The present invention relates to a vehicle frame and a stroller, and more particularly, to a vehicle frame capable of being overall folded and the vehicle frame and a related stroller having simple operation and convenient usage.
In design of the vehicle frame and the frame structure, the stroller is designed to be foldable for meeting practicality and convenience required by the consumer. The stroller can be fully unfolded when being in use, and further can be folded into a smaller size for easy collection or portability. The front leg, the rear leg and the handle of the conventional frame are foldable, and two folding mechanisms are respectively disposed between the front leg and the rear leg, and further between the front leg and the handle. Or, the folding mechanisms are respectively disposed between the front leg and the rear leg, and further between the rear leg and the handle. When the vehicle frame is folded, the user bends down to fold the front leg and the rear leg, and then stand up to fold the handle for switching the vehicle frame into the folded mode. Therefore, two hands of the user are applied for folding and unfolding the stroller. The conventional vehicle frame and the conventional frame structure have drawbacks of complicated operation and inconvenient usage. Design of the vehicle frame and the related stroller having simple operation and convenient usage is an important issue in the mechanical design industry.
The present invention provides a vehicle frame capable of being overall folded and the vehicle frame and a related stroller having simple operation and convenient usage for solving above drawbacks.
According to the claimed invention, a vehicle frame includes a first tube, a second tube, a third tube, a fourth tube and a first pivot unit. The first tube is adapted to connect with a front wheel. The second tube is adapted to connect with a rear wheel. The third tube has a front section and a rear section connected with each other. The front section is pivoted to an upper section of the first tube, and the rear section is pivoted to a lower section of the second tube. The fourth tube is pivoted between the first tube and the second tube. The first pivot unit is disposed between the second tube and the fourth tube, and movably switched between an unfolded mode and a folded mode. The first tube and the fourth tube are stabilized at the same direction via the first pivot unit switched to the unfolded mode, so that the front wheel is distant from the rear wheel. The fourth tube is rotated relative to the first tube and the second tube via the first pivot unit switched to the folded mode, so that the front wheel is moved toward the rear wheel.
According to the claimed invention, a stroller includes a texture carrier, a wheel set and a vehicle frame. The wheel set includes a front wheel and a rear wheel. The vehicle frame is adapted to hold the texture carrier. The vehicle frame includes a first tube, a second tube, a third tube, a fourth tube and a first pivot unit. A bottom end of the first tube is adapted to connect with the front wheel. A bottom end of the second tube is adapted to connect with the rear wheel. The third tube has a front section and a rear section connected with each other. The front section is pivoted to an upper section of the first tube, and the rear section is pivoted to a lower section of the second tube. The fourth tube is pivoted between the first tube and the second tube. The first pivot unit is disposed between the second tube and the fourth tube, and movably switched between an unfolded mode and a folded mode. The first tube and the fourth tube are stabilized at the same direction via the first pivot unit switched to the unfolded mode, so that the front wheel is distant from the rear wheel. The fourth tube is rotated relative to the first tube and the second tube via the first pivot unit switched to the folded mode, so that the front wheel is moved toward the rear wheel.
Please refer to
In the first embodiment, the first pivot unit 28 has a locking function, and preferably be disposed between the second tube 22 and the fourth tube 26. That is, the first pivot unit 28 is set on a higher position on the vehicle frame 14, and therefore the user can stand and conveniently operate the locking function to freely switch the stroller 100 into the unfolded mode or the folded mode. In a possible embodiment, the vehicle frame 14 further includes a second pivot unit 30 disposed on a pivoted position between the first tube 20 and the fourth tube 26. The second pivot unit 30 can be a latch mechanism hidden inside a lower case of the fourth tube 26, and a part (such as an operation component for pushing or pulling and not shown in the figures) of the second pivot unit 30 may be protruded from the fourth tube 26 and be controlled by the user. The second pivot unit 30 can be disposed on the fourth tube 26 and located under the first pivot unit 28, so that the user can still stand and conveniently control the second pivot unit 30 to freely switch the stroller 100 into the unfolded mode or the folded mode. If the vehicle frame 14 includes the second pivot unit 30, the first pivot unit 28 can optionally have or not have the locking function, which depends on the design demand.
In some possible embodiments, the first tube 20 and the fourth tube 26 are connected to form a closed loop structure. The front wheel 16 of the wheel set 12 is disposed on a bottom end 20a of the first tube 20. The rear wheel 18 of the wheel set 12 is disposed on a bottom end 22a of the second tube 22. The third tube 24 has a front section 24a and a rear section 24b connected to each other. The front section 24a can be a passenger's armrest of the stroller 100. A baby or a child can place the hand on the armrest for support, or a plate can be detachably installed on the armrest for putting food. The rear section 24b can be a holder of the vehicle frame 14, and a basket 32 of the stroller 100 can be installed on the rear section 24b. In some possible embodiments, the third tube 24 further includes a middle section 24c. The front section 24a, the rear section 24b and the middle section 24c are not coplanar. The front section 24a, the rear section 24b and the middle section 24c are connected to form another closed loop structure. An included angle between the rear section 24b and the middle section 24c is an obtuse angle.
The basket 32 is shown in
The first pivot unit 28 can include several components, and structural features and assembly of the components are illustrated in the following description. As shown in
In the first embodiment, the second tube 22 which is connected to the rear wheel 18 is directly pivoted to the fourth tube 26 via the first pivot unit 28. There is no tube connected between the second tube 22 and the fourth tube 26. The second tube 22 includes a first bar 36 and a second bar 38 bent to each other. The foresaid bottom end 22a is the bottom end of the second bar 38. The foresaid lower section 22b is a part of the second bar 38 or the whole section of the second bar 38. The top end 361 of the first bar 36 is directly pivoted to the fourth tube 26 via the first pivot unit 28. Two opposite ends of the second bar 38 are respectively connected to the bottom end 362 of the first bar 36 and the rear wheel 18. It should be mentioned that when the stroller 100 is switched from the folded mode to the unfolded mode, an included angle between an axial direction A3 of the first bar 36 and a normal vector of the supporting surface (which means the normal vector of the ground) of the vehicle frame 14 is smaller than a predefined range, such as five degrees, so that the first bar 36 can be substantially perpendicular to the ground. In addition, the second bar 38 is bent relative to the first bar 36 in a direction away from the first tube 20. Therefore, the front wheel 16 can be moved away from the rear wheel 18, and gravity of the texture carrier 10 whereon the infant sits can be located between the front wheel 16 and the rear wheel 18 and almost at a middle between the front wheel 16 and the rear wheel 18, so as to avoid the stroller 100 from rollover when being slightly crashed.
Please refer to
As mentioned above, a thickness T1 of the engaging tooth 46 is preferably smaller than or equal to a depth D1 of the first engaging slot 48, and be further greater than a depth D2 of the second engaging slot 50. If the first pivot unit 28 is prepared to constrain the relative rotation between the second tube 22 and the fourth tube 26, the engaging tooth 46 can be inserted into the deep of the second engaging slot 50, or inserted into the second engaging slot 50 but does not contact the deep surface; in the meantime, the engaging tooth 46 can be partly protruded from the second engaging slot 50 and engaged with the first engaging slot 48 to generate structural interference, so that the fourth tube 26 cannot be rotated relative to the second tube 22. If the first pivot unit 28 is prepared to allow the relative rotation between the second tube 22 and the fourth tube 26, the engaging tooth 46 can be removed from the second engaging slot 50 and completely inserted into the first engaging slot 48; the engaging tooth 46 may be just accommodated inside the first engaging slot 48 (which means the thickness T1 of the engaging tooth 46 is equal to the depth D1 of the first engaging slot 48), or the engaging tooth 46 may be slightly moved inside the first engaging slot 48 and not interfered with the second engaging slot 50 (which means the thickness T1 of the engaging tooth 46 is smaller than the depth D1 of the first engaging slot 48).
Besides, the locking component 44 further includes at least one positioning tooth 52; accordingly, the first installation component 40 further includes at least one first positioning slot 54, and the second installation component 42 further includes at least one second positioning slot 56. If the positioning tooth 52 is simultaneously engaged with the first positioning slot 54 and the second positioning slot 56, the relative rotation between the second tube 22 and the fourth tube 26 is constrained by the first pivot unit 28, and a specific included angle between the second tube 22 and the fourth tube 26 is fixed, such as the unfolded mode shown in
The first pivot unit 28 further includes an unlocking component 58 and a resilient component 60. The unlocking component 58 is disposed on a side of the second installation component 42 opposite to the locking component 44, such as an outer surface of the first pivot unit 28. The user can easily touch and control the unlocking component 58 for related operation. The unlocking component 58 is used to push and move the locking component 44 toward the first installation component 40 for separating the locking component 44 from the second installation component 42. The engaging tooth 46 can be removed from the second engaging slot 50 and inserted into the first engaging slot 48, so as to allow the relative rotation between the second tube 22 and the fourth tube 26.
The unlocking component 58 includes a main body 62, an abutted portion 64 and a blocked portion 66. The main body 62 can be a plate or a flat piece, which depends on the design demand. The abutted portion 64 is disposed on an edge of the main body 62, and be outwardly protruded from the edge of the main body 62. The blocked portion 66 is disposed on an end of the abutted portion 64 opposite to the main body 62. The second installation component 42 has a sunken structure 68 and a constraining hole 70. The constraining hole 70 is formed inside the sunken structure 68. A size and/or a type of the sunken structure 68 correspond to a size and/or a type of the main body 62. The main body 62 is movably disposed inside the sunken structure 68, and therefore the first pivot unit 28 has a thin-typed artistic appearance. The abutted portion 64 passes through the constraining hole 70 to abut against or separate from the locking component 44. The blocked portion 66 is used to block a bottom surface 681 of the sunken structure 68 when the abutted portion 64 and the locking component 44 are separated, so as to prevent the abutted portion 64 from being departed from the constraining hole 70.
Therefore, a length L1 of the abutted portion 64 is greater than a depth D3 of the constraining hole 70. The abutted portion 64 abuts against the locking component 44 when the main body 62 does not contact the bottom surface 682 of the sunken structure 68. When the unlocking component 58 is continuously pressed and the main body 62 is deeply moved into the sunken structure 68 to approach or touch the bottom surface 682, the abutted portion 64 is used to push the locking component 44 for separating the locking component 44 and the second installation component 42, so that the engaging tooth 46 is removed from the second engaging slot 50 to enter the first engaging slot 48 and allow the relative rotation between the second tube 22 and the fourth tube 26.
For constraining the relative rotation between the second tube 22 and the fourth tube 26, the unlocking component 58 should be moved from a position deeply located inside the sunken structure 68 to another position which is partly protruded from or aligns with an outer surface of the second installation component 42. The user can manually push or pull the unlocking component 58 to an initial position, or an automatic recovering function of the resilient component 60 can be applied for reposition of the unlocking component 58. The resilient component 60 is disposed between the first installation component 40 and the locking component 44, and a resilient recovering force of the resilient component 60 causes the locking component 44 to simultaneously engage with the first installation component 40 and the second installation component 42, which means the engaging tooth 46 can be inserted into the first engaging slot 48 and the second engaging slot 50 simultaneously, so as to constrain the relative rotation between the second tube 22 and the fourth tube 26. Accordingly, the first installation component 40 includes an accommodating chamber 72 used to accommodate the resilient component 60 and constrain resilient deformation and a deformed direction of the resilient component 60.
Please refer to
In some possible embodiments, components of the first pivot unit 28 can be exchanged by components of the second pivot unit 30.
Please refer to
In the second embodiment, the first pivot unit 28 can has the locking function, and preferably be disposed between the first tube 202 and the second tube 204. That is, the first pivot unit 28 is set on the higher position on the vehicle frame 14A, and therefore the user can stand and conveniently operate the locking function to freely switch the stroller 200 into the unfolded mode or the folded mode. The vehicle frame 14A further includes the second pivot unit 30 disposed on a pivoted position between the first tube 202 and the third tube 206. The second pivot unit 30 can be the latch mechanism hidden inside a case of the first tube 202 or the third tube 206, and a part (such as an operation component for pushing or pulling and not shown in the figures) of the second pivot unit 30 may be protruded from the first tube 202 or the third tube 206 and be controlled by the user. The second pivot unit 30 may be set on the high position or the middle position on the vehicle frame 14A, so that the user can stand and conveniently control the second pivot unit 30 to freely switch the stroller 200 into the unfolded mode or the folded mode. If the vehicle frame 14A includes the second pivot unit 30, the first pivot unit 28 can optionally have or not have the locking function, which depends on the design demand.
The front wheel 16 of the wheel set 12 is disposed on a bottom end 202a of the first tube 202. The rear wheel 18 of the wheel set 12 is disposed on a bottom end 204a of the second tube 204. The third tube 206 has a front section 206a and a rear section 206b connected to each other. The front section 206a can be the passenger's armrest of the stroller 200. A baby or a child can place the hand on the armrest for support, or a plate can be detachably installed on the armrest for putting food. The rear section 206b can be a holder of the vehicle frame 14A, and the basket 32 of the stroller 200 can be installed on the rear section 206b. The basket 32 can be detachably disposed on the third tube 206. The front section 206a of the third tube 206 is pivoted to an upper section 202b of the first tube 202. A lower section 202c of the first tube 202 is connected to the front wheel 16 via the bottom end 202a. The rear section 206b of the third tube 206 is pivoted to a lower section 204b of the second tube 204. The lower section 204b is connected to the rear wheel 18 via the bottom end 204a. The stroller 200 further includes the handle 34 detachably disposed on the first tube 202. The user can grip the handle 34 to move the stroller 200 forward or backward, or to make a turn or stop.
Please refer to
In conclusion, the vehicle frame and the stroller of the present invention utilizes the second tube to connect the handle and the rear wheel, and dispose the first pivot unit on the top end of the second tube. The user does not bend over to switch the stroller into the unfolded mode or the folded mode, and can directly press the unlocking component of the first pivot unit when standing near by the stroller, so that the vehicle frame and the stroller of the present invention have advantages of simple operation and convenient usage.
Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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202110465579.9 | Apr 2021 | CN | national |