WHEEL DEVICE, SOLE, AND WHEEL EXTENDING AND RETRACTING OPERATION METHOD

The disclosure discloses a wheel device, a sole, and a wheel extending and retracting operation method. The wheel device includes: a wheel seat provided with an accommodation cavity, a mounting cavity, an mounting recess and a limit member; an opening and closing assembly including an opening and closing board that is provided with an opening and closing hole; and a wheel assembly including a central shaft and a control block, where the control block sleeves the central shaft, and a first necking portion, a second necking portion, an upper stopping portion and a lower stopping portion are arranged on the control block. Under the condition that the opening and closing board is at a dismounting and mounting work position, the control block integrally enters and exits the opening and closing hole to dismount and mount the wheel assembly.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority benefit of Chinese patent Application No. 202410152276. 5, filed on Feb. 3, 2024, and the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to the technical field of footwear, in particular to a wheel device, a sole, and a wheel extending and retracting operation method.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Wheeled shoes are a type of sneakers switchable between a skating mode and a walking mode when wheel assemblies are extended and retracted respectively. In general, they are fixedly provided with wheel devices at their heels of soles. The wheel device includes a wheel seat and a wheel assembly for a sole. A common wheel assembly is generally composed of a central shaft and two wheels that are mounted at two ends of the central shaft through ball bearings in an axially fixed and circumferentially rotatable manner respectively. The wheel seat is provided with a wheel accommodation cavity for accommodating the wheel assembly and a retaining cover for retaining the wheel assembly in the wheel accommodation cavity. The wheel assembly is retained in a protruding skating state by the retaining cover by blocking the central shaft and cooperatively using an opening and closing assembly on the wheel seat, and is retained in a retracted walking state by the opening and closing assembly on the wheel seat, for example, as disclosed in Chinese Open Patent CN 207024593U.

However, for a switch to the walking mode, such a wheel assembly can be merely retracted into the wheel seat by manually pressing its two wheels. In addition, the retaining cover is required to be mounted extremely stably since it is designed to absorb impact and limit the central shaft during a switch to the protruding skating state. When the wheel assembly is mounted in the wheel seat, the retaining cover is required to be opened to allow the central shaft to enter the wheel accommodation cavity. Hence the retaining cover can be fixed to the wheel seat by merely using a split type detachable fixation structure, such as screws. But the retaining cover is likely to fall in a case of lack of proper maintenance after used for a long time, which will result in an accident.

In addition, when the wheel assembly is mounted or dismounted in the prior art, the retaining cover needs to be unfixed from the wheel seat before entrance and exit of the central shaft of the wheel assembly, and then the retaining cover needs to be re-fixed to the wheel seat with a tool. As a result, the retaining cover is inconvenient to dismount and mount.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An objective of the disclosure is to provide a wheel device, a sole, and a wheel extending and retracting operation method, through which a wheel assembly can be retracted with one hand or two hands without arranging a retaining cover, dismounting and mounting steps of the wheel assembly are simplified, and fast, convenient, safe and reliable effects are achieved.

In order to achieve the above objective, the disclosure uses the following technical solution:

A wheel device includes:

Preferably, the mounting cavity penetrates the wheel seat from front to back; the opening and closing assembly further includes a retainer member, and the retainer member is fixedly arranged at an opening in a front of the mounting cavity; and the return member is arranged in the mounting cavity behind the stop member, and a front end of the opening and closing board abuts against the return member.

Preferably, the mounting cavity includes two wheel cavities that are configured corresponding to the wheels respectively and an intermediate cavity that is between the two wheel cavities and configured corresponding to the control block, a left side and a right side of the intermediate cavity are in communication with the wheel cavities at corresponding sides through vertical holes respectively, the central shaft lifts vertically in the vertical holes, and a bottom of the vertical hole is holed.

Preferably, a guide recess is provided in a side surface of the control block, a guide strip protrudes from a position, corresponding to the guide recess, of the intermediate cavity, and the guide strip is in sliding fit with the guide recess.

Preferably, the control block between the first necking portion and the second necking portion is arranged as an intermediate column, and the intermediate column has an upper end and a lower end;

Preferably, the intermediate column is a right cylinder that has a smaller front and a larger back, and has a first curved surface at a front side of the intermediate column, a second curved surface at a rear side of the intermediate column, and transitional surfaces that are at a left and a right side of the intermediate column and connect the first curved surface to the second curved surface from front to back, a width of a rear end of the first curved surface in a left-right direction is greater than a width of a front end of the second curved surface in a left-right direction, and a width of the transitional surface in a left-right direction increases from the rear end of the first curved surface to the front end of the second curved surface at the same side.

Preferably, an orthographic projection of the first curved surface on the lower end of the upper stopping portion narrows inwards relative to the contour line corresponding to the lower end of the upper stopping portion, a position, corresponding to the transitional surface and the first curved surface, of the lower end of the upper stopping portion is provided with the upper stopper position, an orthographic projection of the first curved surface on the upper end of the lower stopping portion narrows inwards relative to the contour line corresponding to the upper end of the lower stopping portion, and a position, corresponding to the transitional surface and the first curved surface, of an upper end of the lower stopping portion is provided with the lower stopper position.

Preferably, the first necking portion narrows inwards relative to the first curved surface and the transitional surface, the second necking portion narrows inwards relative to the first curved surface and the transitional surface, a position, corresponding to the first curved surface and the transitional surface, of the upper end of the intermediate column is provided with the upper flange, and a position, corresponding to the first curved surface and the transitional surface, of the lower end of the intermediate column is provided with the lower flange.

The disclosure further provides a sole. The sole includes a sole body and the wheel device described above, where the wheel device is mounted at a heel portion of the sole body, a rear side of the sole body is provided with a mounting hole and a pressing block that is movably inserted in the mounting hole, and the pressing block matches an opening and closing board.

The disclosure further provides a wheel extending and retracting operation method. According to the method, an opening and closing assembly and a wheel assembly that match each other are configured on a wheel seat, and the wheel assembly is lifted up or lifted down and extended or retracted through a control block thereon; a peripheral surface of the control block is provided with a first necking portion and a second necking portion at an top-bottom interval, an upper stopping portion is arranged above the first necking portion, and a lower stopping portion is arranged below the second necking portion; and the opening and closing assembly has a locking work position and an extending and retracting work position, and the wheel extending and retracting operation method includes:

Compared with the prior art, the disclosure has the following beneficial effects:

The wheel device of the disclosure includes the wheel seat, the opening and closing assembly and the wheel assembly. The wheel assembly includes the control block that sleeves the central shaft, and the first necking portion, the second necking portion, the upper stopping portion and the lower stopping portion are arranged on the control block. The first necking portion is configured to keep the wheel assembly protruding from the wheel seat in a skating state by matching the opening and closing assembly on the wheel seat, and the second necking portion is configured to keep the wheel assembly retracting into the wheel seat in a walking state by matching the opening and closing assembly on the wheel seat. In addition, the upper stopping portion and the lower stopping portion are used for blocking and limiting a lifting range of the control block and guaranteeing a switch between two states or modes of the first necking portion and the second necking portion. Since the wheel assembly in the protruding skating state is maintained through snap fit between the first necking portion and the opening and closing assembly, it is unnecessary to additionally arrange the retaining cover for limiting the central shaft on the wheel seat, and the control block is exposed without the retaining cover. Thus a user can directly operate the control block to complete retraction of the wheel assembly. In a practical application, a conventional method by which the two wheels are pressed with two hands in the prior art and an innovative method by which the control block is pressed with one hand are available.

According to the disclosure, the limit member is arranged on the wheel seat in a detachable fit manner, and the limit member movably abuts against and matches the rear end of the opening and closing board of the opening and closing assembly. Hence it can be effectively determined that the opening and closing board abuts against the limit member when the opening and closing board is at the extending and retracting work position, and an extreme position to which the opening and closing board can move forwards after the limit member is removed can also be effectively determined when the opening and closing board is at the dismounting and mounting work position. In addition, the opening and closing board can automatically return to an initial position far away from the limit member through the return member, and the upper stopping portion and the lower stopping portion arranged on the control block can well control the lifting range of the control block. Thus an entire operation process is stable, reliable and safe. When the wheel assembly is to be dismounted, the opening and closing board can be located at the dismounting and mounting work position merely by dismounting the limit member, the control block can integrally enter and exit the opening and closing hole to dismount the wheel assembly, and the steps are simple, convenient and quick. In addition, the limit member can be dismounted without a special tool, and even can be directly pulled out with hands. The limit member is located on an upper surface of the sole, and is exposed accordingly after the insole is removed, and an operation space is large.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In order to make the above features and advantages of the disclosure clearer and more comprehensible, detailed description will be made below with reference to examples and in conjunction with accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1-13, this example provides a wheel device. The wheel device includes a wheel seat 10, an opening and closing assembly and a wheel assembly. The opening and closing assembly includes an opening and closing board 31 that has an opening and closing hole and a return member 32 configured to return the opening and closing board 31. The wheel assembly includes a central shaft 21, a control block 23 and two wheels 22 that are arranged at two ends of the central shaft 21 in an axially fixed and circumferentially rotatable manner respectively, the control block 23 sleeves the central shaft 21 between the two wheels 22, and the wheel 22 protrudes downwards relative to a bottom end of the control block 23. The wheel 22 is snapped fixedly to an end of the central shaft 21 through a snap ring.

In this example, the wheel seat 10 is provided with an accommodation cavity 11 that has an opening in a bottom, the accommodation cavity 11 includes two wheel cavities that are configured corresponding to the wheels 22 respectively and an intermediate cavity that is between the two wheel cavities and configured corresponding to the control block 23, and the two wheel cavities are arranged at a left side and a right side respectively. A left side and a right side of the intermediate cavity are in communication with the wheel cavities at corresponding sides through vertical holes respectively, the central shaft 21 lifts vertically in the vertical hole, and a bottom of the vertical hole is opened. Thus the entire wheel assembly is conveniently mounted or dismounted, and a height of the lower wheel 22 protruding from the wheel seat 10 in a protruding skating state can be further increased.

In addition, the wheel seat 10 of this example is further provided with a mounting cavity 12 that has an opening in a rear, and the mounting cavity 12 is arranged in a front-back extending manner and is in communication with the intermediate cavity. The mounting cavity 12 is high enough to enable the opening and closing board 31 to slide forwards and backwards in the mounting cavity 12, and control an amplitude of vertical lifting and an amplitude of left-right swing of the opening and closing board 31 within a small range that does not affect accuracy of matching of the opening and closing board 31 and the control block 23.

In addition, in this example, a mounting recess 13 and a limit member 14 that detachably fits in the mounting recess 13 are arranged at a rear side of the wheel seat 10 and above the opening in the rear of the mounting cavity 12. A rear side and a bottom of the mounting recess 13 are both opened, the limit member 14 vertically-liftably fits in the mounting recess 13 and has a limit portion 141 protruding backwards, and a side wall of the mounting recess 13 and a corresponding side wall of the limit member 14 are provided with mutually matched guide assemblies. Specifically, the guide assembly includes a guide rib located on the side wall of the mounting recess 13 and a guide recess 142 located on the side wall of the limit member 14, and the guide rib slidably fits in the guide recess 142. In addition, a rear side wall of an upper portion of the limit member 14 is concavely provided with a process recess 143 for taking and placing the limit member 14.

In this example, the mounting cavity 12 penetrates the wheel seat 10 from front to back. The opening and closing assembly further includes a retainer member 33, and the retainer member 33 is fixedly arranged at an opening in a front of the mounting cavity 12 in a threaded screwing manner. The return member 32 is arranged in the mounting cavity 12 behind the stop member 33, and a front end of the opening and closing board 31 abuts against the return member 32. During mounting, the return member 32, preferably a pressure spring, is inserted from an opening in a front end of the mounting cavity 12, and then the retainer member 33 is fixed to the opening in the front of the mounting cavity 12. Then the opening and closing board 31 is mounted forwards from the opening in the rear of the mounting cavity 12 until the opening and closing board abuts against the return member 32, and the opening and closing assembly is mounted.

In this example, the opening and closing board 31 slidably fits in the mounting cavity 12, and a rear end of the opening and closing board 31 extends out of the mounting cavity 12. The rear end of the opening and closing board 31 has a retaining portion 310 that upwards protrudes and movably abuts against the limit member 14. A front and a rear of the limit portion 141 correspond to a front and a rear of the retaining portion 310, and then when the limit member 14 is mounted in the mounting recess 13, the opening and closing board 31 cannot continue moving forwards when moving forwards to a position of the limit member 14, and a current work position, that is, an extending and retracting work position, of the opening and closing board 31 can be determined. When the limit member 14 is removed from the mounting recess 13, the opening and closing board 31 can continue moving forwards and do not stop until a frontmost end, and a current work position, that is, a dismounting and mounting work position, of the opening and closing board 31, can also be determined. In addition, after forward force on the opening and closing board 31 is removed, the return member 32 drives the opening and closing board 31 to return backwards to an initial position far away from the limit member 14, that is, a locking work position. Three different work relations between the opening and closing hole in the opening and closing board 31 and the control block 23 are achieved by changing a position of the opening and closing board 31, and include the locking work position, the extending and retracting work position and the dismounting and mounting work position. A position of the frontmost end can be determined by adjusting a length of the return member 32 in a fully pressed state or a relative distance between the rear end of the opening and closing board 31 and a rear side wall of the wheel seat 10.

In this example, the wheel assembly vertically-liftably fits in the accommodation cavity 11, an ejection member 24 is mounted between a top wall of the accommodation cavity 11 and the control block 23, and the ejection member 24 is preferably a compression spring. A first necking portion 234 located at an upper portion of the control block 23 and a second necking portion 235 located at a lower portion of the control block 23 are arranged at an interval on a peripheral surface of the control block 23, and the control block 23 is further provided with an upper stopping portion 232 above the first necking portion 234 and a lower stopping portion 233 below the second necking portion 235. Under the condition that the opening and closing board 31 is at the dismounting and mounting work position, the control block 23 integrally enters and exits the opening and closing hole to dismount and mount the wheel assembly. Under the condition that the opening and closing board 31 is at the locking work position, the opening and closing board 31 is snapped by the first necking portion 234 to cause the wheel assembly to protrude from the wheel seat 10 or is snapped by the second necking portion 235 to cause the wheel assembly to retract into the wheel seat 10. Under the condition that the opening and closing board 31 is at the extending and retracting work position, a portion, between the first necking portion 234 and the second necking portion 235, of the control block 23 lifts vertically in the opening and closing hole, and the opening and closing board 31 blocks the upper stopping portion 232 and the lower stopping portion 233.

Specifically, the control block 23 between the first necking portion 234 and the second necking portion 235 is arranged as an intermediate column 231, and the intermediate column 231 has an upper end and a lower end. The lower stopping portion 233 is located below the intermediate column 231, and the upper stopping portion 232 is located above the intermediate column 231. The first necking portion 234 is between the intermediate column 231 and the upper stopping portion 232 and forms a first snapping recess in the first necking portion 234. The second necking portion 235 is between the intermediate column 231 and the lower stopping portion 233 and forms a second snapping recess in the second necking portion 235. A portion, sleeving the central shaft 21, of the control block 23 is the lower stopping portion 233, that is, the lower stopping portion 233 sleeves the central shaft 21 between the two wheels 22, and the lower stopping portion 233 is provided with a circular hole.

A relation among the upper stopping portion 232, the lower stopping portion 233 and the intermediate column 231 is as follows: an upper end of the lower stopping portion 233 is provided with a lower stopper position that protrudes relative to the lower end of the intermediate column 231, an orthographic projection of a cross-sectional shape at any height of the intermediate column 231 on the lower end of the upper stopping portion 232 falls within a contour line of the lower end of the upper stopping portion 232, and the lower end of the upper stopping portion 232 has an upper stopper position that protrudes relative to the upper end of the intermediate column 231.

A relation among the first necking portion 234, the second necking portion 235 and the intermediate column 231 is as follows: an orthographic projection of the first necking portion 234 on the upper end of the intermediate column 231 falls within a contour line of the upper end of the intermediate column 231, the upper end of the intermediate column 231 has an upper flange that protrudes relative to the first necking portion 234, an orthographic projection of the second necking portion 235 on the lower end of the intermediate column 231 falls within a contour line of the lower end of the intermediate column 231, and the lower end of the intermediate column 231 has a lower flange that protrudes relative to the second necking portion 235. It can be determined by combining a relation among the upper stopping portion 232, the lower stopping portion 233 and the intermediate column 231 as follows: an orthographic projection of the first necking portion 234 on the lower end of the upper stopping portion 232 falls within the contour line of the lower end of the upper stopping portion 232, and an orthographic projection of the second necking portion 235 on the upper end of the lower stopping portion 233 falls within a contour line of the upper end of the lower stopping portion 233.

In this example, an orthographic projection of a cross-sectional shape at any height of the upper stopping portion 232 on the lower end of the upper stopping portion 232 falls within the contour line of the lower end of the upper stopping portion 232. Specifically, the upper stopping portion 232 is a right cylinder. In other instances, the upper stopping portion 232 may also be a trapezoidal cylinder with a smaller top and a larger bottom.

In this example, an orthographic projection of the lower end of the upper stopping portion 232 on the upper end of the lower stopping portion 233 falls within the contour line of the upper end of the lower stopping portion 233. Specifically, a contour line of the orthographic projection of the upper stopping portion 232 on the upper end of the lower stopping portion 233 in this example completely coincides with the contour line of the upper end of the lower stopping portion 233. In other instances, an entire contour line of the orthographic projection of the upper stopping portion 232 on the upper end of the lower stopping portion 233 narrows inwards relative to the contour line of the upper end of the lower stopping portion 233, or the contour line of the orthographic projection of the upper stopping portion 232 on the upper end of the lower stopping portion 233 partially coincides with the contour line of the upper end of the lower stopping portion 233, and the remaining of the contour line narrows inwards relative to the contour line of the upper end of the lower stopping portion. That is, the contour line of a shape of the upper end of the lower stopping portion 233 can be the same as the contour line of a shape of the lower end of the upper stopping portion 232 as long as the shape of the upper end of the lower stopping portion 233 includes the lower stopper position that protrudes relative to the intermediate column 231. For overall aesthetic appearance of the control block 23, in this example, the shape of the upper end of the lower stopping portion 233 is the same as the shape of the lower end of the upper stopping portion 232, and main portions of the lower stopping portion 233 and the upper stopping portion 232 are right cylinders with the same contour line of the cross-sectional shape, specifically elliptical cylinders.

In this example, an orthographic projection of the upper end of the intermediate column 231 on the lower end of the intermediate column 231 completely coincides with the contour line of the lower end of the intermediate column 231. Specifically, the intermediate column 231 is a right cylinder that has a smaller front and a larger back, and has a first curved surface 2311 at a front side of the intermediate column 231, a second curved surface 2312 at a rear side of the intermediate column 231, and transitional surfaces 2313 that are at a left and a right side of the intermediate column 231 and connect the first curved surface 2311 to the second curved surface 2312 at fronts and rears, a width of a rear end of the first curved surface 2311 in a left-right direction is greater than a width of a front end of the second curved surface 2312 in a left-right direction, and a width of the transitional surface 2313 in a left-right direction increases from the rear end of the first curved surface 2311 to the front end of the second curved surface 2312 at the same side.

An orthographic projection of the second curved surface 2312 on the lower end of the upper stopping portion 232 completely coincides with the contour line corresponding to the lower end of the upper stopping portion 232, a orthographic projection of the first curved surface 2311 on the lower end of the upper stopping portion 232 narrows inwards relative to the contour line corresponding to the lower end of the upper stopping portion 232, and a position, corresponding to the transitional surface 2313 and the first curved surface 2311, of the lower end of the upper stopping portion 232 is provided with the upper stopper position. An orthographic projection of the second curved surface 2312 on the upper end of the lower stopping portion 233 completely coincides with the contour line corresponding to the upper end of the lower stopping portion 233, an orthographic projection of the first curved surface 2311 on the upper end of the lower stopping portion 233 narrows inwards relative to the contour line corresponding to the upper end of the lower stopping portion 233, and a position, corresponding to the transitional surface 2313 and the first curved surface 2311, of an upper end of the lower stopping portion 233 is provided with the lower stopper position.

In this example, the first necking portion 234 narrows inwards relative to the first curved surface 2311 and the transitional surface 2313, and the first necking portion 234 has specifically a track shape consisting of two straight track and two semicircular curve tracks. The second necking portion 235 narrows inwards relative to the first curved surface 2311 and the transitional surface 2313, and the second necking portion 235 has specifically a track shape consisting of two straight paths and two semicircular curves. A left side wall and a right side wall of the first necking portion 234 and a left side wall and a right side wall of the second necking portion 235 are straight side walls that extend in parallel in a front-back direction. A position, corresponding to the first curved surface 2311 and the transitional surface 2313, of the upper end of the intermediate column 231 forms an upper flange, and a position, corresponding to the first curved surface 2311 and the transitional surface 2313, of the lower end of the intermediate column 231 forms a lower flange.

In this example, the transitional surface 2313 is composed of a first transitional surface connected to the second curved surface 2312 and a second transitional surface whose front end and rear end are connected to the first curved surface 2311 and the first transitional surface respectively. The first transitional surface is a cambered curved surface, and the second transitional surface is a flat surface flush with the straight side wall. It should be noted that in other instances, one transitional surface 2313 may also be provided, such as a cambered curved surface or an inclined plane.

A guide recess 230 is provided in a side surface of the control block 23. The guide recess 230 vertically penetrates the upper stopping portion 232 and the intermediate column 231 and is in communication with the first snapping recess and the second snapping recess that are formed it the first necking portion 234 and the second necking portion 235 respectively. A vertical lifting route of the control block 23 can be guided through the guide recess 230. The upper stopping portion 232, the first necking portion 234 and the intermediate column 231 are internally provided accommodation blind holes in a communication manner, and an end of the ejection member 24 extends into the accommodation blind hole to keep the ejection member 24 in a vertical state and provide the control block 23 with resilient force parallel to a vertical direction of the intermediate cavity.

In addition, in order to prevent foreign objects on the ground from entering the wheel cavity or the intermediate cavity through the opening at the bottom of the accommodation cavity 11 when the wheel assembly is in the retracted walking state, in this example, a cover plate 15 for opening or closing the opening at the bottom of the accommodation cavity 11 is further arranged at a bottom of the wheel seat 10, and the cover plate 15 is a sliding cover or a flip cover. A matching structure between the sliding cover or the flip cover and the wheel seat 10 is a conventional technical structure, and will not be repeated herein.

The wheel extending and retracting operation method for a wheel assembly in this example includes: an opening and closing assembly in an initial state is caused to be in snap fit with a second necking portion 235 on a control block 23, and the opening and closing assembly is located at a locking work position and a wheel assembly is retracted into a wheel seat 10. When the opening and closing assembly is pressed, the opening and closing assembly is moved from the locking work position to an extending and retracting work position, and the control block 23 is moved downwards. Under the condition that the control block 23 moves to a first necking portion 234 and corresponds to the opening and closing assembly in position, the control block is blocked by an upper stopping portion 232, the opening and closing assembly returns to the locking work position, the opening and closing assembly is in snap fit with the first necking portion 234, and the wheel assembly protrudes from the wheel seat 10. The opening and closing assembly is re-pressed and moved to the extending and retracting work position, and keeps at the extending and retracting work position, and the control block 23 is moved upwards by pressing the control block 23 with one hand or pressing two wheels 22 with two hands. Under the condition that the control block 23 moves to a second necking portion 235 and corresponds to the opening and closing assembly in position, the control block is blocked by a lower stopping portion 233, the opening and closing assembly returns to the locking work position, and the opening and closing assembly is in snap fit with the second necking portion 235 and returns to the initial state.

This example further provides a sole. The sole includes a sole body and the wheel device described above. The wheel device is mounted at a heel portion of the sole body, a rear side of the sole body is provided with a mounting hole and a pressing block that is movably inserted in the mounting hole, the pressing block matches an opening and closing board 31, and an extending and retracting operation on the opening and closing board 31 is implemented through the pressing block.

The basic principles, main features and advantages of the disclosure have been shown and described above. Those skilled in the art should understand that the disclosure is not limited by the examples described above, what are described in the examples and the description are merely used for explaining the principles of the disclosure, various changes and improvements can be made to the disclosure without deviating from the inventive spirits and the scope of the disclosure, and these changes and improvements should fall within the protection scope claimed by the disclosure. The protection scope claimed by the disclosure is defined by the claims appended and their equivalents.