Infant stroller safely propelled by a DC electric motor having controlled acceleration and deceleration

A self-propelled infant stroller comprising:

• a frame assembly formed by a plurality of tubular shafts, the frame assembly including a handle;
• a plurality of wheels mounted on the frame assembly with at least one of the wheels being a driven wheel;
• a propulsion control system including a control console housing mounted on the handle with first and second hand operated switch actuators in a stroller starting sequence for safely starting the system only by a simultaneous depression of both actuators with a resultant energized propulsion continued by depression of just one of said switch actuators;
• a single, hand operated control lever mounted to the frame adjacent the driven wheel for pivotal movement between first and second positions relative to the driven wheel;
• a drive motor mounted on the control lever, said drive motor having an output shaft with a drive gear extending from one side of said control lever, and said drive motor being controlled by said propulsion control system;
• a brake member extending from an opposite side of the control lever, said brake member being selectively engageable with a braking surface on the driven wheel;
• a driven gear mounted on the driven wheel, said shaft drive gear being selectively engagable with said driven gear;
• and,
• means for selectively securing the control lever in the first position in which the drive gear is in driving engagement with the driven gear and the brake member is disengaged from the braking surface for propelling the stroller, and in the second position in which the drive gear is disengaged from the driven gear and the brake member is engaged with the braking surface, whereby said motor and brake are integrally operative for transfer from motorized to manual operation by single action of the control lever.

A self-propelled infant stroller comprising:

• a frame assembly formed by a plurality of tubular shafts, the frame assembly including a handle;
• a plurality of wheels mounted on the frame assembly with at least one of the wheels being a driven wheel;
• a propulsion control system including a control console housing mounted on said handle;
• a single, hand operated control lever mounted to the frame adjacent the driven wheel for pivotal movement between first and second positions relative to the driven wheel;
• a drive motor mounted on the control lever, said drive motor having an output shaft with a drive wheel extending from one side of said control lever, and said drive motor being controlled by said propulsion control system;
• a brake member extending from an opposite side of the control lever, said brake member being selectively engageable with a braking surface on the driven wheel;
• a driven surface on the driven wheel, said driven surface being selectively in frictional contact with said drive wheel;
• and,
• means for selectively securing the control lever in the first position with the drive wheel frictionally contacting the driven wheel and the brake member disengaged from the braking surface for propelling the stroller, and in the second position in which the drive wheel is removed from frictional contact with the driven wheel and the brake member is engaged with the braking surface, whereby said motor and brake are integrally operative for transfer from motorized to manual operation by single action of the control lever.