CN112623012A

CN112623012A - Foldable baby carriage

Info

Publication number: CN112623012A
Application number: CN201910954347.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 关贵桓
Original assignee: Armon Ltd
Current assignee: Armon Ltd
Priority date: 2019-10-09
Filing date: 2019-10-09
Publication date: 2021-04-09
Also published as: WO2021069177A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a collapsible stroller including first and second side frames with at least one cross-bar or axle coupling the side frames together in spaced relation. Each side frame has a lower rear support bar carrying a rear wheel at its distal end and a lower front support bar carrying a front wheel at its distal end, the latter being pivotally connected at an upper pivot to a first end of the upper front support bar, the upper front support bar being pivotally connected at a second opposite end to the handle support bar by a pivot, the lower rear support bar being pivotally connected at an adjacent pivot to the upper front support bar. The handle support bar is pivotally connected at its lower end to a slider slidable along the rear tilt support bar by a pivot, and the link is pivotally connected at one end to the slider by a pivot and at the opposite end to the lower front support bar so that when the slider on each side frame is moved along the lower rear support bar toward the rear wheel to fold the stroller, the handle support bar pivots with its upper end moving forward and its lower end moving rearward with the slider.

Description

Foldable baby carriage

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a trolley or buggy and more particularly to a foldable trolley or buggy.

Background

Conventional collapsible strollers are well known and typically include two side frames, with each side frame including a front support bar having front wheels on its ends and a rear support bar having rear wheels on its ends. The side frames are simultaneously collapsible so that the structure when folded takes up less volume for portability and storage. The side frames may be collapsible while remaining spaced apart from one another to form a so-called flat fold structure, or alternatively in some models, the side frames may also or alternatively be collapsed together to form a so-called umbrella fold structure. Generally, the umbrella-shaped folding structure is ultimately compact in the width direction, but is generally longer in the length direction, whereas the flat folding structure is more compact in the length direction, although it maintains the overall width of the stroller, which corresponds to the constant spacing of the side frames.

The present invention relates to flat-folded strollers and it is an object of the invention to obtain a stroller that is compact and easy to carry and store in the folded position, especially when travelling in places where storage space is limited (such as in motor vehicles, trains or planes).

There are a variety of flat-folded strollers, and it is an object of the present invention to improve the performance of these strollers, particularly in relation to the compactness of the volume of the folded stroller and the resulting convenience of the overall size of the collapsed stroller, so that they can be easily carried and stored when a parent or caregiver travels using modern modes of transportation. In addition, it is an object of the invention to provide a baby carriage which is easy to operate by the user, that is to say which can be used instinctively and which requires few simple steps to convert the baby carriage from the operating position into the folded position and back into the unfolded operating position. Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a foldable stroller that is easy to carry and store in a foldable state in a manner that avoids the transfer of possible impurities and dust attached to the wheels of the stroller to the surface of the user's clothing or storage compartment during use.

Disclosure of Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a collapsible stroller comprising first and second side frames, wherein at least one cross-bar or axle couples (supports) and spaces the two side frames in a fixed side-to-side spaced relationship, each side frame having:

a lower rear support bar carrying a rear wheel at a distal end thereof; and a lower front support bar carrying a front wheel at a distal end thereof, each lower front support bar being pivotally connected at an upper end thereof to a first end of an upper front support bar by a front support bar pivot, wherein the upper front support bar is pivotally connected at a second, opposite end to a handle support bar by an upper front support bar pivot, wherein the lower rear support bar is pivotally connected to the upper front support bar by a lower rear support bar pivot at a location adjacent to the front support bar pivot,

wherein the handle support bar is pivotally connected at its lower end by a lower handle support bar to a slider which is slidable along the rear tilt support bar between folded and unfolded positions of the stroller, and wherein the slider is releasably attached by releasable slider attachment means between an unreleased state in which the stroller is held unfolded and ready for use and a released state in which the stroller is foldable, the releasable slider attachment means being releasable by release actuation means located on the handle bar.

Preferably, actuation transmission means, which may be in the form of cable means, are provided extending from the releasable slider attachment means to the release actuation means. Preferably first and second cable means are provided on each side frame and connected to each side of the release actuator means respectively such that operation of the release actuator means releases the releasable slider attachment means on each frame.

A link may be included that is pivotally connected at one end to the slider by a pivot and pivotally connected at an opposite end to the lower front support bar such that when the slider on each side frame is moved along the lower rear support bar in a direction toward the rear wheel to fold the stroller, the handle support bar pivot moves rearward with the slider toward the rear wheel and the lower front support bar pivots rearward such that the front wheel is in a position adjacent the rear wheel when folding is complete.

Each slider preferably includes a releasable slider latch that securely latches the slider against sliding along the lower rear support bar to securely hold the stroller in the deployed position, and is releasable to allow the slider to slide rearwardly along the rear diagonal support bar to fold the stroller.

Each slide may include releasable slide latching means corresponding to the respective rear inclined support bar and both actuated simultaneously by actuatable release means on the slide connection means by means of the actuation transmission means.

To prevent accidental folding of the stroller, a secondary lock may be provided which must be activated before the actuatable release means is activated.

Each handle support bar preferably includes an upper rearwardly folded portion and a lower forwardly folded portion that are pivotally connected to one another at a handle support bar pivot. The handle support bar pivot may be releasably locked by a releasable hinge latch arrangement so that the handle support bar pivot is locked from movement while the stroller is being used and the handle support bar pivot is releasable to fold the stroller.

Preferably, handle bar means are provided which extend between the upper ends of the rearwardly folded portions of the respective first and second side frames.

Preferably, the actuatable release means is located on the handle means.

Preferably, an actuatable latch release is provided on the handle means, the actuatable latch release releasing the releasable handle hinge latch means to enable the fold-back portion and handle means to be folded back.

Preferably, said actuation transmission means simultaneously releases said handle hinge latch means and said slider latch means. The actuation transmitting means may comprise a single cable means attached at one end to the actuatable release means and at the other end comprising two separate ends, wherein a first end is attached to the slider latch means and a second end is attached to the handle hinge latch means.

Preferably, carrying handle means are provided for carrying the folded stroller on a user's shoulder.

The carrying handle device may include a strap having a first end attached to the lower end of the handle support bar of the first side and a second end attached to the lower end of the handle support bar of the second side.

Preferably, the front hitch support bar extends between the lower front support bars of the respective first and second side frames. A foot pedal may be attached to the front hitch support bar.

Detailed embodiments of the present invention will now be described.

Drawings

FIG. 1: a front perspective view of a first embodiment of a foldable baby carriage according to the invention is shown,

figure 1a shows a rear perspective view of the stroller of figure 1,

figure 1b shows a front view of the buggy of figure 1,

FIG. 2: there is shown a side view of the stroller of figure 1,

figure 3 shows a side view of the foldable stroller of figure 1 in a partially folded position,

FIG. 4: there is shown an enlarged side view of a first embodiment of a foldable stroller in a fully folded position,

FIG. 5: showing a side view of the foldable stroller in a partially folded position,

FIG. 6: an exploded view of the general arrangement of the components of the fold release mechanism of the first embodiment is shown,

FIG. 6 a: an exploded view of the handle hinge release mechanism is shown,

FIG. 7: an enlarged side view of the release mechanism in the unreleased position is shown,

FIG. 8: an enlarged view of the release mechanism in the unreleased position is shown,

figure 8a shows an enlarged view of the release mechanism in the unreleased position,

figure 8b shows an enlarged view of the release mechanism in the unreleased position,

figure 9 shows an enlarged view of the components of the elbow joint of the stroller of figure 1,

figure 10 shows an enlarged view of the components of the release actuator of the stroller of figure 1,

FIG. 11: a side cross-sectional view showing the release actuator mechanism, an

Fig. 12 shows an enlarged perspective view of the release actuator mechanism.

Detailed Description

In the present description, the reference numerals of common components may remain the same in the various embodiments.

Referring now specifically to fig. 1-5, in one embodiment of the invention, a collapsible stroller is disclosed that includes first and

second side frames

2, 3 with a cross bar 4 or axle 5 linking (supporting) the two

side frames

2, 3 together in a fixed spaced side-to-side relationship. Reference to corresponding component parts of each

side frame

2, 3 will be given the same reference numerals.

With particular reference to fig. 1, 1a, 1b and 2, each

side frame

2, 3 comprises a lower rear support bar 10 carrying a rear wheel 12 at its distal end. In the deployed position, the lower rear support bar 10 extends diagonally from the front of the stroller where the main seat support is formed, and diagonally downward to the rear of the stroller where it is connected to the rear wheel 12.

Each

side frame

2, 3 further comprises a lower front support bar 11a carrying a front wheel 13 at its distal end. Each lower front support bar 11a is pivotally connected at its upper end to a first end of an upper front support bar 11b by a front support bar pivot 14. The upper front support bar 11b is in turn pivotally connected at a second, opposite end to the handle support bar 8 by a lower handle support bar pivot 17. The lower rear support link 10 is pivotably connected to the upper front support link 11b and the lower support link 11a at a position adjacent to the front support link pivot 14 by a lower rear support link pivot 16. The lower rear support bar pivot 16 is spaced rearwardly alongside the front support bar pivot 14 by a spacing arm 19. The seat support bar is preferably attached by an upper front support bar pivot 15.

The handle support bar 8 is pivotally connected at its lower end to a slider 21 by a lower handle support bar pivot 17, the slider 21 being slidable along the rear tilt support bar 10. A mount 20 is provided, the mount 20 being fixedly attached to the rear tilt support bar 10 at the front end of the stroller in the region of the lower rear support bar pivot 16, and the mount 20 providing a stop for the travel of the slide 21 when the stroller is ready for use in the fully deployed position. The link 18 is pivotably connected at one end to the slide 21 by a pivot 22 and at the opposite end to the lower front support bar 11a.

To fold the stroller, starting from the unfolded position in fig. 1, and as best shown in fig. 3, 4 and 5, the slider 21 on each

side frame

2, 3 moves along the lower rear support bar 10 in a direction towards the rear wheel 12, i.e. from left to right in the figure. Referring now to fig. 5, it can be seen that each handle support bar 8 includes a rearwardly folded portion 8b and a forwardly folded portion 8a that are pivotally connected to each other at a handle support bar pivot 33. During folding, the handle support bar 8 is rotated counterclockwise (as viewed in fig. 2) so that its upper end, or rearward folded portion 8b, moves rearward toward the rear of the stroller and its lower end, forward folded portion 8a, moves forward with the slider 21 toward the rear wheel 12. The forward direction in this sense refers to the direction in which the stroller is normally pushed. The handlebar support pivot 17 thus moves with the slider 21 in the direction of the rear wheel 12. At the same time, the lower front support bar 11a is pivoted rearwardly, i.e. also counterclockwise in fig. 3, by means of the link 18, so that the front wheel 13 moves towards a position adjacent the rear wheel 12, and the lower front support bar 11a terminates below the rear tilt support bar 10 approximately alongside it, as best seen in fig. 4. The upper front support bar 11b rotates relatively clockwise as viewed in fig. 3 and terminates generally above and adjacent the rear tilt support bar 10.

Thus, as can be seen from fig. 4, a very compact folded-up stroller is achieved. In the collapsed position, the lower rear support bar 10 extends substantially horizontally when the stroller rests on a horizontal ground surface with the

wheels

13,14 in contact with the ground surface.

As can be seen from fig. 5, 6 and 6a, the necessary step in folding the stroller in this embodiment is to release the handle support bar pivot 33 and fold the fold back section 8b completely. This is part of the folding action. The releasable handle support bar pivot 33 can be seen in more detail in fig. 6 and 6a and comprises a releasable handle hinge latch arrangement 37, the handle hinge latch arrangement 37 comprising mutually engageable first and second releasable engagement means 33a and 33b on each of the forward folded portion 8a and the rearward folded portion 8b respectively. The releasable handle hinge latch 37 is spring loaded and automatically returns to a locked position to hold the handle 8 in a straight deployed position when the stroller is deployed. A hinge cable 32a is provided, the hinge cable 32a being connected to a releasable engagement means 33a such that pulling of the hinge cable 32a causes the engagement means to be released and the hinge to fold. The hinge cable 32a is connected to the cable 32 such that when the user actuates the actuation plate 34, the releasable handle support bar latch and the releasable latch hook are simultaneously released and the stroller can be folded. In an alternative embodiment, instead of the hinge cable 32a being a single double-ended cable, the hinge cable 32a may be a separate cable that runs separately to the actuation plate 34 but is still connected to the actuation plate 34.

As shown in fig. 5, the handle support bar pivot 33 has been released and the folded back section 8b has been partially folded when the rest of the stroller is folded. Typically, the user will do this in the same action. When fully folded, attachment hooks are provided on the folded-back portion 8b to hold the stroller in the folded position.

As best shown in the exploded views of fig. 5-8, each slider 21 includes a releasable latch 28, the latch 28 securely latching the slider 21 to the lower rear support bar 10 to securely hold the stroller in the deployed position, and the latch 28 is releasable to allow the slider 21 to slide rearwardly along the rear diagonal support bar 10 to fold the stroller.

The releasable latch 28 may be released by an actuatable release 30 located on the handle 8.

Each slide comprises releasable latching means 28 coupled with the respective rear inclined support bar 10, and the two slides 21 on each

side

2, 3 are actuated simultaneously by actuatable release means 30 on the slide connection means 26 by means of actuation transmission means in the form of cables 32. The releasable latch arrangement 28 includes a releasable latch hook arrangement 44 and corresponding latch pin 45 and latch spring 42 located in the latch housing 40 and abutting the latch housing 40.

In this embodiment, the cable 32 is located within and extends within the forwardly and rearwardly folded

portions

8a,8b of the handle support bar 8 in the form of a hollow tube. There are two cables 32 corresponding to each side frame, one for each slide 21, and each cable is connected to a releasable latch hook device 44. The cable 32 is guided up the handle support bar 8 by the boss 35 and through the handle support bar pivot 33.

When the stroller is moved to the deployed position, the releasable latching means 28 is designed such that the pin 45 automatically engages with the corresponding hook means 44 (due to the inclined edge 47) to secure the stroller in the deployed position. The releasable latching means 28 and the hook means 44 as well as the pin 45 and the latching spring 42 are designed in combination with each other such that they automatically engage when they are combined together. Fig. 8a and 8b show the same release mechanism as in the previous embodiment in more detail. The release mechanism comprises a releasable hook latch 28, the hook latch 28 comprising a hook 44, the hook 44 engaging with a pin 45 to secure the stroller in the deployed position. When the cable 32 is pulled, the latch 28 rotates against the spring 42, thereby disengaging the hook 44 from the pin 45. Once the cable is released, the spring 42 restores the latching hook 44 to the rest position and when the stroller is folded again, the latching hook 44 automatically engages as the slider 19 is brought towards the support 20, the pin 45 automatically slides along the inclined edge 47 of the latching hook 44 to re-engage the latching hook 44.

Thus, by a pulling action on the handle bar 9, the user can deploy the stroller in a single operation using only one hand without having to operate the actuatable release means 30, the stroller automatically deploys and locks into a ready-to-use position due to gravity and folding geometry, as the slider latch and handle hinge latch means automatically lock back into a ready-to-use deployed position.

To prevent accidental folding of the stroller, a releasable secondary lock is provided which must be activated before the actuatable release means 30 is activated. The releasable secondary lock may be mounted to prevent movement of the actuator 30 until the secondary lock is released, either by preventing the transfer means or by directly preventing the releasable latch means from being released.

As shown in fig. 10 to 12, a handle bar 9 is provided, and the handle bar 9 joins the two handle support bars 8 together at their upper ends. The user provides actuation of the folding mechanism on the handle lever 9 so that the user can operate the fold release from the handle lever 9. This has the following advantages: the user can operate the folding with one hand.

Fig. 9 and 10 show the actuating mechanism on the handle lever 9. The actuation plate 34 is arranged to slidably move on the actuator housing 36 against a return spring (not shown) by means of a slide guide 52. The cable 32 corresponding to each release mechanism 28 is fixedly attached to each side of the actuation plate 34 by a corresponding fixing stud 53. Thus, when the user pushes the actuation plate in, the cable 32 is pulled around the circular guide 51 and causes the release mechanism 28 to be pulled.

The actuating mechanism further includes a secondary lock 50, the secondary lock 50 including a secondary lock release button 54 and a blocking plate 56, and a secondary lock spring 55. In the rest position, blocking plate 56 acts on a blocking surface 57 of actuation plate 34, preventing a user from pushing in actuation plate 34. To fold the stroller, the user must first release the safety lock and then press in the actuation plate. This may be done with one hand by the user, who thumb is used to first press the lock release button 54, then slide the secondary lock 50 sideways (from right to left in fig. 9 and 10), and then press in the actuation plate 34 using the remaining fingers of the same hand of the user to release the fold. The user can push the backward folded part 8b backward and downward and push the forward folded part 8a forward with the same hand, which also causes the stroller as a whole to be folded into the folded position in fig. 4. Correspondingly, when the user wishes to deploy the stroller, the user can pull the handle bars in a jerking motion without depressing the release actuator 30, which will automatically deploy the stroller to the fully deployed position, and the latch 28 will automatically securely lock the stroller in the deployed position.

Carrying handle means 46 are provided for carrying the folded stroller on the user's shoulders. In this embodiment, the carrying handle arrangement 46 comprises a strap having a first end attached to the lower end of the handle support bar 8 of the first side 2 and a second end attached to the lower end of the handle support bar 8 of the second side 3. A carrying handle attachment means 48 is provided which in the folded position extends in a direction away from the position of the

wheels

12, 13. In this way, when carrying the folded stroller, the user can direct the carrying handle arrangement 46 away from the

wheels

12, 13, as best shown in fig. 3, to avoid the risk of dust or debris transferring from the wheels to the user's clothing.

Referring again to fig. 1a, the front coupling support bar 62 extends between the lower front support bars 11a of the respective first and second side frames 2, 3. A foot pedal 64 for an occupant of the stroller is attached to the front hitch support bar 62.

Parts list

1. Foldable baby carriage

2. First side frame

3. Second side frame

4. Cross bar

5. Shaft

8. Handle support bar

Forward folded part 8a

Backward folded part

9. Handle bar

10. Inclined lower rear support rod

11a. lower front support bar

11b. upper front supporting rod

12. Rear wheel

13. Front wheel

14. Front support rod pivot

15. Upper front supporting rod pivot

16. Lower rear support rod pivot

17. Lower handle support rod pivot

18. Connecting rod

19. Spacer arm

20. Support base

21. Sliding member

22. Pivot shaft

26. Sliding part connecting device

28. Releasable slider latch

30. Actuatable release device

32. Cable rope

32a. hinge cable

33. Handle support rod pivot

33a. first releasable engagement means

33b. second releasable engagement means

34. Actuating plate

35. Boss

36. Actuator casing

37. Releasable handle hinge latch

40. Latch housing

42. Latch spring

44. Releasable latch hook device

45. Pin

46. Portable handle device

47. Inclined edge

48. Carrying handle attachment lug

50. Two-stage lock

51. Circular guide

52. Sliding guide

53. Fixing stud

54. Lock release button

55. Spring of two-stage lock

56. Barrier plate

57. Barrier surface

62. Connecting support rod

64. Foot pedal

Claims

1. A foldable stroller comprising first and second side frames 2, 3, wherein at least one cross bar 4 or axle 5 couples the two side frames 2, 3 and separates the two side frames 2, 3 in a fixed spaced side-to-side relationship, each side frame 2, 3 having:

a lower rear support bar 10, said lower rear support bar 10 carrying a rear wheel 12 at its distal end; and a lower front support bar 11a, said lower front support bar 11a carrying front wheels 13 at its distal end, each lower front support bar 11a being pivotally connected at its upper end to a first end of an upper front support bar 11b by a front support bar pivot 14, wherein said upper front support bar 11b is pivotally connected at a second, opposite end to a handle support bar 8 by an upper front support bar pivot 15, wherein said lower rear support bar 10 is pivotally connected to said upper front support bar 11b by a lower rear support bar pivot 16 at a position adjacent to said front support bar pivot 14, and wherein each handle support bar 8 corresponding to each side frame 2, 3 is joined by a handle bar 9, characterized in that;

the handle support bar 8 is pivotally connected at its lower end to a slide 21 by a lower handle support bar pivot 17, the slide 21 being slidable along the rear diagonal support bar 10 between folded and unfolded positions of the stroller, and wherein the slide 21 is releasably attached by releasable slide attachment means 28 between an unreleased state in which the stroller is held unfolded and ready for use and a released state in which the stroller can be folded, the releasable slide attachment means 28 being releasable by release actuation means 30 located on the handle bar 9.

2. The collapsible stroller as recited in claim 1, wherein cable means 32 is provided extending from said releasable slide attachment means 28 to said release actuator means 30.

3. The foldable stroller of claim 1, wherein first and second cable means are provided on each side frame and are correspondingly connected to each side of said release actuator such that operation of said release actuator releases said releasable slide attachment means on each frame.

4. The foldable stroller of claim 1, wherein at least one slider 21 comprises a releasable latch 28, said latch 28 securely latching said slider 21 to said lower rear support bar 10 to securely hold said stroller in a deployed position, and said latch 28 is releasable to allow said slider 21 to slide rearwardly along said rear tilt support bar 10 to fold said stroller.

5. The foldable stroller as claimed in claims 2 to 4, characterized in that each slider comprises releasable attachment means associated with the respective rear inclined support bar 10 and both are actuated simultaneously by said actuatable release means 30 on said handle bar 9 by means of actuation transmission means 32.

6. The collapsible stroller as recited in claim 5, wherein the actuation transmission means is a pair of cables, each cable extending from the slide attachment means 26 to each releasable latch means on the corresponding slide 21 of each side frame 2, 3.

7. The foldable stroller of claim 1, wherein a secondary lock is provided to prevent accidental folding of the stroller, said secondary lock having to be activated before the actuatable release means 30 is activated.

8. The foldable stroller of claim 1, wherein each handle support bar 8 comprises a rearward folded portion 8b and a forward folded portion 8a pivotally connected to each other at a handle support bar pivot 33.

9. The foldable stroller of claim 8, wherein said handle support bar pivot 33 is releasably lockable by a releasable handle hinge latch arrangement 37, whereby said handle support bar pivot 33 is locked from movement while said stroller is being used and said handle support bar pivot 33 is releasable to fold said stroller.

10. The foldable stroller of claim 9, wherein said releasable handle hinge latch means 37 is releasable by actuation means on said handle bar 9 via actuation transmission means 32.

11. The collapsible stroller as recited in claim 5 or 10, characterized in that the actuation transmission means 32 is a cable 32.

12. The foldable stroller of claim 11, wherein said cable 32 is a double-ended cable having a first end connected to said releasable latch means 28 and a second end connected to said releasable handle hinge latch means 37.

13. The foldable stroller according to claim 1, wherein a handle bar 9 is provided, said handle bar 9 extending between the upper ends of said backward folded portions 8b of the respective first and second side frames 2, 3.

14. The foldable stroller as claimed in claims 9 and 10, characterized in that an actuatable latch release 39 is provided on the handle bar 9, which actuatable latch release 39 releases the releasable handle hinge latch 37 to enable the backward folding of the backward folded part 8b and the handle bar 9.

15. The collapsible stroller as recited in claim 1, wherein carrying handle means 46 is provided, said carrying handle means 46 being adapted to carry the collapsed stroller on a shoulder of a user.

16. The foldable stroller of claim 13, wherein said carrying handle means comprises a strap having a first end attached to the lower end of said first side handle support bar 8 and a second end attached to the lower end of said second side handle support bar 8.

17. The foldable stroller of claim 1, wherein the front coupling support bar 62 extends between the lower front support bars 11a of the respective first and second side frames.

18. The collapsible stroller of claim 1, wherein a foot pedal 64 is attached to the front hitch support bar 62.