JP2702628B2 - Bicycle front wheel shock absorber - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a shock absorbing device for a front wheel of a bicycle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional front wheel shock absorbers for bicycles are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. Sho 62-172689 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Sho 63-130487.
No. 4,019,086, that is, the base end of a swing arm having a front wheel mounting portion at the lower end of the front fork is rotatably connected, and a buffer is provided between the front fork and the swing arm. A structure provided with a vessel is generally known.

[0003] Further, like the AM2 type bicycle manufactured by Moulton of the United Kingdom, the lower end of a stabilizer extending from the stem above the front fork is attached to the front end of a swing arm rotatably provided at the lower end of the front fork. There is also known a structure which is rotatably connected and has a spring mounted between the fork stem and the stabilizer.

[0004]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention
The front wheel shock absorber having a structure as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 689 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-130487 is widely used in small motorcycles because of its simple structure. However, in such a structure, only the drum brake or the disc brake can be used as the front brake because the front fork and the front wheel move independently. However, in bicycles, caliper brakes and rim brakes that are excellent in terms of lightness and cooling effect, that is, the brake body is fixed to the front fork, and the wheel rim is sandwiched by the brake shoes attached to the brake body, or A brake with a mechanism that brakes by pressing a brake shoe against a rim is suitable. However, if a caliper brake or rim brake is used for the above-mentioned structure in which the front fork and the wheel move independently, the position of the rim and the brake shoe will shift and the brake will not work, or the wheel will move when the brake shoe hits the tire There is a big problem of disappearing.

The AM2 type bicycle manufactured by Moulton Co., Ltd.
The base end of a swing arm having an axle mounting portion is rotatably connected to the lower end of the front fork so that the front wheel is located forward of the base end, and the lower end of a stabilizer is provided at the front end of the swing arm. The upper end of the stabilizer is slidably inserted into the front fork stem provided above the front fork, and a spring is mounted between the upper end of the stabilizer and the front fork stem. Since the brake body is attached to the upper part of the stabilizer and the axle is arranged in front of the base end of the swing arm, as shown in FIG. 12, when the front wheel a rides on the obstacle b, Exerts a force in the direction F, but the front wheel a rotates in the direction of the arrow A about the fulcrum O, so that a large force acts on the front fork c in the direction of the arrow X.
Therefore, while a large vibration is transmitted to the rider's arm and shoulder,
It is also necessary to increase the rigidity of the front fork c, which causes a problem that the weight increases. In addition, since this device supports the entire front wheel load only by the spring provided in the front fork stem d, it is necessary to use a strong spring so that the spring does not bottom when receiving a large shock. There was also a problem that microvibrations could not be absorbed. In addition, since the spring constant of the spring is constant, there is a problem that it is difficult to select a spring that matches the rider's weight and posture, and the state of the traveling road surface.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, to solve the above-mentioned problems, one end of a swing arm is rotatably connected to a lower end of a front fork, and the swing arm is provided. To the rear, forming an axle mounting portion at the rear end, and connecting the lower end of a stabilizer for interlocking the left and right rocking arms to the rear end of the rocking arm so as to be rotatable, and setting the upper part of the stabilizer forward. Slidably inserted into the fork stem, an elastic body is interposed between the swinging arm and the front fork, and an elastic body is inserted into the front fork stem above the stabilizer to attach a brake to the stabilizer. Set up a pedestal,
A bicycle front wheel shock absorber is constructed by attaching a brake device to the pedestal.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, one end of a swing arm is rotatably connected to the lower end of the front fork, the swing arm is directed rearward, and an axle mounting portion is provided at the rear end. The lower end of a stabilizer for linking the left and right swing arms to the rear end of the swing arm is rotatably connected, and the upper part of the stabilizer is slidably inserted into the front fork stem, and A bracket is protruded from the front extension of the moving arm substantially in parallel with the front fork, and an elastic body is interposed between the bracket and the front fork. , A brake mounting pedestal is provided on the stabilizer, and a brake device is mounted on the pedestal to constitute a front wheel shock absorber for a bicycle.

[0008]

FIG. 13 shows the operation of the apparatus of the present invention configured as described above.
This will be described in general terms. In the figure, a is a front wheel, b is an obstacle, c is a front fork, d is a front fork stem, e is a stabilizer, and f is a swing arm. That is, in the present invention, the axle mounting portion of the swing arm f supports the front wheel a at a position behind the front fork c, and the swing arm f constitutes a so-called trailing arm. When the front wheel a of the bicycle rides on the obstacle b on the road surface, a force in the F direction acts on the front wheel a, and the force in the F direction acts on the swing arm f in a direction crossing the swing arm f. Acting as a moment about the fulcrum O in the direction of arrow B, the oscillating arm f with the front wheel a fastened around the fulcrum O in the direction of arrow B as well as the moment behind the oscillating arm f The stabilizer e attached to the end is pushed upward while the left and right swing arms f are linked.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the rotation of the swing arm f and the push-up of the stabilizer e cause
An elastic body (not shown) provided between the stabilizer e and the front fork stem d and an elastic body (not shown) provided between the swinging arm f and the front fork c are compressed. Since the two elastic bodies are deformed by the compressive force, by making the strengths of the elastic bodies different, both the micro vibration and the large vibration can be effectively absorbed, and then the original force is generated by the repulsive force of the elastic bodies. State can be returned. Further, according to the second invention of the present invention, the elastic body provided between the front fork c and a bracket projecting substantially in parallel with the front fork c at an intermediate portion of the swing arm f by the rotation of the swing arm f. (Not shown) is compressed, and the elastic body is deformed by the compressive force, so that large vibration can be absorbed by the elastic body. An elastic body (not shown) provided between the front fork c and a bracket protruding substantially in parallel with the front fork c on the front extension of the moving arm f is compressed, and the elastic body is deformed by the compressive force. So
Micro vibration can be suppressed by the elastic body. Therefore, according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, it is possible to effectively suppress the transmission of the vibration generated by the unevenness of the road surface to the body, especially the arms and shoulders, and to provide the elastic body with these functions. Are divided into two parts, so that the front fork stem can be made shorter than when the elastic body is provided only in the front fork stem while securing a sufficient operation stroke.

Further, in the present invention, since the stabilizer e is connected to the rear end of the swing arm adjacent to the axle mounting portion at the rear end of the swing arm f, the stabilizer e moves substantially integrally with the front wheel a, and the brake mounting base ( (Not shown), and a brake device is attached to the base. Therefore, even if a caliper brake, a rim brake, a cantilever brake or the like is attached as the brake device, the position of the rim and the break queue is determined by the movement of the front wheel a. Since no displacement occurs, those brake devices excellent in lightness and cooling effect can be employed without any problem.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A description will now be given of a comparative example and an embodiment of a bicycle front wheel shock absorber according to the present invention with reference to FIGS. In the figure, 1 is the front wheel of the bicycle, 1a
Is the rim, 2 is the front fork for supporting the front wheel 1, 3
Is a fork stem fitted to the upper part of the front fork 2, 4 is a head pipe fitted to the front fork stem 3, 5 is an upper pipe connected to the head pipe 4, and 6 is a lower pipe.

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 11, a common component of the present invention is that one end 7a of a swing arm 7 is rotatably connected to a lower end 2a of a front fork 2 by a shaft 8 such as a bolt. The swing arm 7 is directed rearward, and an axle mounting portion 7b is formed at the rear end thereof. The lower end 9a of the stabilizer 9 is rotatably connected to the rear end 7c of the swing arm 7 by a shaft 10 such as a bolt. Then, the upper part of the stabilizer 9 is slidably inserted into the front fork stem 3. This is the same in the comparative examples shown in FIGS.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a comparative example for facilitating the understanding of the present invention. In this comparative example, FIG.
An elastic body 11 or 12 is interposed between the swing arm 7 and the front fork 2 to constitute a bicycle front wheel shock absorber.

FIG. 1 shows a first comparative example. In this case, the elastic body 11 is made of a flexible material such as rubber. 13
Is a pedestal protruding from the rear side of the lower part of the front fork 2; 14 is a pedestal connected to the intermediate portion of the swing arm 7 so as to be tiltable by a bolt 15; It is provided in.

FIG. 2 shows a second comparative example. In this case, the elastic body 12 is a coil spring, and the same reference numerals in the figure as those in the first comparative example are the same. Reference numeral 16 denotes a connecting tool connected to the upper end of the coil spring 12, and reference numeral 17 denotes a bolt for connecting the connecting tool 16 to the pedestal 13.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a further comparative example, in which the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2 denote the same components.
That is, in this comparative example, the mounting position of the elastic body 12 with respect to the swing arm 7 can be adjusted.

FIG. 3 shows a third comparative example. In this comparative example, a large number of bolt holes 18 are provided in the swing arm 7 and
The pedestal 14 connected to the lower end of the
By being inserted through 18, the mounting position below the coil spring 12 can be adjusted arbitrarily.

FIG. 4 shows a fourth comparative example, in which, instead of the large number of bolt holes 18 shown in FIG. 3, an upper half of a large number of bolt holes are connected and the lower side has a wavy shape. It is a long hole 19 formed in FIG.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a further comparative example, in which one end of a swing arm 7 is attached to the lower end 2 a of the front fork 2.
7a is rotatably connected by a shaft 8, the swing arm 7 is directed rearward, an axle mounting portion 7b is formed at the rear end, and the lower end of the stabilizer 9 is attached to the rear end 7c of the swing arm 7. 9a
Are rotatably connected by bolts 10, and the upper part of the stabilizer 9 is slidably inserted into the front fork stem 3;
The elastic body 20 or 21 is inserted into the front fork stem 3 to constitute a bicycle front wheel shock absorber.

FIG. 5 shows a fifth comparative example. In this comparative example, the elastic body 20 is a coil spring, and a spring receiving plate 22 is fixed on the upper portion of the hollow cylindrical front fork stem 3.
At the upper end of the stabilizer 9, there is provided a disk portion 9b which can slide inside the front fork stem 3, and a coil spring 20 is contracted between the disk portion 9b and the spring receiving plate 22.

FIG. 6 shows a sixth comparative example, in which an elastic body 21 made of a flexible material such as rubber is used in place of the coil spring 20 of FIG. , And the disk portion 9b of the stabilizer 9.

FIGS. 7 to 9 show a bicycle front wheel shock absorber according to a first invention of the present invention. In this first invention, one end 7a of a swing arm 7 is pivotally connected to a lower end 2a of a front fork 2. 8, the swing arm 7 is directed rearward, and an axle mounting portion 7b is formed at the rear end thereof.
The lower end 9a of the stabilizer 9 is rotatably connected to the lower arm 9c by a bolt 10, and the upper disk portion 9b of the stabilizer 9 is slidably inserted into the front fork stem 3 and the oscillating arm 7c.
An elastic body 11 or 12 is interposed between the front fork 2 and the elastic body 20 or 21 between the disk portion 9b above the stabilizer 9 and a spring receiving plate 22 provided in the front fork stem 3. The front wheel shock absorber for a bicycle is constructed by being inserted.

FIG. 7 shows a first embodiment of the first invention, in which an elastic body provided in the front fork stem 3 is a coil spring 20 and the front fork 2 and the swing arm 7 are connected to each other. The elastic member provided therebetween is an elastic member 11 made of a flexible material such as rubber. In the drawing, reference numeral 13 denotes a pedestal, and 14 denotes a pedestal connected to an intermediate portion of the swing arm 7 by a bolt 15.

FIG. 8 shows a second embodiment of the first invention, in which an elastic body 21 made of a flexible material such as rubber is used instead of the coil spring 20 of the first embodiment of FIG. What did
Other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 shows a third embodiment of the first invention, in which a coil spring 12 is used in place of the elastic body 11 of the first embodiment of FIG. This is the same as the embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 16 denotes a connecting tool, and 17 denotes a bolt.

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of the second invention of the present invention. One end 7a of a swing arm 7 is rotatably connected to a lower end 2a of a front fork 2 by a bolt 8. Then, the swing arm 7 is directed rearward, an axle mounting portion 7b is formed at the rear end thereof, and the lower end 9a of the stabilizer 9 is rotatably connected to the rear end 7c of the swing arm 7 by bolts 10. The upper part of the stabilizer 9 is slidably inserted into the front fork stem 3, and a bracket 7e is projected from the front extension 7d of the swing arm 7 substantially in parallel with the front fork 2, so that the bracket 7e and the front An elastic body 23 is interposed between the front fork 2 and the elastic body 23, and a bracket 24 is provided at an intermediate portion of the swing arm 7 so as to be substantially parallel to the front fork 2. Body 25
To form a front wheel shock absorber for a bicycle. In the figure, reference numeral 26 denotes a bolt for connecting the bracket 24 to the swing arm 7.

FIG. 11 illustrates in further detail the construction of the first and second inventions. As shown in FIG. 11, each embodiment of the first invention shown in FIGS. In the embodiment of the second invention shown in FIG. 10, the stabilizer 9 is further provided with a shaft mounting base 27 for mounting a brake, and the brake device 28 is mounted on the base 27. The brake device 28 illustrated in FIG. 11 is a caliper type rim brake, and 28a is its brake shoe.

In the present invention, FIGS.
As shown in the comparative example, the elastic member attached to the swing arm 7
A structure in which the mounting position of 12 can be adjusted may be adopted, and in this case, the adjustment of the mounting position changes the apparent spring constant, so that the weight and posture of the rider and the conditions of the running road surface can be adjusted. Since the strength of the spring can be adjusted accordingly, a more effective front wheel shock absorber can be provided.

[0029]

As described above, the present invention has the following advantages. That is, since the stabilizer 9 and the front wheel 1 move almost integrally, even if the brake device 28 is attached to the stabilizer 9,
Of the rim 1a and the brake shoe 28a
It is now possible to install brakes that are optimal for bicycles, that is, brakes that are lightweight and have a high cooling effect, such as caliper brakes, rim brakes, and cantilever brakes.

Further, since the axle mounting portion 7b is located behind the front fork 2, the impact force F due to the uneven road surface is reduced as shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, since the direction in which the front wheel a rotates about the fulcrum O, that is, the same direction as the direction of arrow B, it is possible to more effectively suppress the impact force without applying excessive force to the front fork 2. Can be done.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the swing arm 7 rotates on an uneven road surface, the rotation of the swing arm 7 and the push-up of the stabilizer 9 cause the stabilizer 9 to move as shown in FIGS. A coil spring 20 provided between the front fork stem 4 and an elastic body 21 made of a flexible material such as rubber; a coil spring 12 provided between the swing arm 7 and the front fork 2; Elastic body made of flexible material
11 are compressed, and the two elastic bodies are deformed by the compressive force. By making the strengths of the elastic bodies different, both minute vibration and large vibration are effectively absorbed.

Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, a coil spring 20 is provided between the upper part of the stabilizer 9 and the front fork stem 3.
When a structure in which an elastic body 11 made of rubber is provided between the fork 2 and the swing arm 7 is adopted,
The cushion characteristics shown in 14 are obtained. Here, the linear region of the range G shown in the figure is mainly obtained by the coil spring 20, and the rise of the curve in the range indicated by H in the latter half is obtained by the coil spring 20 + rubber 11. Therefore, it is possible to cope with not only normal vibration but also large shock and fine vibration.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the swing arm 7 is rotated by the uneven road surface, the rotation of the swing arm 7 causes
As shown in (1), the elastic body 25 provided between the front fork 2 and the bracket 24 projecting substantially in parallel with the front fork 2 at the intermediate portion of the swing arm 7 is compressed. 25 deforms and absorbs large vibrations effectively. And its elastic body 25
When returning to the original state due to the repulsive force of the above, the elastic body 23 provided between the front fork 2 and the bracket 7e projecting substantially in parallel with the front fork 2 on the front extension 7d of the swing arm 7 is compressed. Then, the elastic body 23 is deformed by the compressive force to suppress the micro vibration.

Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, brackets 7e and 24 are provided before and after the pivot point of the swing arm 7 with the pivot 8 as the center, and between the brackets 7e and 24 and the front fork 2. When the structure in which the elastic members 23 and 25 are provided is employed, vibration can be suppressed by receiving the rebound force at the time of a large shock by the elastic member 23, which is more effective.

As shown in FIG. 10, a bracket 7 is provided before and after a pivot point of the swing arm 7 with a bolt 8 as a center.
e, 24 are provided, and the structure in which the elastic bodies 23, 25 are provided between the brackets 7e, 24 and the front fork 2, respectively, is adopted.
By receiving the rebound force at the time of the large shock by the elastic body 23, the vibration can be suppressed, which is more effective.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a front wheel shock absorber showing a comparative example for easy understanding of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a front wheel shock absorber showing a modified example thereof.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a front wheel shock absorber showing a further comparative example for facilitating understanding of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a front wheel shock absorber showing a modified example thereof.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a front wheel shock absorber showing a further comparative example for facilitating understanding of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a front wheel shock absorber showing a modified example thereof.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the front wheel shock absorber showing one embodiment of the first invention of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a front wheel shock absorber showing a modified example thereof.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a front wheel shock absorber showing another modification.

FIG. 10 is a side view of a front wheel shock absorber showing one embodiment of the second invention of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a side view of a front wheel shock absorber showing a further embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an operation explanatory view of the conventional device.

FIG. 13 is an operation explanatory view of the device of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a graph showing cushion characteristics when a coil spring is provided in the fork and rubber is used below the front fork in the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 front wheel 1a rim 2 front fork 3 front fork stem 4 head pipe 5 upper pipe 6 lower pipe 7 swing arm 8 axis (bolt) 9 stabilizer 10 axis (bolt) 11 elastic body 12 elastic body (coil spring) 13, 14 pedestal 15 Bolt 16 Connector 17 Bolt 18 Bolt hole 19 Slot 20 Elastic body (coil spring) 21 Elastic body 22 Spring receiving plate 23 Elastic body 24 Bracket 25 Elastic body 26 Bolt 27 Brake mounting base 28 Brake device

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] An end of a swing arm is rotatably connected to a lower end of a front fork, the swing arm is directed rearward, and an axle mounting portion is formed at a rear end of the swing arm. Left at the rear end
The lower end of the stabilizer for interlocking the right swing arm is rotatably connected, the upper part of the stabilizer is slidably inserted into the front fork stem, and an elastic body is inserted between the swing arm and the front fork. Insert an elastic body into the front fork stem above the stabilizer and insert
A brake mounting pedestal is provided on the
A front wheel shock absorber for a bicycle, wherein the device is mounted . 2. An end of a swing arm is rotatably connected to a lower end of the front fork, the swing arm is directed rearward, and an axle mounting portion is formed at a rear end of the swing arm. Left at the rear end
The lower end of the stabilizer for linking the right swing arm is rotatably connected, the upper part of the stabilizer is slidably inserted into the front fork stem, and the bracket is attached to the front extension of the front arm of the swing arm. A projection is provided substantially parallel to the bracket, and an elastic body is interposed between the bracket and the front fork. A bracket is provided at an intermediate portion of the swing arm so as to be substantially parallel to the front fork, and the bracket and the front fork are connected to each other. An elastic body is also interposed between them , and a brake mounting base is
And a brake device attached to the base .