Patent Publication Number: US-2022234675-A1

Title: Personal Mobility

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-001067, filed on Jan. 26, 2021, which application is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The disclosure relates to a personal mobility. 
     BACKGROUND 
     As used throughout this disclosure, the phrase “personal mobility” is intended to mean any moving personal vehicle, device, machine, instrument, apparatus, or the like. Recently, the use and distribution of a personal mobility such as an electric kickboard is expanding. The personal mobility may be driven on roadways, sidewalks, narrow alleys, and the like by electric power, and may be used as a means of transportation for moving a short distance or for leisure. 
     A conventional personal mobility of an electric kickboard type includes a main body provided with a footrest on which a user may stand, a steering device provided in front of the main body, a front wheel installed on a lower end of the steering device, and a rear wheel installed on a rear end of the main body. 
     Although it is not difficult for the user to ride and drive such a personal mobility, when a cargo is loaded on the personal mobility, it is difficult for the user to maintain balance, so that the driving may become unstable. In addition, it is difficult to stably load a cargo in such a personal mobility because a width of the footrest is narrow. 
     SUMMARY 
     The disclosure relates to a personal mobility. Particular embodiments relate to a personal mobility having two front wheels whose interval in a width direction may be adjusted and which is capable of driving stably in a state in which a cargo is loaded. 
     An embodiment of the disclosure provides a personal mobility capable of driving stably in a state in which a cargo is loaded. 
     Additional embodiments of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure. 
     In accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, a personal mobility includes a main body provided with a footrest on an upper surface thereof, a steering device provided in front of the main body, a front wheel installed at a lower end of the steering device, a rear wheel installed at the rear of the main body, and a cargo loading unit capable of being unfolded in a lateral direction from opposite sides of the main body to expand a loading region for loading a cargo and capable of being folded toward the main body. 
     The cargo loading unit may include a plurality of expansion members having one end rotatably connected to a side surface of the main body to be unfolded in the lateral direction of the main body by rotating and disposed to be spaced apart from each other in a longitudinal direction of the main body. 
     The cargo loading unit may further include a stopper provided to be unfolded to protrude upward from a free end of each of the expansion members or to be folded to be accommodated in each of the expansion members. 
     The cargo loading unit may further include a plurality of width expansion parts slidably coupled to the plurality of expansion members, respectively, to expand a width of the expansion member in a state in which the expansion member is unfolded in the lateral direction of the main body. 
     The main body may include a plurality of accommodating grooves provided on opposite sides of the main body to accommodate each of the expansion members. 
     Each of the expansion members may include a magnet provided to be attached to the main body when folded toward the main body. 
     The cargo loading unit may include a plurality of expansion plates rotatably connected to opposite side ends of the main body and provided to be folded by rotating from the opposite sides of the main body to cover an upper surface of the main body or to be unfolded by rotating from the opposite sides of the main body. 
     Each of the expansion plates may include a stopper provided to protrude upward from a free end thereof in a state of being unfolded from the opposite sides of the main body, and the main body may include a stopper accommodating groove provided to accommodate the stopper in a state in which each of the expansion plates is folded. 
     The main body may include an expansion plate loading surface provided lower than the footrest in a region where the expansion plates are placed so that surfaces of the expansion plates and a surface of the footrest are maintained at the same height in the state in which the expansion plates are folded. 
     The cargo loading unit may include a plurality of sliding expansion units provided to be unfolded in a sliding manner from the opposite sides of the main body in a lateral direction. 
     The front wheel may include a first front wheel and a second front wheel installed side by side in a state in which rotation centers thereof coincide and capable of approaching or being separated from each other in a width direction. 
     The steering device may include a steering shaft rotatably installed on the main body, and a wheel support device installed below the steering shaft to support the first front wheel and the second front wheel and capable of adjusting an interval between the first front wheel and the second front wheel. 
     The wheel support device may include a sliding block coupled to a lower end of the steering shaft, a first sliding member and a second sliding member coupled to the sliding block to move in the width direction of the front wheel and provided to move oppositely to opposite sides from the sliding block, a first wheel support member provided to support the first front wheel and coupled to the first sliding member, a second wheel support member provided to support the second front wheel and coupled to the second sliding member, and a wheel interval adjusting device provided to move the first wheel support member and the second wheel support member to adjust the interval between the first front wheel and the second front wheel. 
     The wheel interval adjusting device may include a first screw shaft fastened to the first wheel support member, a second screw shaft fastened to the second wheel support member and provided such that a spiral direction thereof is opposite to that of the first screw shaft, and a driving unit provided to simultaneously rotate the first screw shaft and the second screw shaft. 
     In accordance with another embodiment of the disclosure, a personal mobility includes a main body provided with a footrest on an upper surface thereof, a steering device provided in front of the main body, a first front wheel and a second front wheel installed at a lower end of the steering device and capable of approaching or being separated from each other, and a rear wheel installed at the rear of the main body, wherein the steering device includes a steering shaft rotatably installed on the main body, and a wheel support device installed below the steering shaft to support the first front wheel and the second front wheel and capable of adjusting an interval between the first front wheel and the second front wheel. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and/or other embodiments of the disclosure will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a personal mobility according to an embodiment of the disclosure in a state in which a first front wheel and a second front wheel approach and a cargo loading unit is folded; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the personal mobility according to an embodiment of the disclosure in a state in which the first front wheel and the second front wheel are spaced apart from each other and the cargo loading unit is unfolded; 
         FIG. 3  is a view illustrating a wheel support device of the personal mobility according to an embodiment of the disclosure in the state in which the first front wheel and the second front wheel approach; 
         FIG. 4  is a view illustrating the wheel support device of the personal mobility according to an embodiment of the disclosure in the state in which the first front wheel and the second front wheel are spaced apart from each other; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a cargo loading unit of the personal mobility according to an embodiment of the disclosure in a state in which a plurality of expansion members is unfolded; 
         FIGS. 6 to 8  illustrate a modified example of the cargo loading unit of the personal mobility according to an embodiment of the disclosure, wherein  FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a plurality of expansion plates is folded,  FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A′ in  FIG. 6 , and  FIG. 7  is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the plurality of expansion plates is unfolded; and 
         FIG. 9  illustrates the modified example of the cargo loading unit of the personal mobility according to an embodiment of the disclosure in a state in which a plurality of sliding expansion units is unfolded. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below are provided by way of example so that those skilled in the art will be able to fully understand the spirit of the disclosure. The disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described below, but may be embodied in other forms. In order to clearly explain the disclosure, parts not related to the description are omitted from the drawings, and the size of the components may be exaggerated for convenience. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a personal mobility according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a main body  10  provided with a footrest  11  on an upper surface thereof, a steering device  20  provided in front of the main body  10 , a front wheel  40  installed on a lower end of the steering device  20 , a rear wheel  50  installed on a rear end of the main body  10 , and a cargo loading unit  60  provided at a rear portion of the main body  10 . 
     The front wheel  40  includes a first front wheel  41  and a second front wheel  42  installed side by side in a state in which rotation centers thereof coincide and capable of approaching or being separated from each other in a width direction. The first front wheel  41 , the second front wheel  42 , and the rear wheel  50  may include a braking device for braking, and the rear wheel  50  may include a driving motor for driving. The main body  10  may include a battery for supplying power to the driving motor of the rear wheel  50 . 
     The steering device  20  includes a steering shaft  21  rotatably installed on a shaft support  12  provided at a front end of the main body  10 , a handle bar  22  installed on an upper end of the steering shaft  21  and extending in opposite sides from the steering shaft  21 , and two handles  23   a  and  23   b  installed on opposite ends of the handle bar  22 , respectively. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the steering device  20  includes a wheel support device  30  installed below the steering shaft  21  to support the first front wheel  41  and the second front wheel  42 . The wheel support device  30  may support the first front wheel  41  and the second front wheel  42 , and at the same time adjust an interval between the first front wheel  41  and the second front wheel  42  as needed. The wheel support device  30  may include a sliding block  31 , a first sliding member  32 , a second sliding member  33 , a first wheel support member  34 , a second wheel support member  35 , and a wheel interval adjusting device  36 . 
     The sliding block  31  is fixed to a lower end of the steering shaft  21 , and includes a rectangular sliding groove  31   a  to which the first sliding member  32  and the second sliding member  33  are slidably coupled. 
     The first sliding member  32  may be provided in the form of a square tube, and may move forward and backward in the width direction of the first front wheel  41  in a state of being coupled to the sliding groove  31   a  of the sliding block  31 . The second sliding member  33  may also be provided in the form of a square tube, and may move forward and backward to the opposite side of the first sliding member  32  in a state of being slidably coupled to the inside of the first sliding member  32  coupled to the sliding block  31 . By this coupling, the first sliding member  32  and the second sliding member  33  may move forward and backward in the width direction of the first front wheel  41  and the second front wheel  42  in a state in which rotation thereof is restricted, respectively. 
     The first wheel support member  34  extends downward in a state in which an upper portion thereof is fixed to the first sliding member  32 , and a lower portion of the first wheel support member  34  is fixed to a shaft  41   a  of the first front wheel  41 . Accordingly, the first front wheel  41  may move laterally together with the first sliding member  32  and the first wheel support member  34 . 
     The second wheel support member  35  extends downward in a state in which an upper portion thereof is fixed to the second sliding member  33 , and a lower portion of the second wheel support member  35  is fixed to a shaft  42   a  of the second front wheel  42 . Accordingly, the second front wheel  42  may also move laterally together with the second sliding member  33  and the second wheel support member  35 . 
     The first wheel support member  34  and the second wheel support member  35  may include shock absorbers  34   a  and  35   a  for buffering during driving, respectively. 
     The wheel interval adjusting device  36  adjusts the interval between the first front wheel  41  and the second front wheel  42  by moving the first wheel support member  34  and the second wheel support member  35  oppositely. The wheel interval adjusting device  36  may include a first screw shaft  36   a , a second screw shaft  36   b , and a driving unit  36   c.    
     The first screw shaft  36   a  is fastened to the first wheel support member  34 . For the fastening of the first screw shaft  36   a , a cylindrical first extension pipe  36   d  having threads on an inner surface thereof may be installed on the first wheel support member  34 . 
     The second screw shaft  36   b  is fastened to the second wheel support member  35  and is provided such that a spiral direction thereof is opposite to that of the first screw shaft  36   a . For the fastening of the second screw shaft  36   b , a cylindrical second extension pipe  36   e  having threads on an inner surface thereof may be installed on the second wheel support member  35 . 
     The driving unit  36   c  is fixed to a lower portion of the sliding block  31  and simultaneously rotates the first screw shaft  36   a  and the second screw shaft  36   b  disposed on opposite sides thereof in the same direction. Although not shown in the drawings, the driving unit  36   c  may include a driving motor and a reduction gear device for decelerating and transmitting the rotation of the driving motor to the first and second screw shafts  36   a  and  36   b.    
     As the first screw shaft  36   a  and the second screw shaft  36   b , whose helical directions are opposite to each other, rotate in the forward or reverse direction at the same time by the operation of the driving unit  36   c , the wheel interval adjusting device  36  may simultaneously move the first and second wheel support members  34  and  35  to maintain the first front wheel  41  and the second front wheel  42  with a narrow interval W 1  as illustrated in  FIG. 3  or to maintain the first front wheel  41  and the second front wheel  42  with a wide interval W 2  as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
     A user may operate the driving unit  36   c  by manipulating a wheel interval adjusting switch  25  provided on the handle bar  22  of the steering device  20 , so that the interval between the first front wheel  41  and the second front wheel  42  may be adjusted as needed. As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , when a cargo is loaded into the cargo loading unit  60  of the main body  10 , for a stable driving, the interval between the first front wheel  41  and the second front wheel  42  may be widened. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , when the personal mobility is driven without loading a cargo on the main body  10 , the interval between the first front wheel  41  and the second front wheel  42  may be narrowed. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1, 2, and 5 , the cargo loading unit  60  may be unfolded to opposite sides of the main body  10  when a cargo C is loaded at the rear portion of the main body  10  to expand a loading space of the cargo C, and may be folded toward the main body  10  not to protrude from the main body  10  when the cargo C is not loaded. 
     The cargo loading unit  60  may include a plurality of expansion members  61 , a plurality of width expansion parts  62 , and a plurality of stoppers  63 . 
     Each of the plurality of expansion members  61  has one end rotatably connected to a side surface of the main body  10  by a connecting shaft  61   a , so that each of the plurality of expansion members  61  may be unfolded in a cantilever shape in a lateral direction of the main body  10  by rotating. In addition, the plurality of expansion members  61  is disposed to be spaced apart from each other in a longitudinal direction of the main body  10  and may be symmetrically installed on the opposite sides of the main body  10 . 
     A plurality of accommodating grooves  13  may be formed on the opposite sides of the main body  10  to accommodate the plurality of expansion members  61  when folded, and magnets  64  may be installed on the expansion members  61 , respectively, to be attached to the main body  10  in the folded state toward the main body  10 . 
     Each of the width expansion pails  62  is provided on each of the expansion members  61  positioned in front thereof relatively, and may be slidably coupled to each of the expansion members  61 . The width expansion part  62  may expand a width of the expansion member  61  by being drawn forward as needed in a state in which the expansion member  61  is unfolded in the lateral direction of the main body  10 . When a width of the cargo C is wide, the width expansion part  62  may be drawn out to expand the loading region, when the width of the cargo C is narrow, the width expansion part  62  may be retracted toward the expansion member  61 . 
     Each of the plurality of stoppers  63  is rotatably coupled to a free end of each of the expansion members  61 . Each of the plurality of stoppers  63  may be unfolded to protrude upward from the free end of each of the expansion members  61  or may be folded to be accommodated in each of the expansion members  61 . Each of the plurality of stoppers  63  may support a lower edge of the cargo C in an unfolded state to prevent the cargo C from being pushed out in the lateral direction. 
     When the cargo C is loaded on an upper rear side of the main body  10 , as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the personal mobility may expand the loading region for loading the cargo C by unfolding the plurality of expansion members  61  outward. Therefore, the cargo C, which is larger than the width of the main body  10 , may be stably loaded. In addition, when the cargo C is loaded, the interval between the first front wheel  41  and the second front wheel  42  may be widened for stable driving. 
     When the personal mobility is driven without loading the cargo C, as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the expansion members  61  may be folded toward the main body  10  so that the expansion members  61  do not protrude from the main body  10 . In addition, the personal mobility may be driven in a state in which the interval between the first front wheel  41  and the second front wheel  42  is narrowed. 
       FIGS. 6 to 8  illustrate a cargo loading unit  70  of another form. The cargo loading unit  70  illustrated in  FIGS. 6 to 8  includes a plurality of expansion plates  71  rotatably connected to opposite side ends of the main body  10  by hinge devices  72 , respectively. The expansion plates  71  may be folded by rotating from the opposite sides of the main body  10  to cover an upper surface of the main body  10  or may expand the loading region for loading the cargo C by rotating in the lateral direction from the opposite sides of the main body  10  to be unfolded. 
     Each of the expansion plates  71  includes a stopper  73  provided to protrude upward from a free end thereof in a state in which the expansion plate  71  is unfolded in the lateral direction from the opposite sides of the main body  10 . The stopper  73  may support the lower edge of the cargo C to prevent the cargo C from being pushed out in the lateral direction. 
     The main body  10  may include an expansion plate loading surface  15  provided lower than the footrest  11  in a region where the expansion plates  71  are placed so that surfaces of the expansion plates  71  and a surface of the footrest  11  are maintained at the same height in a state in which the expansion plates  71  provided on the opposite sides of the main body  10  are folded, and a stopper accommodating groove  16  formed on the expansion plate loading surface  15  to accommodate the stoppers  73  in the state in which the expansion plates  71  provided on the opposite sides of the main body  10  are folded. 
     The expansion plates  71  on the opposite sides may each include a groove-shaped handle part  74  to facilitate unfolding in the folded state. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a cargo loading unit  80  of another form. The cargo loading unit  80  illustrated in  FIG. 9  includes a plurality of sliding expansion units  81  unfolded in a sliding manner from the opposite sides of the main body  10  in the lateral direction. Each of the sliding expansion units  81  may include a plurality of sliding members  81   a  drawn out in the sliding manner from the main body  10  in the lateral direction, and cargo support members  81   b , provided at free ends of the plurality of sliding members  81   a  to support the cargo C. 
     The cargo loading unit  80  illustrated in  FIG. 9  may load the cargo C on an upper surface of the sliding expansion unit  81  by drawing out the sliding expansion unit  81  in the lateral direction when the cargo C is loaded, and may accommodate the sliding expansion unit  81  by pushing the sliding expansion unit  81  toward the side surface of the main body  10  when the cargo C is not loaded. An accommodating groove  18  for accommodating a portion of the cargo support members  81   b , may be provided on the side surface of the main body  10 . 
     As is apparent from the above, a personal mobility according to an embodiment of the disclosure can stably load a cargo larger than a width of a main body because a plurality of expansion members can be expanded outward when the cargo is loaded so that a loading region for loading the cargo can be expanded, and can be driven stably because an interval between a first front wheel and a second front wheel can be increased.