JP2585951Y2 - Folding bike frame - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bicycle frame, and more particularly to a folding bicycle frame which can be folded by a single folding operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Folding bicycles can be easily and easily folded when they are carried or not needed.
The compact storage is made possible.
As a frame of this kind of folding bicycle,
There is a bicycle frame disclosed in -22084. In this bicycle frame, a vertical pipe is bent forward, and a front half of a main pipe is bent rearward.
In this bicycle frame, first, the standing pipe is bent forward, and then the front half of the main pipe is bent rearward to complete the folding.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the above conventional configuration,
The folding of the standing pipe forward and the rear of the front half of the main pipe must be performed separately during folding, and the frame cannot be folded in a single operation. Further, in the bent portion of the standing pipe, there is no backhawk for receiving a load applied rearward, and the rigidity of the frame is low because the main pipe is bent. Therefore, it is difficult to drive the vehicle when traveling on a bumpy road surface or a rough road.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to fold a highly rigid frame in one operation.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A folding bicycle frame according to the present invention includes an upper head pipe, a lower head pipe, a front fork, a handle portion, a lower frame, a standing pipe, a back fork, a support portion, and an upper frame. ing. The upper head pipe and the lower head pipe are divided vertically. The front fork is rotatably supported by the lower head pipe and supports the front wheel. The handle portion is rotatably supported by the upper head pipe and is connected to the front fork so as to be bent about a horizontal axis. The lower frame has a front end fixed to the lower head pipe, a rear end supporting the rear wheel, and a hanger part in the middle. The standing pipe is connected in the middle of the lower frame so as to be bent obliquely forward. The back fork has one end rotatably connected to the rear end of the lower frame, and the other end slidably fixed to the upright pipe and rotatably connected. The support portion is fixed so as to protrude forward in the middle of the vertical pipe. The upper frame has one end rotatably connected to the upper head pipe and the other end rotatably connected to the tip of the support portion.

[0006]

[Function] In the folding bicycle frame according to the present invention,
When the back fork is slidable and the vertical pipe is bent obliquely forward in this state, the support portion projecting forward and fixed in the middle of the vertical pipe turns. Along with this, the support pulls the upper frame diagonally downward. When the upper frame is pulled by the support portion, the handle portion bends backward from the connection portion. At this time, the other end of the back fork slides downward along the vertical pipe. When the bending of the vertical pipe ends, the bending of the handle portion also ends at the same time.

Here, the handle portion is easily bent simply by bending the standing pipe, and the folding is completed by one operation. In addition, the backpaw supports the standing pipe and the lower frame is not bent, so that the frame has high rigidity.

[0008]

Referring to FIG. 1, a bicycle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a folding frame 2, a front wheel 3 supported at a front portion of the folding frame 2, and a rear wheel 4 supported at a rear portion. It mainly has a saddle portion 5 slidably fixed to the upper middle portion. The frame 2 includes an upper head pipe 6 and a lower head pipe 7 divided into upper and lower parts, a front fork 8,
A handle portion 9, a lower frame 10, a standing pipe 11,
It has a back fork 12 and an upper frame 13.

The front fork 8 is rotatably supported by the lower head pipe 7, and a front fork 17 for supporting the front wheel 3 is formed at the tip. The handle portion 9 has a handle post 20 and a handle 21 fixed to an upper end of the handle post 20. The handle post 20 is rotatably supported by the upper head pipe 6 and has a lower end at the front fork 8.
Are connected to bend around a horizontal axis. A bent portion 22 is provided at a connecting portion between the handle post 20 and the front fork 8.

[0010] As shown in FIG.
The handle post 20 includes two clevises 33 formed at the lower end of the handle post 20 and one clevis 34 formed at the upper end of the front fork 8. The clevis 33, 34
Are connected by a support shaft 35. Clevis
The reference numerals 33 and 34 are arranged so that they can be bent rearward when the steering wheel 21 is slightly steered to the right.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lower frame 10 includes a lower pipe 14 having a front end fixed to the lower head pipe 7, a hanger 24 attached to the other end of the lower pipe 14,
And two chain stays 15 extending from the hanger portion 24 to the rear wheel 4 side. A rear claw 16 for supporting a rear wheel is formed at a rear end of the chain stay 15. The hanger part 24 rotatably supports the gear crank 23, and a vertical pipe support part 25 extending upward is fixed thereto. The upright pipe 11 is connected to the tip of the upright pipe support portion 25 so that the upright pipe 11 can be bent obliquely forward.

At the lower portion of the standing pipe 11, a support portion 26 projecting forward and having a tip curved downward is fixed. The upper frame 13 is supported by a ball joint 27 at the tip of the support portion 26. The other end of the upper frame 13
It is rotatably connected to the upper head pipe 6. As shown in FIG. 3, the upright pipe support section 25 is obliquely attached to the upper part of the hanger section 24 so that the upright pipe 19 can be bent obliquely forward. In addition, the support portion 26 has a twisted shape below the standing pipe 11 so as to be able to support the upper frame 13 in a state where the standing pipe 11 is bent obliquely forward. Further, one end of the upper frame 13 is supported by a ball joint 27 to receive the torsion.

A saddle portion 5 composed of a saddle 5a and a seat post 5b is slidably fixed to the upper end of the vertical pipe 11. A slide portion 30 is slidably fixed to the vertical pipe 11. The slide portion 30 is provided with a lock mechanism 31 for fixing a sliding position. The tip of the back fork 12 is connected to the slide portion 30 via a ball joint 32. The rear end of the back fork 12 is rotatably connected to the rear end of the lower frame 10.

As shown in FIG. 4, the slide portion 30 has a sleeve 43 that slides on the upright pipe 11 and a bracket 44 fixed to the sleeve 43. The back fork 12 is supported below the bracket 44 via the ball joint 32. On the upper part of the bracket 44, a lock shaft 45 constituting the lock mechanism 31 is provided so as to be able to protrude and retreat forward and backward. A lock hole 46 is formed in an upper part of the standing pipe 11, and a tip of the lock shaft 45 can protrude into the lock hole 46. A flange 48 is formed on the proximal end side of the lock shaft 45, and a spring 47 is arranged in a compressed state between the rear surface of the flange 48 and the bracket 44. As a result, the spring 47 urges the lock shaft 45 in the protruding direction. A lever 49 is in contact with the front surface of the flange 48. The lever 49 has an L shape and is swingably supported by the bracket 44 at a bent portion thereof. By lifting the end of the lever 49, the lock shaft 45 can be retracted, and the lock of the slide portion 30 can be released. Also, the slide section 30
A seat lock portion 50 for fixing the seat post 5b to the standing pipe 11 is disposed above the seat post 5b.

Next, the folding operation of the above embodiment will be described. At the time of folding, first, the lever 49 is rotated to release the lock between the slide portion 30 and the standing pipe 11. Thereby, the standing pipe 11 can be bent obliquely forward. Then, the standing pipe 11 is bent obliquely forward with the saddle 5a, for example. Then, the slide portion 30 gradually slides downward, and accordingly the back fork 12 also gradually falls. At this time, the support 26 pivots clockwise in FIG. 1 and pulls the upper frame 13 backward. As a result, the upper head pipe 6 is pulled, and the handle post 20 is bent rearward, so that the handle post 20 assumes a folded posture as shown in FIGS. Here, the standing pipe 11 bends obliquely forward,
The handle post 20 bends backward. In addition, the handle 21 is bent toward the near side in FIG. Also, the front wheels are slightly turned to the right. In such a state, the width of the bicycle becomes narrowest in the folded posture. Further, since the height direction is also reduced, it can be easily stored in a trunk of a car or the like.

On the other hand, when assembling, if the saddle 5a is lifted up, the handle post 20 is raised as the upright pipe 11 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. next,
The locking mechanism 31 is locked and the sleeve 37 is screwed together to complete the assembly.

[0017]

In the folding bicycle frame according to the present invention, the handle post can be interlocked and folded simply by bending the standing pipe, so that it can be easily folded by one folding operation. Also, the standing pipe is supported by the backhawk and the lower frame is not bent, so that the frame rigidity is high.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a folding bicycle employing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial side view of a bent portion.

FIG. 3 is a partial plan view of a hanger part.

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of a slide portion.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a folding posture.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a folded posture.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bicycle 2 Frame 3 Front wheel 4 Rear wheel 5 Saddle part 6 Upper head pipe 7 Lower head pipe 8 Front fork 9 Handle part 10 Lower frame 11 Standing pipe 12 Back fork 13 Upper frame 24 Hanger part 26 Support part 31 Lock mechanism

Continuation of the front page (56) References US Patent 4,114,147 (US, A) US Patent 3,237,749 (US, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B62K 15/00

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] An upper head pipe and a lower head pipe divided into upper and lower parts; a front fork rotatably supported by the lower head pipe and supporting a front wheel; and a rotatably supported by the upper head pipe. And a lower frame having a front end fixed to the lower head pipe, a rear end supporting a rear wheel, and a hanger part in the middle, and a handle portion connected to the front fork so as to be freely bent around a horizontal axis. An upright pipe connected in the middle of the lower frame so that it can be bent, and one end rotatably connected to the rear end of the lower frame, and the other end slidably fixed to the upright pipe and rotated A backhawk that is freely connected, a support portion protruding forward and fixed in the middle of the standing pipe, and one end rotatably connected to the upper head pipe and the other end to the tip of the support portion, respectively. A frame for a folding bicycle, comprising: