JP2003212177A - Small three-wheel scooter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To form a brake device with simple and less number of parts, suppress an increase in weight, prevent the nonuniform effectiveness of a brake, and increase a straight forward running capability and running stability in a small three-wheel scooter comprising a longitudinally extending main frame 10 having a generally horizontal foot placing part 24, a steering wheel 26 and a steering handle bar 40 held at the front end of the main frame 10, and a pair of right and left rear wheels 48 held at the rear end of the main frame 10. <P>SOLUTION: This small three-wheel scooter comprises a brake pedal 54 projected diagonally upper rearward from the rear end of the main frame 10 between the right and left rear wheels 48, movable in vertical direction, and having an upward returnability and a pair of right and left brake shoes 60 projected from a brake pedal 54 to both right and left sides and extending to the upper side of the right and left rear wheels. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention has a small three-wheeled vehicle having one steering front wheel and two rear wheels, one leg placed on a footrest portion and the other leg kicking on the road surface. It is about scooters.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A small scooter is known in which one foot is placed on a foot mounting portion provided on a main frame which is long in the front-rear direction, and the other scooter runs while kicking the road surface.

Some of such scooters are provided with a brake. For example, as with a bicycle, there is one using a caliper brake in which the rim of the front wheel and / or the rear wheel is sandwiched by a pair of left and right brake shoes. In this case, a brake lever is provided on the grip portion of the handlebar, and the force of gripping the brake lever is transmitted to the brake shoe via the wire.

Further, in a two-wheel scooter, a semi-arcuate metal fender (mudguard) that covers the upper portion of the rear wheel is provided at the rear of the footrest portion, and the fender is stepped down from above with one foot. It is also known that a fender is pressed against a rear wheel to generate a braking force.

[0005]

In the case of using the caliper brake, since the force for gripping the brake lever provided on the handlebar is transmitted to the brake shoe by a wire or the like, the structure is complicated and the number of parts is increased. The problem arises. Also, in a simple and small scooter for young children and infants, installing such a full-scale brake would increase the vehicle weight and make the operation difficult.

The brake for pushing the fender against the rear wheel by stepping on the rear wheel fender with a two-wheel scooter can be applied to one rear wheel, but to a scooter having two rear wheels. There is a problem that it cannot be applied. Ie 2
This is because it is extremely difficult to press two fenders provided on the rear wheels at the same time with one foot.

If the forces on the two left and right fenders are unevenly distributed, a one-sided braking effect occurs.
When this one-sided braking state occurs, there may occur a problem that the straightness of the scooter deteriorates and the running stability deteriorates.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a brake device can be constructed with a simple structure and a small number of parts without using a full-scale brake device used for a bicycle. The increase is also slight, and it is a small 3-wheel scooter that can generate a nearly uniform braking force on the left and right rear wheels with a simple operation to prevent the one-sided braking condition from occurring and improve straightness and running stability. The purpose is to provide.

[0009]

According to the present invention, this object is rotatably held by a main frame having a substantially horizontal foot rest and long in the front-rear direction, and a head pipe fixed to the front end of the main frame. A small three-wheeled scooter comprising individual steering front wheels and steering handlebars, and a pair of left and right rear wheels held at the rear end of the main frame, wherein the rear end of the main frame is between the rear wheels. One brake pedal that projects diagonally upward and rearward from the brake pedal and has the habit of returning upward, and a pair of left and right brake shoes that project from the brake pedal to the left and right sides and extend above the left and right rear wheels. It is achieved by a small three-wheel scooter characterized by including.

Here, the brake pedal has its front end connected to the main frame by a support shaft in the vehicle width direction which is located above and above the axle of the rear wheels, and its swinging end is always above the rear wheels in a side view. If it is positioned, when the brake pedal is depressed, it is difficult for the foot to interfere with the left and right rear wheels, and the operability is improved.

If the pair of left and right brake shoes are integrally formed with the brake resin together with the constituent resin, it is suitable for reducing the number of parts. The brake pedal may be formed integrally with the main frame side instead of being connected to the main frame by the support shaft as described above. For example, the foot rest is formed of a synthetic resin plate (step plate, foot rest plate) that is fixed to the main frame, and the rear end of this plate (foot rest plate) is extended diagonally upward and rearward to extend this portion. May be a brake pedal that can swing up and down. In this case, the brake pedal is integrated with the footrest plate, and the elasticity of the resin itself can be used to give the brake pedal an upward habit of returning.

When the foot rest is formed of a synthetic resin plate (foot rest) fixed to the main frame, the rear part of the foot rest is obliquely upward from the vicinity of the front upper edge of the rear wheel in a side view. It is preferable that the brake pedal is bent rearward so as to be continuous with the brake pedal. This is because when the left and right feet are lined up front and back on the footrest plate and the vehicle is coasting, the rear foot can be smoothly moved to the brake pedal to apply the brake.

It is desirable to hold the brake pedal on the main frame so that the brake pedal can slightly move left and right when viewed from the front and rear direction. For example, play is provided on a support shaft connecting the brake pedal to the main frame, or the brake pedal itself can be twisted left and right. With this configuration, the braking force applied to both brake shoes when the brake pedal is stepped on is naturally equalized, and the one-sided state of the rear wheel is unlikely to occur. Therefore, the straightness of the vehicle when the brakes are applied is improved, and the running stability can be secured.

[0014]

Operation: The driver puts one foot on the footrest portion and kicks the road surface with the other one foot to drive. The foot kicking the road surface can also be run by inertia by placing the left and right feet side by side in front of and behind the footrest section in a timely manner.

When the brake is applied, the foot kicking the road surface or the rear foot of both feet placed on the foot rest is placed on the brake pedal and stepped on. Then, the rear part of the brake pedal descends, and the brake shoe is pressed against the rear wheel. By adjusting the force with which the brake pedal is depressed, the pressing force on the rear wheel of the brake shoe can be adjusted, and the braking force can be controlled.

Since the brake pedal is located between the left and right rear wheels, if the pedal is depressed, the pressing force applied to the left and right brake shoes on the rear wheels is naturally equalized. For example,
Place the rear end of the brake pedal near the center of the vehicle body width direction to bring the position where the pedaling force is applied closer to the center of the vehicle body width direction, equalize the amount of protrusion of the brake shoe in the vehicle body width direction, and place the brake pedal and brake shoe. If the shape is left-right symmetrical, the left-right braking force becomes substantially equal due to the symmetry of the shape. Therefore, straightness is improved.

[0017]

1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a side view showing a part of a cross section of the front wheel support portion,
3 is a plan view showing a partial cross-section of the main frame and the vicinity of the rear wheel support portion, FIG. 4 is a side view showing the rear wheel braking device, and FIG. 5 is a plan view (A) and a left side view of the brake pedal ( 5B and a bottom view (C), and FIG. 6 are a sectional view (A) taken along the line AA, a sectional view taken along the line BB (B), a front view (C), and a rear view (D) in FIG. 5A. .

1 to 4, reference numeral 10 is a main frame, and a steering head pipe 12 at the front end,
A body pipe 14 that descends obliquely backward from the head pipe 12 and horizontally extends rearward, and a rear pipe 16 welded to the rear end of the body pipe 14 at a right angle and horizontally. Step mounting brackets 18 and 20 made of metal are fixed to the horizontal portion of the body pipe 14 so as to be separated from each other in the front-rear direction.
A step plate 22, which will be described later, is attached to these step mounting brackets 18 and 20, and a foot rest 24 is formed on the main frame 10 by these.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the front step mounting bracket 18 is mounted on the body pipe 14 from above and is fixed to the body pipe 14, and has a horizontal step mounting surface 18a orthogonal to the body pipe 14. The rear step mounting bracket 20 has a horizontal step mounting surface 20a orthogonal to the body pipe 14, and a rearward extending from the step mounting surface 20a and standing up with a width substantially the same as the diameter of the body pipe 14 in a plan view (FIG. 3). And a pair of left and right bearing plates 20b, 20b.
A brake pedal 54, which will be described later, is held on the bearing plates 20b, 20b.

Front and rear step mounting brackets 18, 20
A step plate 22 serving as a foot plate made of synthetic resin is attached to the step attachment surfaces 18a and 20a. The step plate 22 is long in the front-rear direction and has a width and a length that are at least large enough to support one foot of the driver. The front end of the step plate 22 is bent along the curve of the trunk pipe 14. The left and right side edges of the step plate 22 are bent downward so that the step plate 2
The rigidity of 2 is increased. The rear part of the step plate 22 is
Bearing plate 20 provided on the step mounting bracket 20
Both sides of b and 20b bulge upward and extend to near the front edge of the rear pipe 16 (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

The head pipe 12 has one steering front wheel 26.
Is retained. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, both axle ends of the front wheel 26 are fixed to a substantially U-shaped front fork 28, and the upper end of the front fork 28 is welded to the lower end of the steering shaft 30. The steering shaft 30 is rotatably inserted into bushes 32 and 34 press-fitted into the upper and lower ends of the head pipe 12. An annular member 36 is fitted and welded to the outer periphery of the lower portion of the steering shaft 30, and the annular member 36 is brought into contact with a bush 34 at the lower end of the head pipe 12 from below to support the front wheel load by this bush 34. To do.

A front fender 38 is held between the annular member 36 and the bush 34. That is, a mounting hole smaller than the outer diameter of the annular member 36 is formed in the front fender 38, and the steering shaft 30 is passed through the mounting hole from below before mounting the steering shaft 30 on the head pipe 12. It is sandwiched between the annular member 36 and the lower surface of the bush 34. A washer (not shown) is sandwiched between the upper surface of the front fender 38 and the bush 34.

The steering shaft 30 is made of a metal pipe, and its upper end projects upward from the head pipe 12. An axial slit (not shown) is formed at the upper end of the steering shaft 30. The handlebar 4 is attached to the steering shaft 30 from above.
The handle post 42 integrated with 0 is inserted. Steering axis 3
A clamp bracket 44 surrounding the outer periphery of the zero is attached to the upper end of the zero. The clamp bracket 44 fastens the steering shaft 30 to the handle post 42 to fix them, and at the same time, prevents the steering shaft 30 from coming off from the head pipe 12. The clamp bracket 44 is covered with a synthetic resin cover 46.

The rear pipe 1 at the rear end of the main frame 10
A pair of left and right rear wheels 48, 48 are held on the wheel 6.
That is, the caps 5 attached to both ends of the rear pipe 16
The rear wheels 4 are respectively attached to both ends of the axle 52 passing through 0 and 50.
8 and 48 are rotatably attached. Rear wheel 4 here
8 has a smaller diameter than the front wheel 26. The rear wheel 48 and the front wheel 26 are formed by insert molding a synthetic resin hub portion and another synthetic resin tire portion having different hardness by insert molding.

Next, the brake device will be described. 1, 3,
In FIG. 4, reference numeral 54 is a brake pedal. The front end of the brake pedal 54 is the main frame 1
Bearing plate 20 provided on the zero step mounting bracket 20
It is connected to b and 20b by a support shaft 56 and projects obliquely upward and rearward. The brake pedal 54 is made of synthetic resin and has a substantially trapezoidal shape with a wide front portion and a narrow rear portion in plan view, as shown in FIGS. At the center of the front part of the brake pedal 54, a substantially box-shaped mounting part 54a that opens downward is integrally formed.

This mounting portion 54a is the main frame 1
Inserted from the rear side between the 0 side bearing plates 20b, 20b,
The bearing plate 20b, the mounting portion 54a, and the support shaft 56 penetrating the bearing plate 20b are connected to the main frame 10. Further, a torsion coil spring 58 wound around the support shaft 56 is mounted in the mounting portion 54a of the brake pedal 54. One end of the torsion spring 58 is locked to the rear pipe 16 or the body pipe 14, and the other end is a groove 54b formed in a rib projecting on the lower surface of the brake pedal 54.
(See FIG. 5 (C) and FIG. 6 (A)).

As a result, the torsion spring 58 provides the rear end of the brake pedal 54 with the tendency to return upward. When the brake pedal 54 is in the returned state, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 4, a protrusion 54c that is long on the upper surface of the mounting portion 54a and that is long in the vehicle width direction extends from the step plate 22 toward the front edge of the mounting portion 54a. Protruding tongue 2
It is positioned by abutting on 2a.

In this state, the brake pedal 54 is operated by the rear wheel 4
Axle 5 in the width direction of the vehicle body located above and above the axle 52 of No. 8
It projects rearward and obliquely upward from around 6. The step plate 22
As shown in FIG. 4, the rear part is bent obliquely upward and rearward from the vicinity of the front upper edge of the rear wheel 48 in a side view, and is smoothly continuous to the upper surface of the brake pedal 54.

On the left and right side edges of the brake pedal 54,
Brake shoes 60, 60 projecting to the left and right sides and extending above the left and right rear wheels 48, 48 are integrally formed.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the brake shoe 60 has a substantially plate shape extending in the horizontal direction, and reinforcing ribs 60a and 60b are integrally formed on the front and rear edges thereof. Rib 6
0a and 60b are formed in a substantially triangular shape so that the base side (brake pedal 54 side) is wide and the tip side is narrow.
It is made so as not to interfere with the rear wheel 48.

The brake shoe 60 is a brake pedal 5.
By stepping 4 on the back of the foot (or shoe), the robot descends together with the brake pedal 54 while drawing an arc around the support shaft 56, and the vicinity of its tip comes into contact with the upper edge of the rear wheel 48. At this time, the angle of the bottom surface of the brake shoe 60 is determined so that the bottom surface (friction surface) of the brake shoe 60 is substantially parallel to the tangent line of the rear wheel 48 as shown by a virtual line in FIG. It should be noted that the swinging end of the brake pedal 54 is always positioned above the rear wheel 48, including when the brake pedal 54 is depressed, so that the brake pedal 54 can be easily depressed.

In this embodiment, one foot is stepped on the step plate 22 while gripping the handle bar 40 during normal traveling.
Stand on the top surface of the and kick the road with the other foot. To stop, put the toes of the foot kicking on the road on the brake pedal 54 and step down. When the brake pedal 54 is depressed, the brake shoe 60 integrated with the brake pedal 54 is attached to the rear wheel 48.
It comes into contact with the peripheral surface of and generates braking force. Brake pedal 5
The braking force can be controlled by changing the pressing force on the rear wheel 48 of the brake shoe 60 by changing the pedaling force of 4.

When the foot is released from the brake pedal 54, the brake pedal 54 is returned upward by the torsion spring 58. Therefore, the brake shoe 60 separates from the rear wheel 48, and the brake is released.

Here, the brake pedal 54 is made of synthetic resin, and has the flexibility that the whole is slightly twisted to the left and right.
The support shaft 56 connecting the brake pedal 54 and the main frame 10 may be provided with a slight play so that the brake pedal 54 may be slightly twisted. By such twisting of the brake pedal 54, the braking force generated on the left and right rear wheels 48, 48 can be equalized.

That is, the position and direction of stepping on the brake pedal 54 are asymmetrical, and one brake shoe 6
Even if 0 is strongly pressed down and its pressing force increases, the brake pedal 54 is twisted in the opposite direction because the reaction force applied to the brake shoe 60 from the rear wheel 48 increases, and the other brake shoe 60 is pressed. This is because the pressure increases. By making the brake pedal 54 slightly deformable in the twisting direction or holding the brake pedal 54 so as to be slightly rotatable in the twisting direction, the braking forces generated by the left and right rear wheels 48, 48 are automatically equalized. be able to. Therefore, it is possible to prevent deterioration of straightness due to uneven braking force of the left and right rear wheels 48, and deterioration of running stability.

In this embodiment, as is apparent from FIG. 4, the position of the support shaft 56 holding the brake pedal 54 is inside the outer circumference circle of the rear wheel 48 in a side view. Therefore, the self-servo effect of the brake shoe 60 does not occur, the braking force can be prevented from rapidly increasing, and the braking force can be smoothly controlled in accordance with the depression force of the brake pedal 54.

[0036]

According to the present invention, a pair of left and right brake shoes are provided on a brake pedal projecting obliquely upward and rearward between a pair of left and right rear wheels so as to project left and right, and the brake pedal is depressed. Since the shoe is pressed against the rear wheel, a lightweight brake device can be formed with an extremely simple structure and a small number of parts. Therefore, it is convenient to apply to a simple small three-wheel scooter for young children and young children.

In addition, it extends obliquely rearward and upward from between the rear wheels 1
By operating one of the two brake pedals, it is possible to generate a braking force that is almost even on the left and right rear wheels.
You can get a wheel scooter.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the front wheel support part, which is partially cross-sectioned.

[Fig. 3] Similarly, a side view in which a part of the vicinity of the rear wheel support portion is partially sectioned.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a brake device.

FIG. 5 is a plan view (A), a left side view (B) and a bottom view (C) of the brake pedal.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the brake pedal taken along the line AA in FIG. 5A, a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 5B, and a front view thereof.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 mainframe 12 head pipe 14 Body pipe 16 Rear pipe 18, 20 step mounting bracket 20b bearing plate 22 step plate (foot plate) 24 foot section 26 front wheels 40 steering handlebar 48 rear wheel 52 axles 54 brake pedal 56 spindle 58 torsion spring 60 brake shoes

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A main frame which has a substantially horizontal foot rest and is long in the front-rear direction, and one steering front wheel and a steering handle which are rotatably held by a head pipe fixed to the front end of the main frame. A small three-wheel scooter including a bar and a pair of left and right rear wheels held at a rear end of the main frame, the diagonally upward and rearward protruding from the rear portion of the main frame between the left and right rear wheels, and capable of moving up and down. A small size 3 comprising one brake pedal having a habit of returning upward and a pair of left and right brake shoes projecting from the brake pedal to both left and right sides and extending above left and right rear wheels.
Wheel scooter. 2. The brake pedal is connected to a main frame so that the front end of the brake pedal can swing up and down by a support shaft in the vehicle width direction located in front of and above the axle of the rear wheel, and the swing end is always rearward in side view. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wheel is located above the wheel.
Small three-wheeled scooter. 3. The small three-wheel scooter according to claim 1, wherein the pair of left and right brake shoes are integrally molded with the brake pedal by a synthetic resin. 4. The footrest portion is formed of a synthetic resin footrest plate fixed to a main frame, and the rear portion of the footrest plate is bent obliquely upward and rearward from the vicinity of the front upper edge of the rear wheel in a side view. The small three-wheel scooter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is curved and continuous with the brake pedal. 5. The small three-wheel scooter according to claim 1, wherein the brake pedal is held by the main frame so as to be slightly movable in the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction.