JP2001114174A - Collapsible bicycle with caster - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a collapsible bicycle which can be collapsed and built up with a small number of folding processes and in a short time, and be easily carried in the collapsed state. SOLUTION: This collapsible bicycle with a caster is so constructed that a vertical pipe 1 and a front pipe 2 of the bicycle are connected by a support pipe 3, the front of which branches like a fork, the forked part 3a of the support pipe 3 is adapted to slide and fix the front pipe 2 forward and backward by slide pipes 4 connected to both sides of the front pipe 2, the vertical pipe 1 side of the support pipe 3 is provided with folding parts 5, 6 so that the support pipe 3 can be bent from the straight line state to 180 deg. taking a supporting point biased from the axis of the support pipe 3 as an axis, and a caster 7 is fitted to the lower end of the vertical pipe 1. In this bicycle, a handle 8 projected on the side of the front wheel 10 side in the collapsed state can be formed to be collapsible.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a foldable bicycle that can be easily rolled on a floor and moved by casters in a folded state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In rural small cities, transportation is poor and many office workers commute to automobiles. Most high school students attend school by bicycle even if they are 10 km or more. When it's raining when you come to school, you may have your parents go to school and get off in front of the school due to a rush in front of the school gate. Some students ride bicycles on light trucks when they know it will rain on their way home. In addition, it is necessary to enjoy cycling in a resort area or to carry a bicycle to a place where the starting point of cycling is a remote place. However, because bicycles are large, they are difficult or impossible to carry on trains, buses, or passenger cars.
As a bicycle having such a function, there has been a folding bicycle.

[0003]

However, in the conventional folding type bicycle, since the front wheel, the rear wheel and the frame are disassembled, it takes more than 30 minutes to assemble, and it is impossible to assemble a woman whose hands are dirty and mechanically weak. It is. In addition, there is a problem that a great deal of labor is required since the user has to lift and carry after disassembling and folding. The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a foldable bicycle which can be folded and assembled in a short time with a small number of folding steps and can be easily transported in a folded state.

[0004]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a folding bicycle with casters according to the present invention connects a standing pipe and a front pipe of a bicycle with a support pipe whose front is branched into a forked fork shape. In addition, the fork of the support pipe is configured such that the front pipe can be slid forward and backward and fixed by slide pipes provided on both sides of the front pipe, and the fork of the support pipe is provided on the upright pipe side of the support pipe. The support pipe is configured so that it can be bent 180 degrees from a straight line about a fulcrum deviated from the axis of the support pipe, and a caster is attached to a lower end of the upright pipe. In the foldable bicycle with casters described above, the handle that projects to the side of the front wheel in the folded state is formed so as to be foldable, so that the handle does not become an obstacle during running in the folded state.

[0005]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings. 1 is a side view showing the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention in normal use, FIG. 2 is a front view thereof, FIG. 3 is a plan view of a support pipe portion, FIG. 4 is a side view in a folded state, and FIG. It is a top view of a state. In FIG. 1, 1 is a standing pipe, 2 is a front pipe, 3 is a support pipe that branches a forked portion 3a forward into a fork shape, and 4 is a slide on both sides of the front pipe 2 and front and rear with respect to the forked portion 3a. Slide pipes that can be fixed and fixed,
5 and 6 are bent portions on the side of the upright pipe 1 of the support pipe 3 which are configured so that the support pipe 3 can be bent 180 degrees from a straight line about a fulcrum that is deviated from the axis of the support pipe 3.
Reference numeral 7 denotes a caster provided at the lower end of the vertical pipe 1. Further, 8 is a steering wheel, 9 is a saddle, 10 is a front wheel, 11 is a rear wheel, 12 is a pedal, 13 is a gear crank, 14 is a chain, 15 is a chain stay, 16 is a chain case,
Reference numeral 17 denotes a lock bar, and reference numeral 18 denotes a chain for fixing the lock bar 17 to the bicycle body.

In this embodiment, referring to FIG. 3 which is a plan view showing details of the bent portion 5, a slide pipe 4 fixed to the front pipe 2 slides forward and backward at a front forked portion 3a of the support pipe 3. It is configured so that it can be fixed at a predetermined position by the thumb screw 4a.
During normal use, the slide pipe 4 is slid forward to increase the distance between the upright pipe 1 and the front pipe 2, and when folded, the slide pipe 4 is slid rearward to reduce the overall length of the folded vehicle. To do. Behind the support pipe 3 is a base 3b connected to the upright pipe 1.
And an L-shaped fixing angle 3c having a C-shaped cross section and fixed to the base 3b thereof, and a side portion of the fixing angle 3c, that is, a position deviated from the axis of the support pipe 3,
A shaft 3d is provided. 3e is a hole through which the lock rod 17 passes. The base of the main body of the support pipe 3 is an L-shaped end 3f, and the tip of the L-shaped end 3f is rotatably stopped by the shaft 3d. The L-shaped end 3f is normally accommodated in the fixed angle 3c. The L-shaped end 3f is provided with a stop hole 3g which coincides with the hole 3e on the fixed angle 3c side at normal times. At the time of folding, when the lock rod 17 is pulled out from the hole 3e and the stop hole 3g, and the support pipe 3 is bent with the shaft 3d as a fulcrum, it is bent 180 degrees as shown by a dashed line in FIG. The main body of the support pipe 3 is parallel. The lower bent portion 6
Has a similar structure. The positions of the upper bent portion 5 and the lower bent portion 6 are such that when the support pipe 3 is bent, the bicycle body is substantially perpendicular to the ground surface of the front wheel 10 and the rear wheel 11 (in a state where the bicycle body can stand alone). Position.

[0007] In the foldable bicycle having the above configuration,
The procedure for folding is as follows. (1) First, loosen the thumb screw 4a of the slide pipe 4, and slide the slide pipe 4 rearward with respect to the forked portion 3a of the support pipe 3. (2) Turn the handle 180 degrees. This is wheel 1
This is for shortening the front protruding length of 0. (3) At the bent portions 5 and 6, the lock rod 17 is pulled out from the hole 3e and the stop hole 3g of the support pipe 3, and the support pipe 3 is bent around the shaft 3d as a fulcrum. Thereby, the front wheel 10 can be folded so as to be adjacent to the rear wheel 11. The folded state can be fixed by hooking a locking hook 19 provided on the rear wheel 11 side to a hole of a locking metal fitting (not shown) provided on the front wheel 10 side. (4) In this folded state, the handle 8 may protrude to the side and obstruct storage or transportation, so that the outer handle can be folded as shown in FIG. (5) At the time of transportation, as shown in FIG. 4, the bicycle is self-supporting at one point on the caster 7 at the front and at the two points at the front wheel 10 and the rear wheel 11 on the rear. Can be rolled. In this way, the bicycle can be folded in a simple process. The assembly from the folded state can be similarly easily performed by reversing the above steps.

[0008]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. 1) If there is a folding bicycle with casters, it can be loaded on a passenger car. 2) Suitable for young people, such as traveling by train, traveling on a long platform, with rolls on casters, folding and assembling in about one minute, riding anywhere, anytime, hiking can go. Even during a cycling trip, it is possible to take a taxi, train, or the like in a compact state in a short period of time when the area has many slopes or mountain roads, when it rains on the way, or when a breakdown such as puncture occurs. 3) Even if you live alone in the city, you can put it in a room in a folded state, use it on holidays, and put it on an elevator.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a configuration of an embodiment of the present invention during normal use.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention during normal use.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a support pipe portion according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the embodiment of the present invention in a folded state.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the embodiment of the present invention in a folded state.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 standing pipe, 2 front pipe, 3 supporting pipe, 3a
Bifurcated, 3b base, 3c L-shaped fixed angle, 3e
Hole, 3f L-shaped end, 3g stop hole, 4 slide pipe, 4a thumb screw, 5,6 bent part, 7 caster, 8 handle, 9 saddle, 10 front wheel, 11
Rear wheel, 12 pedals, 13 gear crank, 14 chains, 15 chain stays, 16 chain case,
17 lock rod, 18 chain, 19 lock hook

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A standing pipe and a front pipe of a bicycle are connected by a supporting pipe branching forward in a forked fork shape, and a bifurcated portion of the supporting pipe is provided by slide pipes provided on both sides of the front pipe. Is arranged so that the front pipe is slidable and fixable back and forth, and the support pipe is shifted from the straight state by a fulcrum that is deviated from the axis of the support pipe on the vertical pipe side of the support pipe.
A foldable bicycle with casters, characterized in that it can be bent by 80 degrees and a caster is attached to a lower end of the standing pipe. 2. The foldable bicycle with casters according to claim 1, wherein a handle protruding from a side portion on a front wheel side in a folded state is formed so as to be foldable.