JP2007127233A - Spacer structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a spacer structure which facilitates the turning operation of a locknut by the use of a tool, and which reduces product costs by a reduction in the cost of parts. <P>SOLUTION: A spacer body 10 is arranged between a cap body 3 and a spring body 7. The cap body 3 closes an opening end 1a of a cylindrical body 1, and the spring body 7 is arranged on the inner side of the cylindrical body 1. Then the spacer body 10 has a two-way split structure having a cap body side member 11 and a spring body side member 12. The cap body side member 11 has a joint member 13 at its midsection, and is arranged on the cap body 3 side. The spring body side member 12 is arranged on the spring body 7 side. Then the spring body side member 12, which has a diameter smaller than the cap body side member 11, has a vertically-divided opening 12c which allows the passage of a rod body 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a spacer structure, and more particularly to an improvement of a spacer structure suitable for implementation in a front fork as a hydraulic shock absorber mounted on the front wheel side of a two-wheeled vehicle.

  A front fork, which is a hydraulic shock absorber that is mounted on the front wheel side of a motorcycle including a motorcycle and absorbs road surface vibration input to the front wheel, has a space between a vehicle body side tube and a wheel side tube that are connected in a retractable manner. There is a type in which a suspension spring made up of a coil spring which is a spring body which functions as a spring body which is arranged to be separated from each other.

  And, in the type of front fork that incorporates this suspension spring, in order to contribute to the reduction of the overall weight, the length of the suspension spring is made as small as possible, so that the length part that will be insufficient is said. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-314603 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-251430 clearly shows that there is a proposal to make up with a spacer body.

  By the way, although it is a proposal before clearly indicated in each of the above-mentioned publications, in Patent Document 1, the spacer body is divided into two so-called upper and lower parts, and the upper spacer referred to in this document is built in the shaft core portion of the front fork. There has been disclosed a proposal of having a notched vertical slit that allows passage of a rod body constituting a damper.

  Therefore, according to the proposal disclosed in Patent Document 1, the lower spacer in the two-divided spacer body resists the spring force of the suspension spring and is retracted so that the upper spacer is moved away from the suspension spring. It is possible to prevent the spring force from acting.

Therefore, it is possible to easily remove the upper spacer from the outside of the rod body from this state, and a part of the upper spacer that has been removed creates a so-called gap that exposes the lock nut, and therefore, through this gap. The lock nut screwed to the rod body can be turned by using a tool, and by loosening the lock nut, so-called disassembly can be performed after dredging, for example, changing the suspension spring, etc. It can be practiced.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-54342 (utility model registration request column, action column, FIGS. 1 and 2)

  However, in the proposal disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, there is no particular problem in terms of enabling the lock nut to be turned by using a tool. It may be pointed out that the feasibility is jeopardized when trying to reduce the product cost by.

  That is, the upper spacer constituting the spacer body in the proposal disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above is formed to be thicker than the lower spacer similarly constituting the spacer body.

  Therefore, in the case where the vertical slot is formed in the upper spacer, it is apparent that the processing time is longer than that in the case where the same vertical slot is formed in the thin lower spacer. Therefore, so-called labor is required for manufacturing the parts, and accordingly, it is not suitable for reducing the cost of the parts.

  In addition, it is disadvantageous to reduce the product cost if the reduction of the component cost cannot be left to the point, and the feasibility is jeopardized.

  The present invention has been developed in view of such a current situation, and the object of the present invention is, of course, to make it possible to easily turn the lock nut by using a tool. The present invention is to provide a spacer structure that contributes to a reduction in product cost by enabling reduction of component costs and is optimal for expecting an improvement in versatility.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the structure of the spacer structure according to the present invention is basically the tube from the shaft core portion while being screwed to the inner periphery of the opening end portion of the cylinder body and closing the opening end of the cylinder body. A cap body that is formed by screwing a rod body disposed in the axial center portion of the cylindrical body into a connecting portion that protrudes into the body under the presence of the lock nut, and a rod body that is inside the cylindrical body and that is inserted through the rod body. However, a spacer having a spring body composed of a coil spring extending in the axial direction of the cylindrical body, and a spacer body disposed between the movable end of the spring body facing the cap body and the cap body In the structure, the spacer body has a ring-shaped joint member formed in the middle portion, and the cap body side member made of a cylindrical body disposed on the cap body side and the spring body side member made of the cylindrical body disposed on the spring body side When formed into a two-part structure To, and becomes a vertically divided opening spring body side member to permit passage of the rod member while a smaller diameter than the cap side member.

  Therefore, in this invention, since the spacer body is formed in a two-part structure of the cap body side member disposed on the cap body side and the spring body side member disposed on the spring body side, only the spring body side member is formed. Can be retreated toward the spring body side against the spring force of the spring body.

  Since the retreating spring body side member has a longitudinal slot that allows the rod body to pass through, the spring body side member can be removed from the outside of the rod body, and the lock nut is exposed. It is possible to easily rotate the lock nut by connecting a tool to the exposed lock nut.

  And, since the spring body side member in which the vertically divided opening is formed is formed with a smaller diameter than the cap body side member, compared to the case where the vertically divided opening is formed in the cap body side member formed with a large diameter, An increase in mischievous parts costs can be avoided.

  As a result, according to the present invention, it is possible not only to easily turn the lock nut by using a tool, but also to reduce the cost of parts when embodied in a front fork, for example. This contributes to reducing the product cost and is ideal for expecting improved versatility.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on the illustrated embodiment. A spacer structure according to the present invention is mounted on the front wheel side of a motorcycle including a motorcycle and absorbs road surface vibration input to the front wheel. It is said to be embodied in a front fork.

  At this time, the front fork is located as shown in FIG. 1, and the base end side, which is the upper end side of the wheel side tube 2 in the drawing, is inserted into the vehicle body side tube 1 which is a cylindrical body so as to be able to appear and retract. Although not shown in the drawing, the front end side, which is the upper end side in the drawing of the vehicle body side tube 1, is connected to the handle side which is the vehicle body side in the motorcycle, and the front end side which is the lower end side (not shown) of the wheel side tube 2 is connected to the wheel side in the motorcycle. It is supposed to.

  In the front fork, the opening end that is the upper end of the vehicle body side tube 1 in the drawing is screwed into the inner periphery of the opening end portion 1a that is the upper end portion of the vehicle body side tube 1 in the drawing. At this time, the cap body 3 locks the rod body 4 disposed on the shaft core portion of the vehicle body side tube 1 to the connecting portion 3a protruding from the shaft core portion into the vehicle body side tube 1 at this time. The nut 5 is screwed under the distribution.

  Incidentally, the cap body 3 is equipped with a spring force adjusting mechanism 6 as shown in the drawing, and this spring force adjusting mechanism 6 rotates the adjuster 6 a disposed on the shaft core portion of the cap body 3. Thus, the adjuster 6a is moved forward and backward in the axial direction of the rod body 4, and the moving body 6b adjacent to the base end which is the lower end in the figure of the adjuster 6a is moved in the expansion / contraction direction of the spring body described later. It is supposed to move up and down in the figure.

  Although not shown in detail, the rod body 4 is connected to a cylinder body that constitutes an upright damper disposed on the shaft core portion of the front fork so as to be retractable, and the front fork can be extended and retracted. It is sometimes assumed that it appears and disappears from the cylinder body and has a predetermined damping action.

  By the way, even in this front fork, a suspension spring 7 which is a spring body made of a coil spring is disposed between the vehicle body side tube 1 and the wheel side tube 2, and this suspension spring 7 is shown in the figure. It is assumed that the inner side of the vehicle body side tube 1 extends in the axial direction of the vehicle body side tube 1 while the rod body 4 is inserted inside.

  Even in this front fork, the spacer body is arranged between the movable body which is the upper end of the suspension spring 7 in the drawing and faces the cap body 3 and the cap body 3, that is, in series with the suspension spring 7. 10 is assumed to be included.

  Thus, by having the spacer body 10 in series with the suspension spring 7, the length of the suspension spring 7 can be shortened compared to the case where the spacer body 10 is not provided. As described above, it contributes to the reduction of the overall weight.

  By the way, the spacer body 10 is formed in a two-part structure of a cap body side member 11 disposed on the cap body 3 side and a spring body side member 12 disposed on the suspension spring 7 side serving as a spring body. It has an annularly formed joint member 13 disposed in the middle part, and has a spring receiving member 14 disposed between the spring body side member 12 and the suspension spring 13 which are the lower ends in the figure. Yes.

  At this time, the cap body side member 11 is along the shape of the connecting portion 3a in the cap body 3 existing inside, and the spring body side member 12 is also along the shape of the rod body 4 existing inside. It is said to consist of a cylindrical body.

  The cap body side member 11 and the spring body side member 12 are formed so as to be thinner than the upper spacer in the spacer structure disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, for example. Consideration can be made to make it possible.

  Moreover, the cylindrical body which comprises the cap body side member 11 and the spring body side member 12 can use the existing pipe body as it consists of a simple cylindrical body which does not have an enlarged diameter part or a reduced diameter part in the figure. Thus, the supply of the material is facilitated, and the number of processes can be reduced as much as possible, so that it can contribute to the reduction of the component cost.

  As described above, since the spacer body 10 is formed in a two-part structure of the cap body side member 11 and the spring body side member 12, only the spring body side member 12 is provided in the spacer body 10 and the spring force of the suspension spring 7. Therefore, it is possible to make the so-called retreat toward the suspension spring 7 side.

  As will be described later, in the spacer body 10, when the spring body side member 12 is retracted, the spring body side member 12 can be removed from the outside of the rod body 4. The turning operation can be easily performed.

  Next, the joint member 13 is formed in an annular shape, and the inner periphery is adjacent to the outer periphery of the connecting portion 3a while the opening end portion 12a of the spring body side member 12 is fitted into the inner peripheral portion (not shown). The joint member 13 has an outer peripheral portion (not shown) fitted inside the base end portion 11 a of the cap body side member 11.

  As described above, when the inner periphery of the joint member 13 is kept close to or in contact with the outer periphery of the connecting portion 3a, the upper end of the spring body side member 12 can be prevented from swinging in advance. Thus, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience that the joint member 13 repeatedly collides with the connecting portion 3a.

  Further, in the spacer body 10, the cap body side member 11 connected to the joint member 13 has a tip which is the upper end in the figure in the moving body 6 b constituting the spring force adjusting mechanism 6 provided in the cap body 3. It is assumed that the front end, which is the lower end in the drawing of the spring body side member 12 connected to the joint member 13, is supported by the spring receiving member 14.

  At this time, the spring receiving member 14 is formed in an annular shape similar to the joint member 13 described above, and the outer peripheral side portion 14a is fitted into the inner peripheral portion (not shown) of the base end portion 12b of the spring body side member 12. In the drawing of the suspension spring 7, the movable end which is the upper end is locked.

  As described above, in the illustrated embodiment, the tip as the upper end of the cap body side member 11 constituting the spacer body 10 is engaged with the movable body 6b constituting the spring force adjusting mechanism 6 provided on the cap body 3. Therefore, when the spring force adjusting mechanism 6 is operated, that is, when the adjuster 6a is rotated, the moving body 6b moves in the extending / contracting direction of the suspension spring 7.

  The movement of the moving body 6b facilitates the movement of the suspension spring 7 in the extending / contracting direction at the movable end of the suspension spring 7 via the spacer body 10, and the movable end position of the suspension spring 7 is moved. As a result, the spring force of the suspension spring 7 is raised or lowered.

  Incidentally, when the spring force of the suspension spring 7 becomes high, the front fork extends so as to balance this spring force. For example, the handle position in the two-wheeled vehicle, that is, the vehicle body position becomes high. When the spring force of the suspension spring 7 becomes low, the front fork contracts so as to balance this spring force, and the vehicle body position as the handle position in the two-wheeled vehicle becomes low.

  As described above, the reference length of the front fork can be changed by selecting the height of the spring force in the suspension spring 7 with the spring force adjusting mechanism 6, and the height of the vehicle in the motorcycle can be selected. Even in the spacer body 10, the so-called removal enables the rotation of the lock nut 5 when the rod body 4 is fixedly connected to the connecting portion 3 a of the cap body 3.

  That is, in the present invention, the spring body side member 12 in the spacer body 10 has the above-described lock nut 5 on the inner side from the opening end 12a to the vicinity of the opening end (not shown). As shown in FIG. 2, the spring body side member 12 is formed with a smaller diameter than the cap body side member 11, and has a longitudinally split opening 12 c that allows passage of the rod body 4.

  That is, in the proposal disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, the upper spacer forming the spacer body is retracted against the spring force of the spring body together with the lower spacer, and only the upper spacer is moved from this state to the rod. It is assumed that a so-called gap appears between the lower spacer and the cap body facing the lower spacer so as to be removed from the outside of the body, and the lock nut is rotated by using a tool through the gap.

  On the other hand, in the spacer body 10 according to the present invention, only the spring body side member 12 corresponding to the lower spacer described in Patent Document 1 described above is retracted against the spring force of the suspension spring 7 as the spring body. In addition, it is sufficient that the above-mentioned lock nut 5 is present on the inner side from the opening end portion 12a of the retracted spring body side member 12 to the vicinity of the opening end. It becomes possible to expose the lock nut 5 by retreating.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the spring body side member 12 in the spacer body 10 is retracted and the lock nut 5 is exposed using an appropriate jig, and the lock nut 5 is rotated from that state by using a tool. This is advantageous in that it can be said that it can be operated.

  However, in that case, in addition to the tool for rotating the lock nut 5, a jig for stopping the movement of the spring body side member 12 is required, and in view of this, it can be said that the spring body side member is disadvantageous. It is preferable that 12 has a vertical slot 12c that allows the rod body 4 to pass therethrough.

  Then, the spring body side member 12 has a longitudinally split opening 12c that allows the rod body 4 to pass therethrough. For example, in the drawing, the spring body side member 12 is moved backward by the length of the lock nut 5. In this way, it is possible to remove the spring body side member 12 from the outside of the rod body 4 through the longitudinally split opening 12c, and the lock body can be locked without using a jig as described above. The exposed state of the nut 5 can be continuously maintained. Therefore, the turning operation using the tool of the lock nut 5 can be easily made possible.

  From the above, in the present invention, in the spacer body 10, it can be said that it is meaningful that the spring body side member 12 has the longitudinally split opening 12c that allows the rod body 4 to pass through. Accordingly, although not shown, the cap body side member 11, the joint member 13, and the spring receiving member 14 may have a vertically divided opening corresponding to the vertically divided opening 12c. It can be said that it is advantageous in that the operability when disassembling or assembling the spacer structure portion having the spacer body 10 is improved.

  In addition, as described above, the cap body side member 11 and the spring body side member 12 constituting the spacer body 10 are formed to be thinner than the spacer disclosed in Patent Document 1, but moreover, The spring body side member 12 is formed to have a smaller diameter than the cap body side member 11.

  In view of this, in view of the formation of the vertical slot 12c in the spring body side member 12, it is no longer a concern that so-called labor is required to form the vertical slot 12c. It becomes possible to do.

  In view of the fact that the cap body side member 11 and the spring body side member 12 are formed to be thin, instead of cutting the so-called pipe body to form the longitudinally split opening 12c, although not shown in the drawing, It can be said that a method of forming the vertical slit 12c may be adopted by rolling a steel plate.

  As described above, the front fork is set to be an inverted type in which the vehicle body side tube 1 is a large diameter outer tube and the wheel side tube 2 is a small diameter inner tube, and the damper is a lower end side member. However, the rod body 4 is set to be an upright type having the upper end side member, but from the point that the present invention is intended, the front fork may be set to be an inverted type contrary to the above. In addition, the damper may be set upside down on the contrary to the above, and it is a matter of course that the operational effects in that case are not different.

It is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-section which shows the upper end side of the front fork which embodied the spacer structure by this invention. It is a cross-sectional view of the spring body side member in the spacer body which comprises the spacer structure shown by the XX line position in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Car body side tube which is a cylinder 1a, 12a Open end 2 Wheel side tube 3 Cap body 3a Connection part 4 Rod body 5 Lock nut 6 Spring force adjustment mechanism 6b Moving body 7 Suspension spring which is a spring body 10 Spacer body 11 Cap opposite side Member 11a, 12b Base end part 12 Spring body side member 12c Vertical split port 13 Joint member 14 Spring receiving member 14a Outer peripheral side part

Claims (5)

The rod body arranged on the shaft core portion of the cylinder body is locked to the connecting portion protruding from the shaft core portion into the cylinder body while being screwed to the inner periphery of the opening end portion of the cylinder body to close the opening end of the cylinder body. A cap body that is screwed under the nuts, a spring body that is a coil spring that extends in the axial direction of the cylinder while the rod body is inserted inside the cylinder, and the spring body In the spacer structure having a movable end facing the cap body and a spacer body arranged between the cap body, the spacer body has a joint member formed in an annular shape in the middle portion and on the cap body side. It is formed in a two-part structure of a cap body side member consisting of a cylindrical body and a spring body side member consisting of a cylindrical body distributed on the spring body side, and the spring body side member is formed with a smaller diameter than the cap body side member While passing the rod body Spacer structure characterized by comprising a vertically divided port for containers While the joint member is inserted into the inner periphery of the opening end of the spring body side member, the inner periphery is brought close to or in contact with the outer periphery of the connecting portion, while the spring body side member is moved from the opening end to the vicinity of the opening end. The spacer structure according to claim 1, wherein a lock nut is present inside. The joint member has an outer peripheral portion fitted inside the base end portion of the cap body side member, and the tip of the cap body side member constitutes a spring force adjustment mechanism arranged on the cap body and can move in the expansion and contraction direction of the spring body The spacer structure according to claim 1, wherein the spacer structure is locked to a movable body. A spring receiving member formed in an annular shape is disposed between the spring body side member and the spring body, and the spring receiving member has a spring on the outer peripheral side while fitting the base end of the spring body side member on the inner peripheral portion. The spacer structure according to claim 1, wherein the movable end of the body is locked. The spacer structure according to claim 1, wherein the cap body side member has a vertically divided opening that allows passage of the connecting portion.

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