JP2005119498A - Bicycle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bicycle which can be reduced in weight and be compactified without generating problems peculiar to a conventional bicycle having a gear/chain drive system. <P>SOLUTION: In the bicycle the rear wheel hub 7 of which is rotatably provided to a bicycle body frame 1 and the rear wheel 3 is pivoted by the rear wheel supporting shaft 7, the drive mechanism 6 of the rear wheel comprises a pair of right and left drive shafts 8 pivoted by the bicycle body frame 1, a pedal mechanism section 9 supported by each drive shaft 8, a transmission wheel 10a fixed to each drive shaft 8, a transmission wheel 10b each fixed to both the ends of the rear wheel hub 7, a transmission belt 11 wound between the transmission wheels 10a and 10b respectively, and a transmission mechanism section 12 having a plurality of gears for transmitting the rotation of the rear wheel hub 7 to the rear wheel 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a bicycle.

  In recent years, the number of abandoned bicycles has increased rapidly, which is becoming a social problem in terms of hindering traffic and taking measures for disposal. Of course, the current social background can be considered as the reason why the bicycle is left unattended, but the reason for the bicycle itself is that the conventional bicycle has a material and structure that is difficult to recycle, and the weight is large and it is stored. It may be difficult to downsize or fold it down when carrying it. In other words, the conventional bicycle employs a drive mechanism that transmits the power (rotational force) applied to the pedal to the rear wheel via the gear and chain, so that it can be easily disassembled and folded (compact). However, since the drive mechanism needs to be made of steel, the weight of the bicycle must be heavy.

  In addition, the conventional bicycle driving system as described above has an advantage that a speed change mechanism can be added, but on the other hand, the driver is liable to cause a failure such as the chain falling off the gear or the chain being damaged. There is also a problem that troubles such as part of the clothes of the person being caught in the chain are likely to occur.

  Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bicycle that can be reduced in weight and size without causing problems as in a conventional bicycle having a gear chain drive system.

The features of the present invention for solving the above-described problems are as follows.
[1] A vehicle body frame 1, a front wheel 2, a rear wheel 3, a saddle 4, a handle 5 and a drive mechanism 6 for the rear wheel 3 attached to the vehicle body frame 1 are provided, and a rear wheel support shaft 7 rotates on the vehicle body frame 1. A bicycle that is freely provided and has a rear wheel 3 rotatably supported by the rear wheel support shaft 7;
The drive mechanism 6 includes a pair of left and right drive shafts 8 rotatably provided on the vehicle body frame 1, a pedal mechanism portion 9 supported by the drive shafts 8, and a transmission fixed to the drive shafts 8. A wheel or gear 10a, a transmission wheel or gear 10b fixed to both ends of the rear wheel support shaft 7, and a transmission belt 11 wound between the transmission wheel or gear 10a and the transmission wheel or gear 10b. And a transmission mechanism 12 having a plurality of gears for transmitting the rotation of the rear wheel support shaft 7 to the rear wheel 3.
[2] The bicycle according to [1], wherein the transmission wheel or gears 10 a and 10 b and the transmission belt 11 are built in the vehicle body frame 1.
[3] In the bicycle of the above [1] or [2], the transmission mechanism 12 constituting the drive mechanism 6 includes an internal gear a ₁ fixed to the rear wheel support shaft 7, and the internal gear a ₁ . transmitted gear a _2, a ring-shaped gear a ₃ fixed to the boss 13 of the rear wheel 3 in a state in which the rear wheel support unit 7 and the outer circumference, the rotation of the gear a ₂ between the ring gear a ₃ meshing bicycle, characterized in that it comprises a one or more transmission gear a _n to.
[4] In the bicycle according to [3], a sleeve body 14 having one end fixed to the vehicle body frame 1 is externally mounted on a part of the rear wheel support shaft 7 in the longitudinal direction, and the rear wheel 3 is disposed outside the sleeve body 14. The boss 13 is rotatably supported by a bicycle.

[5] In the bicycle described above [4], a bicycle gear support member 15 to the sleeve member 14 is fixed to the gear support member 15 gear a ₂ and the transmission gear a _n, characterized in that the rotatably supported .
[6] In the bicycle according to [4] or [5], the rear wheel 3 includes a pair of left and right bosses 13x and 13y and spokes 17x and 17y that connect the bosses 13x and 13y to the rim 16, respectively. The bicycle, wherein the boss 13x is rotatably supported outside the sleeve body 14, and the boss 13y is directly rotatably supported on the rear wheel support shaft 7.
[7] In the bicycle according to any one of [1] to [6], the metal constituting the body frame 1, the front wheel 2, the rear wheel 3, the saddle 4, the handle 5, and the drive mechanism 6 is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Bicycle characterized by that.

[8] In the bicycle according to any one of [1] to [7], the body frame 1 includes at least a body frame member 100a that supports the front wheel 2 and a body frame member 100b that supports the rear wheel 3. A bicycle characterized in that the vehicle body frame member 100a and the vehicle body frame member 100b are detachably connected directly or via another vehicle body frame member.
[9] In the bicycle according to any one of [1] to [8] above, at least a part including the front wheel 2 and the vehicle body frame member 100a that supports the rear wheel 3 and the rear wheel 3 via a connecting portion to which the vehicle body can be attached and detached. And a part including the body frame member 100b for supporting the handle 5 and a part including the handle 5 and the body frame member 100d for supporting the handle 5 and a part including the saddle 4 and the body frame member 100e for supporting the saddle 4 are separable. The bicycle is characterized in that each part is sized to fit within the diameter of the rear wheel 3 or can be deformed to fit within the diameter of the rear wheel 3.
[10] In the bicycle according to any one of [1] to [8], the vehicle body can be separated into a plurality of parts via a detachable connecting portion, and each part can be accommodated within the diameter of the rear wheel 3. A bicycle characterized in that it is configured in a large size or is deformable so as to be substantially within the diameter of the rear wheel 3.

  Because it does not use a gear / chain drive system like a conventional bicycle, the metal part can be made of a lightweight metal such as aluminum or aluminum alloy, which can reduce the weight, and can be disassembled and folded. It is also easy to do. This makes it easier to store and carry than conventional bicycles. Further, since the metal part can be made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, there is an advantage that it can be easily recycled.

  1 to 5 show an embodiment of a bicycle according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a side view, FIG. 2 is a plan view, FIG. 3 is a plan view partially showing a drive mechanism, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a side view partially showing only the gears constituting the transmission mechanism.

The bicycle includes a body frame 1, a front wheel 2, a rear wheel 3, a saddle 4, a handle 5 and a drive mechanism 6 for the rear wheel 3 attached to the body frame 1.
The vehicle body frame 1 includes a vehicle body frame member 100a that supports the front wheel 2, a vehicle body frame member 100b that supports the rear wheel 3, and a vehicle body frame member 100c that connects the vehicle body frame members 100a and 100b in a detachable manner. A handle frame body frame member 100d (handle support column) removably coupled to the body frame member 100a, and a saddle frame body frame member 100e (saddle support column) removably coupled to the body frame member 100b. The handle 5 is attached to the upper end of the handle support body frame member 100d, and the saddle 4 is attached to the upper end of the saddle support body frame member 100e. The handle support body frame member 100d (handle support pillar) and the saddle support body frame member 100e (saddle support pillar) are configured by detachably connecting two members.

  In the figure, 101A, 101B, 101C, 101D, 101E, and 101F are the above-described detachable connecting portions of the body frame. The structure of the detachable connecting portion is not particularly limited. For example, the end of one body frame member is inserted into the end of the other body frame member (or a connecting seat provided on the end), and a fastener is used. A structure that is fastened and fixed can be adopted.

In the present embodiment, in a state in which the body frame 1 is disassembled from the detachable coupling portions 101A to 101F, the bicycle body includes (1) a part including the front wheel 2 and the body frame member 100a that supports the front wheel 2; Parts including rear wheel 3 and body frame member 100b for supporting the same, (3) parts including handle 5 and body frame member 100d for supporting the same, (4) including saddle 4 and body frame member 100e supporting the same The parts (3) and (4) are further separated into two parts, but the parts including each vehicle body frame member are approximately within the diameter (outer diameter) of the rear wheel 3. In addition, each size is configured (or a foldable structure such as a foldable type so as to be approximately within the diameter of the rear wheel 3). For the same reason, the separation end portion of the vehicle body frame member 100b that supports the rear wheel 3 (the connection portion with the other vehicle body frame members 101c and 101e) is also configured to be located within the approximate diameter of the rear wheel 3. Has been. With this structure, the disassembled bicycle can be made compact, and can be easily stored and carried.
In the present embodiment, the front wheel 2 is configured to have a smaller diameter than the rear wheel 3.

A rear wheel support shaft 7 is rotatably attached to the vehicle body frame 1 (vehicle body frame member 100b) via a bearing 18a. As will be described later, the rear wheel 3 (the boss 13 of the rear wheel 3) is attached to the rear wheel support shaft 7. ) Is rotatably supported.
The drive mechanism 6 includes a pair of left and right drive shafts 8 rotatably provided on the vehicle body frame 1 (vehicle body frame member 100b), a pedal mechanism portion 9 supported by the drive shafts 8, and the drive shafts. Transmission wheel 10a (or gear 10a) fixed to 8, transmission wheel 10b (or gear 10b) fixed to both ends of the rear wheel support shaft 7, and between the transmission wheel 10a and transmission wheel 10b. A wound transmission belt 11 and a transmission mechanism 12 including a plurality of gears for transmitting the rotation of the rear wheel support shaft 7 to the rear wheel 3 are provided.

The pair of left and right drive shafts 8 are rotationally driven by the rotation of a pedal mechanism 9 that a bicycle rider rides with his / her feet, and are attached to the vehicle body frame 1 via bearings (not shown).
Each pedal mechanism section 9 includes a pedal arm 90 having one end fixed to the drive shaft 8 and a pedal 91 rotatably attached to the tip of the pedal arm 90.
Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, when disassembling the vehicle body frame 1, the pedal arm 90 also includes the base end portion 900 so that all the constituent members are substantially within the diameter of the rear wheel 3. The main body 901 is detachably connected to the base end portion 900 so that the base end portion 900 is substantially within the diameter of the rear wheel 3 with the main body 901 removed from the base end portion 900. The structure of the detachable connecting portion may be the same as the structure of the connecting portion between the body frame members.
The main body 901 may be configured to be foldable (foldable) with respect to the base end portion 900 using a hinge mechanism or the like, and the entire pedal arm 90 may be substantially within the diameter of the rear wheel 3. .

The transmission wheel 10 a is fixed to each drive shaft 8 inside the hollow vehicle body arm 1. The transmission wheel 10b is fixed to a portion of the rear wheel support shaft 7 inside the hollow vehicle body arm 1. The configuration of the two transmission wheels 10a and 10b is not particularly limited, and may have a smooth outer peripheral surface, but in general, teeth for meshing with irregularities such as a rack formed on the inner peripheral portion of the transmission belt. Is preferably provided on the outer periphery.
The transmission belt 11 is a belt made of metal, high-strength plastic, high-strength fiber, metal fiber, or a composite material of two or more thereof, and the configuration thereof is not particularly limited. It is preferable that the projections and recesses such as racks are provided and the projections and depressions mesh with the transmission wheels 10a and 10b.
In the above configuration, the transmission wheels 10a and 10b and the transmission belt 11 are built in the hollow body frame 1 (body frame member b).

The rear wheel 3 includes a pair of left and right bosses 13x and 13y and spokes 17x and 17y that connect the bosses 13x and 13y to the rim 16, respectively.
One end of a rear wheel support shaft 7 that supports the rear wheel 3 is fixed to the vehicle body frame 1 (one member of the left and right vehicle body frame members 100b) in a part in the longitudinal direction (about half of the longitudinal direction). A sleeve body 14 is externally mounted, and one boss 13x of the bosses 13x and 13y is rotatably supported on the outside of the sleeve body 14 via a bearing 18b. The other boss 13y is directly supported by the rear wheel support shaft 7 via a bearing 18c so as to freely rotate.
Wherein (longitudinal direction of the substantially center of the rear wheel support shaft 7) gear support member 15 (the frame member) near the tip of the sleeve body 14 is fixed, the gear a ₂ and the transmission gear will be described later in the gear support 15 a _n is rotatably supported.

The transmission mechanism 12 surrounds the inner gear a ₁ fixed to the rear wheel support shaft 7, the gear a ₂ (pinion) meshing with the inner gear a ₁ , and the rear wheel support 7. a ring-shaped gear a ₃ fixed to one of the bosses 13x, and a transmission gear a _n for transmitting the rotation of the gear a ₂ to the ring gear a _3.
It said gearing a ₁ is provided adjacent to the other bosses 13y. Gear holding shafts 19a and 19b are rotatably provided via bearings 18e and 18f, respectively, at the front end portion of the gear support 15 and the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction. Gear holding shaft 19a of the distal end portion of the gear support 15 of these are the two ends protrudes on both sides of the gear support member 15, the gear a ₂ is fixed to one end, the transmission gear a _n1 at the other end It is fixed. In addition, the gear holding shaft 19b of the intermediate portion of the gear support member 15, each meshing transmission gears a _n2 is fixed to the ring gear a ₃ to transmission gear a _n1.

With the above configuration, the rotational driving force of the pair of left and right drive shafts 8 rotated by the pedal mechanism section 9 is: drive shaft 8 → transmission wheel 10a → transmission belt 11 → transmission wheel 10b → rear wheel support shaft 7 → internal gear. It is transmitted to the rear wheel 3 through a power transmission path of a ₁ → gear a ₂ (pinion) → transmission gear a _n1 → transmission gear a _n2 → ring-shaped gear a ₃ → boss 13x. Further, in this power transmission path, the transmission gear _an2 is interposed in the middle, so the rotation direction of the drive shaft 8 and the rotation direction of the boss 13x (rear wheel 3) are the same.
Here, the relationship between the diameter of the gear and the wheel is a relationship of the transmission wheel 10b <inner gear a ₁ , inner gear a ₁ > gear a ₂ , so that a large driving force can be obtained from the rotation of the drive shaft 8. Can do. Further, from the same viewpoint, the diameters of the transmission wheel 10a and the transmission wheel 10b are preferably set such that the transmission wheel 10a> the transmission wheel 10b.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing another embodiment of the bicycle according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the saddle support body frame member 100e (saddle support pillar) is placed against the body frame member 100a that supports the front wheel 2. Since the other structures are the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the same reference numerals are given and the detailed description is omitted.
In order to reduce the weight of the bicycle as much as possible, the metal constituting the body frame 1, front wheel 2, rear wheel 3, saddle 4, handle 5 and drive mechanism 6 is preferably made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. In each of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the portion made of metal (usually, the tires of the front wheels 2 and the rear wheels 3, the saddle skin, the handle gripping portion, etc. are made of non-metal) is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. It is configured.

  In the embodiment described above, the body frame 1 and the member supported by the body frame 1 can be separated into a plurality of parts via a detachable connecting portion, but the bicycle of the present invention is limited to the above embodiment. In short, what is essential is that the vehicle body may be separable into a plurality of arbitrary parts via a connecting part to which the vehicle body can be attached and detached. Each of the separated parts is configured to have a size that fits within the diameter of the rear wheel 3 or can be deformed to fit within the diameter of the rear wheel 3 (for example, a part of the member). It is particularly desirable to have a deformable structure such as a folding structure.

The side view which shows one Embodiment of the bicycle of this invention 1 is a plan view of the bicycle of the embodiment of FIG. The top view which shows partially the drive mechanism in embodiment of FIG. Horizontal sectional view of the drive mechanism in the embodiment of FIG. The side view which shows only the gearwheel which comprises the transmission mechanism part in embodiment of FIG. The side view which shows other embodiment of the bicycle of this invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Body frame 2 ... Front wheel 3 ... Rear wheel 4 ... Saddle 5 ... Handle 6 ... Drive mechanism 7 ... Rear wheel support shaft 8 ... Drive shaft 9 ... Pedal mechanism part 10a, 10b ... Transmission wheel 11 ... Transmission belt 12 ... Transmission mechanism Part 13, 13x, 13y ... Boss 14 ... Sleeve body 15 ... Gear support 16 ... Rim 17x, 17y ... Spoke 18a-18f ... Bearing 19a, 19b ... Gear holding shaft 90 ... Pedal arm 91 ... Pedal 100a-100e ... Body frame members 101a to 101f ... connecting portion 900 ... base end portion 901 ... body a 1 _... a gearing a 2 _... gear a 3 _... ring gear a _n1, a _{n2 ...} transmission gear

Claims (10)

A vehicle body frame 1, a front wheel 2, a rear wheel 3, a saddle 4, a handle 5 and a drive mechanism 6 for the rear wheel 3 attached to the vehicle body frame 1 are provided, and a rear wheel support shaft 7 is rotatably provided on the vehicle body frame 1. And the rear wheel 3 is rotatably supported on the rear wheel support shaft 7,
The drive mechanism 6 includes a pair of left and right drive shafts 8 rotatably provided on the vehicle body frame 1, a pedal mechanism portion 9 supported by the drive shafts 8, and a transmission fixed to the drive shafts 8. A wheel or gear 10a, a transmission wheel or gear 10b fixed to both ends of the rear wheel support shaft 7, and a transmission belt 11 wound between the transmission wheel or gear 10a and the transmission wheel or gear 10b. And a transmission mechanism 12 having a plurality of gears for transmitting the rotation of the rear wheel support shaft 7 to the rear wheel 3. The bicycle according to claim 1, wherein the transmission wheel or gears (10a, 10b) and the transmission belt (11) are built in the body frame (1). A transmission mechanism 12 constituting the drive mechanism 6 surrounds the inner gear a ₁ fixed to the rear wheel support shaft 7, the gear a ₂ meshing with the inner gear a ₁ , and the rear wheel support 7. a ring-shaped gear a ₃ fixed to the boss 13 of the rear wheel 3 in the state, in that it comprises one or more of the transmission gear a _n to transmit between the gear a said ring gear a ₃ rotation ₂ The bicycle according to claim 1, wherein the bicycle is characterized. A sleeve body 14 having one end fixed to the body frame 1 is externally mounted on a part of the rear wheel support shaft 7 in the longitudinal direction, and the boss 13 of the rear wheel 3 is rotatably supported on the outer side of the sleeve body 14. The bicycle according to claim 3. Gear support member 15 is fixed to the sleeve body 14, a bicycle according to claim 4 in the gear support member 15 gear a ₂ and the transmission gear a _n is characterized in that it is rotatably supported. The rear wheel 3 includes a pair of left and right bosses 13x and 13y and spokes 17x and 17y connecting the bosses 13x and 13y to the rim 16, respectively. The boss 13x is rotatably supported outside the sleeve body 14. The bicycle according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the boss 13y is directly rotatably supported by the rear wheel support shaft 7. The bicycle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the metal constituting the body frame 1, the front wheel 2, the rear wheel 3, the saddle 4, the handle 5 and the drive mechanism 6 is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. The vehicle body frame 1 includes at least a vehicle body frame member 100a that supports the front wheel 2 and a vehicle body frame member 100b that supports the rear wheel 3, and the vehicle body frame member 100a and the vehicle body frame member 100b directly or other vehicle body frame members. The bicycle according to claim 1, wherein the bicycle is detachably connected to the bicycle. At least a part including a front wheel 2 and a vehicle body frame member 100a that supports the front wheel 2, a part including a rear wheel 3 and a vehicle body frame member 100b that supports the wheel, a handle 5 and the same Can be separated into a part including the vehicle body frame member 100d for supporting the saddle 4 and a part including the saddle 4 and the vehicle body frame member 100e for supporting the same, and each part is sized to fit within the diameter of the rear wheel 3. The bicycle according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the bicycle is configured or deformable so as to be substantially within the diameter of the rear wheel 3. The vehicle body is separable into a plurality of parts via a detachable connecting part, and each part is configured to fit within the diameter of the rear wheel 3 or substantially within the diameter of the rear wheel 3. The bicycle according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the bicycle can be deformed to fit.

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