SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a support structure of a bicycle and a bicycle including the same to at least partially solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art.
In one aspect of the present disclosure, a support structure for a bicycle is provided. The support structure of the bicycle includes a seat stay and a leg assembly of the bicycle. The rear under fork of the bicycle is arranged above a rear axle of the bicycle in a body height direction of the bicycle. The leg assembly is fixedly connected with the under-seat stay to include: the fixed bracket comprises a first bracket plate and a second bracket plate, and a pin shaft is connected between the first bracket plate and the second bracket plate; a support bar, at least a portion of which is disposed between the first and second brace panels and adapted to pivot about a pin to switch between a support position and a raised position; an outer sleeve including a sliding portion slidably engaged with the fixed bracket and a hollow sleeve portion, wherein the support rod is disposed through the outer sleeve such that the support rod is movable along the longitudinal axis relative to the outer sleeve during switching of the support rod between the support position and the raised position; and a spring disposed in the sleeve portion and fitted over the support rod, one end of the spring abutting against a positioning member fixed to the support rod and the other end abutting against an inner wall of the sleeve portion, thereby being adapted to bias the outer sleeve toward the fixed bracket.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a support point of the leg assembly for the bicycle body is located above a rear axle of the bicycle. Compared with the existing supporting structure of the bicycle, the supporting point is higher in position, so that more stable and reliable support can be provided for the bicycle, and the bicycle is effectively prevented from toppling over under the action of external force. Furthermore, a spring is mounted inside the outer sleeve. In this way, detachment of the spring from the support structure can be effectively avoided and good protection is provided for the spring against corrosion. The supporting structure of the bicycle according to the embodiment of the disclosure has better reliability and longer service life compared with the existing product, thereby reducing the workload of maintenance and repair.
In some embodiments, edges of the first and second brace panels are provided with a recessed first arcuate edge and a recessed second arcuate edge, respectively; the sliding part is provided with a protruding arc-shaped engaging part adapted to cooperate with the first arc-shaped edge and the second arc-shaped edge; the arc-shaped joint part is matched with the first arc-shaped edge when the supporting rod is positioned at the supporting position; the arcuate engagement portion engages the second arcuate edge in a state where the support bar is in the raised position. In such an embodiment, the support bar can be reliably held in the support position and the raised position, and can be easily switched between the two positions.
In some embodiments, the longitudinal axis of the support bar is angled more than 90 degrees between the support position and the raised position. In such an embodiment, the support bar can be reliably held in the raised position, thereby preventing it from falling out of the raised position during cycling of the bicycle.
In some embodiments, the spring is in a compressed state with the support bar in both the support position and the raised position. In such an embodiment, the outer sleeve is pressed against the fixed bracket by the pressure of the spring both in the supporting position and in the raised position, so as to abut against the fixed bracket. In this way, the support bar can be reliably held in the support position and the raised position.
In some embodiments, the sliding portion is provided with a guide flange arranged between the fixing bracket and the support bar, adapted to guide the support bar to move along the longitudinal axis relative to the outer sleeve.
In some embodiments, the inner wall of the outer sleeve sealingly engages the outer peripheral surfaces of the support rod and the positioning member, respectively, thereby sealing the spring within the sleeve portion. In such an embodiment, the outer sleeve serves as a sealing shell of the spring, so that the waterproof and dustproof effects are achieved, and the service life of the spring is prolonged.
In some embodiments, the support rod is provided with a protrusion to facilitate securing of the positioning member. In this way, the positioning member can be reliably fixed to the support rod by the protrusion.
In some embodiments, the sleeve portion is provided with a plurality of protrusions on an outer wall thereof extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis. In such embodiments, the protrusions can act as a slip-resistant feature, thereby facilitating assembly and use of the support structure.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, a bicycle is provided. The bicycle comprises the support structure of the bicycle.
In some embodiments, the bicycle is a shared bicycle.
It should be understood that this summary is not intended to identify key or critical features of the embodiments of the disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description.
Detailed Description
The present disclosure will now be described with reference to several example embodiments. It should be understood that these examples are described only for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to better understand and thereby enable the present disclosure, and are not intended to set forth any limitations on the scope of the technical solutions of the present disclosure.
As used herein, the term "include" and its variants are to be read as open-ended terms meaning "including, but not limited to. The term "based on" will be read as "based at least in part on". The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment". The term "another embodiment" should be understood as "at least one other embodiment". The terms "first," "second," and the like may refer to different or the same object. Other explicit and implicit definitions may be included below. The definitions of the terms are consistent throughout the specification unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
As already briefly mentioned above, the inventors have noted that in the support structures of existing bicycles, the support bars generally act at the axles of the rear wheels of the bicycle. Although such a support structure can provide support for the bicycle under ordinary conditions, the support point is low, resulting in insufficient support force. Therefore, it is difficult to provide effective support for the bicycle under conditions where large external forces (e.g., wind) or uneven ground are encountered. In addition, since the spring is exposed to the outside and both ends of the spring are generally fixed in the support structure by the hooks, the spring is easily released from the support structure after repeated use. Meanwhile, since the spring is exposed to the outside, it is easily corroded by rainwater or dust, and a rust situation occurs. The problems are particularly prominent in shared bicycles with high use frequency and high maintenance difficulty. The spring pull-out or rusting often results in the shared bicycle not being able to continue to be used. This problem presents a great difficulty in the operation and maintenance of the shared bicycle.
Based on the above recognition, a support structure for a bicycle and a bicycle including the same are proposed herein, which can effectively overcome the above problems. Generally, the support structure has a higher support point than that of the existing bicycle, thereby providing more stable and reliable support for the bicycle. In addition, the support structure effectively prevents the spring from being separated from the support structure by embedding the spring inside the outer sleeve, and provides good protection for the spring to prevent the spring from being rusted. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure can effectively solve the above-described problems. Some example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 1 to 5.
Fig. 1 illustrates a bicycle 100 that includes a support structure for a bicycle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The bicycle 100 includes a support structure to provide support for the bicycle 100 in the parked state. The support structure includes a leg assembly 1 and a seat stay 2 of the bicycle 100. The leg assembly 1 is fixedly attached to the rear under-fork 2 of the bicycle 100. As can be seen from fig. 1, the rear under fork 2 is arranged above the rear wheel axle 3 of the bicycle 100 in the body height direction D of the bicycle 100. Here "above" is with respect to the ground. In this way, the point of action of the support force of the leg assembly 1 on the body of the bicycle 100 is also located above the rear wheel axle 3 of the bicycle 100. Therefore, the support structure according to the embodiment of the present disclosure has a higher support point than an existing support structure that is generally supported to the rear wheel axle 3, making the support more reliable and stable.
Fig. 2-5 show details of a leg assembly 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In general, the leg assembly 1 includes a fixing bracket 10, a support rod 20, a pin 30, an outer sleeve 40, a spring 50, and a positioning member 60. The spring 50 is arranged inside the outer sleeve 40 so that the spring 50 is prevented from being detached from the leg assembly 1, and the outer sleeve 40 provides good protection for the spring 50 against corrosion.
The fixing bracket 10 may be formed by bending a metal plate to improve its strength. The fixing bracket 10 includes a first bracket plate 11 and a second bracket plate 12 disposed parallel to each other. In a state where the fixed bracket 10 is mounted on the rear under fork 2 of the bicycle 100, one of the bracket plates (e.g., the first bracket plate 11) is located on the outside, and the other bracket plate (e.g., the second bracket plate 12) is located near the inside of the vehicle body. The first and second cradling plates 11 and 12 may be connected to each other by a connecting plate 13. Coupling holes 14 are provided at upper portions of the first and second cradling plates 11 and 12. The fixing bracket 10 is fixedly coupled to the rear under fork 2 of the bicycle 100 through the coupling hole 14 (for example, the fixing bracket 10 is fixed to the rear under fork 2 of the bicycle 100 by a screw or a bolt passing through the coupling hole 14). The purpose of the fixing bracket 10 is to provide a base for fixing and mounting other components of the leg assembly 1, particularly the support bar 20.
The support rod 20 is an elongated rod. The support rod 20 may be made of a light metal such as an aluminum alloy to reduce its own weight while providing necessary strength required for supporting the vehicle body. An enlarged support portion 21 may be integrally formed at the lower end of the support rod 20 to improve the stability of the support. The upper end of the support rod 20 is located between the first and second cradling plates 11 and 12, and is provided with a through-hole. The support rod 20 is adapted for pivotal movement about an axis passing through the through hole.
A pin shaft 30 is provided between the first and second cradling plates 11 and 12. The pin 30 passes through the through hole at the upper end of the support bar 20 so that the support bar 20 can be pivotally moved about the pin 30 with respect to the fixed bracket 10. A sliding bearing 31 may be provided between the through-hole of the support rod 20 and the pin 30 to reduce friction between the support rod 20 and the pin 30 during pivotal movement. The support bar 20 is switchable between a support position and a raised position by pivoting about the pin 30.
To be able to maintain the support pole 20 in one of the support and raised positions, the leg assembly 1 further includes an outer sleeve 40 and a spring 50 to provide the desired retention force for the support pole 20. The spring 50 is completely encased and encapsulated within the outer sleeve 40. In this way, the leg assembly 1 can effectively prevent detachment and corrosion of the spring 50.
The outer sleeve 40 may be an integrally injection molded part. The outer sleeve 40 includes a sliding portion 41 slidably engaged with the fixed bracket 10 and a hollow sleeve portion 42. The support rod 20 extends through the outer sleeve 40 such that the support rod 20 is movable along the longitudinal axis relative to the outer sleeve 40 during switching of the support rod 20 between the support position and the raised position. That is, the support rod 20 and the outer sleeve 40 are relatively movable along the longitudinal axis.
The spring 50 is disposed in a cavity in the sleeve portion 42 and is sleeved over the support rod 20. The spring 50 has one end (a lower end as viewed in fig. 3) abutting against a positioning member 60 fixed to the support rod 20 and the other end (an upper end as viewed in fig. 3) abutting against an inner wall of the sleeve portion 42, thereby being adapted to bias the outer sleeve 40 toward the fixed bracket 10. In this way, the spring 50 presses the outer sleeve 40 against the fixing bracket 10 by its own elastic force, thereby preventing the outer sleeve 40 from being moved by an external interference force, and thus preventing the undesired movement of the support rod 20.
As can be seen from the above description, the leg assembly 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure provides a required holding force for the support bar 20 using the outer sleeve 40 and the spring 50 on the one hand, and prevents detachment and corrosion of the spring 50 by disposing the spring 50 inside the outer sleeve 40 on the other hand.
In some embodiments, the edges of the first and second brace panels 11, 12 may be provided with a concave first arcuate edge 15 and a concave second arcuate edge 16, respectively. Accordingly, the sliding portion 41 may be provided with a protruding arc-shaped engaging portion 41-1 adapted to cooperate with the first arc-shaped edge 15 and the second arc-shaped edge 16. In this way, the arcuate engagement portion 41-1 is able to engage the first arcuate edge 15 with the support bar 20 in the support position, and the arcuate engagement portion 41-1 is able to engage the second arcuate edge 16 with the support bar 20 in the raised position. In such an embodiment, the outer sleeve 40 can be more stably held in the support or raised position by the cooperating arcuate edges described above.
Further, as shown in fig. 2, for example, the angle α of the longitudinal axis of the support rod 20 between the support position and the raised position may be greater than 90 degrees. In this way, when the support bar 20 is in the raised position, a portion of its own weight can be supported by a section of the second arcuate edge 16, thereby preventing the support bar 20 from falling from the raised position.
In some embodiments, the spring 50 may be in a compressed state with the support rod 20 in both the support position and the raised position. In this way, in both the support position and the raised position, the outer sleeve 40 is pressed against the fixed bracket 10 by the pressure of the spring 50, thereby abutting against the fixed bracket 10. Therefore, the support rod 20 can be reliably held at the support position and the raised position.
In some embodiments, such as shown in fig. 3, the sliding portion 41 may be provided with a guide flange 43, such as a guide flange 43 that protrudes upward along the longitudinal axis. The guide flange 43 may be disposed between the fixing bracket 10 and the support rod 20 so as to be adapted to guide the support rod 20 to move along the longitudinal axis relative to the outer sleeve 40.
To seal the spring 50 within the outer sleeve 40, the inner wall of the outer sleeve 40 may sealingly engage the outer peripheral surfaces of the support rod 20 and the positioning member 60, respectively. For example, the inner wall of the sliding portion 41 of the outer sleeve 40 may be sealingly engaged with the outer wall of the support rod 20, and the inner wall of the sleeve portion 42 may be sealingly engaged with the outer circumferential surface of the positioning member 60. In this way, the spring 50 is sealed in the sealed cavity formed by the inner wall of the sleeve portion 42 and the outer wall of the support rod 20, so as not to be easily detached and rusted.
In some embodiments, such as shown in fig. 5, the support rod 20 may be provided with a protrusion 70 to facilitate fixing the positioning member 60. In this way, the positioning member 60 can be reliably fixed to the support rod 20 by the protrusion 70.
Further, as shown in fig. 2, for example, the outer wall of the sleeve portion 42 may be provided with a plurality of projections extending in the longitudinal axis direction, for example, a plurality of projections in the form of ribs. These protrusions may be injection molded integrally with the outer sleeve 40. These protrusions can act as a slip-resistant feature, thereby facilitating assembly and use of the support structure.
As can be seen from the above description, the support structure according to the embodiment of the present disclosure makes the support more reliable by increasing the point of action of the support force. Meanwhile, the support structure according to the embodiment of the present disclosure solves the problem that the spring 50 is easily detached and rusted by disposing the spring 50 inside the outer sleeve 40. Therefore, the supporting structure according to the embodiment of the present disclosure can improve the supporting effect and durability, and is particularly suitable for applications where use is frequent and maintenance is inconvenient.
In addition, embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a bicycle 100 that includes the support structure described above. As can be seen from the above description, since the support structure according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is particularly suitable for applications where use is frequent and maintenance is inconvenient, applying the support structure according to the embodiments of the present disclosure to a shared bicycle can greatly reduce the failure rate of the support structure of the shared bicycle, thereby bringing great convenience to the operation and maintenance of the shared bicycle.
It is to be understood that the above detailed embodiments of the disclosure are merely illustrative of or explaining the principles of the disclosure and are not limiting of the disclosure. Therefore, any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Also, it is intended that the following claims cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the scope and boundaries of the claims or the equivalents of the scope and boundaries.