GB2158404A

GB2158404A - A system for driving a golf course caddie cart

Info

Publication number: GB2158404A
Application number: GB08507245A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tomiichi Fukuda
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-03-22
Filing date: 1985-03-20
Publication date: 1985-11-13
Also published as: GB8710545D0; GB2158404B; GB8507245D0; GB2190343A; GB2190343B

Abstract

The system comprises a rail 1 of substantially U or bottle-shaped cross-section embedded in the ground so as to be flush with the surface, on which rail a caddie cart runs provided with a vertical shaft 13 to which is connected a set of wheels adapted to rotate as they contact the inner surface of the rail wherein, for stability and to prevent cart overturn, rollers 18, 20 contact the inner horizontal and vertical surfaces of the rail. A motor 31 is provided for activating a slidable shaft 24 which carries a catcher for gripping a tow-rope 28 which is arranged in endless form around the golf-course within the rail and supported by means 33 comprising a support and a guide roller 29, 30. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A system for driving a caddie cart This invention relates to a system for driving a caddie cart which carries golf clubs, bags or other articles and a player on a golf course.

A monorail caddie cart adapted to run on a single rail has been proposed as a self-driven caddie cart to carry golf clubs, bags and other articles and a player on a golf course. To use this type of caddie cart in practice, a rail is laid high above the ground, or in a wide trench (e.g., 25cm) so that the rail does not project beyond the ground surface. Even when a cross-sectionally U-shaped channel is buried in the ground, much of-the channelshaped rail is exposed, hence, balls often bounce into the U-shaped channel and are lost. Also, the landscape or scenery is spoiled.

Therefore, such a channel-shaped rail is laid far from the actual course and outside the rough so that the rail does not stand out prominently. As a result, the caddie or the player has to walk a long distance between the cart and the ball to change clubs, so that a lot of time and energy is wasted for lateral out-of-play actions. If a ball falls close to the rail, it can rebound in the next stroke, after hitting a rail above the ground, or a wide groove in a channel-shaped rail, thus unexpectedly endangering a player or forcing the player to make a "drop". Also, a rail above the ground or a wide channel-shaped rail embedded in the ground spoils the natural scenery of the golf course which is also to be enjoyed by the player. To overcome these problems, such rails must be laid far from the course or hidden by trees.

Electric carts are heavy (about 85kg) and require an operator. The electric cart also damages the grass seriously when it is selfdriven on a fairway. Therefore, a paved lane of concrete or asphalt of a width of as large as 1.5 m has to be constructed for the electric cart. Such a lane must also be located very far (50-lOOm) from the railway and the rough, so that the problems of wasted time and energy for lateral out-of play actions rise again. Also, it often happens that when a ball falls on this lane it rebounds irregularly in an unexpected direction and is lost or goes out of bounds, thus seriously imparing the players' enjoyment of the game. An electromagnetic induction caddie cart, which is an unmanned, electrically selfdriven caddie cart has recently been proposed.The system for operating this cart has an electromagnetic cable buried in a paved lane about 1.5 m wide on which the cart runs and a device which senses a magnetic field is generated in this cable and thereby determines the direction of travel, so that the cart can run unattended by remote control. This system has the same faults as the system for operating the above-mentioned electric cart.

There is a handcart which is free from these faults and which has been used for a long time. It has left and right wheels, and is supported by the hand. This type of cart does not turn over because it is supported by the hand, nor does it damage the grass because it is not heavy. This type of caddie cart, therefore, is still polular on golf courses which are comparatively flat, but it greatly burdens the player or the caddie handling the cart. A single cart often carries four bags (weighing about 40kg). In such cases, a lot of work is required even on flat ground. Also, since the total weight including the weight of the cart itself is around 65 kg, the wheels frequently damage the grass. This delays the game, especially on an upward slope. It is, of course, impossible to carry a player on the cart.

A most important concern in connection with a golf course is how to reduce the damage to the grass which is a vital factor of the game, hence, there is a high demand to minimize this damage. Unfortunately, the existing automatic transportation means have drawbacks and cannot be used satisfactorily.

The greatest cause of damage to the grass is the heavy cart. This is proven by the fact that, in comparison, the light handcart mentioned above does not substantially damage the grass. However, all of the conventional caddie carts are made of metal, and are heavy as stated before. For the game to proceed smoothly, a rail is laid on the fairway, not on the region of a golf course which is far from the fairway as in the above-mentioned cartoperating system, and the cart is moved automatically on the rail. To prevent the grass from being damaged by the cart, a system for moving the cart with its wheels rolling on a rail must be employed. In this case, rail members providing running surfaces of a width of at least 20 mm are required.Therefore, it is necessary to form flanges of a certain width on a U-shaped member, and a gap, (a portion of the channel member through which a vertical shaft connecting a cart and parts in the rail passes), of a width of at least 30 mm between the flanges, i.e. in the central portion of the U-shaped channel member. Accordingly, the upper part having a total width of at least 70 mm of the rail is exposed on the grass on the fairway. Hence, it is difficult to hide the rail satisfactorily even by covering with artificial turf. When a cart is moved on the rail, i.e. the flanges, the total weight of the cart and golf clubs and other articles are imposed thereon hence it is necessary that the rail is strong enough withstand the total load. To make the flanges strong, the U-shaped channel member which supports the flanges must also be strong.This increases the size and weight of the rail, making the rail difficult to handle and costly to manufacture.

It is preferable if this rail has the smallest possible surface exposed on the ground, so that it can be laid on a golf course without impairing the scenery thereof. The rail is adapted to enable a ball hitting it to bounce therefrom in the same manner as a ball hitting the grass. This caddie cart driving structure reduces the time required for lateral out-ofplay actions of the players, thereby saving time and effort. Although the rail is made of a thin, light material, it can bear a heavy load such as the weight of the cart itself and the golf clubs and other articles.

According to the present invention there is provided a system for running a golf cart comprising a rail laid around a golf course, said rail being constituted by a series of Ushaped channel members provided with flanges and buried so as to be flush with the ground surface, each of said channel members having a substantially U-shaped cross-section with flanges extending from the upper ends of the two side walls inward towards each other to define therebetween a longitudinal groove, a substantially two-wheeled golf cart provided with a front wheel and a rear wheel which both have a tread width not wider than the total width of said flanges, a vertical shaft attached to said golf cart, a preventive means provided on said vertical shaft which is adapted to prevent said golf cart turning over sideways, said preventive means including vertical rollers which can rotate in a vertical plane in contact with the lower surfaces of said flanges, and horizontal rollers which can rotate in a horizontal plane in contact with the inner surfaces of said side walls of said U-shaped channel members; whereby said cart can run smoothly on said flanges of said rail without damaging the grass and without turning over sideways.

According to the present invention there further provided a U-shaped channel member provided with flanges, having a U-shaped cross-section and flanges extending inward from the upper ends of the two side walls thereof to define a longitudinal groove therebetween, a plurality of said channel members being arranged around a golf course and buried in the ground so as to be flush with the ground surface, each of said U-shaped channel members having a portion exposed at the ground surface of a width which is less than the width of said flanges.

According to the present invention there is further provided a system for running a golf cart in which a rail is laid round the golf course, said rail being constituted by a series of Ushaped channel members buried in the ground so as to be flush with the ground surface, each of said channel members having a Ushaped cross-section and being provided with flanges projecting from the upper ends of two side walls thereof so as to define a longitudinal groove therebetween, wherein a tow rope extends through said channel members supported by a plurality of rollers, said tow rope being adapted to be selectively caught by catchers provided on carts adapted to run along said rail, a rope-supporting means such that the said plurality of rollers include a plurality of combinations of a support roller and a guide roller which each have a substantially cyclindrical form constricted at the mid-portion thereof, the axes of said support roller and said guide roller being positioned in the same plane, said support roller and said guide roller being arranged such that the cruved surfaces of said rollers are extensions of each other.

According to the present invention there is further provided a self-driven caddie cart system comprising a U-shaped, flanged channel buried along a golf course so as to be flush with the ground surface, a golf cart body adapted to run on said channel, having 90 spaced, front, rear, right and left golf bag-loadable members, molded out of a glass fiber-reinforced plastic, i.e. FRP, provided with wheels running on the flanges of said channel, guide rollers rotating within and guided by said channel, a preventive means consisting of rollers rotating as they contact the lower surfaces of said flanges, and adapted to prevent said cart from turning over sideways.

According to the present invention there is further provided a structure for automatically driving caddie carts, comprising a rail having substantially bottle shaped cross section and embedded in the ground so as to extend along a golf course and be flush with the ground surface, wheels adapted to be rotated as they contact the inner surface of a bottom portion of said rail, preventive rollers contacting the inner horizontal surfaces of shoulder portions of said bottle-shaped rail, guide rollers contacting the inner surface of said portions of said rail, guide rollers contacting the inner surface of side portions of said rail, vertical shafts on which said wheels, said preventive rollers and said guide rollers are mounted within said rail, and a motorized, self-driven caddie cart to which said vertical shaft is connected outside said rail, said motor being started to drive said wheels, whereby said caddie cart on which golf clubs and other articles are loaded runs along said rail with the total load on said caddie cart supported on the bottom surface of said rail.

According to the present invention there is further provided a structure for automatically driving caddie carts, comprising, a rail having a substantially bottle-shaped cross section, embedded in the ground so as to extend along a golf course and be flush with the ground surface, provided with guide recesses in shoulder portions thereof, wheels adapted to be rotated as they contact the inner surface of a bottom portion of said rail, preventive rollers contacting the inner horizontal surfaces of the shoulder portions of said bottle-shaped rail and having flanges engaged with said guide recesses, vertical shafts on which said wheels and said rollers are mounted within said rail, and a motorized, self-driven caddie cart to which said vertical shaft is connected outside said rail, said motor being started to drive said wheels, whereby said caddie cart on which golf clubs and other articles are loaded runs along said rail as the total load on said caddie cart is supported on the bottom surface of said rail, preventive rollers guided by the guide recesses in the shoulder portions of said rail.

According to the present invention there is further provided a rail for caddie carts, comprising a cross-sectionally U-shaped channel member, lateral walls made continuous with the upper ends of said U-shaped channel member and having inclined upper surfaces extending upward at a small angle toward each other so as to form between the free ends of said lateral walls a gap which extends in the lengthwise direction of said channel member and which has a width so small that it prevents golf balls from dropping thereinto, covers laid over said inclined surfaces so as to overlap at their opposed edge portions and thereby close said gap so that said covers are flush with the ground surface, and flanges formed on the portions of the inner surfaces of said U-shaped channel member which are on the inner side of said gap, which flanges define guide recesses above the same and have pressure-receiving surfaces constituting the lower surfaces thereof.

According to the present invention there is further provided a structure for automatically driving a caddie cart along a golf course, comprising, a rail having a substantially bottle-shaped cross-section and embedded in the ground so as to extend along a golf course and be flush with the ground surface, wheels adapted to be rotated by a motor as said wheels contact the inner surface of a bottom portion of said rail, preventive rollers adapted to be rotated freely as they elastically contact the inner surfaces of shoulder portions of said bottleshaped rail, a vertical shaft on which said wheels and said preventive rollers are supported, a caddie cart on which a player or golf clubs and other articles are loaded, a connecting shaft fixed to said cart, and a pivot via which said vertical shaft is joined pivotably to said connecting shaft, whereby said caddie cart runs along said rail with the total load on said caddie cart supported on the bottom portion of said ground-embedded rail.

In the present invention a U-shaped channel member is embedded in a continuous manner along a golf course (this can be buried not only in a rough area but also in the center of play, i.e. a fairway in a golf course) so as to be flush with the ground surface. The channel member has a U-shaped section with flanges extending from the upper ends of the opposite side walls thereof toward each other to define therebetween a groove of a width so small that a golf ball (the diameter of a small ball is 41 mm) cannot drop thereinto. The width of the channel member exposed on the ground surface including those of the upper surfaces of the flanges and the groove is as small as about 8 cm (the overall width of two small golf balls held side by side), while the overall width of the channel member embedded in the ground is as large as about 1 3 cm.The exposed surfaces, which are flush with the ground surface, of the channel member, i.e.

the surfaces of the flanges, and the portions of the space in the groove which are close to the inner edges of the flanges are covered with flexible members made of a material such as artificial turf and a rubber sheet of substantially the same colour and elasticity as the real grass. One side of each flexible member is attached to the channel member so that the flexible members overlap slightly above the groove.

When the cart runs over the exposed portion of the channel member which is constructed as described above, the vertical shafts which are attached to the cart and which will be described later separate the flexible members laterally. The flexible members normally overlap and close the groove to prevent sand, dust and water from entering the channel member. The channel member buried in the gorund can not be recognized as such at a glance, and is difficult to distinguish from real grass. Accordingly, even if the channel member is laid along a fairway, it does not spoil the scenery of the golf course. Even if a golf ball falls on this channel member, it seldom bounces irregularly.Since the channel-shaped rail is formed so that it is crosssectionally in the shape of a roof with its central portion higher than both end portions thereof, a golf ball does not stop thereon, so that the enjoyment of the game is not spoiled.

A specially important point in this cart is that the wheels of the cart run on the narrow flanges without contacting the grass at all, so that the grass is not damaged.

A caddie cart running on the exposed surfaces of this channel member via wheels will now be described. One of the characteristics of the present invention is that the reduction of the weight of a cart has been achieved by molding a cart body out of FRP. The parts other than a cart body can, of course, be molded out of FRP. The golf bag-loadable members are formed in a cross-shaped arrangement on the cart body so as to determine the bag-loading positions at the front, rear, right and left portions thereof and thereby obtain the load center substantially at the center of the cart body.The cart is further provided with wheels adapted to be driven by an engine mounted thereon, which rotate on the upper surfaces of the flange of the flanged U-shaped channel member embedded in the ground so that the flanges are flush with the ground, guide rollers adapted to be rotated horizontally within the channel member, which is laid in the above-mentioned manner, to guide the cart along the channel member, and a preventive means consisting of rollers adapted to rotate vertically as they contact the lower surfaces of the flanges, and thereby prevent the cart from turning over sideways.

Alternatively, a plurality of rails, each of which is cross-sectionally similar to a narrowmouthed bottle, can be connected in succession and embedded inthe ground on a golf course (this can be buried in such a manner that the rail does not interfere with the game, not only in the rough but also in the center area of play, i.e. the fairway) so that the mouth is substantially flush with the ground surface. The mouth of each rail has a gap too narrow for a golf ball (diameter 41 mm) to drop through, i.e. about 35 mm.

The mouth region, which is exposed on the ground surface, of the bottle-shaped rail is formed to a thickness of 4-5 mm. The width of the exposed surface including the gap is set to be as narrow as 55 mm (almost equal to the diameter of a golf ball), and the total width of the region which is buried in the ground of the rail is as large as about 1 30 mm. Covers consisting of flexible artificial turf or rubber plates, which have substantially the same elasticity and colour as the grass on the fairway, are attached to the mouth region which is flush with the ground surface of the bottle-shaped rail so that the cover enclose the mouth portion and the gap with the opposed edges of the covers overlapping above the gap.

The cart in the present invention is provided with wheels which roll over the exposed surfaces of the flanges of the rail and has the following structure. The golf cart is designed to carry four bags at a time in such a way that the weight of all the bags is applied uniformly to a central portion of the cart. A vertical shaft connected to the cart separates the flexible cosmetic members laterally as the cart runs, as stated before. A means for preventing the cart turning over sideways is provided on this vertical shaft. This means consists of a pair of rollers which are rotatable in a vertical plane, in contact with the lower surfaces of the flanges of the channel member, and at least one roller which is rotatable in a horizontal plane, in contact which the inner surface of the side wall of the channel member.The vertical rollers prevent the cart turning over sideways, while the horizontal roller ensures that the cart runs along the exposed surface of the rail smoothly and safely, without damaging the grass.

If the cart is of the self-driven type, it is provided with a prime mover which drives a wheel so that the cart can run along the rail by itself. On the other hand, if the cart is of rope-towed type, it is necessary to provide a means for supporting the rope in the channel member, and provide a rope catcher on the cart which can catch and release the rope as required. Since the catcher catches the rope from the upper side thereof, it is not possible to support the rope by an ordinary means which employs rollers in contact with the upper side of the rope. In addition, in order to prevent interference between the catcher and the support means including the rollers, it is necessary that the catcher moves along a path which is suitably separated from the rope.

When the rail is embedded substantially linearly, no difficulty is encountered because the rope can be supported simply by rollers in contact with the lower side of the rope, while the upper side of the rope is not in contact with any rollers. However, if the rope is not pressed from above, the rope may spring away from the support rollers and the guide rollers due to tension, when the rail is laid along a valley or along a transient upwardcurvying region between a flat area and a slope. To overcome this problem, the present inventors have already proposed an arrangement in Japanese published patent application No. 130855/1982. This proposal, however, as a complicated construction and is difficult to realise in practice, although it can obviate these problems to some extent. The present invention therefore preferably includes the following measure to overcome these problems.

The towing rope which runs pressed into contact with the guide rollers curves within the horizontal plane at a curvature of about 5' and within a vertical plane at a flexure angle of within 4", so that it can be stably supported even in upward-curving regions. This means that the catcher of the towed cart running along the rail can move without interference, because a channel member is used which is twisted at these curvatures in the horizontal and vertical planes (three dimensional curvature). With this arrangement, when the catcher holding the tow rope passes a guide roller, the rope is pulled towards the guide roller by the tension of the rope.

Namely, a reaction force is applied by the rope to the guide roller. However, since this reaction force is safely borne by the curved surface of the roller, the rope can run stably past the roller without coming off the roller surface. Thus, it has been confirmed that the rope can run along upward-curving regions safely without coming off the rollers, provided that the horizontal curvature and the vertical flexure angle are provided. When the towing rope is suspended so as to come into contact with the curved surface of a support roller, the reaction force is applied along the curved surface of the support roller towards the centre of the radius of curvature and, accordingly, the rope can run smoothly, guided by the curved surface of the guide roller which substantially follow the curved surface of the support rollers.With this arrangement, it is possible to arrange the rail along lefthand or righthand curves, vertical curves, and along upward-sloping regions.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail, by example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the self-driven type of cart; Fig. 2 is a sectional front elevation of essential parts thereof; Fig 3 is a sectioned front elevation of an essential part of a rope-towed type of cart; Fig. 4 is a sectioned front elevation of another embodiment; Fig. 5 is a cut-away perspective view of an embodiment of a U-shaped channel member provided with flanges; Fig. 6 illustrates curvature in the horizontal plane; Fig. 6A is an enlarged plan view thereof; Fig. 6B is a plan view thereof showing the state of curves; Fig. 7 illustrates vertical bending along a valley; Fig. 7A is an enlarged section thereof; and Fig. 7B is a side elevation of the bend in the vertical plane; Fig. 8 is a sectioned front elevation of a golf cart; Fig. 9 is a plan view; Fig. 10 is a detailed drawing in front elevation of a wheel; and Fig. 11 is a sectioned side elevation of the wheel.

Fig. 1 2 is a side elevation of an embodiment with a rail shown in section; Fig. 1 3 is a plan view of a cart body; Fig. 1 4 is a partially sectioned front elevation of wheels; Fig. 1 5 is a partially sectioned front elevation of turnover-preventing rollers; Fig. 1 6 is a side elevation of a principal portion; Fig. 1 7-1 9 show another embodiment, wherein; Fig. 1 7 is a side elevation of wheels on one side; Fig. 18 is a front elevation of wheels; and Fig. 1 9 is a front elevation of turnoverpreventing rollers; and Fig. 20 is a front elevation of still another embodiment.

Fig. 21 is a sectioned front elevation; and Fig. 22 is a partially sectioned side elevation showing a part of a caddie cart.

Fig. 23 is a general side elevation of a sectioned rail and caddie cart.

Fig. 24 is a partially sectioned side elevation of wheels; Fig. 25 is a sectioned view taken along the line Ill-Ill in Fig. 2; Fig. 26 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in Fig. 2; and Fig. 27 is a partially sectioned side elevation of the driving wheels.

In Figure 1 reference numeral 1 designates a U-shaped channel member provided with flanges 2 which constitute the rail along which the cart runs. The channel member 1 has a substantially U-shaped cross-section and is provided with flanges 2 which project from the upper ends of both walls thereof towards each other. As can be seen from Fig. 2, which shows the channel member 1 in section, the channel member is formed so that it has a substantially U-shaped cross-section from a plastic material such as resin concrete, and has internal reinforcement members 3 such as iron sheets. The flanges 2 are formed to extend towards each other from the upper ends of the two walls of the channel member 1. A groove 4 of a width less than the diameter of a golf ball is defined by the facing edges of the flanges 2.The upper surface of each flange 2 exposed at the ground surface has a width of the minimum which can bear the total weight of a cart, e.g. about 20 mm.

The upper surfaces of the flanges 2, including the groove 4 formed therebetween, constitute the exposed surface 5 of the channel member.

The portions of the channel member other than this exposed surface are buried under the ground. Flexible cosmetic members 7 of a material with an elasticity and colour similar to that of the real grass covering the ground are attached to the flange portions so that free edges of the flexible cosmetic members slightly overlap at a position above the groove 4 to prevent soil, sand and rainwater entering the channel member.

Fig. 3 shows another embodiment of the channel member 1, which is pressed from sheet steel of a substantial thickness so that the exposed surface 5 has a width substantially equal to the total width of the channel 1. This channel member 1, therefore, can be formed easily at reduced cost and can be used in areas where there is no danger of golf balls hitting it, e.g. in the cart house or in the rough areas before the course. Fig. 4 shows yet another example of the channel member 1, which is also pressed from sheet steel. In this case, however, the width of the exposed surface 5 is reduced so that the channel member 1 can be used in the fairways. Both side portions of the exposed surface 5 slope at a gradient of, for example, 10% with the crests thereof at the centre and the flexible cosmetic members are arranged to cover this exposed surface 5.This arrangement prevents undesirable effect such as when a ball rests on the rail, or when rain falls into the channel member. The channel member 1 of the embodiment shown in Fig. 5 is constituted by a shaped steel sheet of a comparatively small thickness defining the inner structure of the channel member 1, and an elastic material such as resin concrete attached to the steel sheet. The channel member is stepped to provide a smaller width at its upper portion and, hence, a smaller width of the exposed surface 5. This channel menber can have comparatively precise internal dimensions.

Referring again to Figs. 1 and 2, the cart used in this embodiment is a self-driven type of cart provided with a frame 9 which has four bag sheets 10 so that four bags can be carried at a time, two on the front and two on the back. A box 11 and, if required, a basket 1 2 for holding small articles, is provided between the front bag sheets and the rear bag sheets, the box 11 accommodating a driving unit including a battery, motor and reduction gears. These parts are arranged over the frame of the cart so that the load is distributed uniformly.

Vertical shafts 1 3 are mounted on front and rear poritons of the frame 9, and their forward edges forcibly separate the flexible cosmetic members 7 of the channel member 1 away from each other. A means 14 for preventing the cart turning over sideways is provided on each vertical shaft 1 3. Wheels on which the cart 8 runs are attached to the upper ends of the vertical shafts 1 3. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, the means 14 for preventing the cart turning over sideways is provided with a horizontal shaft 1 6 which has recesses 1 5 extending diametrically from the vertical shaft 13, vertical rollers 1 8 carried by the horizontal shaft 1 6 which can rotate in a vertical plane in contact with the lower surfaces of the flanges 2, and horizontal rollers provided in the recesses 1 5 and which can rotate in the horizontal plane in contact with inner surfaces 1 9 of the side walls of the channel member. Front and rear wheels 21 attached to the vertical shafts 1 3 are driven by a motor through a transmission 22.Two wheels 21 at the front are arranged on either side of the front vertical shaft 13, and run on the flanges 2 on either side of the groove. The same applies also to the wheels 21 on the rear side arranged on either side of the rear vertical shaft 1 3. Thus the cart actually has two front wheels 21 and two rear wheels 21, i.e. a total of four wheels. The two wheels at each of the front and rear have a total width of about 80 mm, including the width of the gap provided by the vertical shafts 1 3 between the wheels. Therefore, the cart can be regarded as being virtually two-wheeled with a front wheel and a rear wheel like an ordinary bicycle, and is distinguished from an ordinary cart which is stabilized by four wheels, i.e. two front wheels and two rear wheels of a sufficiently large tread.

In another embodiment of the means 14 for preventing the cart turning over sideways, vertical rollers 1 8 and horizontal rollers 20 are arranged separately on upper and lower portions of the vertical shaft 1 3. The vertical shaft 13 is connected to a motor 31 which in turn is biased upward by a comparatively strong spring 34, so that the vertical rollers 18 are pressed against the lower surfaces of the flanges 2 by the wheels 21 and the flanges 2, enabling the smooth running of the wheels 21 over joints between adjacent channel members 1.

Fig. 4 shows another embodiment in which the vertical and horizontal rollers 1 8 and 20 are incorporated together. In this embodiment, a horizontal roller 20 is mounted around a stationary wheel 23 formed on the vertical shaft 1 3 so that it can rotate in the horizontal plane in contact with the inner surface 1 9 of one side wall. Vertical rollers 18 are mounted on arm portions of the stationary wheel 23 so that they can rotate in a vertical plane in contact with the lower surfaces 1 8 of the flanges. In this embodiment, the exposed surface 5 has a tapered shape so that the wheels 21 must have shapes conforming with the contours of the exposed surface 5.

In each of the embodiments of Figs. 3 and 4, a vertically-slidable shaft 24 is received by the vertical shart 13, and a catcher 25 is formed on the lower end of the slidable shaft 24. The details of this catcher 25 are shown in the description of the embodiments in Japanese published patent application No.

130855/1982. Briefly, the slidable shaft 24 is connected to a motor 31 which can be started and stopped by manual control or remote control, so that the slidable shaft 24 is moved up and down in accordance with the operation of the motor 31 to selectively clamp or unclamp the tow rope 28 by clamp jaws 27 which cooperate with each other through the action of links 26.

The tow rope 28 is arranged in an endless form so that it goes around the golf course, within the rail constituted by a series of channel members 1. A support means 33 for supporting the tow rope 28 is constituted by a plurality of pairs of rollers, i.e. a horizontal support roller 29 and a vertical guide roller 30, each of which has a substantially cylindrical form constricted at the mid-point thereof.

Each pair of support roller 29 and guide roller 30 is arranged such that the curved surfaces of these rollers provide a connected, substantially continuous surface within a plane containing the axes of the rollers 29 and 30. The arrangement is such that, when the tow rope 28 is transferred from a support roller 29 to a guide roller 30, the tow rope 28 is not caught by the transient portion between the rollers.

The catcher 25 can be provided only in front of the wheels 21, as viewed in the direction of movement of the cart. In the embodiments shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, all the wheels 21 are mounted on vertical shafts 1 3. This arrangement, however, is not essential, and the wheels 21 may be carried by support members provided adjacent to the vertical shafts. According to this arrangement, it is possible to use solid wheels with a tread of the same width as the exposed surface 5, at the front and rear of the cart. In this case, the cart is supported by a single front wheel and a single rear wheel as in an ordinary bicycle.

Four golf bags are placed in the bag sheets 10 of the cart 8 and small bags and the like containing miscellaneous articles are put in the basket 1 2. If the cart 8 is of self-driven type, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the motor is started by turning on a switch on the box so that the power of the motor is transmitted to the wheels 21 through the transmission 22 to propel the cart 8. When the cart 8 arrives at a predetermined position near the tee of the first hoie, the switch of the motor is turned off by remote control or a switch actuator (not shown) provided at a predetermined portion of the rail constituted by the channel members, so that the cart 8 stops.On the other hand, if the cart 8 is of rope-towed type, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the motor 31 which vertically drives the slidable shaft 24 is started by for example, remote control, so that the slidable shaft 24 slides downward. Consequently the clamping jaws 27 are rotated about pivot shafts 32 by the action of the links 26 to catch the tow rope 28. The cart 8, therefore, is towed by the tow rope 28 to run at the same speed thereof. When the cart has reached a position near the tee of the firt hole, the motor 31 is reversed so that the rope 28 is unclamped to allow the cart to stop.

In either case, the running speed of the cart is about 60 m/sec, which is substantially equal to or slightly more than the walking speed of the players. The cart runs on the exposed surface 5 of the rail with its front and rear wheels 21 in rolling contact with the exposed surface 5. The channel members 1 constituting the rail have a total width of 1 30 mm. The portions thereof with the maximum width are buried underground and the channel members 1 are exposed only at the exposed surface 5 which is constituted by the top surfaces of the two flanges and the groove formed between these flanges.Each of the front and rear wheels 21 which roll on the exposed surface is composed of two wheel members, each of a width of about 20 mm, the two wheel members being assembled together with a vertical shaft 1 3 (30 to 35 mm in diameter) therebetween. The cart, therefore, cannot stand upright stably with these wheels alone, however evenly the weight is distributed, particularly when the cart is on a slope. The cart-operating system of the present invention, therefore incorporates means 1 4 for preventing the cart from turning over sideways.This means 1 4 consists of vertical rollers in contact with the lower surfaces of the flanges 2 and which can rotate within a vertical plane, with the assistance of horizontal rollers 20 which can rotate in the horizontal plane in contact with the inner surfaces 1 9 of the side walls of the channel member 1, so as to ensure the stable and smooth running of the cart in accordance with the surface of the golf course which can include many slopes and curves. If the cart 8 is inclined to the right, the lefthand vertical roller 1 8 is pressed strongly against the lower surface 1 7 of the left flange 2 to prevent any further inclination of the cart.The lefthand horizontal roller 20 comes into contact with the inner surface 1 9 of the lefthand wall to assist the lefthand vertical roller 1 8 in its preventing the further inclination of the cart. The running of the cart along a curve in the rail is smoothed by the rotation of the vertical rollers 1 8.

When the cart is of self-driven type, as shown in Fig. 1 and 2, the cart can run stably as explained above. However, a difficulty arises in connection with the method of supporting the tow rope when the cart is of the rope-towed type. An example of a rope-supporting means therefor will be explained hereinunder with reference to the drawings.

Referring to Figs 3 and 4, the tow rope 28 is caughtby the catcher 25 so that it moves away from the support roller 29 and the guide roller 30 and the cart can be towed to run at the speed of the rope 28. The portions of the rope 28 which are not caught by the catcher 25 run in contact with the support rollers 29 by the force of gravity in regions with linear sections of the rail, as well as downwardcurving regions. In curved sections of the rail, however, the rope 28 is pressed against the guide rollers by the tension therein, so that the guide rollers 30 are rotated by the reaction force. A portion of the rope which has been on a support roller 29 slides onto the curved surface of the guide roller 30. The movement of the rope from the support roller to the guide roller is smoothed because the curved surfaces of both rollers are arranged substantially as extensions of each other.

Curves in the rail in the horizontal plane may be formed to any desired curvature by arranging the guide rollers as is necessary.

However, in the upward-curving regions of, for example, valleys, the rope 28 will spring up off the guide rollers 30 if the rail is simply curved. This problem can be overcome by flexing the path of the rope in the vertical direction. Namely, it has been confirmed that the rope 28 can be held stably without coming off the guide rollers 30, when the curvature of the rope 28 within the horizontal plane is about 5 while the rope 28 can bend in the vertical direction within an angular range of not more than 4,, preferably between 2" and 3 . A more detailed description will be made hereinunder with reference to Figs. 6 and 7.

Referring to Fig. 6A, it can be seen that a 90 bend in a rope running in contact with the guide rollers 30 can be realized by using 18 guide rollers, with a 5" curvature around each guide roller 30. This can be achieved in the manner previously explained, provided that the tow rope 28 runs straight. Needless to say, in the regions where the rail curves, it is necessary that the tow rope 28 is pressed onto the side of the row of guide rollers 30 opposite to each center of curvature of the rail O in order that the reaction force is bourne by the guide rollers 30, as shown in Fig. 6B. The vertical bending of the rope is achieved, as shown in Figs, 7A and 7B, by allowing a 2" bend of the tow rope 28 around each guide roller 30.By arranging the guide rollers 30 at such a spacing that the bent tow rope 28 does not come off the curved surfaces of the adjacent guide rollers 30, it is possible to lay the rail in a with a suitable twist in the series of channel members 1.

It is inefficient to arrange successive pairs of a guide roller 30 and a support roller 29 in a one-by-one fashion. To overcome this problem, it is advisable to use channel members each provided with three pairs of rollers in the form of a block. With this arrangement, construction can be facilitated considerably and, by constructing each pair of two different rollers as a unit which is easy to mount and remove from the channel member 1, it is possible to achieve easy replacement of wornout rollers and, hence, keep the rollers in good condition.

Figure 8 shows a caddie cart a consisting of a cart body 41, a plurality of support posts 46, stays 47, and back members 44, 44', 45, 45'. Of these parts, at least the cart body 41 is made mostly of FRP, i.e. glass fiber. It is also sometimes constructed from a synthetic resin. The method of and the means for making the cart body 41 be arbitrarily selected; it may be made by a spray-lamination method, a molding method in which a resin is injected into a reinforcing material-containing mold, or a pressure molding method in which a resin-impregnated reinforcing material is placed in a mold. These methods enable the production of a light cart body, with excellent mechanical properties, excellent water-resisting property, high weather resistance and high corrosion resistance. It is preferable to have support posts, stays and back members also made of FRP.

The cart body 41 is provided with golf bagloadable members 42, 42' at the front and rear portions thereof for loading golf bags (not shown) thereon, in an inclined state, and similar golf bag-loadable members 43, 43' at the left and right portions thereof.

The golf-loadable members 42,42', 43,43' are formed integrally with the cart body 41 so that these members 42, 42', 43, 43' are in a cross-shaped arrangement in the same plane (Fig.9). There are back members 44,44',45, 45' relative to the golf bag-loadable members 42, 42', 43,43' which also formed on the cart body 41 so as to connect with a plurality of support posts 46 and a plurality of stays 47. The back members 44,44' for the front and rear bag-loadable members 42,42' are adapted to support golf bags in such a way that the golf bags are inclined toward the center of the cart body 41, while the back members 45,45' for the left and right bagloadable members 43,43' are inclined in the direction which is opposite to the direction in which the cart a advances, as shown in the drawings.The back members 44,44',45,45' are arranged in this manner so as to concentrate the total load on the portion of the cart body which is the closest to the center thereof. With such an arrangement of bagloadable members 42,42',43,43', four golf bags can normally be loaded thereon. These members 42,42', 43,43' are used independently of one another, and the caddies can take the relevant golf clubs and other articles from the relative bags conveniently without confusion. The players' golf bags thus loaded on the cart 41 can be distinguished clearly from one another without confusion in their shapes and colours. Since FRP, the material of the cart, is light, the entire quantity of divot-covering earth required for a half round can be loaded thereon. This enables a considerable reduction of the caddies' labour, the saving of time for a round of golf and the result of good course maintenance. In Fig. 10 wheels 51, 51' are attached to the portions of the cart body 41 which are on the longitudinal axis thereof. The wheels 51, 51' are supported so as to be rotated by a motor (not shown) or an engine (not shown) via bearings 48,48' and a transmission system 50, and the shape of the circumferential surfaces of the wheels 51,51, are in conformity with that of the surface 58, on which the cart runs, which is composed of a succession of flanged U-shaped channel members b. The cart body is further provided with vertical shafts 52,52 projecting into the channel member b. Horizontally rotatable guide rollers 53,53' and vertically rotatable turnover-preventing rollers 54,54 are mounted on these vertical shafts 52,52'.

The flanged U-shaped channel member b consists of a cross-sectionally U-shaped channel portion 55, and flange portions 56 formed on the channel portion 55 and extending so as to define therebetween a gap 57 of a width so small that a golf ball does not drop thereinto. The channel menber b is made of FRP or resin concrete in the shape of a rail and embedded in the ground in a fairway along a golf course so as to be flush with the ground surface. The caddie cart a runs along the channel menber b as the guide roller 53 (the guide roller on one vertical shaft 52 alone will be described) on one of the vertical shafts 52,52' provided on the cart body 41 contacts the inner side surface of the flange portion 56. During this time, the turnover-preventing roller 54 contacts the lower surface of the flange portion 56 to prevent the caddie cart a from turning over sideways.

The upper surfaces 58, on which the cart a runs, of the channel member b are inclined so that the height of the surfaces 58 increases from both sides of the channel member toward the center thereof. Covers 59,59' consisting of a flexible material and having preferably the same colour as the grass are fixed to the surfaces 58 so that the free edges of these covers normally overlap slightly and turn up when the vertical shaft 52 passes therebetween (see Fig. 11).

Golf club-containing golf-bags are placed on the golf bag-loadable members 42,42',43,43' and fastened to the cart a with, for example, straps. A motor (not shown) is then started to rotate the wheels 51,51 via the transmission system 50, so that the cart a runs at a speed substantially equal to the speed at which a man walks. When the cart rounds a curved portion of the channel member b, the guide rollers 53,53' contact the inner side surface of the flange portion 56 to keep the cart running smoothly. When the cart a receives a tilting force due to topographic conditions, the turnover preventing rollers 54 contact the lower surfaces; of the flange portions 56 as the former rotate, so that the cart is kept running safely and smoothly without turning over sideways.The outer circumferential surfaces, which are in the rail-contacting state, of the wheels 51,51' are in the shape of slopes and engage perfectly with the upper surfaces 58 of the channel member b. Accoringly, the wheels 51, 51 have a comparatively high resistance to any derailing force thereon and are able to withstand the tilting force. Since the covers 59,59' on the channel member b are maintained in the shape of slopes, the entry of the dust and rainwater into the channel portion 55 can be-minimized. The motor is preferably so adapted that it can be stopped automatically in a predetermined position by a remote control means or a limit switch.

A funnel-shaped earth box 61 and a net case 62 for containing small golf articles can be provided in suitable positions on a cover 60 which encloses the transmission system 50 and parts of the motor. The use of FRP which constitutes and greatly reduces the weight of the cart a enables divot-covering earth to be carried along the golf course.

Since the cart body of the caddie cart according to the present invention is formed by molding FRP, the cart is very light and rigid, capable of minimizing the consumption of energy, i.e. electric power, is suitable for mass production, and can be sold at a low price. Since the weight (about 1/4 of the weight of a conventional electric cart) of this golf cart is reduced greatly owing to the use of FRP, a large margin isleft to hold thereon the earth for use in covering divots on a fairway. During a golf game using a conventional caddie cart, divots are covered with earth scooped in predetermined positions, in which the earth is heaped in advance, on the other side of the fairway. Such a divot-covering operation is very troublesome and causes play to be delayed.The cart according to the present invention which runs on a fairway carries in its earth box the amount of divotcovering earth thought to be required for half round of golf. Hence, a required amount of earth can be taken out each time from a discharge port 61' to carry out a divot-covering operation conveniently. This enables course-maintenance to be carried out easily and effectively.

In Fig. 1 2 reference letter c denotes a rail having a narrow-mouthed bottle-like cross section, the lower portion of which constitutes a cross-sectionally U-shaped channel portion 71. Shoulder portions 72 and mouth portions 73 are made continous with the channel portion 71. A bottom portion 74, on which the total weight of a caddie cart, which will be described later, is imposed and the shoulder portions 72, on which a load for preventing the cart from turning over sideways is imposed, are constructed with a sufficient strength (for example, a sufficient thickness) to bear the weight and load. The other portions of the rail are constructed with a thickness such that their shape is adequately maintained for example, 4-5 mm.Accordingly, the width of the part, which is exposed on the ground surface, of the mouth portions 73 including the gap 75 is not more than 40 mm. The rail is preferably molded out of FRP, which is light and rigid, has a high weather resistance and a high corrosion resistance.

Flexible rubber plates or artificial turf, which has substantially the same elasticity and colour as the rear grass, is attached to the exposed surface of the mouth portion 73 so that the opposed edge portions of the rubber plates overlap slightly above the gap 75 to cover the same. These rubber plates or artificial turf constitute covers 93, 93', which can prevent the earth, sand and rainwater from entering the inetrior of the rail, and are adapted to be opened at the overlapping portions when the cart is moved therethrough.

A caddie cart b as shown in Fig. 1 2 has on its plate type cart body 76 front and rear golf bag-loadable 17,17' for use in loading golf bags (not shown) and holding the same in an inclined state, and left and right golf bagloadable members 78,78' for use in loading golf bags and holding the same in an inclined state. These members 77,77',78,78' are provided in a crossrshaped arrangement in the same plane as shown in Fig. 1 3.

Back members 79,79',80,80' (the view of the back member 80' is obstructed by the back member 80 in Fig. 12 for holding golf bags, which are placed on the members 77,77',78,78' in an inclined state are joined together by a plurality of support posts 81 and a plurality of stays 82. At least the cart body 76 is preferably molded out the FRP.

Vertical shafts 83 extend from the lower surface of the cart body 76 so as to project into the channel portion 71 via the gaps 75 and wheels 84 are fastened to a lower end portion of each of the shafts 83. The wheels 84 are driven by a motor (not shown) which is housed in a box 85, via a transmission system 86, so that the wheels 84 rotate on the inner surface of a bottom portion of the rail c to move the cart d.

Reference numberal 87 denotes preventive rollers, which may be supported on a vertical shaft 88 (shown in Fig. 15) extending from the cart body 76 in the same manner as the vertical shafts 83. As shown in Figs. 12 and 16, the preventive roller 87 may be secured to an arm 90, which is connected pivotably to a fulcrum 89 provided on the vertical shaft 83, so that the roller 87 can be rotated in the vertical direction. The arm 90 can also be connected to the shaft 83 via a spring 91 to thereby support the preventive roller 87 resiliently and press the roller 87 and the wheel 84 forcibly against the inner surface of the shoulder portion 72 and that of the bottom portion 74, respectively. This enables the slipping of the wheels 84 and the rollers 87 to be minimized, and the running and the prevention of turnover of the cart to be carried out effectively.Reference numeral 42 denotes guide rollers, which are adapted to contact the inner surfaces of side walls of the rail c and guide the cart d smoothly therein. The guide roller may be of the type which is fitted in the preventive roller 87 as shown by a full line in Fig. 1 6. The guide roller 92 may also be provided separately from the preventive roller 87 as a guide roller 92" as shown by the chain line in Fig. 1 5. Namely, the guide roller 92" is provided in a vertical shaft 88, on which the turnover-preventing rollers 87 are supported, in such a manner that the guide rollers 92" can be rotated in the horizontal direction as they contact the inner surfaces of the side walls of the mouth portion 73.In the case where the preventive rollers 87 are supported on the vertical shaft 88, the former are disposed so as to substantially contact the inner surfaces of the shoulder portions 72.

Figs. 1 7-1 9 show another embodiment, in which a bottom portion 74' of a rail c has a V-shaped cross section i.e. a larger depth at an intermediate part thereof. The inclined surfaces 94,94' of the bottom portion 74' have stepped portions 95,95' at their respective intermediate sections.

The wheels 84', 84' have outer circumferential surfaces the cross sectional shapes of which are, of course, in conformity with those of the inclined surfaces 94,94' and are provided with flange portions 96,96 adapted to be engaged with the stepped portions 95,95'.

A mouth portion 73' of the bottle-shaped rail is provided with guide recesses 97,97, with which a guide roller 92' is engaged. A vertical shaft 83 is provided with a bearing frame 98, on which the wheels 84,84' are rotatably supported. The wheels 84,84' are driven via chain sprockets 99,99',100 and chain belts 101,102.The chain belt 102 is adapted to receive the rotational force transmitted from a motor (not shown).

The preventive rollers 87 are supported rotatably on a boss 103 fitted around the vertical shaft 83. These rollers 87 are urged against the inner horizontal surfaces of shoulder portions 72' by a spring 91' of comparatively large resilient force to prevent the cart d from turning over sideways. In an embodiment shown in Fig. 20, the guide roller 92' in the embodiment shown in Figs- 1 7-1 9 is replaced by preventive rollers 87', each of which is made by providing a flange 104 on the preventive roller 87 in the embodiment of Figs. 1 7-1 9. The flanges 104 are engaged with stepped guide recesses 97' formed in shoulder portions 72" in a rail c. The caddie cart d can be guided smoothly along the rail c" owing to the guide recesses 97' and flanges 104, so that the guide rollers 92,92' in the two previously-described embodiments are not required. This enables a reduction in the height of the rail c".

Golf bags are placed on the bag-loadable members 77,77',78,78', so as to be rested against the back members 79,79',80,80' in an inclined state and stabilized. These bags are then fastened to the members 77,77', 78,78' with straps or the like. A driving means for example, a motor in the box 85 is then rotated by remote control to rotate the wheels via a transmission system consisting, for example, a chain, so that the cart runs automatically at such a speed that is slightly higher than the speed at which a man walks.

The cart is stopped in a position, which substantially corresponds to the position of the ball, by a remote control means or a means like a limit switch, and the game is thus continued in order. At a curved portion of the rail, the guide rollers or the flange portions of the preventive rollers come into contact with the inner surface thereof, so that the cart runs smoothly. The flange portions of the wheels also serve to guide the wheels excellently.

When the overturning force occurs in the cart due to certain topographical conditions, the preventive rollers are pressed forcibly against the inner horizontal surfaces of the shoulder portions of the rail. The flange portions of the wheels also serve to prevent the cart from turning over sideways. The cart therefore runs stably.

In this way, the wheels of the cart run within the rail, so that the total load is imposed on the bottom surface thereof. Therefore, the bottom portion of the rail has to be made to a high strength. The mouth portion of the bottled-shaped rail received no load and, hence, this portion can be constructed with a small thickness. Accbrdingly, the width of the surface exposed on the grass of the rail can be reduced.

Consequently, the rail cannot be recognized easily on the grass. Moreover, since the wheels of the cart do not appear above the ground surface, the cart appears to be gliding across the grass. In addition, the rail can be manufactured at a low cost, and the weight thereof can be reduced greatly to enable the rail to be handled very easily. As a result of all these advantages, the transporting of golf bags on a golf course is greatly facilitated.

Figures 21 and 22 show a rail consisting of a channel portion 11 2 formed at a lower section thereof, and molded out of gloss fibrereinforced plastic FRP, which contains a core material 111' composed of glass fibre, so as to have a substantially U-shaped cross section, and flange portions 114 joined to the upper ends of the U-shaped channel portion so as to define a vertical groove-forming gap 11 3 therebetween. The upper surfaces of the flange portions 11 4 constitute inclined surfaces 115, 115' used as surfaces on which a caddie cart runs and extending toward each other in a non-contacting state so that the height of each increases gradually towards the centre of the gap 113.Covers 116, 116' consisting of rubber plates, aritificial turf or urethane having substantially the same colour as real grass and an elasticity close to that of the grass on the fairway are laid over the inclined surfaces 11 5, 115' in such a manner that the opposed edge portions of the covers normally overlap above the gap 11 3. The rail is embedded in the earth in a fairway so that the ground surface is substantially flush with the lower ends of the inclined surfaces 11 5, 11 5' with the side walls of the rail extending vertically.

The self-driven caddie cart running on the rail according to this device carries golf bags which are loaded on the front, rear, left and right portions thereof in a cross-shaped arrangement so that the load center substantially coincides with the center of the cart. The cart is provided with wheels a running on the inclined surfaces 115, 115' via the covers 116, 116', a vertical shaft b projecting into the interior of the rail 111 through the gap 11 3, a guide roller 9 mounted on the vertical shaft f so as to rotate horizontally, and preventive rollers h supported on the vertical shaft f which rotate vertically. The wheels e are rotated by a power source means, such as a motor or an engine mounted on the cart, or by, for example, a remote control operation, and the guide roller g contacts the inner side surfaces of the flange portions 114.If Cshaped guided recesses 117, 117' are formed in the inner side surfaces of the flange portions 114 as shown in the drawings, the guide roller g can be made to a large diameter, so that the guiding of the roller 9 can be carried out more smoothly. The preventive rollers h are formed so as to contact pressurereceiving surfaces 118, 118' constituting the lower horizontal surfaces of the flange portions 114. When the cart receives an overturning force, the pressure-receiving surfaces 118, 118' and the preventive rollers h contact each other to prevent the cart from turning over sideways.

Thus a caddie cart is able to run on a rail laid in a fairway, without damaging the grass, and the rail is installed so that it is integrated into the scenery. Since the rail consists of a reinforced plastic, it is light, and has high mechanical strength, resistance to cold, resistance to corrosion and durability. The rail can be manufactured by molding and sold at a low price. Since FRP is used, bent portions and twisted portions can be molded easily.

The inclined surfaces of the flange portions on which the cart runs extend so that the height thereof increase gradually towards the centre of the gap and covers are laid over these inclined surfaces. When the cart moves, the covers are turned up easily by the vertical shaft to enable the cart to run smoothly. Since the covers are normally round-shaped, i.e. a saddle-shaped roof, earth, sand and rainwater falling on them runs off smoothly, and does not enter the interior of the rail.

In Figres 23-27 reference numeral 121 denotes a rail having a narrow-mouthed bot tle-like cross-section, consisting of a single rail member and buried in the ground along a golf course so that the rail 1 21 is flush with the ground surface. The bottom portion 1 22 and shoulder portions 1 23 may have horizontal inner surfaces 124, 125, respectively. It is preferable that, as shown in the embodiments in the drawings, the inner bottom surfaces 1 24 extend in the diagonally downward direction so as to have a V-shaped cross-section with the inner shoulder surfaces 1 25 extend ing diagonally upward so as to have a peaked cross-section.The mouth portions 1 26 are formed so that they continue from the shoulder portions 1 23. The bottom portion 122, on which the total weight of a caddie cart, which will be described later, is imposed, and the shoulder portions 123, on which a load for preventing the cart from turning over sideways is imposed, are constructed with a sufficient strength and sufficient thickness to bear the weight and load. The other portions of the rail may be constructed with a thick ness (4-5 mm) such that their shape is adequately maintained. The width of the part exposed on the ground surface, of the smooth portions 126 including the gap 126' is not more than 40 mm. The rail is preferably molded out of FRP, which is light and rigid, and strongly resists weather and corrosion.

Flexible rubber plates or artificial turf, which has substantially the same elasticity and colour as real grass, are attached to the upper end surfaces, i.e. the exposed surfaces of the mouth portions 126 so that the opposed edge portions of the rubber plates overlap slightly above the gap 126' as shown in Figs 25 and 26. The rubber plates or the artificial turf constitute covers 127, 127', which can prevent earth, sand and rainwater from entering the interior of the rail, and which are adapted to be opened at the overlapping portions when the cart is moved therethrough.

In Fig 23 a caddie cart 1 45 has on its plate type cart body 1 28 front, rear, and left and right golf bag-loadable members 1 29 on which golf bags (not shown) are loaded in an inclined state and held as uniform loads, alternatively, chairs can be loaded on which the players are to sit. The bag loadable members 1 29 look, in plan view, like members of a structure in a cross-shaped arrangement in whcih the total load on the structure is imposed on these members in a substantially uniform manner.

Back members 1 30 for holding golf bags, which are placed on the members 1 29 in an inclined state, are joined by a plurality of support posts 131 and a plurality of stays 1 32. The cart body 1 28 is preferably molded out of FRP.

A connecting shaft 1 33 is provided on the cart body 1 28 so as to project from the lower surface thereof, and a vertical shaft 1 35 is connected pivotably to the connecting shaft 1 33 via a pivot 1 34. The vertical shaft 1 35 is fixed to a frame 136, and a boss 138, which can slide resiliently by means of a spring 137, is inserted in the vertical shaft 1 35. Shaft 1 39 are formed on both side surfaces of the boss 1 38 so that the shafts 1 39 extend at right angles to the vertical shaft 1 35. Preventive rollers 140 are mounted rotatably on these shafts 1 39 which are on both sides of the boss 138. The preventive rollers 140 are in resilient contact, owing to the spring 137, with the inner surfaces 1 25 of the shoulder portions 123 of the rail 121. Driving shafts 141, 141 are supported rotatably on the portions of the frame 1 36 which are on the front and rear sides of the preventive rollers 140.Driving wheels 142, 142, and wheels 143, 143 which are adapted to run in contact with the inner surfaces 1 24 of the bottom portion 1 22 of the rail are keylocked on the driving shafts 141, 141. A chain 144 is wrapped around the driving wheels 142, 142, which are moved via a driven wheels 146, which is decelerated by a motor, for example, a reversible motor provided on the body 1 28 of a cart 145, so that the wheels 143, 143 are reversibly driven. Consequently, the cart 145 runs automatically.

A driving mechanism consisting of the above-mentioned parts including the wheels 1 43, 143 is provided at one end region of the cart 145, and a mechanism consisting of substantially the same parts as the driving mechanism at the other end region thereof. In this second mechanism, preventive rollers 140 are supported on a vertical shaft 1 35 resiliently via a slidable spring 1 37 and adapted to be rotated as they press-contact the inner surfaces 1 25 of the shoulder portions of the rail 121 in the same manner as the preventive rollers in the driving mechanism mentioned above.Driven wheels 143', 143' which are mounted rotatably on shaft 141', 141' fixed to the portions of the frame 1 36 which are on the front and rear sides of the preventive rollers 140, are rotated as they contact the inner surfaces 1 24 of the rail 121.

The vertical shaft 1 35 is joined pivotably to a connecting shaft 131' via a pivot 134, and the connecting shaft 133' is joined to a support body 147, which is formed on the cart 145, via a thrust bearing 148, so that the preventive rollers can be turned about the connecting shaft 133' and vertical shaft 1 35.

This driven mechanism has pivotable shafts and rollers.

The driving wheels 143, driven wheels 143' and preventive rollers 140 may be provided with flanges 149; 149; 150; 140'; respectively, and stepped portions 124', 125' engageable with these flanges may be formed on the inner surfaces 124, 1 25 of the bottom and shoulder portions of the rail, to enable the cart 145 to run more reliably.

Golf bags are placed on the bag-loadable members 1 29 or a player sits on a chair (not shown) which can be formed on the cart body 128, the bags rest against the back plates 1 30 in an inclined and stabilized state ready to be fastened with straps or the like. The motor consisting, for example, of a reversible motor and provided on the cart body 1 28 is rotated by a remote control means to rotate the wheels 143, 143 via a transmission system consisting of the chain 144. Consequently, the cart 145 runs automatically at a speed that is slightly faster than that of a walking man. The cart is stopped at a position, which substantially corresponds to the position of a ball, by the remote control means or by a limit switch, and play continues.At a curved portion of the rail 121, the driven portions of the driven wheels 143' are turned due to the thrust bearing 148, so that the cart runs smoothly. The flanges 149, 1 50 especially, the flanges 1 50 of the preventive rollers 140 also serve to guide the rollers well.

When an overturning force occurs in the cart 145 due to certain topographical conditions, the preventive rollers 140 are pressed forcibly against the inner surfaces 1 25 of the shoulder portions of the rail to prevent the cart from turning over. Owing to the springs 137, the rollers and wheels 140, 143, 143' can be pressed forcibly against the inner surfaces 125, 1 24 of the shoulder portions and bottom portion of the rail. Accordingly, the cart can be moved smoothly without friction. Dust, earth and sand may enter the bottom portion of the rail and be accumulated therein. To remove the dust, earth and sand from the rail, a vacuum cleaner can be moved automatically along the rail.The dust, earth and sand may be collected in a built-in groove in the Vshaped bottom surface of the rail, so as to remove the collected waste by the abovementioned cleaning means. Water which has collected in the rail may be discharged therefrom via a water collecting tank provided in a sunken portion of the ground. When such suitable cleaning operations are carried out, the cart can be operated more stably and smoothly.

The wheels and driven wheels run within the rail as mentioned above, so that the total load is imposed on the bottom surface thereof. Therefore, the bottom portion alone of the rail must be constructed such that it has considerable strength. The mouth portions of the bottle-shaped rail receive no load, hence, this portion can be thin. The width of the surface exposed on the grass of the rail can thus be reduced to a minimum such that the rail is not readily noticed on the grass.

Moreover, since the wheels of the cart do not appear above the ground surface, the cart appears to be gliding across the grass. The cart can run automatically along the shortest route on the fairway, which was never contemplated in the past. This caddie cart driving structure does not impair the scenery of golf course, nor does it damage the grass on the fairway which is mot important for the golf course. Also, a cheaper, lighter rail can be manufactured which is easy to handle. The transportation of-golf bags and a player on a golf course is therefore greatly facilitated.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A system for running a golf cart around a golf course comprising a channel-shaped rail and at least one essentially two-wheeled golf cart adapted to run along the rail, the golf cart engaging with the rail by means of a connecting shaft which includes means to prevent the cart overturning.

1. A system for running a golf cart comprising a rail laid around a golf course, said rail being constituted by a series of Ushaped channel members provided with flanges and buried so as to be flush with the ground surface, each of said channel members having a substantially U-shaped cross-section with flanges extending from the upper ends of the two side walls inward towards each other to define therebetween a longitudinal groove, a substantially two-wheeled golf cart provided with a front wheel and a rear wheel which both have a tread width not wider than the total width of said flanges, a vertical shaft attached to said golf cart, a preventive means provided on said vertical shaft which is adapted to prevent said gold cart turning over sideways, said preventive means including vertical rollers which can rotate in a vertical plane in contact with the lower surfaces of said flanges, and horizontal rollers which can rotate in a horizontal plane in contact with the inner surfaces of said side walls of said U-shaped channel members; whereby said cart can run smoothly on said flanges of said rail without damaging the grass and without turning over sideways.

2. A system for running a golf cart according to claim 1, wherein said preventive means includes a horizontal shaft formed on said vertical shaft and which is provided with recesses, said vertical rollers being carried by said horizontal shaft so as to rotate in a vertical plane, while said horizontal rollers are positioned in said recesses so as to rotate in the horizontal plane.

3. A system for running a golf cart according to claim 1, wherein said preventive means includes, a horizontal shaft formed 6n said vertical shaft, said horizontal rollers being mounted so as to rotate in the horizontal plane around the outer ends of said horizontal shaft, while said vertical rollers are supported by said horizontal shaft so as to rotate in a vertical plane.

4. A U-shaped channel member provided with flanges, having U-shaped cross-section and flanges extending inward from the upper ends of the two side walls thereof to define a longitudinal groove therebetween, a plurality of said channel members being arranged around a golf course and buried in the ground so as to be flush with the ground surface, each of said U-shaped channel members having a portion exposed at the ground surface of a width which is less than the width of said flanges.

5. A channel member according to claim 4, wherein at least a portion of the inner surface of each of said channel members is made of a metal plate, while other portions thereof are made of resin concrete.

6. A system for running a golf cart in which a rail is laid round the golf course, said rail being constituted by a series of Ushaped channel members buried in the ground so as to be flush with the ground surface, each of said channel members having a Ushaped cross-section and being provided with flanges projecting from the upper ends of two side walls thereof so as to define a longitudinal groove therebetween, wherein a tow rope extends through said channel members supported by a plurality of rollers, said tow rope being adapted to be selectively caught by catchers provided on carts adapted to run along said rail, a rope-supporting means such that the said plurality of rollers include a pluarlity of combinations of a support roller and a guide roller which each have a substantially cyclindrical form constricted at the mid-portion thereof, the axes of said support roller of said guide roller being positioned in the same plane, said support roller and said guide roller being arranged such that the cruved surfaces of said rollers are extensions of each other.

7. A system for running a golf cart according to claim 6, wherein said guide rollers combine with said support rollers to form said support means and are arranged so that said rope can curve to the left and right when viewed in the direction perpendicular to the plane in which said rope runs, and along lines bending up and down vertically when viewed from the side, to coincide with the surface of a golf course.

8. A system for running a golf cart over a golf course substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

9. A U-shaped channel member substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

10. A self-driven caddie cart system comprising a U-shaped, flanged channel buried along a golf course so as to be flush with the ground surface, a golf cart body adapted to run on said channel, having 90 spaced, front, rear, right and left golf bag-loadable members, molded out of a glass fiber-reinforced plastic, i.e. FRP, provided with wheels running on the flanges of said channel, guide rollers rotating within and guided by said channel, a preventive means consisting of rollers rotating as they contact the lower surfaces of said flanges, and adapted to prevent said cart from turning over sideways.

11. A self-driven caddie cart system substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 2. A structure for automatically driving caddie carts, comprising a rail having a substantially bottle-shaped cross section and embedded in the ground so as to extend along a golf course and be flush with the ground surface, wheels adapted to be rotated as they contact the inner surface of a bottom portion of said rail, preventive rollers contacting the inner horizontal surfaces of shoulder portions of said bottle-shaped rail, guide rollers contacting the inner surface of side portions of said rail, vertical shafts on which said wheels, said preventive rollers and said guide rollers are mounted within said rail, and a motorized, self-driven caddie cart to which said vertical shaft is connected outside said rail, said motor being started to drive said wheels, whereby said caddie cart on which golf clubs and other articles are loaded runs along said rail with the total load on said caddie cart supported on the bottom surface of said rail.

1 3. A structure for automatically driving caddie carts comprising a rail having a substantially bottle shaped cross section, embedded in the ground so as to extend along a golf course and be flush with the ground surface, provided with guide recesses in shoulder portions thereof, wheels adapted to be rotated as they contact the inner surface of a bottom portion of said rail, preventive rollers contacting the inner horizontal surfaces of the shoulder portions of said bottle-shaped rail and having flanges engaged with said guide recesses, vertical shafts on which said wheels and said rollers are mounted within said rail, and a motorized, self-driven caddie cart to which said vertical shaft is connected outside said rail, said motor being started to drive said wheels, whereby said caddie cart on which golf clubs and other articles are loaded runs along said rail as the total load on said caddie cart is supported on the bottom surface of said rail, said preventive rollers guided by the guide recesses in the shoulder portions of said rail.

14. A structure according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the bottom surface of said rail is formed so as to have a V-shaped cross section and be provided with stepped portions, said wheels rotating with the flanges of said wheels contacting said stepped portions.

1 5. A structure according to claim 1 2 or 13, wherein said wheels contacting the inner surface of the bottom portion of said rail and said preventive rollers contacting the inner horizontal surfaces of the shoulder portions of said bottle-shaped rail are connected together resiliently bysprings so that said wheels and said rollers are urged in the opposite directions.

1 6. A structure for automatically driving caddie carts substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 7. A rail for caddie carts, comprising, a cross-sectionally U-shaped channel member, lateral walls made continuous with the upper ends of said U-shaped channel member and having inclined upper surfaces extending upward at a small angle toward each other so as to form between the free ends of said lateral walls a gap which extends in the lengthwise direction of said channel member and which has a width so small that it prevents golf balls from dropping thereinto, covers laid over said inclined surfaces so as to overlap at their opposed edge portions and thereby close said gap so that said covers are flush with the ground surface, and flanges formed on the portions of the inner surfaces of said U-shaped channel member which are on the inner side of said gap, which flanges define guide recesses above the same and have pressure-receiving surfaces constituting the lower surfaces thereof.

1 8. A rail for caddie carts substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 9. A structure for automatically driving a caddie cart along a golf course, comprising a rail having a substantially bottle-shaped cross-section and embedded in the ground so as to extend along a golf course and be flush with the ground surface, wheels adapted to be rotated by a motor as said wheels contact the inner surface of a bottom portion of said rail, preventive rollers adapted to be rotated freely as they elastically contact the inner surfaces of shoulder portions of said bottleshaped rail, a vertical shaft on which saidl-wheels and said preventive rollers are supported, a caddie cart on which a player or golf clubs and other articles are loaded, a connecting shaft fixed to said cart, and a pivot via which said vertical shaft is joined pivotably to said connecting shaft, whereby said caddie cart runs along said rail with the total load on said caddie cart supported on the bottom portion of said ground-embedded rail.

20. A structure for automatically driving a caddie cart along a golf course according to claim 19, wherein said wheels and said preventive rollers support one end portion of said caddie cart, the other end portion of said caddie cart being supported on parts including driven wheels adapted to be rotated freely as they contact the inner surface of the bottom portion of said rail, said driven wheels and said preventive rollers being provided so that they can be turned at a small angle in accordance with the pivotal movement of said vertical shaft.

21. A structure for automatically driving a caddie cart along a golf course substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.