JP2003081150A - Saddle height adjusting mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a saddle height adjusting mechanism which can easily change and adjust the saddle height before or after a rider rides on the saddle of a bicycle. SOLUTION: In the saddle height adjusting mechanism in which an expandable cylinder 17 which is urged in an expanding direction with respect to a fixed cylinder, fitted therein, and equipped with a saddle 4 on a head part thereof can be locked at an arbitrary position, a saddle part operating device 3 for unlocking the expandable cylinder 17 is disposed within a projected plane of the saddle 4. Before a rider rides on the saddle, fingers holding an edge of the saddle 4 reach a knob 15 of the operating device 3, the saddle 4 is depressed by both hands while operating the knob, the saddle height can be easily adjusted. Also after the rider rides on the saddle, the saddle height can be easily adjusted by operating the operating device 3 which is disposed within the projected plane of the saddle 4 in side view with the fingers easily reaching thereto, and depressing the saddle 4 by utilizing the weight of the rider. In addition, even when the saddle part operating device is disposed within the projected area of the saddle 4, clothes are not hooked thereto, any mistaken operation can be prevented, and any possible breakage of the saddle operating device 3 can be reduced when the bicycle may happen to be toppled.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a saddle height adjustment in which an expandable / contractible cylinder having a saddle attached to a head, which is inserted by being biased in an extension direction with respect to a fixed cylinder, can be locked at any position. Regarding the mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in bicycles and the like, various types of saddle height adjusting mechanisms for adjusting the saddle height according to the physique of a passenger have been proposed and used. In the old days, a method of locking and fixing the upper and lower positions of a saddle post fitted to a seat pipe at an arbitrary position by a fastening means installed on the seat pipe was used. In recent years, a saddle height adjusting mechanism configured to lock an expandable cylinder with a saddle attached to the head, which is inserted into a fixed cylinder by being biased in a direction of expansion by high-pressure gas or a compression spring, at any position. Came to be proposed. As a result, the saddle can be easily moved upward, and the adjustment work can be smoothly performed.

Several proposals have been made in consideration of the position of the operating device for unlocking the telescopic cylinder urged and inserted in the extension direction. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei 10-1 in which a lock release lever is arranged under the saddle.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-3133, which unlocks the telescopic cylinder through the one disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 53262 or an operation cable connected to an operation device installed in the handle portion.
There is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 78301/1978, and further disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-301241, which is configured to unlock the telescopic cylinder by either the saddle part or the handle part. .

[0004]

However, a lock release lever is provided below the saddle.
With the one disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 53262, it is easy to adjust the height of the saddle by pushing down the saddle while operating the release lever for unlocking the telescopic cylinder arranged at the lower part of the saddle before boarding. However, if it becomes necessary to make fine adjustments to the saddle height after seating on the saddle, the arms must be extended and the release lever must be operated in a cramped position, which is extremely workable. Besides being inferior, there was a risk that the fingers would not reach the release lever. In addition, clothes or the like may be caught on the operation lever during traveling, which may cause damage to the operation lever or clothes and may cause malfunction. Further, the operating lever may be damaged when the bicycle falls over.

Further, in the one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-313378 in which the lock of the telescopic cylinder is released through the operation cable connected to the operation device installed on the handle portion, after the passenger is seated on the saddle, Although the height of the saddle can be easily adjusted using the passenger's own weight,
If it becomes necessary to push down the saddle position that is too high before boarding and adjust the lever of the operating device in the handle with one hand, use the other hand to resist the urging force in the extension direction. I had to push it down, and it was difficult with the power of women and girls.

Further, in the one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-301241, in which the expansion cylinder is unlocked by either the saddle portion or the handle portion,
Each of the problems of the conventional example is directly followed, and it is unavoidable that it is still difficult to adjust the saddle height either before or after sitting.

Therefore, the present invention solves the problems of the conventional saddle height adjusting mechanism, and makes it possible to easily change and adjust the saddle height both before and after boarding. The purpose is to provide.

[0008]

Therefore, according to the present invention, the telescopic cylinder having the saddle attached to the head is inserted into the fixed cylinder while being biased in the extension direction so that the telescopic cylinder can be locked at any position. In the saddle height adjusting mechanism, a saddle portion operating device for unlocking the telescopic cylinder is arranged in a projection plane of the saddle in a side view. Further, the present invention relates to a saddle height adjusting mechanism in which an expandable / contractible cylinder having a saddle attached to a head, which is inserted by being biased in an extension direction with respect to a fixed cylinder, is configured to be lockable at an arbitrary position. It is characterized in that an operating device for unlocking is installed on the lower part of the saddle and the handle part. Further, the present invention is characterized in that the knob portion of the saddle portion operating device installed at the lower portion of the saddle for unlocking the telescopic cylinder is arranged in proximity to a position that can be operated by fingers holding the saddle edge portion. And In the present invention, the saddle portion operating device includes a saddle portion shift lever having a knob portion formed on one end side and a manipulation cable connected to a handle portion operating device installed on the handle portion on the other end side. It is characterized in that it is configured to swing about the lever support shaft to unlock the telescopic cylinder. Further, according to the present invention, a releasing piece for releasing the lock of the telescopic cylinder is arranged in the vicinity of the lever support shaft, and the operating force by the knob portion or the operating cable is amplified by a predetermined lever ratio to operate the releasing piece. When the saddle is high before boarding, the fingers holding the saddle edge reach the operating device for releasing the telescopic cylinder before operating the saddle while operating it. You can easily adjust the saddle height by pushing down with both hands, and even after boarding, you can operate the operating device provided on the handle part or the operating device that is placed on the projection surface of the saddle in side view etc. and your fingers can easily reach. , The saddle height can be easily adjusted by moving the saddle up and down by using one's own weight.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 shows a first embodiment of a saddle height adjusting mechanism of the present invention, and FIG. 1 (A) is a perspective view of a handle portion operating device installed in a handle portion.
(B) is a side view of the saddle part operating device installed on the upper end of the telescopic cylinder to which the saddle is attached. In the saddle height adjusting mechanism of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1 (B), the telescopic cylinder 17 in which the saddle is attached to the head by being urged and inserted in the extension direction with respect to the fixed cylinder is set at an arbitrary position. In the saddle height adjusting mechanism that is configured to be freely lockable, the saddle operating device 3 for unlocking the telescopic cylinder 17 is arranged in the projection surface of the saddle 4 in a side view. Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG.
An operating device 2 for unlocking 7 is also installed on the handle 1.

The details will be described below. As shown in FIG. 1 (B), the saddle post 5, which will be described later, is urged in the extending direction (upward in the drawing) with respect to the saddle post outer cylinder (fixed cylinder) 21 (FIG. 3 described later). In the above example, high pressure gas is used, but an appropriate urging force applying means such as a compression spring may be adopted) and the saddle post inner cylinder (expandable cylinder) 17 fitted and inserted into the head of the saddle 4. The pedestal 10 is attached by the saddle attachment bracket 12 via the chrysanthemum 11. A saddle portion operating device 3 constituted by a lever is installed on the head of the saddle post inner cylinder 17 via a lever mounting bracket 13. Lever mounting bracket 1
A lever support shaft 14 provided at the top of the shaft 3 supports the saddle shift lever 7 at a substantially central portion. The saddle portion shift lever 7 is preferably arranged on the projection surface (dotted line in the drawing) of the saddle 4 in a side view. If the saddle shift lever 7 can be operated, even if it is outside the projection plane of the saddle 4, it is close to a position where it can be operated by fingers holding the edge of the saddle 4 (up and down and front and rear positions, that is, It is also within the scope of the present invention to dispose the upper and lower positions not far from the lower edge of the saddle 4 and the front and rear positions not far from the edge of the saddle 4 in the saddle post direction.

Inside the saddle post that constitutes the telescopic cylinder, at the front end of the saddle shift lever 7 (on the right side of the drawing, arrow F), at a position where it can be operated by fingers holding the edge of the saddle 4. A knob portion 15 for unlocking the cylinder 17 is formed, and the other end of the rear side (arrow R) is connected to a handle portion operating device 2 installed in the handle portion 1 as shown in FIG. 1 (A). The inner end 16 forming the large diameter portion of the inner 9 of the operation cable (consisting of the outer 8 and the inner 9) is locked. The knob portion 15 may be formed by covering and mounting a separately manufactured rubber or plastic cap body, or may be formed by integrally molding and covering.
As shown in FIG. 2 which is a perspective view of FIG. 1B, the inner end 16 of the operation cable is locked to the other end of the saddle shift lever 7 by a large diameter portion (in the illustration, the inner end 16 is The portion closed by the cap 20 after the passage lock) and the operation cable inner 9 can pass through, but the inner end 16 is formed by a gourd groove 19 composed of a narrow groove that cannot pass through (the inner portion which is inserted and cleared in the large diameter portion). The end 16 is slid toward the groove side), but can be locked by any other suitable method.

A substantially central portion of the saddle portion shift lever 7 is pivotally supported with a lever support shaft 14 as a fulcrum, and the knob portion 15 on one end side of the saddle portion shift lever 7 is pushed up by a finger or on the other end side. Depending on whether the operation cable inner 9 is pushed down by the handle portion shift lever 6 of the handle portion operating device 2 installed in the handle portion 1, a push valve head which is a lock release piece arranged in the head portion of the saddle post inner cylinder 17 It is configured to press 18 and swing to unlock the saddle post inner cylinder 17, which is a telescopic cylinder. The push valve head 18 is arranged in the vicinity of the lever support shaft 14, and the operating force by the knob 15 or the locking portion of the operation cable inner 9 arranged relatively far from the lever support shaft 14 is applied. The push valve head 18, which is the release piece, is operated by being amplified by a predetermined lever ratio, and constitutes a so-called booster mechanism.

Referring to FIG. 3, an example of the saddle post 5 formed of a telescopic cylinder which is fitted in the fixed cylinder and biased in the extension direction will be described. The saddle post 5 is fitted into a seat pipe (not shown) that is a part of the frame to form a fixed cylinder, and a saddle post outer cylinder 21 is fitted from above the saddle post outer cylinder 21 to form a telescopic cylinder. And a high pressure gas filling chamber 2 formed in the bottom of the outer cylinder 21.
The high pressure gas sealed in 7 urges the saddle post inner cylinder 17 in the extending direction (upward in the drawing). High pressure gas enclosure 2
A hydraulic chamber defined by the free piston 24 is formed above the valve 7. The hydraulic chamber is further partitioned by the valve body 23 and has a large cross-sectional area (the lower first hydraulic chamber 28
And an upper second hydraulic chamber 29 having a small cross-sectional area (reduced by the cross-sectional integral of the push rod 22 + push rod guide 22A).

The valve body 23 is formed with an orifice 30 which communicates between the first and second hydraulic chambers 28 and 29, and normally, the saddle post inner cylinder 1 forming a telescopic cylinder is formed.
7, a valve seat 31 formed at the lower end of the push rod 22 that is coaxially arranged and biased in the valve closing direction closes the valve. The head portion of the push rod 22 constitutes a lock release piece 18, and the valve seat 31 is detached from the valve body 23 by being pushed down by the swing release operation of the saddle shift lever 7, and the lower end portion of the push rod 22 is removed. The orifice 30 is opened through the small diameter portion 32 in the vicinity. Between the saddle post outer cylinder 21 which is a fixed cylinder and the saddle post inner cylinder 17 which is a telescopic cylinder, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the outer circumference of the saddle post inner cylinder 17 which is exposed to the outside during extension. A bellows 33 for protecting the is installed.

As a result, the first and second hydraulic chambers 2 are
8 and 29 communicate with each other, allowing the valve body 23 to move upward,
The inner cylinder 17 of the saddle post integrated with the valve body 23 is pressed by the high-pressure gas to move upward, and the hydraulic pressure through the free piston 24 causes a difference in sectional area between the first hydraulic chamber 28 and the second hydraulic chamber 29 to cause the valve body 23 to move. Moves upward and extends, and the saddle post inner cylinder 17 is locked and stopped at the time when the valve body 23 is closed due to the operation stop of the saddle shift lever 7. When the saddle post inner cylinder 17 which is a telescopic cylinder is expanded and contracted with respect to the saddle post outer cylinder 21 which is a fixed cylinder, by dovetail groove fitting etc. carved on the fitting surface between these cylinders, etc. Since the relative rotation is disabled, the saddle 4 does not rotate while facing forward. In addition,
Reference numeral 26 in FIG. 3 indicates a stopper that regulates the lower end position of the saddle post inner cylinder 17, and reference numeral 25 indicates an elastomer that is a cushioning material.

FIG. 4 shows a second saddle height adjusting mechanism according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the saddle part operating device installed in the upper end of the telescopic cylinder to which the saddle is attached, showing the embodiment. While the knob portion 15 of the saddle shift lever 7 in the above-described embodiment is arranged on the front side of the saddle (vehicle body), the knob portion of the saddle shift lever 7 in the present embodiment is arranged. 15 is arranged between the cushioning springs 34, 34 of the pair of saddles on the rear side of the vehicle body, which is one end side.
A substantially central portion of the saddle portion shift lever 7 is pivotally supported by a lever support shaft 14 of the lever mounting bracket 13, and a front end portion, which is the other end side of the saddle portion shift lever 7, is a push valve head that is a lock release piece of the telescopic cylinder. It is configured to press 18. In the present embodiment, the inner 9 of the operation cable is locked between the lever support shaft 14 and the pressing portion of the push valve head 18.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the push valve head 18 is pressed by the operation cable via the saddle part shift lever 7, a boosting mechanism is not formed, but FIG.
A lever mechanism can also be configured by appropriately selecting the lever ratio on the side of the handle portion operating device 2 shown in (A). Also in the present embodiment, the saddle portion operating device, which is the main configuration of the foregoing embodiment, is arranged in the projection plane of the saddle in a side view, or the knob portion is provided on the finger holding the saddle edge portion. It goes without saying that a configuration in which it is disposed close to a position where it can be operated is adopted.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the shapes and types of the saddle portion operating device and the handle portion operating device and their installation on the saddle portion and the handle portion are within the scope of the gist of the present invention. Form (for the saddle part shift lever, it can be installed on the inner cylinder of the saddle post in the illustrated example via a lever mounting bracket, and can also be pivotally supported using a saddle pedestal), handle part operating device and saddle The shape of the operation cable that connects to the control device
Type, locking mode of the operation cable to the saddle shift lever, urging mode of the expansion tube to the fixed tube in the saddle post in the extension direction, locking and unlocking of the expansion tube (comprising high pressure gas and split hydraulic chamber shown in the figure In addition to opening and closing the valve body with a push rod, locking and unlocking of the expansion and contraction cylinder with a compression spring and a lock pin may be adopted).

[0019]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, the telescopic cylinder having the saddle attached to the head is inserted at any position by being urged and inserted into the fixed cylinder in the extension direction. In the lockable saddle height adjustment mechanism, the saddle operation device for unlocking the telescopic cylinder is arranged on the projection surface of the saddle in a side view, so that the saddle edge is gripped before boarding. The fingers reach the operating device for releasing the telescopic cylinder, and while operating this, you can easily adjust the saddle height by pressing down on the saddle with both hands, and even after boarding, it is placed in the projection plane of the saddle in side view. By operating the operating device which can be easily reached by fingers, the saddle height can be easily adjusted by pushing down the saddle using the weight of the passenger himself. Moreover, since the saddle operation device is arranged in the projection plane of the saddle, there is no risk of clothes or the like being caught, erroneous operation is prevented, and the saddle operation device may be damaged when the bicycle falls over. This is reduced.

Further, in the saddle height adjusting mechanism, which is structured such that the expandable cylinder having the head fitted with the saddle, which is biased in the extension direction with respect to the fixed cylinder, can be locked at any position, the expandable cylinder By installing the operating device for unlocking the saddle on the lower part of the saddle and the handle part, the fingers holding the saddle edge reach the operating device for releasing the telescopic cylinder before operating the saddle while operating it. You can easily adjust the saddle height by pushing down with both hands, and after sitting on the saddle, while using the weight of the passenger himself, operate the operating device of the handle with your fingers to move the saddle. It is possible to easily push down the attached telescopic cylinder against the urging force in the extension direction to adjust the saddle height. Further, when the knob portion of the saddle portion operating device installed at the lower portion of the saddle for unlocking the telescopic cylinder is arranged in the vicinity of a position where it can be operated by fingers holding the saddle edge portion, before boarding The fingers holding the saddle edge reach the operating device for releasing the telescopic cylinder, and while operating this, you can easily adjust the saddle height by pushing down the saddle with both hands, even after boarding,
The height of the saddle can be easily adjusted by operating the operating device that the fingers under the saddle can easily reach and pushing down the saddle using the weight of the passenger himself.

Further, the saddle portion operating device has a knob portion formed at one end side and a saddle portion shift lever in which an operation cable connected to the handle portion operating device installed on the handle portion is locked at the other end side. Is configured to swing about the lever support shaft as a fulcrum so as to unlock the telescopic cylinder, so that the telescopic cylinder can be unlocked by fingers at the saddle portion by using one lever body. other,
It can be applied to the operating device of the handle portion, and the structure is simple. Further, a releasing piece for releasing the lock of the telescopic cylinder is arranged in the vicinity of the lever support shaft, and an operating force by the knob portion or the operating cable is amplified by a predetermined lever ratio to operate the releasing piece. With this configuration, the telescopic cylinder can be unlocked with a relatively small force such as a finger, so that the other force of the finger can be adjusted to adjust the height against the urging force of the telescopic cylinder in the extension direction. It can be fully utilized as a force to push down the saddle, and the height of the saddle can be easily adjusted. Thus, there is provided a saddle height adjusting mechanism capable of easily changing and adjusting the saddle height both before and after boarding.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 shows a first embodiment of a saddle height adjusting mechanism of the present invention, FIG. 1 (A) is a perspective view of a handle portion operating device installed in a handle portion, and FIG. 1 (B) is a saddle. It is a side view of the saddle part operating device installed in the upper end of the telescopic cylinder to which is attached.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a saddle post that is made up of a telescopic cylinder that is inserted into a fixed cylinder and urged in an extension direction.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a saddle portion operating device installed at an upper end portion of a telescopic cylinder showing a saddle height adjusting mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 handle 2 Handle control device 3 Saddle part operation device 4 saddle 5 saddle post 6 Handle shift lever 7 Saddle shift lever 8 Operation cable outer 9 Operation cable inner 10 saddle pedestal 13 Lever mounting bracket 14 Lever support 15 knob 16 Inner End 17 Saddle post inner cylinder (expandable cylinder) 18 Push valve head (lock release piece) 21 Saddle post outer cylinder (fixed cylinder)

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Nobuaki Shimada             3-1-1 Nakatsuma Bridge, Ageo City, Saitama Prefecture             Toncycle Co., Ltd.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A saddle height adjusting mechanism in which an expandable cylinder having a saddle attached to its head, which is inserted into a fixed cylinder by being biased in an extending direction, is lockable at an arbitrary position,
A saddle height adjusting mechanism, wherein a saddle operating device for unlocking the telescopic cylinder is arranged in a projection plane of the saddle in a side view. 2. A saddle height adjusting mechanism in which an expandable / contractible cylinder having a saddle attached to the head, which is inserted by being biased in an extension direction with respect to a fixed cylinder, can be locked at any position,
A saddle height adjusting mechanism, wherein an operating device for unlocking the telescopic cylinder is installed in a saddle lower portion and a handle portion. 3. A knob portion of a saddle portion operating device installed at a lower portion of a saddle for unlocking the telescopic cylinder is disposed in proximity to a position where a finger holding a saddle edge portion can operate. The saddle height adjusting mechanism according to claim 2. 4. The saddle portion operating device includes a saddle portion shift lever having a knob portion formed at one end side and an operation cable connected to the handle portion operating device installed at the handle portion at the other end side. The saddle height adjusting mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the lever supporting shaft is configured to swing to release the lock of the telescopic cylinder as a fulcrum. 5. A releasing piece for releasing the lock of the telescopic cylinder is arranged near the lever support shaft, and the operating force by the knob portion or the operating cable is amplified by a predetermined lever ratio to operate the releasing piece. The saddle height adjusting mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which constitutes a booster mechanism.