JP2645714B2 - Brake operating device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a brake operating device and is used for bicycles and the like.

2. Description of the Related Art A brake operating device of a bicycle includes a brake operating means including a housing mounted on a handlebar and a brake operating lever mounted so as to be graspable on the housing; brake means for braking wheels; And a Bowden cable including an inner wire and an outer wire connecting the brake means and the brake operation means for transmitting the grasping force of the operation lever in a direction in which the brake means brakes against the brake return spring. I have.

In this brake operation device, the operation lever is returned to the original position by transmitting the force of a brake return spring provided in the brake means via a Bowden cable.

According to this, the repulsive force of the brake return spring needs to return the operation lever in consideration of the resistance of the Bowden cable, the play of each part, and the like, so a considerably large spring force is required. , The operating force of the operating lever will also be stronger, and the cutting of the inner wire,
In some cases, the nipple may be displaced or malfunction.

Furthermore, even if the repulsive force of the brake return spring is considerably increased, the return of the operation lever becomes poor, and the greater the repulsive force of the brake return spring, the more difficult it is to assemble and adjust the brake means, and the higher the lever touch. Is heavier.

Therefore, apart from the brake return spring (arch spring) on the brake means side, a brake return spring is also provided on the brake operation lever side, and the repulsive force that was borne only by the brake return spring on the brake means side is reduced. The technology that lightens the touch on the brake operation lever by dispersing the brake return spring of the brake lever and the brake return spring on the operation lever side, preventing the inner wire from being cut, and preventing the nipple from detaching from the wire tip, is a French patent.
No. 1141954 (conventional example 1), West German Patent 23007 (conventional example 2) and British Patent 20124 specification (conventional example 3).

In the conventional example 1, a coil portion of a coil type return spring is fitted on a support shaft on which a brake operation lever is mounted on a housing, and a part of the spring is engaged with the easing, and the other end of the spring is engaged with the brake operation lever. Thus, the elastic force in the return direction is given to the brake operation lever.

In the second conventional example, a return spring is housed in a brake operation lever having a U-shaped cross section, and a coil portion of the spring is fitted over a shaft attached to the U-shaped portion of the lever.

The conventional example 3 uses a coil-type spring as a return spring of the brake operation lever. One end of the spring is engaged with the lever, the other end of the spring is engaged with the handlebar or the housing, and the coil portion is suspended in the air. I have.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the conventional example 1, since the coil portion is fitted on the support shaft, the disassembly and disassembly is very troublesome, and the coil portion is reduced in diameter in the radial direction. Since the coil is to be restored, it is necessary to avoid contact with the support shaft of the coil, so that the coil becomes larger than necessary.

The second conventional example has the same problem as the first prior art. In addition, since a spring mounting shaft is required, the number of parts increases.

In the conventional example 3, although the disassembly and disassembly of the return spring is relatively easy, since the coil portion is suspended in the air, the return spring may be easily detached due to vibration or the like, and the elastic force of the spring is reliably secured. Difficult to tell.

The present invention provides a brake operation lever, in which a coil-type return spring having spring hook portions extending outward from both ends in the axial direction of the coil portion is used as a return spring for applying an elastic force in a return direction. One spring hook part,
By engaging the bearing portion of the housing and the other spring hook portion with the inner surface of the operation lever while the coil portion is housed in the operation lever, the elastic force of the return spring is sufficiently exhibited, and An object of the present invention is to prevent accidental detachment of a return spring.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides a brake operating means 2 including a housing 9 attached to the handlebar 1 and an operating lever 11 attached to the housing 9 so as to be graspable; A brake means 4 having a brake return spring 18; and a brake means 4 and a brake operating means 2 for transmitting the grasping force of the operation lever 11 in a direction in which the brake means 4 brakes against the brake return spring 18.
The brake operating means 2 is supported by a bearing portion 23 of the housing 9 so that the operating lever 11 having a U-shaped cross section can be grasped by a fulcrum shaft 10 and a coil portion 25A. In order to achieve the above-described object, a coil-type return spring 25 provided with spring hook portions 25B and 25C extending outward from both ends of the control lever 11 is provided by applying elastic force in a return direction to the operation lever 11. Has taken the following technical steps:

That is, the present invention relates to the coil portion 25A of the return spring 25.
Has a plurality of coil turns, and one of the spring hooks 25
B is engaged with the bearing portion 23 to house the coil portion 25A in the space between the bearing portion 23 and the inner surface 11B of the operation lever 11, and the other spring hook portion 25C cooperates with the coil portion 25A. The lever 11 is relatively movably engaged with an inner surface 11B of the lever 11 so as to apply an elastic force in the returning direction to the operating lever 11.

(Operation) When the operation lever 11 is grasped in the arrow direction 24 of FIG. 1, the brake means 4 is operated in the braking direction via the Bowden cable 7.

The return force of the operation lever 11 is secured by the return spring 25 provided on the lever portion side, and there is no need to rely on the arch spring 18, so that the arch spring 18 having a low spring force can be used, and overwhelmingly Light lever touch.

Also, by grasping the operation lever 11, the coil portion 25 of the return spring 25
A and the spring hook portion 25C are elastically deformed and generate a lever return force.However, in combination with the multiple coil turns of the coil portion 25A, the durability of the return spring 25 may be impaired while stabilizing the spring force. Few. In the coil-type return spring 25, one spring hook 25B is engaged with the bearing 23, the coil 25A is housed in the space between the bearing 23 and the lever inner surface 11B, and the other spring hook 25C is Since it is engaged with the lever inner surface 11B, it is possible to prevent the lever from being easily detached due to vibration or the like.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, common members are indicated by common reference numerals.

FIG. 1 shows a drop-type handlebar 1 provided with brake operating means 2 and side-pull type brake means 4 for braking a wheel 3 such as a front wheel or a rear wheel connected by a Bowden cable 7 including an inner wire 5 and an outer wire 6. Is shown.

The brake operating means 2 includes a band fitting 8 on the handlebar 1.
And a box-shaped housing 9 attached via a set screw 8A,
An operating lever 11 is attached to the housing 9 via a fulcrum shaft 10 so as to be grasped.

The brake means 4 includes a pair of brake arches 14 and 15 mounted on the center bolt 13, brake shoes 16 and 17 provided on each of the arches 14 and 15, and a pair of brake arches 14 and 15 in this embodiment for returning the brake arches 14 and 15. And an arch spring 18.

The Bowden cable 7 has one end of the outer wire 6 attached to the housing 9 side by an outer receiver 19, and the other end attached to one of the brake arches 14, 15 via an outer receiver 20, in this example, to the arm 14 A of the arch 14. ing.

Also, one end of the inner wire 5 of the Bowden cable 7 is connected to the brake operating lever 11 via a fixture 21 and the other end is connected to the arm 15 of the arch 15 in this example via a fixture 22.
Connected to 15A.

A part of the Bowden cable 7 is inserted into a hole 1A formed in the handlebar 1 and runs along the inside of the handlebar 1.

The skirt portion 9A of the housing 9 is seated on the handlebar 1, and has a partition wall 9B at the middle in the height direction of the inside, and an outer receiver 19 is fitted into the partition wall 9B and a set screw 8A is inserted therethrough. Above the partition wall 9B, the rising wall 9C of the housing 9 has a bearing portion 23 whose outer peripheral surface shape in a side view is an arc surface.

As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of slits 23A are formed in the bearing portion 23, and the side wall 11A of the operation lever 11 having a U-shaped section is fitted into the slit 23A and supported by the fulcrum shaft 10. The operation lever 11 can be grasped in the direction indicated by arrow 24 in FIG.

The housing 9 is formed by die-casting a light alloy such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

A lever return spring 25 is housed in a space inside the lever U between the outer peripheral portion of the bearing portion 23 of the housing 9 and the inner surface 11B of the operation lever 11.

The return spring 25 is made of a round rod elastic wire having a wire diameter of 1.5 mm, and has an outer diameter D of 8 mm, an inner diameter d of 5 mm, and a shaft length L of FIGS. 5 to 7.
It has a coil portion 25A having a length of 6 mm, and has spring hook portions 25B, 25C extending linearly in opposite directions laterally outward from both axial ends of the coil portion 25A, and the spring hook portions 25B, 25C Fifth
As shown in the figure, in plan view, the axes are parallel to each other, and one of the extensions is long and the other is short, and in the free state (unloaded state), as shown in FIG. Is the horizontal plane X- passing through the center of the coil 25A.
On the X-ray, the spring hook 25C has an inclination angle θ of, for example, 62 ° with respect to the vertical plane YY line passing through the center of the coil 25A, and the free ends of the spring hooks 25B, 25C 25 each
D and 25E are bent in an arc shape, and each seat 25D and 25E
As shown in the figure, they are bent toward the coil portion 25A, and are parallel to each other in a side view as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, a shaft portion 26A of a mushroom-shaped contact body 26 composed of a shaft portion 26A and a conical flange portion 26B is fitted to one seat 25E as shown in FIGS. The contact body 26 is formed of a hard resin.

The contact body 26 reduces frictional resistance with the inner surface of the lever, and therefore may be mushroom-shaped or spherical, or may be a rolling roller, and may be omitted in some cases. You can also.

The return spring 25 having the contact body 26 is attached to the seat 2 of the spring hook 25B.
5D is fitted into a concave portion 23A 'formed on the outer peripheral surface of the bearing portion 23, and is fastened with a set screw 27 having a countersunk head as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, whereby the number of coil turns is reduced. The coil portion 25A having a plurality of turns is provided very close to the bearing portion 23, and the coil axis direction is parallel to (almost parallel to) the axial direction of the fulcrum shaft 10 along the coil axis direction. A long spring hook portion 25C extends along the lever longitudinal direction, and the vertex of the contact body 26 is slidably contacted with the lever inner surface 11B in this example in this embodiment, and the return force of the lever in this embodiment is reduced through this contact body 26. Has been granted.

In the mounted state of the return spring 25, the spring hook 25C having the inclination angle θ is pressed by the lever inner surface 11B, where the elastic force is accumulated in the spring hook 25C and the coil 25A, and the repulsion thereof occurs. The elastic force is a force for pushing up the head 11C of the operation lever 11 to the rising receiving surface 9D of the housing 9.

Here, the assembling procedure will be described. The inner wire 5 is connected to the handlebar 1 with the housing 9 attached thereto and the spring hook 25B of the return spring 25 mounted on the bearing 23 by the set screw 27. The side wall 11A of the operating lever 11 is fitted into the slit 23A of the bearing portion 23 and supported by the fulcrum shaft 10, and the contact member 26 of the return spring 25
By attaching the inner surface 11B, the spring spring hook 25C,
The head 11C is pressed against the rising surface 9D by the elastic force of the coil portion 25A.

After the assembly, the set screw 27 can be operated by inserting a tool into a tool insertion hole 11D formed in the lever 11.

The set screw 27 constitutes means for mounting the return spring 25, and the tip of the set screw 27 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the fulcrum shaft 10 as shown in FIG. Is prevented from rotating.

9 and 10, the shape of the return spring 25 is different, and the means for preventing rotation of the fulcrum shaft 10 about its axis is shown in FIGS. The rest is the same configuration.

That is, one spring hooking portion 25B of the return spring 25 is
As shown in the figure, the seat 25 is formed in a curved shape along the outer circumference of the bearing portion 23, and its tip is formed of a linear projection instead of an arc.
The projection of the seat 25D is inserted into the bearing portion 23 into a hole 23B formed toward the fulcrum shaft 10, and serves as a mounting means for the return spring 25. Is screwed in from the back side and pressed against the fulcrum shaft 10, which serves as a rotation stopping means for the fulcrum shaft 10.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the type of the brake means 4 is arbitrary, such as a center-pull type, a cantilever type, or a hand brake type. (Arch spring) may be used.

Further, the coil portion 25A of the return spring 25 has a gap 28 from the outer peripheral surface of the bearing portion 23 without being contacted as shown in FIG. 4, but the coil portion 25A has contacted the outer peripheral surface of the bearing portion 23. It may be something.

Also, the coil portion 25A of the return spring 25 is housed in the space between the bearing portion 23 and the lever inner surface with the coil axis direction being parallel to the fulcrum shaft 10, but the point is that the coil portion 25A etc. What is necessary is just to apply a force to fit in the space between the bearing portion 23 and the inner surface of the lever.

In the above embodiment of the present invention, when the brake is applied, the operation lever 11 is grasped in the direction of arrow 24 in FIGS. 1 and 9 against the arch spring 18 and the lever return spring 25, so that Bowden An operating force is transmitted via the cable 7.

In this case, the return spring 25 has a spring hook 25B mounted on the bearing 23, and the contact body 26 provided on the spring hook 25C moves (slids and rolls) the lever inner surface 11B to reduce contact resistance. In order to apply an elastic force in the return direction to the operation lever 11, the spring hook 25C is elastically deformed and the coil 25A is elastically deformed.
Is reduced, and the return force of the lever is accumulated here by the cooperation of the coil portion 25A and the spring hook portion 25C.

At this time, in the embodiment, the short spring hooking portion 25B is mounted on the bearing portion 23, but the coil portion 25A is provided very close to the bearing portion 23, and as a result, even if the operation lever 11 is operated. Since the jump (movement) of the coil portion 25A is reduced and the number of coil turns is plural, the spring force is stabilized and the durability is not impaired, and since the other long spring hook portion 25C is long, The elastic deflection of the long spring hook portion 25C is reduced, and the length of the return spring 25 to the point of action (contact body 26) is also increased, so that the lever touch to the operation lever 11 is lightened.

The return spring 25 has both the seats 25D and 24E in the coil portion 2
Since it is suitable for 5A, it is possible to prevent twisting due to elastic deformation and to be able to be compactly stored in a narrow space.

In addition, since the apex of the contact body 26 is brought into contact with the inner surface 11B, a lever return force is applied through the contact body 26, thereby preventing the lever from being damaged and ensuring reliable elastic deformation of the spring hook 25C. Have been.

Next, when the grasping force of the operating lever 11 is released, the lever 11 is released.
Is returned by the return spring 25, and the brake means 4 is securely returned to the original state by the arch spring 18, and the return spring 25 is prevented from jumping. The lever can be prevented from rattling.

In addition, the arch spring 18 does not require a repulsive force for returning the operation lever 11 and requires only a repulsive force for returning the brake means 4, so that not only the structure can be simplified, but also assembly and adjustment are convenient. Becomes

Further, in the case where the operating lever 11 is restored only by the arch spring 18, a strong spring is required in consideration of the resistance of the Bowden cable 7, the backlash of each part, etc. Since the return spring 25 is provided and the brake means 4 and the return springs 18 and 25 of the operation lever 11 are individually provided, there is no need to consider the resistance of the boat cable 7 or the like. It can be lighter than conventional ones.

Accordingly, the inner wire 5 of the Bowden cable 7 is cut off early, the nipple portion (outer receptacle or the like) is less detached, and the operation is not malfunctioned, so that a light brake operation can be performed.

(Effects of the Invention) The present invention is as described above.
The return spring provided on the lever part secures it, eliminating the need to rely on the arch spring for the lever return force as before, making it possible to use an arch spring with a low spring force, realizing overwhelmingly light lever touch And, in addition to the basic operation and effect that the early cutting of the inner wire can be prevented, the following specific operation and effect can be obtained.

Since the return spring having the coil portion has one of the spring hook portions engaged with the bearing portion and the other spring hook portion engaged with the inner surface of the lever, there is no need to cover and support the coil portion on the shaft. Accordingly, the return spring can be easily assembled, and the return spring can be prevented from being detached and attached without covering the coil portion on the shaft.

Furthermore, since the coil portion of the return spring is housed in the space between the bearing portion and the inner surface of the lever, the adhesion of dust and the like to the coil portion is small, and the operation of the coil portion is not likely to be malfunctioned. Since there are a plurality of turns, the spring force can be stabilized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of the first embodiment, FIG.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the essential parts, FIG. 4 is a side view of the same, FIGS. 5 to 7 show the free state of the return spring in the first embodiment, FIG. 5 is a plan view, and FIG. 7, FIG. 7 is a rear view, FIG. 8 is a front view of a contact body, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a brake operating portion according to a second embodiment, and FIG. 10 shows a free state of a return spring in the second embodiment. It is a side view. 9 ... housing, 10 ... fulcrum shaft, 11 ... operation lever,
23 ... Bearing part, 25 ... Return spring, 25A ... Coil part, 25
B, 25C …… Spring hook.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-62-91392 (JP, A) JP-A 51-123549 (JP, U) JP-A 42-6015 (JP, Y1) JP-A 51- 25416 (JP, Y2) Jiko 57-51994 (JP, Y2) UK patent 20124 (GB, B) UK patent 698136 (GB, B) German publication 8012600 (DE, A1)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] Brake operating means (2) including a housing (9) mounted on the handlebar (1) and an operating lever (11) mounted so as to be graspable on the housing (9); Brake means (4) having a brake return spring (18) for performing braking; and transmitting the gripping force of the operating lever (11) in a direction in which the brake means (4) brakes against the brake return spring (18). A cable (7) connecting the brake means (4) and the brake operation means (2), and the brake operation means (2) is mounted on a bearing portion (23) of the housing (9). An operation lever (11) having a U-shaped section is supported by a fulcrum shaft (10) so as to be grasped, and a coil (25A)
A coil-type return spring (25) having spring hooks (25B) and (25C) extending outward from both ends of the control lever (11) to provide an elastic force in a return direction to the operation lever (11). The coil portion (25A) of the return spring (25) has a plurality of coil turns, and one spring hooking portion (25B) is engaged with the bearing portion (23) so that the coil portion (25A) is connected to the bearing portion. (2
3) and the inner surface (11B) of the operation lever (11), and the other spring hooking portion (25C) is provided in the coil portion (25A).
A brake operating device which is relatively movably engaged with an inner surface (11B) of the operating lever (11) so as to apply an elastic force in a returning direction to the operating lever (11) in cooperation therewith.