Patent Publication Number: US-2022234514-A1

Title: Carrying mechanism and vehicle carrier including the same

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a carrying mechanism and a vehicle carrier including the same. 
     Description of the Prior Art 
     A conventional vehicle carrier is used to carry bicycles, electric bicycles and electric scooters, or the like. In operation, an operator has to directly move the cycle onto or from the vehicle carrier. If the cycle is heavy, a supporting board is used to connect the vehicle carriers with the ground so that the cycle can be pushed onto the vehicle carrier by the supporting board, which is laborsaving. 
     However, the supporting board is directly leaned against the vehicle carrier without positioning mechanism, which has poor assembling stability, and the supporting board is inconvenient to use and storage. 
     The present invention is, therefore, arisen to obviate or at least mitigate the above-mentioned disadvantages. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The main object of the present invention is to provide a carrying mechanism and a vehicle carrier including the same which are convenient to use and storage. 
     To achieve the above and other objects, the present invention provides a carrying mechanism, including: a frame, a slide rail and a pivot mechanism. The frame includes a holding surface configured for a cycle to be placed thereon and a receiving groove extending along a longitudinal direction of the frame, and the receiving groove has an opening open to an end of the frame. The slide rail is slidably disposed within the receiving groove and movable in the longitudinal direction between a first position and a second position. The pivot mechanism includes a first pivoting portion disposed on the frame and a second pivoting portion disposed on the slide rail, and the first pivoting portion is removably and rotatably connected with the second pivoting portion. When the slide rail is in the first position, the slide rail is sleeved with the frame and non-swingable relative to the frame; when the slide rail is in the second position, at least part of the slide rail is moved out of the receiving groove and the slide rail is swingable relative to the frame. 
     To achieve the above and other objects, the present invention further provides a vehicle carrier, including the carrying mechanism as described above, further including: a hanging member and at least one sub-frame. The hanging member is connected with the carrying mechanism and configured to be detachably assembled with a hanging mechanism of a vehicle. The at least one sub-frame is connected with the hanging member and configured for at least one said cycle to be placed thereon, and an end of each of the at least one sub-frame includes a third pivoting portion which is removably and rotatably connected with the second pivoting portion. 
     The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment(s) in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a stereogram of a preferable embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a stereogram of a preferable embodiment of the present invention when a slide rail is in a second position; 
         FIG. 3  is a partial breakdown drawing of a preferable embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of a preferable embodiment of the present invention when the slide rail is in a first position; 
         FIG. 5  is a stereogram showing an abutting seat according to a preferable embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of a preferable embodiment of the present invention when the slide rail is in the second position; 
         FIG. 7  is a stereogram showing a sliding seat according to a preferable embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 8 and 10  are schematic diagrams showing operation according to a preferable embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 9  is a stereogram showing an assembling member according to a preferable embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 1 to 10  for a preferable embodiment of the present invention. A carrying mechanism  1  of the present invention includes: a frame  10 , a slide rail  20  and a pivot mechanism  30 . 
     The frame  10  includes a holding surface  11  configured for a cycle to be placed thereon and a receiving groove  12  extending along a longitudinal direction of the frame  10 , and the receiving groove  12  has an opening  121  open to an end of the frame  10 . The slide rail  20  is slidably disposed within the receiving groove  12  and movable in the longitudinal direction between a first position and a second position. The pivot mechanism  30  includes a first pivoting portion  31  disposed on the frame  10  and a second pivoting portion  32  disposed on the slide rail  20 , and the first pivoting portion  31  is removably and rotatably connected with the second pivoting portion  32 . When the slide rail  20  is in the first position, the slide rail  20  is sleeved with the frame  10  and non-swingable relative to the frame  10 , which is convenient to storage and carry, as shown in  FIG. 1 . When the slide rail  20  is in the second position, at least part of the slide rail  20  is moved out of the receiving groove  12  and the slide rail  20  is swingable relative to the frame  10 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . Therefore, the cycle can be pushed onto or off the frame  10  along the slide rail  20 , which is easy to operate and laborsaving. 
     In this embodiment, the frame  10  is a tubular member enclosed circumferentially, which provides good structural strength and protection of inner components and prevents external objects from moving into the receiving groove  12  for smooth operation; the holding surface  11  includes an arcuate surface  111  concave toward the receiving groove  12  and two inclined surfaces  112  located at two opposite sides of the arcuate surface  111 , and each of the two inclined surfaces  112  extends obliquely in a direction from the arcuate surface  111  to an outer side of the receiving groove  12  so that wheels of the cycle are stably restricted and not easy to dislocate from the holding surface  11  during transport. 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the slide rail  20  includes a first end  21  having the second pivoting portion  32  disposed thereon and a second end  22  remote from the first end  21 . The second end  22  has an abutting seat  23 , and the abutting seat  23  includes an abutting surface  231  tilted to the longitudinal direction. When the slide rail  20  is in the second position, the abutting surface  231  is configured to be abuttable against a ground to have good operation safety. Please refer to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , an end of the frame  10  close to the opening  121  preferably has at least one blocking member  13 , and the abutting seat  23  further includes at least one first engaging slot  232  open to the opening  121  and corresponding to the at least one blocking member  13 . When the slide rail  20  is in the first position, the at least one blocking member  13  is releasably engaged within the at least one first engaging slot  232  so as to prevent the slide rail  20  from being unexpectedly moved out of the receiving groove  12 . Each of the at least one blocking member  13  may be a screw or a fastener penetrating through the frame  10 , which is easy to process. In this embodiment, the at least one first engaging slot  232  extends in the longitudinal direction, an inner wall of each of the at least one first engaging slot  232  has at least one engaging projection  233  extending inward, and each of the at least one engaging projection  233  is interferingly blockable with one of the at least one blocking member  13  in the longitudinal direction. Two opposite sides of each of the at least one first engaging slot  232  has at least one slot  234  corresponding to the at least one engaging projection  233 , therefore, when the at least one blocking member  13  is moved along the at least one first engaging slot  232  and urged the at least one engaging projection  233 , the at least one slot  234  allows a wall of the at least one first engaging slot  232  to be elastically deformed so as to have stable engagement. Preferably, the abutting seat  23  further includes a restricting surface  235  facing the frame  10 , and the restricting surface  235  is restrictedly abutted against the frame  10  in the longitudinal direction when the slide rail  20  is in the first position so as to prevent the slide rail  20  from being pushed into the receiving groove  12 . 
     The slide rail  20  includes a first rod body  24  and a second rod body  25  connected between the first rod body  24  and the frame  10 , and the first rod body  24  is slidably sleeved with the second rod body  25  so that a length of the slide rail  20  is adjustable to apply to various vehicles with different assembling heights. Specifically, one of the first rod body  24  and the second rod body  25  has at least one guiding groove  241 , and the other of the first rod body  24  and the second rod body  25  has at least one guiding projection  251  slidably disposed within the at least one guiding groove  241  so that the first rod body  24  and the second rod body  25  are stably and smoothly movable relative to each other and have simple structures for easy manufacturing. The first rod body  24  and the second rod body  25  are respectively made by folding a board so as to have good structural strength and light weight. However, the first rod body and the second rod body may respectively be a tubular member or be made by connecting a plurality of plates. 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the pivot mechanism  30  further includes a sliding seat  33  slidably disposed within the receiving groove  12 , and the sliding seat  33  has the first pivoting portion  31  disposed thereon and is comovable with the slide rail  20  in the longitudinal direction. Specifically, the sliding seat  33  includes a first portion  331  having the first pivoting portion  31  and a second portion  332 , and a cross-sectional contour of the second portion  332  corresponds to a cross-sectional contour of the receiving groove  12  so that the sliding seat  33  is stably and smoothly movable in the receiving groove  12 . When the slide rail  20  is in the second position, the first portion  331  protrudes out of the opening  121  and the slide rail  20  is smoothly swingable relative to the frame  10 . A diametrical dimension of the first portion  331  is smaller than a diametrical dimension of the second portion  332  so as to have sufficient space for assembling the second pivoting portion  32 . In this embodiment, the first pivoting portion  31  includes two protrusions  311  disposed on two opposite sides of the first portion  331 , and the second pivoting portion  32  includes two hooked ears  321  integrally extending from two opposite sidewalls of the slide rail  20 , which is easy to be assembled and provides stable connection. However, the first pivoting portion may include only one pivot; the first pivoting portion may include at least one engaging recess, and the second pivoting portion may include at least one shaft being engageable within the at least one engaging recess. 
     The at least one blocking member  13  is interferingly blockable with the sliding seat  33  in the longitudinal direction, specifically, the sliding seat  33  has at least one second engaging slot  333  open to the opening  121  and corresponding to the at least one blocking member  13 , and the at least one blocking member  13  is releasably engaged within the at least one second engaging slot  333  when the slide rail  20  is in the second position so as to prevent the sliding seat  33  from removing from the frame  10 . In this embodiment, each of the at least one second engaging slot  333  includes an engaging portion  334  and a guiding portion  335  extending along the longitudinal direction, and the engaging portion  334  is open to the guiding portion  335  and spaced apart from the guiding portion  335  so as to effectively guild and restrict the at least one blocking member  13  and prevent the sliding seat  33  from being skew during movement. Moreover, a wall of the engaging portion  334  is elastically deformable so as to provide stable engagement. In other embodiment, the engaging portion may be connected with the guiding portion. 
     The present invention further provides a vehicle carrier  2 , including the carrying mechanism  1  as described above, further including: a hanging member  200  and at least one sub-frame  210 . The hanging member  200  is connected with the carrying mechanism  1  and configured to be detachably assembled with a hanging mechanism of a vehicle. The at least one sub-frame  210  is connected with the hanging member  200  and configured for at least one said cycle to be placed thereon, and an end of each of the at least one sub-frame  210  includes a third pivoting portion  220  removably and rotatably connected with the second pivoting portion  32 . Please refer to  FIGS. 8 to 10 , in this embodiment, the end of each of the at least one sub-frame  210  has an assembling member  230  disposed thereon, and the third pivoting portion  220  is disposed on the assembling member  230  and includes two concave portions  240  corresponding to the two hooked ears  321 . In operation, the slide rail  20  is selectively rotatably connected to the frame  10  or one of the at least one sub-frame  210 , and the cycle can be pushed onto or off the frame  10  or/and the at least one sub-frame  210  through the slide rail  20 , which is easy to use and laborsaving. The slide rail  20  is received within the receiving groove  12  after operation, which is convenient to storage and carry. In other embodiment, each said sub-frame may be directly connected with the slide rail without the assembling member. 
     Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.