COUPLING DEVICE

Field of the invention

The invention relates to a coupling device of the kind that is defined in the preamble of claim 1.

Background of the invention

The invention relates to a coupling device at an upper border part of a child-carrying device, for example, which can be born on a user's upper body part. The child-carrying device may for instance be of the kind described in the Swedish patent application No. 0602098-6. This child-carrying device has a front piece with lateral edge portions, which are located in the vicinity of respective later edge of a stiff plate and at an upper part of the plate, the front piece being detachably attached to the stiff plate by coupling and locking devices. The upper border part of the front piece is located above the level of the locking devices and has laterally projecting end portions, which at each end has a first coupling fitting which can be detachably coupled to a second coupling fitting at the upper border part of the stiff plate to form a coupling device. The projecting end portions of the upper border part of the front piece are flexible and resilient elastically in a longitudinal section thereof, which end portions are essentially rigidly connected to respective first coupling fitting and is carried by the first coupling fitting to its rotational orientation about the second coupling fitting, whereby when the coupling fittings are connected to each other the upper border part of the front piece forms a support for the head of a child in general vertical position. The upper border part of the front piece may when respective fittings forming the coupling device are

detached, be folded down against the lower part of the front piece, around a folding line that lies on the level of the locking devices.

In the description below the carrying device comprises a stiff plate but this is not necessary, instead the stiff palate may be a frame, for instance.

The above-mentioned child-carrying device is in its use position preferably adapted to be worn on the back which results in that it is not possible to observe the child, the coupling device according to the invention must therefore be difficult to open/tamperproof for a child. Thus, the child may not by mistake detach the first and second coupling fittings from each other with the result that the upper border part of the front piece is folded down and the" child may fall down from child-carrying device.

Summer of the invention

An object of the invention is to provide at a child-carrying device with or without stiff plate a detachable coupling device which is difficult to open/tamperproof for a child at an upper border part of the front piece, which upper border part forms an adjustable head support for the child and may be folded down against the lower part of the front piece.

According to the invention this object is achieved by a coupling device comprising a first coupling fitting which detachably can cooperate with an appurtenant second coupling fitting, the first and second coupling fittings having with each other cooperating locking ridges and locking grooves, which in connected condition of the first and second coupling fittings provide rotational security of the first coupling fitting in a plurality of selectable rotational positions

relative the second coupling fitting, characterized in that the first coupling fitting comprises a U-formed locking yoke adapted to in the connected position of the coupling fittings cooperate with a recess in the second coupling fitting for locking the coupling fittings relatively to each other.

Embodiments of the invention are defined in the appended dependent claims .

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will now be described with reference to the appendant drawings, on which

- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a coupling device according to the invention comprising a first and a second coupling fitting (the second coupling fitting is not shown in Fig. 1),

- Fig. 2 is a view obliquely from behind of the coupling device in Fig. 1,

- Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the second coupling fitting, and

- Fig. 4 is a view obliquely from the front of the coupling device in Fig. 1 with a front part of the housing of the first coupling fitting removed.

Description of preferred embodiments

In the description below the coupling device according to the invention is described in connection with a child-carrying device of the type mentioned in the introduction of the description, but it is obvious that the coupling device according to the invention can be used in other field of

applications, in which rotational security of the first coupling fitting in a plurality of selectable rotary position relatively to the second coupling fitting is desired.

From Fig. 1 it can be inferred that a coupling device 1 comprises a first coupling fitting 2 comprising a housing 10 with, in the embodiment shown, essentially rectangular shape, and with a front side and a rear side and four sides and a second coupling fitting 3 (not shown) . By the rear side is meant the side of the first coupling fitting 2 intended to be in contact with the coupling fitting 3. A lug 11 is provided at one side of the housing 10. The first coupling fitting 2 can detachably be connected in different selectable rotary positions to the second coupling fitting, which is fixedly arranged at for instance an upper border part of a stiff plate of the child-carrying device (not shown) . The lug 11 of the first coupling fitting 2 is in the case of the above-mentioned child-carrying device attached to respectively protruding end portion of a upper border part to the child-carrying device (not shown) for providing a head support to the child placed in the child-carrying device when the first coupling fitting 2 is connected to the second coupling fitting 3. A key 20 which is both rotationally and slidingly arranged is provided at one side of the housing 10, which side is not the same as the one having the lug 11. The key 20 is so shaped and placed that it lies essentially flush with or protruding slightly from the external contour of the housing, so that the key can be operated by the thumb, for instance.

In Fig. 2 the rear side of the housing 10 of the first coupling fitting 2 is shown, whereby it can be seen that the rear side has an opening 21 intended to receive and house an essential portion of the second coupling fitting 3. The

opening 21 is provided with a plurality of regular around the periphery distributed locking grooves 22, in which at least two preferably diametrically opposed locking ridges 34 (Fig. 3), arranged at the second coupling fitting, is adapted to be engaged for achieving rotational security of the first coupling fitting 2 in a plurality of selectable, defined rotary positions relatively the second coupling fitting 3 in their connected position.

As can be seen from Fig. 3 the second coupling fitting 3 comprises a protruding locking post 4 having a base 31 and a rounded, convex cap 33, the underside of which directed towards the base 31 is flat, a preferably ring shaped -portion or groove 32 being arranged between the base 31 and the flat underside of the cap 33. The ring shaped portion has a smaller diameter than the cap 33. The base 31 is preferably provided with four locking ridges 34 and rotationally fixed to the stiff plate of a child-carrying device, for instance. The lug 11 of the first coupling fitting 2 is in this connection attached to an upper border part of a front piece of a child- carrying device. Two border parts are arranged at the child- carrying device of the above-mentioned type, which border parts formed an adjustable head support for the child, when the child rest its head against one side or the other.

In Fig. 4 the coupling device is shown with the front side of the housing 10 of the coupling fitting 2 removed. In the housing of the coupling fitting 2 a displaceably arranged U- shaped locking yoke 35 is housed, the lower part of the U, i.e. the part of the U from which the shanks emanate, being preferably flat and square-shaped. The locking yoke 35 is biased by for instance at least one helical spring (not shown) against its looking position, which is shown in Fig. 4. The

helical spring acts between the squared-shaped portion of the U and a portion of the housing 10, so that the ends of both shanks of the U, opposite to the lower part of the U, abut against the key 20. The U-shaped yoke 35 is in the connected position of the coupling fittings 2, 3 adapted to abut against the ring shaped portion 32 of the second coupling fitting 3 and to bias the same against a stop lug 36, which preferably extends essentially between both shanks of the U. The U-shaped locking yoke has essentially the same radius of curvature as the ring shaped portion 32. Moreover, an essential portion of the U-shaped locking means and the stop lug abut against the flat underside of the cap 33. In this way the second coupling fitting 3 is firmly locked to the first coupling fitting 2. The distance between the shanks of the U is such that the cap 33 can advance between the same, when the locking post 4 is moved into the opening 21 of the coupling fitting 2.

In an embodiment (not shown) the locking post 4 may have the shape of a pillar with rounded edge and provided with a ring shaped groove, in which the U-shaped locking yoke 35 is' intended to come into contact with when the coupling fittings 2, 3 are connected.

The key 20 is arranged rotationally and slidingly in the housing 10 for operating the U-shaped locking yoke 35 by way of that the two shanks 35a, 35b of the U abut against the key. The key 20 has at its respective ends a shaft journal 39 adapted to cooperate with a corresponding elongated groove 40 in the housing 10. The key 20 is spring biased towards the locking position of the coupling device by for instance at least one torsion spring (not shown) , the central portion of which is pivotably supported by the shaft journal 39. One arm of the torsion spring abuts against the housing 10 and the

other arm is placed in a groove 41 at one end of the key 20. The key 20 has further a rounded and a flat surface at the part of the key which is situated between and placed in the •vicinity of the shaft journals 39, against which surface the ends of respective shank of the U-shaped locking means abut in the opening and locking position, respectively, of the coupling device. The torsion spring is adapted to bias the key 20 so that the ends of the shank abut against the flat surface of the key in the locking position of the coupling device.

To unlock the first coupling fitting 2 from the second coupling fitting 3, the key 20 is first operated by turning the key round its shaft journals 39 so as to release protrusions 37 placed at the ends of the key from recess 38 in the housing. This rotation of the key is made against the force of the torsion spring. The key 20 is turned to such a degree, preferably to about 90°, that it may thereafter be displaced in the main direction of the housing, i.e. in a direction essentially at right angel against the locking post 4, whereby the ϋ-formed locking yoke 35 is displaced and released from engagement with the ring shaped portion 32 of the second coupling fitting 3, and the ring shaped portion 32 from engagement with a stop lug 36. In this position also the underside of the cap 33 is released from the locking yoke and the stop lug. The displacement of the U-shaped locking yoke 35 is made against the action of at least one helical spring (not shown) . The first coupling fitting 2 may in this connection be released from the second coupling fitting 3. When performing the above-mentioned displacement of the key 20 in the main direction of the housing, the protrusion 37 will abut against a counter sunk edge 42 of the housing 10, whereby further displacement of the locking yoke 35 is prevented, whereby the

opening in the U-formed locking yoke 35 is placed in line with the opening 21.

In one preferred embodiment, when connecting the two coupling fittings 2, 3, the opening 21 of the first coupling fitting 2 may thanks to the fact that the cap 33 is rounded be guided over the cap 33 or the protruding locking post 4 and relatively gentle pressed against the U-shaped locking yoke, whereby the U-shaped locking yoke is displaced against its spring-biasing until the cap is forced between the shanks of the U and with further relative displacement between the coupling fittings the locking yoke 35 will snap, due to the spring-biasing, into the ring shaped portion 32 at the same time as the locking ridges 34 come into engagement with the grooves 22, whereby the coupling fittings may be connected to each other in one of a plurality of selectable rotary positions for setting a desired angle of the border part for adaptation to the sloping of child's head.