JPH10119859A - Tricycle for infant - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the tricycle for an infant, which can release the fixation of a crankshaft to a front wheel. SOLUTION: When a front wheel is engaged with a crankshaft 11 in a fixed condition with a change-over mechanism 30 operated, the front wheel 2 can thereby be rotated integrally with the crankshaft 11 likewise as a conventional tricycle, on the other hand, if the engagement is disengaged with the change-over mechanism 30 operated, the crankshaft 11 starts to race with respect to the rotation of the front wheel 2. If an idling condition is selected when the tricycle is run by pushing a hand pressing frame, it will be comfortable for an infant to ride the tricycle, suppose the feet of the infant were out of the pedals of the tricycle, there is no fear of being put into an unexpected accident because no crankshaft 11 is rotated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a tricycle for infants.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a tricycle for infants has a handlebar having a front wheel attached to a front portion of a body frame so as to be rotatable, and a rear wheel is rotatably attached to a rear portion of the body frame. Has a basic structure in which a saddle is mounted, and the front wheel is mounted so as to rotate integrally with a crankshaft rotatably supported by a handle frame.

[0003]

In recent years, there has been provided a tricycle for infants in which a push frame is attached to a rear portion of a vehicle body frame. When the tricycle is driven by pushing the push frame, the tricycle is integrally formed with the front wheels. The crankshaft rotates,
Since the infant's foot on the pedal will also rotate together, it is not necessarily comfortable for the infant, and it can not be said that there is no risk of unexpected behavior if the infant's foot comes off the pedal, Although further improvement is desired in these respects, a solution to this problem which has been solved by the present inventors has not yet been known.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a tricycle for an infant capable of fixing a crankshaft to a front wheel separately.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a front wheel is rotatably mounted on a crankshaft rotatably supported by a handle frame. A gist of the present invention is to provide a switching mechanism for selectively engaging and disengaging the front wheel with respect to the crankshaft.

With this configuration, if the front wheel is fixedly engaged with the crankshaft by operating the switching mechanism,
In a three-wheeled vehicle, the front wheel and the crankshaft rotate integrally as in the prior art. On the other hand, if the engagement state is released by operating the switching mechanism, the crankshaft idles with respect to the rotation of the front wheel.

The switching mechanism can be provided, for example, on the outside of the front wheel or on the side of the handle frame. However, it is preferable that the switching mechanism is provided in a form housed in the front wheel formed in an internally hollow shape. .

When formed in this manner, the switching mechanism is hardly exposed to the outside, and has an appearance similar to that of a conventional tricycle.

In the switching mechanism, for example, an engaging member is slidably loosely fitted to the crankshaft, and an engaged member that is engaged with and disengaged from the engaging member is fixed to the crankshaft. The engaging member is urged by a resilient member in a direction in which the engaging member is engaged with the engaged member, while the front wheel is provided with a recess for accommodating the engaging member so that the front wheel and the engaging member rotate integrally. The front wheel is further provided with an operating rod which is slidably provided in a direction parallel to the crankshaft and which slides the engaging member toward and away from the engaged member, and an outer end of the operating rod. Can be projected outward of the front wheel, and the projected portion can be configured as an operation lever. However, in such a case, the operating portion protrudes to the outside of the front wheel, and the engaging member is brought into contact (engagement) with the engaged member and separated (released). When the projecting dimension of the operation lever increases and decreases, the lever is conspicuous and the appearance is poor when the projecting dimension increases.

Therefore, as described in claim 3, an engaging member is loosely fitted to the crankshaft so as to be slidable, and an engaged member engaged and disengaged from the engaging member is fixed to the crankshaft. The engaging member is urged by a resilient member in a direction of engaging with the engaged member, while the front wheel is provided with a recess for accommodating the engaging member, and the front wheel and the engaging member rotate integrally. So that
Further, the front wheel is provided so as to be slidable in the front wheel diametrical direction, and the sliding operation causes the engaging member to move toward and away from the engaged member. Preferably, the switching mechanism is formed by providing an operation lever that is provided so as to be able to slide the operating rod by its rotation.

With this configuration, the operating rod is slid in the diameter direction of the front wheel by the rotation operation of the operation lever, whereby the front wheel is selected to be idle or fixed with respect to the crankshaft, and is engaged and disengaged. The exposure of the control lever to the front wheel outer surface
It may be a small one that can be rotated by pinching the operating lever, and when the engaging member is brought into contact (engagement) with the engaged member, and when the engaging member is separated (disengaged). Since the projecting dimension of the operation lever does not change when it is turned on, the appearance of the front wheel is substantially the same as that of the conventional front wheel, and there is no inconvenience such as poor appearance and the operability is good.

[0012]

The infant tricycle of the present invention has the following advantages because it is constructed as described above.

According to the present invention, it is possible to selectively switch between a state in which the crankshaft idles with respect to the front wheel (idling state) and a state in which the crankshaft and the front wheel rotate integrally (fixed state). Therefore, when the tricycle is driven by pushing the push frame, by selecting the idling state, the infant's foot placed on the pedal does not rotate with the traveling, so that the infant can travel comfortably, and Even if the infant's foot comes off the pedal, the crankshaft does not rotate, so there is no danger of an unexpected situation, and the safety is excellent. In the case where the infant travels by stepping on the pedal by himself, the fixed state may be selected, and the switching operation can be performed very easily.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above effects, since the switching mechanism is hardly exposed to the outside, there is no danger that an infant or the like may be pinched by the switching mechanism, and safety can be improved. Since it has extremely excellent advantages and has an appearance similar to that of a conventional three-wheeled vehicle, there is no fear that the design is inferior. Further, when the switching mechanism is provided, for example, on the outside of the front wheel or on the side of the handle frame, the structure may be complicated in order to prevent the rotation of the crankshaft, the front wheel, the handle frame, etc. from being hindered. If the mechanism is installed in the front wheel in a storage state, there is no such problem,
Each of the above effects can be obtained with a compact structure.

Further, in addition to the above-mentioned effects, the invention according to claim 3 has an appearance that the operating lever for operating the switching mechanism is hardly exposed on the outer surface of the front wheel and has an appearance similar to that of the conventional front wheel. There is no inconvenience such as inferiority, and the operability is extremely good.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall shape of the infant tricycle of the present embodiment. In the tricycle, a handle frame 3 having a front wheel 2 attached to a front portion of a vehicle body frame 1 is rotatably connected to a rear portion of the vehicle body frame 1. The rear wheel 4 is rotatably mounted, a saddle 5 is mounted in the middle of the vehicle body frame 1, and a backrest frame 6 is mounted on the back of the saddle 5 to stand up. A push frame 8 is attached via an attachment member 7 slidably fixed to the left and right side rods.

Bearings 10 are fixed to the lower ends of the left and right handle bars 9 of the handle frame 3, respectively, and the crankshaft 11 is rotatably supported by the left and right bearings 10. Pedals 12 are attached to both ends of the crankshaft 11.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the front wheel 2 has a pair of left and right wheel structures (hereinafter referred to as "wheels") 13,
14 are fitted to each other, and a tire 15 made of an elastic material such as rubber or synthetic resin is wound around the outer peripheral portion thereof, and a central portion 13 of each of the wheels 13 and 14 is wound.
The cap 16 is detachably fitted and mounted on the outside of the a and 14a.

Left and right wheels 13, 14 and cap 1
A hole 17 is formed in the center of 6, and the horizontal rod portion 11 a of the crankshaft 11 is rotatably inserted into the hole 17.
The front wheel 2 is mounted on the crankshaft 11 so as to freely rotate.

Inside the central portion 14a of the one wheel 14, a substantially rectangular tube-shaped recess 18 for accommodating an engaging member 31 described later protrudes, and the central portion 1a of the other wheel 13 is provided.
The left and right openings 19 into which the engaging claws 31b of the engaging member 31 are removably inserted are formed in 3a.

A circular concave portion 20 is formed on the outer surface of the center portion 13a of the other wheel, and an engagement plate 3 to be described later is formed.
2 is rotatably mounted in the recess 20.

Inside the front wheel 2, a switching mechanism 30 for retractably engaging and disengaging the front wheel 2 with respect to the crankshaft 11 in a selectable manner is provided.

The switching mechanism 30 includes an engaging member 31 which rotates integrally with the front wheel 2, an engaged plate 32 provided on the crankshaft 11 as an engaged member, and
A spring 33 as a resilient member that urges the engaging member 31 in the direction of engagement, an operating rod 34 for bringing the engaging member 31 into and out of (engagement with) the engaged plate 32, and an operation for operating the operating rod 34 And a lever 35 (see FIG. 8).

The engaging members 31 are provided on both the left and right sides of a substantially U-shaped main body portion 31a which is slidably and loosely fitted in the concave portion 18.
An engaging claw 31b is inserted into the opening 19 so as to be removably inserted, and a hole 31c is formed in the center of the main body 31a.
a is loosely inserted.

The recess 18 is formed such that the main body 31a of the engaging member 31 that slides between the central portions 13a and 14a of the left and right wheels always fits in the recess 18.
Accordingly, the engaging member 31 is slidably inserted into the crankshaft 11 so that the engaging claw 31b can be freely inserted into and removed from the opening 19, and is provided so as to rotate integrally with the front wheel 2.

The engaged plate 32 has left and right notches 32a communicating with the left and right openings 19, and is fixed to the horizontal rod portion 11a and rotates integrally with the crankshaft 11. The engaged plate 32 is rotatably loaded in the recess 20.

The spring 33 urges the engaging member 31 in the direction of engaging the engaged plate 32, and is loaded between the central portion 14a of the wheel 14 and the main body 31a of the engaging member 31. .

The operating rod 34 is provided with a bulging portion 34b on one surface side of a flat rod portion 34a having a length substantially equal to the radius of the front wheel 2, and a thin portion 34c at one end in the length direction on the one surface side. To
A thick portion 34d is formed in the middle, and the operating rod 34 is formed.
A guide hole 34e having a long hole shape is formed in the guide hole 34e along the length direction. The crankshaft 11 is loosely inserted into the guide hole 34e, and the swelling portion 34b of the flat rod portion 34a is not provided. The surface side is in sliding contact with the central portion 13a of the wheel 13,
The front wheel 2 is slidably disposed in the diameter direction.

The operating lever 35 has a substantially circular button-shaped knob operating portion 35a, a lever 35b protruding from the outer periphery of the knob operating portion 35a, and a rotation center shaft 35c protruding from the back surface of the knob operating portion 35a. Consists of The operating lever 35 is rotatably inserted with the knob operating portion 35a into an opening 13b formed on the outside of the central portion 13a of the wheel 13 and protrudes from an inner surface of the wheel 14 at a position corresponding to the opening 13b. A rotation center shaft 35c is rotatably attached to the tip of the boss portion 14b, and the other end in the length direction of the operating rod 34 is pivotally attached to the tip of the lever 35b. As a result, the lever 35b rotates in the up-down direction by the turning operation of the knob operating portion 35a, and accordingly, the operating rod 34 slides in the diameter direction of the front wheel 2.

The knob operating portion 35a is provided with concave portions 35a "on both sides of the knob 35a 'so that the protrusion to the outside of the front wheel 2 can be minimized and the knob turning operation can be performed reliably and easily. It has become.

According to the switching mechanism 30 formed as described above, in a state where the knob operating portion 35a is rotated in one direction and the operating rod 34 is slid in the outer edge direction of the front wheel 2,
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the thin portion 34 c of the operating rod 34
Is interposed between the central portion 13a of the wheel 13 and the main body 31a of the engaging member 31. At this time, the engaging member 31 urged toward the engaged plate 32 by the spring 33
The right and left engaging claws 31b pass through the left and right openings 19 and engage with the left and right notches 32a of the engaged plate 32. Therefore, the engagement member 31 and the engaged plate 32 are in an engaged state, that is, the front wheel 2 is fixed to the crankshaft 11.

On the other hand, when the operating rod 34 is slid toward the center of the front wheel 2 by rotating the knob operating portion 35b in the other direction, as shown in FIGS. The thick portion 34d is interposed between the central portion 13a of the wheel 13 and the main body 31a of the engaging member 31. At this time, the engaging member 31 is pressed against the recess 18 against the urging force of the spring 33.
And slides in the direction to separate from the engaged plate 32,
Is removed from the opening 19 and the notch 32 a of the engaged plate 32.
Accordingly, the engagement between the engagement member 31 and the engaged plate 32 is released, that is, the front wheel 2 is idle with respect to the crankshaft 11.

Hereinafter, a method of using the infant tricycle of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. When the infant travels by stepping on the pedal 12 by himself, the operating rod 34 is slid toward the outer edge of the front wheel 2 by rotating the knob operating section 35a, and the thin portion 34c of the operating rod 34 is moved to the wheel center 13a. When,
It is interposed between the main bodies 31a of the engagement members. In this state, the engaging member 31 and the engaged plate 32 are engaged, and the front wheel 2 is fixed to the crankshaft 11.
, The front wheel 2 rotates integrally with the crankshaft 11,
The tricycle runs.

On the other hand, when the three-wheeled vehicle is driven by pushing the push frame 8, the operating rod 34 is operated by turning the knob operating portion 35b.
Is slid toward the center of the front wheel 2 so that the thick portion 34d of the operating rod 34 is interposed between the wheel central portion 13a and the main body 31a of the engaging member. In this state, the engagement between the engagement member 31 and the engaged plate 32 is released, and the front wheel 2 is
1 and the pedal 12 is held in a state in which the infant rests on the foot, so that the infant can travel comfortably, and even if the infant's foot comes off the pedal 12, Since the shaft 11 is not rotating, there is no danger of an unexpected situation.

In this embodiment, the engaging member, the engaged member, the operating rod, the operating lever and the like have the above-mentioned shapes, but these structures are optional. However, the switching mechanism is not limited to the structure of the above-described embodiment, as long as the switching mechanism can selectively engage or disengage the front wheel with respect to the crankshaft.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an embodiment of an infant tricycle according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of a front wheel.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines (X)-(X) in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partially omitted cross-sectional view along the line (Y)-(Y) in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a partially omitted cross-sectional view along the line (Z)-(Z) in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a main part showing a state in which the front wheels are idling.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part showing the idling state of the front wheels.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a front wheel.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: body frame 2: front wheel 3: handle frame 11: crankshaft 30: switching mechanism 31: engagement member 32: engaged plate (engaged member) 33: spring (elastic member) 34: operating rod 35: operation lever

Claims (3)

[Claims] A crankshaft rotatably supported by a handle frame is provided with a front wheel freely rotatable, and a switching mechanism is provided for selectively engaging and disengaging the front wheel with respect to the crankshaft. A tricycle for an infant, characterized in that: 2. The infant tricycle according to claim 1, wherein said front wheel is formed to be hollow inside, and said switching mechanism is housed inside said front wheel. 3. An engaging member is slidably and loosely fitted on the crankshaft, and an engaged member which is engaged with and disengaged from the engaging member is fixed to the crankshaft. While the member is urged in the direction of engagement with the engaged member, the front wheel is provided with a recess for accommodating the engaging member so that the front wheel and the engaging member rotate integrally. An operating rod slidably provided in the front wheel diametrical direction, the operating rod moving the engaging member toward and away from the engaged member by the sliding, and a rotatable operation with a part exposed on the outer surface of the front wheel. 3. The infant tricycle according to claim 2, wherein an operation lever that slides the operating rod by the rotation is provided to constitute the switching mechanism.