JPH0818481B2 - Casta - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to casters attached to a moving object in order to facilitate the turning of the object.

[Prior Art] In order to facilitate turning, a caster may be attached to a carrier such as a baby carriage or an object to be moved.

FIG. 14 is an illustrative view showing a baby carriage in which the push rod can be switched between two states of back pushing and facing pushing, and the front wheels can be turned by casters. The baby carriage 1 shown is located on the left and right and has an axle 6 at its lower end.
A pair of front legs 3 rotatably supporting front wheels 2 via
And a pair of rear legs 5 rotatably supporting the rear wheel 4 via wheels 7 at the lower ends thereof, and a push rod 10. The push rod 10 is rotatably provided,
As a result, it is possible to switch between the two states of pushing the back and pushing the face. The position shown by the solid line in FIG. 14 is the state where the push rod 10 is pushed to the back, and the position shown by the imaginary line is the push rod.
It is a state of 10 face-to-face pressing.

Casters 8 are attached to the lower ends of the pair of front legs 3. The caster 8 is rotatable about a rotation axis 9, and rotatably supports the front wheel 2 via an axle 6 extending in the horizontal direction at a position deviated from the rotation axis 9 in the horizontal direction. There is.

When the baby carriage 1 is moved and operated on the flat road while pushing the rear surface, the axle of the front wheel 2 is located behind the rotation axis 9 of the caster 8 with respect to the traveling direction. Then, when the baby carriage 1 is turned, the caster 8 appropriately turns so that the baby can easily turn.
In this way, the stroller 1 is provided with the casters 8 to be excellent in operability.

Next, the operation when the push rod 10 is switched from the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 14 to the face-to-face pushing state and the baby carriage 1 is moved is described. When the push rod 10 is switched to the face-to-face pushing state as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 14 and moved, the caster 8 turns 180 ° and the front wheel 2 comes to the position shown by the imaginary line. In that state, the axle 6 of the front wheel 2 is located rearward of the rotation axis 9 of the caster 8 in the traveling direction. On the other hand, the rear wheel 4 located in front of the traveling direction cannot perform the turning motion. for that reason,
When the stroller 1 is moved in the face-to-face state, the direction change cannot be performed smoothly.

Most of the baby carriages currently available on the market that can be switched between two modes, that is, the rear push and the face push, have a structure as shown in FIG. In other words, when the baby carriage is operated to move in the state of pushing on the back, the casters work effectively and the direction can be smoothly changed, but when the state of pushing to face is changed, the caster is positioned forward in the traveling direction. Since the rear wheels cannot make a turning motion, the direction cannot be changed very smoothly.

In order to solve such a problem, both the front wheels and the rear wheels may be provided with the function as casters. 15 and 16 show that the push rod 10 can be switched between two states, that is, pushing backward and pushing face-to-face,
FIG. 3 is an illustrative view showing a baby carriage 1 in which both front wheels 2 and rear wheels 4 are turnable by casters 8 and 11. First
In Fig. 15, the push rod 10 is pushed to the
In the figure, the push rod 10 is in a state of being pressed face-to-face. Front wheel 2
Is a caster 8 that can be swiveled around a rotation axis 9.
In addition, the rear wheel 4 is supported by a caster 11 which is capable of turning around a rotation axis 12.

As shown in FIG. 15, when the stroller 1 is moved while being pushed backward, the axle 6 of the front wheel 2 is located behind the rotation axis 9 of the caster 8 in the traveling direction. Similarly, the axle 7 of the rear wheel 4 is also located behind the rotation axis 12 of the caster 11 in the traveling direction.

Next, when the push rod 10 is switched from the state shown in FIG. 15 to the face-to-face pushing state and the baby carriage 1 is moved, as shown in FIG.
Rotate 0 °. Therefore, as shown in FIG.
The axle 6 of the front wheel 2 is located rearward of the rotation axis 9 of the caster 8 in the traveling direction, and the axle 7 of the rear wheel 4 is also rearward of the rotation axis 12 of the caster 11 in the traveling direction. Come to do.

With the baby carriage having the structure shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the wheels located in front of the traveling direction turn when the push rod 10 is switched between the rear push and the face push. Therefore, it is possible to improve the operability as compared with the baby carriage having the structure shown in FIG.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, even the baby carriage as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 has the following problems. In other words, in the baby carriage having the structure shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, not only the wheels located forward in the traveling direction but also the wheels located rearward in the traveling direction are swung by the action of the casters. Since it is possible, it reacts too sensitively to unevenness on the road, for example. For example, referring to FIG. 17, even when the stroller is traveling straight as shown by the solid line A, the running track of the stroller 1 meanders as shown by the dotted line B in response to unevenness on the road. . Further, referring to FIG. 18, even when the stroller is going to turn into a curved line as shown by the solid line C, the stroller reacts sensitively to unevenness on the road, as shown by the dotted line D. The orbit will meander.

In order to stably move the baby carriage, the meandering as described above must be avoided. For that purpose, it is necessary to devise a method for prohibiting the turning motion of the wheel located rearward with respect to the traveling direction.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a caster which is automatically locked when it is in a predetermined positional relationship and which is in a locked state. For example, when the caster is attached to the baby carriage shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the caster located in the front with respect to the traveling direction can rotate, but is located in the rear with respect to the traveling direction. The casters are automatically locked and their turning is prohibited.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In the first aspect of the present invention, a caster is a fixed bracket fixedly attached to an object moved by the caster, and an axis line extending vertically to the fixed bracket. And a wheel that is rotatably supported by the rotating yoke via a horizontally oriented axle. The axle is movable within a horizontal plane in a direction orthogonal to the axle by a predetermined range. The rotary yoke includes an automatic lock member that is interlocked with the movement of the axle to be displaced between the first position and the second position. Further, when the fixed bracket and the rotary yoke are in a predetermined positional relationship and the automatic lock member is in the first position, the fixed bracket is engaged with the automatic lock member or the rotary yoke to rotate the rotary yoke. Rotation prohibition means for prohibiting rotation is provided.

The caster according to the second aspect of the present invention further includes the following requirements in addition to the above configuration requirements. That is, the rotating yoke is switched to two positions by being operated with a hand or a foot in addition to the automatic lock member, and when it is in one position, it engages with the fixed bracket to prohibit the rotation of the rotating yoke. It includes a manual locking member.

A caster according to the third aspect of the present invention includes the following requirements in addition to the constituent requirements of the caster according to the first aspect. In other words, the rotary yoke is
It includes a brake member which is switched between two positions by being operated by a hand or a foot, and which engages with a wheel to prevent the wheel from rotating when in one position.

A caster according to a fourth aspect of the present invention further includes the following requirements in addition to the constituent requirements of the caster according to the first aspect. That is, the rotary yoke is switched between two positions by being operated by a hand or a foot in addition to the automatic lock member, and when it is in one position, it engages with the fixed bracket to inhibit the rotation of the rotary yoke. It includes a manual lock member and a brake member that is switched between two positions by being operated by a hand or a foot and engages with a wheel to prevent the wheel from rotating when in one position.

[Operation and Effect of the Invention] The operation and effect of the caster according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. It is assumed that the casters according to the present invention are adopted as the casters 8 supporting the front wheels 2 and the casters 11 supporting the rear wheels 4. Since the caster 8 and the caster 11 operate in the same manner, only the operation of the caster 11 will be described below.

The axle 7 of the rear wheel 4 is movable within a horizontal plane in a direction orthogonal to the axle 7 within a predetermined range. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15, when the baby carriage 1 is moved and operated while being pushed on the back surface, the axle shaft 7 is located relatively far from the rotation axis 12. The automatic locking member is interlocked with the movement of the axle 7 to be displaced between the first position and the second position. In essence, when the axle shaft 7 is at a position relatively far from the rotation axis 12 of the caster 11, the automatic lock member is at the first position. On the other hand, when the axle 7 is in a position relatively close to the rotation axis 12, the automatic lock member is in the second position. The rotation prohibiting means provided on the fixed bracket engages with the automatic lock member or the rotary yoke to rotate when the fixed bracket and the rotary yoke are in a predetermined positional relationship and the automatic lock member is at the first position. The rotation of the yoke is prohibited. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, when the rear wheel 4 is located rearward with respect to the traveling direction and the axle 7 is located relatively far from the rotation axis 12 of the caster 11, Prohibit rotation of the rotating yoke. Therefore, in the state shown in FIG.
Is in a locked state, and the turning operation of the rear wheels 4 is prohibited. On the other hand, the casters 8 are not locked and the front wheels 2 can turn. In this way, when the baby carriage 1 is operated to move while pushing the rear surface as shown in FIG. 15, only the front wheel 2 located in front of the traveling direction can turn, and the rear wheel 4 cannot turn.

Next, the push bar 10 is rotated from the state shown in FIG. 15 to the face-to-face pushing state. Then, it is assumed that the baby carriage 1 is moved slightly forward. Since the casters 8 are not locked, the casters 8 of the front wheels 2 turn 180 ° by this movement so that the axle 6 is located behind the rotation axis 9 of the casters 8. On the other hand, since the casters 11 of the rear wheels 4 are locked, the casters 11 do not turn even when the baby carriage moves. Therefore, the axle 7 of the front wheel 2 moves to a position relatively close to the rotation axis 12 of the caster 11. This axle 7
Movement of the self-locking member causes the self-locking member to move from the first position to the second position.
Displace to the position. When the automatic lock member is in the second position, the locked state by the rotation prohibiting means is released, so that the rotation of the rotary yoke is allowed. Therefore,
The caster 11 of the rear wheel 4 turns 180 °, and as a result, the axle 7 of the rear wheel 4 comes to be located rearward of the rotation axis 12 of the caster 11 in the traveling direction. This state is shown in FIG.

In the face-to-face pressing state shown in FIG. 16, the casters 11 located forward with respect to the traveling direction are capable of performing a turning motion, while the casters 8 located rearward with respect to the traveling direction are in the locked state. The turning operation of the front wheels 2 is prohibited. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16, even when the stroller 1 is moved in the face-to-face state, only the rear wheel 4 located forward in the traveling direction can perform the turning motion.

As described above, when the caster according to the present invention is attached to the front wheel and the rear wheel of the baby carriage capable of being switched between the two states of pushing the back surface and pressing the face to face, the casters located rearward with respect to the traveling direction are automatically operated. The locked state allows the baby carriage to be moved and operated in a stable state.

In the caster according to the second aspect of the present invention,
The rotating yoke includes a manual locking member in addition to the automatic locking member. When the baby carriage is operated to move on a flat road, it is preferable that the caster located in front of the traveling direction can turn. However, when the stroller is moved and operated on a rough road with severe unevenness, the operability of the stroller is rather deteriorated due to the turning function of the casters. In such a case, it becomes necessary to set the casters located in the front with respect to the traveling direction to the locked state to prohibit the turning. The manual locking member works effectively when there is such a need.

In the caster according to the third aspect of the present invention,
In addition to the self-locking member, the rotating yoke includes a brake member that prohibits rotation of the wheels. Therefore, when this caster is attached to a baby carriage, for example, it is not necessary to provide the baby carriage main body with a mechanism for inhibiting the rotation of the wheels.

In the caster according to the fourth aspect of the present invention,
The rotating yoke includes a manual lock member, a brake member, and an automatic lock member. Since the casters have many functions in this manner, the utility value of the casters is greatly increased.

In the above description, the caster attached to the baby carriage is given as an example, but the caster of the present invention is not only applied to the baby carriage, but also to other moving objects such as a luggage carrier. It can be applied similarly.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing a state in which a caster according to the present invention is attached to a front leg of a baby carriage.
The figure is a front sectional view showing a state in which the caster according to the present invention is attached to the rear leg of the baby carriage.

First, referring to FIG. The caster 8 has an upper end fixed to the front leg 3 of the baby carriage via a pin 14, a fixed bracket 15, a rotary yoke 16 rotatably supported by the fixed bracket 15, and a horizontal direction on the rotary yoke 16. And a wheel 2 rotatably supported via an axle 6 facing toward. The rotating yoke 16 is formed with a pair of overhanging walls 19 which overhangs rearward. An automatic lock member 17 is rotatably attached via a pin 18 between the pair of overhanging walls 19. The support shaft 20 extends vertically through the rotary yoke 16 and the fixed bracket 15. A nut 21 is attached to the upper end portion of the support shaft 20 to prevent the support shaft 20 from falling off. Thus, the rotary yoke 16 is rotatable with respect to the fixed bracket 15 while being held by the support shaft 20.

Next, referring to FIG. The caster 11 shown in the drawing has a fixed bracket 23 whose upper end is fixedly attached to the rear leg 5 of the baby carriage via the pin 22, and the fixed bracket 23.
A rotary yoke 24 that is rotatably supported by
And a wheel 4 rotatably supported via an axle 7 oriented in the horizontal direction. The rotating yoke 24 has a pair of overhanging walls.
27 is formed, and the automatic locking member 25 is rotatably attached between the pair of overhanging walls 27 via a pin 26. The support shaft 28 is similar to the support shaft 20 shown in FIG.
The rotary yoke 24 and the fixed bracket 23 are inserted to extend in the vertical direction, and a nut 29 is attached to the upper end portion thereof.

The rotating yoke 24 is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. A round through hole formed in a pair of overhanging walls 27
30 is for supporting the pin 26 shown in FIG. Further, as shown in the figure, the pair of overhanging walls 27 are formed with elongated holes 31 extending horizontally toward the rotation axis of the rotation yoke 24.

An automatic locking member 25 is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The round through hole 32 shown in FIG.
It is for inserting the pin 26 shown in the figure.
Further, as shown in the drawing, the automatic lock member 25 is formed with a long hole 33 elongated in the vertical direction. Further, the automatic lock member 25 integrally has an L-shaped rod 34.

The rotary yoke 16 and the self-locking member 17 shown in FIG. 1 are also in the same form as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6. In other words, the automatic lock member 17 has the L-shaped rod 35.
Have integrally. Further, the self-locking member 17 is formed with a long hole 33 extending in the up-down direction to form a pair of overhanging walls.
A long hole 31 that extends horizontally in the horizontal direction toward the rotation axis of the rotary yoke 16 is formed in the shaft 19.

Referring to FIG. 2, the axle 7 of the rear wheel 4 is a pair of overhanging walls.
The elongated hole 31 formed in 27 and the elongated hole 33 of the automatic locking member 25 are inserted. Therefore, the axle 7 can move horizontally toward the rotation axis of the rotation yoke 24. In the state shown in FIG. 2, the axle 7 is a rotating yoke.
It is located relatively far from the axis of rotation of 24. From the state shown in FIG. 2, when the axle 7 moves in the horizontal direction and reaches a position relatively close to the rotation axis of the rotation yoke 24, the automatic lock member 25 rotates about the pin 26. To do. The state after the automatic lock member 25 is rotated is shown by an imaginary line.

Also in the state shown in FIG. 1, the axle 6 of the front wheel 2 is at a position relatively distant from the rotation axis of the rotation yoke 16. From that state, when the axle 6 reaches a position relatively close to the rotational axis of the rotary yoke 16, the automatic lock member 17 rotates clockwise from the state shown in the drawing.

7 is an end view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 1, and FIG. 8 is an end view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. As shown in the figure, the fixing bracket 15 attached to the front leg 3 of the baby carriage has an automatic locking member at its front portion.
Engagement recesses made to be able to receive 17 bars 35
Has 36. On the other hand, the fixing bracket 23 attached to the rear leg 5 of the baby carriage has an automatic lock member 25 at its rear portion.
Engagement recess 37 adapted to receive rod 34 of
have. The rod 35 moves on the outer surface of the fixed bracket 15 according to the rotation of the rotating yoke 16. Further, the rod 34 moves on the outer surface of the fixed bracket 23 according to the rotation of the rotary yoke 24. The outer surfaces of the fixed bracket 15 and the fixed bracket 23 are formed into smooth curved surfaces so as not to hinder the movement of the rods 35 and 34, respectively.

Next, the operation of the casters 8 and 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 15, and 16.

First, it is assumed that the baby carriage 1 is moved and operated while being pushed on the back surface, as shown in FIG. In this case, the axle 6 of the front wheel 2 and the axle 7 of the rear wheel 4 are at positions relatively distant from the axis of rotation of the rotary yoke, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively. The rod 35 of the automatic lock member 17 of the caster 8 for the front wheel 2 is located on the outer surface of the fixed bracket 15 having a gently curved surface, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the casters 8 for the front wheels 2 can perform a turning motion. On the other hand, the rod 34 of the automatic lock member 25 of the caster 11 for the rear wheel 4 is engaged with the engagement recess 37 of the fixed bracket 23, as shown in FIG.
As a result, the casters 11 are locked and their turning motion is prohibited.

Thus, when the baby carriage 1 is moved rearwardly as shown in FIG. 15, the casters 8 for the front wheels 2 can be turned, but the casters 11 for the rear wheels 4 can be turned. prohibited. Therefore, the stroller 1 can be moved and operated in a stable state.

Next, it is assumed that the push bar 10 is switched to the face-to-face pressing state and the baby carriage 1 is slightly moved forward. By this movement, the casters 8 for the front wheels 2 turn 180 °, and the front wheels 2
The axle 6 is located rearward of the rotation axis 9 of the caster 8.

On the other hand, since the casters 11 for the rear wheels 4 are in the locked state, the turning operation cannot be performed in the initial stage when the baby carriage 1 is moved slightly forward. Therefore, referring to FIG. 2, the axle 7 of the rear wheel 4 horizontally moves to a position relatively approaching the rotation axis of the rotation yoke 24. This movement of the axle 7 causes the automatic lock member 25 to rotate clockwise as shown by the imaginary line. As a result, the engagement state between the rod 34 of the automatic lock member 25 and the engagement recess 37 of the fixed bracket 23 is released, and the caster 11 is unlocked. As a result, the rotary yoke 24 turns 180 °, and the axle 7 of the rear wheel 4 is located rearward of the rotary shaft center 12 of the caster 11 with respect to the traveling direction. This state is the state shown in FIG.

In the state shown in FIG. 16, the rod 34 of the automatic locking member 25 for the rear wheel 4 located forward with respect to the traveling direction is fixed to have a gentle curved surface as shown by the dotted line in FIG. It is located on the outer surface of the bracket 23. Therefore, the caster 11 can perform its turning motion.

On the other hand, the rod 35 of the automatic lock member 17 for the front wheel 2 located rearward with respect to the traveling direction is fitted into the engaging recess 36 of the fixed bracket 15 as shown by the dotted line in FIG. Therefore, the casters 8 are locked, and the turning motion thereof is prohibited.

Thus, when the stroller 1 is in the face-to-face pushing state as shown in FIG. 16, the caster 11 for the rear wheel 4 located in front of the traveling direction can perform its turning motion. Front wheel 2 located rearward with respect to the direction
The casters 8 are automatically locked. Therefore, the baby carriage 1 can be stably moved and operated.

The same operation is performed when the face-to-face pushing state shown in FIG. 16 is switched to the back face pushing state shown in FIG.

In the above-described embodiment, the engaging recesses 36 and 37 are adopted as the rotation inhibiting means for automatically inhibiting the rotation of the rotary yoke. However, as such rotation prohibition means,
Different forms are possible. An example will be described below as an example.

First, refer to FIG. 9 and FIG. The caster shown includes a fixed bracket 38, a rotary yoke 39 rotatably supported by the fixed bracket 38, and an automatic locking member.
42 and. A pair of overhanging walls 40 is formed on the rotary yoke 39. The automatic locking member 42 is rotatably attached between the pair of overhanging walls 40 via a pin 41.
Further, the pair of overhanging walls 40 is formed with an elongated hole 44 extending horizontally toward the rotation axis of the rotary yoke 39. The axle 43 has the elongated hole 44 and the automatic lock member 42 inserted therethrough.

Further, as shown, in the fixing bracket 38,
Lock pin 45 is built in. This lock pin 45
Spring 46 is biased to always move downward. A horizontal plate 47 that supports the lower end of the lock pin 45 is formed on the rotary yoke 39.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG. As shown, the horizontal plate 47 includes a fixing bracket 38
A through groove 48 into which the lock pin 45 is fitted when the rotary yoke 39 and the rotary yoke 39 have a predetermined positional relationship is formed. The self-locking member 42 is positioned below the through groove 48.

In the state shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, since the lock pin 45 and the through groove 48 are in a fitted state, the rotary yoke 39 cannot rotate. From the state shown in the figure, when the axle shaft 43 moves horizontally toward the rotation axis of the rotation yoke 39, the automatic lock member 42 rotates clockwise as shown by an imaginary line to push the lock pin 45 upward. . as a result,
The fitting state between the lock pin 45 and the through groove 48 is released, and the rotation of the rotary yoke 39 is allowed.

FIG. 11 is a front sectional view showing another embodiment of the caster. In the caster shown, the rotary yoke 50 is rotatably supported by the fixed bracket 49 and is movable in the vertical direction relative to the fixed bracket 49. That is, the rotating yoke 50 is always urged to move downward by the spring 57, but it can move upward from the state shown in the drawing against the force of the spring 57. A projecting wall 52 is formed on the rotary yoke 50.
The automatic lock member 51 is rotatably attached to the projecting wall 52 via a pin 53. In this embodiment, the axle 54 is not supported by the overhang wall 52 but directly by the automatic lock member 51. From the state shown in the figure, when the axle 54 moves horizontally toward the axis of rotation of the rotary yoke 50, the automatic lock member 51 rotates clockwise in the figure as shown by the imaginary line, and the rotary yoke 50 moves. It moves upwards against the force of the spring 57. A stopper is provided on the overhang wall 52 to define the end of the clockwise rotation of the self-locking member 51.
56 is fixedly provided.

Further, as shown in the figure, the fixed bracket 49 is formed with an engagement recess 55 capable of engaging with the automatic lock member 51. In the illustrated state, the automatic locking member 51 and the engaging recess 55
Are engaged with each other, so that rotation of the rotary yoke 50 is prohibited. When the axle 54 moves horizontally from this state toward the rotation axis of the rotary yoke 50, the engagement state between the automatic lock member 51 and the engagement recess 55 is released, and the rotation of the rotation yoke 50 is allowed. .

FIG. 12 is a front sectional view showing another embodiment of the caster. In this embodiment, a protruding wall 60 is formed on the rotary yoke 59 that is rotatably held by the fixed bracket 58. The projecting wall 60 is formed with a long hole 63 extending horizontally toward the rotation axis of the rotary yoke 59. The axle 62 is inserted through the long hole 63. The automatic lock member 61 is fixedly attached to the axle 62. Further, the rotary yoke 59 is formed with a through hole 64 for supporting the horizontally extending automatic lock member 61 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the automatic lock member 61 moves in the horizontal direction according to the movement of the axle 62 in the horizontal direction. Further, the fixing bracket 58 is formed with an engagement recess 65 that can engage with the automatic lock member 61.

In the illustrated state, the automatic lock member 61 and the engagement recess 65 are engaged with each other, and therefore the rotation of the rotary yoke 59 is prohibited. If the axle 62 moves horizontally from this state toward the rotation axis of the rotation yoke 59, the automatic lock member 61
Also moves accordingly, and the engagement state with the engagement recess 65 is released. Therefore, the rotation of the rotary yoke 59 is allowed.

FIG. 13 is a front sectional view showing still another embodiment of the caster. Unlike the above-described respective embodiments, the illustrated caster has a manual lock member 74 and a brake member 79 in addition to the automatic lock member 68.

Rotating yoke rotatably held by fixed bracket 66
67, a projecting wall 69 extending rearward and a projecting wall 87 extending forward are formed. An automatic lock member 68 is rotatably attached to one of the overhanging walls 69 via a pin 70.
The automatic lock member 68 is adapted to rotate in response to the horizontal movement of the axle 71 supporting the wheels 72. Also,
The fixing bracket 66 is formed with an engaging recess 73 capable of engaging with the automatic locking member 68. Automatic locking member shown
The operational relationship between the 68 and the engaging recess 73 is the same as that of the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8, and therefore its description is omitted here.

A manual lock member 74 is rotatably attached to the other overhanging wall 87 of the rotary yoke 67 via a pin 75. The manual lock member 74 is switched between two positions by being operated with a hand or a foot, and engages with the fixed bracket 66 to prohibit rotation of the rotary yoke 67 when in one position. This will be described more specifically. Manual rod member
An inverted V-shaped guide groove 76 is formed in 74. The overhanging wall that rotatably supports the manual lock member 74.
A long hole 77 that is long in the vertical direction is formed in 87. Then, as shown in the drawing, a pin 85 is arranged so as to pass through both the guide groove 76 and the long hole 77. Pin 85 and pin
A spring 82 is mounted between the pin 85 and the pin 75, and biases the pin 85 so as to always move downward. In the illustrated state, the manual lock member 74 is not engaged with the fixed bracket 66. From this state, if the manual lock member 74 is rotated clockwise with the hand or foot, the pin 85
Is located at the left end of the guide groove 76. At that time, the tip portion 78 of the manual lock member 74 engages with the engagement recess 73 of the fixed bracket 66. Thus, rotation of the rotary yoke 67 is prohibited.

For example, when operating the baby carriage on a bad road, the manual lock member 74 is operated to lock the casters.

The brake member 79 is switched between two positions by being operated with a hand or a foot, and when it is in one position, it engages with the wheel 72 and prohibits the rotation of this wheel.
As illustrated, the brake member 79 has a long hole 80 formed therein. In addition, at the tip of the brake member 79, the axle 71
A pin 81 extending parallel to is fixedly provided. Further, a pin 84 is located in the elongated hole 80 of the brake member 79. The pin 84 is fixedly provided on the projecting wall 69 of the rotary yoke 67.

In order to switch the brake member 79 between the two positions, the overhang wall 69 is formed with a guide groove 85 which can be engaged with the pin 81. Further, as shown in the figure, a spring 83 is attached between a pin 81 fixedly provided on the tip portion of the brake member 79 and a pin 84 fixedly provided on the overhanging wall 69, This ensures that the pin 81 and the guide groove 85 can be engaged with each other.

In the illustrated state, the brake member 79 does not prohibit the rotation of the wheels 72. Then, by rotating the brake member 79 counterclockwise from the state shown by the hand or foot,
As indicated by the phantom line in the figure, the pin 81 of the brake member 79 fits between the two spokes 86 of the wheel 72, thereby inhibiting the wheel 72 from rotating.

As described above, if the caster is provided with the brake member 79, it is not necessary to provide the stroller main body with means for prohibiting the rotation of the wheels, so that the utility value of the caster is enhanced. Further, as shown in the drawing, the caster has an automatic lock member 68, a manual lock member 74, a brake member 79
If it has, the utility value will be further enhanced.

It should be noted that the manual lock member 74 and the brake member 79 are not limited to those having the illustrated structures, and various other forms are conceivable.

Although not shown, as another embodiment, a caster in which the brake member 79 is removed from the embodiment shown in FIG. 13 or a caster in which the manual locking member 74 is removed from the embodiment shown in FIG. 13 is also conceivable. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing a state in which a caster according to the present invention is attached to a front leg of a baby carriage. FIG. 2 is a front sectional view showing a state in which the caster according to the present invention is attached to the rear leg of the baby carriage. FIG. 3 is a front view of the rotary yoke 24 shown in FIG. Fourth
The figure is a front sectional view of the rotary yoke 24. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the self-locking member 25 shown in FIG.
FIG. 6 is a front view of the automatic lock member 25. FIG. 7 is an end view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. FIG. 8 is an end view taken along the line VII-IVIII in FIG. FIG. 9 is a front sectional view showing another embodiment of the caster according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG. FIG. 11 is a front sectional view showing still another embodiment of the caster according to the present invention. FIG. 12 is a front sectional view showing still another embodiment of the caster according to the present invention. FIG. 13 is a front sectional view showing still another embodiment of the caster according to the present invention. FIG. 14 is an illustrative view showing a baby carriage in which the push rod can be switched between two states of back pushing and facing pushing, and casters are attached to the lower ends of the front legs. FIG. 15 is an illustrative view showing a baby carriage in which the push rod can be switched between two states of back pushing and facing pushing, and casters are attached to the lower ends of the front and rear legs, respectively.
FIG. 16 is an illustrative view showing a state after the push rod is switched to the face-to-face pushing state from the state shown in FIG. FIG. 17 is an illustrative view showing a track of the baby carriage when the baby carriage is traveling straight. FIG. 18 is an illustrative view showing a track of the baby carriage when the baby carriage is turned in a curved shape. In the figure, 2 is a wheel, 6 is an axle, 8 is a caster, 15 is a fixed bracket, 16 is a rotating yoke, 17 is an automatic locking member, 36 is an engaging recess as a rotation inhibiting means, 74 is a manual locking member, and 79 is The brake member is shown.

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A fixed bracket fixedly attached to an object moved by the caster, a rotary yoke rotatably supported by the fixed bracket around an axis line oriented in the vertical direction, and a horizontal yoke oriented in the horizontal direction. A wheel rotatably supported by the rotary yoke via an axle; and the axle is movable within a horizontal plane in a direction orthogonal to the axle by a predetermined range. An automatic locking member that is displaced between a first position and a second position in association with movement of the axle, wherein the fixed bracket and the rotary yoke are at predetermined positions in the fixed bracket. When there is a relationship and the automatic lock member is in the first position, a rotation prohibition means that engages with the automatic lock member or the rotary yoke to prohibit the rotation of the rotary yoke is provided. Vignetting and are, casters. 2. The caster according to claim 1, wherein the rotation prohibiting means is a recess adapted to receive the automatic lock member. 3. The rotation prohibiting means is a lock pin biased by a spring so as to always move downward, and a horizontal plate for supporting a lower end portion of the lock pin is formed on the rotary yoke. The horizontal plate has a through groove into which the lock pin is fitted when the fixed bracket and the rotary yoke are in a predetermined positional relationship, and the automatic locking member is located below the through groove. The caster according to claim 1, wherein, when the lock pin is in the first position, the lock pin is pushed upward to release the fitting state between the lock pin and the through groove. 4. The caster according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the automatic lock member is rotatably attached to the rotary yoke via a pin. 5. The caster according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the automatic lock member is movable in a horizontal plane in a direction orthogonal to the axle. 6. The caster according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the axle has the automatic lock member inserted therethrough. 7. The rotating yoke is formed with an elongated hole extending in a horizontal direction and a direction orthogonal to the axle, the axle being held in the elongated hole, and The caster according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the caster is movable in the horizontal direction in the elongated hole. 8. A fixed bracket fixedly attached to an object moved by the caster, a rotary yoke rotatably supported by the fixed bracket around an axis line oriented in the vertical direction, and a horizontal yoke oriented in the horizontal direction. A wheel rotatably supported by the rotary yoke via an axle; and the wheel is movable in a horizontal plane in a direction orthogonal to the axle by a predetermined range. A manual lock member that is switched to two positions by being operated with a hand or a foot and that engages with the fixed bracket to prohibit rotation of the rotary yoke when in one position; and according to movement of the axle. An automatic locking member which is interlocked with each other to be displaced between a first position and a second position, and wherein the fixed bracket includes the fixed bracket and the rotary yoke. And a rotation inhibiting means for inhibiting the rotation of the rotary yoke by engaging with the automatic lock member or the rotary yoke when the automatic lock member is in the first position. . 9. The caster according to claim 8, wherein the rotation prohibiting means is a recess adapted to receive the automatic lock member. 10. The caster according to claim 9, wherein the manual lock member is adapted to engage with the rotation prohibiting means. 11. A fixed bracket fixedly attached to an object moved by the caster, a rotary yoke rotatably supported by the fixed bracket about an axis oriented in the vertical direction, and a horizontal yoke oriented in the horizontal direction. A wheel rotatably supported by the rotary yoke via an axle; and the axle is movable within a horizontal plane in a direction orthogonal to the axle by a predetermined range. , A brake member that is switched to two positions by being operated with a hand or a foot and that engages with the wheel when it is in one position and prohibits rotation of the wheel, and interlocks in accordance with movement of the axle. An automatic locking member that displaces between a first position and a second position, and the fixed bracket and the rotary yoke have a predetermined positional relationship with the fixed bracket. When Li Kui said automatic locking member is in the first position, the rotation inhibiting means is provided for inhibiting rotation of said rotary yoke engaged with the automatic locking member or said rotary yoke, caster. 12. A fixed bracket fixedly attached to an object moved by the caster, a rotary yoke rotatably supported by the fixed bracket about an axis line oriented in the vertical direction, and a horizontal yoke oriented in the horizontal direction. A wheel rotatably supported by the rotary yoke via an axle; and the axle is movable within a horizontal plane in a direction orthogonal to the axle by a predetermined range. , A manual lock member that is switched to two positions by being operated by a hand or a foot, and engages with the fixed bracket to prevent rotation of the rotary yoke when in one position, and is operated by a hand or a foot. To switch between two positions, and when in one of the positions, a brake member that engages with the wheel to inhibit rotation of the wheel and a response to movement of the axle. An automatic lock member that is interlocked with each other to displace between a first position and a second position, wherein the fixed bracket has a predetermined positional relationship with the rotary yoke, and A caster, comprising rotation inhibiting means for engaging the automatic locking member or the rotating yoke to inhibit rotation of the rotating yoke when the automatic locking member is in the first position.