JP2002325878A - Tricycle skater - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tricycle skater which runs by a high grade means not found in conventional tricycle skaters and enables a user to run for a long distance consuming small physical power. SOLUTION: Two frame arms 6 are extended from the handle shaft 1 which supports the front wheel 3. Rear wheels 12 are pivotally supported by rear ends 6c of the frame arms 6 separated at a distance at least wider than the shoulder width of a user. Step plates 14 on which user's feet are laid are equipped almost right above the rear wheels 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a three-wheeled skater, and more particularly to a three-wheeled skater in which an operator can ride on his / her feet and step on his / her feet without using a foot to kick the ground.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a three-wheel skater in which a front wheel operable by a handle is provided at a front end of a board, and a pair of rear wheels are pivotally supported on a rear end side in parallel in a traveling direction.

The above three-wheel skater is a running means that is mainly driven by kicking the ground with a foot, and does not require a particularly complicated technique. Therefore, anyone can easily operate the skater. However, on the other hand, there is little fun.

On the other hand, as one type of three-wheel skater, a V-shaped frame arm is provided behind the handle shaft so that the horizontal angle can be opened and closed, and the driver exerts a forward force by opening and closing the rear wheel with both feet. A three-wheel skater having such a structure is known.

[0005] This three-wheel skater is also interesting for maneuvering, and is more entertaining than the former three-wheel skater. But,
This drive system starts or accelerates relatively easily as long as the knack for opening and closing the V-shaped frame arm is swallowed, so that the subsequent control is less interesting and less entertaining. It can be said that.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to develop a three-wheel skater which can be driven by more advanced means than the three-wheel skater described above, and which can be operated over a long distance with little wasting of physical strength. Was made as an issue.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a three-wheel skater according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a handle shaft for supporting a front wheel and a frame having a V-shape in a plan view rearward from the handle shaft. An arm is extended, and the rear wheels are pivotally supported at rear ends separated by a distance at least wider than a shoulder width of the pilot, and a step plate is provided substantially directly above the rear wheels to put a foot of the pilot. It is characterized by becoming.

That is, the three-wheel skater is configured to generate forward driving force by coordinating the left-right meandering operation of the steering wheel and the center-of-gravity left-right swing movement of the operator standing on the step board on the frame arm. If you get used to it, you can start and accelerate with only a slight left and right swing movement.

A three-wheel skater according to a second aspect of the present invention is the three-wheel skater according to the first aspect, wherein the handle shaft is inclined rearward, and the front wheel is mounted with a fork offset deviating to the front of the vehicle body with respect to the handle shaft. It is assumed that.

[0010] By adopting the structure of the handle shaft, when the handle shaft is steered in the left-right direction, the straight running stability in the steering direction is improved, and the vehicle can easily travel. A three-wheel skater according to a third aspect of the present invention is the three-wheel skater according to the first aspect, wherein the handle shaft is inclined rearward, and the front wheel is provided with a fork offset biased rearward of the vehicle body with respect to the handle shaft. It is.

[0011] With this handle shaft configuration, the steering resistance when the handle shaft is steered in the left-right direction is reduced, and the forward drive generated by the cooperation between the left-right meandering operation of the handle and the left-right swing movement of the operator's center of gravity. Force is more easily obtained.

A three-wheel skater according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the three-wheel skater according to the second or third aspect, wherein each of the two frame arms having a V-shape in plan view has a front end on the front side in the traveling direction of the handle shaft. The frame arm is rotatably supported only around a fixed axis orthogonal to the axis and the traveling direction, and a side surface of the frame arm is orthogonal to the handle axis on the rear side in the traveling direction of the handle axis, and a central portion is a handle. Both ends of the seesaw lever rotatably supported around the axis along the traveling direction at the intersection with the shaft, and are connected to each other by inserting elastic members through bearings provided on the side surfaces of the respective frame arms. When tilted, the connection structure between the fixed shaft and the seesaw lever causes the two frame arms to twist and move relative to each other. It is characterized in that as a Eyasui posture.

Therefore, each frame arm is tilted about the fixed shaft on the front side of the handle shaft, and at the same time, its movement is restricted to a certain range by the movement of the seesaw lever and the elasticity of the bearing portion. Relative movement occurs, and as a result, the rear-wheel grounding posture, specifically, the outer rear wheel tilts inward when making a curve, and this tilt allows the acceleration force to be transmitted more efficiently, enabling efficient acceleration. Become.

A three-wheel skater according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the three-wheel skater according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the support axis of the rear wheel is perpendicular to the traveling direction in plan view, and viewed from the traveling direction in front view. It is characterized in that the rear wheel has an axis which is inclined in a C-shape, and the step plate is provided in an inwardly inclined posture parallel to this axis.

Therefore, when the weight is applied to the rear wheel during acceleration, the action line substantially coincides with the posture of the rear wheel with respect to the ground, so that the force acts on the ground without waste, and a quick acceleration force can be obtained.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the three-wheel skater according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein a brake lever is provided on the handle, and a brake operated by the brake lever is laid on the rear wheel. It is characterized by the following.

Therefore, it is possible to start and stop the vehicle safely while stopping on the three-wheel skater without stepping on the ground when stopping. A three-wheel skater according to claim 7 is the three-wheel skater according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the handle shaft is extendable and retractable, and the V-shaped frame arm is foldable along the handle shaft. It is characterized by having been done.

[0018] Therefore, when not in use, it can be folded small and placed, so that it is easy to handle when transporting or storing. The three-wheel skater of claim 8 is characterized in that, in the three-wheel skater of claim 7, a fastening device for fixing the frame arm in the posture at the time of expansion or folding is provided in the folding portion. It is assumed that.

Accordingly, the frame arm can be fixed in the folded position, particularly when folded, and an accident such as unfolding during transportation can be prevented.

[0020]

Next, a three-wheel skater according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a side view of a three-wheel skater according to an embodiment, FIG. 2 is a bottom view thereof, FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of a frame arm attachment portion with respect to a handle shaft, and FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a main part of a rear wheel portion.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a handle shaft. The handle shaft 1 in the illustrated example has a telescopic telescopic structure, and can be fixedly tightened by a tightening band member 1d at an arbitrary telescopic position. I have.

A front wheel 3 is supported by a fork 2 formed at the lower end of the handle shaft 1. Handle axis 1
May be in an upright posture, but as shown in FIG. 1, a fork having a caster angle θ by inclining rearward, and a front wheel 3 being biased forward by a bearing member 1 a provided at a lower end of the handle shaft 1. It is desirable to have an offset L. This is because the steering shaft 1 has a caster angle and an offset between the front wheels 3 so as to exhibit the straight running performance.

As shown in FIG. 2, a handlebar 1b is attached to the upper end of the handle shaft 1, and a brake lever 1c is provided along the handlebar 1b as required.
(Same as above) is attached.

The handle shaft 1 is rotatably supported by a head pipe 5 around the shaft. In the vicinity of the lower end of the head pipe 5, a substantially horizontal rearward direction from the handle shaft 1 in a plan view V
Frame arms 6, 6 extending and extending in a character shape are attached.

As shown in FIG. 3, the frame arms 6, 6 are attached to the head pipe 5 with a fixed shaft 8 perpendicular to the handle shaft 1 at the front in the traveling direction (the direction of arrow A). One end 6a of the frame arm 6 is rotatably supported only around the periphery. Further, the frame arm 6 is perpendicular to the handle shaft 1 as shown in FIG. 4 on the rear side in the traveling direction of the handle shaft 1 (the direction of arrow A), and the central portion 9c is in the traveling direction at the intersection with the handle shaft 1. Are connected via a rubber-like elastic member 10 to both ends 9a of the seesaw lever 9 rotatably supported around a shaft 9d along the shaft 9d.

With this connecting structure, when the handle shaft 1 is tilted by steering, the frame arms 6, 6 are fixed to the fixed shaft 8 in front of the shaft 1 of the hand as shown by arrows in FIG.
Around the center and the seesaw lever 9 of the bearing 6b
The rotation of the elastic member 10 and the elastic deformation of the elastic member 10 cause a twist shift, and the twist changes the posture so that the rear wheel 12 outside the curve traveling direction (shown by a dotted line in FIG. 6) falls inside the curve. Note that the wheels on the inner side of the curve are twisted in the opposite direction, so that the wheels are in an almost upright posture and the running resistance is reduced.

The rear ends 6c of the frame arms 6, 6
Has a distance d wider than at least the shoulder width of the pilot, and rear wheels 12, 12 are pivotally supported at the rear ends, respectively. The distance d is wider than the shoulder width of the pilot and is set to a width that the driver can easily straddle, for example, a width of about half a step to a slightly wider width.

The reason why the width is made wider than the shoulder width is to facilitate the right and left swing operation of the body weight for generating the forward force described later. However, it is not appropriate that the width is too wide, and the width is appropriately determined by assuming an average physique according to the age group of the pilot.

The rear wheels 12, 12 are pivotally supported by U-shaped bearing members 13, 13 provided at the rear end 6c of the frame arm 6, as clearly shown in FIG. The direction of the rotation axis of the rear wheel 12 is perpendicular to the traveling direction (arrow A) as shown in FIG. 2 in plan view, and viewed from the rear in the traveling direction as shown in FIG. The rear wheel 12 is inclined in a C shape.

Further, step plates 14, 14 on which the operator's feet are mounted are provided on the frame arms 6, almost immediately above the rear wheels 12, 12. The step plate 14 is also provided so as to have an inwardly inclined posture so as to be parallel to the axis of the rear wheel 12.

In the figure, reference numeral 15 denotes a folding hinge provided on the rear side of the bearing 6b of the frame arms 6,6. As shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 7, the hinge portion 15 has a concave portion 6e sandwiching the base portion 6d behind a base portion 6d formed behind the bearing portion 6b of the frame arm 6. A base part 6b and a concave part 6c formed at the end of the end side frame arm 6 and engaged with each other
And a notch portion 17 for fixing the frame arm 6 at a position rotated by 90 ° is provided.

The notch portion 17 is composed of a pin (not shown) supported in an engaging hole 17a formed in the base portion 6b so as to be able to protrude and retract in the direction of the inner surface of the concave portion 6c, and is operated by operating a lever 17b. The pin protrudes and retracts and engages with and disengages from the engagement hole 17a.

Next, the operation of the three-wheel skater will be described. First, the rider straddles both feet on the step boards 14, 14 of the three-wheel skater with the handle shaft 1 extended and fixed.

Then, the steering wheel 1 is steered to the left in the traveling direction, and the weight is applied to the right in such a manner as to swing on the step board on the right side in the traveling direction. Then, the force generated by the inertia of the weight shift due to the swing acts on the vehicle body and the rear wheel 12 as a rightward force.

At this time, the vehicle body is the front wheel 3 with the steering wheel turned.
And the vehicle is traveling along a constant circumference passing through the right rear wheel 12, the force of the swing is a force corresponding to the acceleration generated when the vehicle is traveling along this circumference, Gains a speed commensurate with this acceleration and moves forward in the circumferential direction.

In addition, at this time, the steering of the handle shaft 1 causes a twist in the vehicle body due to the caster angle θ and the offset L. A rear wheel that has a twist and applies force (in this case, the right rear wheel)
Is tilted more with respect to the ground, and the force to step on is transmitted to the ground in the direction of the force.

Therefore, the force can be transmitted efficiently. next,
If the vehicle moves forward due to the centrifugal force, the steering wheel is turned to the right in the opposite direction while the inertia is present, and the weight is moved to swing to the left to apply a force to the left.

Then, although the direction is opposite to that described above, the rear wheel on the opposite side is tilted according to the same principle, and a force is generated in the vehicle body to bend rightward in the circumferential direction. By repeating the steering while swinging left and right, the vehicle body moves forward while meandering and increases its speed.

At this time, the rubber-like elastic member 10 inserted between the bearing 6b of the frame arm 6 and the end 9a of the seesaw lever 9 is compressed by the inclination of the vehicle body, as if it were a torsion spring. Perform
A force for returning the handle shaft 1 from the tilted position to the original position is generated, so that the repeated switching operation of the handle to the left and right can be smoothly performed.

It is necessary to have some skill in the direction and size of the force to be applied and the timing of steering, but if you are used to it, you will gain a considerable forward force even though the weight shift is small and the meandering width is small. Can be.

When stopping, the brake is applied to the rear wheels by operating the brake lever 1c. Therefore, the three-wheel skater can be stopped without descending from the step board.

When not in use or during storage, the frame arm 6 is folded by the hinge portion 15 and the band member 1d
, The handle shaft 1 is contracted, and the band member 1d is tightened again to fold the handle shaft 1 small.

In this way, the overall size can be reduced, and transportation and storage can be simplified. In addition, as the three-wheel skater described in the above embodiment, the offset L of the front wheel 3 is reversed from that shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, and the front wheel 3 is tilted with respect to the inclination θ of the handle shaft 1 as shown in FIGS. The offset L in the reverse direction may be set to be shifted toward the rear of the vehicle body.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, when the vehicle body is tilted to the left and right to exert the forward force, the meandering to the left and right is improved as compared with the case where the offset is set to the forward direction, and the traveling direction changes to the left and right. The operation for obtaining the forward force while performing the operation is facilitated, and the forward force is considerably easily obtained.

Therefore, in order to more easily generate the forward force, it is preferable to make the front wheel 3 reversely offset to the rear of the vehicle rather than to offset the front wheel 3 to the front of the vehicle as shown in FIGS.

That is, when the driving stability is emphasized,
When emphasis is placed on the front wheel offset to the front of the vehicle body and operability for increasing the speed as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the front wheel offset to the rear of the vehicle body is used.

The state of attachment between the handle shaft and the frame is determined, for example, by the frame arms 6, 6 and the handle shaft 1.
May be simply welded to the handle shaft 1 of a V-shaped frame arm, or may be connected by a swivel-shaped universal joint.

Further, although the efficiency is slightly lowered, the caster angle and the fork offset may be eliminated, or the rear wheel may have a C-shaped inclination angle in a front view. The frame arm 6 does not need to be particularly foldable, and the handle shaft does not need to be made extendable.

[0049]

As described above, the three-wheel skater of the present invention stands forward on a frame arm provided in a V-shape in plan view on the handle shaft, and exerts a forward force by meandering operation of the handle and weight shift. Because it generates, it can accelerate without kicking the ground.

Further, the steering and weight shift for generating the forward force require a certain amount of skill, but once mastered, it can be advanced with almost no movement of the body, and can be advanced with very little effort. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a three-wheel skater according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the three-wheel skater according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view showing a state where a front wheel and a frame arm are attached to a handle shaft.

FIG. 4 is a plan sectional view of a frame arm attachment portion with respect to a handle shaft.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the behavior of the frame arm when the handle is twisted.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a main part of a rear wheel portion.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are explanatory side views of a hinge portion of the frame arm, wherein FIG. 7A illustrates a horizontal state and FIG. 7B illustrates a folded state.

FIG. 8 is a side view of another configuration example of the three-wheel skater according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged side view showing another example of the configuration of the three-wheel skater according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which a front wheel and a frame arm are attached to a handle shaft.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a behavior of the frame arm when the handle of another configuration example of the three-wheel skater according to the embodiment of the present invention is twisted.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 handle shaft 2 fork 3 front wheel 5 head pipe 6 frame arm 8 fixed shaft 9 seesaw lever 10 elastic member 12 rear wheel 14 step plate

Claims (8)

[Claims] After a frame arm extends in a V-shape in plan view from a handle shaft that supports a front wheel and is separated from the handle shaft by a distance at least wider than a shoulder width of a driver. A three-wheel skater, characterized in that a rear wheel is pivotally supported at each end, and a step plate is provided substantially directly above the rear wheel for placing a foot of a driver. 2. The three-wheel skater according to claim 1, wherein the handle shaft is inclined rearward, and the front wheel is mounted with a fork offset deviating forward of the vehicle body with respect to the handle shaft. 3. The three-wheel skater according to claim 1, wherein the handle shaft is inclined rearward, and the front wheel is mounted with a fork offset deviating rearward of the vehicle body with respect to the handle shaft. 4. The three-wheeled skater according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein each of the two frame arms having a V-shape in plan view has a distal end located forward of the handle axis in the handle axis and the travel direction. While being supported rotatably only around the orthogonal fixed axis, the side surface of the frame arm is orthogonal to the handle axis on the rear side in the traveling direction of the handle axis, and the center is at the intersection with the handle. When both ends of the seesaw lever rotatably supported around the axis along the traveling direction are connected to each other by inserting an elastic member through bearings provided on the side surfaces of the respective frame arms, and when the handle shaft is inclined, Due to the connection structure between the fixed shaft and the seesaw lever, the two frame arms are twisted relative to each other, and as a result, the rear-wheel grounding posture becomes a posture that can easily transmit the forward force. Miwa skater, characterized in that was. 5. The three-wheel skater according to claim 1, wherein the support axis of the rear wheel is perpendicular to the traveling direction in plan view, and the rear wheel is in a C-shape when viewed from the traveling direction in front view. A three-wheel skater characterized in that the axis is inclined so as to be inclined and the step plate is provided in an inwardly inclined posture parallel to the axis. 6. The three-wheel skater according to claim 1, wherein a brake lever is provided on the steering wheel,
A three-wheel skater, wherein a brake operated by the brake lever is laid on a rear wheel. 7. The three-wheel skater according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a handle shaft is extendable and retractable, and a V-shaped frame arm is foldable along the handle shaft. A three-wheel skater characterized by the following. 8. The three-wheel skater according to claim 7, further comprising a fastening device for fixing the frame arm in the posture of the foldable portion in each of the expanded state and the foldable state. .