JP2018069984A - Non-pneumatic tire and two-wheel vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a non-pneumatic tire that has an exterior appearance significantly different from an existing pneumatic tire.SOLUTION: A front wheel (non-pneumatic tire) 21 includes: a mount body 2 mounted to an axle; an outer cylindrical body 6 surrounding the mount body from an outer side in a tire radial direction; and a connection member 3 for connecting the mount body to the outer cylindrical body. A hole part in which a light source 9a is stored is formed in at least one of the outer cylindrical body, the connection member, and the mount body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a non-pneumatic tire and a motorcycle.

  Conventionally, a non-pneumatic tire as shown in Patent Document 1 below is known. The non-pneumatic tire includes an attachment body that is attached to the axle, an outer cylinder that surrounds the attachment body from the outside in the tire radial direction, and a connecting member that connects the attachment body and the outer cylinder.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-107678

  By the way, for this type of non-pneumatic tire, in order to make bicycles, automobiles, motorcycles, etc. (hereinafter simply referred to simply as “vehicles”) using the tire stand out, or to improve the aesthetics, Therefore, it is required to have a different appearance from that of a pneumatic tire.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a non-pneumatic tire having a greatly different appearance from a conventional pneumatic tire.

  In order to solve the above problems, a non-pneumatic tire according to the present invention includes an attachment body attached to an axle, an outer cylinder body that surrounds the attachment body from an outer side in a tire radial direction, the attachment body, and the outer cylinder body. A non-pneumatic tire comprising a connecting member for connecting a light source, wherein a hole for accommodating a light source is formed in at least one of the outer cylindrical body, the connecting member, and the attachment body. Features.

  According to the non-pneumatic tire of the present invention, the hole for accommodating the light source is formed in at least one of the attachment body, the outer cylindrical body, and the connecting member. The hole is disposed in a portion of the attachment body, the outer cylinder, and the connecting member that is difficult to be disposed in, for example, a conventional pneumatic tire, and the light source accommodated in the hole is caused to emit light. Thus, the appearance of the non-pneumatic tire can be greatly different from the appearance of the conventional pneumatic tire. Thereby, it is possible to make the vehicle using the non-pneumatic tire of the present invention stand out, improve the aesthetics, and contribute to sales promotion.

  Here, the hole may be a through-hole penetrating the outer cylinder body, the connecting member, or the attachment body.

  In this case, since the hole portion in which the light source is accommodated is a through hole, the light emitted from the light source through the one end opening of the through hole can be visually recognized from the outside, and the signal line of the light source through the other end opening of the through hole Can be laid.

  The non-pneumatic tire may include a strain measuring device that detects strain of the connecting member and a control unit that controls light emission of the light source based on a detection result of the strain measuring device.

In this case, since the strain measuring device detects the strain of the connecting member, it is possible to detect a change in the running state such as the rotational speed and angular velocity of the non-pneumatic tire from the detection result. Based on the change in the driving situation, for example, the control unit controls the color of light emitted from the light source and the timing of light emission, so that the appearance of the non-pneumatic tire can be easily changed according to the change in the driving situation. Thus, the appearance can be greatly different from that of the conventional pneumatic tire.
Furthermore, for example, when it is detected that the angular velocity of the non-pneumatic tire is decreasing, the vehicle decelerates when the control unit causes the light source to emit light or changes the light emission mode of the light source. This can be shown to the surroundings to further enhance safety.

  A motorcycle according to the present invention includes the non-pneumatic tire and a vehicle body having the axle.

  According to the two-wheeled vehicle of the present invention, since the non-pneumatic tire having a greatly different appearance from the conventional pneumatic tire is provided, the two-wheeled vehicle can be made conspicuous and aesthetics can be improved.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a non-pneumatic tire whose appearance is greatly different from that of a conventional pneumatic tire.

It is a side view of the bicycle provided with the non-pneumatic tire of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion A of the non-pneumatic tire in FIG. It is a front view of the non-pneumatic tire of FIG. It is a front view which shows the modification of the non-pneumatic tire of FIG. It is a figure which shows the modification of the non-pneumatic tire of FIG.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the non-pneumatic tire according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In each drawing used in the following description, the scale is appropriately changed to make each member a recognizable size.

As shown in FIG. 1, the non-pneumatic tire of this embodiment is used as a front wheel 21 and a rear wheel 22 of a bicycle (two-wheeled vehicle) 1. The front wheel 21 and the rear wheel 22 are rotatably supported by the frame 10 of the bicycle 1.
The frame (vehicle body) 10 includes a front fork 11, a head pipe 12, a down tube 13, a top tube 14, a seat tube 17, a seat stay 15, and a chain stay 16.

  The front wheel 21 rotates around the axle 11 a disposed at the lower end of the front fork 11, and the rear wheel 22 rotates around the axle disposed at the connecting portion between the seat stay 15 and the chain stay 16. The front wheel 21 and the rear wheel 22 have the same configuration. In the following description, the configuration of the front wheel 21 will be mainly described by representing these non-pneumatic tires.

  In the present embodiment, in a side view as viewed from the direction of the rotation axis of the front wheel 21 (the axial direction of the axle 11a), the direction around the rotation axis is referred to as the tire circumferential direction, and the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis is referred to as the tire circumferential direction. This is called the tire radial direction. The direction along the rotation axis is referred to as the tire width direction.

  The front fork 11 is disposed at the front of the bicycle 1, and a head pipe 12 is connected to the upper end of the front fork 11. Further, the front end portions of the down tube 13 and the top tube 14 are connected to the rear side of the head pipe 12. A seat tube 17 is connected to the rear ends of the down tube 13 and the top tube 14.

The down tube 13 and the top tube 14 gradually extend downward as they go rearward. Moreover, the seat tube 17 is extended toward the back gradually as it goes upwards.
A front end portion of the seat stay 15 is connected to the rear side of the upper end portion of the seat tube 17. The rear end portion of the seat stay 15 and the rear end portion of the chain stay 16 are connected to each other in the vicinity of the axle of the rear wheel 22.
A sprocket (not shown) (hereinafter referred to as “rear sprocket”) not shown is attached to the rear wheel 22 so as to be coaxial with the rear wheel 22.

A handle stem 23 is inserted into the head pipe 12. The handle stem 23 is rotatable with respect to the head pipe 12. A handle 24 is attached to the upper end of the handle stem 23. A brake lever 24 a is attached to the handle 24.
A seat post 25 is fitted in the seat tube 17. A saddle 26 is attached to the upper end of the seat post 25.

  One end portion of a crank 27 is attached to a connecting portion between the lower end portion of the seat tube 17 and the front end portion of the chain stay 16 via a sprocket (not shown) (hereinafter referred to as “front sprocket”). A pedal 28 is attached to the end. The crank 27 is rotatable around the rotation axis. The pedal 28 is rotatable around the other end of the crank 27. The crank 27 and the pedal 28 are also provided on the left side of the bicycle 1. For this reason, the bicycle 1 includes a pair of cranks 27 and a pair of pedals 28.

  A chain 29 is wound around the front sprocket and the rear sprocket. When a pedaling force such as a driver is applied to the pedal 28, the front sprocket rotates. The rotation of the front sprocket is transmitted to the rear sprocket via the chain 29, the rear sprocket rotates, and the rear wheel 22 rotates by the rotation of the rear sprocket.

  A brake 8 is disposed in the vicinity of the axle 11a. The brake 8 applies a resistance against rotation such as frictional force to the front wheel 21 in accordance with the operation of the brake lever 24a by the driver, and decelerates the rotation of the front wheel 21. As the brake 8, a disc brake, a drum brake, a band brake, a coaster brake, or the like can be used. The brake is also disposed near the axle of the rear wheel 22.

  The front wheel 21 includes an attachment body 2 attached to the axle 11a, an outer cylinder 6 surrounding the attachment body 2 from the outside in the tire radial direction, and a connecting member 3 connecting the attachment body 2 and the outer cylinder 6. I have. The central axes of the attachment body 2 and the outer cylinder body 6 are arranged coaxially with the axle 11a. The attachment body 2, the connecting member 3, and the outer cylinder body 6 are arranged in a state in which the center portions of the respective tire width directions coincide with each other in the tire width direction.

The mounting body 2 includes a mounting cylinder portion 2a that is rotatably mounted on the axle 11a, an exterior body 2c that surrounds the mounting cylinder portion 2a from the outside in the tire radial direction, and a mounting cylinder portion 2a and the exterior body 2c. And a plurality of ribs 2b to be connected. The mounting cylinder portion 2a, the plurality of ribs 2b, and the exterior body 2c may be formed separately from each other or may be integrally formed.
The mounting cylinder portion 2a and the exterior body 2c are each formed in a cylindrical shape and are arranged coaxially with the axle 11a. The plurality of ribs 2b are arranged, for example, at equal intervals in the tire circumferential direction. Each of the plurality of ribs 2b extends radially about the axle 11a.

  The connecting member 3 is formed in a rectangular plate shape that is curved as a whole, with the front and back surfaces facing the tire circumferential direction and the side surfaces facing the tire width direction. The connecting member 3 is formed of an elastically deformable material such as resin, and connects the outer peripheral surface side of the mounting body 2 and the inner peripheral surface side of the outer cylindrical body 6 so as to be relatively elastically displaceable. A plurality of connecting members 3 are arranged at equal intervals in the tire circumferential direction.

  Each of the plurality of connecting members 3 has an inner part 3 a connected to the exterior body 2 c of the attachment body 2 and an outer part 3 b connected to the outer cylinder body 6. The inner side portion 3a and the outer side portion 3b are connected to each other at the central portion in the tire radial direction of the connecting member 3, and cross at an obtuse angle at the connecting portion in a side view. The thickness of the inner portion 3a in the tire circumferential direction is smaller than the thickness of the outer portion 3b in the tire circumferential direction. The thickness of the outer portion 3b in the tire circumferential direction is gradually increased toward the outer side in the tire radial direction.

  The outer cylinder body 6 is disposed on the inner side in the tire radial direction and includes a ring-shaped body 4 connected to the connecting member 3 and a tread member 5 disposed on the outer side of the ring-shaped body 4 in the tire radial direction. The ring-shaped body 4 may be integrated with the connecting member 3 or may be a separate body.

  The mounting body 2, the connecting member 3, and the ring-shaped body 4 described above may be formed of, for example, a synthetic resin material. The synthetic resin material may be, for example, only one kind of resin material, a mixture containing two or more kinds of resin materials, or a mixture containing one or more kinds of resin materials and one or more kinds of elastomers. Additives such as anti-aging agents, plasticizers, fillers, or pigments may be included.

The tread member 5 is made of, for example, vulcanized rubber obtained by vulcanizing natural rubber or / and a rubber composition, or a thermoplastic material. Examples of the thermoplastic material include a thermoplastic elastomer or a thermoplastic resin. Examples of the thermoplastic elastomer include an amide-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPA), an ester-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPC), an olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPO), a styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPS), and urethane as defined in JIS K6418. Examples thereof include a thermoplastic elastomer (TPU), a crosslinked thermoplastic rubber (TPV), and other thermoplastic elastomers (TPZ).
Examples of the thermoplastic resin include urethane resin, olefin resin, vinyl chloride resin, and polyamide resin. In addition, it is preferable to form the tread member 5 from vulcanized rubber from the viewpoint of wear resistance.

  Here, a hole 4a as shown in FIG. 2 is formed in the ring-shaped body 4 of the present embodiment. The hole 4a penetrates the ring-shaped body 4 in the tire radial direction. A light source 9a is accommodated in the hole 4a. Further, a hole 5 a is formed in a portion of the tread member 5 that is continuous with the hole 4 a of the ring-shaped body 4. The hole 5 a penetrates the tread member 5 in the tire radial direction and continues to the hole 4 a of the ring-shaped body 4. Thereby, the light emitted from the light source 9 a can be visually recognized from the outside through the hole 4 a of the ring-shaped body 4 and the hole 5 a of the tread member 5.

  For example, an LED or the like can be used as the light source 9a. As a power source of the light source 9a, for example, a piezoelectric element provided in the connecting member 3, a rechargeable battery for storing electric power generated by a solar battery, or the like can be used. For example, when the bicycle 1 is an electric assist vehicle, an assist battery may be used as a power source for the light source 9a.

  The light source 9a is mounted on the substrate 9b (control unit) and emits light based on a signal emitted from the substrate 9b. The board | substrate 9b is arrange | positioned at the opening peripheral part of the inner side in the tire radial direction of the hole 4a which is a through-hole. The substrate 9b is electrically connected to the strain measuring instrument 7 attached to the connecting member 3 through the signal line 9c. The substrate 9b controls the light emission timing, color, and the like of the light source 9a based on the strain detection result of the connecting member 3 by the strain measuring instrument 7.

  The strain measuring instrument 7 is attached across the inner part 3 a and the outer part 3 b of the connecting member 3, and can detect strain generated in the connecting member 3. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the strain measuring device 7 is attached to the surface of the plate-like connecting member 3 facing the tire circumferential direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of holes 4 a of the ring-shaped body 4, holes 5 a of the tread member 5, a light source 9 a, and a strain measuring device 7 are provided on the front wheel 21 at intervals in the tire circumferential direction. Yes.
FIG. 3 is a front view of the front wheel 21 as viewed from the tire radial direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the holes 4 a, 5 a and the light source 9 a are arranged at the center of the front wheel 21 in the tire width direction.

  Next, the operation of the front wheels 21 and the rear wheels 22 which are non-pneumatic tires configured as described above will be described.

  For example, when the bicycle 1 is stationary, the strain detection result of the connecting member 3 by the strain measuring device 7 does not vary greatly. On the other hand, when the bicycle 1 is running, the detection result by the strain measuring device 7 fluctuates greatly periodically according to the rotational speeds of the front wheels 21 and the rear wheels 22. For example, when the strain measuring instrument 7 is located between the axle 11a and the ground, the strain value in the compression direction of the connecting member 3 becomes a maximum value. Therefore, the substrate 9b is subjected to the time interval at which this maximum value is generated. It is possible to calculate the rotational speeds of the front wheel 21 and the rear wheel 22. Further, when the rotational speed increases or decreases, the acceleration or deceleration of the bicycle 1 can be calculated by the board 9b.

  Further, when the brake 8 is activated and a resistance against rotation is generated in a portion of the front wheel 21 in the vicinity of the axle 11a, a shear strain in the tire circumferential direction is applied to the connecting member 3 positioned between the axle 11a and the ground. Occurs. Therefore, when the strain measuring device 7 detects such a shear strain, the substrate 9b can determine that the brake 8 has been operated.

  Based on the detection results of the strain measuring instrument 7, the board 9b detects the rotational speed of the front wheels 21 and the rear wheels 22, the acceleration / deceleration of the bicycle 1, or the operation of the brake 8, and the like according to the detection results. By controlling so that the color of the light emitted from the light source 9a and the blinking interval are changed, the appearances of the front wheels 21 and the rear wheels 22 differ greatly depending on the traveling state of the bicycle 1, thereby making the bicycle 1 more conspicuous. It becomes possible.

In addition to the strain in the compression direction or the shear strain described above, the substrate 9b may control the light emission of the light source 9a based on, for example, the distribution of the shear strain in the tire radial direction generated in the connecting member 3.
Further, the board 9b may control the light emission timing of the light source 9a so that characters, patterns, and the like appear on the front wheels 21 and the rear wheels 22, and may be used as digital signage.

  As described above, according to the front wheel (non-pneumatic tire) 21 of the present embodiment, the hole 4a in which the light source 9a is accommodated has been difficult to form with a conventional pneumatic tire. 6 is formed. And by making the light source 9a accommodated in this hole 4a emit light, it becomes possible to make the entire bicycle 1 stand out and contribute to sales promotion by making the appearance different from that of a conventional pneumatic tire.

  Further, since the hole 4a and the hole 5a of the ring-shaped body 4 and the tread member 5 are through holes, the light L1 emitted from the light source can be visually recognized from the outside through one end opening of the through hole as shown in FIG. However, the signal line 9c and the like that are electrically connected to the light source 9a through the other end opening of the through hole can be laid.

  Moreover, since the board | substrate 9b controls light emission of the light source 9a based on the detection result of the distortion | strain of the connection member 3 by the distortion | strain measuring device 7, for example according to the change of states, such as the rotation speed and angular velocity of the front wheel 21 or the rear wheel 22. Thus, the appearance of the front wheel 21 or the rear wheel 22 can be easily changed, and the appearance can be made greatly different from that of the conventional pneumatic tire. Furthermore, for example, when the light source 9a is caused to emit light when it is detected that the angular velocity of the front wheel 21 or the rear wheel 22 is reduced, or the light emission mode of the light source 9a is changed, the bicycle 1 is decelerated. It can be shown to the surroundings, and safety can be further enhanced.

  The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the embodiment described above, the front wheel 21 and the rear wheel 22 have the same configuration, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the front wheel 21 and the rear wheel 22 may have different locations and quantity of the light sources 9a. Alternatively, the light source 9 a may be attached only to the front wheel 21, or the light source 9 a may be attached only to the rear wheel 22.

  Moreover, the hole part 4a, the hole part 5a, the light source 9a, the distortion | strain measuring device 7, and the board | substrate 9b which were shown in FIGS. 1-3 are examples, and an arrangement | positioning location, arrangement | positioning quantity, etc. can be changed suitably. For example, the strain measuring device 7 may be attached to all the connecting members 3 of the front wheel 21 or may be attached to only one connecting member 3. Even when the strain measuring instrument 7 is attached to only one connecting member 3, it is possible to detect the rotational speed, angular velocity, and the like of the front wheel 21.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, only one hole 4a, hole 5a, and light source 9a are provided in the tire width direction. However, for example, a plurality of holes 4a, holes 5a, and light sources 9a are provided in the tire width direction. It may be provided. Further, the light sources 9a and the like may be non-uniformly arranged in the tire width direction or the tire circumferential direction.
In the example shown in FIG. 2, the hole 4a and the hole 5a are opened in the tire radial direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the holes 4a and 5a may be opened in the tire width direction. In this case, the light emitted from the light source 9a can be viewed from the side of the bicycle 1.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the tread member 5 may be formed so that the width of the tread member 5 is narrower than that of the ring-shaped body 4 and the outer peripheral surface of the ring-shaped body 4 meanders in the tire width direction. Good. In the example of FIG. 4, the hole 4a is provided in the part which avoided the tread member 5 among the outer peripheral surfaces of the ring-shaped body 4, and the light source 9a is accommodated in each hole 4a. Thereby, the light sources 9a are arranged in a staggered manner in the tire circumferential direction and the tire width direction.

  Moreover, the hole part which accommodates the light source 9a may be formed in the connection member 3, and this hole part may penetrate the connection member 3. Or the light source 9a may be attached to the surface which faces the tire width direction among the connection members 3, or the surface which faces a tire circumferential direction.

  Further, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the hole 4a and the hole 5a penetrate the ring-shaped body 4 and the tread member 5 in the tire radial direction, respectively. The tread member 5 may not be penetrated. For example, as shown in FIG. 5 (a), a hole 5a that opens toward the inside in the tire radial direction and does not penetrate the tread member 5 is provided in the tread member 5, and the light source 9a is accommodated in the hole 5a. May be. Further, the light L2 emitted from the light source 9a irradiates the ring-shaped body 4, and propagates through the ring-shaped body 4 to illuminate the connecting member 3, so that the ring-shaped body 4 and the connecting member 3 appear to emit light. May be. In this case, the detection result by the strain measuring device 7 may be transmitted to the substrate 9b by wireless communication or the like.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), a hole 2d that opens outward in the tire radial direction is formed in the exterior body 2c of the mounting body 2, and the light source 9a is accommodated in the hole 2d. Also good. Furthermore, you may comprise so that the light L3 which the light source 9a emitted illuminates the connection member 3, and the connection member 3 etc. light-emit.
Moreover, you may include a phosphorescent paint in the material which forms the attachment body 2, the connection member 3, and the ring-shaped body 4. In this case, the phosphorescent paint stores the light emitted from the light source 9a, and the aesthetics of the front wheels 21 and the rear wheels 22 can be further improved.

  Moreover, although the strain measuring instrument 7 shown in FIG. 2 was attached to the surface which faces a tire circumferential direction among the connection members 3, it is not restricted to this, For example, as shown to FIG. 5 (a), (b), it connects. The strain measuring device 7 may be attached to the surface of the member 3 facing the tire width direction.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the bicycle provided with the front wheel 21 and the rear wheel 22 which are non-pneumatic tires, these non-pneumatic tires may be used for two-wheeled vehicles and vehicles other than a bicycle.

In addition, the constituent elements in the above-described embodiment can be appropriately replaced with known constituent elements without departing from the gist of the present invention, and the above-described embodiments and modifications may be appropriately combined.
For example, one of the front wheel 21 and the rear wheel 22 is a non-pneumatic tire as shown in FIG. 2, and the other is a non-pneumatic tire as shown in FIG. 5 (a) or FIG. 5 (b). Also good.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Bicycle (vehicle) 2 ... Attachment body 3 ... Connecting member 4a, 5a ... Hole 6 ... Outer cylinder 21 ... Front wheel (non-pneumatic tire) 22 ... Rear wheel (non-pneumatic tire) 7 ... Strain measuring instrument 9a ... Light source 9b ... Substrate (control unit) 10 ... Frame (vehicle body)

Claims (4)

An attachment attached to the axle;
An outer cylinder surrounding the mounting body from the outside in the tire radial direction;
A non-pneumatic tire provided with a connecting member that connects the attachment body and the outer cylindrical body,
The non-pneumatic tire characterized by the hole part which accommodates a light source being formed in at least one of the said outer cylinder, the said connection member, and the said attachment body.   2. The non-pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the hole is a through-hole penetrating the outer cylindrical body, the connecting member, or the attachment body. A strain measuring device for detecting strain of the connecting member;
The non-pneumatic tire according to claim 2, further comprising: a control unit that controls light emission of the light source based on a detection result of the strain measuring device. The non-pneumatic tire according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A two-wheeled vehicle comprising a vehicle body having the axle.

Images