GB2540257A

GB2540257A - Folding mechanism for car-seat adaptor and stroller having the same

Info

Publication number: GB2540257A
Application number: GB1608909.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Yi Ze-Hua
Original assignee: Wonderland Nurserygoods Co Ltd Hong Kong
Current assignee: Wonderland Nurserygoods Co Ltd Hong Kong
Priority date: 2015-05-22
Filing date: 2016-05-20
Publication date: 2017-01-11
Anticipated expiration: 2036-05-20
Also published as: GB2540257B; DE102016208696B4; CN106275039A; CN106275039B; DE102016208696A1; GB201608909D0

Abstract

A folding mechanism (30, figure 1) for a car-seat adaptor 20 includes an engaging member 303, an operating member 301, and a driving member 302. The engaging member removably engages the adaptor so as to maintain the adaptor in an unfolded position (figure 1). The operating member is operable to drive the engaging member to disengage from the adaptor so as to permit the adaptor to pivot relative to a frame 101, such as a handle frame of a stroller. The driving member drives the adaptor to pivot toward a folded position (figure 3) when the engaging member disengages from the adaptor. The operating member may comprise a rope 3012 attached to the engaging member, where said rope may be pulled upwards so as to disengage the engaging member from a groove formed in the adaptor. The driving member may comprise a torsion spring 302 which abuts against a side wall of the adaptor and which causes the adaptor to fold when the latter is disengaged.

Description

FOLDING MECHANISM FOR CAR-SEAT ADAPTOR AND STROLLER HAVING

THE SAME

The disclosure relates to a folding mechanism for a car-seat adaptor, and a stroller having the folding mechanism for a car-seat adaptor.

Strollers have been widely used in modern families as a safe and comfortable method of transporting children. When traveling in vehicles, children are often required to sit in safety seats ( also called car seats ) for ensuring their safety . Since transferring the children from the car seat to the stroller is inconvenient, especially when the children are sleeping, strollers having car-seat coupling structures, such as car-seat adaptors, may be adopted to allow the parents to directly unload the car seats along with the children and couple the same to the strollers.

Conventionally, car-seat adaptors are removably mounted to the strollers so as to allow the car seats to couple with the strollers. Since such conventional car-seat adaptors are usually not foldable, such conventional car-seat adaptors need to be detached from the strollers when folding the same, resulting in inconvenience during operation.

Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a folding mechanism for a car-seat adaptor that may alleviate the aforementioned drawback of the prior art.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a folding mechanism for a car-seat adaptor that is pivotable relative to a frame between a folded position and an unfolded position may be provided. The folding mechanism includes an engaging member, an operating member, and a driving member . The engaging member removably engages the car-seat adaptor so as to maintain the car-seat adaptor in the unfolded position. The operating member is operable to drive the engaging member to disengage from the car-seat adaptor so as to permit the car-seat adaptor to pivot relative to the frame. The driving member drives the car-seat adaptor to pivot toward the folded position when the engaging member disengages from the car-seat adaptor.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a stroller may be provided, including a main body, a car seat pivotable relative to the main body between an unfolded posit ion and a folded position, and the aforementioned folding mechanism.

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment (s) with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a stroller according to the present disclosure;

Figures 2 to 4 are perspective views of the exemplary embodiment, illustrating various folding states of the stroller;

Figure 5 is a partly perspective view of the exemplary embodiment, where car-seat adaptors are removed;

Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the exemplary embodiment shown in circle I of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the exemplary embodiment;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the exemplary embodiment from Figure 7;

Figure 9 is another fragmentary perspective view of the exemplary embodiment from Figure 7;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the exemplary embodiment from Figure 9;

Figure 11 is another fragmentary perspective view of the exemplary embodiment from Figure 7;

Figure 12 is a partly fragmentary perspective view of the exemplary embodiment, where a seat member, and part of a handle frame are omitted; and

Figure 13 is an enlarged view of the exemplary embodiment shown in circle II of Figure 12.

Referring to Figures 1 to 6, the exemplary embodiment of a stroller 100 according to the present disclosure is shown to include a main body 10, two car-seat adaptors 20, two folding mechanisms 30 and two mounting seats 40. The car-seat adaptors 20, the folding mechanisms 30, and the mounting seats 40 are mounted to the main body 10.

As shown in Figure 1, the main body 10 includes a handle frame having two handle parts 101, a front leg 102, a connecting segment 103, and a bottom frame having two bottom frame parts 104. Each of the handle parts 101 has an upper handle segment 101a, and a lower handle segment 101b connected to the upper handle segment 101a. The upper handle segments 101a of the handle parts 101 respectively have top end portions connected to each other. The front leg 102 is U-shaped and has two end portions respectively and pivotally connected to bottom end portions of the lower handle segments 101b of the handle parts 101. The connecting segment 103 is also U-shaped and has two end portions respectively and pivotally connected to the bottom end portions of the lower handle segments 101b of the handle parts 101. The bottom frame parts 104 are connected to each other, and each of the bottom frame parts 104 has a midpoint pivotally connected to the connecting segment 103. As shown in Figure 2, the bottom end portion of each of the lower handle segments 101b is pivotally connected to a respective one of the end portions of the front leg 102 via a first pivot joint 1, and is pivotally connected to a respective one of the end portions of the connecting segment 103 via a second pivot joint 2 . The midpoints of the bottom frame parts 104 are respectively and pivotally connected to the connecting segments 103 respectively via a third pivot joint 3 and a fourth pivot joint 4 .

As shown in Figure 1, the main body 10 of this embodiment further includes two adjusting members 105 slidably and respectively disposed on the upper handle segments 101a of the handle parts 101. Each of the adjusting members 105 is operable, by being pulled toward the top end portion of the upper handle segments 101a, i.e., in a first direction (A), to unlock a locking mechanism (not shown in the figures) of a respective one of the handle parts 101, so as to permit sliding movement of the upper handle segments 101a relative to the lower handle segments 101b for adjusting an overall length of the handle frame.

It should be noted that, the locking mechanism of the handle parts 101 and the operation thereof are well known in the art and thus are omitted herein for the sake of brevity.

The car-seat adaptors 20 and the folding mechanisms 30 are correspondingly mounted to the lower handle segments 101b of the handle parts 101 as illustrated in Figure 1. In this embodiment, as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, each of the mounting seats 40 has one end portion that is fixedly connected to the front leg 102, and the stroller further has two connecting members 106 each being pivotally connected to a respective one of the mounting seats 40 and the connecting segment 103. Specifically, each of the connecting members 106 has a pivot point 5 pivotally connected to the respective one of the mounting seats 40, and a portion pivotally connected to a pivot point 6 of the connecting segment 103. A storage container (not shown in the figures) may be mounted to the mounting seats 40 for storing purposes.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, each of the car-seat adaptors 20 is pivotable relative to a respective one of the handle parts 101 between a folded position (see Figure 3) and an unfolded position (see Figure 1).

Referring to Figures 7 to 10, each of the folding mechanisms 30 includes an operating member 301, a driving member 302, an engaging member 303, a seat member 304 and a biasing member 305. The engaging member 303 removably engages a respective one of the car-seat adaptors 20 so as to maintain the respective one of the car-seat adaptors 20 in the unfolded position as illustrated in Figure 1. The operating member 301 has one end connected to the respective one of the handle parts 101 and the other end connected to the engaging member 303. The operating member 301 is operable to drive the engaging member 303 to disengage from the respective one of the car-seat adaptors 20 so as to permit the respective one of the car-seat adaptors 20 to pivot relative to the respective one of the handle parts 101. The driving member 302 is connected to the seat member 304, has a driving end to abut against a side wall of the respective one of the car-seat adaptors 20, and is able to provide a torsion force to drive the respective one of the car-seat adaptors 20 to pivot toward the folded position when the engaging member 303 disengages from the respective one of the car-seat adaptors 20. The seat member 304 is mounted to the respective one of the handle parts 101, and a connecting pin 306 (such as a rivet) is included to interconnect the seat member 304, the respective one of the car-seat adaptors 20, and the driving member 302 by penetrating therethrough, such that the respective one of the car-seat adaptors 20 is pivotable relative to the seat member 304 about the connecting pin 306. In this embodiment, the driving member 302 is a torsion spring.

AsillustratedinFigure8, the operating member 301 includes a pull segment 3011 that is configured to be slidably disposed on the respective one of the handle parts 101 and movable in a moving direction (F), and a connecting segment 3012 that has an end fixedly connected to the pull segment 3011 and the other end engaging the engaging member 303, such that the connecting segment 3012, uponthepull segment 3011 beingpulled, drives the engaging member 303 to disengage from the respective one of the car-seat adaptors 20. In this embodiment, the connecting segment 3012 includes a sleeve tube 3012a and a rope 3012b. The rope 3012b has an end fixedly connected to the pull segment 3011, and the other end engaging the engaging member 303. The sleeve tube 3012a is sleeved on the rope 3012b and has an end fixedly connected to the pull segment 3011. The biasing member 305 is sleeved on the rope 3012b and has a top end that abuts against an inner side (not shown in the figures) of the seat member 304, and a bottom end that abuts against a top surface 3033 of the engaging member 303. In this embodiment, the biasing member 305 is a spring.

Specifically, as illustrated in Figures 12 and 13, the connecting segment 3012 has an engaging end portion 3012c provided on the other end of the rope 3012b, and the engaging member 303 is formed with a first engaging groove 3031 and an insertion opening in spatial communication with the first engaging groove 3031, such that the engaging end portion 3012c is moved, in an inserting direction perpendicular to the moving direction (F), into the first engaging groove 3031 via the insertion opening so as to engage the first engaging groove 3031.

As illustrated in Figures 10 to 13, the engaging member 303 has an engaging protrusion 3032 that removably engages a recess defined by an engaging portion 203 of the respective one of the car-seat adaptors 20 when the respective one of the car-seat adaptors 20 is in the unfolded position. To be specific, the seat member 304 has a projecting portion 3042 defining a through hole 3043 extending therethrough in the moving direction (F) and receiving the engaging member 303 and a part of the rope 3012b, where a coupling space 3041 is located below and in spatial communication with the through hole 3043, which permits the engaging protrusion 3032 of the engaging member 303 to extend into the coupling space 3041 via the through hole 3043. On the other hand, a second engaging groove 202 is formed at the respective one of the car-seat adaptors 20 and receives the engaging portion 203 therein. When the respective one of the car-seat adaptors 20 is in the unfolded position, the projection portion 3042 of the seat member 304 is at least partially received in the second engaging groove 202, and the engaging portion 203 of the respective one of the car-seat adaptors 20 extends into the coupling space 3041 and is disposed below the through hole 3043 of the seat member 304, such that the engaging protrusion 3032 of the engaging member 303 extends into the coupling space 3041 via the through hole 3043 to removably engage the recess of the engaging portion 203.

When the stroller 100 of the present disclosure is in the unfolded state as illustrated in Figure 1, the locking mechanism of the main body 10 remains in a locking state, and, for each of the folding mechanisms 30, the engaging protrusion 3032 of the engaging member 303 engages the recess of the engaging portion 203 as illustrated in Figure 13, i.e., the car-seat adaptors 20 are maintained in their unfolded positions. The adjusting member 105 may then be pulled to slide in the first direction (A) so as to unlock the locking mechanism and to permit folding of the main body 10. In the meantime, for each of the folding mechanisms 30, the pull segment 3011 may be pulled in the moving direction (F) to drive the engaging member 303 to move in the moving direction (F) via the connecting segment 3012, such that the engaging protrusion 3032 disengages from the engaging portion 203 of the respective one of the car-seat adaptors 20 to permit the respective one of the car-seat adaptors 20 to pivot, and that the driving member 302, by way of the torsion force, drives the respective one of the car-seat adaptors 20 to pivot toward the folded position about a respective one of pivoting directions (Bi, B2) as illustrated in Figure 1. The main body 10 may be pressed to allow the handle parts 101, the front leg 102, the connecting segment 103 and the mounting seats 40 to pivot toward the bottom frame parts 104 by way of the aforementioned pivot joints to reach a folded state as illustrated in Figure 4 . When unfolding the stroller 100 of the present disclosure, a user would only need to pull the main body 10 upward to allow the handle parts 101, the front leg 102, the connecting segment 103 and the mounting seats 40 to pivot back to their unfolded positions. It may be noted that, the locking mechanism may return to the locking state by way of a resilient force provided by corresponding resilient members, and, when the car-seat adaptors 20 are moved back to their unfolded positions, the engaging members 303 may be respectively biased by the biasing members 305 to respectively engage the engaging portions 203 of the car-seat adaptors 20, so as to maintain the car-seat adaptors 20 in their unfolded positions.

From the description above, byutilizing the engaging member 303 to removably engage the respective one of car-seat adaptors 20, the operating member 301 to drive the engaging member to disengage from the respective one of the car-seat adaptors 20, and the driving member 302 to drive the respective one of the car-seat adaptors 20 to pivot toward the folded position, each of the folding mechanisms 30 of the present disclosure is capable of driving the respective one of the car-seat adaptors 20 to fold. Such configuration is relatively simple and easy to operate.

In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment (s) . It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects.

Claims

Claims :

1 . A folding mechanism for a car-seat adaptor that is pivotable relative to a frame between a folded position and an unfolded position, said folding mechanism being characterized by: an engaging member removably engaging the car-seat adaptor so as to maintain the car-seat adaptor in the unfolded position; an operating member operable to drive said engaging member to disengage from the car-seat adaptor, so as to permit the car-seat adaptor to pivot relative to the frame; and a driving member driving the car -seat adaptor to pivot toward the folded position when said engaging member disengages from the car-seat adaptor.

2. The folding mechanism of Claim 1, characterized in that said operating member includes a pull segment that is configured to be slidably disposed on the frame and movable in a moving direction, and a connecting segment that has an end fixedly connected to said pull segment, and the other end engaging said engaging member, such that said connecting segment, upon said pull segment being pulled, drives said engaging member to disengage from the car-seat adaptor.

3. The folding mechanism of Claim 2, characterized in that: said engaging member is formed with a first engaging groove, and an insertion opening in spatial communication with said first engaging groove; and said connecting segment has an engaging end portion that is moved in an inserting direction perpendicular to the moving direction into said first engaging groove via said insertion opening so as to engage said first engaging groove.

4. The folding mechanism of Claim 3, characterized in that said connecting segment includes: a rope having an end fixedly connected to said pull segment, and the other end being provided with said engaging end portion; and a sleeve tube sleeved on said rope and having an end fixedly connected to said pull segment.

5. The folding mechanism of Claim 4, further characterized by a seat member adapted to be mounted to the frame, and a connecting pin interconnecting said seat member, the car-seat adaptor and said driving member, such that the car-seat adaptor is pivotable relative to said seat member about said connecting pin .

6. The folding mechanism of Claim 5, further characterized by a biasing member sleeved on said rope and having an end that abuts against an inner side of said seat member, and the other end that abuts against said engaging member.

7. The folding mechanism of Claim 6, characterized in that said engaging member has an engaging protrusion that removably engages a portion of the car-seat adaptor when the car-seat adaptor is in the unfolded position.

8. The folding mechanism of Claim 7, characterized in that said seat member defines a coupling space for receiving said engaging protrusion of said engaging member, the portion of the car-seat adaptor extending into said coupling space when the car-seat adaptor is in the unfolded position.

9. The folding mechanism of Claim 7, further characterized by a second engaging groove formed in the car-seat adaptor and receiving the portion of the car-seat adaptor, said engaging member and said biasing member being located in said second engaging groove when the car-seat adaptor is in the unfolded position .

10. The folding mechanism of Claim 1, characterized in that said driving member has a driving end to abut against a side wall of the car-seat adaptor.

11. The folding mechanism of Claim 1, characterized in that said driving member is a torsion spring.

12. A stroller including a main body and a car-seat adaptor pivotable relative to said main body between an unfolded position and a folded position, said stroller being characterized by: said folding mechanism of any one of Claims 1 to 11.

13. The stroller of Claim 12, characterized in that said main body includes a handle frame to which said car-seat adaptor and said folding mechanism are mounted, a front leg having an end portion that is pivotally connected to said handle frame , a connecting segment having an end portion that is pivotally connected to said handle frame, and a bottom frame pivotally connected the other end portion of said connecting segment.

14. The stroller of Claim 13, further characterized by a mounting seat having one end portion that is fixedly connected to said front leg, and a connecting member pivotally connected to said connecting segment and said mounting seat.

15. The stroller of Claim 13, further characterized by an adjusting member slidably disposed on said handle frame.