GB2163644A

GB2163644A - Baby carriage

Info

Publication number: GB2163644A
Application number: GB08519130A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kenzou Kassai
Original assignee: Kassai Co Ltd
Current assignee: Kassai Co Ltd
Priority date: 1984-08-06
Filing date: 1985-07-30
Publication date: 1986-03-05
Also published as: ES8608425A1; FR2568534A1; AU4540085A; JPH0427065B2; AU581130B2; IT8521869A0; IT1185862B; KR860001738A; GB8519130D0; DE3527264A1; ES545906A0; JPS6144070A; GB2163644B

Abstract

A baby carriage having a main body and a seat installed inside the main body. The seat comprises a backrest section 2 having a construction which makes its angle of inclination variable, and a seat section 1 whose angle of inclination is also variable e.g. between 0 DEG and 10 DEG to the horizontal. Either the front or rear edge of the seat section 1 may be raised and lowered to effect this adjustment. The seat section 1 adjustment means may be linked to that for adjusting the angle of inclination of the backrest 2. The latter may be lowered to a horizontal position so that the baby carriage may be used as a bed. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Baby carriage BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention This invention relates to a baby carriage having a reclining construction which makes it possible to adjust the angle of inclination of the backrest section, and more particularly it relates to a baby carriage wherein the construction of its seat section is improved.

Description of the Prior Art Heretofore, a baby carriage having a reclining construction which makes it possible to adjust the angle of inclination of the backrest has been well known. Baby carriages of this type include one which is so arranged that it can be used as a chair when the backrest is raised and as a bed when the backrest is lowered.

In this connection, the Japanese Safety Standard for baby carriages prescribes that baby carriages having a reclining construction should satisfy the following requirements: (1) The angle of the backrest section measured from the horizontal when it is lowered should be not less than 1300. This angle will be hereinafter referred to as the angle of inclination of the backrest section; (2) In the chair state of use, the angle of inclination of the backrest should be not less than 110 , and the seat section should not be inclined in the transverse direction but should be inclined in the longitudinal direction with its rear end lowered.

Apart from the above baby carriages, the Japanese Safety Standard for box type baby carriages to be used normally in the bed state prescribes that the bottom surface of the baby carriage should be inclined in the longitudinal direction.

These standards have been set up in order to provide postures which are safe and desirable for babies. Therefore, also in a baby carriage having a reclining construction, it is preferable that in the bed state of use the backrest section 2 and seat section 1 for supporting a baby, as shown in Fig. 16, be horizontal in the longitudinal direction, i.e., should not be inclined.

On the other hand, according to clinical experiments, when a baby carriage having a reclining construction is used in the chair state, as schematically shown in Fig. 15, the angle of rearward inclination is preferably 10 or thereabouts. In addition, the "angle of rearward inclination of the seat section" refers to the angle between the seat section and the horizontal, indicating the extent of lowering of the rear end of the seat section. If the angle of rearward inclination is set as described above, the baby can be prevented from forwardly slipping off the seat section. At the same time, the weight of the baby can be evenly supported on the backrest and seat sections and, therefore, the baby is allowed to assume a comfortable posture.

In addition, in the case of a chair for adults, the angle of inclination of the backrest section is preferably 112" and the angle of rearward inclination of the seat section is preferably 3 .

However, babies cannot control their sitting posture of their own free will. Thus, in baby carriages, if the angle of rearward inclination of the seat section is large as compared with the aforesaid value for adults' chairs, greater safety can be obtained. Further, babies, in their sitting posture, tend to tilt their bodies forward; if this tendency is considered, it is seen that the greater angle of rearward inclination of the seat section is preferable from the standpoint of safety.

In a baby carriage having a conventional reclining construction, however, the angle of rearward inclination of the seat section 10 has been far less than 10 , the extent of rearward inclination being such that the seat section is almost horizontal. This is for the following reason: In the conventional reclining type baby carriage, the seat section is usually fixedly installed. Thus, if the angle of rearward inclination of the seat section were increased to 10 or thereabouts in consideration of safety in the chair state of use, when the backrest is lowered for use in the bed state the upper half of the body would be positioned lower than the lower half or the loins alone would be lowered, thus forcing the baby to assume a cramped posture.As a result, the bed state of use would make it impossible for the baby to keep the desirable posture. Therefore, in the baby carriage having a conventional reclining construction, the angle of rearward inclination of the seat section has been set to a value which is considerably smaller than the desirable angle for use in the chair state; that is, it has been set to a value much smaller than 10".

If the seat section is substantially horizontal in the longitudinal direction, as described above, in the chair state of use the lower half of the baby's body tends to gradually slide forward, as shown in Fig. 14. As a result, the sitting state with the baby's body weight supported by the buttocks changes to one with it supported by the waist or the back, thus forcing the baby to assume a very undesirable posture with its back bent. If, however, the angle of rearward inclination of the seat section is increased to 10 or thereabouts, the baby would be forced to assume an undesirable posture in the bed state of use, as described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, a principal object of this invention is to provide a reclining type baby carriage which is capable of providing postures desirable for babies both in the chair state of use and in the bed state of use.

In a broad aspect of the invention, there is provided a baby carriage comprising a main body, a seat installed inside said main body, said seat having a backrest section having a construction which makes its angle of inclination variable and a seat section disposed forwardly of said backrest section, and seat section inclination angle adjusting means which makes adjustable the angle of inclination of the seat section measured from the horizontal in the longitudinal direction.

The seat section inclination angle adjusting means in this invention is provided in order to make the level of the front or rear of the seat section variable.

These object and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the entire skeleton of a baby carriage which employs an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a principal enlarged front view for explaining the engaging relation between a side bar supporting a seat section of Fig. 1 and a frame member disposed on the main body side; Fig. 3 is a principal fragmentary side view showing in more detail the engaging relation shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a principal perspective view showing an example of a case where a rearward inclination angle adjusting mechanism for a seat section is operatively associated with a reclining mechanism for a backrest; Fig. 5 is a side view showing the state of operative association between the seat and backrest sections of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a principal perspective view showing an embodiment of the invention other than the one shown in Fig. 1;; Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a baby carriage which employs another embodiment of the invention; Fig. 8 is a principal enlarged perspective view showing the details of a multistage hook shown in Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing a baby carriage which employs a further embodiment of the invention; Fig. 10 is a principal enlarged exploded perspective view showing the details of a crank section of Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the state of a support of Fig. 10 as seen from the back side; Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing an example of a structure for operatively associating the crank section of the embodiment shown in Figs. 9 through 11 with a backrest inclination angle adjusting structure; Fig. 13 is a side view for explaining the operation thereof;; Fig. 14 is a schematic view showing the posture of a baby in the chair state of use of a conventional reclining type baby carriage; Fig. 15 is a schematic view showing the desirable state of a baby on the seat of a baby carriage in the chair state of use; and Fig. 16 is a schematic view showing the posture of a baby when the seat of Fig. 15 is used in the bed state.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODI MENTS Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire arrangement of a baby carriage according to an embodiment of this invention. In addition, in Fig. 1, a seat section 1 and a backrest section 2 are shown hatched with broken lines for a better understanding.

The seat which comprises the seat section 1 and the backrest section 2 is installed inside the main body of the baby carriage. It is to be understood that the term "main body" refers to the fixed structures in general, except the seat, including a push rod 3, front legs 4 and rear legs 5.

Though not specifically shown in Fig. 1, the backrest section 2 is so arranged that its angle of inclination measured from the horizontal can be changed by a known inclination angle adjusting structure.

installed below the seat section 1 are a pair of side bars 6 and 7 which extend longitudinally. The side bars 6 and 7 are turnably connected to the front legs 4a and 4b by pins 8 and 9, respectively. Thus, each of the side bars 6 and 7 is turnable in a longitudinally and vertically extending plane.

Further, the rear end of each of the side bars 6 and 7 is provided with a connecting section 12 having engaging portions 1 1a, 1 1b and 1 1c of different heights. The engaging portions 1 1 a, 1 1b and 1 1c are formed in an elongated opening 13 in the connecting portion 12, said elongated opening 13 extending along the arc of rotation of the side bar 13.

Therefore, it can be seen that the engaging portions 1 1a, 1 1b and 1 1c also extend along the arc of rotation of the side bar 6.

On the other hand, pins 14 and 15 are fixed to the push rod 3, adjacent the lower ends thereof, which push rod constitutes the main body. The pin 14 is adapted to selectively engage said engaging portions 11 a, 11 b and 1 1c. The relation between the pin 14 and the engaging portions 1 1 a, 1 1b and 1 1c will now be described in more detail with reference to Figs. 2 and 3.

Fig. 2 is a view for explaining the state of engagement between the connecting portion 12 provided on the rear end of the side bar 6 and the lower portion of he push rod 3, and Fig. 3 is a side view, partly broken away, of Fig. 2. The elongated opening 13 is formed to extend through the connecting portion 12 so as to allow the pin 14 to move within the elongated opening 13. Further, the end of the pin 14 adjacent to the connecting portion 12 is formed with a relatively large diameter portion 16.The large diameter portion 16 has a diameter which is greater then the width of the elongated opening 13 but which is such that it can selectively fit in the engaging portions 1 1a, 1 1b and 1 1c. Further, the other end of the pin 14 extending through the lower portion 3a of the push rod 3 has a knob member 17 fixed thereto. Installed between the knob member 17 and the lower portion 3a of the push rod 3 is a compression spring 18 normally urging the pin 14 to move the knob member 17 away from the lower portion 3a of the push rod 3. Therefore, in the illustrated state, the urging force of the compression spring 18 drives the large diameter portion 16 into the engaging portion 1 lea.

On the other hand, when it is desired to change the height of the rear end of the side bar 6, i.e., the height of the connecting portion 12, the knob member 17 is moved against the urging force of the compression spring 18 in the direction of arrow A in Fig. 3 until the large diameter portion 16 comes out of the engating portion 1 lea, and in this state the connection member 12 is then moved so as to fit the large diameter portion 16 in another engaging portion 1 1b or 1 1 c.

Referring back to Fig. 1, by means of the engaging portions 1 1a through 1 1c formed in the connecting member 12 and the pin 14 installed in the main body, it is possible to change the height of the rear end of the side bar 6. When it is desired to use the baby carriage with the backrest raised, the pin 14 will be engaged with the uppermost engaging portion 1 la, whereby the connecting portion 12 at the rear end of the side bar 6 will be fixed in the lowest position. This embodiment is so constructed that in this case the seat section 1 may have a maximum angle of rearward inclination of about 10 degrees.

On the other hand, when the seat is to be used in the bed state, i.e., with the backrest 2 lowered, the large diameter portion 16 of the pin 14 will be engaged with the lowermost engaging portion 1 1c. Therefore, the connecting portion 12 at the rear end of the side bar 6 will be fixed in the highest position.

This embodiment is so constructed that in this state the seat section 1 may be substantially horizontal.

When the seat section is to be used intermediate between the chair state and the bed state, that is, when it is to be used with the angle of inclination of the backrest 2 being about 130 , the large diameter portion 16 of the pin 14 will be engaged with the engaging portion llb which is at the intermediate height.

In this state, the seat section 1 will have an angle of rearward inclination of about 5 degrees.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of an example of an arrangement wherein the seat section inclination angle adjusting means described above cooperates with the backrest inclination angle adjusting structure, and Fig. 5 is a side view for explaining the interlocked state thereof. The lower portion of a support frame 21 (see Fig. 1) supporting the backrest 2 is rotatably connected to the push rod 3, which constitutes the main body, through a bracket 20. Further, a link member 19 is connected between the lower end of the support frame 21 and the rear end of the side bar 6. Thus, as shown in dash-dot lines X and Y, when the angle of inclination of the backrest 2 is changed, the inclination of the side bar 6 is also changed through the link member 19.It can be seen that the angle of rearward inclination of the seat section 1 can be determined in accordance with the angle of inclination of the backrest 2.

In the above embodiment, a plurality of engaging portions have been formed in the connecting portion 12 at the rear end of the side bar; however, as shown in phantom lines in Fig. 6, a connecting portion 22 may be formed at the front end portion of the side bar to thereby change the height of the front end portion of the side bar 6.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a baby carriage according to another embodiment of the invention. In the state shown in Fig. 7, the baby carriage is in the bed state.

The seat section 1 is supported by a pair of cross bars 31 and 32 extending below the seat section 1 in the direction of the width.

The front cross bar 31 is supported by engaging an engaging portion formed in a connecting portions 35 fixed to the front legs 34a and 34b.

On the other hand, the cross bar 32 is fixedly attached to the lower frame 36 of the main body. Thus, the height of the rear cross bar 32 is constant, and the angle of inclination of the seat section 1 can be adjusted by changing the height of the front cross bar 31, as will be later described. In this embodiment, the front cross bar 31 and a connecting portion 35 constitute seat section inclination angle adjusting means.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view for explaining the shape of the connecting portion 35. The connecting portion 35 has a throughgoing hole 38 which is formed with engaging portions 38a, 38b and 38c of different heights. The cross bar 31 will be supported by engaging the engaging portion 38a, 38b or 38c. In addition, the respective heights of the engaging portions are determined according to the required angles of rearward inclination of the seat section 1, as in the preceding embodiment. That is, the height of the uppermost engaging portion 38a is determined so that when the cross bar 31 engages said engaging portion 38a, the angle of rearward inclination of the seat section 1 is about 10 degrees.

Similarly, the respective heights of the other engaging portions 38b and 38c are determined so that the angle of rearward inclination of the seat section 1 is determined according to the other angles of inclination of the backrest section.

In addition, in Fig. 8, the reference characters 39a and 39b denote bolts used to fix the connecting portion 35 to each of the front leg 34a and 34b.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a baby carriage according to a further embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment also, the seat section 1 is supported by a pair of cross bars 41 and 42 extending below the seat section 1 in the direction of the width. The opposite ends of the rear cross bar 42 are fixed to the support frame 43 of the backrest section.

On the other hand, the front cross bar 41 is fixed to the arms 46 of crank sections 46 provided on the widthwise opposite sides.

The crank sections 46 and the front cross bar 41 form the seat inclination angle adjusting means in this embodiment.

Figs. 10 and 11 are perspective views for explaining the crank sections. Referring to Fig.

10, the crank section 44 comprises the arm 46 and a support 47 for rotatably supporting the arm. The arm 46 is formed with engaging teeth 46a, while the support 47 is formed with engaging teeth 47a. The engaging teeth 46a and 47a are adapted to mesh with each other and are centrally formed with throughgoing holes. With said throughgoing holes aligned with each other, the arm 46 and the support 47 are fixed together by a bolt 48 and a nut 49 shown in Fig. 10. In addition, since the arm 46 and the support 47 are formed with the aforesaid engaging teeth 46a and 47a, respectively, the arm 46, when fixed in position by the bolt 46 and nut 49, will be maintained in the angular relation, with which it is fixed to the support 47, even if it is subjected to external forces. That is, the engaging teeth 46a and 47a act to restrain the arm 46 from rotating relative to the support 47.

On the other hand, when the bolt 48 is loosened, the arm 46 can be rotated relative to the support 47. Thus, the arm 46 can be fixed in said angular relation by suitably rotating the arm 46 and then tightening the bolt 48 and nut 49. Thus, in this embodiment, it can be seen that the inclination of the arm 46 and hence the height of the cross bar 41 can be suitably changed in this manner. Therefore, the height of the seat section 1 supported by the cross bar 41 can be made variable.

In addition, in the embodiment described with reference to Figs. 9 through 11, too, it is possible to operatively associate the seat section inclination angle adjusting means with the backrest inclination angle adjusting means.

Figs. 12 and 13 are a perspective view and a side view, respectively, for explaining such interlocking mechanism. As shown in Fig. 12, the front cross bar 41 whose height is variable is connected to the rear cross bar 42 by a link member 51. The opposite ends of the rear cross bar 42 are fixed to he support frame 43 of the backrest 2, said support frame 43 being rotatable for adjusting the angle of inclination of the backrest 2. That is, the support frame 43 is rotatable around the axis of a pin 49 disposed above the position at which the cross bar 42 is fixed to the support frame. Thus, as shown in Fig. 13, when the support frame 43 is lowered from the chair state to the bed state, that is, when it is lowered from the solid line position to the phantom line position, the cross bar 41 is also lowered by means of the link member 51.

That is, the link member 51 establishes the operative association of the backrest inclination angle adjusting structure with the motion for adjusting the angle of rearward inclination of the seat section 1.

Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation, the spirit and scope of the present invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A baby carriage comprising: a seat having a backrest section whose angle of inclination is variable and a seat section disposed forwardly of said backrest section, said seat being installed inside a main body, and seat section inclination angle adjusting means which makes it possible to adjust the angle of inclination of said seat section made to the horizontal in the longitudinal direction.

2. A baby carriage as set forth in claim 1, wherein said seat section inclination angle adjusting means makes it-possible to change the height of either the front end or the rear end of said seat section.

3. A baby carriage as set forth in claim 1, wherein said seat section inclination angle adjusting means is adapted to cooperate with the structure which makes variable the angle of inclination of said backrest section.

4. A baby carriage as set forth in claim 1, wherein said seat section inclination angle adjusting means comprises: a pair of side bars extending in the longitu dinal direction below the seat section and supporting the seat section, and a height adjusting mechanism for changing the height of either the front or rear of said side bars.

5. A baby carriage as set forth in claim 4, wherein: said side bars are attached to said main body so that they are rotatable relative to said main body each in a longitudinally and vertically extending plane, and said height changing mechanism comprises a plurality of engaging portions of different heights formed in each side bar at a position spaced a predetermined distance from the center of rotation of said side bar, and a pin engageable with each of said engaging portions.

6. A baby carriage as set forth in claim 5, wherein: said plurality of engaging portions are disposed in an elongated opening extending along the arc of rotation of said side bar, and said pin is movable in said elongated opening.

7. A baby carriage as set forth in claim 5, wherein said seat section inclination angle adjusting means comprises: a pair of cross bars extending below the seat section in the direction of the width, and a height changing mechanism which makes adjustable the height at least one cross bar.

8. A baby carriage as set forth in claim 7, wherein said height changing mechanism includes engaging members fixed to the main body, each engaging member having a plurality of engaging portions of different heights.

9. A baby carriage as set forth in claim 8, wherein said height changing mechanism comprises: an arm fixed to one cross bar, a support for rotatably supporting said arm, and rotation restraining means which restrains rotation between said support and said arm so as to maintain predetermined angular relations.

10. A baby carriage having a seat portion and a backrest portion, the angle of inclination of the seat portion being variable between a substantially horizontal position and a front-up, back-down inclined position, and the angle of inclination of the backrest portion being variable between a less reclined position and a more reclined position, it being possible for the seat portion to be in its substantially horizontal position and the backrest portion to be in its more reclined position at the same time and for the seat portion to be in its inclined position and the backrest portion to be in its less reclined position at the same time.

11. A baby carriage according to claim 10 in which the backrest portion is substantially horizontal in its more reclined position.

12. A baby carriage substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.