JP2002529167A - Traveling devices such as roller boards or scooters or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a travel device, such as a skateboard or a scooter and similar, comprising two running gears (2, 3), each of which has at least one wheel (6), and at least one of said running gears (2, 3) being steerable. According to the invention, a foot-board (1) is provided, connecting the two running gears (2, 3). Said foot-board is elastically deformable and has a spring rate in the range of 0.03 to 0.25 mm/kg. The foot-board (1) is detachably connected to the running gears (2, 3). Several foot-boards (1) with different, progressive spring rates are provided so that the travel device can be adapted to the different requirements of different users. The individual foot boards (1) are characterised by different dimensions and/or different materials. Reinforcement struts can also be introduced into the foot board (1). Running gears (2, 3) with different constructions and functioning modes can be combined with foot boards (1) of this type. The invention therefore provides a means of adapting a travel device to the user's requirements in terms of the quality of movement, especially the spring system.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention concerns a traveling device of the type described in the general claim.

[0002]

[Prior art]

Such a traveling device is preferably used by children and boys, on the one hand, as a means of transportation, on the other hand, as sports equipment or simply as a distraction or entertainment. While scooters are primarily regarded as toy tools for children, scooters have also become known as a form of transportation for adults throughout urban metropolitan areas.

A traveling device of the type described in the preamble of claim 1 is described in WO 95/34
461. Folding scooters have strong footboards. According to a special embodiment, the central portion of the foot plate extends to a level below the end portions of the foot plate.

[0004] US-A-4,179,133 discloses means for converting a roller board to a scooter.

[0005]

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

Scooter and roller boards are mainly used on sidewalks. Such areas used as tracks are usually hard surfaces, for example asphalt or paved, but are sometimes covered with planks. Extremely large surface irregularities are not uncommon. Since a traveling device of the type described above has a spring-free wheel, the shock generated when running on the traveling device is very unpleasant for the user. The operating characteristics of the scooter and the roller board differ depending on the respective structural design of these devices.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a traveling device of the above type wherein the operating characteristics are variable according to the will of the user and the elastic flexibility is improved so that the impact caused by irregularities on the ground is reduced. To offer.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

In the case of a traveling device of the type described in the general claim of claim 1, this object is achieved by the features described in the characterizing part of the main claim. See the dependent claims for other preferred developments.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples shown in the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Referring to FIG. 1, the foot plate 1 is connected at one end to a front rolling mechanism 2 and at a rear end to a rear rolling mechanism 3. In the embodiment shown, the rolling mechanisms 2 and 3 are of the same type. Each rolling mechanism 2 and 3 comprises a bearing 4, a wheel holder 5 connected to the bearing, and at least one wheel 6 rotatably mounted in the wheel holder. The wheels 6 can be, for example, cylindrical rollers of the type commonly used in prior art roller boards, in which case the wheel holder 5 contains two wheels 6 that are rotatable about a common axis.

According to the present invention, the foot plate 1 is detachably connected to the rolling mechanisms 2 and 3. Therefore, a rolling mechanism having another structure is used instead of one of these rolling mechanisms 2 and 3, or a rolling mechanism of another structural design is used instead of both rolling mechanisms 2 and 3. can do. For example, the front rolling mechanism 2 in which the rotation axis of the wheel 6 is rotatable is used, and a different structural design is used, that is, a gear having a fixed rotation axis is used as the rear rolling mechanism 3. Can be.

Further, according to the present invention, the foot plate 1 is configured to elastically bend under a load,
This load is generated by the weight of the user acting on the footboard 1 when the roller board is used. If the footplate 1 receives the user's weight approximately at its center as usual, the elastic deflection of the footplate 1 is preferably in the range of about 2-3 cm. In this case, the impacts caused by irregularities in the ground are compensated for relatively smoothly by this elastic deflection, so that these impacts act very gently on the user. In this way, a comfortable feel is produced when the traveling device moves.

According to the invention, such a traveling device is easily adapted to the needs of the user. For example, the foot plate 1 can be replaced with another foot plate. The first structure of the footboard 1 has a size corresponding to the height and weight of an adult, and the second structure of the footboard 1 is adapted to the height and weight of a child. The adaptation to different heights and weights is achieved on the one hand by varying the size of the footboard 1, ie the length, width and thickness of the footboard. Each of these three sizes affects the elastic deflection of the footplate. Another method consists in using another material for the footplate 1. For example, both plastic materials and bonded multi-layer wood structures are suitable for use as footboard materials. Also, for elastic deflection as a function of body weight, the modulus of elasticity of the material is an essentially important factor.

Each size of the footboard 1 is selected as needed. The length is in the range of 50 cm to 80 cm, the width is in the range of 12 cm to 18 cm, and the thickness is 8 mm to 25 m
m, the thickness of which depends mainly on the material used and the modulus of elasticity of this material.

[0014] It is particularly preferred that the material of the footboard consists of bonded multi-layer wood known as plywood. This material is able to withstand relatively high loads on the one hand and has outstanding vibration damping properties on the other hand. As a result, such a foot plate 1 acts as a shock absorber.

[0015] Plastic materials also have excellent damping properties. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the footplate 1 is made of a plastic material. When a material belonging to this material group is used, the foot plate 1 can be formed as a box.

For example, it is desirable to select a material and a shape of the foot plate 1 so that an elastic deformation rate of 0.1 mm / kg is obtained. When a load of 30 kg is applied to a substantially central portion of the foot plate 1, the elastic deflection becomes 3 mm. But also for example 0.03mm / kg
It is also possible to produce a "stiffer" footboard 1 having an elastic deformation rate of, for example, or a "softer" footboard 1, for example 0.25 mm / kg. If the footplate 1 is formed as a box as described above, a reinforcing column can be inserted into each cavity as a preferred embodiment. When such a reinforcing column is used, the elastic deformation rate can be changed as desired by the user. Such a change in the elastic deformation rate can be implemented in other embodiments. For example, in the case of the foot plate 1 made of the plywood shown in FIG. 2, grooves N are provided at both ends of the foot plate, and the reinforcing columns S are inserted into each of the grooves to change the elastic deformation rate. it can. Such a variation in the elastic deformation rate due to the insertion of the reinforcing pillar has an advantage that it is not necessary to provide a plurality of different foot plates. In this way, they can be reduced in embodiment without losing the advantage of different elastic moduli.

Each of the rolling mechanisms 2 and 3 has a slot 7, and the foot plate 1 can be inserted into the slot 7. Linked to The connection between the rolling mechanisms 2 and 3 and the foot plate 1 can be fixed by, for example, screws (not shown).

FIG. 3 shows a single rolling mechanism 2. The rolling mechanism comprises a bearing 4 also having a slot 7, into which the footplate 1 (not shown) is inserted. The fastening means, for example screws, are also not shown. In this case, unlike the embodiment of FIG. 1, the wheel 6 is not arranged below the bearing 4, but is arranged in a construction mode generally used in the case of a scooter. That is, the rear part of the support body 4 is formed as a fork 8, in which the rotating shaft 9 of the wheel 6 is fixedly arranged. In this case, it is desirable for the wheel 6 to have a structural design of the type used for in-line skate wheels, without having a cylindrical shape like a skateboard. A traveling device provided with such a rolling mechanism 2 exhibits completely different operating characteristics from the traveling device of FIG.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the rolling mechanism 2. This is a steerable rolling mechanism with two wheels and is particularly suitable for a forward rolling mechanism because of its steerability.

FIG. 4 shows a part of the foot plate 1 fixed in each of the slots 7 of the support 4. At the front end 11 of the bearing 4 opposite the slot 7, two hinges are provided, a left bearing hinge 12 and a right bearing hinge 13. A left journal 14 is pivotable about the left support hinge 12 and a right journal 15 is correspondingly pivotable about the right support cover 13. The bearing hinge 1
A pivotal movement around 2,13 is indicated by the arrow. Two journals 1
The ends of the bearing hinges 12, 13 opposite the bearing hinges 12, 13 are each provided with hinges 16, which are connected to the track rods 17 at these hinges 16. Thus, the line connecting the two hinges 12 and 13 and the two journals 14
, 15 and the track rod 17 form one parallelogram. Said track rod 17
As a result, the two journals 14, 15 are interconnected so that they can only be pivoted simultaneously. A left axle 18 is fixed to the left journal 14, and a left front wheel 19 is pivotally mounted around the other end of the axle 18 via a ball bearing (not shown). Similarly, right journal 15
A right axle 20 is fixedly mounted on the front axle 20. A right front wheel 21 is pivotally mounted around the other end of the axle 20 via a ball bearing (not shown). Thus, the front wheels 19, 21 have separate axles 18, 20, respectively, so that independent suspension of the wheels is obtained.

Due to the pivoting movement of the two journals 14, 15, the axles 18, 20 rigidly connected to these journals are pivoted by the same angle as these journals.
The front wheels 19, 21 are also pivoted correspondingly. As shown by the solid lines in FIG. 4, the two front wheels 19, 21 are arranged parallel to the longitudinal axis of the entire traveling device, and as a result of such an arrangement, straight traveling is obtained. If one of the two journals 14, 15 is offset by the action of the connecting rod 17, for example, 15 degrees clockwise with respect to the position shown, the other journal 15, 14 is also offset accordingly. In this way, the front wheels 19, 21 are tilted at a right offset angle, so that they are offset by 15 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis of the traveling device. In this case, the traveling device makes a rightward curve.

The steering of such a structure can be implemented in various ways. For example, a drive pin 22 can be attached to the track rod 17, and the drive pin 22 can be moved by a steering handle (not shown) in a direction indicated by a broken arrow.

The following embodiment shows a case without a steering wheel. Its basic structure corresponds to the structure described above. However, its essential feature is that the axis of the bearing hinges 12, 13 and the axis of the hinge 16 are significantly inclined with respect to the vertical as shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. 5 shows a right side view, FIG. Each component has the same reference numbers as in FIG.

The right front wheel 21 seen in this side view is shown only by its outline so that the components behind it can be seen. The right journal 15 can be seen behind this front wheel. A right axle 20 is fixed to the journal 15. In FIG. 5, since the right axle 20 extends at right angles to the projection plane, only the diameter of this axle can be seen. The right bearing hinge 13 shown in FIG. 4 is not shown in FIG. 5, and only the rotation axis A13 of the bearing hinge 13 is shown in FIG. Since the axis of rotation A12 of the bearing hinge (FIG. 4) is located behind A13, this is also not visible. The axis of hinge 16 is indicated by A16. Bearing hinges 12, 13-2
The angle between the two rotation axes A12, A13 and the perpendicular is preferably about 20 to 60 degrees, and it has been found that a value of 47 ° is the optimum value. Therefore, the bearing hinge 1
On the other hand, the rotation axes A12 and A13 of the foot plate 1
And parallel to an ideal plane extending at right angles to the center line M (FIG. 4) of the entire traveling device, and on the other hand these axes extend from the upper front end to the rear bottom. It is inclined at such an inclination angle. The axis of rotation A16 of the hinge 16 is similarly inclined, so that as the journals 14, 15 rotate about the bearing hinges 12, 13 respectively in the direction indicated by the arrows in FIG.
It rotates around the hinge 16 with respect to the two journals 14 and 15.

The connecting lines of the bearing hinges 12, 13, the journals 14, 15 and the track rod 17
As a result of the remarkable inclination of the parallelogram axes of rotation A12, A13, A16 of the axles 18, 20 secured to the journals 14, 15, the journals 14, 20
4 extends horizontally only if it defines an angle of exactly 90 ° with the line connecting the bearing hinges 12, 13 in FIG. Also in this position, the axles 18, 20
Extend at an angle of exactly 90 ° with respect to the center line M of the footboard 1 and the entire traveling device, so that the front wheels 19, 21 extend parallel to this center line. This corresponds to a straight running of the running device.

With the above-described embodiment, as soon as a heavy load is applied to one side of the footboard 1, the axles 18, 20 and the journal 1415 are pivoted out of a straight running position. In this case, one side of the footboard means that the ideal load application point is on the right or left side of the imaginary center line M.

It is assumed that the ideal load application point for the foot plate 1 is on the right side of the center line M as shown in FIG. As a result of this load application, a larger load is automatically applied to the right wheel 21 than to the left front wheel 19. As a result, the front wheel 21 applies a vertical force to the right axle 20, and this vertical force applies a force to the right journal 15. Since the respective couple acting on the left front wheel 19, the right axle 18 and the left journal 14 decrease at the same time, the journals 14, 15 are inclined due to the inclined arrangement of the rotation axes A12, A13 of their bearing hinges 12, 13. It is rotated clockwise by a certain angle around these rotation axes. Also, the track rod 17 is correspondingly moved, and the front axles 18, 20 and the front wheels 19, 21 connected thereto, and the journals 14, 15 are correspondingly moved. Such a position is indicated by a broken line in FIG. Further, the right front axle 20 is inclined rearward at a slight inclination angle, and at the same time, the axle 20 is inclined upward at a slight inclination angle. Further, the left front axle 18 is inclined forward at a slight inclination angle, and at the same time is inclined downward at a small inclination angle. Thus, the front wheels 19, 21 assume a slightly inclined position with respect to both axles. However, for the sake of clarity, both and downward slopes are not shown in FIG. As a result, for the footboard 1,
The right front wheel 21 is arranged at a slightly higher level, and the left front wheel 19 is arranged at a slightly lower level. Therefore, when the two front wheels 19 and 20 are arranged on flat ground, the footboard 1 is inclined around the center line M and its right edge is arranged slightly closer to the ground, but the left edge of the footboard and the ground are And the distance between them becomes slightly larger. Since the front wheels 19, 21 assume a slightly inclined position in such steering arrangements, it is desirable that these front wheels have a structural design of the type used for in-line skating, rather than a cylindrical contact surface.

Thus, the user of the traveling device can control the direction of movement simply by moving his weight. No steering wheel is required. This weight variation can be performed in various ways. For example, the user can place one foot on the foot plate 1 at a position slightly shifted in the lateral direction and lean the body.

A traveling device having this type of structural design has the advantage that straight running is stabilized by special means. 6 and 7 show an embodiment of the above-mentioned rolling mechanism which changes direction very much. This rolling mechanism also has journals 14 and 15 which are rotated on one hand around the bearing hinges 12, 13.
On the other hand, it is connected to a track rod 17, which is connected by hinges 16 to the respective journals 14, 15. This track rod is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow. In this type of rolling mechanism, a reset device is provided, which has a stopper 30 fixed to the front end 11 of the support 4. The track rod 17 has a holder 31 fixed near both ends. On the track rod 17, two dampers 32 are movably arranged, one damper 32 is arranged on one side of the stopper 30 and the other damper 32 is arranged on the other side of the stopper. . Each damper 32 includes a first open disk 33, a second open disk 34, and a ring 35 disposed between these open disks. Since the inner diameter of the open disks 33, 34 is larger than the diameter of the track rod 17, these open disks can move freely with respect to the track rod 17. However, the center ring 35 is formed such that its inside diameter is slightly smaller than the diameter of the track rod 17. Therefore, the ring 35 generates sliding friction on the track rod 17.

A compression spring 36 is arranged between the damper 32 and the holder 31. It is desirable to apply a pretension to the compression spring 36 between the damper 32 and the holder 31.
Due to this pretension, the stopper 30 is kept at the center position corresponding to straight running unless an external force is applied as shown in FIG. If the user of the traveling device moves his weight on the footboard, the pretension of the compression spring 36 is first overcome, and then the wheels deflect. FIG. 7 shows a strong deflection state of the wheel. In this case, one compression spring 36 does not receive any stress, while the other compression spring 36 is strongly compressed. In such a configuration, the user must move his weight against one compression spring 36. As is evident from tests, this particularly improves the sensitive steerability of this traveling device.

It is desirable that the friction generated by the damper 32 be variable. This is track rod 1
This is achieved by having the diameter of 7 is not constant over its entire length and the rod 17 has a maximum diameter at its center, but this diameter decreases towards both ends of the rod. When the rolling mechanism is in the straight running position shown in FIG. 6, the ring 35 is strongly expanded by the large diameter of the central section of the track rod 17, resulting in strong friction. However, when the wheel of the rolling mechanism is deflected more than this as shown in FIG. 7, one ring 35 of one damper 32 is moved axially with respect to the rod 17 by the stopper 30, and this ring 35 Rod 1
7 occupies a position where the diameter becomes smaller. The sliding friction is correspondingly reduced.
Such measures help to improve the user's maneuverability.

The ring 35 is preferably made of a rubbery elastic material. Also, the opening disk 33,
34 preferably comprises a plastic material. Such an arrangement has the advantage of preventing stimulating noise when the damper 32 contacts the stopper 30.

It is desirable that the damping effect generated by the sliding friction is variable. This can be implemented very simply by the embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 8 shows a cross section of the damper 32 moving on the track rod 17. This section is a section through the ring 35. Ring 35 is surrounded by a latch 38. The latch 38 is provided with an adjusting screw 39 in a known manner, and the tightening degree of the latch 38 can be increased or decreased by the adjusting screw. When the latch 38 is slightly tightened,
Ring 35 is slightly compressed. Therefore, the friction of the ring 35 with the automatic rod 17 is not high. When the latch 38 is tightened, the friction is increased because the ring 35 is tightened. In this way, the straight running is further stabilized when running at high speed on uneven ground.

Using the latch 38 as described above is one possible method. Other methods producing the same effect, for example using a packing box with variable pretension, are equivalent to the previous embodiment.

The foot plate 1 having various structural designs can be combined with various rolling mechanisms 2 and 3 within the scope of the present invention. In this way, the running device can have completely different operating characteristics according to the footplate 1 and the rolling mechanisms 2, 3 used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a roller board according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a foot plate according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a single rolling mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of another embodiment of the rolling mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the rolling mechanism of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of another rolling mechanism structure according to the present invention during a linear motion.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the rolling mechanism of FIG. 6 during a curve;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a damper.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 foot plate 2, 3 rolling mechanism 5, 6 wheel 7 slot 8 fork 9 rotating shaft 10 screw N groove S reinforcing column

[Procedural Amendment] Submission of translation of Article 34 Amendment of the Patent Cooperation Treaty

[Submission date] October 13, 2000 (2000.10.13)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0017

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Each of the rolling mechanisms 2 and 3 has a slot 7, and the foot plate 1 can be inserted into the slot 7. Linked to The connection between the rolling mechanisms 2 and 3 and the foot plate 1 can be fixed by, for example, screws (not shown in FIG. 1).

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0027

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

It is assumed that the ideal load application point for the foot plate 1 is on the right side of the center line M as shown in FIG. As a result of this load application, a larger load is automatically applied to the right wheel 21 than to the left front wheel 19. As a result, the front wheel 21 applies a vertical force to the right axle 20, and this vertical force applies a force to the right journal 15. Since the respective couple acting on the left front wheel 19, the right axle 18 and the left journal 14 decrease simultaneously, the journals 14, 15 are inclined due to the inclined arrangement of the rotation axes A12, A13 of their bearing hinges 12, 13. It is rotated clockwise by a certain angle around these rotation axes. Also, the track rod 17 is correspondingly moved, and the front axles 18, 20 and the front wheels 19, 21 connected thereto, and the journals 14, 15 are correspondingly moved. Such a position is indicated by a broken line in FIG. Further, the right front axle 20 is inclined rearward at a slight inclination angle, and at the same time, the axle 20 is inclined upward at a slight inclination angle. Further, the left front axle 18 is inclined forward at a slight inclination angle, and at the same time is inclined downward at a small inclination angle. Thus, the front wheels 19, 21 assume a slightly inclined position with respect to both axles. However, for the sake of clarity, both and the downward slope are not shown in FIG. As a result, for the footboard 1,
The right front wheel 21 is arranged at a slightly higher level, and the left front wheel 19 is arranged at a slightly lower level. Therefore, when the two front wheels 19 and 20 are arranged on flat ground, the footboard 1 is inclined around the center line M and its right edge is arranged slightly closer to the ground, but the left edge of the footboard and the ground are And the distance between them becomes slightly larger. Since the front wheels 19, 21 assume a slightly inclined position in such steering arrangements, it is desirable that these front wheels have a structural design of the type used for in-line skating, rather than a cylindrical contact surface.

[Procedural Amendment] Submission of translation of Article 34 Amendment of the Patent Cooperation Treaty

[Submission date] February 7, 2001 (2001.2.7)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0006

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0006] DE-A-2 820 934 describes a skateboard with a braking mechanism. The braking means prevents the skateboard from rolling under no load. When a load is applied to the skateboard, the brake disengages due to deformation of the skateboard footboard. By intentionally applying a strong load to the flexible elastic footboard while the skateboard is moving, an intentional braking effect is obtained. The foldable pedal scooter disclosed in WO 98/46474 includes a front rolling mechanism carrier supporting a single wheel and foldably connecting a steering handle, a foot plate, and a rear wheel axle composed of two wheels. The rear wheel axle is fixed to the foot plate. According to a preferred embodiment, the footplate comprises a front part and a rear part, these two parts being interconnected by a joint. This joint is made of cushioning material. Part of the foot plate can be formed elastically. It is an object of the present invention to provide a scooter with improved operating characteristics.

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0007

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0007]

The object of the invention is achieved by the subject matter of claim 1. Preferred further developments of the invention form the subject of the dependent claims.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A rolling device comprising two rolling mechanisms, each rolling mechanism having at least one wheel, at least one of the rolling mechanisms being steerable, and further comprising a foot plate connecting the rolling mechanisms. A running device, such as a roller board or a scooter or the like, provided with said foot plate (1) being elastically deformable and having an elastic modulus of 0.03 to 0.25 mm / kg; (1) A traveling device characterized by being detachably connected to a rolling mechanism (2, 3). 2. The traveling device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of foot plates having different elastic coefficients are provided. 3. The traveling device according to claim 2, wherein the elastic modulus of the foot plate is determined by the length, width and thickness of the foot plate. 4. The traveling device according to claim 2, wherein the specific elastic modulus of the footboard is determined by a material used, such as wood or plastic. 5. The traveling device according to claim 4, wherein the footboard (1) is made of glued multilayer wood. 6. The traveling device according to claim 4, wherein a reinforcing column (S) is inserted into the foot plate (1). 7. The rolling mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the rolling mechanisms have different structural designs and different function modes and are combined with the foot plate. 6
The traveling device according to any one of the above. 8. Each rolling mechanism (2, 3) has a slot (7) in which said foot plate (1) is received and said foot plate (1). ) Has a screw (10) in the slot (7).
8. The traveling apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the traveling apparatus is fixed by a fastening means such as a).