JP2787029B2 - Infant tricycle - Google Patents

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. The front wheel is mounted so as to rotate integrally with a crankshaft rotatably supported by a handle frame, and pedals are mounted on both ends of the crankshaft.

[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,
Because the crankshaft rotates with the front wheel and the infant's foot on the pedal also rotates together, it is not always comfortable for the infant, and in the unlikely event that the infant's foot comes off the pedal It cannot be said that there is no risk of connection.

Therefore, for example, Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 30186
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 47-47, etc., a bucket type footrest (footrest) is detachably suspended from a vehicle body frame, and the footrest has a footrest surface located between a pedal and a rear wheel. Therefore, there has been proposed a tricycle in which a footrest is mounted and the infant's foot is placed on the footrest surface when the traveling is performed by pushing the push frame, and the footrest is removed when the infant travels by stepping on the pedal. .

[0005]

By the way, the space between the pedal and the rear wheel in the infant tricycle is originally an empty space for the infant to step on the ground when getting on and off or suddenly stopping. However, according to the above configuration, when the footrest is mounted, the space is covered by the footrest surface, so that it is difficult for the infant to get on and off the vehicle by himself, and it requires a help of a guardian or the like, which is troublesome. Also, in the unlikely event that the pushing frame is released on a slope or the like, it becomes difficult for the infant on the tricycle to put his feet on the ground and avoid danger.

Furthermore, the tricycle main body has a conventional structure, and when the hand pushing frame is pressed, the crankshaft rotates integrally with the front wheel, so that it cannot be said that there is no possibility of causing an unexpected situation.
What can solve these points is not yet known to the extent that the present inventors can know.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances as described above. An object of the present invention is to prevent the crankshaft from rotating when a hand frame is pushed, and to provide a pedal and a rear wheel. In the meantime, while securing an empty space for the infant to put his foot on the ground, the foot rest surface on which the infant's foot is mounted is detachably provided, and the infant can switch to running by pedaling himself, It is to provide a new infant tricycle.

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises a tricycle main body and a footrest detachably attached to the tricycle main body. , The front wheel is freely rotatably mounted on the crankshaft rotatably supported by the handle frame,
It has a switching mechanism for selectively engaging and disengaging the front wheel with respect to the crankshaft, while the footrest is detachably attached to left and right pedals pivotally supported at both ends of the crankshaft. The gist of the present invention comprises a foot mounting step and a support frame detachably attached to the tricycle main body and fixing the left and right foot mounting steps to a substantially horizontal installation state.

With this configuration, if the front wheel is fixedly engaged with the crankshaft by operating the switching mechanism,
In the tricycle main body, the front wheel and the crankshaft rotate integrally as in the prior art, that is, the infant can travel by stepping on the pedal by himself. On the other hand, if the engaged state is released by operating the switching mechanism, the crankshaft idles with respect to the rotation of the front wheel. If the step is fixed to the installation state where it is almost horizontal with the support frame attached to the tricycle main body, the crankshaft will not rotate for running while pushing the hand push frame, and the infant's foot is put on the step and the stable state is put on the step You can run with. Also, an empty space is secured between the foot resting step and the rear wheel for the infant to put his foot on the ground.

In the switching mechanism, an engaging member is slidably and loosely fitted to the crankshaft, and an engaged member which is disengaged from the engaging member is fixed to the crankshaft. Is urged by a resilient member in the direction of engagement 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 provided so as to be slidable in the front wheel diametric direction, and the sliding operation allows the engaging member to be brought into contact with and separated from the engaged member, and the front wheel is partially exposed to the outer surface to be rotatable. It is preferable that an operating lever is provided 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.

The foot mounting step may be, for example, approximately the same size as a pedal. However, if the foot mounting step is formed to have a foot mounting surface larger than the pedal, the infant can place the foot on the foot. Since it is easy and there is little possibility that a foot may fall off during running, the vehicle can run in a more stable state.

[0013] In addition, the foot mounting step can be fixed to the pedal with, for example, bolts and nuts. However, as described in claim 2, the latch plate can be pivotally mounted on the bottom surface of the foot mounting step. If it is provided and the pedal is sandwiched and detachably attached in the step of putting on the hanging plate and the foot, the attachment / detachment to / from the pedal can be easily performed.

Further, the support frame may be provided at each of the left and right foot mounting steps so as to be individually attached to a predetermined portion of the tricycle main body, but as in claim 2, the support frame straddles the body frame of the tricycle main body. If the left and right footrest steps are formed from a single frame body that interconnects the tricycle body, mounting the footrest on the tricycle body becomes easy, and the tricycle body with the footrest mounted thereon is handled by the left and right footrest steps in the handle. Since the steering operation is fixed with the frame interposed therebetween, the front wheels are always maintained in the straight traveling direction, and the running with the pushing of the hand pushing frame is performed stably.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the support frame has a substantially U-shaped mounting rod portion which is removably mounted on the vehicle body frame, and extends downward from both left and right ends of the mounting rod portion. If the footrest is formed by connecting the left and right connecting rods and the footrest is fixed at the tip of each connecting rod, the footrest has a simple structure and can be easily mounted on the tricycle body. It can be carried out.

[0016]

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

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a state in which the crankshaft idles with respect to the front wheels (idling state) is provided.
The crankshaft and the front wheel can be selected to rotate integrally (fixed state), and the footrest steps are attached to the left and right pedals of the idle crankshaft, and the footrest steps are installed almost horizontally with the support frame. Become fixed. Therefore, when pushing the push frame, the infant runs in a stable state with his / her feet resting on the horizontally supported left and right foot resting steps, and even if the infant's feet fall off the steps, the crankshaft remains Because it does not rotate, there is no danger of an unexpected situation.Because there is an empty space between the step and the rear wheel for the infant to get on the ground, it is excellent in safety and Since it is possible to get on and off by itself, the labor of parents and the like can be reduced. If the infant travels by stepping on the pedal by himself, the above-mentioned fixed state may be selected and the footrest may be removed from the tricycle body.

The invention according to claim 2 has the following advantages in addition to the above effects. In other words, the foot resting surface is enlarged, so that the infant can easily put his / her feet on and is less likely to come off during running. In addition, the front wheels are always maintained in the straight running direction, so that the running by pushing the hand pushing frame is performed stably. Thus, an effect that is more excellent in safety can be obtained. Further, it is possible to easily attach and detach the footrest to and from the pedal.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, each of the above-described functions and effects can be obtained while the footrest has a simple structure and can be easily mounted on the tricycle main body.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the figures, A denotes a tricycle main body, B denotes a footrest, and in FIGS.
7 shows the footrest B alone, and FIGS. 8 to 14 show the main parts of the tricycle main body A, respectively.

The main body A of the tricycle is rotatably connected to a handle frame 3 having a front wheel 2 attached to a front portion of a body frame 1,
A rear wheel 4 is rotatably attached to a rear portion of the vehicle body frame 1, and a saddle 5 is mounted in the middle of the vehicle body frame 1. Further, a backrest frame 6 is located behind the saddle 5.
The push frame 8 is attached via an attachment member 7 slidably fixed to the left and right side bars of the backrest frame 6. 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 pivotally supported on both left and right ends of the crankshaft 11, respectively.

The main body A of the tricycle is capable of selectively switching the front wheel 2 with respect to the crankshaft 11 between idling and fixing. The switching structure will be described in detail later, and the footrest B will be described first. .

The foot rest B is provided such that the left and right foot rests 50 are detachably attached to the left and right pedals 12 and the left and right foot rests 50 are detachably attached to the vehicle body frame 1 so as to be substantially horizontal. It is formed from a support frame 60 which is fixed in a state.

The foot mounting step 50 is formed in a substantially horizontally rectangular shape or a substantially oval shape in plan view using a hard synthetic resin or a predetermined metal material so as to have a foot mounting surface 51 larger than the pedal 12. A large number of anti-slip irregularities 52 are formed over almost the entire area of the foot rest surface 51,
Raised surfaces 53 are provided on the left and right side edge portions and the rear edge portion, so that the feet of the infant placed on the foot rest surface 51 do not come off.

A reinforcing rim 54 running vertically and horizontally is integrally provided on the bottom surface side of the foot rest surface 51, and a boss portion 55 is projected from a central portion near the front end thereof. The boss part 5
At the center of 5, a bolt mounting cylinder portion 56 is integrally provided, and a tip 57 a of a bolt 57 inserted non-rotatably into the cylinder portion 56 projects from a protruding end portion of the boss portion 55.

A base end 71 of a locking plate 70 for holding the pedal 12 between the bolt 57 and the foot rest surface 51 is rotatably mounted on the tip 57a of the bolt 57, and the locking plate 70 is rotated. A knob nut 72 for screwing is fixedly mounted.

Then, each foot mounting step 50 is performed so that the hook plate 7 is located at a position where the pedal 12 can be clamped by the foot mounting surface 51.
By rotating the knob 0 and tightening the knob nut 72 in this state, the knob nut 72 is detachably fixed to the pedal 12.

The support frame 60 connects the left and right footrest steps 50 across the body frame 1 so as to be connected to each other.
It is integrally formed of a desired metal pipe or the like, and includes a mounting rod 61 attached to the vehicle body frame 1 and left and right connecting rods 62 extending from both left and right ends of the mounting rod 61.

The mounting rod portion 61 is formed in a substantially inverted U-shape that is loosely fitted into the vehicle body frame 1 so as to be freely detachable from above, and has a through hole 61a formed at the lower end of the left and right sides thereof. 61
a, and a knob nut 64 is screwed into the end of the bolt 63 to thereby attach the vehicle body frame 1
The state of attachment to is maintained.

The left and right connecting rods 62 extend obliquely from the right and left ends of the mounting rod 61 downwardly so as to expand in a substantially octagonal front view, and have a distal end portion 62 of each connecting rod 62.
a is bent forwardly (toward the pedal 12) into a substantially L-shape when viewed from the side, and the inner edge of the footrest step 50 is fixed to the tip portion 62a thereof with a rivet stopper 65 or the like.

The support frame 60 is attached to the mounting rod 6.
1 is positioned near the front end of the body frame 1 (below the front end of the saddle 5), and the foot mounting step 50 includes a foot mounting surface 51 extending from below the mounting rod 61 to the pedal 12. As a result, the connecting rod 62 is fixed to the distal end portion 62a of the connecting rod 62 and is supported substantially horizontally.

The saddle 5 can be attached to and detached from the vehicle body frame 1 by front and rear engaging portions 1a and 1b provided on the vehicle body frame 1 and front and rear engaging portions 5a and 5b provided on the saddle 5. When the support frame 60 is attached and detached, the saddle 5 is detached so that the footrest B is not accidentally detached.

The footrest B formed as described above is composed of the left and right feet fixed to the support frame 60 with the support frame 60 attached to the body frame 1 while straddling the body frame 1 on the left and right. The mounting step 50 is attached to the tricycle main body A by being detachably attached to the left and right pedals 12.

A tricycle body A with a footrest B mounted thereon
Is provided with an empty space S between the foot placing step 50 and the rear wheel 4 for the infant to put his foot on the ground (FIG. 1,
(See FIG. 2). In addition, the handlebar frame 3 of the tricycle main body A is fixed at the left and right foot mounting steps 50 so that the steering operation cannot be performed.

Next, a description will be given of a structure of the tricycle main body A in which the front wheel 2 is selectively switched between idling and fixing with respect to the crankshaft 11. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the front wheel 2 is an internal hollow body in which a pair of left and right wheel components (hereinafter referred to as “wheels”) 13 and 14 are fitted to each other. And a cap 16 is detachably fitted to the outside of the central portions 13a and 14a of the wheels 13 and 14, respectively.

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.

A substantially rectangular tube-shaped recess 18 for accommodating an engagement member 31, which will be described later, protrudes inside the central portion 14a of the one wheel 14, while 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 recess 20 is formed on the outer surface of the central portion 13a of the other wheel.
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. 14).

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 recess 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 biases the engaging member 31 in the direction of engaging with 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 is provided on 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 section 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 turning operation can be performed reliably and easily. It has become.

According to the switching mechanism 30 formed as described above, when the operating lever 34 is slid toward the outer edge of the front wheel 2 by rotating the knob operating portion 35a in one direction,
As shown in FIGS. 8 to 11, the thin portion 34 of the operating rod 34
c 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 spring 33
The engaging member 3 urged toward the engaged plate 32 by the
The left and right engaging claws 31b are engaged with the left and right notches 32a of the engaged plate 32 through the left and right openings 19, respectively. Therefore,
The engaging member 31 and the engaged plate 32 are in the 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.
4 thick part 34d is a central part 13a of the wheel 13,
It is interposed between the engaging member 31 and the main body 31a. At this time, the engaging member 31 slides in the direction of the recess 18 against the urging force of the spring 33 and separates from the engaged plate 32, the engaging claw 31 b has the opening 19, and a notch of the engaged plate 32. 32a. Therefore, the engagement between the engagement member 31 and the engaged plate 32 is released, that is, the front wheel 2 is
1 is idle.

Hereinafter, the method of using the infant tricycle of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. When the infant runs on the pedal 12 by himself / herself, the foot is placed on the
Do not attach. In the tricycle main body A, the operating rod 34 is slid in the direction of the outer edge of the front wheel 2 by rotating the knob operating section 35a, so that the thin-walled portion 34c of the operating rod 34 is connected to the wheel center portion 13a and the engaging member. It is interposed between the main bodies 31a. 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. Thus, when the pedal 12 is depressed, the front wheel 2 rotates integrally with the crankshaft 11. , Tricycle running.

On the other hand, when the vehicle is driven by pushing the push frame 8, the mounting rod 61 is attached to a predetermined portion of the body frame 1, and the left and right pedals 12, which are positioned substantially horizontally, are attached to the left and right pedals 12.
With the left and right footrest steps 50 attached to each other, the footrest B is attached to the tricycle main body A.

In the tricycle main body A, the knob operating section 35
b, the operating rod 34 is slid toward the center of the front wheel 2 so that the thick portion 34d of the operating rod 34 is
3a and the main body 31a of the engaging member. In this state, the engagement between the engaging member 31 and the engaged plate 32 is released, and the front wheel 2 is idled with respect to the crankshaft 11, and
Pushing and running with the footrest B mounted becomes possible.
Therefore, the child can travel in a stable state with the foot resting on the step 50. Step 50 and rear wheel 4
Since an empty space S for the infant to step on the ground is secured between them, the safety is excellent, and the infant can get on and off the vehicle by himself / herself.

In addition, since the handle frame 3 is pinched at the left and right foot mounting steps 50 and the steering operation is disabled, the tricycle main body A can run straight ahead stably, and safety can be further improved.

Incidentally, in the tricycle main body A of this embodiment, the engagement member
Although the engaged member, the operating rod, the operating lever, and the like have the above-described shapes, their structure is arbitrary. 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 a left side view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a P view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line (2)-(2) in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a Q view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line (1)-(1) in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a foot rest.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged side view of a front wheel.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line (3)-(3) in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a partially omitted cross-sectional view along the line (4)-(4) in FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a partially omitted cross-sectional view along the line (5)-(5) in FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a main part showing the idling state of the front wheel.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing the idling state of the front wheels.

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of a front wheel.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A: Tricycle body 1: Body frame 2: Front wheel 3: Handle frame 8: Hand frame 11: Crankshaft 12: Pedal 30: Switching mechanism B: Foot rest 50: Foot rest step 51: Foot rest surface 60: Support frame 61: Mounting rod 62: Connecting rod 70: Hook plate S: Empty space

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] A tricycle body is provided with a footrest that is detachably attached to the tricycle body. The tricycle body has a front wheel freely rotatably mounted on a crankshaft rotatably supported by a handle frame, and the front wheel is attached to the crankshaft. On the other hand, there is a switching mechanism for selectively engaging and disengaging idle and fixed, while the footrest is a left and right footrest step detachably attached to left and right pedals pivotally supported at both ends of the crankshaft; And a support frame detachably attached to the main body and fixing the left and right foot placing steps to a substantially horizontal installation state. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the left and right foot mounting steps are formed to have a foot mounting surface larger than the pedal, and the foot mounting step clamps the pedal with a rotatable latch plate provided on the bottom surface thereof. The support frame is formed so as to connect the left and right foot mounting steps to each other across the body frame of the tricycle body,
3. The infant tricycle according to claim 1, wherein the tricycle main body with the footrest mounted thereon is fixed so that the steering operation cannot be performed with the handle frame interposed between the left and right footrest steps. 3. The support frame comprises a substantially U-shaped mounting rod portion which is removably attached to the vehicle body frame, and left and right connecting rod portions extending downward from both left and right ends of the mounting rod portion. 2. A footrest is formed by fixing the footrest at the tip of each connecting rod.
Or the tricycle for infants according to 2.