JP2000006868A - Chain case for bicycle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To fit a chain case rapidly and easily to a bicycle while simplifying structure by elastically deforming an upper chain covering part or a lower chain covering part to divide a rear covering part through a cut-off part reaching the periphery of a through port from the outer periphery of a rear covering part, so as to be able to open the periphery of the through port. SOLUTION: A through port 18 for inserting a rear gear shaft through is formed between upper and lower chain covering parts 16a, 16b, into a front side position of a rear covering part 17. The rear side of the upper and lower chain covering parts 16a, 16b is deformed to divide the rear covering part 17 vertically through a cut-off part 20 formed at the rear side vertical center part of the rear covering part 17 longitudinally from the outer peripheral side to the periphery of the through port 18, so as to be able to open the periphery and rear end of the through port 18. A holder 22 for holding the joint state of the rear covering part 17 is constituted by inserting a connecting screw 24 through a hole 28 from the surface side in the state of the surface of a connecting piece 23 abutting the back face of the divided lower side 17b, and thread-fastening the connecting screw 24 to the connecting piece 23.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bicycle chain case.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional bicycle chain case,
A front covering portion for covering the outer surface of the bicycle front gear;
A front case integrally formed with upper and lower chain covering portions for covering upper and lower outer surfaces of the chain wound around the front gear and the rear gear, and the outer surface of the rear gear as a separate body from the front case Some were equipped with a rear case for coating.

In such a chain case, a chain stay provided between a front gear and a rear gear and a rear end of the chain stay are connected to an insertion opening formed between the upper and lower chain covering portions. The bicycle was mounted on a bicycle with the rear gear shaft (rear wheel shaft) inserted left and right.

[0004]

The structure of the rear portion of the bicycle will now be described with reference to FIG. 2. A saddle stay 12 is vertically provided between the outer end of the rear gear shaft 7 and the vertical frame 11. And the chain case is this saddle stay 1
2 are arranged on the left and right inner sides. Therefore, in order to insert the chain stay and the rear gear shaft into the insertion port, it is indispensable to open the periphery of the insertion port, and in the conventional chain case, the front case and the rear case are configured as separate bodies. The insertion opening can be opened, and it can be attached to a bicycle.

However, when the chain case is composed of two members, the number of parts is increased, the structure is complicated, and the parts may be lost. Also, when attaching the chain case to the bicycle,
A step of attaching the rear case after attaching the front case and further connecting the front case and the rear case to each other are required, and the attaching operation is very complicated.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a bicycle chain in which the front and rear covering portions and the upper and lower chain covering portions are integrally formed so that the bicycle chain can be mounted quickly and easily while simplifying the structure. The purpose is to provide a case.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the following technical means are taken. That is, the chain case according to the present invention includes a front covering portion 15 covering the outer surface of the front gear 3, a rear covering portion 17 covering the outer surface of the rear gear 4, and a chain wound around the front gear 3 and the rear gear 4. The upper and lower chain covering portions 16a and 16b for covering the outer side surfaces of the upper side 5a and the lower side 5b are integrally formed of an elastically deformable material, and a chain stay 10 and a rear gear are provided between the upper and lower chain covering portions 16a and 16b. Axis 7
Is formed, and a cut-off portion 20 is formed from the outer periphery of the rear coating portion 17 to the periphery of the insertion hole 18 to elastically deform the upper chain coating portion 16a or the lower chain coating portion 16b. In this case, the periphery of the insertion opening 18 can be opened by dividing the rear covering portion 17 through the separation portion 20.

According to this, when the chain case is attached to the bicycle, the rear covering portion 17 is divided through the cutout portion 20 by utilizing the elastic deformation of the chain case, and the periphery of the insertion opening 18 is opened. Then, the chain stay and the rear gear shaft are inserted through the opening through the opening.
That is, the chain stay and the rear gear shaft can be easily inserted into the insertion port 18 while simplifying the structure by integrating the chain case, so that the mounting operation can be performed quickly.

Further, the bicycle chain case according to the present invention is provided with a holder 22 for holding the separated portion of the rear covering portion 17 in a joined state. The joint state of the rear covering portion 17 is not loosened due to the vibration of the bicycle or the like, and there is almost no rubbing at the cut-off portion, thereby preventing deterioration in appearance and abrasion.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a bicycle chain case 1 according to the present invention includes a front covering portion 15 that covers an outer surface of a front gear 3 of a bicycle 2, and a front covering portion that extends rearward from the front covering portion 15. Gear 3 and rear gear 4
A chain covering portion 16 covering the outer surface of the chain 5 wound around the rear gear 4 and a rear covering portion 17 extending behind the chain covering portion 16 and covering the outer surface of the rear gear 4. Half-sided case type,
The chain covering portion 16 and the rear covering portion 17 are made of ABS, P
It is integrally formed of an elastically deformable synthetic resin material such as P and polycarbonate.

On the other hand, the bicycle 2 to which the chain case 1 is attached is provided with a crank 8 provided with a pedal 9 for a shaft 3a of a front gear 3, and a boss 3 of the shaft 3a.
b, a pair of left and right chain stays 10 extending substantially horizontally to the rear and expanding rearward in the left and right direction are provided, and a rear axle (rear gear shaft) 7 of a rear wheel 6 is provided at a rear end of the chain stay 10. The rear gear 4 is provided on the rear axle 7, and a lower end of a saddle stay 12 extending downward from the vertical frame 11 is connected to left and right outer ends of the rear axle 7.

The entire periphery of the chain case 1 is integrally formed with an edge portion 14 bent right and left inward. Also,
The chain covering portion 16 includes an upper chain covering portion 16a that covers the outer surface of the upper side 5a of the chain 5, and a lower chain covering portion 1 that covers the outer surface of the lower side 5b of the chain 5.
6b, a long insertion opening 18 is formed between the upper and lower chain covering portions 16a, 16b before and after the chain stay 10 and the rear axle 7 are inserted in the left-right direction.

The front cover portion 15 and the rear cover portion 17 are formed so as to cover substantially the entire surface of the front gear 3 and the rear gear 4, respectively, and an insertion hole 19 through which the crank 8 is inserted is formed in the center of the front cover portion 15. Is formed, and the insertion port 18 is formed.
Is formed up to a position on the front side of the rear covering portion 17, and the rear gear shaft 7 is inserted through this portion.

In the rear upper and lower central portions of the rear covering portion 17,
A front-rear cutout portion 20 extending from the outer peripheral side to the periphery of the insertion opening 18 is formed, and as shown in FIG. 4, the rear portions of the upper chain covering portion 16a and the lower chain covering portion 16b are elastically deformed. Thus, the rear covering portion 17 can be divided into upper and lower portions through the separation portion 20, and the rear end around the insertion opening 18 can be opened by dividing.

The periphery of the opening 18 opened by the elastic return of the chain covering portions 16a and 16b can be closed. The cutoff portion of the rear covering portion 17 includes the rear covering portion 1
A holder 22 is provided for holding a state in which the holes 7 are joined (the insertion port 18 is closed). As shown in FIG. 5, the holder 22 in the present embodiment integrally includes a downwardly projecting connecting piece 23 on the back surface side of the divided upper side 17 a of the rear covering section 17, and connects the surface of the connecting piece 23 to the rear covering section. 17 divided lower side 1
7b in contact with the back surface of the lower hole 17b.
8 is formed by inserting a connecting screw 24 from the front side and screwing it to the connecting piece 23. The connection piece 23 has a female screw 25a into which a connection screw 24 is screwed.
Is formed by insert molding.

The provision of the holding tool 22 prevents the cut-off portion from spontaneously opening to deteriorate the appearance due to the vibration of the bicycle 2 or the like, and also causes rubbing at the cut-off portion. This has prevented the abrasion. The connecting piece 23 of the holder 22 is
It may be provided on the lower side 17b of the rear covering portion 17 so as to protrude upward. In this case, the connecting piece 23 and the upper side 17
The connecting screw 24 may be attached to a. Further, the connecting piece 23 can be provided on the front side of the rear covering portions 17a and 17b.

When attaching the chain case 1 to the bicycle 2, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the upper and lower chain covering portions 16a and 16b are bent right and left to form a rear covering portion 17a.
Is divided into upper and lower parts, and the upper part 17a of the rear covering part 17 is passed above the rear axle 7 and inside the left and right sides of the saddle stay 12, so that the rear axle 7 and the chain stay 10 are moved in the left-right direction with respect to the insertion port 18. Through.

The upper and lower chain covering portions 16a, 16
By the elastic return of b, the lower surface of the upper side 17a and the upper surface of the lower side 17b of the rear covering portion 17 abut against each other to be in a joined state, and the periphery of the insertion port 18 is closed. Next, the rear cover portion 17 is held in a joined state via the connection piece 23 and the connection screw 24, and the front cover portion 15 is fixed to the boss portion 3b of the front gear 3 via a fixing bracket 26 fixed thereto. ,
The upper and lower chain covering portions 16a and 16b are connected to the chain stay 1 via a pair of holding plates 27 which sandwich the upper and lower chain covering portions 16a and 16b and the chain stay 10 from the left and right.
Fix to 0.

As in the above embodiment, by forming the cut-off portion 20 in the rear covering portion 17, the upper chain covering portion 16a is formed.
Alternatively, the periphery of the insertion opening 18 can be opened through the elastic deformation of the lower chain covering portion 16b, and the chain case 1 can be integrally molded to be attached to a bicycle while simplifying the structure. Further, the rear gear 7 and the chain stay 10 are inserted into the insertion opening 18 by using elastic deformation, and after the insertion, it is only necessary to hold the cut-off portion in a joined state via the holding tool 22. It is easy to do.

In the above description, the upper and lower chain covering portions 16a and 16b can be elastically deformed so as to open in the vertical direction.
Since the upper and lower widths of b are larger than the left and right widths (widths of the edge portions 14), it is difficult to be deformed. Therefore, it is preferable to elastically deform in the left and right direction as described above. FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the holder 22.

In FIG. 6A, the connecting piece 23 is constituted by a plate separate from the rear covering portion 17, and
3 is in contact with the back surface or the front surface of the rear covering portion 17 (in the illustrated example, it is in contact with the rear surface).
The connection screw 24 is screwed to the lower side 7a and the lower side 17b. In this case, the plate 23 is
Since the number of parts is increased separately from the above and the number of screwed portions of the connecting screw 24 is increased, it takes a little time for mounting work, and in this regard, the previous embodiment is more advantageous. .

FIG. 6 (b) shows an example in which a locking claw 29 is integrally formed on the divided upper side 17a of the rear covering portion 17 so as to project downward, and the locking claw is formed on the divided lower side 17b of the rear covering portion 17. A locking hole 30 through which the locking claw 29 can be inserted is formed. The locking claw 29 is inserted into the locking hole 30 while being elastically deformed upward, and the locking claw 29 is engaged around the locking hole 30 by elastic return. It is intended to be.

In this embodiment, connecting screws and the like are not required, and the rear cover 17 can be connected with a single touch, which is more advantageous than the above embodiments. FIG.
FIG. 7A shows another embodiment of the separating portion 20 formed in the rear covering portion 17, and FIG. 7 (a) shows the cutting portion formed in the front-rear direction by extending rearward from the upper edge of the insertion port 18. (B)
FIG. 3C shows a vertically extending cut-off portion 20 formed from the upper end of the outer periphery of the rear covering portion 17, and FIG.
A cut-off portion 20 is formed in an oblique direction from the outer periphery toward the insertion opening 18.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the design can be changed as appropriate. For example, the holder 22 can be provided on the outer peripheral edge 14 of the chain case 1. Thus, the appearance from the side is not impaired. In addition, the assembling order after the chain stay 10 or the like is inserted into the insertion opening 18 (the order of mounting the holder 22, the mounting bracket 26, and the holding piece 27) is not limited to the above.

[0025]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention,
The front cover portion, the chain cover portion, and the rear cover portion constituting the chain case are integrally formed to have a simple structure, and can be quickly and easily attached to the bicycle.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a rear side of a chain case according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the bicycle on which a chain case is mounted.

FIG. 3 is a plan view (a cross-sectional plan view of the chain case) of the bicycle on which the chain case is mounted.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an attached state of a chain case.

FIG. 5 is a rear sectional view showing a holding unit.

FIG. 6 is a rear sectional view showing another embodiment of the holder.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing another embodiment of the separation portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Chain case 2 Bicycle 3 Front gear 4 Rear gear 5 Chain 10 Chain stay 15 Front covering part 16 Chain covering part 17 Rear covering part 18 Insertion port 20 Separation part 22 Holder

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A front cover (15) covering the outer surface of a front gear (3), a rear cover (17) covering an outer surface of a rear gear (4), a front gear (3) and a rear gear ( The upper and lower chain covering portions (16a, 16b) for covering the outer side surfaces of the upper side (5a) and the lower side (5b) of the chain (5) wound in 4) are integrally formed of an elastically deformable material. An insertion opening (18) for inserting the chain stay (10) and the rear gear shaft (7) is formed between the upper and lower chain coating portions (16a, 16b), and an insertion opening (18) is formed from the outer periphery of the rear coating portion (17). A cut-off portion (20) is formed so as to reach the periphery of the upper chain covering portion (16a) or the lower chain covering portion (1).
6b) a bicycle chain characterized in that the periphery of the insertion opening (18) can be opened by elastically deforming 6b) and dividing the rear covering portion (17) through the cut-off portion (20). Case. 2. The bicycle chain case according to claim 1, further comprising a holder (22) for holding the separated portion of the rear covering portion (17) in a joined state.