CN101224755A - stroller - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a baby carriage, which improves the stability and operability of the vehicle body during operation. When the distance between the front wheel (10) and the rear wheel (11) in the front-rear direction when viewing the vehicle body from the vehicle width direction is Xa, the distance between the back seat intersection point (Ci) of the seat (3) and the axis of the rear wheel is The distance in the direction is set as Xb, the center (Cg) of the handle portion (17b) of the handle (17) used for hand-push operation and the distance in the front and rear direction of the rear wheel axis (Aw) are set as Xc, and the intersection of the back seat ( When the height of Ci) is Za and the height of the center (Cg) of the handle (17b) is Zb, the distance Xa is set to less than 2Xc, the distance Xb is set to a range of 0.4Xc to 0.6Xc, and The height Za is set to be less than 0.32Zb.

Description

stroller

technical field

The present invention relates to a baby carriage which improves the stability and operability during operation of the body, especially during turning operation, and a locking mechanism of the baby carriage with a foldable body.

Background technique

There is known a stroller which has an inverted U-shaped hand push frame for pushing and operating the body of the body by hand, and operating components such as a folding mechanism for the body are arranged in the center of the upper end of the hand push frame (for example, refer to the patent document 1). However, the influence of vehicle body size, such as the relationship between the seating position of an infant and the handle position, on the operability, stability, and the like of the vehicle body has not been sufficiently studied.

In addition, there is provided a stroller in which a body can be deformed between a use state and a folded state by operating a link mechanism of the body. Such a stroller is usually provided with a locking mechanism for restricting the vehicle body to a state of use. As this locking mechanism, there is known a mechanism in which, for example, a locking member is disposed on the outer periphery of the lower end portion of the hand push frame of the vehicle body, and the locking member is engaged with a notch-shaped receiving portion of a locking receiving member provided on a bracket on the rear leg. , to prevent the relative rotation between the bracket and the hand-push frame (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-37050

In conventional strollers, when the body is turned or changed direction with a child on it, the force that should be applied to the handle increases, and the body may not turn smoothly when the handle is held with one hand. . On the contrary, even if it is to be operated with one hand, since the operation member is provided in the center of the handle, it is difficult to hold it, and thus a sufficient force cannot be applied to the handle.

Contents of the invention

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a stroller with improved stability and operability during handling of the vehicle body.

In addition, in the conventional lock mechanism described above, the lock member and the receiving portion (engaging portion that engages with the lock member) of the lock member and the lock receiving member are exposed to the outside of the vehicle body. Therefore, the operation of the lock mechanism may be damaged due to an external factor such as sewn matter of the seat, foreign matter, etc. gnawing between the lock member and the lock receiving member.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a locking mechanism for a stroller that can ensure smooth movement while suppressing the influence of external factors.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a stroller (1) in which the distance between the front wheel (10) and the rear wheel (11) in the front-rear direction when viewing the vehicle body (2) from the vehicle width direction is Xa, and The distance between the back seat intersection point (Ci) of the seat (3) and the rear wheel axis (Aw) in the front-rear direction is set as Xb, and the center (Cg) of the handle (17b) of the handle (17) used for hand-push operation is When the distance of the wheel axis in the front-rear direction is Xc, the height of the intersection point of the back seat is Za, and the height of the center of the handle is Zb, the distance Xa is set to be less than 2Xc, and the distance Xb is set to 0.4Xc to 0.6 In the range of Xc, the height Za is set to be less than 0.32Zb.

According to the stroller of the present invention, by setting the distance Xa to be less than 2Xc, it is possible to eliminate the fear of an excessive increase in the operating force to be applied to the handle portion when turning the vehicle body. By setting the distance Xb in the range of 0.4Xc to 0.6Xc, the rearward inclination of the vehicle body can be suppressed, and the operating force to be applied to the handle portion when turning the vehicle body can be maintained within an appropriate range. Furthermore, by setting the height Za to be less than 0.32Zb, the stability of the vehicle body can be maintained within an appropriate range. It should be noted that the back-seat intersection point of the seat means a point represented by the position of the center of gravity of the child's weight acting on the seat, and this point is the cushioning portion along the seat when the vehicle body is viewed from the direction of the rear wheel axis. The point where the extension line pulled out from the surface of the seat intersects with the extension line pulled out along the surface of the backrest of the seat.

In the stroller of the present invention, it is also possible that the front wheels are installed on the front feet (4) via casters (101), and can rotate around the rotation center line of the casters. In addition, the stroller of the present invention may be configured as a three-wheeled stroller in which a single front wheel (10) is provided at the center in the vehicle width direction and a pair of rear wheels (11) are provided at both sides in the vehicle width direction.

In the stroller of the present invention, a pair of backrest frames (15) may be provided on the vehicle body to support the seat back portion (13) of the seat from both sides in the vehicle width direction. An operation part (16) having an operation part (86, 92, 93) for operation by the user is arranged between the backrest frames, the handle and the backrest frame are constituted as separate parts, and the handle is mounted on the backrest frame Above, the handle portion is set on the handle, and is set at a position away from the backrest frame and the operation portion. According to this aspect, by providing the handle portion at a position away from any of the backrest frame and the operation portion disposed therebetween, the user can easily hold the handle without obstructing the backrest frame and the operation members of the operation portion. Position setting handle. Accordingly, the user can reliably hold the handle regardless of whether it is with two hands or with one hand when performing a turning operation of the vehicle body, and can easily apply a force required for the operation to the handle. In addition, the handle portion may be located at the center in the vehicle width direction. Thereby, in particular, the operability when holding the handle portion with one hand and turning the vehicle body can be improved.

In addition, the baby carriage of the above aspect may be provided with a handle folding mechanism (82) that changes the inclination of the handle when the vehicle body is viewed from the vehicle width direction, and the handle folding mechanism An operation member (86) for inclination adjustment for operating to change the inclination is provided, and the operation member is disposed on the operation portion. According to this aspect, since the inclination of the handle can be adjusted, the handle portion of the handle can be arranged at a position corresponding to the user's own height and preference. Since the operation member for tilt adjustment is arranged on the operation part, it does not cause an obstacle when holding the handle part. In addition, the above-mentioned relationship between the distances Xa to Xc and the relationship between the heights Za and Zb should only be satisfied for at least a part of the inclination adjustment range of the handle.

It may also be that when the handle folding mechanism is provided, a housing (80) is provided on the operating part, and a pair of mounting parts (17a) are provided on the handle, so that the pair of mounting parts (17a) are mounted on the vehicle. The housing is separated in the width direction, and the respective upper ends of the pair of backrest frames pass through the mounting portion of the handle and are inserted into the housing. The handle folding mechanism has: fixed in the housing ring gear (83); inside the installation part, to be able to slide between the position of meshing with the ring gear and the position of disengaging with the ring gear, and to be able to rotate around the backrest frame a sliding gear (84) arranged on the backrest frame; and a slider (86) arranged on the outer periphery of the installation part, passing through the installation part, and being able to slide integrally with the sliding gear and rotatably combined, The slider functions as an operation member for the tilt adjustment. According to this aspect, the slider disposed on the outer periphery of the mounting portion of the handle is operated to release the engagement of the sliding gear and the ring gear, and in this state, by rotating the slider, the mounting portion, and the sliding gear around the backrest frame, it is possible to Change the tilt of the handle. By returning the sliding gear to the position where it meshes with the ring gear, the rotation around the mounting portion of the backrest frame can be prevented, so that the inclination of the handle can be kept in a constant state.

As described above, according to the stroller of the present invention, by setting the distances Xa to Xc and the heights Za, Zb of the parts of the body as described above, the stability of the body can be maintained in an appropriate range, and the By suppressing the operating force to be applied to the handle portion when turning the vehicle body within an appropriate range, the stability and operability during operation of the vehicle body, especially during turning operation, can be improved.

In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a locking mechanism of a baby carriage, which is applied to a baby carriage (201) in which the body can be deformed between a use state and a folded state by operating a link mechanism of the body (202). ), constraining the vehicle body in the use state, wherein the locking mechanism of the stroller includes: a locking member (241), which is rotatably arranged around a predetermined fulcrum (231) and constitutes the link mechanism Any link member (213) of a pair of link members (206, 213) can integrally rotate around the fulcrum, and can be in a locked position protruding toward the other link member (206). , and the release position moved back to a direction farther away from the other link member than the locked position is supported by the one link member; a lock receiving member (224), which can be connected to the The other connecting rod part integrally rotates around the fulcrum, and has a receiving part (228b) at the position opposite to the locking part in the use state, and the receiving part passes through the locking part toward the locking position. move, engaging with the locking member in such a way that it cannot be relatively displaced around the fulcrum, and release the engagement with the locking member by moving the locking member to the release position; the cover device (213, 230), which Covering the locking member and the receiving portion of the locking receiving member from the outside of the vehicle body; a switching device (250) that sets the locking member between the locking position and the unlocking position to switch between.

In the locking mechanism of the present invention, when the vehicle body is changed from the folded state to the use state, the locking member supported by one link member protrudes to the same position as A position where the receiving portion of the lock receiving member provided on the other link member side faces. By switching the position of the lock member from the unlocked position to the locked position by the switching device in this state, the lock member engages with the receiving portion of the lock receiving member, thereby preventing rotational movement around the fulcrum of the lock member and the lock receiving member. The lock member is rotatable integrally with one link member, and the lock receiving member is rotatable integrally with the other link member. Therefore, by restricting the lock member and the lock receiving member so that they cannot rotate relative to each other around the fulcrum, a pair of links The parts cannot rotate relative to each other about the fulcrum. As a result, the link mechanism of the vehicle body cannot operate, and the vehicle body is limited to the use state. When folding the vehicle body, it is only necessary to switch the position of the locking part to the release position. Moreover, in the locking mechanism of the present invention, since the receiving parts of the locking member and the locking receiving member are respectively covered by the cover device from the outside of the vehicle body, it is possible to eliminate or reduce external factors such as foreign matters biting into the surroundings of the locking member or in the receiving part. Concerns about compromising the action of the locking mechanism due to the influence of Thereby, smooth operation|movement of a lock mechanism can be ensured.

In one aspect of the lock mechanism of the present invention, a hollow portion (213) may be provided at the end of the one link member on the side of the fulcrum, and the lock member may be slidably accommodated in the In the hollow portion, the hollow portion functions as a cover means covering the locking member, and when in the locked position, a part of the locking member protrudes from the hollow portion to contact with the receiving portion of the locking receiving member. engage. Accordingly, the locking member can be accommodated in the hollow portion of a link member, and the sliding portion of the locking member can be protected from external factors such as biting of foreign matter.

In addition, in the above aspect, the hollow portion may be formed using a pipe material, and slide guides (241e, 246) may be provided between the locking member and the inner periphery of the hollow portion. In this case, the slide guide (246) may be formed in a substantially cylindrical shape for accommodating the locking member. By providing the slide guide in this way, the lock member can be smoothly slid regardless of the state of the inner peripheral surface of the pipe used for the one link member.

In the form in which the locking member is accommodated in the hollow portion of one link member, a guide shaft portion (228) arranged coaxially with the fulcrum may be provided at the end of the other link member on the side of the fulcrum. ) as the lock receiving member, and the receiving portion (228b) is provided on the outer periphery of the guide shaft at a position opposite to the locking member when in the use state. A lock cover (226) that is connected to the link connecting member rotatably around the fulcrum is installed on the outer periphery of the hollow portion of the one link member, and a housing portion (226) is provided on the lock cover ( 230), the case portion functions as a cover device that covers the receiving portion by being fitted to the guide shaft portion from the outside.

According to the above aspect, the one link member and the other link member are rotatably connected about the fulcrum via the lock cover and the link connecting member. When the vehicle body is deformed, the hollow portion of a link member is relatively rotated around the guide shaft portion with the lock member accommodated therein, and in the use state, the lock member accommodated in the hollow portion protrudes to the guide shaft The position on the part opposite to the receiving part. Since the lock cover is attached to the outer periphery of the hollow portion of the link member, it rotates around the fulcrum integrally with the lock member. Also, the housing portion of the lock cover covers the receiving portion from the outside while rotating around the guide shaft portion. Thereby, the cover device which covers the receiving part of a lock member and a lock receiving member from the exterior of a vehicle body is realized. Since the cover device covering the lock receiving member and its receiving portion is constituted by the link connecting member for connecting the pair of link members and the lock cover, the main parts of the locking mechanism can be gathered compactly around the fulcrum.

In one aspect of the lock mechanism of the present invention, the lock receiving member may not only be at a position facing the lock member in the use state, but may also be in the folded state. The receiving portion (228c) is provided at a position opposite to the locking member. According to this aspect, not only in the use state but also when the vehicle body is set to be folded, the locking member can be engaged with the receiving portion to restrict the vehicle body to the folded state.

In the present invention, the pair of link members can be appropriately selected from a plurality of link members included in the link mechanism of the vehicle body so as to be rotatable about a predetermined fulcrum. In a preferred aspect, the one link member is a backrest frame (213) supporting a backrest portion of a seat, and the other link member is a seat frame (206) supporting a cushion portion of the seat.

As explained above, in the link mechanism of the stroller of the present invention, since the receiving part of the locking member and the locking receiving member is covered from the outside of the vehicle body with the cover device, it is possible to eliminate or reduce the possibility of foreign objects biting into the surroundings of the locking member or being subjected to damage. There is concern that the operation of the locking mechanism will be damaged due to the influence of internal and external factors. Thereby, smooth operation|movement of a lock mechanism can be ensured.

In addition, in the above description, in order to facilitate the understanding of the invention, the reference signs of the drawings are attached in parentheses, and thus the present invention is not limited to the illustrated forms.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a stroller according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a configuration in a use state on one side in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) of the vehicle body;

Fig. 3 is a side view when the vehicle body is deformed to a folded state;

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing how the vehicle body is changed from the use state to the folded state in a plurality of stages;

Fig. 5 is a simplified mechanism diagram of the first link mechanism;

6A is a side view showing the relationship between the front foot and the rear foot when the vehicle body is in use;

Fig. 6B is a view showing the state of the left and right rear feet when the vehicle body is in use, looking down on the longitudinal direction of the front leg frame;

7A is a side view showing the relationship between the front foot and the rear foot when the vehicle body is in a folded state;

Fig. 7B is a view showing the state of the left and right rear legs when the vehicle body is in the folded state, as viewed from the longitudinal direction of the front leg frame;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of the connecting rod;

Figure 9 is an enlarged view of the ball joint;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the state of the ball joint viewed from below;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view along line XI-XI in Fig. 9;

Fig. 12 is a figure corresponding to Fig. 9 with the state of omitting the spherical shell;

13 is a perspective view showing a ball joint cap of the ball joint viewed from below;

Fig. 14 is a sectional view corresponding to Fig. 11 with the spherical shell omitted;

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a spherical shell;

Figure 16 is a sectional view of the universal joint;

Fig. 17 is a perspective view showing a locked state of a second lock mechanism of a form;

Fig. 18 is a perspective view showing a released state of a secondary locking mechanism of one form;

Fig. 19 is a perspective view showing a locked state of another secondary locking mechanism;

Fig. 20 is a perspective view showing a released state of another secondary locking mechanism;

Fig. 21 is a perspective view showing a state of the rear wheel bracket viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction;

Fig. 22 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the rear wheel bracket;

Fig. 23 is an enlarged view showing the structure near the fulcrum of the seat frame and the backrest frame in the first link mechanism;

24 is a diagram showing the main locking mechanism when the vehicle body is in use and the rotation between the seat frame and the backrest frame is restricted;

Fig. 25 is a diagram showing a state in which the locking member is operated to the release position from Fig. 24;

Fig. 26 is a diagram showing the main locking mechanism in the middle of rotating the seat frame and the backrest frame between the use state and the folded state;

27 is a diagram showing the main locking mechanism when the vehicle body is in a folded state and the rotation between the seat frame and the backrest frame is restricted;

Fig. 28 is a perspective view of an enlarged representation of the operating portion and the handle provided on the upper end of the hand-push frame;

Fig. 29 is a vertical sectional view showing the internal structure of the handle mounting portion;

Fig. 30 is a horizontal sectional view showing the internal structure of the handle mounting part;

Fig. 31 is a perspective view showing the main part of the handle folding mechanism;

Fig. 32 is a perspective view showing the inside of the mounting part, omitting the backrest frame;

Fig. 33 is a diagram showing how the slider and the sliding gear of the handle folding mechanism are attached to the handle mounting part;

Fig. 34 is a perspective view showing a state in which the slider and the sliding gear of the handle folding mechanism are combined;

Fig. 35 is a diagram showing a state after disengaging the ring gear and the slide gear;

Fig. 36A is a diagram showing a state in which the handle is laid down approximately horizontally;

Fig. 36B is a diagram showing how the handle is folded up and down;

Fig. 37 is a diagram showing a remote operation mechanism provided on the operation part of the hand push frame;

Fig. 38 is the figure that front foot and front wheel are enlarged and represented;

Fig. 39 is to pull down footrest (leg rest) to represent the figure of front foot and front wheel;

Figure 40 is an exploded perspective view of a caster;

Fig. 41 is the right side view of caster cage;

Figure 42 is the bottom view of the caster cage;

Fig. 43 is the right side view of caster main body;

Fig. 44 is the top view of caster main body;

Figure 45 is a right side view of the slider;

Figure 46 is a rear view of the slider;

Figure 47 is a top view of the slider;

Fig. 48 is a diagram showing the state of the caster when rotation of the front wheel is allowed;

Fig. 49 is a diagram showing the state of the caster when the rotation of the front wheel is prevented;

Fig. 50 is a diagram showing the dimensions of each part of the vehicle body;

Fig. 51 is a side view of a stroller with a locking mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 52 is an enlarged state view of the connecting mechanism for connecting the seat frame and the backrest frame to the rear legs from the inside of the vehicle body;

Fig. 53 is a diagram showing a state in which the connecting mechanism is viewed from the direction of arrow III in Fig. 52;

Fig. 54 is a perspective view of the connecting mechanism viewed from the front outside of the vehicle body;

Fig. 55 is a perspective view of the connecting mechanism viewed from the rear inside of the vehicle body;

Fig. 56 is an enlarged view showing a state in which the connecting portion of the seat frame and the backrest frame is viewed from the outside in the left-right direction of the vehicle body;

Fig. 57 is an enlarged view showing a state in which the connecting portion of the seat frame and the backrest frame is viewed from the inside in the left-right direction of the vehicle body;

Fig. 58 is a diagram showing the composition of the connecting part of the seat frame and the backrest frame, omitting the lock cover (lock cover);

Fig. 59 is a sectional view along line IX-IX in Fig. 56;

Figure 60 is a perspective view showing the structure of the upper end of the hand-push frame;

Fig. 61 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the operating mechanism provided on the handle;

Fig. 62 is a diagram showing how the lock member is moved from the state of Fig. 58 to the release position;

Fig. 63 is a diagram showing a state in the middle of folding the vehicle body from the state of Fig. 62;

Fig. 64 is a diagram showing the state of the locking mechanism when the vehicle body is folded;

FIG. 65 is a diagram showing a modified example of FIG. 59;

FIG. 66 is a diagram showing another modified example of FIG. 59;

Fig. 67 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the lower end portion of the back frame corresponding to Fig. 66 .

Detailed ways

first embodiment

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a stroller according to a first embodiment of the present invention. First, the overall structure of the stroller 1 will be described. The stroller 1 includes a body 2 and a seat 3 supported by the body 2 . The body 2 has a front leg 4 , a pair of rear legs (only one side is shown in FIG. 1 ) 5 , a pair of armrests 6 , a pair of seat frames 7 , and a push frame 8 . The front foot 4 has a pair of front foot frames 9 . The front leg frames 9 are formed using hollow pipes, and their lower ends converge at the center in the left-right direction (sometimes referred to as the vehicle width direction) of the vehicle body 2, and the front wheels 10 are attached to the lower ends. Rear wheels 11 are attached to respective lower ends of the rear legs 5 . The front wheel 10 has a structure in which a pair of tires 10a are coaxially connected by an axle 10b. The distance between the tires 10 a in the axle direction is much smaller than the distance between the rear wheels 11 . Thus, the front wheel 10 is substantially constituted as a single wheel. That is, the stroller 1 is configured as a three-wheeled stroller including a single front wheel 10 and a pair of rear wheels 11 . The front wheel 10 is rotatable about an axis in the vertical direction, and its detailed structure will be described later.

The seat 3 includes a seat cushion portion 12 and a seat back portion 13 . The seat cushion portion 12 and the seat back portion 13 have a structure in which a resin substrate (seat plate or back plate) serving as a core material is covered with a shock absorbing pad, a skin material, or the like. The respective substrates of the seat cushion portion 12 and the seat back portion 13 are configured as different members, and are rotatably connected to each other by the hinge portion 14 . The axis of the hinge portion 14 faces the left-right direction of the vehicle body 2 . The seat cushion portion 12 is supported from below by seat stays (not shown) erected between the left and right seat frames 7 . On the other hand, the seat back portion 13 is supported on both sides in the left and right direction by the left and right back frames 15 constituting a part of the hand pushing frame 8 . The back frame 15 is made of a hollow pipe along its entire length. The hand push frame 8 includes not only the above-mentioned back frame 15 but also an operation portion 16 arranged between the upper ends of the back frame 15 and a handle 17 attached to the operation portion 16 . A resin foot rest 18 is attached between the front leg frame 9 of the front leg 4 . In addition, the baby carriage 1 is provided with accessories such as a visor, but their illustrations are omitted. Next, each part of the stroller 1 will be described in detail in order.

(Link Mechanism of Vehicle Body) First, a link mechanism for deforming the vehicle body 2 will be described. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of one side in the left-right direction (width direction) of the vehicle body 2 . In addition, the opposite side also has the same structure. The left-right direction in FIG. 2 corresponds to the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 2 , the direction perpendicular to the page corresponds to the left-right direction (sometimes referred to as the vehicle width direction), and the left side in FIG. 1 corresponds to the front of the vehicle body 2 . The up-down direction of the vehicle body 2 is consistent with the up-down direction in FIG. 1 . 2, the front end of the armrest 6 is rotatably connected to the upper end of the front leg frame 9 around the fulcrum Pa, and the rear end of the armrest 6 is rotatably connected to the backrest frame 15 via the fulcrum Pb. A seat frame bracket 22 is fixed in the middle of the front leg frame 9, and the seat frame bracket 22 is rotatably connected to the front end of the seat frame 7 around a fulcrum Pc. The rear end of the seat frame 7 is rotatably connected to a link connecting member 23 fixed to the lower end of the back frame 15 around a fulcrum Pd. Accordingly, substantially parallelogram-shaped first link mechanisms L1 are formed on both sides of the vehicle body 2 . By operating the first link mechanism L1, the vehicle body 2 can be deformed between the use state shown in FIG. 2 and the folded state shown in FIG. 3 . It should be noted that in FIG. 3 , the shade Hd attached to the backrest frame 15 is also in a folded state. FIG. 4 shows how the vehicle body 2 is changed from the use state to the folded state in a plurality of steps. In addition, FIG. 5 is a simplified mechanism diagram of the first link mechanism L1. It should be noted that in FIG. 5 , the solid line represents the first link mechanism L1 in the use state, and the imaginary line represents the first link mechanism L1 in the folded state. For the convenience of illustration, the position of the front leg frame 9 does not change between the two states.

As can be seen from Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, the first link mechanism L1 acts as follows, as the vehicle body 2 changes from the use state to the folded state, the seat 3 is folded around the hinge portion 14 (refer to Fig. 1 ), and the The backrest frame 15 of the hand pushing frame 8 moves downward substantially in parallel. In conjunction with the folding operation of the first link mechanism L1 , the rear legs 5 and the rear wheels 11 are displaced to the front legs 4 . The movement of the rear foot 5 is realized by the second link mechanism L2 described later.

6A is a side view showing the relationship between the front legs 4 and the rear legs 5 when the body 2 is in use, and FIG. 7A is a side view showing the relationship between the front legs 4 and the rear legs 5 when the body 2 is in the folded state. As shown in these figures, the rear leg 5 includes an upper arm 25 and a lower arm 26 as a pair of rear leg arms. The upper arm 25 and the lower arm 26 are arranged substantially parallel to each other, and function as link members constituting the second link mechanism L2. The upper and lower arms 25, 26 are rotatably connected to the rear foot bracket 27 centering on the fulcrums Qa, Qb at their front ends, and rotatably connected to the rear wheel bracket 28 centering on the fulcrum pins Qc, Qd at the rear end. link. A substantially parallelogram-shaped second link mechanism L2 is formed by these upper and lower arms 25 , 26 , rear foot bracket 27 , and rear wheel bracket 28 . To make the first link mechanism L1 and the second link mechanism L2 cooperate, the seat frame 7 of the first link mechanism L1 and the upper arm 25 of the second link mechanism L2 are connected to each other via a connecting rod 30 . By operating the first link mechanism L1, the movement of the seat frame 7 is transmitted to the upper arm 25 via the connecting rod 30, and the second link mechanism L2 is operated.

6B is a state diagram showing the left and right rear feet 5 when the vehicle body 2 is in the use state when looking down on the longitudinal direction of the front leg frame 9, and FIG. state diagram. As can be seen from these figures, the rear foot bracket 27 is installed on the rear foot stays 31 erected between the front foot frames 9 . The rear leg stay 31 is fixed to the front leg frame 9 with a fastener 32 such as a rivet (see FIGS. 6A and 7A ). Accordingly, the rear foot bracket 27 cannot be relatively displaced with respect to the front foot 4 . The rear foot tray 27 is arranged bilaterally symmetrically with respect to the center line CL in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 2 (a line dividing the vehicle body 2 into equal parts in the vehicle width direction). The rotation center line Aq of the upper and lower arms 25, 26 (only the upper arm 25 is shown in FIGS. 6B and 7B ) with respect to the rear foot bracket 27 is inclined obliquely with respect to the vehicle width direction, so that the outer side is more inclined than the inner side in the vehicle width direction. The front and top of the vehicle body 2 are inclined. The rotation center line Aq is the center line when the upper and lower arms 25, 26 are rotated about the fulcrums Qa, Qb.

By inclining the rotation center line Aq in this way, the rear leg 5 extends obliquely outward in the vehicle width direction from the rear leg bracket 27 . Accordingly, the distance in the vehicle width direction (direction of the rear wheel axis line Aw) of the rear wheels 11 is greater than the distance between the rear foot brackets 27 in the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, the distance between the rear wheels 11 decreases as the rear legs 5 approach the front leg frame 9 side around the rotation center line Aq. Therefore, the distance between the rear wheels 11 has a maximum value Da ( FIG. 6B ) when the vehicle body 2 is in use, and a minimum value Dd ( FIG. 7B ) when the vehicle body 2 is in a folded state. Thus, in the folded state, the rear wheels 11 are pulled inward in the vehicle width direction, and the vehicle body 2 can be compactly assembled in the vehicle width direction. It should be noted that even if the rear legs 5 are inclined obliquely with respect to the front-rear direction centerline CL, the axles 11a of the rear wheels 11 can be supported parallel to the vehicle width direction by the rear wheel brackets 28 in use. Since the second link mechanism L2 is configured as a substantially parallelogram-shaped link mechanism, even when the vehicle body 2 is folded, the axles 11a of the rear wheels 11 are supported parallel to the vehicle width direction. Therefore, not only in the use state but also in the folded state, the baby carriage 1 can be transported while being pushed by the front wheels 10 and the rear wheels 11 . It should be noted that, as long as the movement of the rear wheels 11 is not hindered, the axle 11 a of the rear wheels 11 may be slightly inclined with respect to the vehicle width direction. In the present embodiment, since the back frame 15 is moved substantially in parallel to switch between the use state and the folded state, the handle 17 can be maintained at a high position even in the folded state. Therefore, the user can deform the vehicle body 2 by operating the push frame 8 while standing. That is, an unnatural posture such as squatting is not imposed on the user. Even in the folded state, the baby carriage 1 can be pushed and transported by holding the handle 17 .

It should be noted that the link members are rotatably connected to each other by various connection devices other than pins at the fulcrums Pa to Pd of the first link mechanism L1 and the fulcrums Qa to Qd of the second link mechanism L2. .

(Connection rod and its connection structure) Next, the connection rod 30 and the structure for connecting it are demonstrated. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of the connecting rod 30 . As mentioned above, the connecting rod 30 connects the seat frame 7 and the upper arm 25 of the rear leg 5, but since the rotation center line of the seat frame 7 is parallel to the vehicle width direction, the rotation center line of the upper arm 25 is inclined as above. Between the connecting rod 30 and the connecting point of the seat frame 7 and the upper arm 25, relative displacement occurs not only in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction of the vehicle body 2 but also in the vehicle width direction. In order to allow such relative displacement in the three-axis directions, a universal joint is provided between the connecting rod 30 and the seat frame 7 and the upper arm 25 . That is, the connecting rod 30 and the seat frame 7 are connected via the ball joint 35 , and the connecting rod 30 and the upper arm 25 are connected via the universal joint 36 .

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the ball joint 35 , FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the ball joint 35 viewed from below, and FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view along line XI-XI in FIG. 9 . As shown in these figures, the ball joint 35 includes a base 37 fixed to the seat frame 7 , a spherical case 38 covering the base 37 , and a ball 39 built in the spherical case 38 . As also shown in FIGS. 12 to 14 , a top flange 37 a, a mounting hole 37 b through which the seat frame 7 passes, and a ball joint cap 37 c are provided on the base 37 . A spherically curved guide surface 37d is formed at the lower end of the ball joint cap 37c. As shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 15 , a cylindrical portion 38 a fitted on the outer periphery of the ball joint cap 37 c is provided on the spherical case 38 , and a curved spherical shape is formed on the inner periphery of the lower end side of the cylindrical portion 38 a. The guide surface 38b. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 14 , the ball 39 is coaxially fixed to the shaft end portion of the connecting rod 30 with a dish head screw 40 .

In order to connect the connecting rod 30 to the seat frame 7 using the ball joint 35 , first, the ball 39 is fixed to the connecting rod 30 . At this stage, the spherical case 38 is passed through the connecting rod 30 in advance. And, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 , the ball 39 is brought into contact with the guide surface 37d of the ball joint cap 37c. Next, the ball case 38 is fitted to the outer periphery of the ball joint cap 37c. Then, the rivet 41 is driven to penetrate the base 37 and the seat frame 7 from one side of the ball joint cap 37c, and the front end of the rivet 41 is passed to the opposite side of the spherical case 38 for caulking. Thereby, the connecting rod 30 and the seat frame 7 are connected with the ball 39 sandwiched between the guide surfaces 37d and 38b. By sliding the ball 39 along the guide surfaces 37d and 38b, the connecting rod 30 can be freely displaced around the center point of the ball 39 .

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the universal joint 36 for connecting the connecting rod 30 and the upper arm 25 . The universal joint 36 has a U-shaped first link 44 rotatably attached to the upper arm 25 via a pin 43 , and a second link 45 disposed inside the first link 44 . The connecting rod 30 is arranged coaxially with the pin 43 inside the second connecting member 45 . A cover 46 is covered on the outer side of the first connecting member 44 , and the cover 46 , the second connecting member 45 , and the connecting rod 30 are connected to each other by a pin 47 . The second connecting part 45 and the connecting rod 30 are free to rotate around the pin 47 relative to the first connecting part 44 , and the first connecting part 44 is free to rotate around the pin 43 relative to the upper arm 25 . Therefore, the connecting rod 30 is freely displaceable with respect to the upper arm 25 around the axes of the two pins 43 and 47 . It should be noted that, as shown in FIG. 8 , the universal joint 36 is attached to the surface of the upper arm 25 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction.

As mentioned above, by providing the ball joint 35 and the universal joint 36 between the two ends of the connecting rod 30 and the seat frame 7 and the upper arm 25, the gap between the connecting rod 30 and the connecting points of the two frames 7, 25 can be tolerated. The displacement in the three-axis directions can smoothly transmit the link action from the seat frame 7 to the upper arm 25 . In addition, since the ball joint 35 has a simple structure in which the ball 39 is sandwiched between the ball joint cap 37c of the base 37 and the ball case 38, the sliding parts between the parts converge only on the ball 39 and the guide surface. 37d, 37b, so the number of components can be reduced, which is beneficial to miniaturization and weight reduction. By consolidating the sliding parts, the movement of the connecting rod 30 is also smooth. By forming the ball joint cap 37c from a soft material, it is also possible to give the ball joint 35 a shock-relieving function. In addition, since the ball 39 is connected to the connecting rod 30 by penetrating the ball 39 with the head screw 40, it is easy to increase the diameter of the head screw 40, and it is easy to give the ball joint 35 a strength capable of withstanding the folding action of the vehicle body 2. . In this embodiment, the combination of the connecting rod 30, the ball joint 35, and the universal joint 36 corresponds to a link connecting device. In addition, the ball joint 35 may be arranged on the upper arm 25 side, and the universal joint 36 may be arranged on the seat frame 7 side. Ball joints 35 may be arranged at both ends of the connecting rod 30 .

(Secondary Locking Mechanism) Next, the secondary locking mechanism of the vehicle body 2 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , an outrigger 50 is fixed to the lower end of the back frame 15 so that the back frame 15 extends downward. The outrigger 50 is attached to the left and right back frames 15 and is displaced integrally with the back frames 15 . As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 , a seat stay 51 is erected between the left and right outriggers 50 (only one side is shown in the figure). The seat stay 51 cooperates with an unillustrated seat stay spanned between the seat frames 7 to support the seat cushion portion 12 from below (see FIG. 1 ). Furthermore, a secondary locking mechanism 52 is provided between the seat stay 51 and the upper arm 25 of the rear foot 5 . The purpose of setting the secondary locking mechanism 52 is that it cooperates with the primary locking mechanism 70 shown in FIG. 24 to reduce the shaking when the vehicle body 2 is in use, and it is equivalent to the locking mechanism between the connecting rods. The main lock mechanism 70 will be described later.

The secondary locking mechanism 52 makes the block (block) 53 fixed on both ends of the seat stay 51 contact with the fixed pawl 55 fixed on the upper arm 25 by using the rivet 54 when the vehicle body 2 is in use. The front (right in the figure) is restricted. In addition, the backrest frame 15 and the rear foot 5 are mutually restrained by locking the stopper 53 with the lock slider 56 adjacent to the fixed pawl 55 from above and the front. The lock slider 56 is installed in the elongated hole 25a of the upper arm 25 by using a pin 56a so that it is provided slidably in the length direction of the frame 25 along the elongated hole 25a. Arranged behind the lock slider 56 is an operation lever 57 that is rotatable with respect to the upper arm 25 around the pin 58 between a locked position in FIG. 17 and a released position in FIG. 18 . Inside the upper arm 25, an unillustrated spring device for biasing the lock slider 56 toward the front of the frame 25 is provided, and a lever for pulling the lock slider 56 into the frame 25 is disposed between the lock slider 56 and the operating lever 57. Linkage devices (not shown) such as steel wires and linkages at the rear in the longitudinal direction. When the operating lever 57 is operated to the locked position in FIG. 17 , the locking slider 56 is pulled toward the position shown in FIG. 17 by the linkage component, so that the stopper 53 engages with the locking slider 56 . When the operating lever 57 is operated to the release position in Fig. 18, as shown by the arrow F in the figure, the locking slider 56 moves forward in the longitudinal direction of the frame 25 under the force of the spring device, thereby, the blocking Block 53 is released from locking slider 56 . That is, when the vehicle body 2 is set as the use state, the operating lever 57 is switched to the locked position, and the block 53 is restricted by the locking slider 56; Release from locking slider 56.

19 and 20 show other forms of the secondary lock mechanism 52 . In this form, instead of the fixed claw 55 and the lock slider 56 shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 , a lock arm 59 is attached to the upper arm 25 . The lock arm 59 is the same as the lock slider 56, and is configured to embrace the stopper 53 from above and from the front, but its position is unchanged on the upper arm 25. That is, the lock arm 59 is fixed at a fixed position of the upper arm 25 . The lock arm 59 has a lock claw 59a at its rear end. The locking pawl 59a is movable between a position protruding from the upper arm 25 as shown in FIG. 19 and a position retracted into the upper arm 25 as shown in FIG. 20 . Furthermore, a linkage is arranged between the locking pawl 59a and the operating lever 57. If the operating lever 57 is switched to the locked position, the locking pawl 59a will move to the position shown in FIG. 59a moves to the position of FIG. 20 . In this way, when the vehicle body 2 is in the use state, the operating lever 57 is switched to the locked position, and the locking pawl 59a is used to prevent the block 53 from coming out of the locking arm 59. When the vehicle body 2 is folded, the operating lever 57 is switched to the locked position. When the position is released, the lock claw 59a is retracted, and the stopper 53 can be pulled out from the lock arm 59 .

According to the above secondary locking mechanism 52, when the vehicle body 2 is in use, the upper arm 25 of the rear leg 5 and the backrest frame 15 are connected by the outrigger 50, so that the shaking of the vehicle body 2 can be significantly suppressed. When the vehicle body 2 is folded, the connection between the backrest frame 15 and the upper arm 25 can be released only by switching the operating lever 57 on the rear leg 5 to the release position, so the operation becomes easy. Moreover, when folding the vehicle body 2, since the user is located on the side of the push frame 8, that is, behind the vehicle body 2, the operation lever 57 can be easily operated.

(Rear Wheel Support) Next, the rear wheel support 28 will be described with reference to FIGS. 21 and 22 . The rear wheel bracket 28 includes a bracket main body 60 and a bearing block 61 . The stand main body 60 is connected to the upper and lower arms 25 and 26 of the rear foot 5 via fulcrums Qc and Qd. An axle 11 a of the rear wheel 11 is rotatably attached to the bearing block 61 . The bracket main body 60 and the bearing block 61 are rotatably connected via one connecting pin 62 . Further, as shown in FIG. 22 , a buffer member 63 is provided between the bracket main body 60 and the bearing block 61 . For the buffer member 63, rubber can be used, for example. Instead of rubber, springs can also be used as cushioning members. By incorporating the buffer member 63 in the rear wheel stay 28 , the shock applied to the rear wheel 11 is buffered by the buffer member 63 , so that the shock transmitted to the rear foot 5 is moderated. Thereby, the shock is less likely to be transmitted to the push frame 8 or the seat 3, and the operating feeling and riding comfort of the stroller 1 are improved.

(Main Lock Mechanism) FIG. 23 is an enlarged view showing the structure near the fulcrum Pd of the first link mechanism L1, and FIGS. 24 to 27 show the main lock mechanism 70 provided around the fulcrum Pd. It should be noted that, in FIGS. 23 to 25 , the vehicle body 2 is in the use state, and in FIG. 27 , the vehicle body 2 is in the folded state.

The main locking mechanism 70 is provided to restrict the vehicle body 2 in the use state and the folded state by preventing the rotational movement between a pair of link parts contained in the first link mechanism L1, and the main locking mechanism 70 is equivalent to the inside of the link locking mechanism.

As described above, the link connecting member 23 for connecting the back frame 15 and the seat frame 7 is attached to the lower end portion of the back frame 15 . As shown in FIG. 23 , the link connection member 23 is fixed to the back frame 15 by a connection pin 71 . A housing 23 a is formed at a lower portion of the link connecting member 23 . 24 to 27 show main parts of the main lock mechanism 70 with the link connecting member 23 removed. A link connection member 72 is also provided at the rear end portion of the seat frame 7 , and the link connection member 72 is fixed to the seat frame 7 by a connection pin 73 . A guide shaft portion 72 a fitted inside the housing 23 a of the link connecting member 23 is integrally formed on the link connecting member 72 . By rotatably connecting the guide shaft portion 72a and the housing 23a to the fulcrum Pd via the connecting pin 74, the seat frame 7 and the back frame 15 are rotatably connected about the fulcrum Pd. On the outer periphery of the guide shaft portion 72a, a pair of receiving portions 72b and 72c are provided at a distance in the circumferential direction. The receiving portion 72b faces the lower end of the back frame 15 in the use state, and the receiving portion 72c faces the lower end of the back frame 15 in the folded state.

In addition, a lock member 75 is slidably inserted into the back frame 15 .

The locking member 75 is guided by the inner peripheral surface of the backrest frame 15 and the connecting pin 71, and can be positioned at the locking position shown in FIG. It moves between release positions (positions shown in FIGS. 25 and 26 ) in the frame 15 . When the vehicle body 2 is in use, if the locking member 75 is moved to the locking position, as shown in FIG. Confine body 2 to the state of use. As shown in FIG. 25 , when the lock member 75 is pulled to the release position to change the vehicle body 2 to the folded state, the lock member 75 relatively moves around the outer periphery of the guide shaft portion 72 a as shown in FIG. 26 . Moreover, if the locking member 75 is moved to the locking position in the folded state, as shown in FIG. Constrain body 2 in the folded state. When switching from the folded state to the used state, the lock member 75 is also operated in the same manner.

Inside the back frame 15 is provided a spring device (not shown) that presses the locking member 75 toward the locked position. A wire 76 as a transmission means is attached to the upper end of the locking member 75 . When the wire 76 is pulled upward, the lock member 75 moves from the locked position to the released position against the spring device. The wire 76 is wound around the operation part 16 at the upper end of the hand push frame 8 via the inside of the backrest frame 15 (see FIG. 1 ).

(Structure around the handle) Next, the operation part 16 and the handle 17 provided on the upper end portion of the hand push frame 8 will be described. As shown in FIG. 28 , a housing 80 is provided on the operation unit 16 . The handle 17 is formed in a flat ring shape that is long in the vehicle width direction, and a pair of mounting portions 17a are provided at the lower end of the handle 17 so as to sandwich the case 80 in the vehicle width direction. The upper end portion of the back frame 15 is inserted into the housing 80 through the attachment portion 17a. Between the mounting portion 17a and the back frame 15, an end tube 81 is covered. At the upper center of the handle 17, a grip portion 17b for the user to hold is formed.

FIG. 29 is a vertical sectional view showing the internal structure of the mounting portion 17a, and FIG. 30 is a horizontal sectional view showing the internal structure of the mounting portion 17a. As can be seen from these figures, a handle folding mechanism 82 is provided on the mounting portion 17a. FIG. 31 is a perspective view showing a main part of the handle folding mechanism 82 , and FIG. 32 is a perspective view showing the inside of the mounting portion 17 a omitting the back frame 15 . These figures show only the handle folding mechanism 82 inside one mounting portion 17a, but the handle folding mechanism 82 of the same configuration is provided symmetrically in the vehicle width direction on the other mounting portion 17a.

As can be seen from FIGS. 29 to 32 , the handle folding mechanism 82 includes: a ring gear 83 fixed to the inside of the housing 80 in a state coaxially arranged on the outer periphery of the backrest frame 15; The state of the outer periphery of the frame 15 is accommodated inside the mounting part 17a, and the sliding gear 84 that can engage with the ring gear 83; the coil spring 85 that presses the sliding gear 84 so as to mesh with the ring gear 83; and is arranged in the mounting part. The slider 86 of the outer periphery of 17a. As shown in FIGS. 33 and 34 , the slider 86 has a substantially U-shaped shape, and one rotation transmission claw 86 a and two thrust claws 86 b are provided on its inner periphery. The through-hole 17c through which these claws 86a and 86b pass is formed in the attachment part 17a. The slider 86 is fitted to the outer periphery of the mounting portion 17a by inserting the claws 86a and 86b into the mounting portion 17a from the through hole 17c. Inside the mounting portion 17a, the rotation transmission claw 86a is fitted to the sliding gear 84 and can rotate integrally in the circumferential direction, and the thrust claw 86b is fitted to the sliding gear 84 and cannot be relatively displaced in the axial direction (see FIG. 34 ). .

Therefore, when the slider 86 is operated outward in the vehicle width direction along the mounting portion 17a, the slide gear 84 moves in the same direction on the back frame 15, and the engagement between the slide gear 84 and the ring gear 83 is released (see FIG. 35 ). When the slider 86 is operated in the circumferential direction in this state, the attachment portion 17 a and the slider 84 integrally rotate around the back frame 15 , thereby changing the inclination of the handle 17 with respect to the back frame 15 . In FIGS. 1 and 2, the back frame 15 and the handle 17 are arranged along a substantially straight line when viewed from the side of the vehicle body 2. However, as shown in FIG. , and then as shown in FIG. 36B, the handle 17 can also be folded back to the back of the backrest frame 15 until it falls up and down. The handle 17 in Fig. 3 corresponds to the state of Fig. 36B. By folding back the handle 17 in this way, the height of the stroller 1 when the body 2 is folded can be further reduced. In addition to the position shown in FIG. 36A or FIG. 36B , the inclination of the handle 17 can also be appropriately set according to the preference of the user. The degree of resolution of the inclination is an angle equivalent to one tooth pitch of the gears 83 and 84 as the smallest unit.

As shown in FIG. 37 , a remote operation mechanism 90 is provided inside the casing 80 .

The remote operation mechanism 90 is a mechanism for switching the position of the lock member 75 of the above-mentioned main lock mechanism 70 . The remote operation mechanism 90 has the following structure: the pulley 91 is provided to be rotatable around its shaft 91a, and the drive pin 91b on the pulley 91 is fitted with the operation claw 92a of the operation slider 92 protruding below the housing 80, At the same time, the end of the steel wire 76 is fixed on the outer periphery of the pulley 91 . When the operation slider 92 is pushed upward, the pulley 91 rotates around the shaft 91a. With this rotation, the steel wire 76 is wound around the outer periphery of the pulley 91, and the locking member 75 built in the left and right backrest frames 15 is pulled toward Lift position. It should be noted that a locking slider 93 is installed on the outer periphery of the housing 80 . When the lock slider 93 is at the position shown in FIG. 37 , the lock arm 93 a of the lock slider 93 catches the operation claw 92 a of the operation slider 92 , so that the operation slider 92 cannot be pushed in. When the lock slider 93 is operated in the arrow X direction in FIG. 37 , the engagement between the lock arm 93 a and the operation claw 92 a is released, and the operation slider 92 can be pushed in.

As described above, in this form, the handle 17 is rotatably connected to the backrest frame 15, and the operating parts (sliders 86, 92, 93) of the handle folding mechanism 82 and the remote operation mechanism 90 are concentrated on the backrest frame. On the operation portion 16 between 15 and 15 , the handle portion 17 b of the handle 17 is provided at a position away from the operation portion 16 . Therefore, the handle folding mechanism 82 and the operating members of the remote operation mechanism 90 are excluded from the handle portion 17b, and the handle portion 17b is positioned at the center in the vehicle width direction. Thereby, the user can easily hold the handle portion 17b at the center in the vehicle width direction, and can obtain a comfortable operation feeling even when operating the stroller 1 with one hand. Since the handle portion 17b does not need to be secured between the backrest frames 15, the degree of freedom in design related to the layout of the handle folding mechanism 82 and the operation components (sliders 86, 92, 93) of the remote operation mechanism 90 is also improved.

(Mounting Structure of Front Leg and Front Wheel) Next, the mounting structure of the front leg 4 and the front wheel 10 facing thereto will be described. FIG. 38 is an enlarged view showing the front leg 4 and the front wheel 10 , and FIG. 39 is a view showing the front leg 4 and the front wheel 10 with the footrest 18 removed. As described above, the front leg 4 has a structure in which the lower ends of the pair of front leg frames 9 are gathered together. As can be seen from FIG. 39 , the lower end portion of the front leg frame 9 is connected by a connecting pin 100 using a rivet or the like, and the front wheel 10 is attached to the connected portion via a caster 101 . Also as shown in Figure 40, the caster 101 has: a caster cage 102, a caster main body 103 assembled below the caster cage 102, and a front side overlapped configuration with the caster cage 102 and the caster main body 103. slider104.

As also shown in FIGS. 41 and 42 , the caster holder 102 includes a cylindrical frame receiving portion 105 whose lower end side is shrunk, and a bearing portion 106 protruding downward from the frame receiving portion 105 . A pin attachment hole 105 a penetrating through the caster holder 102 in the vehicle width direction is formed in the frame receiving portion 105 . Track grooves 106a extending in the vertical direction are formed on the left and right sides of the bearing portion 106, and behind these track grooves 106a, two positioning recesses 106b, 106c are provided at a predetermined distance in the vertical direction. As can be seen from FIG. 42 , the bearing portion 106 is provided with a bearing hole 106 d extending in the vertical direction and opening on the lower surface of the caster holder 102 . The center line of the bearing hole 106d corresponds to the rotation center line of the caster 101 .

As also shown in FIGS. 43 and 44 , the caster main body 103 includes a bearing portion 108 and a wheel attachment portion 109 connected to the rear of the bearing portion 108 . Track grooves 108 a extending in the vertical direction are formed on the left and right of the bearing portion 108 , and a tapered portion 108 b is formed behind these track grooves 108 a. Further, as also shown in FIG. 40 , the bearing portion 108 is provided with a bearing hole 108 c extending in the vertical direction and opening on the upper surface of the bearing portion 108 . The centerline of the bearing hole 108c is also consistent with the rotation centerline of the caster 101 . The above-mentioned tapered portion 108b is inclined so that the upper end side thereof is more inclined toward the rear of the caster main body 103 (rightward in FIG. 43 ) than the lower end side. An axle mounting hole 109a is formed in the wheel mounting portion 109 to penetrate the caster body 103 in the left-right direction. The axle mounting hole 109a has a long hole shape extending in the vertical direction. The axle 10b (see FIGS. 1 and 39 ) of the front wheel 10 is rotatably supported by the caster 101 by being attached to the axle mounting hole 109a so as to be movable in the vertical direction inside the axle mounting hole 109a. . An impact mitigation mechanism (not shown) for mitigating the impact applied to the axle 10b is incorporated in the wheel mounting portion 109 . The axle 10b is biased downward by the impact mitigation mechanism, and is displaced upward in response to the load input from the front wheel 10 .

As shown in FIGS. 45 to 47, the slider 104 has a curved slider main body 104a, which constitutes a part of a cylindrical body, and is fitted to the bearing of the caster holder 102 by the elasticity of the slider main body 104a. The periphery of the portion 106. An operation flange 104b is provided at the upper end of the slider main body 104a. A pair of guide rails 104c extending in the vertical direction are formed on the inner periphery of the slider main body 104a. Positioning protrusions 104d are provided at both ends in the circumferential direction of the slider body 104a, and the positioning protrusions 104d protrude toward the inner peripheral side of the slider body 104a. In addition, taper portions 104e that engage with taper portions 108b of the caster body 103 are formed on both sides of the lower end of the slider body 104a.

Returning to FIG. 40, the caster holder 102 and the caster body 103 are rotatably combined with each other around the fulcrum pin 110 by inserting the fulcrum pin 110 into their bearing holes 106d (see FIG. 42), 108c. The slider 104 is fitted to the front outer periphery of the bearing portion 106 of the caster holder 102 so that the guide rail 104c thereof engages with the rail groove 106a. Between the both ends of the fulcrum pin 110 and the caster holder 102 and the caster main body 103 , the fulcrum pin 110 is fitted with snap rings or the like, respectively, to prevent them from coming off. A flange may be provided at either end of the fulcrum pin 110 as a detachment device on either side of the caster holder 102 or the caster body 103 .

As shown in FIG. 39 , the caster 101 is connected to the lower end of the front leg 4 by inserting the lower end of the front leg frame 9 combined with the connecting pin 100 into the frame receiving portion 105 of the caster holder 102 thereof, The connecting pin 107 is driven through the front leg frame 9 from one side of the pin mounting hole 105 a to the opposite side of the pin mounting hole 105 . In this state, the caster holder 102 and the slider 104 are connected to the front leg 4 so as not to rotate in the circumferential direction. On the other hand, the caster body 103 is switched between a state in which rotation around the fulcrum pin 110 is permitted and a state in which rotation is prevented according to the position of the slider 104 .

That is, the slider 104 can move vertically along the track groove 106 a by engaging its guide rail 104 c with the track groove 106 a of the caster holder 102 , and cannot rotate relative to the caster holder 102 in the circumferential direction. The track groove 108a of the caster main body 103 is provided so that it is aligned with the track groove 106a of the caster holder 102 when the front wheel 10 faces the forward direction, in other words, when the axle 10b of the front wheel 10 is aligned with the vehicle width direction. Wired to ground. FIG. 48 shows a state where the track grooves 106a and 108a are aligned. In the state of FIG. 48, since the slider 104 is entirely positioned on the bearing portion 106 of the caster holder 102, the caster main body 103 is rotatable. But when the slide block 104 is operated downward from the state of Fig. 48, a part of the guide rail 104c of the slide block 104 is inserted into the track groove 108a of the caster main body 103, as shown in Fig. 49, the slide block 104 straddles the caster holder 102 and the respective bearing parts 106, 108 of the caster main body 103. As a result, the tapered portions 108b and 104e of the caster body 103 and the caster 104 are engaged, and the caster body 103 cannot rotate relative to the caster holder 102 . As a result, the front wheels 10 are regulated in a straight-ahead direction. That is, FIG. 48 corresponds to a state in which rotation of the front wheel 10 is permitted, and FIG. 49 corresponds to a state in which rotation of the front wheel 10 is prevented. It should be noted that, in the state of FIG. 48, the convex portion 104d of the slider 104 is engaged with the upper concave portion 106b of the caster holder 102, and in the state of FIG. 49, the convex portion 104d is engaged with the lower concave portion 106c. .

In the state shown in FIG. 49 , when a torque centered on the fulcrum pin 110 acts on the front wheel 10 , between the tapered portions 108 b and 104 e , a torque is generated in the direction in which the slider 104 is pushed along the axial direction of the fulcrum pin 110 . Component force Fc. When the component force Fc exceeds a predetermined limit, the convex portion 104d of the slider 104 comes out of the concave portion 106c of the caster holder 102, and the slider 104 is pushed onto the bearing portion 106 of the caster holder 102. As a result, the caster body 103 is able to pivot about the fulcrum pin 110 . Therefore, since a torque exceeding the limit is applied to the slider 104, there is no concern that the slider 104 may be deformed or damaged.

According to the structure of the above-mentioned front leg 4, the front leg 4 is constituted by making the left and right pair of front leg frames 9 converge at their lower ends and are connected to each other with the connecting pin 100, and then the lower end of the convergence is inserted into the caster holder 102. The interior of the cylindrical frame receiving portion 105 is co-fixed with the caster holder 102, and therefore has the following advantages. First, when forming the front leg 4 from a single pipe material, it is necessary to bend the material pipe material into a substantially U-shape or V-shape. On the other hand, in this form, what is necessary is just to bend the left and right front leg frames 9 as independent parts, and the bending angle is also small. Therefore, the front leg frame 9 can be easily manufactured.

Since the lower end portion of the front leg 4 can be integrally provided with a connecting portion connected to the caster 101 by converging the lower ends of the two front leg frames 9, the connecting member for mounting the caster 101 is made 9 points apart from the front leg frame. The components of the body are manufactured so that it is not necessary to join with the front leg frame 9 by welding or the like. Thereby, the rigidity of the connection part of the front leg 4 and the caster 101 can be ensured easily, and the number of parts can also be reduced. It is also advantageous for reducing the weight of the vehicle body 2 . In addition, since the connection portion of the caster holder 102 with respect to the front leg 4 is made into a cylindrical frame receiving portion 105, and the lower end portion of the front leg frame 9 is inserted inside it, it is different from the case where the frame receiving portion 105 is formed into a flat plate shape. Compared with the case, it is easy to secure the rigidity of the frame receiving portion 105 . Therefore, the caster holder 102 can be resinized, and weight reduction, reduction in manufacturing cost, and the like can be achieved.

(Vehicle Dimensions) Next, an optimum size range of the vehicle body 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 50 . 50 shows a state in which the vehicle body 2 is in use and the handle 17 is positioned substantially in line with the longitudinal direction of the backrest frame 15 (hereinafter referred to as a reference state).

In the stroller 1 of this embodiment, the front wheels 10 are attached to the vehicle body 2 via casters 101 . Therefore, when the handle portion 17b of the handle 17 turns the vehicle body 2, the vertical centerline (body rotation centerline) is located on the rear wheel axis Aw in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 2 (see FIG. 6B ). Assuming that the point of force when operating the stroller 1 is located at the center (hereinafter referred to as the handle center) Cg of the handle portion 17b of the handle 17, the distance Xc in the front-rear direction with respect to the handle center Cg and the rear wheel axis Aw, the back seat of the seat 3 The smaller the distance Xb in the front-rear direction between the intersection point Ci and the rear wheel axis Aw is, and the shorter the interaxial distance Xa between the wheels 10 and 11 is, the force (hereinafter referred to as "rotation") that should be applied to the handle portion 17b in order to turn the vehicle body 2 is smaller. operating force) is smaller. That is, the smaller the respective ratios of the distances Xa, Xb to the distance Xc are, the smaller the turning operation force is. Here, the back-seat intersection point Ci is an extension line drawn along the surface of the cushion portion 12 of the seat 3 when the vehicle body 2 is viewed from the direction of the rear wheel axis Aw, and an extension line drawn along the surface of the backrest portion 13 intersects. point. The position of the center of gravity of the weight of the child acting on the seat 3 can be represented by the back-seat intersection Ci.

In addition, the smaller the ratio of the height Za of the back seat intersection Ci to the height Zb of the handle center Cg, the more favorable it is for the operability of the vehicle body 2, and reducing the height Za of the back seat intersection Ci is also beneficial for ensuring the stability of the vehicle body 2. . On the other hand, when the set distance Xc is increased and the distances Xa, Xb are decreased, the stability of the vehicle body 2 in the vehicle width direction decreases, especially in the case of a three-wheel type, this tendency is high.

Considering the above, it is reasonable to increase the inter-axle distance Xa and decrease the height Za of the back-seat intersection Ci to reduce the turning operation force and ensure the stability of the vehicle body 2 . Therefore, in this form, each dimension is set as follows.

(1) With respect to the distance Xc between the handle center Cg and the rear wheel axis Aw, set the inter-axle distance Xa to less than 2Xc, and set the distance Xb between the back seat intersection Ci and the rear wheel axis Aw to 0.4Xc to 0.6Xc range. If the inter-shaft distance Xa is greater than or equal to 2Xc, there is a possibility that the rotational operation force may increase excessively. When the distance Xb is less than 0.4Xc, the backseat intersection Ci is too close to the rear wheel axis Aw, and the vehicle body 2 tends to tilt rearward. When the distance Xb exceeds 0.6Xc, the turning operation force may increase excessively.

(2) The height Za of the back seat intersection Ci is set to be less than 0.32Zb with respect to the height Zb of the handle center Cg. If the height Za is more than 0.32Zb, the stability of the vehicle body 2 may exceed the limit and may deteriorate.

It should be noted that the stability of the vehicle body 2 can be ensured even if the distance Da between the rear wheels 11 in the use state is increased. However, if the rear wheels 11 are enlarged without restriction, the width of the path through which the vehicle body 2 can pass is limited, which may degrade usability. As a standard, it is preferable to set the maximum distance Da of the rear wheels 11 in the vehicle width direction to less than 550 mm. If it is less than 550 mm, even in a narrow place such as the passage of an automatic ticket gate, it is possible to pass through with the wide rear wheels 11 maintained.

When bending is applied to the cushioning portion 12 and the backrest portion 13 of the seat 3, if the back seat intersection Ci has a flat portion left on the cushioning portion 12 and the backrest portion 13, the back seat intersection Ci may be defined by extending the flat portion. When there is no clear planar part, or because the cushioning part 12 and the backrest part 13 are covered with a non-removable cushioning material or skin material, or there is no substrate that should be a core material at the cushioning part 12 and the backrest part 13 If it is not possible to define the back seat intersection point Ci, the SG standard (standard number CPSA0001) of the Foundation for Product Safety Association (standard number CPSA0001) "Standards for certification of baby carriages and the method for confirming the standards" or the British standard EN1888:2003 shall be used. The jigs for measuring the angle between the seat surface and the backrest are installed on the seat 3, and the surface where these jigs meet the seat cushion portion 12 and the seat back portion 13 is extended when viewed from the side of the vehicle body, and their intersection point is determined as the back seat intersection point Ci That's it.

In the baby carriage 1 of this form, since the angle of the handle 17 can be changed with respect to the backrest frame 15 of the hand pushing frame 8, the size of the body 2 is set in the above-mentioned reference state to satisfy the above-mentioned main conditions (1), (2). When the inclination of the handle 17 changes from the reference state, at least one of the main conditions (1) and (2) may not be satisfied. However, the main conditions (1) and (2) are conditions for simultaneously obtaining stability and operability when the vehicle body 2 is turned, and for example, when the vehicle body 2 is only moved forward, the main conditions ( 1) and (2), the inclination of the handle 17 is properly adjusted according to the user's body length, preference, etc. That is, in the stroller capable of adjusting the inclination of the handle as in this form, when the handle is set to any inclination within the adjustment range, the main conditions (1) and (2) only need to be satisfied.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described forms, and can be implemented in various forms. For example, in the above-mentioned form, although the handle is formed in a ring shape, the mounting portion on either side may be omitted, and the handle may be formed in the shape of an arm for one-hand grip, and a handle portion may be provided at the front end thereof.

It is also possible to install a pair of left-right symmetrical handles on both sides of the housing, and set handles at the front ends of these handles. Either way, as long as the handle is formed as a separate part from the backrest frame and attached to the backrest frame so that the handle can be set at a position away from the backrest frame and the operation part, it can be an appropriate shape. It is also possible to omit the folding mechanism of the handle and fix the handle to have a certain inclination (for example, the inclination in the reference state). In the above-mentioned form, the stroller is made into a three-wheeled structure with a single wheel arranged in the center of the vehicle width direction and a pair of rear wheels arranged on both sides in the vehicle width direction, but the present invention can also be applied to four-wheeled vehicles. stroller. The present invention is not limited to baby carriages whose bodies can be folded, but can also be applied to baby carriages whose bodies cannot be folded. The operation part is not limited to the above-mentioned operation parts of the handle folding mechanism or the remote operation mechanism, and operation parts of various mechanisms may be arranged.

second embodiment

Fig. 51 is a side view of the stroller provided with the lock mechanism according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The stroller 201 includes a body 202 . The vehicle body 202 has a link mechanism mainly composed of a front leg 203 , a rear leg 204 , an armrest 205 , a seat frame 206 , and a push frame 207 . The vehicle body 202 can be deformed between the use state (the state shown in FIG. 51 ) and the folded state by rotating the link members constituting the link mechanism around respective connection points. In addition, FIG. 51 has shown the structure of the side of the left-right direction (width direction) of the vehicle body 202, and the opposite side also has the same structure. The left and right front legs 203 are connected by appropriate connecting members (not shown). The same is true for the rear foot 204 . Front wheels 208 and rear wheels 209 are attached to respective lower ends of the front legs 203 and the rear legs 204 .

The front leg 203 and the rear leg 204 are rotatably connected at their upper ends via the armrest 205 and fulcrum pins 210 , 211 . The seat frames 206 are members that support a seat cushion (not shown) of the stroller 201 , and are arranged one on each of the left and right sides of the vehicle body 202 . The seat frame 206 has a plate shape with a rectangular cross section, but may also have another shape such as a hollow tube shape. The front end portion of the seat frame 206 is rotatably connected to the front leg 203 via a fulcrum pin 212 . The push frame 207 has a pair of back frames 213 arranged on the left and right sides of the vehicle body 202, and a handle portion 214 extending between upper ends of the back frames 213 (see FIG. 60 ). The backrest frame 213 supports the seat back of the stroller (the symbol SB in FIG. 60 indicates a part thereof). The back frame 213 is rotatably coupled to the rear end portion of the armrest 205 via a fulcrum pin 215 . The entire length of the back frame 213 is made of a hollow pipe. That is, the back frame 213 has a hollow portion over its entire length.

A connection mechanism 220 for connecting these frames 206 and 213 to the rear legs 204 is provided between the rear end portion of the seat frame 206 and the lower end portion of the back frame 213 . FIG. 52 shows a state in which the coupling mechanism 220 is enlarged from the inside of the vehicle body 202, and FIG. 53 shows a state in which the coupling mechanism 220 is viewed from the direction of arrow III in FIG. 52 . FIG. 54 is a perspective view of the coupling mechanism 220 viewed from the front outer side of the vehicle body 202 , and FIG. 55 is a perspective view of the coupling mechanism 220 viewed from the rear inner side of the vehicle body 202 . As can be seen from these figures, the connecting mechanism 220 includes: a bracket 222 rotatably connected to the rear leg 204 via a fulcrum pin 221; a link connecting member 224 fixed to the rear end of the seat frame 206 by a connecting pin 23; The locking cover 226 at the lower end of the back frame 213 . As enlarged in FIG. 57 , the link connection member 224 includes a base portion 27 fitted to the seat frame 206 and a guide shaft portion 228 connected to one end of the base portion 27 . The guide shaft portion 228 has a substantially disk-like shape, and a stopper portion 228 a protruding radially outward is provided on a part of its outer periphery.

On the other hand, the lock cover 226 includes a base portion 29 fitted to the back frame 213 and a case portion 230 connected to one end of the base portion 29 . The case portion 230 is fitted to the guide shaft portion 228 of the link connecting member 224 from the outside in the left-right direction of the vehicle body 202 .

A stopper portion 230a that engages with the stopper portion 228a is provided on a part of the case portion 230 . As can be seen from FIGS. 54 and 55 , the guide shaft portion 228 and the housing portion 230 are coaxially fitted, the housing portion 230 is brought into contact with the bracket 222 from the inside in the left-right direction of the vehicle body 202 , and then the fulcrum pin 231 is lifted from the bracket. 222 penetrates through the case portion 230 to the guide shaft portion 228 , whereby the bracket 222 , the link connecting member 224 and the lock cover 226 are rotatably connected to each other around the fulcrum pin 231 . In this connected state, the back frame 213 is arranged at substantially the same position as the front legs 203 and the rear legs 204 in the left-right direction of the vehicle body 202 , and the seat frame 206 is also arranged on the inner side of the vehicle body 202 in the left-right direction than the front legs 203 and the rear legs 204 .

As shown in FIG. 57, the rotation range of the link connection member 224 and the lock cover 226 is restricted by the stopper part 228a, 230a. In FIG. 57, the stoppers 228a and 230a are in contact with each other, and prevent the joint member 224 and the lock cover 226 from rotating in the direction of the arrow A in the figure. At this time, the seat frame 206 and the backrest frame 213 are in the position of the use state. That is, the stoppers 228a, 230a limit the rotational range of the seat frame 206 and the back frame 213 so that they do not open further beyond the position in the use state of the vehicle body 202 . When the stroller 201 is folded, the seat frame 206 and the backrest frame 213 rotate in the arrow B direction around the fulcrum pin 231 .

In the above stroller 201, by making the front foot 203, the rear foot 204, the armrest 205, the seat frame 206, the hand pushing frame 207 and the bracket 222 go around the respective connection points, that is, the fulcrum pins 210, 211, 212, 215, 221, 231 Rotate, so that the body 202 changes between the use state and the folded state. As mentioned above, Fig. 51 represents the state of use, when considering the fixed front foot 203, along with the change from the use state to the folded state, the rear foot 204, the armrest 205 and the seat frame 206 will move in the directions shown by arrows a, b, and c in Fig. 51. The directions are turned respectively, and the rear foot 204 moves to a position approximately parallel to the front foot 203 . Along with the rotation of rear foot 204, armrest 205 and seat frame 206, bracket 222 rotates to arrow d direction around fulcrum pin 221 with respect to rear foot 204, and backrest frame 213 also moves to the position roughly parallel with front foot 203 at the back of rear foot 204 .

In FIG. 58 , the structure of the connection portion between the seat frame 206 and the backrest frame 213 is shown by omitting the lock cover 226 . As can be seen from FIG. 58 , a lock mechanism 240 is provided around the fulcrum pin 231 . The purpose of providing the locking mechanism 240 is to limit the vehicle body 202 in the use state or the folded state by preventing the seat frame 206 and the backrest frame 213 from rotating around the fulcrum pin 231 . The lock mechanism 240 includes the above-mentioned link connection member 224 and the lock cover 226 as its constituent elements, and includes a lock member 241 arranged at the lower end portion of the back frame 213 . The lock member 241 is slidably inserted into the back frame 213 . A long hole 241 a extending in the longitudinal direction of the back frame 213 is formed in the lock member 241 , and a coupling pin 225 for fixing the lock cover 226 to the back frame 213 passes through the long hole 241 a. As a result, the lock member 241 is guided by the connecting pin 225 and is slidable within a certain range in the longitudinal direction of the back frame 213 . FIG. 58 shows a state in which the locking member 241 is moved to the locked position at the lower end of the moving range, and FIG. 62 shows a state in which the locking member 241 is moved to the unlocked position at the upper end of the moving range.

As shown in FIG. 58 , a claw portion 241 b is provided at the front end (lower end) of the locking member 241 .

The claw portion 241 b faces the outer periphery of the guide shaft portion 228 of the link connecting member 224 . The outer peripheral opening of the guide shaft portion 228 has a first receiving portion 228b and a second receiving portion 228c into which the claw portion 241b is selectively fitted. These receiving parts 228b, 228c are provided with a certain distance around the fulcrum pin 231 . The receiving portions 228b, 228c may be in the shape of grooves or notches opened not only on the outer periphery of the guide shaft portion 228 but also on the shaft end surface side, or may be in the shape of bottomed holes or recesses opened only on the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft portion 228. . The first receiving portion 228b is provided at a position opposing the claw portion 241b when the vehicle body 202 is in use, and the second receiving portion 228c is provided at a position opposing the claw portion 241b when the vehicle body 202 is in a folded state. Thus, the link connecting member 224 functions as a lock receiving member of the lock mechanism 240 .

As shown in FIG. 59, the locking member 241 has a substantially square cross section, and protrusions 241c are respectively provided on two opposing side surfaces thereof. Slide guides 241d, 241e are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the long hole 241a and the front end surface of the protruding part 241c respectively. frictional resistance between them. These slide guides 241d and 241e are in contact with the connecting pin 225 or the inner peripheral surface of the back frame 213 , whereby the lock member 241 slides smoothly in the longitudinal direction of the back frame 213 .

As shown in FIGS. 56 and 57, the locking member 241 is covered from the outside of the vehicle body 202 by the backrest frame 213. In addition, the parts (receiving parts 228b, 228c) of the outer periphery of the guide shaft portion 228 that engage with the locking member 241 and are engaged by these The partially sandwiched area is covered from the outside of the vehicle body 202 by the housing portion 230 of the locking cover 226 . By covering the outer peripheries of the locking member 241 and the guide shaft portion 228 in this way, it is possible to eliminate or reduce the possibility of trapping foreign matter from the outside in the sliding portion of the locking member 241 or in the fitting portion between the locking member 241 and the receiving portions 228b and 228c. There is a concern that the action of the locking mechanism 240 will be impaired for reasons such as. Therefore, smooth operation of the lock mechanism 240 can be ensured. When the lubricating oil is applied to the sliding portion of the locking member 241, since the lubricating oil is not exposed to the outside, it is advantageous for maintaining the lubricating effect. This is advantageous in preventing adhesion of dust and the like due to lubricating oil, scattering of lubricating oil around the locking mechanism, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 58 , between the lock member 241 and the back frame 213 , a coil spring 242 is provided as a spring device, and the coil spring 242 urges the lock member 241 in a direction in which the claw portion 241b protrudes from the back frame 213 . In addition, a wire 243 for pulling the locking member 241 upward against the force of the coil spring 242 is attached to the locking member 241 . As shown in FIGS. 60 and 61 , an operating mechanism 250 for operating the lock member 241 via the wire 243 is provided on the handle portion 214 of the push frame 207 . The operating mechanism 250 has the following structure: a pulley 252 is provided inside the housing 251 disposed at the center of the handle part 214, the pulley 252 can rotate around the shaft 252a, and the driving pin 252b on the pulley 252 is fitted to the lower side of the housing 251. The protruding operation slider 253 fixes the end of the steel wire 243 on the outer periphery of the pulley 252 at the same time. The above-mentioned coil spring 242 and wire 243 also belong to the constituent elements of the operation mechanism 250 . When the operation slider 253 is pushed upward, the pulley 252 rotates around the shaft 252a. With this rotation, the wire 243 is wound around the outer periphery of the pulley 252, and the locking members 241 built in the left and right backrest frames 213 are pulled up. . It should be noted that a locking slider 254 is installed on the outer periphery of the housing 251 . When the lock slider 254 is operated in the arrow X direction in FIG. 61 , the lock arm 254 a of the lock slider 254 rides on the operation slider 253 , so that the operation slider 253 cannot be pushed in.

Next, the operation of the lock mechanism 240 will be described. As described above, FIG. 58 shows a state in which the rotation of the link connection member 224 and the lock cover 226 is prevented by the lock mechanism 240 when the vehicle body 202 is in use. In this state, since the claw portion 241b of the locking member 241 and the first receiving portion 228b of the guide shaft portion 228 cannot be relatively displaced around the fulcrum pin 231, the seat frame 206 and the backrest frame 213 cannot relatively rotate around the fulcrum pin 231. . Therefore, the link mechanism of the vehicle body 202 incorporating the seat frame 206 and the back frame 213 as a part of the link elements cannot operate, and the vehicle body 202 cannot be folded. If the operation slider 253 of the operation mechanism 250 is pushed in from the state of FIG. 58, the steel wire 243 is pulled up, and the locking member 241 moves upward. As shown in FIG. 62, the claw portion 241b comes out of the first receiving portion 228b . Thus, the vehicle body 202 can be folded.

When the restriction of the locking mechanism 240 is removed and the vehicle body 202 is changed from the use state to the folded state, as shown in FIG. The claw portion 241b of the locking member 241 relatively moves from the first receiving portion 228b to the second receiving portion 228c on the outer periphery of the guide shaft portion 228 . Then, when the vehicle body 202 reaches the folded state, as shown in FIG. 64 , the claw portion 241b of the lock member 241 fits into the second receiving portion 228c. Thereby, the rotation of the link connecting member 224 and the lock cover 226 is prevented, and as a result, the relative rotation of the seat frame 206 and the back frame 213 is prevented, thereby maintaining the vehicle body 202 in the folded state. To return to the use state from the folded state, it is only necessary to press the operation slider 253 of the operation mechanism 250 to make the claw portion 241b of the locking member 241 retreat from the second receiving portion 228c.

In the above form, the connecting pin 225 for fixing the lock cover 226 to the back frame 213 is fitted into the elongated hole 241 a of the locking member 241 , and the connecting pin 225 is used as a guide for the locking member 241 . However, as shown in FIG. 65 , a structure may be adopted in which the locking member 241 is guided between the protrusion 241c and the inner peripheral surface of the back frame 213 without the coupling pin 225 passing through the locking member 241 . As shown in FIGS. 66 and 67 , a substantially cylindrical guide rail 246 may be attached to the inside of the backrest frame 213 , and the locking member 241 may be slid on the inner periphery of the guide rail 246 .

In the lock mechanism 240 described above, since the lock member 241 is provided inside the back frame 213 , it is not necessary to provide a long hole for guiding the lock member 241 in the back frame 213 . Thereby, the rigidity of the back frame 213 can be improved.

In the manner described above, the backrest frame 213 of the hand pushing frame 207 corresponds to one link member, and the seat frame 206 corresponds to the other link member. The back frame 213 functions as a cover device that covers the lock member 241 from the outside of the vehicle body 202, and the case portion 230 of the lock cover 226 serves as receiving portions 228b, 228c for the link connecting member 224 serving as a lock receiving member from the outside of the vehicle body 202. The covering device works. In addition, the operating mechanism 250 corresponds to a switching device related to the position of the locking member.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described forms, but can be implemented in various forms. For example, in the above-mentioned manner, the vehicle body can be restricted in the use state and the folded state respectively by using the locking mechanism, but the locking mechanism of the present invention can limit the The mechanism of the body can be. As an example, the second receiving portion 228c of the guide shaft portion 228 may be omitted. In this case, in the folded state, the vehicle body 202 may also be held in the folded state by binding the vehicle body with a strap or the like. The locking mechanism is not limited to being set around the fulcrum of the backrest frame connecting the seat frame and the hand pushing frame, but may be set at an appropriate position. That is, a pair of link members rotatably provided around a predetermined fulcrum may be extracted from a plurality of link members constituting the link mechanism of the vehicle body, and a lock mechanism may be provided around the fulcrum of these link members. The locking member is not limited to rectilinear reciprocating movement, but can also be rotated between the locked position and the released position. For example, it is also possible to dispose a bottomed cylindrical housing at the lower end of the backrest frame, and to accommodate the locking member rotatably inside, and to partially set a protrusion on the locking member, so that the protrusion is positioned on the locking receiving member according to its rotational position. The bearing part of the infested structure. Instead of the backrest frame, a hollow portion may be provided in the lock cover, and the lock member may be slidably attached therein.

Claims (14)

1. A baby carriage, characterized in that, Xa is the distance between the front and rear wheels in the front-rear direction when viewing the vehicle body from the vehicle width direction, Xb is the distance between the intersection point of the back of the seat and the axis of the rear wheel in the front-rear direction, and the When the distance between the center of the handle portion of the handle and the axis of the rear wheel in the front-rear direction is Xc, the height of the intersection point of the back seat is Za, and the height of the center of the handle portion is Zb, the distance Xa is set to be less than 2Xc , the distance Xb is set in the range of 0.4Xc to 0.6Xc, and the height Za is set to be less than 0.32Zb. 2. The stroller of claim 1, wherein: The front wheels are mounted on the front feet via casters so as to be rotatable around the center line of rotation of the casters. 3. The stroller as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, It is constituted as a three-wheeled stroller in which a single front wheel is provided at the center in the vehicle width direction and a pair of rear wheels are provided at both sides in the vehicle width direction. 4. The baby carriage as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The vehicle body is provided with a pair of backrest frames that support the seat back of the seat from both sides in the vehicle width direction, and an operation unit having an operation member for operation by a user is arranged between the pair of backrest frames. , the handle is constituted as a part independent of the backrest frame, and is installed on the backrest frame, and the handle part is set on the handle, and is set away from the backrest frame and the The location of the operator. 5. The stroller of claim 4, wherein: The handle portion is located at the center in the vehicle width direction. 6. The stroller of claim 4, wherein: A handle folding mechanism is provided for changing the inclination of the handle when the vehicle body is viewed from the vehicle width direction, and an inclination for operating the handle for changing the inclination is provided on the handle folding mechanism. An operating member for adjustment, the operating member is disposed on the operating portion. 7. The stroller of claim 6, wherein: A case is provided on the operation part, and a pair of mounting parts is provided on the handle so that the pair of mounting parts interpose the case in the vehicle width direction, and each of the pair of backrest frames the upper end passes through the mounting portion of the handle and is inserted into the housing, The handle folding mechanism has: a ring gear fixed in the housing; inside the installation part, it can be moved between a position engaged with the ring gear and a position released from engagement with the ring gear. a sliding gear arranged on the backrest frame in a state of being slidable and rotatable around the backrest frame; and a sliding gear arranged on the outer periphery of the mounting part, passing through the mounting part, and being integrally slidable and rotatably combined with the sliding gear slider, The slider functions as an operation member for the tilt adjustment. 8. A locking mechanism for a stroller, applied to a stroller in which the vehicle body can be deformed between a use state and a folded state by operating a link mechanism of the body, restricting the body to the use state, which characterized in that, have: a locking member integrally rotatable about a predetermined fulcrum together with any one of a pair of link members constituting a part of the link mechanism and configured to be rotatable about the fulcrum; A state of movement between a locked position protruding toward the other link member and a released position retreated in a direction farther from the other link member than the locked position is supported by the one link member; a lock receiving part, which can rotate around the fulcrum integrally with the other link member, has a receiving part at a position opposite to the locking part in the use state, and the receiving part passes through the locking part The movement to the locking position engages with the locking member in a manner that cannot be relatively displaced around the fulcrum, and the locking member moves to the release position to release the engagement with the locking member; a cover device for covering the lock member and the receiving portion of the lock receiving member from the outside of the vehicle body; A switching device switches the position of the locking member between the locked position and the released position. 9. The locking mechanism of claim 8, wherein: A hollow portion is provided at an end portion of the one link member on the side of the fulcrum, and the lock member is slidably accommodated in the hollow portion, and the hollow portion functions as a cover device covering the lock member, In the locked position, a part of the lock member protrudes from the hollow portion and engages with the receiving portion of the lock receiving member. 10. The locking mechanism of claim 9, wherein: The hollow portion is formed using a pipe material, and a slide guide is provided between the locking member and an inner periphery of the hollow portion. 11. The locking mechanism of claim 10, wherein: The slide guide is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape that accommodates the locking member. 12. The locking mechanism of claim 9, wherein: At the end of the other link member on the side of the fulcrum, a link connection member having a guide shaft portion arranged coaxially with the fulcrum is provided as the lock receiving member. The receiving portion is provided at a position facing the lock member in the use state, and the link is attached to the outer periphery of the hollow portion of the link member so as to be rotatable around the fulcrum. The lock cover connected by the connecting member is provided with a housing portion which functions as a cover device that covers the receiving portion by being fitted to the guide shaft portion from the outside. 13. A locking mechanism according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein: The lock receiving member is provided with the receiving portion not only at a position facing the locking member in the use state but also at a position facing the locking member in the folded state. . 14. A locking mechanism according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein: The one link member is a backrest frame supporting a backrest portion of a seat, and the other link member is a seat frame supporting a cushion portion of the seat.

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