AU2007203270A1

AU2007203270A1 - Wheel Assembly with a Brake Device for a Golf Cart

Info

Publication number: AU2007203270A1
Application number: AU2007203270A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Daniel C. Hsieh
Original assignee: RELAXT TRADING CO Pty Ltd
Current assignee: RELAXT TRADING CO Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2006-09-19
Filing date: 2007-07-16
Publication date: 2008-04-03
Also published as: CN200987879Y; GB0714944D0; DE202007004844U1

Description

1 WHEEL ASSEMBLY WITH A BRAKE DEVICE FOR A GOLF CART 2 1. Field of the Utility model 'C 3 The present utility model relates to a wheel assembly, and more 4 particularly to a wheel assembly for a golf cart and having a brake device.

5 2. Description of Related Art 6 To play a golf game, multiple different kinds of golf clubs are necessary.

S 7 However, to carry the golf clubs is too heavy for a player, a golf cart is always 8 used to transport the golf clubs conveniently. A conventional golf cart has a 9 driving device having a motor with a transmission device to support and transport the golf clubs automatically. A battery is provided on the golf cart to 11 provide an electrical power to the driving device.

12 However, when electrical power of the battery is exhausted or the 13 transmission device is damaged, the conventional golf cart cannot be moved 14 manually by pulling or pushing the golf cart to cause inconvenience of using the conventional golf cart. In addition, although a conventional golf cart may 16 comprise a brake device, the brake device on the conventional golf cart cannot 17 be applied to a conventional golf cart having both automatic and manual 18 operation modes and is not versatile in use.

19 To overcome the shortcomings, the present utility model tends to provide a wheel assembly for a golf cart to mitigate or obviate the 21 aforementioned problems.

22 The main objective of the utility model is to provide a wheel assembly 23 for a golf cart and that has a brake device and is convenient in use.

24 The wheel assembly has an axle, two wheels, two unidirectional bearing 1 assemblies and a brake device. The axle has two ends. The wheels are rotatably 2 and respectively mounted on the ends of the axle. The unidirectional bearing ,O 3 assemblies are mounted respectively on the ends of the axle and are connected 4 respectively to the wheels to make the wheels rotating in a unidirectional direction. The brake device is connected to the axle and comprises a brake, a S 6 brake lever and a braking disk. The brake is mounted on a frame of the gold cart S 7 and comprises two braking pads separately mounted in the brake. The brake 8 lever is connected to the brake with a brake cable. The braking disk is mounted 9 around the axle, is securely connected to one of the unidirectional bearing assemblies and is located between the braking pads in the brake.

11 Other objects, advantages and novel features of the utility model will 12 become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in 13 conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

14 IN THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a golf cart with a wheel assembly in 16 accordance with the present utility model; 17 Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the wheel assembly in Fig. 1; 18 and 19 Fig. 3 is a side view in partial section of the wheel assembly with a brake device in Fig. 1.

21 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 22 With reference to Figs. 1 to 3, a wheel assembly for a golf cart in 23 accordance with the present utility model comprises an axle two wheels 24 two unidirectional bearing assemblies (20) and a brake device The 2 I1 axle (10) has two ends. The wheels (12) are rotatably and respectively mounted 2 on the ends of the axle In a preferred embodiment, the wheels (12) are O 3 detachably mounted on the axle The axle (10) has two annular grooves 4 (104) defined around the axle (10) respectively near the ends of the axle S 5 Two positioning caps (16) are attached respectively to the ends of the axle (Ni S 6 and engage respectively with the annular grooves (104) in the axle (10) to S 7 detachably hold the wheels (12) in position. When the cap (16) is disengaged 8 from the annular groove (102), the wheel (12) can be removed from the axle 9 for being repaired or replaced with a new one.

A driving device is mounted on the golf cart, is connected to the axle 11 to drive the axle (10) and wheels (12) to rotate and comprises a motor (14) and a 12 transmission device. With the arrangement of the driving device, the golf cart 13 can be moved automatically to transport golf clubs conveniently.

14 The unidirectional bearing assemblies (20) are mounted respectively on the ends of the axle (10) and are connected respectively to the wheels (12) to 16 make the wheels (12) rotating in a unidirectional direction. Each unidirectional 17 bearing assembly (20) comprises an outer sleeve an inner sleeve (24) and a 18 unidirectional bearing The outer sleeve (22) is mounted around the axle 19 and engages and rotates with a corresponding one of the wheels The outer sleeve (22) has multiple engaging ribs (222) formed on one end of the outer 21 sleeve Each wheel (12) has an axle bushing (122) formed on a center of the 22 wheel The axle bushing (122) is mounted around the axle (10) and has 23 multiple slits (124) defined in one end of the axle bushing (122) and engaging 24 respectively with the engaging ribs (222) on a corresponding outer sleeve (22).

3 1 With the engagement of the ribs (222) and the slits (124), the outer sleeve (22) is 2 engaged and rotated with a corresponding wheel (12).

'C 3 The inner sleeve (24) is mounted in and extends out from the outer 4 sleeve is mounted around the axle (10) and has an extending end extending S 5 out from the outer sleeve (22) and a notch (242) defined in the extending end.

0 6 Two connecting pins (102) are mounted on the axle (10) and are inserted S 7 respectively into the notches (242) in the inner sleeves (24) of the unidirectional 8 bearing assemblies With the engagement between the pins (102) and the 9 notches (242), the inner sleeves (24) are connected to and rotated with the axle 11 The unidirectional bearing (26) is mounted around the inner sleeve (24) 12 and inside the outer sleeve (22).

13 When the golf cart is in a normal operation condition, the driving device 14 drives the axle (10) to rotate in a specific direction with the transmission of the transmission device. With the engagement between the pins (102) and the 16 notches (242), the inner sleeves (24) will be rotated with the axle With the 17 specific rotation direction of the axle such as clockwise, the outer sleeves 18 (22) will be rotated with the inner sleeves (24) with the transmission of the 19 unidirectional bearings Consequently, the wheels (12) will be driven to rotate with the engagement between the ribs (222) on the outer sleeves (22) and 21 slits (124) in the axle bushings (122), such that the golf cart can be moved 22 automatically.

23 When the electrical power applied to the driving device is exhausted or 24 the transmission device is damaged, the user can pull or push the golf cart along 4 I1 a direction inverse to the specific direction of the wheels (12) driven by the 2 driving device. Because the arrangement of the unidirectional bearings (26) ,O 3 between the outer and inner sleeves (22,24), the inner sleeves (24) can be kept 4 from rotation when the wheels (12) rotates in the inverse direction, such as t 5 counterclockwise. With the stationariness of the inner sleeves the rotation (Ni 0 6 of the wheels (12) will not be blocked by the damaged or stopping transmission 0 7 device and the golf cart can be moved manually. Accordingly, the use of the golf 8 cart is convenient and versatile.

9 The brake device (30) is connected to the axle (10) and comprises a brake, a brake lever (42) and a barking disk The brake is adapted to be 11 mounted on a frame of the gold cart and comprises two braking pads (302) 12 separately mounted in the brake. The brake lever (42) is connected to the brake 13 with a brake cable (40) and is mounted on a handle of the golf cart. The braking 14 disk (36) is mounted around the axle is securely connected to one of the unidirectional bearing assemblies (20) and is located between the braking pads 16 (302) in the brake. To hold the braking disk (36) on the axle (10) in place, a disk 17 holder (32) is mounted around the axle (10) and has multiple through holes (322) 18 defined through the disk holder The braking disk (36) has multiple through 19 holes (362) aligning respectively with the through holes (322) in the disk holder The outer sleeve (22) of the unidirectional bearing assembly 21 corresponding to the braking disk (36) has multiple threaded holes (224) defined 22 in the outer sleeve (22) and aligning respectively with the through holes (362) in 23 the braking disk Multiple bolts (34) extend respectively through the 24 aligning through holes (322,362) in the disk holder (32) and braking disk (36) 1 and are screwed respectively into the threaded holes (224) in the outer sleeve (22) 2 of the unidirectional bearing assembly (20) corresponding to the braking disk S 3 Accordingly, the braking disk (36) is securely squeezed between the disk 4 holder (32) and the outer sleeve (22) and is held in place on the axle 5 When the user pulls the brake lever the brake will be actuated by (Ni 6 the brake lever (42) through the brake cable (40) to move the brake pads (302) 0 7 toward each other and squeeze the braking disk Accordingly, the rotating 8 speed of the axle (10) and the wheels (12) will be slowed down even be stopped 9 with the friction provided by the brake pads (32) onto the braking disk (36) so as to provide a brake effect to the golf cart. The brake device (40) can be applied to 11 a golf cart having both automatic and manual operation modes and is versatile in 12 use.