41231) formed by the connecting component 4121 and the connecting component 4123 allows the connecting component 4121 to switch between allowing rotation and disallowing rotation. Therefore, when the bearing element 413 tends to rotate laterally due to the offset difference caused by inertia, the structure of the rotating fixing component and the rotating engaging component of the connecting component 4121 and the connecting component 4123 can simultaneously fix the bearing element 413 in both the longitudinal and lateral directions to avoid the lateral rotation of the bearing element 413 caused by the offset difference.

[0142] Furthermore, referring to Figures 8 and 9, the structure of the rotation fixing component and the rotation engaging component formed by the pivoting rotating element 416 and the pivoting control element 423 allows the first arm member 41 to switch between allowing rotation and disallowing rotation. Therefore, when the first arm member 41 tends to rotate due to the offset difference caused by inertia, the structure of the rotation fixing component and the rotation engaging component of the pivoting rotating element 416 and the pivoting control element 423 can fix the orientation of the first arm member 41 to avoid the first arm member 41 from rotating due to the offset difference.

[0143] The embodiments shown and described above are merely examples. Many details are frequently found in the art. Therefore, many such details are neither shown nor described. Although many features and advantages of this disclosure have been set forth in the foregoing description in conjunction with details of its structure and function, this disclosure is merely illustrative, and changes in detail may be made. Therefore, it should be understood that the above embodiments can be modified within the scope of the claims.

[0144] 1: Transportation 10, 40: Supporting device 100: Surface 101: Ramp components 11, 41: First outrigger component 111, 411: Columnar elements 112, 412: First rotating element 1120: Slit component 1121: Ring-shaped component 11211: Second Rotary Fixing Unit 1122: Clamping components 11221: First Rotary Joint Unit 113, 413: Load-bearing elements 1130, 4130: Connecting components 1131, 4131: Base components 11311, 41311: Fixed unit 1132, 4132: Holding components 11321, 41321: Holding joint unit 114, 414: Height adjustment element 1140, 4140: Cracked components 11400: Second rotary joint unit 1141-1148: Blade components 1149: Stepped component 115: Locking element 116, 416: Pivoting and rotating elements 117: Second rotating element 11710: First Rotational Fixing Unit 12, 42: Supporting components 121: Planar Components 122, 422: First receiving element 123, 423: Pivot control element 124, 424: Second receiving element 125, 425: Pivot control elements 1261: First receiving element 1262: Second receiving element 127: Rotating element 1281, 4281: First connecting element 1282, 4282: Second connecting element 13, 43: Second support arm components 20: First Vehicle 30: Second vehicle 31: Wheel 32: Vehicle frame 4111: First column component 4112: Second column component 4121: Connecting components 41211: Second Rotary Fixing Unit 4122: Circular component 4123: Connecting components 41231: Second rotary joint unit 4141: First Adjustment Component 4142: Second Adjustment Component 4143: Fastening components 4151: First locking element 4152: Second locking element 4153: Third locking element 421: Flat bar element Dm: Direction of movement Dr1: First rotation direction Dr2: Second rotation direction Ov: Vehicle Orientation

Claims

1. A carrying device, which can be mounted on a first vehicle to hold a second vehicle different from the first vehicle, the carrying device comprising: A support member having multiple receiving elements to support the second carrier; The arm component, coupled to the support component and located between the plurality of receiving elements, further includes: a load-bearing element configured to hold the second carrier; a first rotating element coupled to the load-bearing element and configured to rotate the load-bearing element along a first rotation axis; a first locking element configured to control whether the first rotating element is allowed to rotate the load-bearing element along the first rotation axis; and a column element coupled to the first rotating element and a pivot control element of the support component, wherein the pivot control element is perpendicular to the first rotation axis, and the column element is pivotally rotatable about the pivot control element of the support component to allow the arm component to rotate between a loading position and an unloading position.

2. The bearing device as described in claim 1, wherein: The outrigger component is rotated to the loading position to hold the second carrier on the support component, and as the second carrier is being loaded onto the support component along the plurality of receiving elements, the bearing element is rotated by the first rotating element along the first rotation axis to a release position to prevent the second carrier from contacting the outrigger component located at the loading position.

3. The support device as described in claim 1, wherein the support arm member further comprises: A pivoting rotating element coupled to the pivoting control element of the support member for rotating between the loading position and the unloading position, wherein: when the second vehicle is held by the carrying element, the pivoting control element of the support member restricts a rotation of the pivoting rotating element, and when the first vehicle is moving along a vehicle orientation, the rotation of the pivoting rotating element is restricted to prevent the second vehicle from deviating along the vehicle orientation.

4. The support device as described in claim 1, wherein the support arm member further comprises: A height adjustment element is configured to adjust the height of a component of the load-bearing element to correspond to the height of a component of the second vehicle.

5. The support device as described in claim 4, wherein the support arm member further comprises: A second locking element is configured to control whether the height adjustment element allows adjustment of the height of the support element, wherein the second locking element and the first locking element are integrally formed or formed separately.

6. The bearing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bearing element further comprises: A base component; and a retaining member coupled to the base member, wherein the retaining member is movable to tighten or loosen a tubular member of the second carrier.

7. The support device as described in claim 6, wherein the support arm member further comprises: A second rotating element coupled to the carrier element and the first rotating element, wherein the second rotating element is rotatable to rotate the base component along a second rotating axis to adjust the orientation of the carrier element to correspond to a tubular orientation of the tubular component, wherein the second rotating axis is perpendicular to the first rotating axis.

8. The support device as described in claim 7, wherein the support arm member further comprises: A third locking element is configured to control whether the second rotating element allows adjustment of the orientation of the bearing element, wherein the third locking element and the first locking element are integrally formed or formed separately.

9. The support device as described in claim 1, wherein: When the first locking element is in an unlocked state, the first rotating element is rotatable to allow the load-bearing element to rotate along the first rotation axis to be perpendicular to the pivot control element, and when the second carrier is being loaded onto the support member, the load-bearing element is rotated along the first rotation axis to be perpendicular to the pivot control element to prevent the second carrier from contacting the support arm member.

10. The support device as described in claim 1, wherein: When the first locking element is in a locked state, the first locking element restricts a rotation of the first rotating element, and when the first vehicle is moving along the vehicle orientation, the rotation of the first rotating element is restricted to prevent the second vehicle from deviating along the vehicle orientation.

11. The support device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support member further comprises: A receiving element coupled to one of the plurality of receiving elements, wherein the receiving element receives the support arm member when the support arm member is in the unloading position.

12. The support device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support member further comprises: A rotating element coupled to one of the plurality of receiving elements, wherein the carrying device can be moved by the rotating element when the rotating element is placed on a surface.

13. A means of transport capable of carrying a vehicle, the means of transport comprising: The first vehicle; And a carrying device, as described in any one of claims 1-12, coupled to the first vehicle to hold a second vehicle different from the first vehicle.

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