Patent Application
20230017121
The present invention relates to a bearing-type cradle for pacifying infants or babies.
A cradle is used for placing a baby to facilitate the watcher keeping, caring, and pacifying the baby. Thus, when the baby is placed in the cradle, the parents shake the cradle to comfort the baby. However, the conventional cradle is usually operated by a manual labor, thereby wasting the watcher's energy and time. An electric or electromagnetic cradle is operated automatically to save the manual labor. The conventional electromagnetic cradle includes a power source that comes from a magnetic force between a magnet and an electromagnet. The conventional electromagnetic cradle also includes a bed pivotally mounted on a stand and arranged in a suspending manner. The bed is swinging and oscillating like a pendulum. However, the bed has a larger inertia during the swinging motion, thereby easily causing danger to the little infant or baby.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a cradle that is operated to swing slowly and safely.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a cradle comprising a base assembly, a motion assembly, a drive device, and a bed rail assembly. The base assembly includes a base plate, a pressure axle seat secured on a top of the base plate, and two pressure bearing seats secured on the top of the base plate. Each of the two pressure bearing seats has a top provided with a bearing face and a limit wall. The bearing face is a symmetrically arranged recessed curved face. The limit wall extends upward from the top of each of the two pressure bearing seats and defines a limit slot. The motion assembly includes a movable plate, a rotary seat secured on a bottom of the movable plate and pivotally connected with the pressure axle seat, two swinging rods connected with the rotary seat, a swinging seat connected with the two swinging rods, two axles mounted on the swinging seat, two rollers mounted on the two axles and each abutting the bearing face of each of the two pressure bearing seats respectively, two positioning members coupled to the two axles and positioning the two rollers, and at least one driven member secured on the bottom of the movable plate. Each of the two swinging rods has a first end secured to a periphery of the rotary seat and a second end secured to the swinging seat. Each of the two positioning members passes through the limit slot of each of the two pressure bearing seats. The drive device is secured on the base plate and located under the at least one driven member. The bed rail assembly is secured on the base plate.
In practice, the drive device includes an electromagnet, the at least one driven member is a permanent magnet. After the drive device is energized, the drive device produces a magnetic force to the at least one driven member, so that the rollers roll reciprocatingly along the pressure bearing seats, and the rotary seat is rotated reciprocatingly relative to the pressure axle seat, such that the movable plate swings leftward and rightward about the pressure axle seat in a sector manner to pacify the baby.
According to the primary advantage of the present invention, the pressure axle seat and the pressure bearing seats support the weight of the motion assembly, so that the rollers roll reciprocatingly along the pressure bearing seats, and the movable plate swings leftward and rightward about the pressure axle seat in a sector. In such a manner, the movable plate swings leftward and rightward in a sector manner so that the two ends of the movable plate have different swing or amplitude of oscillation. Thus, the baby is placed on the movable plate with the baby's head being close to the pressure axle seat having a less swing to reduce the swinging action of the baby's head, and to prevent the baby's head from being damaged due to a large swinging action. In addition, the baby's head is distant from the at least one driven member and the drive device to prevent the baby from being affected by unknown effects caused by the at least one driven member and the drive device.
Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a careful reading of the detailed description with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to the drawings and initially to
The base assembly 1 includes a base plate 11, a plurality of pads 111 secured on a bottom of the base plate 11, a pressure axle seat 12 secured on a top of the base plate 11, a plurality of rolling balls 13 mounted on the pressure axle seat 12, and two pressure bearing seats 14 secured on the top of the base plate 11. The pressure axle seat 12 has a top provided with a plurality of ball holes 121 arranged in an annular shape. The rolling balls 13 are mounted in the ball holes 121. Each of the two pressure bearing seats 14 has a top provided with a bearing face 141 and a limit wall 142. The bearing face 141 is a symmetrically arranged recessed curved face having a middle and two sides higher than the middle so that the bearing face 141 has a height gradually reduced from the two sides toward the middle thereof. The limit wall 142 extends upward from the top of each of the two pressure bearing seats 14 and defines a limit slot 143.
The motion assembly 2 includes a movable plate 21 swingable relative to the base plate 11, a rotary seat 22 secured on a bottom of the movable plate 21 and pivotally connected with the pressure axle seat 12, two swinging rods 23 connected with the rotary seat 22, a swinging seat 24 connected with the two swinging rods 23, two axles 241 mounted on the swinging seat 24, two rollers 25 mounted on the two axles 241 and each abutting the bearing face 141 of each of the two pressure bearing seats 14 respectively, two positioning members 26 coupled to the two axles 241 and positioning the two rollers 25, and two driven members 27 secured on the bottom of the movable plate 21. The rotary seat 22 has a bottom provided with a slideway 221 abutting the rolling balls 13 which are mounted between the ball holes 121 and the slideway 221. Each of the two swinging rods 23 has a first end secured to a periphery of the rotary seat 22 and a second end secured to the swinging seat 24. Each of the two positioning members 26 passes through the limit slot 143 of each of the two pressure bearing seats 14.
The drive device 3 is secured on the base plate 11 and includes a housing 31, a power generator 32 mounted in the housing 31, and a control module 33 mounted in the housing 31 and electrically connected with the power generator 32. The power generator 32 is located under and correspond to the two driven members 27. The power generator 32 provides a force to drive the two driven members 27.
The bed rail assembly 4 includes a plurality of upright posts 41 secured on the base plate 11, and an enclosure frame 42 connected with the upright posts 41.
In practice, each of the two rollers 25 of the motion assembly 2 is arranged on the bearing face 141 of each of the two pressure bearing seats 14, so that when each of the two rollers 25 is situated at the two sides of the bearing face 141, each of the two rollers 25 is rolled toward the middle of the bearing face 141 automatically. The power generator 32 of the drive device 3 provides a force to drive the two driven members 27, so that the two driven members 27 drive the movable plate 21 to swing.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of the two driven members 27 is a permanent magnet secured in the swinging seat 24 which is secured to the movable plate 21. The power generator 32 of the drive device 3 is an electromagnet that attracts or repels each of the two driven members 27. The control module 33 of the drive device 3 controls the power generator 32 to produce an electromagnetic force of different modes. For example, the control module 33 of the drive device 3 controls the power generator 32 to produce magnetism in a regularly intermittent manner. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the power generator 32 keeps the magnetism during one second and stops the magnetism during one second, and the process is repeated successively. Alternatively, the N pole and S pole of the power generator 32 are inverted repeatedly to produce the magnetism. Alternatively, the control module 33 of the drive device 3 contains a magnetic detector or sensor that detects the relative position and the movement direction of the two driven members 27, so that the power generator 32 is controlled by the control module 33 to produce a magnetically attractive force when the two driven members 27 approach, and produce a magnetically repulsive force when the two driven members 27 leave.
In operation, referring to
Referring to
Referring to
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cradle is driven to swing by an electromagnetic force.
Referring to
In operation, when the power generator 32 rotates the rotation wheel 34 constantly, the guide shaft 35 is rotated with the rotation wheel 34. At this time, the guide shaft 35 pushes the edge of the guide slot 28 successively so that the driven member 27 and the movable plate 21 are driven by the guide shaft 35 to swing successively in a sector manner. In such a manner, the guide shaft 35 is rotated successively, and the driven member 27 swings successively, so that it looks like the guide shaft 35 is moved in the guide slot 28 reciprocatingly.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment(s) as mentioned above, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claim or claims will cover such modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the invention.
