JP2006056285A - Saddle raising/lowering device of bicycle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a saddle raising/lowering device having excellent strength and operating stably while the constituent parts of an existing bicycle are used. <P>SOLUTION: The saddle raising/lowering device of a bicycle is furnished with a spring to energize a saddle in the rising direction in order to enable the saddle to be raised and lowered while the user is riding the bicycle and a shock absorber to suppress a vigorous rise and fall of the saddle, and changing-over between admitting the saddle rising and falling and hindering is made with the operation on the handlebar side. An upper receptacle 1 and a lower receptacle 2 are installed in the lower part of the saddle and in the upper part of a saddle post on the body side, respectively. The shock absorber 11 is inserted fast to the saddle post, and a piston rod 12 is joined with the upper receptacle 1, and a coil spring 10 is fitted on the piston rod 12. A slide column 14 directed downward from the upper receptacle 1 is inserted into a cylindrical part 15 of the lower receptacle 2, and the saddle is raised and lowered while the slide column 14 is guided by the cylindrical part 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a device for elevating and lowering a saddle of a bicycle while riding, making it easy to stroke a pedal while traveling, and making it easy to put on a foot when the vehicle is stopped.

  In general, a bicycle saddle is attached to the upper end of a saddle post that is slidably inserted into a standing pipe of a vehicle body frame, and the saddle post is clamped to the standing pipe by a clamp at an arbitrary position and set to an appropriate height. .

  By the way, the saddle height is set higher during driving, and it is easier to ride the pedal, and lowering it when parked is easier to get on the ground and safer. The adjustment mechanism cannot change the height of the saddle while riding.

  For this reason, conventionally, as a device for raising and lowering the saddle while riding, a saddle has been provided with a shock absorber that urges the saddle upward with a spring and suppresses the saddle from rising and falling rapidly. Many have been proposed to switch between accepting and blocking.

  In these devices, if the saddle is allowed to move up and down just before stopping, the saddle is lowered by the weight of the driver, and when the driver floats when starting the vehicle, the saddle is raised by a spring and prevents the saddle from moving up and down while driving. Then, the saddle is supported at a predetermined height.

JP 2000-168650 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-59238

  However, for example, the lifting device described in Patent Document 1 has a structure in which a main part is incorporated in a standing pipe or a saddle post of a body frame, so that it is necessary to manufacture a dedicated body frame and the like. It is difficult to realize.

  In addition, in the lifting device described in Patent Document 2, it is possible to use an existing body frame or saddle post, but the saddle moves up and down in an arc at a position shifted from the axis of the saddle post, and the link and gas Since it is necessary to move the connecting portion with the spring in an arc shape, there is a possibility that a problem may occur in strength and smoothness of operation.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a saddle lifting device that is excellent in strength and operates stably while using existing bicycle components.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is provided with a spring that urges the saddle in the upward direction, and includes a shock absorber that suppresses the sudden rise and fall of the saddle. In the bicycle saddle lifting device, the upper support is attached to the lower part of the saddle, the lower support is attached to the upper part of the saddle post on the vehicle body side, the shock absorber is inserted and fixed to the saddle post, and the piston rod is Join the receiver, fit a coiled spring around the outer periphery of the piston rod, insert the slide column going downward from the upper receiver into the cylindrical part of the lower receiver, and the slide column is guided by the cylindrical part The saddle was raised and lowered.

  In this device, it is preferable to switch the allowance / prevention of raising / lowering of the saddle by engaging / disengaging the gear formed on the slide column and the claw provided on the cylindrical portion of the lower support.

  Further, the allowance / prevention of the saddle raising / lowering may be switched by opening / closing the flow path of the shock absorber.

  In addition, in the apparatus as described above, the adjustment bolt is screwed into an arbitrary position in the length direction of the slide column, and the head of the adjustment bolt is brought into contact with the lower end of the cylindrical portion of the lower support so as to raise and lower the saddle. It may be adjustable.

  In such a bicycle saddle lifting device, since the saddle moves up and down linearly along the axis of the saddle post, the moment due to the eccentric load does not act on each member such as the link, and it can be lifted and lowered stably. The deformation of the member is prevented, the durability is improved, and the saddle post and saddle of the existing bicycle can be used as they are, so that the cost does not increase.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  This saddle lifting device is a general-purpose device mounted on a normal bicycle, and is configured to support a saddle 50 so as to be lifted and lowered above a saddle post 51, as shown in FIGS. The saddle post 51 is slidably inserted into the standing pipe 52 of the vehicle body frame, and is fixed to the standing pipe 52 by a clamp 53 at an arbitrary position.

  In order to attach the saddle lifting device to the bicycle, the upper receiver 1 is attached to the lower part of the saddle 50 and the lower receiver 2 is attached to the upper part of the saddle post 51. At this time, the upper receiver 1 is configured such that the saddle frame 54 of the saddle 50 is sandwiched between the holding plates 3, and the lower receiver 2 is welded to the saddle post 51 or a cylinder of the shock absorber 11 fitted inside thereof. Fix it.

  The upper end of the piston rod 12 of the shock absorber 11 is joined to the upper support 1 by tightening the nut 13 from the upper surface side of the holding plate 3, and a compression coil spring 10 is fitted on the outer periphery of the piston rod 12. Yes. The saddle 50 is urged in the upward direction by the spring 10, and the sudden rise and fall of the saddle 50 is suppressed by the shock absorber 11.

  A slide column 14 parallel to the piston rod 12 is attached to the rear part of the upper support 1 downward by welding or the like, and the columnar portion of the slide support 14 is a cylindrical part provided at the rear part of the lower support 2. 15 is inserted.

  A bearing 16 is provided inside the cylindrical portion 15 with a space in the vertical direction, and the outer periphery of the bearing 16 rotates in contact with the guide surfaces 17 on both sides of the slide column 14 so that the slide column 14 is cylindrical. The saddle 50 is raised and lowered while being guided by the portion 15.

  The support shaft of the bearing 16 is inserted into a long hole in the front-rear direction formed in the cylindrical portion 15, and the position of the bearing 16 in the front-rear direction is adjusted as appropriate so that the saddle 50 moves up and down smoothly. It can be fixed by tightening both ends.

  With these adjustments, if the axis of the slide column 14 exactly matches the axis of the shock absorber 11, no radial force acts on the piston rod 12 of the shock absorber 11. Oil leakage is prevented.

  Further, a plurality of screw holes 18 are vertically arranged at the front lower portion of the slide column 14, and an adjustment bolt 19 is screwed into one of the screw holes 18, and the head of the adjustment bolt 19 is cylindrical. By contacting the lower end of the portion 15, the lifting stroke of the saddle 50 can be adjusted.

  Further, in this device, a gear 20 is formed at the rear center portion of the slide column 14 as a ratchet mechanism for switching between allowing and preventing the saddle raising and lowering, and inside the cylindrical portion 15 are a pair of upper and lower claws 21 and 22. These are provided with a switching member 23 that acts as a cam. The claws 21 and 22 are urged in a direction to be pressed against the gear 20 by a spring.

  In front of the switching member 23, a pressing bar 24 is passed in the horizontal direction, and a wire 25 extending to a lifting operation lever attached near the brake lever of the handle is connected to the lower end portion of the switching member 23. A restoring force is applied to the wire 25 by a spring, and the switching member 23 slides up and down along the rear wall of the cylindrical portion 15 as it advances and retreats.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the front surface of the switching member 23 is formed with convex portions having symmetric slopes at the upper and lower end portions. When the switching member 23 is in the intermediate position, the claws 21 and 22 are both engaged with the gear 20. At the same time, it is in a locked state that prevents the saddle from being raised and lowered.

  From this state, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the switching member 23 is slid downward, only the engagement between the claw 21 and the gear 20 is released, and the saddle is prevented from rising and only the lowering is allowed. When the switching member 23 is slid upward as shown in FIG. 4B, only the engagement between the claw 22 and the gear 20 is released, and the saddle is prevented from descending and only the ascent is allowed. Ascend limited state.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, when the convex part which has the slope of the same direction lined up and down is formed in the front surface of the switching member 23, and it is set as the shape which slides the head of the nail | claw 22, the nail | claws 21 and 22 will be carried out. The switching member 23 can be slid and switched between a locked state in which both are engaged with the gear 20 and a lift allowance state in which the engagement between the claws 21 and 22 and the gear 20 is released as shown in FIG.

  Further, in this embodiment, the guide surfaces 17 are provided on both rear side portions of the slide column 14 and the gear 20 is provided in the center portion. However, the guide surface 17 is formed by making the rear center portion of the slide column 14 into a groove shape. The gear 20 may be formed on one side, and the bearing 16 and the claws 21 and 22 may be arranged corresponding to this.

  On the other hand, in the shock absorber 11 used in the above apparatus, as shown in FIG. 7, an upper seal material 28, an intermediate seal material 29, and a lower seal material 30 are provided inside a cylinder 27 inscribed in the saddle post 51, and the piston The rod 12 passes through the upper seal material 28 and the intermediate seal material 29, and a piston 31 is provided therebetween.

  An axial cavity is formed inside the piston rod 12, and sealing members 32 and 33 are press-fitted into the upper and lower parts of the cavity. This cavity communicates with the internal space of the cylinder 27 via oil holes 34 and 35 provided at the top and bottom of the piston 31, and oil is provided between the upper seal material 28 and the intermediate seal material 29 and in the cavity of the piston rod 12. be satisfied.

  In the cavity of the piston rod 12, a tapered portion 36 that narrows upward is provided, and a spherical valve body 37 that floats on oil is inserted into the tapered portion 36. A valve rod 38 extending in the axial direction of the piston rod 12 is inserted above the valve body 37. The valve rod 38 moves up and down with respect to the piston rod 12 when rotated from the outside to the left and right. .

  In such a shock absorber 11, when the valve body 37 is pushed down by the valve rod 38, the cross-sectional area of the flow path of the taper portion 36 is expanded, the saddle descending speed is increased, and when the valve rod 38 is pulled up, the valve body 37. Is raised, the flow path cross-sectional area of the tapered portion 36 is reduced, and the descending speed of the saddle is suppressed, so that the descending speed can be adjusted according to the weight of the occupant.

  When the saddle is raised, the valve element 37 is pulled away from the valve stem 38 and the flow path of the tapered portion 36 is greatly opened. Therefore, the rising speed of the saddle depends on the cross-sectional area of the oil passage ports 34 and 35. It will be fixedly determined.

  By the way, in the said embodiment, although the ratchet type thing which switches permission / prevention of raising / lowering of a saddle by engagement / disengagement of the gear 20 and the claws 21 and 22 was shown, like the embodiment shown in FIG. You may make it switch permissible / blocking of saddle raising / lowering by opening and closing a flow path.

  Specifically, when the valve body 37 is pressed upward by the spring 39 and the valve body 37 is in contact with the small diameter side of the tapered portion 36, the flow paths of the oil passage ports 34 and 35 are completely closed, When the saddle 50 is prevented from being raised and lowered, and the switching plate 40 provided on the upper support 1 is swung downward by operating the wire 25 to depress the head 41 of the valve stem 38, the valve element 37 resists the spring 39. It is preferable that the saddle 50 is allowed to move up and down by pushing down and opening the flow path.

The perspective view which shows 1st Embodiment of the saddle raising / lowering apparatus of the bicycle which concerns on this invention Cutaway side view of relevant parts The expanded sectional view which shows the locked state of a three-stage switching type ratchet mechanism same as the above (A) Schematic cross-sectional view showing the descent-limited state, same as above (b) Schematic cross-sectional view showing the descent-only state Expanded sectional view showing the locked state of the two-stage switching ratchet mechanism Schematic cross-sectional view showing the lifting and lowering allowable state Cross section of shock absorber Cutaway side view of a main part showing a second embodiment of the saddle lifting device

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Upper supporter 2 Lower supporter 3 Clamping plate 10 Spring 11 Shock absorber 12 Piston rod 13 Nut 14 Slide strut 15 Cylindrical part 16 Bearing 17 Guide surface 18 Screw hole 19 Adjustment bolt 20 Gear 21, 22 Claw 23 Switching member 24 Presser Rod 25 Wire 27 Cylinder 28 Upper seal material 29 Intermediate seal material 30 Lower seal material 31 Pistons 32, 33 Sealing members 34, 35 Oil passage port 36 Taper portion 37 Valve body 39 Valve rod 39 Spring 40 Switching plate 41 Head 50 Saddle 51 Saddle post 52 Vertical pipe 53 Clamp 54 Saddle frame

Claims (4)

  In order to make it possible to raise and lower the bicycle saddle while riding, a spring is provided to urge the saddle in the upward direction, and a shock absorber that suppresses the saddle's sudden raising and lowering is provided. -In a bicycle saddle elevating device that switches the prevention, the upper support is attached to the lower part of the saddle, the lower support is attached to the upper part of the saddle post on the vehicle body side, and the shock absorber is inserted and fixed to the saddle post. Are joined to the upper support, a coiled spring is fitted on the outer periphery of the piston rod, and a slide support that extends downward from the upper support is inserted into the tubular part of the lower support, so that the slide support is guided to the cylindrical part. A saddle lifting device for a bicycle, wherein the saddle is lifted and lowered.   2. The bicycle saddle lifting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the saddle lifting is allowed / blocked by engagement / disengagement between a gear formed on the slide column and a claw provided on the cylindrical portion of the lower support. Bicycle saddle lifting device.   2. The bicycle saddle lifting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the saddle lifting / lowering is switched by opening / closing a flow path of a shock absorber.   The bicycle saddle lifting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an adjustment bolt is screwed into an arbitrary position in the length direction of the slide column, and the head of the adjustment bolt is brought into contact with the lower end of the tubular portion of the lower support. A saddle raising / lowering device for a bicycle, characterized in that the raising / lowering stroke of the saddle is adjustable.

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