Patent Grant
8998243
This application is the U.S. national stage of International Application No. PCT/EP2011/065638, filed on Sep. 9, 2011, and claims the benefit thereof. The international application claims the benefits of German Application No. 102010037506.3 filed on Sep. 13, 2010; all applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
The instant invention relates to a buggy or collapsible perambulator, comprising a sliding frame which, in the unfolded state, runs in an inclined plane and has a division, in the region of which joints are located, and therefore, upon collapsing, an upper portion of the sliding frame is pivotable in relation to a lower portion of the sliding frame about the approximately horizontal axis of said joints, and furthermore comprising an underframe with wheels, wherein, in the collapsed state, the lower portion and upper portion of the sliding frame and at least parts of the underframe are virtually parallel or are at a flat angle to each other and the buggy assumes a flat, compact state, wherein the two portions of the sliding frame, which are pivotable in relation to each other, each have approximately the shape of a U bar, wherein the suspensions of the front wheels are located on the lower portion of the sliding frame, and the suspensions for the rear wheels are located on a rear frame of the underframe, said rear frame having a horizontal transverse strut.
In the instant invention, a buggy is understood to mean a push cart for infants, in which, in the unfolded state, the infant assumes a sitting position, in contrast to the classic perambulator, which accommodates babies or infants in a portable container, which can be detached for the most part, in a lying position.
A buggy or perambulator is known from DE 20 2008 017 305 U1, for example. As is the case with many standard types, a basic horizontal structure is present in the case of this buggy as underframe, on which the rear wheels are located and which extends between rear wheels and front wheels. The front wheels are attached to a strut, which runs in transverse direction. Support elements, the ends of which are in each case connected in an articulated manner to the sliding frame as well as to the underframe, run between the inclined sliding frame and the basic horizontal structure. As is known per se in the case of buggies, the seat unit is attached to the frame of the buggy so as to be capable of being detached. However, the pivoting about the joints takes place here in response to the collapsing such that the upper portion of the sliding frame is folded in the direction of the lower portion of the sliding frame. In the case of buggies, however, it is also possible to carry out this pivoting in reverse direction of rotation, so that the upper portion of the sliding frame is pivoted backwards in response to being collapsed. In the case of the known buggy, provision is made for releasing the locking of the joints for a downwards pushing movement of the upper portion of the sliding frame. Other mechanisms for releasing the joints, however, are also possible, for example at the joints themselves, which is not important in the context of the instant invention.
A further buggy is known from DE 10 2007 047 702 A1. In the case of this known buggy, the underframe consists of front pipes, which point approximately in the direction of the front wheels, and of rear pipes, which extend approximately in the direction of the rear wheels, wherein, in the unfolded state, viewed in the side view, rear pipes and front pipes form a virtually right-angled triangular formation having an apex, which is located on the top, and wherein the sliding frame is then approximately aligned with the front pipes. An arrangement of struts, which are connected to each other in an articulated manner, with said arrangement being pulled upwards and folding in the center in response to being collapsed, runs on the bottom between the front pipes and the rear pipes, approximately horizontally. In the compact, collapsed state, the rear wheels, which pivot inwards here about an inclined axis, are located between the front wheels. To shorten the frame lengthwise in response to collapsing it, provision is furthermore made here for the sliding frame to be pushed through a mount in the direction of the front wheels. Two motion sequences are thus necessary for the collapsing, namely a pivoting, for collapsing the underframe on the one hand, and additionally the displacement of the sliding frame.
The currently known buggies of the above-described type have in common that the significant parts of the sliding frame and of the underframe consist of a comparatively high number of component parts, which require a quite time-extensive assembly in response to the production. At least partially, these are metal parts, such as struts, wheel axles, parts of the frame and the like, for example. Common fastening elements, such as screws, rivets and the like are used for connecting the individual components.
A buggy (English term “stroller”) comprising the features of the above-mentioned species is described in US 2010/0109293 A1. The procedure in response to collapsing this buggy from the ready use position into the compact transport position is as follows. The connection in the joint region between the upper portion of the sliding frame and the lower portion of the sliding frame is released and the upper portion of the sliding frame is then pivoted backwards towards the lower portion by almost 180°. The front wheels, which are located on transverse connection of the lower portion of the sliding frame, stand comparatively narrowly and the rear wheels, which are located on a rear frame of the underframe, stand further spaced apart than the front wheels, so that, in the collapsed state, the two front wheels are located between the rear wheels. In the case of this buggy, the rear frame also encompasses a transverse strut, which, by comparison, however, is arranged on the bottom, wherein the struts starting at the rear wheels, continue upwards beyond this transverse strut up to a joint, on which these struts are connected to the lower portion of the sliding frame in an articulated manner. A transverse connection does not exist in the region of these joints. This known buggy is mainly embodied to accommodate a further seat frame, which is adjustable, in the sliding frame, so that it is possible to hold a child in a sitting or also in an upright position. For this reason, the entire frame design is very complex and comprises a plurality of components.
A further buggy is known from DE 20 2005 013 397 U1, which, in response to being collapsed into the compact transport position, shows a similar cinematic as the above-mentioned buggy. However, only a single front wheel is present in the case of this buggy. At the location, where the rear frame is connected to the lower portion of the sliding frame in an articulated manner, a transverse strut is present. Said transverse strut, however, is flat, serves to reinforce the lower portion of the sliding frame and does not have any function for the joint. A further transverse strut, which connects the two struts, which run at an incline to the rear wheels, to each other, is present on the rear frame comprising the rear wheels. This transverse strut, however, runs at a distance underneath the above-mentioned strut of the sliding frame and also does not have any function for the joint. This document relates to a mechanism for unlocking a lock for the purpose of releasing the joints, which then make it possible to collapse the buggy into the transport position. This mechanism is designed so as to be comparatively complex and is thus prone to malfunctions. Due to the mechanism, the region around the joints in the case of this buggy additionally consists of many, partially smaller component parts, which do not allow for a rational production. Provision is furthermore also made for using many metallic components in response to the production of this buggy.
Based on the above-mentioned problematic, the task of the instant invention is to improve the design of a buggy of the above-mentioned species in view of a more cost-efficient production and shortening of the assembly time, while maintaining the functionality.
A buggy of the above-mentioned species comprising the characterizing features of the main claim provides the solution of this task. Provision is made according to the invention for an articulated sleeve, which runs in transverse direction, to be located on the lower portion of the sliding frame, and for an upper horizontal transverse strut of the rear frame to be accommodated in this articulated sleeve so as to be pivotable about a horizontal axis.
Preferably, the supporting parts of the buggy according to the invention are constructed mainly from only three components. The first component forms the upper portion of the sliding frame, the second component forms the lower portion of the sliding frame and is connected to the first component via joints, so that the upper portion of the sliding frame can be pivoted in relation to the lower portion of the sliding frame. The front wheels can be located on this lower portion of the sliding frame. The third component is the so-called rear frame, on which the rear wheels can be located, wherein this rear frame, in turn, pivots about a horizontal axis in relation to the lower portion of the sliding frame, when the buggy is collapsed. In contrast to the state of the art according to DE 20 1008 017 305 U1, the upper portion of the sliding frame is preferably not folded onto the lower portion according to the invention, but is pivoted away from it in reverse direction of rotation towards the back. In addition, a flat basic horizontal structure, which extends from the rear wheels to the front wheels, is no longer present in the case of the solution according to the invention, but the front wheels and rear wheels move towards each other in response to the collapsing. On the contrary, a horizontal connection between front wheels and rear wheels does not exist anymore. The buggy according to the invention can thus be folded sp as to be quite flat.
In contrast to the solution, which is known from the state of the art according to DE 10 2007 047 702 A1, the solution according to the invention differs in that the upper portion of the sliding frame is not displaced inwardly in response to being collapsed, but is pivoted about a common axis of articulation in relation to the lower portion of the sliding frame. The pivoting of the rear frame, which according to the invention supports the rear wheels, is also different than in the case of the state of the art, where the struts, on which the rear wheels are located, in each case pivot individually about inclined axes. In contrast, only one horizontal axis is present according to the invention and, in response to being collapsed, the rear frame pivots in one piece about this axis in relation to the lower portion of the sliding frame, namely simultaneously and preferably also in the same direction as the direction of rotation with the pivoting of the upper portion of the sliding frame.
This has the considerable advantage that the buggy can be collapsed into the compact state by means of only one movement, wherein the upper portion of the sliding frame and the rear frame move towards the lower portion of the sliding frame (on which the front wheels are located as a rule) and these three main parts of the frame of the buggy can be placed down to be flat into an approximately parallel position of these frame parts. In addition, a number of components are no longer necessary in the case of the solution according to the invention as compared to the mentioned state of the art, because the arrangement of rods, on which the rear wheels are located and the arrangement of rods, on which the front wheels are located, are connected to each other via an arrangement comprising only five struts.
A particularly preferred further development of the invention provides for support struts, the lower end of which is in each case attached to the rear frame of the underframe in an articulated manner and the upper end of which is in each case attached to the upper portion of the sliding frame in an articulated manner, to be provided on both sides of the underframe. In the unfolded state of the buggy, in the case of locked joints (for example by locking in place), these support struts support the upper portion of the sliding frame on both sides, in each case in relation to the rear frame, and can assume an approximately vertical position in the unfolded state, for example. To reduce the number of components and to stay with the concept of a production of the buggy exclusively from injection molded components made of plastic, if possible, the articulated lugs for the articulated attachment of the support struts on the upper portion of the sliding frame on the one hand and/or on the rear frame on the other hand, can in each case be injection molded, so that only two further components are required with the support struts, but no further fastening elements become necessary for the joints.
According to a preferred further development of the instant invention, the rear frame of the underframe encompasses a support leg on each side, to which an axle for a rear wheel is in each case integrally molded in each case in the lower end region.
In a further preferred manner, the rear frame of the underframe is thereby a component, which is injection molded of plastic in one piece, comprising two support legs, the horizontal transverse strut, which connects the two support legs to each other on the top, in each case one axle for a rear wheel, integrally molded to each support leg in each case in the lower end region, as well as, if necessary, a further lower transverse strut, which connects the two support legs. By integrally molding the two axles for the rear wheels to the rear frame, the above-mentioned concept of reducing the necessary components and the complete production of injection molded components made of plastic, if possible, is continued consequently. Contrary to the buggies, which are known from the state of the art, neither separate components, nor metallic components are required for the axles for the rear wheels. Instead, the axles can be integrally molded at the same time in response to the injection molding of the rear frame. This later provides for a complete recycling of the buggy without material separation. The buggy is virtually completely material-homogenous. However, the assembly of the buggy in response to the production is furthermore also simplified considerably, because the rear wheels can be attached very quickly to the injection molded axles.
A particularly advantageous brake for a buggy, in particular a buggy comprising the features of the above-mentioned type, which is the subject matter of claim 5, is furthermore the subject matter of the instant invention. Provision is made according to this for the brake for the rear wheels to comprise a slider, which can be moved along a lower transverse strut of the rear frame in a guide and which is provided with brake elements on the end side, wherein the brake elements simultaneously engage on both rear wheels with corresponding engagement elements in response to the displacement of the slider in its guide in one direction. It is advantageous here that a brake mechanism, which is designed in a simple manner and which, if necessary, can even be made from only one component, which can also be made of plastic by means of injection molding, exists for the rear wheels, because the brake elements for both rear wheels can be located on the slider. The guide for this slider is located on the rear frame, for example on said transverse strut, which can be embodied so as to be curved, for example. Further components for the brake mechanism are thus also not required on the rear frame. In turn, the assembly is again simplified considerably, because only one component must be assembled for the brake mechanism.
For example, said slider for the brake mechanism can encompass tooth clamps as brake elements, which engage with corresponding sprockets on the rear wheels, wherein the engagement is made with an inner sprocket in the case of a rear wheel and the engagement is made with an outer sprocket in the case of the other rear wheel. This preferred design makes it possible to brake both rear wheels simultaneously by moving the slider in one direction. The slider comprising the brake elements can be a curved component, which is injection molded of plastic in one piece, for example, for which a curve slot in the transverse strut of the rear frame serves as guide. By sliding back and forth, the slider then in each case reaches from the brake position into the released position, for example.
To consequently follow the above-mentioned concept of reducing the necessary components and the complete production from injection molded components made of plastic, if possible, provision is preferably furthermore made for the elements, which are necessary for the joints for connecting the upper portion to the lower portion of the sliding frame in an articulated manner, in each case to be injection molded on the two said portions, so that separate joint components are not required. For example, the lower portion of the sliding frame can be a component, which is injection molded of plastic in one piece, in the form of a U strut, which is open towards the top, in each case comprising corresponding joint halves of the joints for the articulated connection to the upper portion of the sliding frame, in each case in the upper end region of the two journals of the U strut. The upper portion of the sliding frame can also be a component, which is injection molded of plastic in one piece, for example, in the form of a U strut, which is open towards the bottom, in each case comprising corresponding joint halves of the joints for the articulated connection to the lower portion of the sliding frame. All of the joint elements, which are necessary for the articulated connection between upper and lower portion of the sliding frame, thus consist of plastic and are located on these two portions of the sliding frame in one piece and so as to be injection molded.
In the case of common buggies, it is typically the case that separate fastening elements, such as snap fasteners or the like, which consist of metal for the most part and which must be attached by the manufacturer in response to the first assembly of the buggy, are used for attaching a textile seat to the frame of the buggy. In contrast, in the case of the solution according to the invention, elements for a fastening of a textile seat are preferably injection molded to journals of the U strut of the upper portion of the sliding frame, in each case on the inner side, so that a simpler recycling of the entire buggy also becomes possible by means of this measure and the assembly time is further shortened.
A particularly advantageous alternative design embodiment of a buggy, in particular of a buggy comprising the features of the above-mentioned type, which is the subject matter of claims 12 and 13, is furthermore the subject matter of the instant invention. Provision is made according to this for all of the supporting components of the sliding frame and of the underframe as well as all of the significant functional components of the buggy to consist exclusively of material-homogenous plastics. This alternative embodiment has the particular advantage that such a buggy can be recycled without any problems. A separation according to components having different materials is not necessary and, if applicable, not even a disassembly, because the buggy as a whole can then simply be broken up and melted down.
Preferably, sliding frame and underframe comprising all of the significant functional components furthermore consist of a total of only five injection molded components made of plastic, which can be connected to each other,
namely a component, which comprises the upper portion of the sliding frame,
a component, which comprises the lower portion of the sliding frame,
a component, which comprises the rear frame,
as well as two support struts, the lower end of which is in each case attached to the rear frame of the underframe in an articulated manner and the upper end of which is in each case attached to the upper portion of the sliding frame in an articulated manner. This provides for a very cost-efficient production of the buggy by injection molding only a few components made of plastic, which can subsequently be assembled in only a few process steps within only a very short period of time. While an assembly time by hand of one hour or more is required for the assembly of a common buggy, due to the plurality of component parts, of which it consists and which need to be connected to each other, for the most part via screw and rivet connections, a buggy according to the invention can be assembled within only a few minutes. It is obvious that this leads to a quite considerable decrease of labor expenses in response to the assembly and thus to a considerable decrease of the production costs.
A further advantageous preferred alternative embodiment of a buggy according to the invention provides for the upper horizontal transverse strut of the rear frame to encompass spanner flats, to which correspondingly dimensioned assembly accommodations are assigned in the articulated sleeve on the lower portion of the sliding frame, so that, after the assembly of the buggy, the transverse strut can no longer be removed from the articulated sleeve, which accommodates this transverse strut so as to be pivotable about a horizontal axis. The connection between the rear frame and the lower portion of the sliding frame is thus embodied such that it can only be established in response to the first assembly by the manufacturer, but cannot be released again by the user later on. The connection of these supporting components of the frame is thus permanently stable and an unintentional release is avoided.
The features, which are described in the subclaims, relate to preferred further developments of the task solution according to the invention. Further advantages of the instant invention follow from the detail description below.
The instant invention will be defined in more detail below by means of exemplary embodiments with reference to the enclosed drawings.
a shows an enlarged detail view of the lower portion of the sliding frame, viewed from the front side;
a shows a detail view of a joint in the connecting region between the upper portion and the lower portion of the sliding frame;
b shows a further detail view of the joint, viewed in a different angle than in
Reference is initially made to
The outline of the upper portion 11 of the sliding frame is substantially U-shaped, wherein the U shape is open towards the bottom. The outline of the lower portion 12 of the sliding frame is also substantially U-shaped, wherein, the U shape, however, is open towards the top here, that is, it is open towards the upper portion 11 of the sliding frame. The two front wheels 16 of the buggy 10 are attached to the lower U bar 121 of the lower portion 12 of the sliding frame, which runs transversely. The two rear wheels 15 of the buggy 10 are located on the rear frame 13. The lower portion of the rear frame 13 comprising the rear wheels 15, together with the lower region of the lower portion 12 of the sliding frame, quasi forms the underframe of the buggy, that is, a separate component is no longer necessary for the underframe, but the entire supporting design comprising the sliding frame and the underframe follows from the three mentioned main components, namely upper portion 11 of the sliding frame, lower portion 12 of the sliding frame and rear frame 13. These three main components are preferably in each case made of plastic in one piece, in particular in the injection molding process, whereby virtually all of the further applications and functional components are located on the three main components, already after the production, that is, they are also injection molded, so that many subsequent assembly processes can be simplified or are no longer necessary.
The approximately U-shaped upper portion 11 of the sliding frame and the approximately U-shaped lower portion 12 of the sliding frame are connected to each other in an articulated manner in the end regions of their two U journals 111, 112 or 122, 123, respectively, which face each other, in each case via joints 17, 18, namely such that the upper portion 11 can be tilted backwards and can be pivoted or folded by almost 180° after unlocking the joints 17, 18, until the buggy assumes a flat, collapsed transport state, which is illustrated in
As can furthermore be seen from
The lower portion 12 of the sliding frame, which is illustrated in
The setup of the rear frame 13, which forms the third larger supporting component of the frame of the buggy 10, becomes clear from
The axle 134 for the one rear wheel 15, which has been removed in this view and which can be seen in the detail view according to
The rear side of the curved lower transverse strut 135, which is shown in
a and 11b once again illustrate one of the joints 18, which connect the upper portion 11 to the lower portion 12 of the sliding frame in an articulated manner, in two different views. In
The suspension of one of the steerable front wheels 16 is once again illustrated in detail in
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2010 037 506 | Sep 2010 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2011/065638 | 9/9/2011 | WO | 00 | 3/26/2013 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2012/034940 | 3/22/2012 | WO | A |
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| 1503095 | Feb 2005 | EP |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20130181428 A1 | Jul 2013 | US |
