WO2009086612A1 - Système de pivot et de limiteur de course sur des brouettes pour ajustement automatique de la charge - Google Patents

Système de pivot et de limiteur de course sur des brouettes pour ajustement automatique de la charge Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2009086612A1
WO2009086612A1 PCT/CA2008/000006 CA2008000006W WO2009086612A1 WO 2009086612 A1 WO2009086612 A1 WO 2009086612A1 CA 2008000006 W CA2008000006 W CA 2008000006W WO 2009086612 A1 WO2009086612 A1 WO 2009086612A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
wheelbarrow
axle
swivel
support member
axle support
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/CA2008/000006
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Guye Strobel
Original Assignee
Guye Strobel
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Guye Strobel filed Critical Guye Strobel
Priority to CA2708202A priority Critical patent/CA2708202C/fr
Priority to PCT/CA2008/000006 priority patent/WO2009086612A1/fr
Priority to US12/149,289 priority patent/US7934728B2/en
Priority to ARP080101943A priority patent/AR066484A1/es
Publication of WO2009086612A1 publication Critical patent/WO2009086612A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62B—HAND-PROPELLED VEHICLES, e.g. HAND CARTS OR PERAMBULATORS; SLEDGES
    • B62B1/00—Hand carts having only one axis carrying one or more transport wheels; Equipment therefor
    • B62B1/18—Hand carts having only one axis carrying one or more transport wheels; Equipment therefor in which the load is disposed between the wheel axis and the handles, e.g. wheelbarrows
    • B62B1/183—Hand carts having only one axis carrying one or more transport wheels; Equipment therefor in which the load is disposed between the wheel axis and the handles, e.g. wheelbarrows with spring-mounted wheels
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62B—HAND-PROPELLED VEHICLES, e.g. HAND CARTS OR PERAMBULATORS; SLEDGES
    • B62B2301/00—Wheel arrangements; Steering; Stability; Wheel suspension
    • B62B2301/14—Wheel arrangements; Steering; Stability; Wheel suspension the wheel arrangement pivoting around a horizontal-longitudinal axis

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to wheelbarrows. Specifically, the present invention provides a wheelbarrow having a wheel assembly comprising a swivel to allow the wheelbarrow to be more easily moved across uneven terrain.
  • Wheelbarrows are an important tool used at home and work to support manual labor.
  • the conventional wheelbarrow has a tray mounted on two handlebars forming an undercarriage that provide a supporting bridge between the wheel and the handgrips at the ends of the handlebars held by the operator.
  • the conventional design using one wheel, allows the barrow to pivot around the point defined by where the wheel meets the ground. In this conventional design, tilting of the terrain is not transferred to the handlebars and tray, thereby eliminating torque transfer to the operator due to uneven terrain.
  • conventional wheelbarrows have the disadvantage that full torque is applied to the grips thereby burdening the operator.
  • This invention aims to improve on the prior art designs by providing a multiple- wheel wheelbarrow, whereby the wheel assembly is adapted to tilt with the terrain while allowing the tray and handles to remain reasonably level for the operator.
  • the wheelbarrow according to another preferred aspect of the present invention, further comprises stop-limits to prevent tipping in extreme cases of load shifting.
  • This invention is a swivel point with stop-limits between the wheel assembly and the tray/handle assembly as on the conventional wheelbarrow.
  • the swivel point allows the tray and handle to rotate independent of the wheel(s).
  • the axis of rotation is closely horizontal with the ground. This axis also closely intersects the center of the wheel (vertically and horizontally) and the center of the axis defined by the line through both handle grips used by the operator.
  • stop-limit points are implemented into the swivel mechanism. Up to the stop-limit, any torque introduced as the load shifts is transferred to either grip. However, beyond the stop-limit, torque is transferred directly to the wheel assembly thereby reestablishing the underlying stability advantage of the wider wheel-base design.
  • This stop-limit could be graduated, designed to transfer more of the torque onto the wheels the further the tray rotates, or it could be fixed - 100% on the operator up to the stop-limit then 100% on the wheel assembly beyond the stop-limit.
  • a wheelbarrow comprising a tray for carrying a load; a pair of coplanar handlebars connected to the tray to support the same; a pair of spaced apart ground engaging rotatable wheels; and swivel means connecting said pair of spaced apart wheels to said handlebars wherein said wheels can pivot relative to said tray.
  • Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a conventional one or two wheeled wheelbarrow in accordance with the prior art
  • Figure 2 is a side elevational schematical view of a modified wheelbarrow including a swivel mechanism for the wheels;
  • Figure 3 is a schematical plan view of the wheelbarrow of Figure 2 in a single wheeled version
  • Figure 4 is a schematical plan view of the wheelbarrow of Figure 2 in a multi- wheeled version
  • Figure 5 is a schematical side view of a rotation limiter forming part of the wheelbarrow of Figure 2;
  • Figure 6 is a schematical front elevational view of the rotation limiter of Figure 5;
  • Figure 7 is a front perspective view of a wheelbarrow having swivel means for the ground engaging wheels
  • Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of the wheelbarrow of Figure 7;
  • Figure 9 is a plan view of the swivel mechanism forming part of the wheelbarrow of Figure 7;
  • Figure 10 is a side elevational view of the swivel mechanism of Figure 9;
  • Figure 11 is a plan view of an axle supporting member forming part of the swivel mechanism of Figure 9;
  • Figure 12 is a front elevational view of the axle supporting member of Figure 11 ;
  • Figure 13 is a plan view of a second cross member forming part of the swivel mechanism of Figure 9;
  • Figure 14 is a front elevational view of the cross member of Figure 13;
  • Figure 15 is a plan view of a modified swivel mechanism forming part of the wheelbarrow of Figure 7;
  • Figure 16 is a side elevational view of the swivel mechanism of Figure 15. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
  • Figure 1 shows a conventional wheelbarrow 10 having a tray 11 for the load, handlebars 12 and 13 which are connected to and support the tray, ground engaging legs 16 and 17, and one or more ground engaging wheels 22 freely rotatable about an axle 24 which is rigidly connected to handlebars 12 and 13 forwardly of tray 11.
  • Handlebars 12 and 13 which, together with other components that will be described below, form an undercarriage for tray 11 , end, rearwardly of the tray, in a pair of handle grips 14 for the user's hands. Because the wheel or wheels 22 are held in fixed vertical orientation relative to the handlebars, if the wheel or wheels tip to one side or the other, so too will the handlebars and the tray and vice versa.
  • FIG. 2 schematically shows the present modification to a wheelbarrow so that the tray and the wheels are pivotable relative to one another to provide an automatic load leveling capability to the wheelbarrow over uneven terrain.
  • handlebars 12 and 13 are cut off at a point 30 forwardly of the tray and a swivel mechanism 40 which will be described in greater detail below is connected to the handlebars to extend forwardly therefrom.
  • a swivel mechanism 40 which will be described in greater detail below is connected to the handlebars to extend forwardly therefrom.
  • This allows the tray to remain substantially level while the wheels pivot or rotate about the wheelbarrow's longitudinal axis in response to irregularities in the ground. Excessive rotation of the wheels relative to the tray is prevented by a stop mechanism 45 that also will be described in greater detail below.
  • the wheelbarrow generally includes tray 11 , handlebars 12 and 13 including hand grips 14, ground engaging legs 16 and 17 which support the wheelbarrow when at rest, and wheels 22 rotatably connected to an axle 24.
  • handlebars 12 and 13 each include a wedge 18 for leveling the tray when the wheelbarrow is at rest.
  • the tray, wedges, handlebars, legs and a pair of reinforcing spaced apart transversely extending stays 8 and 9 are connected together by means of fasteners such as nuts and bolts 6. Additional support for the tray is provided by means of a pair of spaced apart braces 4 respectively connected between the forward end of the tray and handlebars 12 and 13 as shown most clearly in Figure 7. It will be understood that this construction as described so far is conventional and well known in the art.
  • the present wheelbarrow has been modified to include swivel mechanism 40.
  • the mechanism can be sold as OEM equipment on new wheelbarrows, or it can be retrofitted to existing stock.
  • handlebars 12 and 13 are shortened compared to conventional handlebars by being cut off at point 30 to expose end surfaces 31.
  • the existing handlebars can be cut or sawn off at this location and the swivel mechanism attached as will now be described.
  • the swivel mechanism generally comprises a first cross member 60, a second cross member 70, an axle support member 80 and a longitudinally extending swivel bar 90.
  • First cross member 60 is connected between the handlebars across their upper surfaces immediately in front of the tray using suitable fasteners such as nuts and bolts 6.
  • Second cross member 70 is also connected between the handlebars so that the cross member's vertical flange 71 abuts against handlebar end surfaces 31 and its horizontal flange 72 abuts against the handlebars' lower surfaces.
  • the connection of the second cross member to the handlebars is made using for example fasteners extending through holes 73 in horizontal flange 72 into the handlebars.
  • a hole 74 is formed in vertical flange 71 which is large enough to accommodate swivel bar 90.
  • axle support member 80 can also be formed from a piece of angle iron having a vertical flange 81 and a horizontal flange 82.
  • Axle 24 is connected to horizontal flange 82 by means of a pair of shackles 26 ( Figure 8) received into holes 84 in the horizontal flange and secured by means of nuts and washers 27.
  • a tubular bushing or sleeve 85 is fixedly connected to vertical flange 81 such as by means of welding.
  • Sleeve 85 is axially aligned with a hole 86 in the vertical flange. The internal diameters of the sleeve and hole 86 are large enough to allow the swivel bar to pass freely therethrough and to rotate relative to axle support 80.
  • Swivel bar 90 is inserted through sleeve 85, holes 86 and 74 and is then fixedly and non-rotatably connected at its inner end 92 to first cross member 60 as seen most clearly in Figure 7.
  • the connection can be by means of a weld or a connecting piece 49.
  • Axle support 80 is held in place relative to the second cross member 70 and swivel bar 90 by means of a stop bushing 87 positioned just ahead of sleeve 85.
  • the stop bushing is fixedly connected to the swivel bar by means of a weld, set screw (not shown) or any other suitable strong connection.
  • the outer end 96 of swivel bar 90 is fitted with a bumper bracket 95, a rubber bumper 96 secured to the bracket such as by means of screws 97 and some reinforcing braces 98 to add strength.
  • the bumper is used to engage the ground when the wheelbarrow is tipped to discharge its load.
  • axle 24 and axle support member 80 will pivot around swivel bar 90 in response to irregularities in the ground while the tray will remains relatively stationary.
  • a limiting mechanism is preferably included on the swivel assembly.
  • a simple mechanism is shown in the drawings, particularly Figures 11 to 14. Specifically, a hole 101 is formed in vertical flange 81 of axle support 80 and a threaded nut 103 is welded in place to be axially aligned over the hole.
  • An opposing slot 106 is formed in vertical flange 71 of second cross member 70.
  • a bolt 108 ( Figure 8) is then passed through slot 106 and partially threaded into nut 103.
  • the rotation of axle support 80 is thereby limited to the travel of bolt 108 in slot 106. At the rotational limits, additional torque arising from the terrain will be transferred to the handlebars.
  • the swivel mechanism can be modified to be self-centering so the wheels are normally biased into a non-pivoted position relative to the handlebars and to provide some resilient damping of its motion.
  • Figures 15 and 16 showing a modified swivel mechanism 400 in which like elements are identified using like numerals.
  • the basic components of the mechanism include a first cross member 60, a second cross member 70, an axle support member 80 and a longitudinally extending swivel bar 90.
  • the function and installation of these components is substantially the same as described above with respect to swivel mechanism 40.
  • a coil spring 125 is disposed between the two.
  • the spring functions to self center axle support 80 relative to second cross member 70 and preferably to absorb and dampen some of the energy imparted to axle support 80 as wheels 22 traverse uneven ground.
  • Spring 125 is non-rotatably mounted relative to axle support 80. This can be accomplished in a number of ways as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
  • One means of connection is to elongate sleeve 85 so that it extends through hole 86 in vertical flange 81 of the axle support, hole 86 being enlarged sufficiently for this purpose.
  • the part of the sleeve extending through hole 86 and which is then positioned between support 80 and cross member 70 becomes a spindle over which the spring is concentrically mounted.
  • the spring and the sleeve are non- rotatably connected together such as by means of a weld, spline or any other torque resistant means.
  • Spring 125 includes radially extending arms 127 bent at their outer ends to pass through correspondingly sized holes formed in vertical flange 71 of second cross member 70.
  • spring 125 maintains support 80 and second cross member 70 in parallel coplanar alignment so that wheels 22 are non-pivoted relative to the handlebars and tray of the wheelbarrow.
  • spring 125 damps this motion to reduce shock and vibration.
  • the spring applies a restorative force for self-centering members 70 and 80. This same self-centering is also useful if the wheelbarrow is lifted above the ground or suspended for storage as it prevents the wheels from flopping to one side or the other.
  • spring 125 is only one means of providing resiliency and self-centering to swivel mechanism 400 and the use of other means is contemplated, including for example a torsional rubber adhered or connected to each of axle support 80 and cross member 70, and other similar mechanisms.
  • This embodiment also includes a limiting mechanism to prevent excessive rotation of axle 24 relative to second cross member 70.
  • the mechanism is the same as that described above with reference to Figures 11 to 14 except that slot 106 is formed in an extension piece 119 permanently connected such as by welding to the end of cross member 70.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Handcart (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne une brouette comportant deux roues montées sur un axe qui peut pivoter, ce qui permet ainsi à l'essieu de s'incliner avec le terrain alors que le plateau et les poignées restent sensiblement horizontaux. L'ensemble roue est raccordé à des limiteurs de course afin d'empêcher une inclinaison excessive des roues par rapport au plateau et aux poignées.
PCT/CA2008/000006 2005-06-30 2008-01-04 Système de pivot et de limiteur de course sur des brouettes pour ajustement automatique de la charge WO2009086612A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA2708202A CA2708202C (fr) 2008-01-04 2008-01-04 Systeme de pivot et de limiteur de course sur des brouettes pour ajustement automatique de la charge
PCT/CA2008/000006 WO2009086612A1 (fr) 2008-01-04 2008-01-04 Système de pivot et de limiteur de course sur des brouettes pour ajustement automatique de la charge
US12/149,289 US7934728B2 (en) 2005-06-30 2008-04-30 Swivel and stop-limit feature on wheelbarrows for automatic load adjustment
ARP080101943A AR066484A1 (es) 2008-01-04 2008-05-07 Carretilla que tiene un conjunto de ruedas provisto de medios de rotacion para facilitar su movimiento a traves de terreno desigual

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/CA2008/000006 WO2009086612A1 (fr) 2008-01-04 2008-01-04 Système de pivot et de limiteur de course sur des brouettes pour ajustement automatique de la charge

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2009086612A1 true WO2009086612A1 (fr) 2009-07-16

Family

ID=40852718

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/CA2008/000006 WO2009086612A1 (fr) 2005-06-30 2008-01-04 Système de pivot et de limiteur de course sur des brouettes pour ajustement automatique de la charge

Country Status (3)

Country Link
AR (1) AR066484A1 (fr)
CA (1) CA2708202C (fr)
WO (1) WO2009086612A1 (fr)

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4854601A (en) * 1988-04-25 1989-08-08 Herndon George W Swivel wheel wheelbarrow
FR2694914A1 (fr) * 1992-08-18 1994-02-25 Gilbert Gleyse Système de suspension et d'amortissement de chocs verticaux et/ou horizontaux par ressort à lame, pour voiture à bras à un essieu portant une ou plusieurs roues.
CA2169578A1 (fr) * 1996-02-15 1997-08-16 Gerard J. Bisaillon Brouette
US5758887A (en) * 1995-11-06 1998-06-02 Bobst; Glen L. Wheelbarrow with increased efficiency and stability
JPH1120703A (ja) * 1997-06-27 1999-01-26 Shigematsu Kogyo Kk 手押し運搬車
CA2404372A1 (fr) * 2002-09-30 2004-03-30 Paul Slevinsky Brouette perfectionnee

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4854601A (en) * 1988-04-25 1989-08-08 Herndon George W Swivel wheel wheelbarrow
FR2694914A1 (fr) * 1992-08-18 1994-02-25 Gilbert Gleyse Système de suspension et d'amortissement de chocs verticaux et/ou horizontaux par ressort à lame, pour voiture à bras à un essieu portant une ou plusieurs roues.
US5758887A (en) * 1995-11-06 1998-06-02 Bobst; Glen L. Wheelbarrow with increased efficiency and stability
CA2169578A1 (fr) * 1996-02-15 1997-08-16 Gerard J. Bisaillon Brouette
JPH1120703A (ja) * 1997-06-27 1999-01-26 Shigematsu Kogyo Kk 手押し運搬車
CA2404372A1 (fr) * 2002-09-30 2004-03-30 Paul Slevinsky Brouette perfectionnee

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AR066484A1 (es) 2009-08-26
CA2708202C (fr) 2016-08-16
CA2708202A1 (fr) 2009-07-16

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