JP3353116B2 - Human powered vehicle and its wheel drive mechanism - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a human-powered vehicle and its wheel drive mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A so-called bicycle is known as a human-powered vehicle. Its driving mechanism is such that a rear wheel sprocket is connected to a driving sprocket by a chain, and a pedal crank connected to the driving sprocket is rotated by stepping on the pedal. Generally, it is driven by a motor.
In addition, this type of rotary crank type driving mechanism has a large energy loss and is difficult to use when the conditions of the body and the like do not match the full rotation of the pedal crank. There has also been proposed one in which wheels can be driven by reciprocating motion.

[0003] For example, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-46436, the movement of a pair of levers, which swing alternately up and down by a pedal, is controlled by a one-way clutch through a chain transmission through arms that swing together with the levers. By transmitting the rotation to the wheel axle, the alternate vertical swinging motion of the pedal is converted into the rotation of the wheel.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 51-31438 discloses a pair of left and right rear wheels in which a pair of upper and lower pedal sprockets are provided on the left and right sides of a frame, and a one-way clutch is interposed between the rear wheels. Install the sprockets, hook the left and right chains around the upper and lower pedal sprockets on each side and the rear wheel sprocket, attach the pedals to the left and right chains between the left and right upper and lower pedal sprockets, and attach these left and right pedals. The rear wheels can be driven by the alternate vertical movement of the pedal by interconnecting them with cables via the upper pulley device.

[0005]

According to the wheel drive mechanism for converting the reciprocating motion of the pedal into forward rotation of the wheel via a transmission means such as a chain and a one-way clutch, a drive mechanism using a fully rotating pedal crank is used. In addition, it is possible to reduce energy loss, which is a problem, and to operate with a foot motion similar to a natural walking motion of a person, and with an arbitrary stroke that matches the physical condition of the rider. Therefore, if such a reciprocating pedal type mechanism can be used successfully, for example, it is possible to provide a simple human-powered vehicle that can be used as if it were a promenade at various event venues.
However, a conventional reciprocating pedal type mechanism such as that disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-46436 described above requires a large space because the arm swings greatly at a certain angle with respect to the pedal. The swinging arm hinders the depression of the pedal.
No. 38 discloses a structure in which a chain is looped around each side of the frame in a triangular manner, which also takes up a large space, and has a problem in practical use, such as the chain obstructing pedal operation. In addition, these conventional mechanisms are considered as so-called bicycle driving mechanisms, and are based on the premise that they are operated while sitting on a saddle. It is not suitable for providing a car that can be used. In other words, in the case of this kind of promenade car, it is desirable to have a structure that does not require effort to get on and off and can be operated in a posture close to a normal standing posture, but a large space is required in the center of the frame and it also interferes with pedal depression. With the above-described conventional mechanism, it is difficult to obtain such a human-powered traveling vehicle that can easily get on and off and operate in a standing posture. Conventionally, human-powered vehicles such as bicycles are generally driven by rear wheels. In rear-wheel drive, when the steering shaft is rotated by 90 ° with respect to the straight traveling direction, the front wheels cannot rotate, and the vehicle is driven by wheels. Due to the structural restriction of connecting the brake of the rear wheel and the brake lever attached to the steering wheel on the steering shaft with a brake wire, the direction can be turned only at an angle of less than 90 °, and at an angle close to reverse or reverse. Is not possible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a man-powered vehicle that is easy and versatile and can be turned in a 360 ° direction.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A human-powered vehicle according to the present invention has a human-powered vehicle having wheels that rotate in direction in conjunction with a steering shaft.
In a traveling vehicle, the vehicle is independent of the steering angle of the steering shaft.
A wheel driving mechanism capable of transmitting a driving force to wheels, and the steering
The braking force can be transmitted to the wheels regardless of the steering angle of the shaft
And an effective braking mechanism .

[0008] Further, the present invention provides a method of changing the direction in conjunction with a steering shaft.
It has rotating wheels, and the front wheels are independent of the steering angle of the steering shaft.
It is intended to provide a wheel drive mechanism for the above-mentioned human-powered traveling vehicle capable of transmitting a driving force to the wheels by human power, and a pair of left and right foot-operated pedals supported to be vertically swingable on a frame. A moving-side rotator rotatably supported by the respective swinging ends of both pedals and moving up and down in accordance with the swinging of the pedals; a drive transmitting rotator rotatably supported by the steering shaft; Is connected to a predetermined support portion and is wound around the drive transmission rotator via the left and right moving-side rotators, a drive gear that rotates in conjunction with the drive transmission rotator, and a drive gear And a one-way clutch that transmits only the forward rotation of each of the first and second driven gears to the drive shaft of the wheel.

In the wheel drive mechanism, the first and second driven gears are connected to a common gear shaft via respective one-way clutches, and the gear shaft and the drive shaft are drivingly connected via a chain. It can be.

The wheel drive mechanism may be such that the first and second driven gears are connected to the drive shaft via separate gear mechanisms including respective one-way clutches.

In order to obtain a required traveling speed with a small pedal stroke in the wheel drive mechanism, at least one moving-side rotating body is provided at each of the swinging ends of the left and right pedals, and the moving body is provided at the swinging end of the frame. Correspondingly, at least one fixed-side rotator may be rotatably supported, and the cord-shaped transmission member may be multiplexed between each supporting portion and the corresponding moving-side rotator and fixed-side rotator.

[0012]

In the human-powered vehicle of the present invention, since the wheels linked to the steering shaft are driven, the steering shaft is moved 9 degrees in the straight running direction.
It is possible to turn while rotating by 0 °. In addition, since the driving force and the braking force are transmitted to the wheels to be turned in the direction irrespective of the steering angle, the wheels can be turned in the 360 ° direction, and the vehicle can be freely turned backward or backward at an angle.

According to the configuration of the wheel drive mechanism of the present invention, when one of the pedals is depressed, the pedal swings downward while pulling the cable-like transmission body by the moving-side rotator at the tip end, and the cable-like transmission mechanism moves. The body wraps around and rotates the drive transmission rotator, and raises the other pedal via the moving rotator. The first and second driven gears are rotated in opposite directions by a drive gear that rotates in conjunction with the drive transmission rotating body, of which only the forward rotation is performed via a one-way clutch, and further a chain or gear mechanism. To the drive shaft of the wheel via the wheel, and the wheel is driven to rotate forward. When the other pedal is depressed, the pedal similarly swings downward while pulling the cable-like transmission by the moving-side rotator, and the cable-like transmission wraps around the drive transmission rotator, and is opposite to the above. And lift the pedal on the opposite side. Then, the first and second driven gears are respectively rotated in the opposite directions by the drive gear, and only the forward rotation of the first and second driven gears is transmitted to the drive shaft of the wheel, so that the wheel is driven forward. The left and right pedals are alternately depressed, but the depression amount may be arbitrary.

According to such a wheel drive mechanism, the left and right pedals are oscillated in the opposite directions by manipulating the cord-shaped transmission member by the moving rotator supported at the oscillating ends of the left and right pedals.
Since the swing is transmitted to the wheels via the drive transmission rotating body, the drive gear, the driven gear, and the one-way clutch, there is no obstacle to pedal operation or getting in and out of the vehicle. By keeping the angle small, the player can easily operate even in a standing posture. In addition, a large running speed can be obtained with a small pedal stroke by multiplexing the cord-shaped transmission members.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1 FIG. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a human-powered vehicle showing a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a front wheel drive unit, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the front wheel drive unit. The human powered vehicle of this embodiment is
A frame 1 is a three-wheeled vehicle having two wheels and two rear wheels, extending forward and backward at a position close to the ground, and rising upward at a front end side. A steering shaft 2 is rotatably supported at a front end of the frame 1, and a gear box 3 is fixed to a lower portion of the steering shaft 2.
A fixed shaft 5b rotatably supporting the front wheel drive shaft 5a (drive shaft) is provided at the lower end of each of the tension plates 6a, 6b.
b. A steering wheel 7 is fixed to the upper end of the steering shaft 2, and a brake 8 is mounted on one side of the front wheel drive shaft 5a.

A pair of independent rear wheel shafts 9a, 9b are rotatably supported on the left and right sides of the rear portion of the frame 1, and left and right rear wheels 10a, 10b are connected to the rear wheel shafts 9a, 9b. A rear end side of the frame 1 is extended upward, and a shallow chair 11 for half hanging is fixed to an upper end thereof.

The frame 1 is provided with left and right foot-operated pedals 12a and 12b. Each of the pedals 12a and 12b has a rear portion pivotally supported by the frame 1 so that the front side can swing up and down.
a and 12b respectively have these pedals 1 at the front swing ends.
A movable pulley 13 (movable rotator) that moves up and down in accordance with the swing of 2a and 12b is provided. The frame 1 has a double-type fixed side pulley 14 (fixed side rotation ) that is aligned with the moving surface of the left and right moving side pulleys 13 at the front end side rising portion located above the swinging ends of the pedals 12a and 12b. A body 15 is provided rotatably, and a support portion 15 (tip support) for fixing the tip of the wire is provided at the swinging end of each of the pedals 12a and 12b before the pulley 13 on the moving side.
Holding part) is provided.

A transmission pulley 17 for driving transmission (rotating body for driving transmission) is rotatably mounted on the upper end of a connecting shaft portion 16 extending vertically in the center of the gear box 3 via bearings 18 and 19. A drive-side bevel gear 20 (drive gear) is integrally formed at the lower end of the transmission pulley 17.
The gearbox 3 includes the steering shaft 2 and the gearbox 3.
Gear shaft 2 penetrating right and left through the connecting portion with the connecting shaft portion 16
A driven bevel gear 22 (a driven gear) that meshes with the left and right driving bevel gears 20 is provided on the gear shaft 21.
Ya) is connected via a one-way clutch 23, respectively. The one-way clutch 23 interposed between the driven side bevel gear 22 and the gear shaft 21 is configured to transmit only the forward rotation which is the forward driving force of the front wheel 4 when the driven bevel gear 22 is rotationally driven. I have. Further, a driven sprocket 24 is provided integrally with the front wheel drive shaft 5 on the side opposite to the brake 8, and the drive sprocket 2 is attached to the gear shaft 21 corresponding to the driven sprocket 24.
The transmission chain 2 is provided between the sprockets 24 and 25 so that the rotation of the gear shaft 21 is transmitted to the driven sprocket 24 by the driving sprocket 25.
6 (Chain) is attached.

Then, one wire 27 (cord-like transmitter)
Are fixed at both ends to the support portions 15 provided at the swinging ends of the left and right pedals 12a and 12b, from the support portions 15 to the outer pulley portions of the respective fixed side pulleys 14, from the fixed side pulley 14 to the moving side pulleys. 13, further from the movable side pulley 13 to the inner pulley portion of the fixed side pulley 14 in a triple manner, and is further wound around a front transmission pulley 17. A brake lever 28 is attached to the handle 7, and the brake 8 and the brake lever 28 are connected by a brake wire 29 passing inside the steering shaft 2.

The fixed shaft 5b supporting the front wheel drive shaft 5a is
The gear box 3 is inserted from below into a vertical groove 30 formed at the lower end of the left and right side plate portions 3a, 3b, and both ends are fitted into shaft holes 31 of the tension plates 6a, 6b. The tension plates 6a and 6b have arc-shaped mounting grooves 32 eccentric to the shaft hole 31 into which the support shaft 5b is fitted at one end.
With the support shaft 5b fitted in the shaft hole 31, the mounting angle is adjusted while watching the tension of the transmission chain 26, and the transmission chain 26 is mounted on the side plate portions 3a, 3b with screws 33.

This human-powered vehicle sits on the chair 7 shallowly in a semi-standing posture, and alternately operates the left and right pedals 12a and 12b.
Alternatively, it is driven by stepping on only one side. And
The operation of the handle 7 causes the front wheel 4 (axle) to turn around and turn in the required direction. In addition, it is possible to reverse by turning the steering wheel 180 ° with respect to the straight traveling direction. At this time, for example, when the left pedal 12a is depressed, the pedal 27 is pulled while the wire 27 is being pulled by the movable pulley 13 at the tip thereof.
a swings downward, the wire 27 winds around the transmission pulley 17 and rotates, and also lifts the right pedal 12b. At this time, the rotation of the transmission pulley 17 is transmitted to the driven bevel gear 22 via the driving bevel gear 20, transmitted to the gear shaft 21 via one one-way clutch 23, and transmitted from the gear shaft 21 to the driving sprocket 25 and the transmission chain 26. Through the driven sprocket 24 and the front wheel drive shaft 5
a. Then, the front wheel 4 is driven to rotate forward, and a forward force is obtained. Further, when the right pedal 12b is depressed, a winding action opposite to that described above occurs, rotation is transmitted to the gear shaft via the other one-way clutch 23, and the front wheel 4 is also driven to rotate forward to move forward. Power is gained. The left and right pedals 8a, 8b are alternately pressed. At this time, the pedal depression amount is arbitrary.

Embodiment 2 FIG. In the first embodiment, the rotation of the transmission pulley 17 by the left and right pedals 12a and 12b is converted into normal rotation by the one-way clutch 23 and transmitted to one gear shaft 21, and further transmitted to the front wheel drive shaft 5a by a chain mechanism. However, the mechanism of this part can be replaced with a structure as shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a front wheel drive unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the case of this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
The gear shaft 35 (only one is shown) is vertically supported on both ends of the bracket 16a via bearings 34. A driven gear 37 is mounted on the upper end of each gear shaft 35 protruding from the upper surface of the bracket 16a via a one-way clutch 36, and a connecting body of the transmission pulley 17 and the driving gear 38 is mounted on the connecting shaft 16 by a bearing. 1
It is rotatably mounted via 8,19. And
The other end of the gear shaft 35 is supported by a lower end of a connecting body 39 connected to the lower surface of the bracket 16a via a bearing 34, and a bevel gear 40 is fixed to the tip of the other end, and the bevel gear 40 is connected to the front wheel drive shaft side. It is in mesh with the bevel gear 41. The one-way clutch 36 includes a driven gear 37
Is configured to transmit to the gear shaft 35 only the forward rotation that becomes the forward driving force of the front wheel 4 when the is rotated.

[0025]

Since the present invention is constructed as described above, it can be used easily, can rotate freely in the direction, and has a steering angle of 9 degrees.
A man-powered vehicle capable of turning at 0 ° and moving backward is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a human-powered vehicle showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a front wheel drive unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a front wheel drive unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a front wheel drive unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 1 frame 2 steering shaft 4 front wheel (axle) 5a front wheel drive shaft (drive shaft) 7 handle 12a, 12b pedal 13 moving pulley (moving rotating body) 14 fixed pulley (fixed rotating body) 15 support section 16 connecting shaft Part 17 Transmission pulley (rotating body for drive transmission) 20 Drive-side bevel gear (drive gear) 21 Gear shaft 22 Driven-side bevel gear (driven gear) 23 One-way clutch 24 Driven-side sprocket 25 Drive-side sprocket 26 Transmission chain (chain) 27 Wire ( Cable-like transmission body) 28 brake lever 29 brake wire 35 gear shaft 36 one-way clutch 37 driven gear 38 drive gear 40, 41 bevel gear

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B62M 1/04

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A wheel having a direction turning in conjunction with a steering shaft is provided.
Relationship between the steering angle of the steering shaft and the
Wheel drive mechanism that can transmit driving force to the wheel without
And the wheels are controlled independently of the steering angle of the steering shaft.
A human-powered vehicle having a braking mechanism capable of transmitting power . 2. A have the wheels to turn in direction in conjunction with the steering shaft
And, regardless of the steering angle of the steering shaft,
A wheel drive mechanism of a human-powered vehicle capable of transmitting driving force by force, comprising a pair of left and right foot-operated pedals supported by a frame so as to be able to swing up and down, and rotating at respective swing ends of both pedals. A moving-side rotator that is rotatably supported and moves up and down in response to the swing of the pedal, a drive-transmitting rotator rotatably supported by a steering shaft, A cord-shaped transmission body that is wound around the drive transmission rotator via a moving-side rotator, a drive gear that rotates in conjunction with the drive transmission rotator, and a first gear that rotates in mesh with the drive gear. And a second driven gear, and a one-way clutch for transmitting only forward rotation of each of the first and second driven gears to a drive shaft of the wheel. . 3. The first and second driven gears are connected to a common gear shaft via respective one-way clutches,
3. The wheel drive mechanism for a manually driven vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the gear shaft and the drive shaft are drivingly connected via a chain. 4. The wheel drive mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the first and second driven gears are connected to the drive shaft via separate gear mechanisms including respective one-way clutches. 5. At least one movable rotator is provided at each of the swing ends of the left and right pedals, and at least one fixed rotator is rotatably supported on the frame corresponding to the swing end, respectively. 5. The wheel drive mechanism for a human-powered traveling vehicle according to claim 2, wherein a cord-shaped transmission body is multiplexed between the movable-side rotating body and the fixed-side rotating body corresponding to a front end supporting portion.