JP2005351470A - Suspension device and cycle using it - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a suspension device capable of being manufactured at a low cost since structure is simple and simply disassembled at the time of maintenance and being light in weight, and a cycle equipped with the suspension device. <P>SOLUTION: The suspension device consists of a damper part 21 absorbing relative vibration occurring between one member and the other member and a spring part. The damper part 21 comprises a rod 26 having one end fixed at the one member; a damping means 25 mounted on the other end of the rod 26 and damping vibration; and a case 24 integrating the damping means 25 and fixed at the other member. The spring part has one end in an axial direction fixed at the one member or the rod 26 and the other end in an axial direction fixed at the other member or the case 24 and consists of a rubber spring 28 situated on the coaxial outer periphery side of the rod 26. Further, in the bicycle, the suspension device is mounted between a frame for the bicycle and a wheel mounting part for supporting the wheel. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a suspension device that absorbs (attenuates) relative vibration between two members, and more particularly to a suspension device that is light in weight and can be easily manufactured with a simple configuration. In particular, the present invention relates to a suspension device between a wheel and a vehicle body that prevents vibration input to the wheel from being transmitted to the vehicle body, and a vehicle such as a bicycle equipped with the suspension device.

  In general, vibration generated when a vehicle or the like travels is absorbed by providing a suspension device between a vehicle body and wheels, and various types of suspension devices have been proposed. For example, some bicycles absorb vibration by spring elasticity due to deformation of the wheel mounting portion (mostly the front fork portion) of the vehicle body itself. This was desirable for bicycles that are particularly lightweight, but due to the current demand for improved ride comfort and improved vibration absorption capacity, elastic bodies such as rubber are placed between the vehicle body and the wheel mounting part. As a bicycle suspension device, a bicycle suspension device is a combination of a coil spring and an oil damper (hereinafter referred to as a “damper spring”), as in a typical automobile or motorcycle. What is provided between the wheel mounting parts has been developed.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a bicycle using a conventional damper spring as a rear wheel suspension device. In the figure, 1 is a chain stay, 2 is a seat stay provided with a bracket 3, and the chain stay 1 and a connecting tube 4 connecting the seat stay 2 constitute a wheel mounting portion 5 for a rear wheel. The wheel mounting portion 5 has a rear wheel 6 attached to a rear end portion of the chain stay 1 and a front end portion of the chain stay 1 attached to a hanger lug 7 of the vehicle body so as to be freely movable.
Reference numeral 8 denotes a seat tube, and the seat tube 8 is provided with a bracket 10 on the vehicle body side on the back of the joint with the top tube 9. A damper spring 11 is movably attached to the bracket 3 and the bracket 10.
The vibration input to the rear wheel 6 is converted into the vertical movement of the wheel mounting part 5 around the hanger lug 7, but the vertical movement of the wheel mounting part 5 is absorbed by the damper sbling 11 as a suspension device. Vibrations are not transmitted to the car body.
Reference numeral 12 denotes a front wheel mounting portion, that is, a front fork portion. The front fork portion 12 does not have a separate suspension device, but vibrations input to the front wheels due to the bending of the front fork portion 12 itself. To absorb.
JP 2002-145163 A JP 11-325148 A JP 2002-308176 A Japanese National Patent Publication No. 11-511229

Conventional suspension devices that use spring elasticity due to deformation of the wheel mounting portion itself generally use deformation of a metal structural material, so that the suspension device is quite hard and very uncomfortable to ride. It was. Therefore, a spring is provided at the bottom of the saddle and used together with a cushion by this spring, but the ride comfort is not sufficient.
In addition, in a suspension device in which a rubber cushion is interposed between the vehicle body and the wheel portion (wheel mounting portions and wheels such as chain stays, seat stays, etc.), a soft spring constant cannot be set in terms of durability of the rubber cushion. So it was difficult to say that the ride was comfortable.
In addition, if a damper spring is inserted between the vehicle body and the wheel part, a large stroke amount can be set, and a soft and favorable ride can be obtained, but a highly accurate damper part using an oil orifice and a metal coil spring Because of the use of this, the weight becomes heavier and the cost is increased.

  Furthermore, the damper spring transmits vibrations to the damping mechanism in the damper section by means of a rod connected at one end to the vehicle body, and the vibration is attenuated by the flow resistance of the enclosed oil, thus maintaining the sealing of the case. However, since the rod needs to be operable, a sliding oil seal is provided at a portion where the rod enters and exits the case. For this reason, when it is desired to increase the sealing degree to prevent leakage, the sliding oil seal acts as a resistance of the rod, and it is difficult to sufficiently function as a suspension device in a vehicle whose input is smaller than that of an automobile or the like. Therefore, when used for bicycles, etc., the oil seal must be lowered to reduce the sliding resistance of the sliding oil seal, so the appearance quality is reduced due to oil leakage and the damping function is short due to oil leakage. There were problems such as a drop in time.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and to provide a lightweight suspension device that can be manufactured at low cost because of its simple structure and can be easily disassembled during maintenance.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the invention according to claim 1 is a suspension device configured by a damper portion and a spring portion that absorb relative vibration generated between one member and the other member, and the damper portion includes: A rod fixed at one end to the one member, a damping means that is attached to the other end of the rod and attenuates vibration, and a case that incorporates the damping means and is fixed to the other member, The spring portion has one end in the axial direction fixed to the one member or the rod, the other end in the axial direction is fixed to the other member or the case, and a cylinder disposed on the coaxial outer peripheral side of the rod. It is characterized by comprising a rubber-like elastic body.

In the above, the cylindrical rubber-like elastic body is a substantially cylindrical elastic body made of a rubber material, a resin elastomer material, or the like, the rod operating with the one member and the one member, the other member and the other member. A load is supported between cases operating together with the member and relative vibration is absorbed, and the vibration absorbed by the damping means is dissipated. Therefore, it is not always necessary to be bonded to one member or the other member. For example, it may be simply inserted between the one member and the other member. The damping means can be combined with a conventionally known damping means such as an oil orifice mechanism, a friction mechanism, or a damping mechanism using a highly viscous fluid.
In addition, when not necessary, it can also be set as the suspension apparatus which does not support a load.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration according to claim 1, the cylindrical rubber-like elastic body is arranged in series with the damper portion.
In the above, especially if it is directly arranged on the rod and the upper end of the case, it can be handled as one body, and assembly and replacement work are easy at the time of vehicle manufacture.

The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration described in claim 1 or 2, the cylindrical rubber-like elastic body has at least one constricted portion on the outer peripheral surface.
In the above, by providing the constricted portion on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical rubber-like elastic body, stress is easily concentrated on the constricted portion at the time of compression, and it can be compressed and deformed in the axial direction without buckling in the lateral direction. That is, since it becomes easy to control the deformation of the cylindrical rubber-like elastic body, it can be designed with a clearance avoiding contact in advance with respect to a rod or a damper positioned in the inner diameter direction of this cylindrical rubber-like elastic body, Miniaturization becomes easy.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the structure of the first to third aspects, the cylindrical rubber-like elastic body has a hollow structure and has a small dimensional expansion in the outer diameter direction when compressed in the axial direction. It is a spring.
In the above, the cylindrical rubber-like elastic body, i.e., the rubber spring, has a space that can allow the volume movement that occurs during axial compression in the hollow portion on the inner circumferential side, so that the dimensional expansion in the outer radial direction is reduced. It is not necessary to consider the expansion space of the rubber-like elastic body around the suspension device. That is, it is suitable when it is arranged in a narrow space.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first to fourth aspects, the damping means fixes a rubber disk to the other end of the rod, and the outer edge of the rubber disk and the case The vibration is attenuated by sliding with the inner wall.
In the above description, the rubber disk is a disk made of a rubber material, a resin elastomer material, or the like. When the case is cylindrical, a substantially disk body is preferable. Vibration is attenuated by the sliding resistance generated by sliding the outer edge of the rubber disk and the inner wall of the case in a pressure contact state. That is, a simple and lightweight configuration can be obtained. For example, as compared with an oil damper, a complicated oil orifice is not necessary, and since no liquid is used, it is not always necessary to completely seal it. Therefore, a high manufacturing accuracy is not required and it can be manufactured at low cost.

  Note that a lubricant such as grease can be interposed between contact portions between the rubber disk and the case, or the rubber disk itself can be made of a material having surface lubricity. Further, it is needless to say that a lubricating layer may be formed on the contact surface of the case and / or the rubber disk surface.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, in addition to the configuration of the fifth aspect, the rubber disk of the damping means has a tapered portion that expands in the direction of strong damping.
In the above, the strong attenuation direction refers to the operation direction of the attenuating means that requires stronger attenuation than one of the operation directions, for example, when strong attenuation is required in the stretch side direction with respect to the compression side direction. By adopting a form in which all or part of the peripheral edge of the rubber-like disk rises at an angle toward the operation direction (extension side) of the damping means, that is, a form that expands in the strong damping direction, When the damping means moves in the extension direction, it is possible to cause stronger attenuation than in the compression direction. And it can be set as a lightweight suspension apparatus by combining with a cylindrical rubber-like elastic body.

The invention according to claim 7 is a bicycle, wherein the suspension device having the structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is mounted between the bicycle frame and a wheel mounting portion that supports the rear axle. Features.
In the present invention, the bicycle is equipped with the suspension device described above, and the bicycle according to the present invention can be very lightweight while having the suspension device.
In particular, compared to a damper spring that uses an oil orifice, it does not have a complicated mechanism, so it is lightweight, and it is not necessary to seal the damper part. Since there is no resistance, it is possible to realize a long stroke, which is suitable for a vehicle such as a bicycle that has a light vehicle weight, that is, a low vibration input.

  In addition, when the suspension device according to the present invention is used for a bicycle, it is preferable that the damping force works strongly when operating in the extending direction. This is because, when jumping on a bicycle or the like, when landing, impact vibration, that is, rapid vibration is applied in the direction of compressing the suspension device. At that time, the suspension device of the present invention has a damping resistance in the compression direction. If it is set to be weak, it compresses smoothly and absorbs shocking vibrations, while in the extension direction, if it is set to work damping resistance strongly, at the time of repulsion after compression operation, that is, in the extension direction operation, Strong attenuation is generated and the vibration energy absorbed during compression is dissipated, so that the convergence of vibration can be accelerated.

Also, in the case of a bicycle equipped with a conventional soft suspension device that is comfortable to ride, when the driver strongly depresses the pedal for driving, the pedaling force is partially absorbed by the suspension device (so-called In order to eliminate the pedaling loss, there are some equipped with a mechanism for mechanically locking the suspension device (hereinafter referred to as a lockout mechanism). By adjusting the fitting force to the case, it is possible to adjust the static friction between the rubber disk and the case so as to have an appropriate resistance force, so that it is possible to reduce pedaling loss without providing a lockout mechanism. Is possible.
This is because an input such as pedaling has a relatively slow vibration speed compared to a vibration input received from the road surface during traveling, and the suspension device of the present invention causes a difference in operation due to the difference in speed of the vibration input. Therefore, it is possible to reduce pedaling loss while attenuating vibration during traveling.

The suspension device of the present invention has the above-described contents, and can be a lightweight and inexpensive suspension device by including a rubber-like elastic body as a spring portion.
Furthermore, by arranging the rubber-like elastic body in series with the damper portion, it can be handled as an integrated suspension device that is easy to operate.
Furthermore, since a rubber spring is used as the rubber-like elastic body, a change in the outer diameter of the rubber-like elastic body can be suppressed during operation, so that it can be installed in a narrow space.
In addition, by making the damper part equipped with damping means that utilizes the sliding damping of the rubber disk, it can be manufactured at a very light weight and at a low cost, and since it has a simple structure, it can be easily disassembled and assembled. Therefore, it is possible to provide a suspension device having good maintainability.
Further, by providing the rubber disk of the damping means with a taper portion that expands toward the strong damping direction, the damping force can be changed in the operating direction, and further, disassembly and assembly are easy. Thus, the user can freely change the attenuation direction.
In addition, in a vehicle using the suspension device, in particular, a bicycle, the suspension device is provided, the bicycle is light and inexpensive, and the user can adjust the damping force according to preference. effective.

  Embodiments of a suspension device according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, about a prior art and each Example, the same component attaches | subjects the same code | symbol and abbreviate | omits description.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a suspension device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a detailed explanatory view of a damping means portion in FIG.
In the figure, reference numeral 21 denotes a damper portion. The damper portion 21 is a case 24 formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape by fixing a wheel-side fastening member 23A having a hole 22A for fastening to the wheel portion to the bottom portion. A vehicle body side fastening member 23B provided with a damping means 25 slidably fitted in the case 24 and a hole 22B for fastening the damping means 25 to one end and fastening to the vehicle body side. The rod 26 is screwed into the end and operates integrally with the vehicle body, and a lid member 27 for housing the damping means 25 in the case 24 and closing it. The lid member 27 includes an insertion hole 27a through which the rod 26 can be inserted.
28 is a rubber spring made of a rubber material such as natural rubber, and constitutes a spring portion. The rubber spring 28 is inserted into the rod 26 in a suitable compression state at a coaxial position between the damper portion 21 and the vehicle body side fastening member 23B.

The attenuating means 25 has a guide member 29 composed of a flange portion 29a and a cylindrical portion 29b, and a tapered portion 30a whose peripheral portion expands toward the vehicle body side, and is arranged together with the spacer 31 on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 29b. And a holding member 32 which is positioned and fixed at the end position of the rod 26.
The guide member 29 is disposed so as to face each other in the axial direction, and a space 33 is formed by the two flange portions 29 a and the inner wall of the case 24, and the rubber disk 30 and the spacer 31 are assembled in the space 33. Since the outer periphery of the flange portion 29a is formed slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the case 24, when the damping means 25 slides up and down, it acts as a guide and is a rubber disk 30 fixed between the flanges 29a. However, it is possible to cause appropriate sliding damping without inclining with respect to the case 24.
Reference numeral 34 denotes a stopper made of an elastic material such as rubber. In the stopper 34, the attenuating means 25 moves largely toward the vehicle body within the case 24 and comes into contact with the lid member 27 of the case 24. In some cases, the shock is buffered.

  In the natural state, the rubber disk 30 has an outer diameter that is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the case 24, and when the rubber disk 30 is inserted into the case 24, the rubber disk 30 is slightly compressed in the radial direction. Accordingly, an appropriate pressing force is generated on the inner peripheral surface of the case 24 by selecting an appropriate size for the outer diameter of the rubber-like disk 30, and accordingly, when the damping means 25 is slid up and down, an appropriate sliding force is generated. It causes dynamic resistance.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described in the case of using it as a bicycle suspension device.
The vehicle body side fastening member 23B is fastened to a frame such as a bicycle by a hole 22B, and the wheel portion side fastening member 23A is fastened to the wheel portion by a hole 22A.
When the wheel is vibrated by running and the suspension device is compressed, the rubber spring 28 is compressed while supporting the load, and the damping means 25 moves to the wheel side in the case 24 accordingly. At this time, since the inner wall of the case 24 moves along the direction of the taper with respect to the taper portion 30a of the rubber disk 30, the taper portion 30a easily tilts and no strong sliding resistance is generated. At this time, the rubber spring 28 is compressed and deformed, but has a constriction in the outer peripheral body portion, so that the rubber spring 28 is deformed in a substantially bellows shape and is not tilted. Further, since the inside has a space capable of absorbing the volume movement due to the deformation, the outer diameter is hardly increased, and no tilting occurs, so that no contact with the rod 26 occurs.
Next, the compressed suspension device expands. In this case, the inner wall of the case 24 moves in a direction opposite to the taper with respect to the taper portion 30a of the rubber-like disk 30. As a result, the taper portion 30a is pushed, and a stronger sliding resistance is generated and a strong damping force is generated.
In other words, the suspension device according to the present invention can absorb vibration smoothly when compressed, and can dissipate vibration energy because strong damping occurs when extended, so that rapid vibration convergence is possible.

  The suspension device according to the present invention has a simple configuration as described above, and the case itself does not use a fluid such as compressed gas or oil, so that it can be easily disassembled and assembled. That is, since maintenance is easy, parts replacement is also easy. And since it does not use a complicated and highly accurate mechanism, it is lightweight. Therefore, such actions and characteristics can be used from general urban areas to competitive bicycles, and is suitable as a suspension device for bicycles.

The guide member 29 has high wear resistance and is preferably a lightweight nylon resin, but a light metal material such as aluminum or titanium may be used. In that case, a sliding part such as a fluororesin may be formed on the outer peripheral part of the flange part 29a.
In addition, grease such as molybdenum disulfide may be interposed between the contact surfaces of the rubber-like disk 30 and the case 24. In that case, a sliding seal made of a rubber material or the like is provided on the outer edge of the flange portion 29a, and the space 33 functions as a grease reservoir by injecting grease into the space 33 at the time of assembly. Since wear can be prevented, a decrease in attenuation performance can be suppressed over a long period of time.
In the present embodiment, the rubber spring 28 is inserted between the fastening member 23B and the lid member 27 in an appropriate compressed state, but is configured not to adhere to the fastening member 23B or the lid member 27. Is preferred. This is because a rubber member such as the rubber spring 28 is more resistant to compressive deformation than tensile deformation, and when it is inserted in a compressed state, rattling does not occur between the wheel portion and the vehicle body portion even in an empty state. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is needless to say that it may be attached or detachable as required.
In the above description, a general bicycle suspension device has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a bicycle with an electric power or auxiliary power machine. Furthermore, it can be used for vehicles such as motorcycles and automobiles.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the suspension device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
In the drawing, reference numeral 35 denotes a rubber spring. In this embodiment, the rubber springs 35 are laminated in the axial direction, and each rubber spring 35 is provided with a fitting means 35a for positioning each other. ing. The fitting means 35a prevents positional displacement at the time of assembly and operation.
Reference numeral 36 denotes a fastening member on the vehicle body side, and the fastening member 36 integrally has an outer cylinder portion 36a, and the outer cylinder portion 36a indicates that the rubber spring 35 is deteriorated due to environmental factors such as oil and sunlight. While preventing, the rubber spring 35 is covered so that the article | item etc. which exist around may not be pinched | interposed at the time of an action | operation.
A dust cover or the like may be provided at the end 36b of the outer cylindrical portion 36a to prevent inflow of dust.
In this embodiment, the damping means 37 is composed of two rubber-like disks 30. The damping means 37 is fixed to the rod 38 by inserting the damping means 37 into a stepped portion provided on the rod 38 and the nut 38a. 38 is fixed.
Other configurations are the same as those of the other embodiments according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a suspension device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
In the figure, reference numeral 39 denotes a rubber spring. The rubber spring 39 is formed by laminating three rubber springs as a spring portion. The rubber spring 39 is disposed close to the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical portion 36a, and prevents the biting of the lowermost rubber spring whose relative movement amount with respect to the inner wall of the outer cylindrical portion 36a increases. A caustic receiving member 40 for preventing the intrusion is disposed. In this embodiment, the volume movement of the rubber spring 39 is restricted by the inner wall of the outer cylindrical portion 36a during compression, and has stronger nonlinear characteristics when displaced more than a certain amount.
Further, the damping means 41 of the present embodiment is assembled by changing only one of the three taper portions 30a of the rubber-like disk member 30 so as to be slightly attenuated even during compression.
Other configurations are the same as those of the other embodiments.

  Although the above embodiment has been mainly described as a bicycle suspension device, it can be assembled upside down according to the application and required characteristics, or the spring part and the damping means can be used in combination. it can. Within the scope of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the configuration may be changed.

As described above, the suspension device of the present invention is particularly suitable for a bicycle suspension device that is required to be small, light, simple, and easy to maintain. Other, for example
(1) Suspension devices for motorcycles, automobiles, dump trucks, etc.
(2) Door, chair, OA equipment, model suspension device,
(3) Industrial machinery suspension devices,
Etc., and can sufficiently fulfill its functions.

It is sectional drawing of the suspension apparatus concerning 1st Example of this invention. FIG. 2 is a detailed explanatory diagram of an attenuation unit in FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing of the suspension apparatus concerning 2nd Example of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the suspension apparatus concerning 3rd Example of this invention. It is the schematic of the bicycle using the conventional suspension apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Chain stay 2 ... Seat stay 3, 10 ... Bracket 4 ... Connection tube 5 ... Wheel attachment part 11 ... Damper spring 12 ... Front fork part 21 ... Damper Portions 22A, 22B ... holes 23A, 23B, 36 ... fastening members 24 ... cases 25, 37, 41 ... damping means 26, 38 ... rods 27 ... lid members 28, 35, 39 ... Rubber spring 29 ... Guide member 29a ... Flange 29b ... Cylindrical part 30 ... Rubber disk 30a ... Tapered part 31 ... Spacer 32 ... Holding member 33 .... Space 34 ... Stopper 36a ... Outer cylinder part 36b ... End 40 ... Caustic member

Claims (7)

A suspension device composed of a damper portion and a spring portion for absorbing relative vibration generated between one member and the other member,
The damper portion has a rod whose one end is fixed to the one member, a damping means which is attached to the other end of the rod and attenuates vibration, and a case which incorporates the damping means and is fixed to the other member. And consist of
The spring portion has one axial end fixed to the one member or the rod, the other axial end fixed to the other member or the case, and is disposed on the coaxial outer peripheral side of the rod. A suspension device comprising a cylindrical rubber-like elastic body.   The suspension device according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical rubber-like elastic body is arranged in series with the damper portion.   The suspension device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cylindrical rubber-like elastic body has at least one constricted portion on an outer peripheral surface.   4. The suspension device according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical rubber-like elastic body is a rubber spring having a hollow structure and little dimensional expansion in the outer diameter direction when compressed in the axial direction.   5. The damping device according to claim 1, wherein a rubber disk is fixed to the other end of the rod, and vibration is attenuated by sliding between an outer edge of the rubber disk and an inner wall of the case. The suspension device described.   6. The suspension device according to claim 5, wherein the rubber disk of the damping means has a tapered portion that expands in the direction of strong damping.   The bicycle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the suspension device is mounted between a bicycle frame and a wheel mounting portion for supporting the wheel.

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