EP0353320B1 - Golf caddy - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a golf cart according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such a golf cart is known from US-A-3 043 602. In the known golf cart, the wheels are arranged on the front of the container in the folded non-use position, the drawbar running between the wheels. There are numerous parts, such as the support struts, their bearings, the device for pivoting the legs, when the drawbar is folded away from the front of the container.

Due to these protruding, partly sharp-edged parts, the known golf cart not only has an unattractive appearance in the non-use position. Rather, these sharp-edged parts can cause damage, for example the lining of the trunk or the upholstery of a car or clothing, and injuries to the golf player or other persons during handling and transport in the non-use position. The fitness for travel of the known golf cart is further impaired by the fact that it is relatively bulky in the non-use position due to the wheels arranged on the front and thus takes up a lot of space in a car, for example. Furthermore, US-A-4 396 205 discloses a golf cart in which the legs and the wheels can be lowered into an opening in the middle of the front of a box-shaped container. This requires a relatively complicated and therefore complex multi-link system. Furthermore, this known golf cart can only be carried when the wheels are swung in. Attempts have been made to counter this disadvantage with small suitcase rolls. The rolling behavior of such small roles is extremely bad.

The object of the invention is to provide a golf cart which, apart from in the use position and in the folded non-use position with an appealing exterior, can be handled without any problems, that is to say, especially in the non-use position, is distinguished by great compactness and can be pulled and pulled in the non-use position without the risk of damage or injury is.

This is achieved according to the invention by the golf cart characterized in claim 1. Advantageous developments of the golf cart according to the invention are characterized in the dependent claims.

That is, the side arrangement of the wheels reduces the depth of the golf cart when not in use and thus increases its compactness. On the other hand, this creates space for a plate-shaped drawbar, the sharp-edged parts on the front of the container, such as the legs folded onto the container and their bearings, the device for pivoting the legs when Fold the tiller onto the container and covers the locking or unlocking device of the tiller in the non-use position.

The golf cart according to the invention is therefore very space-saving even when not in use, e.g. easily transportable in the trunk of a motor vehicle. The wide plate-shaped drawbar protects the chassis parts, i.e. the legs folded onto the container, etc. from damage. At the same time, the plate-shaped drawbar forms a robust, defined contact surface when transported in a motor vehicle. It also serves as a skid together with the wheels protruding from the front wall of the container. That is, if the golf cart according to the invention lies face down in the car, it can be pulled out of the car without damaging the lining or upholstery or scratching the paint, and without damaging the chassis parts mentioned. In this position it is also relatively stable in the vehicle, i.e. e.g. without making annoying noises.

Since the legs of the golf cart according to the invention are articulated on the chassis carrier in such a way that the wheels are preferably flush with the bottom of the container in the non-use position, and in any case do not protrude downward beyond the bottom, the bottom of the container can be used as a standing surface, ie the golf cart can can be easily parked. On the other hand, since the wheels protrude beyond the front of the container when not in use, the cart can be pulled on the wheels when it is tilted forward. Since the wheels are relatively large, they also have a correspondingly good rolling behavior.

• Figur 1 und 2 jeweils eine perspektivische Darstellung des Golfwagens in der Gebrauchsstellung bzw. Nichtgebrauchsstellung;
• Figur 3 einen Längsschnitt durch den Golfwagen in der Nichtgebrauchsstellung;
• Figur 4 eine Vorderansicht des Golfwagens in der Nichtgebrauchsstellung;
• Figur 5 und 6 jeweils einen Schnitt entlang der Linie A-A bzw. B-B in Figur 4;
• Figur 7 den Schieber im Querschnitt; und
• Figur 8 eine Draufsicht auf die Sperrklinke und die Sperrklinkenbetätigungseinrichtung.

An embodiment of the golf cart according to the invention is described below with reference to the drawing. In it show:

• Figures 1 and 2 each show a perspective view of the golf cart in the use position or non-use position;
• Figure 3 shows a longitudinal section through the golf cart in the non-use position;
• Figure 4 is a front view of the golf cart in the non-use position;
• 5 and 6 each show a section along the line AA or BB in Figure 4;
• Figure 7 shows the slide in cross section; and
• Figure 8 is a plan view of the pawl and pawl actuator.

According to Figure 1, which shows the position of use of the golf cart, the golf cart has a cuboid central container 1, swung out wheels 2, 3 and a folded-out drawbar 4 with a recess 5 to form a handle 6. A scoreboard 7 and a receptacle 8 for a parasol are also provided on the drawbar 4.

The container 1 is on its top by a plate 10 provided with holes 9, which slopes obliquely from the front on which the tiller 4 is arranged, to the rear, and below by a perpendicular to the side walls 11 and 12 and the rear wall 13 Bottom 14 closed.

In the holes 9 of the plate 10 golf clubs 15 are inserted, which extend to the bottom 14.

The golf cart is also provided with pockets 16, 17 and 18 which are detachably attached to the side walls 11, 12 and the rear wall 13 on the container 1, e.g. with straps, clips or Velcro fasteners.

The wheels 2, 3 are supported by legs 19, 20, only the leg 20 of the front wheel 3 being visible in FIG. 1. The legs 19, 20 pivoted outward in the use position extend obliquely apart at the bottom.

In the non-use position of the golf cart shown in FIG. 2, the drawbar 4 is folded against the front wall 21 of the container 1 and the wheels 2, 3 are pivoted onto the two side walls 11, 12. Furthermore, a protective hood 22 is arranged on the top of the container 1, on which further pockets 23 and 24 are detachably fastened on both sides.

It can be seen that the golf cart is very compact or space-saving in the non-use position shown in Figure 2, e.g. is transportable in the trunk of a motor vehicle. To lift the golf cart in the non-use position, carrying handles 25, 26 are provided on the top of the protective hood 22 and in the middle of the rear wall 13 of the container 1. Furthermore, the base 14 has recessed grips 27, 28, which are shown in FIG. 3.

The wide plate-shaped drawbar 4 serves e.g. when transporting in the trunk as a robust, defined contact surface. It also forms a skid together with the wheels 2, 3 protruding from the front wall 21.

Since the wheels 2, 3 end flush with the bottom 14 of the container 1, the golf cart stands securely on the bottom of the container 14 in the non-use position shown in FIG. 2 to be tilted at the front, causing the Wheels 2, 3 come into contact with the ground. With the handle 25, the golf cart can then be easily pulled on the wheels 2, 3. It is necessary for this that the wheels 2, 3 both in the use position according to FIG. 1, that is to say pivoted out, and in the non-use position according to FIG. 2, that is to say pivoted in, have an essentially parallel running direction to one another, that is to say the wheel axles 31 of both wheels 2, 3 with one another are aligned or arranged coaxially, as shown for the non-use position in Figure 4.

According to Figures 3 to 5, the container 1 is attached to a chassis bracket 29. As can be seen in particular from FIG. 5, the chassis support 29 is arranged in an opening 30 in the front wall 21 of the container 1 and fastened to the container 1.

In the same way, a handle support 33, on which the drawbar 4 is fastened pivotably about the horizontal axis 34, is fastened to the container 1.

The legs 19, 20 are articulated on the chassis support 29. The legs 19, 20 each have two struts 35, 36 and 37, 38 designed as parallel links.

The two struts 35, 36 and 37, 38 of each leg 19, 20 are articulated on the central, V-shaped flanks 39, 40 of the chassis support 29 on axes 41, 42 and 43, 44, respectively. A cross-sectionally V-shaped part 45, which is fastened to the chassis support 29 and is arranged between the flanks 39, 40, supports the axles 41, 42, 43 and 44 at their other end.

The chassis carrier 29 is provided relatively high up and, in relation to its width, in the middle of the container front wall 21. As a result, the struts 35, 36 assume a relatively small angle of 45 ° or less in relation to the longitudinal axis 46 of the container in the position of use indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 3.

The two struts 35, 36 and 37, 38 of each leg 19, 20 are provided at the bottom with a wheel carrier 47, 48, which can be seen in particular from FIGS. 4 and 6. The wheel carriers 47, 48 are of an angular design and encompass the side walls 11, 12 of the container 1.

For this purpose, each wheel carrier 47, 48 has a leg 49, 50 which carries the associated wheel 2 or 3 and is arranged in the non-use position on the container side wall 11 or 12, and a leg 51, 52 on which the legs 19, 20 are articulated and which is arranged in the non-use position on the front wall 21 of the container 1.

On the mounting of the two struts 35, 36 and 37, 38, each wheel carrier 47, 48 has on the legs 51, 52 head-shaped thickenings 53, 54, which are each provided with a recess 55, 56 through which the axes 57, 58 and 59, 60 extend about which the struts 35, 36 and 37, 38 are rotatably attached.

The axes 57, 58 and 59, 60 of the struts 35, 36 and 37, 38 (FIG. 6) run parallel to the associated axes 41, 42 and 43, 44 on the undercarriage 29 at the other end of each strut 35, 36 and 37, 38 (Figure 5). Apart from the head-shaped thickenings 53, 54, the wheel carriers 47, 48 are flat.

In the non-use position, the struts 35, 36, 37 and 38 extend close to each other in the middle of the front wall 21 of the container 1 parallel to the longitudinal axis 46 of the container from the chassis carrier 29 down to the head-shaped thickenings 53, 54 of the wheel carriers 47, 48.

In this way, they are completely covered in the non-use position by the wide, plate-shaped drawbar 4, including the head-shaped thickenings 53, 54.

The side legs 49, 50 of the two angular wheel carriers 47, 48, as can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4, extend obliquely downward from the legs 51, 52 on the front wall 21 to the axes of the wheels 2, 3 in the non-use position the head-shaped thickenings 53, 54 or the tiller 4 covering them are given a sufficient distance from the ground when the car is pulled in the tilted non-use position. So that the bottom 14 does not stand up on the floor in this tilted state, the container 1 also has a chamfer or chamfer 32 between the front wall 21 and the bottom 14.

So that the drawbar 4 can rest as closely as possible on the struts 35, 36, 37 and 38, the recess 5 on the handle 6 is used to accommodate the thickenings 53, 54. The drawbar 4 is also given a maneuverable length in contrast to a longer drawbar, as is the case with longer struts 35, 36, 37 and 38, i.e. horizontal and not obliquely downward legs 49, 50 would be required.

When the drawbar 4 is folded out, the legs 19, 20 are pivoted out and in from the non-use position shown in FIGS. 2 to 6 into the use position shown in FIG. 1 when the drawbar 4 is folded onto the container 1 becomes.

The device provided for this purpose has a slide 61 guided on the chassis support 29, as can be seen in particular from FIGS. 3 and 7. For this purpose, the slide 61 is provided with two bolts 62, 63 which protrude through an elongated hole 64 in the middle of the chassis support 29 which extends parallel to the longitudinal axis 46 of the container. The bolts 62, 63 are e.g. held with snap rings 65, 66.

As can be seen from FIG. 7, the slide 61 has two parallel legs 67, 68 perpendicular to the container front wall 21 and two legs 69, 70 arranged in a V-shape with respect to one another.

On the parallel legs 67, 68 of the slide 61, a tension strut 71 is rotatably attached, which is articulated at its other end to the Deicksel 4 at a distance from the axis of rotation 34 thereof. The axes of rotation 72, 73, about which the tension strut 71 is pivoted on the slide 61 or the drawbar 4, run horizontally and parallel to the front wall 21 of the container 1.

A support strut 74, 75 is articulated on each of the V-shaped legs 69, 70 of the slide 61, the other end of which is spaced from the axes of rotation 41, 42, 43 and 44 on which the struts 35, 36, 37 and 38 are articulated on the chassis support 29, on the strut 35, 37 of each leg 19, 20 facing the container are articulated. The axes 41 and 42, about which the struts 35, 37 can be rotated on the chassis support 29 and the axes 76, 77, about which the struts 35, 37 can be rotated on the slide 61, each run parallel to one another.

The support struts 74, 75 also serve to stabilize the legs 19, 20 in the use position, that is, in the pivoted-out position Condition, especially since the legs 19, 20 are relatively long and run at a relatively acute angle of 45 ° or less, preferably approximately 40 °, to the longitudinal axis 46 of the container, as mentioned above.

In its unfolded position, indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 3, the drawbar 4 is arranged at an angle of 150 ° or less, preferably approximately 120 °, to the longitudinal axis 46 of the container. On the one hand, this angle corresponds to the ergonomics when pulling the carriage, on the other hand, a larger angle only leads to a relatively small displacement of the slide 61 in the elongated hole 64.

To lock the drawbar 4 and thus the legs 19, 20 in the extended or pivoted-out position, that is to say in the use position of the carriage according to FIG and 8 can be seen.

The pawl 78 is provided with a recess 80 at the lower end facing away from the axis of rotation 79, which is arranged at the upper end of the elongated hole 64.

The upper guide pin 62 of the slide 61 can be snapped into the recess 80, i.e. it also serves as a locking bolt when it is pressed against the inclined leading edge 81 of the pawl 78, when the slide 61 is pushed to the upper end of the elongated hole 64 by means of the tension strut 71 when the drawbar 4 is folded out.

To unlock the pawl 78, as can be seen in particular from FIGS. 3 and 8, a plate-shaped pawl actuating part 82 is arranged above the pawl 78 and articulated at 83 at a distance from the axis of rotation 79 on the pawl 78. The actuator 82 is parallel to Container longitudinal axis 46 slidably attached to the chassis beam 21. A spring 84 fastened on the one hand to the actuating part 82 and on the other hand to the undercarriage 29 loads the pawl 78 into the locking position.

To guide the actuating part 82, a bolt 85 is fastened to the chassis support 29, which extends through a longitudinal recess 86 in the actuating part 82 and holds the actuating part 82 with a slide bearing 87.

At the upper end of the actuating part 82 there is a handle 88 which is arranged below the axis of rotation 34 of the drawbar 4 and above the W-shaped part 31 on the undercarriage 29 and is therefore easily accessible when the drawbar 4 is folded out.

3 and 5, a tube 89 extends from each hole 9 in the plate 10 to the bottom 14 in the container 1. The tubes 89 are arranged obliquely so that they converge downwards. The lower end of the tubes 89 is fixed by the bead-shaped recesses 27, 28.

As can be seen from FIG. 3, the golf cart also has an integrated folding seat 90. For this purpose, the folding seat 90 is fastened in a recess on the rear wall 13 in the lower half of the container 1 so as to be pivotable about a horizontal axis 91.

At its end facing away from the swivel axis 91, a support rod 92 is articulated on the folding seat 90, which extends in the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 3 when the seat 90 is folded in between the tubes 89 obliquely upward to the front wall 21 of the container 1.

In contrast, in the position shown in broken lines in FIG. 3 with the seat 90 unfolded, the support rod 92 is supported from the domed recessed grip 27.

Instead of the support rod 92 shown, the seat 90 can also be supported by a rod which is articulated at the lower end of the container 1 and engages in a receptacle on the end of the seat 90 facing away from the pivot axis 91.

Claims (8)

1. A golf caddie cart having a running gear girder for taking up a container, a pole hinged to the running gear girder and adapted to be folded against the front of the container, two swivel-in legs hinged to the running gear girder, designed as parallel rods with two struts and extending in the swiveled-in position along the front of the container in the middle area, said legs diverging downwardly in the swiveled-out position and bearing parallel-running wheels both in the swiveled-out position and in the swiveled-in position, and a means for swiveling in the legs when the pole is folded against the container, the wheels being disposed in the swiveled-in position of the legs with their lower end flush with or above the bottom of the container, characterized in that on each leg (19, 20) there is an angular wheel carrier (47, 48) laterally encompassing the container (1) in the swiveled-in position of the legs (19, 20), said wheel carrier having mounted on one of its limbs (51 or 52) the two struts (35, 36 or 37, 38) of the corresponding leg (19 or 20) and on its other limb (49. 50) the corresponding wheel (2 or 3), whereby in the swiveled-in position of the legs (19, 20) the wheels (2 or 3) protrude on the front (21) of the container (1), and that the pole (4) is of plate-shaped design and covers the legs (19, 20) extending along the front of the container (1) in the middle area in the swiveled-in position.

2. The caddie cart of claim 1, characterized in that the limb (49, 50) of each wheel carrier (47, 48) on which the wheel (2, 3) is mounted extends obliquely downward in the swiveled-in position of the legs (19, 20)

3. The caddie cart of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the plate-shaped pole (4) is furnished at its free end with a recess (5) so as to form a handle (6), each wheel carrier (47, 48) has an enlargement (53, 54) at the mount of the two struts (35, 36, 37, 38) and when the pole (4) is folded against the container (1) the enlargements (53, 54) of the two wheel carriers (47, 48) are disposed in the recess (5).

4. The caddie cart of any of the above claims, characterized in that the means for swiveling in the legs (19. 20) when the pole (4) is folded against the container (1) has a slide (61) guided on the running gear girder (29) and having hinged thereto a diagonal bar (71) rotatably attached at its other end to the pole (4), and two steadying struts (74, 75) rotatably attached at theur other end to the legs (19, 20).

5. The caddie cart of claim 4, characterized in that the slide (61) is guided through a slot (64) in the running gear girder (29).

6. The caddie cart of claim 4 or 5, characterized in that for locking the pole (4) in the swung-out position a detent pawl (78) having a recess (80) is provided that is hinged to the running gear girder (29) and spring-loaded in its locked position and into which a lock bolt (62) attached to the slide (61) is adapted to lock when the pole (4) is swung out.

7. The caddie cart of claim 6, characterized in that the detent pawl (78) has an oblique abutting edge (81) for the lock bolt (62).

8. The caddie cart of claim 6 or 7, characterized in that for unlocking the detent pawl (78) an operating member (82) is provided that is guided displaceably on the running gear girder (?9) and hinged to the detent pawl (78).

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