Patent Publication Number: US-11382821-B2

Title: Movable carrier

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     1. Field of the Disclosure 
     The disclosure relates to a movable carrier and, more particularly, to a movable carrier capable of changing a distance between wheels by rotating a handle. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     A movable carrier (e.g. wheelchair, stroller, scooter, etc.) is a convenient transportation for assisting disabled people in moving. In general, most of the movable carriers are equipped with a front wheel and a rear wheel. Since a center-of-gravity position of the movable carrier is high, the distance between the front wheel and the rear wheel has to increase, so as to improve stability during the movement of the movable carrier. On the other hand, when the movable carrier moves within a narrow space, the distance between the front wheel and the rear wheel has to decrease, so as to reduce a rotation radius, such that the movable carrier does not run into a wall or an object within the narrow space. At present, the distance between the front wheel and the rear wheel of the conventional movable carrier is fixed and cannot be adjusted, such that the conventional movable carrier cannot satisfy the aforesaid two usage requirements at the same time. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The disclosure provides a movable carrier capable of changing a distance between wheels by rotating a handle, so as to solve the aforesaid problems. 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a movable carrier includes a main body, a first wheel, a driving module, a first support member, a second wheel, a seat, a first handle and two first switches. The first wheel is pivotally connected to the main body. The driving module is disposed in the main body. The first support member is connected to the driving module. The second wheel is pivotally connected to the first support member. The seat is disposed on the main body. The first handle is pivotally connected to the seat and the first handle has a trigger portion. The first switches are disposed on the seat and located within a rotation range of the first handle. When the first handle rotates with respect to the seat and the trigger portion triggers one of the first switches, the driving module drives the first support member to rotate with respect to the main body along a first direction, so as to increase a distance between the first wheel and the second wheel. When the first handle rotates with respect to the seat and the trigger portion triggers another one of the first switches, the driving module drives the first support member to rotate with respect to the main body along a second direction, so as to decrease the distance between the first wheel and the second wheel. The first direction is opposite to the second direction. 
     As mentioned in the above, a user can rotate the handle to decrease the distance between the wheels, such that the movable carrier can move within a narrow space by a small rotation radius. Furthermore, the user can rotate the handle to increase the distance between the wheels, so as to improve stability during the movement of the movable carrier. In other words, the user can rotate the handle to change the distance between the wheels, such that the movable carrier of the disclosure can satisfy different usage requirements. 
     These and other objectives of the present disclosure will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side view illustrating a movable carrier according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view illustrating the distance between the first wheel and the second wheel shown in  FIG. 1  increases. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view illustrating the movable carrier shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating a seat, a first handle and a second handle. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view illustrating the seat, the first handle and the second handle from another viewing angle. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating the first handle, the second handle and a transmission mechanism. 
         FIG. 7  is a sectional view illustrating the connection between the seat, the first handle and the second handle. 
         FIG. 8  is a sectional view illustrating the first handle and the second handle shown in  FIG. 7  after rotation. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view illustrating a transmission mechanism according to another embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view illustrating a driving module according to another embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view illustrating a lock module according to another embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view illustrating a lock member shown in  FIG. 11  after rotation. 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view illustrating the lock member disengaged from a lock recess. 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view illustrating the lock member engaged with the lock recess. 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view illustrating the lock member engaged with another lock recess. 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view illustrating a driving module according to another embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 17  is a perspective view illustrating a seat according to another embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 18  is a side view illustrating a movable carrier according to another embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 19  is a side view illustrating the first handle shown in  FIG. 18  after rotation. 
         FIG. 20  is an exploded view illustrating a movable carrier according to another embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 6 , a movable carrier  1  includes a main body  10 , a first wheel  12 , a driving module  14 , a first support member  16   a , a second support member  16   b , a second wheel  18   a , a third wheel  18   b , a seat  20 , a first handle  22   a , a second handle  22   b  and two first switches  24   a ,  24   b . In this embodiment, the movable carrier  1  may be a wheelchair, a stroller, a scooter or other carriers according to practical applications. 
     The first wheel  12  is pivotally connected to the main body  10 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the movable carrier  1  may include two first wheels  12  pivotally connected to opposite sides of the main body  10 . It should be noted that the number of the first wheels  12  may be one or more and the first wheel  12  may be connected to an appropriate portion of the main body  10 , so the disclosure is not limited to the embodiment shown in the figure. 
     The driving module  14  is disposed in the main body  10 . In this embodiment, the driving module  14  may include a first motor  140 , a first gear  142 , a second gear  144  and a link rod  146 , wherein the first gear  142  is connected to the first motor  140 , the second gear  144  is disposed on the link rod  146 , and the first gear  142  meshes with the second gear  144 . The first support member  16   a  and the second support member  16   b  are connected to opposite ends of the link rod  146  of the driving module  14 . Accordingly, the first motor  140  can drive the first support member  16   a  and the second support member  16   b  to rotate with respect to the main body  10  synchronously through the first gear  142 , the second gear  144  and the link rod  146 . The second wheel  18   a  is pivotally connected to an end of the first support member  16   a  and the third wheel  18   b  is pivotally connected to an end of the second support member  16   b.    
     The seat  20  is disposed on the main body  10 . The first handle  22   a  and the second handle  22   b  are pivotally connected to opposite sides of the seat  20 . The first handle  22   a  has a trigger portion  220 . The first switches  24   a ,  24   b  are disposed on the seat  20  and located within a rotation range of the first handle  22   a , wherein the rotation range of the first handle  22   a  may be, but not limited to, 180 degrees, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a user may rotate the first handle  22   a  to change a distance D between the first wheel  12  and the second wheel  18   a . It should be noted that since the driving module  14  can drive the first support member  16   a  and the second support member  16   b  to rotate with respect to the main body  10  synchronously, the variation of the distance between the first wheel  12  and the third wheel  18   b  is identical to the variation of the distance D between the first wheel  12  and the second wheel  18   a . In the following, the technical feature of the disclosure is illustrated by the variation of the distance D between the first wheel  12  and the second wheel  18   a.    
     When the user wants to improve stability during the movement of the movable carrier  1 , the user may rotate the first handle  22   a  shown in  FIG. 1  to the position shown in  FIG. 2 . When the first handle  22   a  rotates with respect to the seat  20  to the position shown in  FIG. 2  and the trigger portion  220  of the first handle  22   a  triggers the first switch  24   a , the first motor  140  of the driving module  14  is actuated. Then, the first motor  140  drives the first support member  16   a  to rotate with respect to the main body  10  along a first direction A 1  to the position shown in  FIG. 2  through the first gear  142 , the second gear  144  and the link rod  146 , so as to increase the distance D between the first wheel  12  and the second wheel  18   a . Accordingly, the stability during the movement of the movable carrier  1  can be improved. 
     When the user wants to move the movable carrier within a narrow space, the user may rotate the first handle  22   a  shown in  FIG. 2  to the position shown in  FIG. 1 . When the first handle  22   a  rotates with respect to the seat  20  to the position shown in  FIG. 1  and the trigger portion  220  of the first handle  22   a  triggers the first switch  24   b , the first motor  140  of the driving module  14  is actuated. Then, the first motor  140  drives the first support member  16   a  to rotate with respect to the main body  10  along a second direction A 2  to the position shown in  FIG. 1  through the first gear  142 , the second gear  144  and the link rod  146 , so as to decrease the distance D between the first wheel  12  and the second wheel  18   a . Accordingly, the movable carrier  1  can move within the narrow space by a small rotation radius, so as to prevent the movable carrier  1  from running into a wall or an object within the narrow space. 
     In this embodiment, when the first wheel  12  and the second wheel  18   a  are close to each other (as shown in  FIG. 1 ), the first handle  22   a  may extend along a third direction A 3 ; and when the first wheel  12  and the second wheel  18   a  are away from each other (as shown in  FIG. 2 ), the first handle  22   a  may extend along a fourth direction A 4 , wherein the third direction A 3  is perpendicular to the fourth direction A 4 . Accordingly, no matter which state shown in  FIG. 1 or 2  the movable carrier  1  is situated at, the first handle  22   a  can be switched to a height appropriate for the user to grab and push the movable carrier  1 . It should be noted that a random angle may be included between the third direction A 3  and the fourth direction A 4 , so the third direction A 3  is not limited to be perpendicular to the fourth direction A 4 . 
     Furthermore, the movable carrier  1  may further include a transmission mechanism  26  disposed in the seat  20  and connected to the first handle  22   a  and the second handle  22   b . In this embodiment, the transmission mechanism  26  may include a plurality of gears  260  being meshed with each other, as shown in  FIG. 6 . The first handle  22   a  and the second handle  22   b  may be connected to two of the gears  260  (e.g. two outermost gears  260 ). Accordingly, when one of the first handle  22   a  and the second handle  22   b  rotates, the transmission mechanism  26  can drive the other one of the first handle  22   a  and the second handle  22   b  to rotate synchronously by the gears  260 . It should be noted that since the transmission mechanism  26  can drive the first handle  22   a  and the second handle  22   b  to rotate synchronously, the user may rotate the second handle  22   b  to change the distance D between the first wheel  12  and the second wheel  18   a.    
     Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the first handle  22   a  and the second handle  22   b  may be pivotally connected to the seat  20  by a hinge  28 . The arrangement of the hinge  28 , the first handle  22   a  and the seat  20  is identical to the arrangement of the hinge  28 , the second handle  22   b  and the seat  20 . In the following, the technical feature of the disclosure is illustrated by the arrangement of the hinge  28 , the first handle  22   a  and the seat  20 . 
     The hinge  28  may include a disk spring  280 , a plate member  282  and a fixing member  284 . The disk spring  280  is sandwiched in between the plate member  282  and the first handle  22   a , and the fixing member  284  passes through the plate member  282 , the disk spring  280  and the first handle  22   a  to be connected to the seat  20 . The disk spring  280  is used to provide torsion and the first handle  22   a  may rotate with respect to the seat  20  to any position. In this embodiment, the fixing member  284  may be a screw used to adjusting the torsion provided by the disk spring  280 . 
     Furthermore, the first handle  22   a  has a plurality of positioning recesses  222  and the seat  20  has a plurality of accommodating recesses  200 , a plurality of first elastic members  202  and a plurality of positioning members  204 . In this embodiment, the first elastic member  202  may be a spring. The first elastic member  202  and the positioning member  204  are disposed in the accommodating recess  200 , and opposite ends of the first elastic member  202  abut against a bottom of the accommodating recess  200  and the positioning member  204 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , the positioning member  204  may engage with the positioning recess  222 , so as to keep the first handle  22   a  motionless with respect to the seat  20 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , when the first handle  22   a  rotates with respect to the seat  20 , the positioning member  204  disengages from the positioning recess  222  and compresses the first elastic member  202 . When the first handle  22   a  rotates with respect to the seat  20  continuously to align the positioning member  204  with the positioning recess  222 , an elastic force provided by the first elastic member  202  may drive the positioning member  204  to return and to engage with the positioning recess  222 . In other words, the disclosure may position the first handle  22   a  on the seat  20  by the cooperation between the positioning member  204  and the positioning recess  222 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , the main difference between a transmission mechanism  26 ′ shown in  FIG. 9  and the aforesaid transmission mechanism  26  is that the transmission mechanism  26 ′ includes a belt  262  and two pulleys  264   a ,  264   b , wherein the pulleys  264   a ,  264   b  are connected to the first handle  22   a  and the second handle  22   b , respectively, and the belt  262  is connected to the pulleys  264   a ,  264   b . Accordingly, when one of the first handle  22   a  and the second handle  22   b  rotates, the transmission mechanism  26 ′ can drive the other one of the first handle  22   a  and the second handle  22   b  to rotate synchronously by the belt  262  and the pulleys  264   a ,  264   b.    
     Referring to  FIG. 10 , according to another embodiment of the disclosure, the driving module  14  may further include a torsion spring  148  and a first fixing member  150 . The torsion spring  148  and the first fixing member  150  are disposed on the link rod  146 . Opposite ends of the torsion spring  148  are connected to the first fixing member  150  and the second support member  16   b . By means of the torsion provided by the torsion spring  148 , the torsion outputted by first motor  140  can be reduced effectively. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 11 to 15 , according to another embodiment of the disclosure, the aforesaid movable carrier  1  may further include a lock module  30 . The lock module  30  includes a second motor  300 , a cam  302 , a lock member  304 , a second fixing member  306 , a second elastic member  308  and a second switch  310 . As shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , the cam  302  is connected to the second motor  300 , the lock member  304  is pivotally connected to the second fixing member  306 , and opposite ends of the second elastic member  308  are connected to the lock member  304  and the second fixing member  306 . In this embodiment, the second elastic member  308  may be a spring. As shown in  FIGS. 13 to 15 , the second switch  310  is disposed corresponding to the lock member  304 . Furthermore, as shown in  FIG. 13 , the first support member  16   a  includes two lock recesses  160   a ,  160   b  and two third switches  162   a ,  162   b , wherein the third switches  162   a ,  162   b  are disposed in the lock recesses  160   a ,  160   b , respectively. 
     In this embodiment, the second motor  300  is used to drive the cam  302  to rotate and the cam  302  is used to drive the lock member  304  to rotate, such that the lock member  304  may disengage from or engage with one of the lock recesses  160   a ,  160   b , so as to lock a rotation angle of the first support member  16   a . When the lock member  304  engages with the lock recess  160   a  (as shown in  FIG. 14 ), the first support member  16   a  is located at the position shown in  FIG. 2 . When the lock member  304  engages with the lock recess  160   b  (as shown in  FIG. 15 ), the first support member  16   a  is located at the position shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     When the user wants to change the first support member  16   a  from the position shown in  FIG. 2  to the position shown in  FIG. 1 , the user may rotate the first handle  22   a  shown in  FIG. 2 . Then, the second motor  300  is actuated to drive the cam  302  to rotate along a fifth direction A 5  (as shown in  FIG. 11 ). At this time, the cam  302  drives the lock member  304  to rotate along the fifth direction A 5  (as shown in  FIG. 11 ), such that the lock member  304  disengages from the lock recess  160   a  (as shown in  FIG. 13 ) and the second elastic member  308  is stretched by the lock member  304  (as shown in  FIG. 11 ). Then, when the lock member  304  triggers the second switch  310 , the first motor  140  of the aforesaid driving module  14  is actuated to drive the first support member  16   a  to rotate from the position shown in  FIG. 2  to the position shown in  FIG. 1 . It should be noted that when the lock member  304  triggers the second switch  310 , the second motor  300  will stop for a predetermined time period (e.g. one second). After the lock member  304  moves out of a space above the lock recess  160   a , the second motor  300  is actuated again to drive the cam  302  to rotate along the fifth direction A 5  by a predetermined angle and then stops. After the cam  302  rotates, an elastic force provided by the second elastic member  308  pulls the lock member  304  along a sixth direction A 6  (as shown in  FIG. 12 ). After the cam  302  rotates along the fifth direction A 5  by the predetermined angle, the lock member  304  disengages from the cam  302  and then the elastic force provided by the second elastic member  308  drives the lock member  304  to rotate along the sixth direction A 6 , such that the lock member  304  leans against the first support member  16   a . When the first support member  16   a  rotates to the position shown in  FIG. 15 , the lock member  304  engages with the lock recess  160   b , so as to lock the rotation angle of the first support member  16   a . When the lock member  304  engages with the lock recess  160   b , the lock member  304  triggers the third switch  162   b  in the lock recess  160   b , such that the first motor  140  of the driving module  14  stops. Similarly, when the lock member  304  engages with the lock recess  160   a  and triggers the third switch  162   a , the first motor  140  of the driving module  14  also stops. In other words, an embodiment of the disclosure may use the second switch  310  and the third switches  162   a ,  162   b  to control the first motor  140  of the driving module  14 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 14 and 15 , the driving module  14  may further include a stop member  152 , and the first support member  16   a  may have a stop portion  164 . The stop member  152  is disposed on the link rod  146 . After the first motor  140  of the driving module  14  drives the first support member  16   a  to rotate with respect to the main body  10  along the first direction A 1  to the position shown in  FIG. 2 , the stop member  152  stops the stop portion  164  to restrain the rotation angle of the first support member  16   a . Accordingly, when a person is seated on the seat  20  shown in  FIG. 2 , the stop member  152  and the stop portion  164  can cooperate with each other to assist in supporting the weight of the person. Furthermore, the stop member  152  and the stop portion  164  can cooperate with each other to prevent the lock member  304  from being stuck in the lock recess  160   a  due to over rotation of the first support member  16   a.    
     Referring to  FIG. 16 , the main difference between a driving module  14 ′ shown in  FIG. 16  and the aforesaid driving module  14  is that the driving module  14 ′ further includes an electromagnetic brake  154  connected to the first motor  140 . When the aforesaid driving module  14  is replaced by the driving module  14 ′, the driving module  14 ′ may stop the first motor  140  at any angle by the electromagnetic brake  154 , so as to lock the rotation angle of the first support member  16   a.    
     Referring to  FIG. 17 , in another embodiment of the disclosure, the first switches  24   a ,  24   b  may also be disposed in a pivot portion  206  of the seat  20 . When the aforesaid first handle  22   a  is pivotally connected to the pivot portion  206 , the first switches  24   a ,  24   b  are hidden between the first handle  22   a  and the pivot portion  206 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 18 and 19 , when the first wheel  12  and the second wheel  18   a  are close to each other (as shown in  FIG. 18 ), the first handle  22   a  extends along the third direction A 3 ; and when the first wheel  12  and the second wheel  18   a  are away from each other (as shown in  FIG. 19 ), the first handle  22   a  extends along the fourth direction A 4 , wherein the third direction A 3  is parallel to the fourth direction A 4 . For further illustration, according to the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 1-2 and 18-19 , the disclosure may change an angle of the first handle  22   a  to change an extending direction of the first handle  22   a  in different usage states. It should be noted that the angle of the aforesaid second handle  22   b  may also be designed according to the angle of the first handle  22   a , so it will not be depicted herein again. 
     Referring to  FIG. 20 , in another embodiment of the disclosure, the first handle  22   a  and the second handle  22   b  may be connected by a third handle  22   c  and an extending direction of the third handle  22   c  is different from the extending directions of the first handle  22   a  and the second handle  22   b , so as to provide different heights appropriate for the user to grab. In this embodiment, the first handle  22   a  and the second handle  22   b  are fixed on the seat  20  and cannot rotate. Accordingly, a plurality of buttons  208  may be disposed at an appropriate position of the seat  20 . When the user presses the button  208 , the driving module  14  may drive the first support member  16   a  and/or the second support member  16   b  to rotate with respect to the main body  10 , so as to increase the distance between the first wheel  12  and the second wheel  18   a  and the distance between the first wheel  12  and the third wheel  18   c , or to decrease the distance between the first wheel  12  and the second wheel  18   a  and the distance between the first wheel  12  and the third wheel  18   c.    
     As mentioned in the above, a user can rotate the handle or press the button to decrease the distance between the wheels, such that the movable carrier can move within a narrow space by a small rotation radius. Furthermore, the user can rotate the handle or press the button to increase the distance between the wheels, so as to improve stability during the movement of the movable carrier. In other words, the user can rotate the handle or press the button to change the distance between the wheels, such that the movable carrier of the disclosure can satisfy different usage requirements. 
     Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.