WO2002046032A1

WO2002046032A1 - Foldable travel device

Info

Publication number: WO2002046032A1
Application number: PCT/CH2001/000342
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter Wiesendanger
Original assignee: Peter Wiesendanger
Priority date: 2000-12-06
Filing date: 2001-06-05
Publication date: 2002-06-13
Also published as: AU2001260003A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a foldable travel device (1) such as a rollerboard, kickboard or scooter or similar, comprising a handlebar (10) and a chassis (20) with a stepboard (25).The handlebar (10) is arranged in a pivotably moveable manner with respect to the chassis (20) and can be pivoted backwards and forth between a first unfolded travel position and a second folded transport position in relation to the chassis (20). A first spring element (60) arranged between the handlebar (10) and the chassis (20) exerts an elastic force on the handlebar(10) and the chassis (20), assisting a folding movement. The novel travel device (60) can be folded up in a very comfortable manner, using one hand and without having to bend. According to another aspect of the present invention, the length of the handlebar of the travel device can also be adjusted in a continuous manner.

Description

Collapsible driving device

The present invention relates to a collapsible driving device such as a roller board or kickboard, a scooter or a scooter or the like with a handlebar and a chassis with a footboard, wherein the handlebar is arranged pivotably to the chassis and in relation to the chassis between a first opened driving position and one second folded transport position is pivotable back and forth. A spring element arranged between the handlebar and the chassis exerts a spring force on the handlebar and the chassis, wherein preferably a retracting movement is supported; ^' The new driving device can be folded up very comfortably, without stooping and with just one hand. According to a further aspect of the present invention, the handlebar of the driving device can also be infinitely adjusted in length with one hand.

The above-mentioned driving devices such as scooters, kickboards and mini scooters have experienced a real boom in recent years. They are not only very popular with children as play equipment, but have also quickly been accepted by professionals, students and schoolchildren as the ideal means of transportation for short distances. The relevant driving devices, especially kickboards (ie Roller boards with handlebar) can be easily controlled with one hand with a little practice. Particularly in rush hour traffic, it is therefore common for users to steer with one hand and hold a briefcase in the other hand, for example. With just one free hand, however, the known driving devices can hardly be folded up. If the driving device is to be folded up before boarding the bus or tram, the folder must first be put down to operate the folding mechanism with both hands. This is perceived by the B. users as cumbersome and annoying. If the driving device is not folded, fellow travelers often feel bothered by the bulky device.

The present invention is therefore based on the object of providing a device which can be folded with only one free hand.

This object is achieved by ^• a driving apparatus according to the characterizing features of claim 1.

Further advantageous design variants result from the description and the dependent claims.

Exemplary embodiments of the subject matter of the invention are shown in the drawings and are explained in the description below. It shows: Figure la a scooter in the opened and folded state, wherein the pivoting movement is indicated by an arrow;

Figure lb a scooter according to another embodiment orm;

Figure 2 shows a deflection mechanism according to the embodiment of Figure la in detail in side view.

Figure 3 shows a ge ass of the embodiment of Figure lb in detail in side view.

4a shows a side view of the tensioning and unlocking mechanism in the handle;

4b front view of the tensioning and unlocking mechanism according to FIG. 3;

Fig. 5 shows a locking mechanism in the handlebar; and

Fig. 6 is a bottom view of a scooter in a running condition.

1 shows a collapsible scooter 1 in a ready-to-drive position (A), in which the handlebar 10 is in a vertical position in relation to a chassis 20 is folded and in a folded position (B), in which the handlebar 10 is pivoted approximately parallel over a running board 25. In the scooter ge ass of Figures la and lb, the handlebar 10 is pivotally connected via a deflection device 50 but rotatably connected to the chassis 20 in the axial direction. The steering is thus carried out by shifting the weight of the driver on the footboard 25 and is supported by lateral pressure on the handlebar 10 in the grip area 16. The driving devices 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 can therefore be referred to as kickboards. In the following, however, unless otherwise mentioned, the term scooter is representative of all driving devices such as roller boards, scooters, scooters, kickboards or the like with a handlebar 10, a chassis 20 with footboard 25, each with a front 30 and a rear drive 40, which each have at least one wheel. The teaching of the present invention can also be applied to those scooters in which the wheels are replaced by skis or runners for use on ice or snow.

FIG. 2 shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which the handlebar 10 is arranged so that it can pivot about the pivot axis 52 relative to the chassis 20. The handlebar is not directly connected to the swivel axle and the chassis, but is supported by approximately triangular arranged on both sides Lever plates 51 of the deflection mechanism 50. The plates 51 and the handlebar 10 fixedly connected to them are pivotally mounted on the chassis via axis 52, which passes through both plates 51 in a first corner area.

A linearly acting spring element 60 engages with a first end at a second corner on the lever plate 51. An opposite end of the spring element 60 finds its abutment on the chassis 20 in an engagement axis 55. The eccentric mounting of the spring element 60 on the engagement axes 54, 55 on the lever plate and chassis with respect to the pivot axis forces the spring element 60 during the pivoting movement of the handlebar 10 and Chassis 20 to undergo a change in length. The gas pressure elements shown exert a spring force on the handlebar 10, or deflection device 50 and chassis 20. Due to the fact that the spring element 60 acts on the lever plate 51 at a distance from the pivot axis 52, a lever arm is defined between the pivot axis 52 and the engagement point 54. Together with the pivot axis 52, the attack axes 54, 55 of the linearly acting throttle cable element 60 define a triangle. If the handlebar 10 shown in FIG. 2 is folded in, the engagement axis 54 pivots on the lever plate 51 in a radial movement about the pivot axis 52. The spring element contracts until the axes 52, 54, 55 approximately define a straight line and the spring element 60 is contracted to the maximum. The throttle cable element can be replaced by conventional tension springs or elastic tension elements made of plastic or supported by such. In an unillustrated embodiment of the present invention, the lever plate 51 is installed mirrored about an imaginary ^"line through the axis center points 52-55. The spring element 60 is a gas pressure element and supports the Einklappbewegung the handlebar by a length dimension. The pressure of the spring element, the handlebar lo in the folded-in position (B) as shown in FIG. 1. To open, the folded roller 1 is simply held in a vertical position with one hand on the handle 16 and the footboard is pressed into a horizontal position with one foot against the spring force. as shown in Figure 2, engages on reaching the fully unfolded position, a federkraftbeaufsschlagter circlip 18 in a groove 19 which is disposed in the handlebar 10, and locks the handlebar in the running _position.. a short foot blow to the exposed end 180 of the Safety bracket 18 the lock is released and the scooter can be folded up with the aid of spring force.

In one of the invention, a gas pressure element is installed in a driving device according to FIGS. 1 a and 2, instead of a tension element. This will make the lapping movement of the Spring force supports. The Attack Saxony 54 and 55 and the

Pivot axis 52 each define a triangle in the opened and in the folded positions. During the pivoting movement, however, a vertex is exceeded at which they define a straight line, so that handlebars 10 and

Chassis 20 to each other in both end positions of the

Gas pressure elements are stabilized

In most cases, however, the folding movement must take place against the spring force.

FIGS. 1b and 3 show a further embodiment of the deflection mechanism according to the invention. The spring elements do not act directly on the Eebel plate 51, but the force is transmitted to the spring element via rods 57 and a slide 58 guided in a groove 59 in the chassis 20 or beam. The two spring elements 60 arranged on both sides of the handlebar in accordance with the previously described embodiments, as also shown in FIG. 6, can be replaced by a single central spring element in this embodiment.

At the rear end of the beam, there is an axle bore with an axle (41) which guides at least one wheel (42 ⁾ . A hole is provided in the lower beam above the wheel, which operates a foot pressure brake. At the front of the Unterzuges a steering column is arranged on which a Umlenkachsbüchse and a turntable are attached. Two steering knuckles and a torsion device are arranged on the lower part of the turntable so that the inclined position gives the scooter directional stability in the driving direction. At least two, preferably three wheels connected to an axle are in turn arranged on the steering knuckle. The use of three wheels (32, 32 ^λ , 32 ^λ ) on the front axle increases the driving safety of the scooter significantly. For example, when crossing tram tracks at an acute angle, at least two wheels remain in full contact with the road surface at all times. The steering remains stable throughout and the risk of accidents is drastically reduced.

The steplessly adjustable handlebar 10 is shown in the exemplary embodiments in FIGS. 1a and 1b. The telescopic handlebar 10 consists of a base tube 12 and an extension tube 11, which can be locked in the base tube and carries a handle or grip area 16 at its upper end. In position (A) in FIG. 1 a, the handlebar is pulled out, in position (B) it is shown almost completely pushed together. The two tubular components 11, .12 of the handlebar 10 can be locked to one another in any position. The length or the height of the handlebar can be completely in the sense of one-hand operation of the folding mechanism, also adjust with just one hand. For this purpose, a clamping and unlocking mechanism 15 is arranged on or in the handle 16, which can be actuated with the same hand, which also holds the handle without the handle having to be completely released.

As can be seen from FIGS. 4a and 4b, the one-hand mechanism is arranged in such a way that a tensioning drum 151 can be pretensioned in axial movement by means of a tensioning spring 153 and locked at a stop 155 with a locking or tensioning bracket 15. By actuating the unlocking bracket 17, the locking is released. A pull rod 14 engages on the tensioning drum 151, by means of which a clamping mechanism 70 attached to the lower end of the extension tube 11 can be actuated. The clamping mechanism 70 is shown in FIG. 5. If the pull rod 14 is moved upward, the clamping cone 71 seated at the lower end of the pull rod is pulled upward against the lower end of tube 11 and thereby clamps the two telescopic tubes 11 and 12 of the handlebar 10 together. The release of the jam during the downward movement of the pull rod 14 is supported by the release spring 73. The two telescopic rods 11, 12, which are longitudinally displaceable relative to one another, are secured against radial rotation by a tongue and groove construction, not shown. The risk of twisting does not exist with rods that are not circular Have cross-section.

Depending on the size of the user, the handlebar 10 will be more or less extended in the driving position (A). Height adjustments are possible at any time with one hand. The clamping can be released by operating the locking bracket 17, the handlebar extension 11 can be set to the desired height and locked in this position by operating the locking lever 15. If the scooter 1 is folded, the handlebar can also be pushed together with one hand - to a minimum length.

If necessary, for example when getting on buses, trams, lifts or when arriving at the office, the locking stop 155 can be released by actuating the release bracket 17 and the tensioning drum 151 quickly returns to the starting position. At the same time, the spring-loaded safety bracket 18 can be unlocked from the groove 19 with a light kick against the bracket end 180. The spring-assisted pivoting movement is initiated by a brief tilting movement of the now pivotable steering rod 10. The chassis with the footboard 25 fold up to the handlebar 10 in an approximately vertical position and then or simultaneously the handlebar 10 is pushed together and the two tubes 11, 12 are clamped together again by actuating the clamping bracket 15. Is located

- ιo - preferably only the front wheel or the front wheels on the ground.

The folded scooter with inserted handlebar is now ready for transport. Since the scooter is predominantly made of lightweight materials and, when folded and shortened, is no bigger than a carrier bag, it can easily be taken anywhere.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, which is not shown in the drawings, the handlebar is pressed in a retracted position by the spring force onto a Fussbre se 80. The foot brake 80 locks the rear wheel through the pressure from above. If the scooter is parked on sloping ground when folded, rolling is prevented.

Claims

claims

1. driving device (1) such as a roller board, scooter or the like with a handlebar (10), a chassis (20) with footboard (25) each with a front (30) and a rear drive (40), each having at least one wheel , wherein the handlebar (10) is arranged so as to be pivotable relative to the chassis (20) and can be pivoted back and forth in relation to the chassis (20) between a first opened travel position and a second folded transport position, characterized in that at least one spring element (60) with respect to the pivoting movement (S) exerts a spring force on the handlebar (10) and the chassis (20).

2. Driving device according to claim 1, characterized in that the handlebar (10) and chassis (20) are pivotally connected to one another via a deflection device (50), the at least one spring element

(60) engages the deflection device (50).

3. Driving device according to claim 2, characterized in that the deflection device (50) at least one at the Handlebar (10) has fixed lever element (51), on which the spring element (60) engages.

4. Driving device according to claim 3, characterized in that the lever element comprises two lever plates (51, 51 ^λ ) arranged on both sides of the handlebar base, which are pivotally connected to the chassis (20) via a pivot axis (52) and each have at least one spring element (60 , 60) acts on the lever plates (51, 51) at a distance from the axis (52), so that a lever arm is defined between the axis (52) and the point of engagement (54).

5. Driving device according to claim 4, characterized in that the spring elements (60, 60) are linearly acting gas pressure elements which are pivotally movable at a front end on an attack axis (54) and pivotally movable at a rear end on an engagement axis (55) on the chassis are arranged, so that's the

Attack axes (54, 55) and the swivel axis (52) define a triangle.

6. Driving device according to claim 5, characterized in that the attack axes (54, 55) and the pivot axis (52) define a triangle in the opened and in the folded positions during the pivoting movement however, define a straight line at an apex so that the steering rod (10) and chassis (20) are stabilized by the gas pressure elements in both end positions.

7. Driving device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spring element supports the retracting movement and counteracts the unfolding movement.

8. Driving device according to claim 1, characterized in that the handlebar (10) is releasably lockable in the unfolded driving position relative to the chassis (20).

9. Driving device according to claim 8, characterized in that for locking the handlebar (10) on the chassis pivotally-arranged securing bracket (18) engages in a groove (19) which is arranged in the handlebar base (12), and the securing bracket ( 18) can be removed from the groove (19) by a foot-operated lever (180).

10. The driving device according to claim 3, characterized in that the lever element comprises two lever plates (51, 51) which are arranged on both sides of the handlebar base and which can be pivoted about the pivot axis (53) Chassis (20) are connected and at least one deflecting rod (57) spaced from the axis (52) engages on the lever plates (51, 51 ^λ ), so that a lever arm is defined between the axis (52) and the point of application (54).

11. Driving device according to claim 10, characterized in that the deflecting rods (57) at their opposite end

(55) are connected to at least one linearly acting spring element (60) arranged in the chassis (20) by means of a slide (58) which is displaceably guided in a longitudinal groove (59), so that the attack axes

(54, 55) and the pivot axis (52) define a triangle.

12. Driving device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the handlebar (10) in the

'' folded position presses on a rear wheel brake (80) and thereby brakes the rear wheel and the driving device is secured against rolling away.

13. Driving device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the steplessly adjustable handlebar (10) telescopically extendable base tube (12) and extension tube (11), which carries on his outer n-nαe a hand grirr or outside area (16).

14. Driving device according to claim 13, characterized in that a tensioning and unlocking mechanism (15, 17) is arranged on or in the handle (16), which is spaced from the handle (16) at the base of the tube via a pull rod (14) (11) arranged clamping device (70) actuated.

15. Driving device according to claim 14, characterized in that the pull rod (14) is seated at the lower end of a clamping cone (73) which can be moved upward into a clamping position against the force of a release spring (73) with the pull rod (14) he partially pulled into the lower end of tube (11), the two telescopic tubes 11 and 12 of the handlebar 10 jammed together.

16. Driving device according to claim 13, characterized in that a tongue and groove construction secures the two longitudinally displaceable telescopic rods (11, 12) against radial rotation.