WO1998040253A1

WO1998040253A1 - Brake releasing device at vehicle wheels, preferably castor wheels

Info

Publication number: WO1998040253A1
Application number: PCT/SE1998/000445
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bengt Erland Ilon
Original assignee: Ilon B E
Priority date: 1997-03-13
Filing date: 1998-03-12
Publication date: 1998-09-17
Also published as: SE9700906L; AU6429398A; SE509173C2; SE9700906D0

Abstract

The present invention relates to a brake releasing device at vehicle wheels, preferably castor wheels. The vehicle wheel (2) has a slope dependent brake device (9) which is releasable by means of a brake release means (19) when said brake release means (19) hits against fixed members (22), e.g. a threshold, at the end of a downwardly sloping transport device (17).

Description

Brake releasing device at vehicle wheels, preferably castor wheels.

The present invention relates to a brake releasing device at vehicle wheels, preferably castor wheels, whereby a slope dependent brake device is provided to permit the wheel to roll while driving the vehicle on horizontal or substantially horizontal ground, but brake the wheel when the vehicle is transported standing on a sloping transport device.

Slope dependent brake devices are previously known at castor wheels for e.g. shopping trolleys. One problem at prior art brake devices of this type is however, that there is no simple and safe device which releases these brake devices so that the wheels can roll again after transport of the shopping trolley on a downwardly sloping transport device. The object of the present invention has therefore been to provide a simple device for releasing the brake device when the wheels on the vehicle shall roll again after having applied the brakes during transport of the vehicle on a downwardly sloping transport device. This is arrived at according to the invention substantially by means of the characterizing features of subsequent claim 1.

The brake releasing device characterizing the invention permits quick and safe release of the wheels when they shall roll again after having applied the brakes when the vehicle was transported downwards on the transport device.

The invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which fig. 1 is a side view, partly in section, of one of the castor wheels on a vehicle, whereby the castor wheel is provided with a brake releasing device according to the invention; fig. 2 is a front view of the castor wheel of fig. 1; fig. 3 illustrates the castor wheel of fig. 1 with a brake device in braking condition and standing during transport on a downwardly sloping transport device; fig. 4 illustrates the castor wheel of fig. 1 stan- ding on the transport device and when said wheel approaches fixed members at the end of the transport device; fig. 5 illustrates the castor wheel of fig. 1 with the brake device released by the brake releasing device when said wheel is moved from the transport device to said fixed members in the form of a driving path adjacent said transport device; fig. 6 illustrates the castor wheel of fig. 1 when said wheel rests on a step of a downwardly moving escalator and whereby a brake release means is in contact with the step of the escalator; fig. 7 illustrates the castor wheel of fig. 1 with a brake device forming part thereof in brake position when said castor wheel is situated on an upwardly inclining or sloping transport device; and figs. 8 and 9 schematically illustrate an emergency brake device forming part of the castor wheel of fig. 1.

The drawings illustrate a shopping trolley 1 with four castor wheels 2, of which one front castor wheel 2 is shown considerably enlarged. This castor wheel 2 con- sists of a wheel fork 3 which through a pivot bearing 4 is mounted on the shopping trolley such that said castor wheel can pivot about a vertical pivot axle 5. The wheel 6 is mounted on the wheel fork 3 through a wheel axle 7 so that said wheel 6 can rotate about an axis 8 of rotation. The castor wheel 2 includes a slope dependent brake device 9. This device has, at a level above the axis of rotation, an axle 10 which is mounted on one of the fork members of the wheel fork 3. An annular inner brake means 11 is freely pivotally suspended on this axle 10 so that said brake means 11 can oscillate about the axle 10. The annular brake means 11 surrounds the wheel axle 7 and its lower portions are located at a level beneath said wheel axle 7. The inner brake means 11 includes, at a level somewhat above the wheel axle 7, two brake members

12 and 13 which are provided on two opposite sides and which are directed outwards and preferably obliquely upwards/outwards .

The brake device 9 also includes an outer brake means 14 consisting of an annular member 15 of the wheel 6. This annular member 15 surrounds the inner brake means 11 and it have inwardly towards said brake means 11 directed recesses 16 which are engageable by the brake members 12,

13 of the inner brake means 11.

This brake device 9 operates in such a way that when the shopping trolley 1 is situated on a sloping transport device 17 in a forwardly/downwardly inclined position for transportation thereby (arrow A, fig. 3), the inner brake means 11 swings forward and its brake member 12 will engage one of the recesses 16 in the outer brake means 14. Hereby, the wheel 6 is braked and the shopping trolley is thereby prevented from rolling forward down the trans- port device 17.

If the shopping trolley instead is placed on an upwardly inclining or sloping transport device 18 (see fig. 7) for transportation thereby in a backwards/upwards inclined position, the inner brake means 11 will instead swing backwards and its brake member 13 will engage one of the recesses 16 of the outer brake means 14. Hereby, the wheel 6 is braked and thus, the shopping trolley 1 is prevented from rolling backwards down the transport device 18. In order to release the brake device 9, i.e. disengage the inner and outer brake means 11, 14 from each other when the braked wheel 6 once again shall roll, there is provided a brake release means 19 with resilient properties. This brake release means 19 is through two screws 20, 24 fixedly connected with one fork member of the wheel fork 3 and protrudes, in a triggering position B (see fig. 3), a distance ahead of the wheel 6. When the shop- ping trolley 1 stands on the downwardly sloping transport device 17 with braked wheels 6, it will be transported towards fixed members 22, e.g. a threshold, at the end of the transport device 17 and when the wheels 6 reach these fixed members 22, they shall be released for further rolling of the shopping trolley 1. This is made possible while the brake release means 19 hits against the fixed members 22 and is bent backwards from its triggering position B until it reaches a brake releasing position F (see fig. 5), and during this movement the brake release means 19 hits against a shoulder 23 down below on the inner brake means 11 and brings this to swing backwards about the axle 10 until the brake member 12 is disengaged from or moved out of the recess 16 in the outer brake means 14. Thus, the wheel 6 is free to roll when it reaches or has reached the fixed members 22, and the shopping trolley 1 can thereby be rolled away with unbraked or released wheels 6. The brake release means 19 has such resilient properties that it automatically bends back or re- turns to its triggering position B after the brake release and when its contact with the fixed members 22 ceases.

The brake release means 19 or at least the parts thereof protruding from the wheel 6 may consist of such resilient material that said parts can spring aside also when they are subjected to lateral forces when being run into. The brake release means 19 may e.g. consist of an elastic rubber blade having, seen from the side, a downwardly widening shape .

The brake release means 19 may be mounted so that it can engage a step 26 (see fig. 6) upon which the castor wheel 2 rests when the shopping trolley 1 is transported downwards on an obliquely downwards movable escalator 25 standing in a downwards/forward sloping position. When the shopping trolley 1 is transported in this way, the wheels 6 are braked by the brake device 9 and the brake release means 19 can prevent the wheel 6 from sliding down from the step 26 or at least be a help thereby. For preventing the shopping trolley 1 from running away down a sloping pathway, the castor wheel 2 may have an emergency brake device 27 (see figs. 8 and 9) which is provided to brake the wheel 6 when its speed of rota- tion exceeds a certain value. Such an emergency brake device 27 may consist of a movable hook means 28 which is mounted on a rotatable part of the wheel 6 and which can cooperate with a fixed pin 29. When the speed of rotation of the rotatable part exceeds a certain value, the hook means 28 is swung outwards by the centrifugal force and will in an outwardly swung position hook onto the pin 29 for braking the rotation of the wheel 6.

At at least one of the rear castor wheels 2 of the shopping trolley 1 there may be mounted a direction lock 30 (see fig. 2) which is adapted to retain the wheel 6 such that it can not pivot about the vertical pivot axle 5. This direction lock 30 may be a resilient tongue which is mounted on the shopping trolley 1 adjacent the castor wheel 2 and which in a retaining position retains the wheel fork 3. The direction lock 30 can be released by pressing the shopping trolley 1 to the side and thereby subject the castor wheel 2 to a lateral load so that the resilient tongue is pressed upwards and releases the wheel fork 3. The invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but may vary within the scope of the subsequent claims. As alternatives not described in detail above, it can briefly be mentioned that the vehicle 1 may be of another type than a shopping trolley, that the vehicle wheel 2 may be of another type than a castor wheel, that all or another optional number of wheels may be provided with a slope dependent brake device 9 and also with a brake release means 19, that the inner and outer brake means 11, 14 of the brake device 9 may be of another type than shown, that each wheel 2 may have more than one brake release means 19, that this brake release means 19 may be mounted or designed in another way than shown and that said fixed members 22 may be other members or parts than a threshold, e.g. a driving path situated close to the transport device 17 and/or members or parts at said driving path or threshold.

Claims

Claims :

1. Brake releasing device at vehicle wheels, preferably castor wheels, whereby a slope dependent brake device is provided to permit the wheel to roll while driving the vehicle on horizontal or substantially horizontal ground, but brake the wheel when the vehicle is transported standing on a sloping transport device, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that at least one brake release means (19) is provided, during transport of the vehicle (1) on a downwardly sloping transport device (17), to hit against fixed members (22), e.g. a threshold, at the end of said transport device (17) and thereby being imparted with a movement which is transferred to the brake device (9) for releasing the wheel (6) so that said wheel (6) can roll when it leaves the transport device (17) .

2. Brake releasing device according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the brake release means (19) is provided to hit against such fixed members (22) at the end of the transport device (17) on which the wheel (6) is adapted to roll when said wheel (6) leaves the transport device (17).

3. Brake releasing device according to claim 1 or 2 , c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the brake release means (19) is provided to automatically return to a brake releasing triggering position (B) after having released the brake device (9) .

4. Brake releasing device according to any preceding claim, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the brake release means (19) has resilient properties so that it can be bent between a triggering posi- tion (B) and a brake releasing position (F) , that the brake release means (19) is provided, in the triggering position (B) , to protrude ahead of the wheel (6) when the vehicle (1) is standing on the transport device (17) so that said brake release means (19) can hit against said fixed members (22) , and that the brake release means (19) is provided to be bent backwards towards the brake releasing position (F) when said brake release means (19) hits against said fixed members (22) and thereby bring an inner brake means (11) of the brake device (9) to swing backwards relative to an outer brake means (14) so that the wheel (6) is released for being able to roll.

5. Brake releasing device according to claim 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the brake release means (19) can spring back to its triggering position (B) when its contact with the fixed members (22) ceases.

6. Brake releasing device according to any preceding claim, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that at least such parts of the brake release means (19) which protrude from the wheel (6) consist of such resilient material that said parts can spring aside if they are subjected to lateral forces relative to the wheel (6) .

7. Brake releasing device according to any preceding claim, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that an emergency brake device (27) is provided to brake the wheel (6) when the speed of rotation of said wheel (6) exceeds a certain value.

8. Brake releasing device according to any preceding claim, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that at at least one wheel (2) located at the back of the vehicle (1) there is provided a direction lock (30) which is adapted to retain the wheel (6) so that said wheel (6) can not pivot relative to a vertical pivot axle (5) about which the wheel (6) otherwise is pivotable relative to the vehicle (1) and that said direction lock (30) is releasable by pivoting the wheel (6) in relation thereto by means of the vehicle (1) .

9. Brake releasing device according to any preceding claim, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the brake device (9) has an inner brake means ⁽11) which is pivotally journalled relative to an outer brake means (14) mounted on the wheel (6) , and that the inner brake means (11) comprises at least two brake members (12, 13), whereby one of the brake members (12) is provided to cooperate with the outer brake means (14) for braking the wheel (6) when the vehicle (1) is inclining backwards/downwards .

10. Brake releasing device according to claim 9, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the inner brake means (11) is suspended oscillating freely relative to the outer brake means (14) and at a level above the axis (8) of rotation of the wheel, that the inner brake means (11) extends downwards to a level beneath said axis (8) of rotation, and that parts or members (23) of the inner brake means (11) beneath said axis (8) of rotation are provided to be affected by the brake release means (19) .

11. Brake releasing device according to claim 9 or 10, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the inner brake means (11) has an annular shape, surrounds the axis (8) of rotation of the wheel (6) and includes two outwardly directed brake members (12, 13) which preferably are located at a level above the axis (8) of rotation of the wheel (6) , and that the outer brake means (14) consists of an inner annular member or part (15) of the wheel (6) which sur- rounds the inner brake means (11) and is provided with inwardly facing or inwardly towards said inner brake means (11) directed recesses (16) , in which the outwardly directed brake members (12, 13) of the inner brake means (11) are engagable.

12. Brake releasing device according to any preceding claim, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the brake release means (19) is provided to engage such a step (26) on a downwardly sloping movable escalator (25) on which the wheel (2) is resting when the vehicle (1) is transpor- ted downwards thereon standing in a downwards/forward sloping position.