JP2010127410A - Front fork - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent leak of working fluid from a lubrication gap between an outer tube and an inner tube by guaranteeing a sealing function of an oil seal when an inside of a front fork is kept higher in pressure. <P>SOLUTION: The front fork includes an oil seal 3 sliding on an outer circumference of an inner tube 2 inside of an opening end part of an outer tube 1 having the inner tube 2 inserted therethrough in such a manner that the inner tube 2 can move in and out in a fork body having the inner tube 2 inserted in the outer tube 1 in such a manner that the inner tube 2 can move in and out. The front fork includes a guarantee means guaranteeing durability of the oil seal 3. The guarantee means controls oil pressure in the lubrication gap A between the outer tube 1 and the inner tube 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a front fork, and more particularly, to an improvement in a front fork that is mounted on a front wheel side of a two-wheeled vehicle and absorbs road surface vibrations input to the front wheel while suspending the front wheel of the two-wheeled vehicle.

  Conventionally, various proposals have been made for a front fork as a hydraulic shock absorber that is mounted on the front wheel side of a two-wheeled vehicle and absorbs road surface vibrations input to the front wheel while suspending the front wheel of the two-wheeled vehicle.

  At this time, the front fork allows the inner tube to be inserted into and retracted from the outer tube. For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, in many front forks, a seal that is an opening end portion of the outer tube is provided. The case portion has an inner oil seal in series with the outer dust seal.

  The oil seal prevents the lubricating hydraulic oil flowing into the lubricating gap that appears between the outer tube and the inner tube from leaking outside.

Therefore, in a front fork having an oil seal in the seal case part, a predetermined sealing function is exerted by the oil seal, so that the hydraulic oil flows into the lubrication gap between the outer tube and the inner tube. It is guaranteed and the inner tube can be smoothly moved in and out with respect to the outer tube.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-64180 (abstract, paragraphs 0004 to 0006, 0008, 0021 to 0024 in the specification, see FIG. 1)

  However, in the proposal disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the outer tube and the inner tube are ensured by flowing the hydraulic oil into the lubrication gap between the outer tube and the inner tube by demonstrating the sealing function by the oil seal. Although there is basically no problem in terms of ensuring the slidability between the front fork, there is a possibility that it may be pointed out that there is a slight defect in view of the current state of the front fork.

  That is, in the front forks proposed so far, including those disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, the inflow of hydraulic oil into the lubrication gap that appears between the outer tube and the inner tube is This is realized by flowing the hydraulic oil in the inner tube into the inner tube through the open communication hole.

  For example, when the front fork is set upside down with the outer tube as the vehicle body side tube and the inner tube as the wheel side tube, the communication hole is close to the upper end as the opening end of the inner tube. It is opened.

  Incidentally, when the outer periphery of the inner tube has a bearing (or piston) whose outer periphery is in sliding contact with the inner periphery of the outer tube, the communication hole is positioned below the bearing (or piston).

  On the other hand, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-30534, in recent years, a damper built in a front fork has a free piston in the damper so that the damper is maintained at a high pressure tendency and is most extended. Proposals have been made to enable a stable damping action from the beginning when the front fork in the state starts to contract.

  In the front fork that maintains the inside of the damper at a high pressure, the outside of the damper is maintained at a high pressure as long as it is inside the front fork. This also extends to the lubrication gap between the tube and the inner tube.

  As a result, when the inside of the front case with the same structure in the seal case in the outer tube is maintained at a high pressure tendency, hydraulic oil leakage from the lubrication gap between the outer tube and the inner tube is prevented. It is impossible to expect a predetermined sealing function to be exerted on the oil seal.

  The present invention has been created in view of the above-described present situation, and the object of the present invention is from the lubrication gap between the outer tube and the inner tube even if the inside of the front fork is maintained at a high pressure tendency. It is an object to provide a front fork that can be expected to exhibit a predetermined sealing function in an oil seal that prevents the leakage of hydraulic oil and is expected to improve its versatility.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the configuration of the front fork according to the present invention is basically in a fork main body through which the inner tube can be inserted and retracted into the outer tube, and the inner tube can be inserted and retracted. A front fork having an oil seal that is in sliding contact with the outer periphery of the inner tube inside the opening end of the outer tube is provided with a security means for ensuring the durability of the oil seal. It is assumed that the means suppresses the hydraulic pressure in the lubrication gap between the outer tube and the inner tube.

  More specifically, it is assumed that the security means suppresses the hydraulic pressure in the lubrication gap between the outer tube and the inner tube at the time of the most contraction operation in which the inner tube is most immersed in the outer tube.

  Therefore, in the present invention, since the durability of the oil seal disposed inside the opening end portion of the outer tube is ensured by the security means, of course, when the internal pressure is made as before, Even when the internal pressure is maintained at a high pressure tendency, the durability of the oil seal is ensured, and oil leakage from the lubrication gap between the outer tube and the inner tube is prevented.

  And, when the security means suppresses the hydraulic pressure in the lubrication gap between the outer tube and the inner tube during the most contracted operation of the front fork, it is not necessary to change the structure of the oil seal itself. There is no need to worry about the increase in friction caused by the oil seal structure change.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on the illustrated embodiment. A front fork according to the present invention is mounted on the front wheel side of a two-wheeled vehicle and absorbs road surface vibrations input to the front wheel while suspending the front wheel of the two-wheeled vehicle. It functions as a hydraulic shock absorber.

  The front fork is set up as an inverted type in which the fork body has a large-diameter outer tube 1 as a vehicle body side tube and a small-diameter inner tube 2 as a wheel side tube.

  Incidentally, the fork main body may be set to an upright type in which the outer tube 1 is a wheel side tube and the inner tube 2 is a vehicle body side tube, although not shown, from the viewpoint of the present invention. .

  Although not shown, in the front fork, the upper end side portion of the outer tube 1 is coupled to a fork bracket (or bridge) on the vehicle body side of the two-wheeled vehicle to which the handle is connected, and the lower end portion of the inner tube 2 is Suspend the front wheels of the motorcycle.

  And in this front fork, the upper end side of the inner tube 2 is inserted in the lower end side of the outer tube 1 so as to be able to protrude and retract, and becomes the lower end portion in the figure of the outer tube 1 that allows the inner tube 2 to be retracted. An oil seal 3 is provided on a seal case portion 1a which is an open end portion.

  Further, in the front fork, the inside formed by the outer tube 1 and the inner tube 2 is maintained at a high pressure tendency by an appropriate means, and the security means for ensuring the durability of the oil seal 3 described above. It has.

  As a means for maintaining the inside of the front fork at a high pressure tendency, any means can be selected. For example, a built-in damper has a free piston in the cylinder body constituting the damper, and the free piston In addition to maintaining the damper in a high-pressure tendency by being urged by a pressure spring or the like, the air pressure in the air chamber defined by the oil level in the front fork is increased in advance.

  Further, although the security means will be described in detail later, basically, a lubrication gap that appears between the outer tube 1 and the inner tube 2 at the time of the most contraction operation in which the inner tube 2 is most immersed in the outer tube 1. The hydraulic pressure at A is suppressed.

  Incidentally, in the illustrated front fork, the fork main body comprising the outer tube 1 and the inner tube 2 has a damper in the shaft core portion, and the cylinder body C constituting the damper is located in the shaft core portion of the inner tube 1. A rod body R that stands up and is inserted into the cylinder body C so as to be able to appear and retract is suspended from the shaft core portion of the outer tube 1.

  In this front fork, the suspension spring S is provided between the cylinder body C and the rod body R in the damper, and the damper is urged in the extending direction by the urging force of the suspension spring S. The front fork is urged in the extending direction.

  It should be noted that the damper performs a predetermined damping action at the damping portion disposed in the cylinder body C when the rod body R protrudes and retracts with respect to the cylinder body C, that is, when the damper body expands and contracts in synchronization with the front fork. Is set to

  By the way, said seal case part 1a has the oil seal 3, and the exterior of the lubricating oil from the lubrication gap A which appears between the outer tube 1 and the inner tube 2, that is, outside the seal case part 1 a. Prevent leakage.

  The seal case portion 1a has a dust seal 4 as shown in the figure to prevent the entry of dust from the outside, and slides on the outer periphery of the inner tube 2 while being in series with the oil seal 3. The outer side sliding contact member that is in contact with and defines the above-described lubrication gap A, that is, in the drawing, has a slide metal 5 to ensure the slidability of the inner tube 2 with respect to the outer tube 1.

  At this time, in the front fork, the lubrication gap A is defined while being held on the outer periphery of the opening end 2a which is the upper end in the drawing of the inner tube 2 and slidingly contacting the inner periphery of the outer tube 1. The inner side slidable contact member, that is, as shown in the figure, has a bearing 6 to ensure the slidability of the outer tube 1 relative to the inner tube 2.

  In the illustrated seal case portion 1a, a holder for fixing the oil seal 3 at a predetermined position is interposed between a stop ring 31 for preventing the oil seal 3 from coming off and a dust seal 4 in series. The member 32 is interposed between the slide metal 5 described above.

  In the front fork having the seal case portion 1a having the above-described structure in the outer tube 1, the durability of the oil seal 3 is ensured by a security means. The hydraulic pressure in the lubrication gap A that appears between the outer tube 1 and the inner tube 2 is suppressed during the most contraction operation in which the inner tube 2 is most immersed in the tube 1.

  Therefore, this guarantee means may be arbitrarily configured as long as the hydraulic pressure in the lubrication gap A is suppressed. However, in the case shown in FIG. 1, that is, in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. It is provided in a region between the slide metal 5 as the contact member and the bearing 6 as the inner side sliding contact member.

  In FIG. 1, that is, in the place shown in FIG. 2, the security means holds the lubrication gap A on the slide metal side portion (not shown) while being held on the outer periphery of the inner tube 2 and slidingly contacting the inner periphery of the outer tube 1. (Not shown) and a seal member 7 defined in a bearing side portion (not shown).

  Therefore, with the arrangement of the seal member 7, the bearing side portion of the lubrication gap A becomes a clearance communicating with the front fork, whereas the slide metal side portion of the lubrication gap A is blocked from the inside of the front fork. It becomes the gap which was made.

  Therefore, even if the front fork is most contracted and the internal pressure of the front fork tends to be high, the slide metal side portion of the lubrication gap A is not affected by the internal pressure that tends to be high pressure of the front fork. The function of the oil seal 3 is not impaired, the lubricating oil in the slide metal side portion of the lubrication gap A does not leak to the outside, and the durability of the oil seal 3 is improved.

  And, since the slide metal side portion of the lubrication gap A is cut off from the front fork and is not affected by the internal pressure of the front fork, the front fork has an old specification and the internal pressure is increased during the contraction operation. Of course, even when the front fork is in its maximum extension state, the internal pressure is equal to or higher than the atmospheric pressure in advance, that is, when the pressure is increased and the pressure is increased further, the same effect is obtained. A similar effect can be obtained.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the security means is formed in the inner tube 2 and has a throttle hole 8 communicating with the lubrication gap A and the inner side of the inner tube 2. There is a feature in that the hole allowing the internal and external communication is not a simple communication hole but a throttle hole 8.

  That is, when the throttle hole 8 is a simple communication hole, it becomes a hole only for allowing the working oil inside the inner tube to flow into the lubrication gap in the conventional front fork described above, and as a result, the most extended state. As described above, the seal function of the oil seal is not perfect when the internal pressure of the front fork is increased in advance.

  In this embodiment, when the pressure in the front fork is increased, the lubrication gap A communicates with the inside of the inner tube 2 via the throttle hole 8, that is, in the front fork. As long as the hydraulic pressure does not directly become the hydraulic pressure of the lubrication gap A, the function of the oil seal 3 is not impaired, the lubricating oil in the lubrication gap A does not leak to the outside, and the durability of the oil seal 3 is improved. The

  4 includes a sealing member 9 that is held on the outer periphery of the inner tube 2 so that the outer tube is slidably brought into contact with the inner periphery of the outer tube 1 when the inner tube 2 is most immersed in the outer tube 1. At the same time, it has a throttle hole 10 which is opened in the inner tube 2 and communicates with the lubrication gap A appearing between the outer tube 1 and the inner tube 2 and the inner side of the inner tube 2.

  The throttle hole 10 is positioned between the seal member 9 and the bearing 6, and the lubrication gap A is formed on the bearing side with a taper portion (not shown) formed on the inner periphery of the outer tube 1. And a gap portion (not shown) on the slide metal side.

  In addition, the radial width in the gap portion on the slide metal side is made larger than the radial width in the gap portion on the bearing side, and accordingly, the front fork in which the inner tube 2 is most immersed in the outer tube 1 is provided. At the time of the most contraction operation, the seal member 9 is positioned in the gap portion on the bearing side and slidably contacts the inner periphery of the outer tube 1 so that the gap portion on the slide metal side is a gap that is blocked from the front fork.

  As a result, even in this embodiment, when the front fork is in the most contracted state, the oil pressure in the front fork does not directly become the oil pressure in the lubrication gap A, and as long as the function of the oil seal 3 is not impaired, The lubricating oil in the lubricating gap A does not leak to the outside, and the durability of the oil seal 3 is improved.

  In addition, in the case of this embodiment, the lubrication gap A communicates through the throttle hole 10 when the inner tube 2 is in the most extended state from which the outer tube 1 protrudes most. A is not unnecessarily reduced in pressure, and therefore does not cause a problem of causing aeration in the lubrication gap A.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the security means has a shielding member 11 that is connected to the closed end portion of the outer tube 1 that is closed by the cap member C1 and the open end portion 2a of the inner tube 2 to block communication between the inside and the outside. Do it.

  In this embodiment, the shielding member 11 is formed of a bellows that is formed in a folded structure and can be expanded and contracted, and the upper and lower end portions of the cap member C1 or the inner tube 2 are opened by using an appropriate connector 12. The end 2a is fixed under a sealing structure.

  As a result, even in this embodiment, the lubricating gap A is not affected by the internal pressure in the front fork, and as long as the function of the oil seal 3 is not impaired, the lubricating oil in the lubricating gap A leaks to the outside. As a result, the oil seal 3 is improved in durability.

  In this embodiment, the seal member 7 (see FIG. 2) and the seal member 9 (see FIG. 4) are provided in the inner tube 2 as compared with the case of the embodiment shown in FIGS. Hold the inner tube 2, open the throttle hole 8 (see FIG. 3) and the throttle hole 10 (see FIG. 4), and further dent the inner periphery of the outer tube 1 (see FIG. 4). This is advantageous in that it is not necessary.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the lubrication gap A is a gap that is blocked from the inside of the front fork due to the arrangement of the shielding member 11, so the inner tube 2 communicates with the lubrication gap A. However, from the viewpoint of so-called lubrication between the outer tube 1 and the inner tube 2, it is not necessary to form a communication hole for allowing the hydraulic oil in the flow channel 2 to flow into the lubrication gap A. It can be said that the throttle hole 8 (see FIG. 3) may be formed in the inner tube 2.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the durability of the oil seal 3 disposed inside the seal case portion 1a which is the opening end portion of the outer tube 1 is ensured by the security means. Of course, when the internal pressure of the front fork is maintained at a high pressure, the durability of the oil seal 3 is ensured and appears between the outer tube 1 and the inner tube 2. Oil leakage from the lubricating gap A is prevented.

  When the security means suppresses the hydraulic pressure in the lubrication gap A when the front fork is most contracted, it is not necessary to change the structure of the oil seal 3 itself. The expansion and contraction operability of the front fork can be ensured without fear of an increase in friction accompanying the change.

  As described above, the inner side slidable contact member that is held on the outer periphery of the opening end 2a of the inner tube 2 and slidably contacts the inner periphery of the outer tube 1 to define the lubrication gap A is the bearing 6. This is due to the fact that the front fork has a built-in damper. Therefore, when the front fork does not have a built-in damper, this inner side sliding contact member is a piston.

  And even when this inner side slidable contact member is made into a piston, of course, the lubrication clearance A which appears between the outer tube 1 and the inner tube 2 with the slide metal 5 which is an outer side slidable contact member is defined. is there.

  Further, as described above, the lubrication gap A that appears between the outer tube 1 and the inner tube 2 is configured to shorten the length when the front fork is extended or contracted, that is, the lubrication gap A is defined together with the slide metal 5. The bearing 6 is held by the inner tube 2 and slides relative to the outer tube 1. Therefore, the length of the lubrication gap A is shortened. From the viewpoint of suppression, even when the bearing 6 is held by the outer tube 1 and the length of the lubrication gap A is not shortened, when the security means has the seal member 9 shown in FIG. In the case of having the throttle hole 10 shown in FIG. 5 and in the case of having the shielding member shown in FIG.

  In the above description, the outer-side slidable contact member is the slide metal 5, but when the outer-side slidable contact member ensures the slidability of the inner tube 2 with respect to the outer tube 1, the slide metal 5 is taken into consideration. Instead of 5, it may be a bush.

  Further, in the above description, it has been described that the internal pressure in the fork main body composed of the outer tube 1 and the inner tube 2 is maintained at a high pressure tendency. However, if the present invention intends, the internal pressure in the fork main body is positive. Even if the high pressure tendency is not maintained, the present invention can be realized, and the function and effect in that case are not different.

FIG. 2 is a half-longitudinal longitudinal sectional view partially showing a front fork broken away according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectional view which expands and shows the principal part in the front fork of FIG. It is a figure which shows the principal part in the front fork of other embodiment similarly to FIG. It is a figure which shows the principal part in the front fork of other embodiment similarly to FIG. It is a figure which shows the principal part in the front fork of other embodiment similarly to FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Outer tube 2 Inner tube 1a Sealing case part which is an opening end part 2a Opening end part 3 Oil seal 4 Dust seal 5 Slide metal which is an outer side sliding contact member 6 Bearings 7 and 9 which are inner side sliding contact members 8, 10 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Shielding member 12 Connecting tool 31 Stop ring 32 Holder member A Lubrication gap C Cylinder body C1 Cap member R Rod body S Suspension spring

Claims (8)

An oil seal that slidably contacts the outer periphery of the inner tube inside the opening end of the outer tube that allows the inner tube to be inserted into the outer tube so that the inner tube can be inserted into and retracted. The front fork has a security means for ensuring the durability of the oil seal, and the security means suppresses the oil pressure in the lubrication gap between the outer tube and the inner tube. A front fork characterized by The said securing means suppresses the hydraulic pressure in the lubrication gap between the outer tube and the inner tube at the time of the most contraction operation for immersing the inner tube into the outer tube. Front fork. The said securing means has the shielding member which is connected with the obstruction | occlusion end part in the said outer tube, and the opening end part in the said inner tube, and interrupts | blocks the internal and external communication. Front fork. A lubrication gap is defined between the outer tube and the inner tube by being in contact with the outer periphery of the inner tube while being in series with the oil seal and arranged inside the opening end of the outer tube. And an inner side sliding contact member that is held on the outer periphery of the opening end of the inner tube and that defines the lubrication gap while sliding on the inner periphery of the outer tube. The front fork according to claim 1, wherein the security means is provided in a region between the outer side sliding contact member and the inner side sliding contact member. The security means includes a seal member that is held on the outer periphery of the inner tube and slidably contacts the inner periphery of the outer tube to define a lubrication gap between the outer tube and the inner tube. The front fork according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 4. 2. The securing means includes a throttle hole that is opened in the inner tube and communicates with a lubrication gap between the outer tube and the inner tube and an inner side of the inner tube. 5. A front fork according to claim 2 or claim 4. The security means is held on the outer periphery of the inner tube and has a seal member that slides the outer periphery on the inner periphery of the outer tube when the inner tube is most immersed in the outer tube. A throttle hole which is opened in the inner tube and has a lubrication gap between the outer tube and the inner tube and communicates with the inner side of the inner tube. Item 5. The front fork according to item 4. The front fork according to claim 1, wherein the internal pressure in the fork main body is maintained at a high pressure tendency by an appropriate means. .

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