JP4156823B2 - Human drive mechanism - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  The present invention mainly relates to a human-powered drive mechanism such as a bicycle, a wheelchair, a boat, a human-powered airplane, a training device, or a vehicle driven by human power, or a device that simulates a vehicle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
  The human-powered driving mechanism for bicycles and leisure rowing boats is the same in principle, and each consists of two left and right cranks fixed at right angles to the rotation axis, and these two cranks are 180 ° out of phase. A shaft is implanted at the other end of the crank at a right angle to the rotation surface of the crank, and a pedal is rotatably provided on the shaft. By depressing this pedal, torque is generated, thereby propelling wheels such as wheels and propellers are rotated to move the vehicle. In recent years, in addition to bicycles, three-wheeled bicycles and four-wheeled bicycles have appeared in the US and Europe, and it seems that competitions using these bicycles are also being performed, but the principle of the human-powered drive mechanism has not changed at all.
  Bicycles are an industrially large field that is used at a high level of penetration as a means of recreation, commuting, attending school and competition. In the following, for the sake of simplicity, the explanation will be focused on bicycles.
  Bicycles of various types and structures are appearing depending on the application. In relation to the human drive mechanism that is the object of the present invention, a speed change mechanism is adopted to improve speed capability and climbing capability, and only to the driven shaft of the chain provided on the rear wheel (hereinafter referred to as a single driven shaft). Some sprockets (hereinafter referred to as driven shaft sprockets) are provided with several sprockets (hereinafter referred to as chain rings) on the chain drive shaft (hereinafter simply referred to as drive shaft).
One in which a planetary gear mechanism is provided on the driven shaft of the chain is also widespread. In addition, in this application, a manpower drive mechanism means the drive mechanism which transmits manpower to propulsion means, such as a speed change mechanism of a manpower vehicle, or a wheel, a propeller.
[0003]
  Regardless of type, the speed change mechanism does not basically improve energy efficiency, but increases the power transmitted to the propulsion means (rear wheels for bicycles, propellers for boats, etc.) It does not reduce energy.
[0004]
  When climbing a steep hill with a bicycle, a large force is required at the same speed increase ratio as that on a flat ground, and the limit of the driver's leg strength determines whether or not to continue driving. The speed change mechanism is a so-called trade-off device or optimization device for muscle speed and strength for the driver, and when moving uphill, if the muscle strength is insufficient, the speed increase ratio is shifted down to move the muscle faster. Thus, the same power can be generated with a smaller force. However, there is no point in reducing the speed increasing ratio to a certain extent. In other words, if the speed increase ratio is decreased, it is necessary to rotate the pedal in an inversely proportional manner in order to maintain running, and the motor capacity limit due to faster muscle movement, power loss due to friction of bearings and chains Driving cannot be maintained due to increase, unstable driving caused by vibration, and the like.
[0005]
  Since the input power cannot be increased even if the speed change mechanism is provided, it is natural that there is a limit in improving the climbing ability. It is desirable to increase the input power. Here, the input power refers to the power (work per unit time) transmitted from the driver to the vehicle through the human drive mechanism.
According to the speed change mechanism, the speed change mechanism output shaft rotation speed and the torque are maintained in an inversely proportional relationship (constant power), and according to the situation, the speed increases in a direction that the driver feels comfortable according to the motor ability of the driver. Changing the speed ratio can move the balance point between speed and force, but basically does not increase the input power and hence the output.
[0006]
  Changing the crank length is also a trade-off between the speed and strength of the muscles for the driver and may result in a slight increase in output as a result of optimization, but not an increase in input power.
[0007]
  In addition, the crank can be extended and retracted, the rotation of the bicycle and the expansion and contraction of the crank are synchronized using a planetary gear mechanism or a cam mechanism, and the maximum input torque is increased by configuring the crank to extend most when it reaches the front horizontal position. The invention of the form has also been filed (US Pat. Nos. 4,125,239, 4,706,516, 4,807,491, etc.).
[0008]
  In this type of human-powered drive mechanism, when the pedal passes the horizontal position and enters the process of reducing the crank, the radial component of the force acting on the pedal increases rapidly, resisting the reduction of the crank, and inhibiting the rotation of the bicycle. To work.
[0009]
  In this type of human-powered drive mechanism, if the force of stepping on the pedal always acts in a tangential direction with respect to the rotation circle of the crank, this force does not hinder the rotation. However, in reality, there are limitations on the movement of the joints of the heel, knee and femur, so that the pedaling force works almost vertically downward at all rotation angles. Accordingly, when the crank is substantially in the front horizontal position, the direction of rotation and the direction of the force almost coincide with each other, so the “rotational force” for rotating the pedal is maximized.
  However, after this position, the rotational force (strictly speaking, the component of the force in the direction of the crank rotation of gravity, inertial force, and muscle force) decreases, and the component force that is perpendicular to the direction of rotation (the resultant force of gravity, inertial force, and muscle force). (The crank rotation radial direction component) of the crankshaft increases and these tend to extend the crank against the reduction of the crank. As a result, the power is hardly increased when considered in one cycle.
[0010]
  US Pat. No. 4,872,695 is an invention similar to the above-described human-powered drive mechanism in which the crank is extendable and retractable. According to the present invention, a rear wheel fork is provided with a freely swinging bearing, a rod is slidably fitted to the bearing, and a crank front end is rotatably connected to the middle end of the rod. A pedal is provided at the tip of the. When the driver depresses the pedal, the rod forms a lever with the bearing as a fulcrum, and the force transmitted to the crank is amplified more than the force depressing the pedal.
[0011]
  In the present invention, since the force is amplified at all rotation angles of the crank, the crank is surely in a period (hereinafter referred to as the forward stroke) from the highest pedal position (so-called top dead center) to the lowest pedal position (so-called bottom dead center). However, the negative torque is amplified during the period from the bottom dead center to the top dead center (hereinafter referred to as the reverse stroke). In the latter period, the “leverage ratio” is larger than that of the former, so that the amplification factor of the negative rotational force is larger than the amplification factor of the positive rotational force. Cannot be expected.
[0012]
  Figure 13 shows HIGH-TECH CYCLING (published by HUMAN
KINETICS, PO Box 5076, Champaign, IL, USA) Rewritten for explanation of this application with reference to Figure 7.3, 350W for US bicycle racers (the unit that is used as a crank although there is no clear description in the above document) The amount of work per hour--it seems to indicate watts), and the crank angle θ (clockwise angle from top dead center) is plotted on the horizontal axis of the change in crank rotational force when the pedal is depressed at 90 rpm. It is shown. According to this figure, the rotational force becomes maximum when θ slightly exceeds 90 °, and rapidly decreases from around θ = 120 °.
  The fact that the rotational force is reduced during the period of 120 ° <θ <180 ° where the weight and muscle strength of the lower limb are sufficiently acting on the pedal is not the direction in which the weight and strength of the lower limb rotate the crank during this period. It shows that it acts dominantly in the direction of stretching. That is, as a result, the driver's energy is consumed in trying to extend the crank that does not extend. No matter how much force is applied to extend the crank, the work done mechanically is zero, but the blood circulates violently in the driver's body, the chemical reaction proceeds violently, the energy consumption is Has been made. On the other hand, it is negative in the period of 217 ° <θ <345 °, but this is a period of 180 ° <θ <360 °, which is the muscle strength that tries to rotate the crank forward and the lower limb that tries to reverse the crank. The weight of antagonizes from around θ = 200 °, and the latter finally wins.
[0013]
  In the human-powered drive mechanism disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 58-133986, 58-22183 and 8-113180, a rope / pulley mechanism, a reciprocating chain / sprocket mechanism, or a rack / pinion mechanism is used in two right and left series. , When one is in the forward stroke, the other is mechanically connected so that it is in the reverse stroke (note that the mechanism name used here is named for convenience of explanation by the inventor of the present application, and is not necessarily the original specification. Does not match). For example, when the pedal is depressed in the left-line travel, the force is transmitted to the pulley, sprocket, or pinion via a rope, chain, or rack, and the connected wheels rotate. In the reverse stroke, the pedal is lifted by the power of the right series, and during this time, the pulley, sprocket or pinion of the left series idles with respect to the output shaft by a free wheel mechanism such as a ratchet or a one-way clutch provided in the shaft portion.
[0014]
  In any of the inventions, human power acts in a tangential direction on the pulley, sprocket or pinion in the forward stroke, and all applied force becomes rotational force, but at the end of the forward stroke, the lower limbs that have moved in the positive direction are When suddenly stopped, the kinetic energy of the kinetic mass of the lower limbs, chains, racks, sprockets, pinions, etc. is forcibly set to 0. Therefore, considering the entire cycle, an effective increase in input power cannot be expected.
[0015]
  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-199279 discloses an invention in which a reciprocating chain / sprocket mechanism is employed, and a part of the energy when depressed is absorbed by the spring, and the pedal is returned to the position before depressing with the energy stored in the spring. Has been. For this invention, the output will not be output unless the depression timing is matched to the spring return speed. (If the pedal is depressed before it fully returns, the acceleration distance of the pedal cannot be obtained. Therefore, there is a problem in that the speed is not so high.
[0016]
  In addition, paying attention to the fact that if the muscles are contracted at a low speed, a greater force can be generated than when the muscles are contracted at a high speed, the chain ring is not a perfect circle but an ellipse, etc., and the phase difference from the crank Research has also been made to reduce the fluctuation of the crank rotation speed so that the driver can apply greater muscle strength to the pedal. However, with this method, there appears to be a problem that if the phase difference is fixed, the ability can be exhibited only for a limited purpose. For example, a certain phase difference is suitable for steady durability traveling, but not suitable for climbing or short-time full power traveling.
[0017]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
  The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and to be a vehicle driven by human power or a vehicle imitating a vehicle such as a bicycle, a three-wheeled bicycle, a four-wheeled bicycle, a wheelchair, a boat, a human-powered airplane and a training device. An object of the present invention is to provide a suitable human-powered drive mechanism that can effectively convert human power into power.
[0018]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  The first invention of the present invention is:Rotating body, supporting body, endless driving member wound around rotating body and supporting body, human-powered driving receiving portion attached to endless driving member, and surface on which endless driving member moves There is a suppression means for suppressing the rotation of the drive receiving portion around a straight line. The restraining means includes an arm having one end rotatably attached to the drive receiving portion, and a free crank having one end rotatably attached to the frame and the other end rotatably attached to the other end of the arm. And the human power drive receiving portion is displaceable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface.
[0019]
  The second invention of the present invention is:Rotating body, supporting body, endless driving member wound around rotating body and supporting body, human-powered driving receiving portion attached to endless driving member, and surface on which endless driving member moves A restraining means for restraining the rotation of the drive receiving portion around a straight line, the restraining means having an arm rotatably attached at one end to the drive receiving portion and an end rotatably attached to the frame; The other end has a free crank that is rotatably attached to the other end of the arm, and the endless path along which the endless drive member moves is a forward path section that is driven by human power, and a return path section that returns to the forward path section. And the one end of the free crank is rotatably attached to the frame at a position outside the forward path portion.
[0020]
  The third invention of the present invention is:Said human power drive mechanism WHEREIN: It has a tension | tensile_strength member which tensions the endless drive member wound by the said rotary body and the said support body, It is a human power drive mechanism characterized by the above-mentioned.
[0021]
  The fourth invention of the present invention is:In the above-described human power driving mechanism, the human power driving mechanism includes a combination of a tension adjusting bolt and a tension bolt for controlling the tension of the endless driving member.
[0022]
  The fifth invention of the present invention is:In the above-described human-powered driving mechanism, the second rotating body, the second support, the second endless member wound around the second rotating body and the second supporting body, and the second endless driving member are attached. A second manpower drive receiving portion, wherein the first rotating body and the second rotating body are coaxial and are fixed to each other by a shaft member, and the first supporting body and the second supporting body are mutually A human-powered drive mechanism characterized in that it is attached to a frame so as to be independently rotatable.
[0023]
  The sixth invention of the present invention is:In the above-described human-powered drive mechanism, the rotating body is a drive sprocket, the support is a floating sprocket, the endless driving member wound around the driving sprocket and the floating sprocket is a chain, and the driving sprocket A pitch circle radius of a sprocket arranged at a relatively high position among the floating sprockets is 52 to 116 mm, and a pitch circle radius of a sprocket arranged at a relatively low position is 64 to 116 mm. It is a human-powered drive mechanism.
[0024]
  The seventh invention of the present invention isIn the above-described human power drive mechanism, a bracket in which the drive shaft boss that supports the rotating body, the floating shaft boss that supports the support body, and the crankshaft boss that supports one end of the free crank are substantially triangular structures. It is a human-powered drive mechanism characterized by being arranged in.
[0025]
The eighth invention of the present invention is:In the above-described human power drive mechanism, the support body is a curved guide rail.
[0026]
  The ninth invention of the present invention is:In the above-described human drive mechanism, the propulsion wheel is provided coaxially with the rotating body.
[0027]
  The tenth aspect of the present invention is:A bicycle having a driven wheel driven by the human power drive mechanism.
[0028]
In the present invention, a rotating body is a sprocket or pulley that drives a load by being rotated by a wound endless driving member, and a support is an arcuate guide rail that is wound around an endless driving member. Or it basically refers to a rotating body that idles.
[0029]
In the present invention, an endless drive member is a flexible material that is resistant to compression and bending of belts, timing belts, chains, bead chains, pinned chains, ropes, etc., and that can withstand only tensile force and transmit rotational force. As used herein, the term “human power drive receiving portion” refers to a member such as a pedal or a handle on which direct human power acts. The frame refers to a member that supports the weight of the vehicle and forms a structure, or a structural member such as a pipe, a mold, or a plate that is directly or indirectly fixed to the member.
[0030]
  The large radius of curvature may be a straight track with an infinite curvature, or may be a gently curved track with a guide rail, idle sprocket, or the like.
[0031]
  According to the human power drive mechanism of the present invention, the driver can arrange a pair of a rotating body and a support body at an angle and position at which the driver can easily apply a force along the large radius of curvature of the endless drive member via the human power drive receiving portion. The human force is converted to almost 100% torque at the large radius of curvature, the maximum value of the rotational force is maintained for a certain period, and the kinetic energy of the kinetic mass is the rotational motion of the small radius of curvature at the end of the large radius of curvature. It is converted into energy and effectively stored.
As a result, a significant increase in input power is expected.
[0032]
  Since the speed capability and the climbing ability are greatly improved by increasing the input power, the speed change mechanism does not necessarily have to be used as long as the vehicle travels on a normal road.
[0033]
  In a preferred human-powered drive mechanism of the present invention, a chain having a pedal or a handle, and a rotating body and a support around which the chain is wound, the pedal or the handle is moved against the moving surface of the chain by the restraining means. The posture is held almost at right angles. More preferably, a rotating body is used as the support.
[0034]
In this case, even if force is applied to the pedal or handle, the chain will not be bent or twisted, so the chain will not be deformed or damaged, and the position of the force application point will be fixed, so it will be easy to apply force. The driver's muscles and joints are also less fatigued.
[0035]
In this case, preferably, the restraining means includes a free crank having one end rotatably attached to the frame and an arm having the other end of the free crank rotatably connected, and the arm is connected to the drive receiving portion. It is rotatably mounted. Since the arm is rotatably attached to the drive receiving portion, the rotation of the arm does not hinder the movement of the chain or apply an excessive force to the chain.
The advantage of this type of suppression means is that these free cranks and arms are supported, and ball bearings, cylindrical roller bearings, needle roller bearings, etc. that have extremely low friction loss, light weight, small size, and easy dust seal are used. It can be done.
[0036]
More preferably, in the connecting portion between the arm and the chain, at least an outer ring of a cylindrical roller bearing or a needle roller bearing is attached to the end of the arm, and a driving force receiving link is provided on the chain side. The link is inserted into the outer ring via a roller.
The chain is formed by connecting a large number of chain links so as to be continuously rotatable, and the driving force receiving link is preferably one in which one of the chain links has a driving force receiving function.
[0037]
  The relative displacement in the axial direction between the bearing outer ring attached to the end of the arm and the driving force receiving link inserted into the connecting portion between the arm and the chain is the light weight of the arm, crank and frame. This is preferable for the conversion.
That is, as the weight of the arm, crank, and frame is reduced, the rigidity tends to decrease, and even though the objective function as a restraining means that does not overload the chain is maintained, it is included in the surface on which the chain moves as a result of the decrease in rigidity. Since the rotation of the pedal around the straight line becomes relatively large, when the pedal approaches the sprocket, the inner link plate of the chain tends to hit the side of the sprocket strongly.
  In this case, the bearing should be of a type that allows the shaft to rotate freely and allow relative displacement in the axial direction of the shaft and housing, such as a cylindrical roller bearing, a needle roller bearing, or a linear motion bearing such as a linear bush. Thus, only the pedal is displaced in the axial direction, and the driving force receiving link is kept almost perpendicular to the moving surface of the chain, so that the chain does not hit the side of the sprocket strongly.
  Of course, if sufficient rigidity can be expected for the arm, the crank, and the frame that holds the crank, deep groove ball bearings, etc., are used at the connecting part of the arm and chain to eliminate relative displacement in the axial direction between the driving force receiving link and the arm. May be.
[0038]
  As the suppression means, in addition to the combination of the free crank and the arm as described above, a linear bush type linear motion bearing with a small friction loss or a combination of a ball spline type linear motion bearing and a free crank may be used. However, this method is valid only when the radii of the pair of rotating bodies and the supporting body are equal.
That is, in the combination of a linear bush type linear motion bearing and a free crank, two rods arranged in a certain section in the longitudinal direction parallel to the moving surface inside an elliptical raceway formed by a chain, and each of the rods A slider having at least one linear bush type linear motion bearing that is supported and reciprocated, and one end of which is rotatably held around an axis perpendicular to the moving surface, and the other end of the pedal or handle is freely rotatable. It is a system comprised from the free crank hold | maintained in. In the combination of a ball spline type linear motion bearing and a free crank, the ball spline type linear motion bearing swings at a fixed point on the frame and is supported by the linear motion bearing and slides without rotating. This is a system composed of a rod having a spline groove that rotatably holds the shaft.
[0039]
  In an embodiment of the present invention, the center of rotation of the free crank is positioned inside an elliptical track formed of a chain. In this case, the center of the free crank is more preferably arranged at the center of the line segment connecting the center of the rotating body and the supporting body. In this way, since the sum of the free crank rotation radius and the arm rotation radius is minimized, the bending and torsional deformation of the free crank and the arm are small, and the weight of these members can be reduced.
[0040]
  In another form, as a mode of arrangement of the rotation center of the free crank, the rotation center of the free crank is positioned outside the elliptical track formed by the chain. In this case, in the case where the pitch circle radius of the pair of rotating bodies and the curvature radius of the support body are the same (the pitch circle radius when the support body is a rotating body) are the same, the rotational axes of the free cranks form the pair. It arrange | positions on the perpendicular bisector of the line segment which connects the center of a rotary body and a support body. If it does in this way, the sum of the rotation radius of a free crank and the rotation radius of an arm will be restrained small, bending and torsional deformation of a free crank and an arm will become small, and weight reduction of these members can be attained. Further, if the free crank has a length that allows the free crank to swing within the moving range of the endless drive member, the free crank can be arranged from the center line of a bicycle or the like from the arm. A more compact arrangement of the mechanism is possible.
  In a bicycle, if the center of rotation of the free crank is arranged behind the pedal, the bicycle does not hit an obstacle during rough road travel, and can be preferably used for a BMX vehicle intended for rough road travel. Further, in a bicycle, when the rotation axis of the free crank is arranged in front of the pedal, a large space in front of the pedal can be used, so that the degree of freedom in arrangement of the arm and the crank is generated. Furthermore, since the center of gravity of the bicycle moves forward, the rear wheels can be arranged forward, and the wheelbase, which is the distance between the front wheel center and the rear wheel center, can be reduced, so that the bicycle's rotational performance and acceleration performance are improved. improves. Although it is known that rotating and accelerating performance will be significantly improved if the wheelbase is made smaller, there is a problem that the front wheel tends to float when climbing up because the center of gravity is relatively behind, It was difficult to keep the wheelbase below the current level.
[0041]
  The steering handle is operated with one arm (in order to distinguish it from the handle as the “human-powered receiving part” used in the configuration of the present invention, the steering wheel for the steering operation) is operated by the other arm. In three-wheeled bicycles, four-wheeled bicycles, wheelchairs, etc., in which driving force is transmitted by a handle, preferably a human-powered driving mechanism is arranged slightly forward on the lower outer side (side of the driver) next to the driver. A straight line connecting the rotating body and the center of the support body is inclined forward with respect to the vertical line. This makes it easy to put the weight on the arm because the driver's arm does not move, and there is little fatigue.
[0042]
  In still another embodiment, tension means for constantly tensioning the chain is provided. The restraining means comprising the arm and the free crank prevents the chain from jumping out of the moving surface or deforming, but does not constrain the chain from protruding from the elliptical track in the moving surface. In the configuration of the present invention, a force is directly applied to the chain link and the chain is pulled. Therefore, if the chain is slack, the chain meanders at the straight part of the elliptical track during towing and the chain at the sprocket part. There is a possibility that the roller may come off or collide with the sprocket teeth. If this happens, power loss increases, and chain rollers and pins may be worn out in a short period of time. The chain tensioning means preferably comprises a pair of rotating bodies and a pipe to which a support is attached. The cylinder is divided vertically and is slidably fitted to each other. A spring is inserted in between. The chain may be tensioned by simply pushing the upper and lower cylinders away from each other using an implanted bolt or bolt, or a combination thereof.
Of course, means for tensioning the chain with a force of a spring or the like by a separately provided idler sprocket, idler roller or the like is also possible.
[0043]
  In general, damage to the chain transmission mechanism is often caused by repeated collision of the chain roller and link plate with the sprocket when the chain is moving on the sprocket. Therefore, a guide roller having a shaft in the vicinity of the connecting portion between the chain and the pedal or the handle, preferably having the same center line as the shaft of the pedal or the handle is provided, and at least one of the rotating body or the supporting body positioned at least below is provided. A rolling rail on which the guide roller rolls may be provided so as to cover the portion so that the roller of the chain does not leave the tooth surface of the sprocket.
[0044]
  In a preferred human-powered drive mechanism of the present invention, a chain having a pedal or a handle is arranged on the left and right, the right chain is wound around the first rotating body and the first support, and the left chain is wound around the second rotating body and the second rotating body. Wrapped around the support, the first and second rotating bodies are fixed to the same shaft, and a chain ring as a third rotating body is fixed between the first and second rotating bodies on the shaft, and the left and right pedals Alternatively, the power applied to the steering wheel is transmitted from the left and right chains to the chain ring via the first or second rotating body, and the power is further propelled through the chain, gears, etc. connected to the chain ring (in the case of a bicycle). Is transmitted to the rear wheel, and in the case of a boat, a water wheel, a propeller, etc.).
Here, if the support body is a guide rail having a width slightly narrower than the inner width of the inner link plate of the chain, and the roller of the chain rolls on the rail, the structure is simple and the arrangement is flexible. If the support is a rotating body, the friction loss is reduced.
[0045]
  More preferably, the left and right pedals or handles are shifted by approximately ½ cycle phase. In such a configuration, both legs or both arms can be used alternately and continuously, so that the rotational fluctuation of the rotating shaft is small, the force can be applied stably on average, and the driver is less fatigued.
[0046]
  Here, for ease of explanation, when the chain, the rotating body around which the chain is wound, and the support are collectively referred to as a human-powered drive unit, the above-described human-powered drive disposed substantially parallel to the driver's seat Regarding the arrangement of the mechanism unit, the driver's seat is located in the middle, middle rear, middle front of the two human-powered mechanism units (placement where the driver sits backward and steps on the pedal or pulls the handle in the case of a boat, etc.), It may be located either in the middle upper part (generally arranged on bicycles) or in the middle lower part, but the driver uses both feet or both hands, including the inclination angle of the manpower drive mechanism unit, and the manpower drive receiving part such as a pedal or handle Arrangement that makes it easy to apply force to is selected.
[0047]
  In the bicycle according to one aspect of the present invention, the human-powered drive unit arranged substantially in parallel is below the driver's seat, and the linear track portion of the stepping-side chain is inclined lower on the rear side with respect to the vertical line. In this configuration, the driver is ready to hold the steering wheel with his hand and kick the pedal diagonally backward with his foot, so he can step on the pedal using his muscles from his hips to his buttocks, and easily generates great force. it can.
[0048]
  In the bicycle according to another embodiment of the present invention, the human-powered drive unit disposed substantially in parallel is disposed slightly below the driver's seat and slightly forward, and the straight track portion of the stepping-side chain is inclined with the front side lower than the vertical line. It has been made.
In this configuration, the driver pulls the steering handle with his hand and kicks the pedal diagonally forward with his foot, making it possible to step on the pedal using the muscles from the hips to the buttocks, generating large force easily it can.
[0049]
  In a bicycle according to still another embodiment of the present invention, the human-powered drive units arranged substantially in parallel are arranged on both sides under the driver's seat, and the linear track portion of the stepping-side chain is arranged vertically.
In this configuration, the driver can easily put the total weight on the pedal, and is suitable for climbing a long hill.
[0050]
  In a preferred human-powered drive mechanism of the present invention, a chain having a pedal or a handle is arranged on the left and right, the right chain is wound around the first rotating body and the first support, and the left chain is wound around the second rotating body and the second rotating body. Wrapped around the support, the first and second rotors have the same axial center as the propulsion wheels (front or rear wheels in the case of bicycles, water wheels or propellers in the case of boats).
For example, in the case of a bicycle, the first rotator and the second rotator are made to share the center of the shaft with a front wheel or a rear wheel through a coaxial or planetary gear transmission.
[0051]
  In the preferable human-powered drive mechanism of the present invention, the inclination angle of the large curvature radius portion of the endless drive member wound around the pair of rotating bodies and the support body with respect to the ground plane is variable.
  In this configuration, on a bicycle, when climbing a slope, the large radius of curvature of the human-powered drive mechanism is placed in a vertical position close to the vertical line to make it easier to put weight, and when riding on a long distance flat road, the driver sits on a saddle as an inclined position. You can kick the pedal forward or backward, and you can use your weight, waist, and lower limb muscles effectively.
[0052]
  In a preferred human power drive mechanism of the present invention, the endless drive member is a chain in which a plurality of links are connected by pins, and one of the plurality of links constitutes a drive force receiving link, and the drive force receiving link is The driving force receiving link is rotatably attached to the restraining means via the shaft. The shaft projects in a direction perpendicular to the moving surface of the chain.
In this case, the driving force receiving link has a U-shaped groove and is rotatably connected to an adjacent link of the chain in the U-shaped groove. When applying the timing belt, if the unit sandwiched between two adjacent teeth and valleys is called a link, the teeth of the link to be adjacent are inserted into the U-shaped groove of the driving force receiving link from both sides, and U What is necessary is just to connect each rotatably with the pin which penetrates a character groove.
Even in the case of a bead belt or a pinned belt, if a unit consisting of adjacent beads or pins is called a link, the present invention can be similarly applied to these cases.
[0053]
  The above description has been made mainly on the case where the present invention is applied to a bicycle, but imitates other vehicles or vehicles driven by human power such as three-wheeled bicycles, four-wheeled bicycles, wheelchairs, boats, human-powered airplanes and training equipment. It can be applied to devices and the like. According to the present invention, since the input power increases, both speed and torque can be increased, and the propulsion of the human-powered vehicle becomes comfortable.
When the present invention is applied to a training device, it is possible to provide a physical strength enhancing device that simulates a bicycle or a boat. In addition, if the large radius of curvature of the human drive mechanism is placed vertically and the distance between the center of the rotating body and the support that make the pair is reduced to shorten the pedal stroke, the movements of the feet and hips are very similar to human walking. Therefore, it can be suitably used as a walking exercise device for rehabilitation of people with difficulty walking.
[0054]
  The human-powered drive receiving portion may be a pedal operated with a foot or a handle operated with a hand. For vehicles such as three-wheeled bicycles, four-wheeled bicycles, boats, etc. where the driver can sit and drive deeply in the seat, the rotary body that makes a pair and the endless drive member wound around the support are moved forward with a large radius of curvature. The driver's seat is placed at the same height as the higher of the rotating body and support that make a pair behind the human-powered drive mechanism. If a support or the like is provided, a force is easily applied to the leg, and this configuration is also a preferable application mode of the present invention. Further, the human power drive mechanism according to the present invention, when the human power drive mechanism units are arranged on the left and right, is manually driven with the left or right foot or hand shifted by 1/2 cycle as illustrated above. It is not limited to applying force to the receiving part. For example, in a three-wheeled bicycle, a four-wheeled bicycle, a boat, and the like, the human-powered drive mechanism according to the present invention is arranged almost horizontally on both sides of the driver sitting on the seat, and the height is approximately the same as the driver's waist to shoulder. In addition, a configuration in which a force is applied to the handle in combination with the left and right phases is also a preferable application mode of the present invention.
[0055]
  The human-powered driving mechanism of the present invention can be preferably applied to a vehicle driven by human power such as a bicycle, a three-wheeled bicycle, a four-wheeled bicycle, a wheelchair, a boat, a human-powered airplane, a training device, or the like, and the human power is effectively used. It can be converted into torque, which makes it possible to greatly improve the output, and even a less powerful driver can drive long distances, and when applied to bicycles and wheelchairs, it has remarkable effects in terms of climbing ability and avoiding danger. is there.
[0056]
【Example】
  Hereinafter, although the human-powered drive mechanism of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to examples, the present invention is not limited to these examples.
[0057]
  FIG. 1 is a layout view showing a first embodiment when the human power driving mechanism of the present invention is applied to a bicycle. The left and right human power driving mechanism units are parallel to each other, and a support body composed of a rotating body and a rotating body that form a pair, respectively. The straight line connecting the centers is arranged in the vertical direction. In FIG. 1, the human-powered drive mechanism unit located on the front side of the page, that is, on the right side in a state of riding a bicycle, is referred to as a right unit, and the left side is referred to as a left unit. It is assumed that the left unit part is given a two-digit zero for the corresponding right unit part code.
Mechanical elements such as bearings, nuts, and bearings that do not need to be distinguished from each other have the same reference numerals on the left and right.
  2 to 9 illustrate details of the embodiment of the human-powered driving mechanism in this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a side view showing the whole bicycle, FIG. 3 is a view taken along the arrow YY in FIG. 2, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 3, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 3, FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line C-C in FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 4, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE of FIG. 3, and FIG. In the description of each part, all symbols are described for the right unit, but the left unit is not described unless necessary to avoid congestion.
[0058]
  1 to 9, reference numerals 1 and 2 denote a first rotating body (sprocket) and a first support body (sprocket), which are rotatably attached to a vertically arranged cylinder 32, respectively, and 100 and 200 are second parts, respectively. A rotating body (sprocket) and a second support body (sprocket), 3 and 300 are elliptical tracks wound around the first rotating body 1 and the first supporting body 2, and the second rotating body 100 and the second supporting body 200, respectively. Chains 4 and 400, which are endless drive members that form a shaft, are pedals that pull the chain via drive force receiving links 12, 1200 and pedal shafts 17 and 1700, respectively. The pedals 4 and 400 are mutually shifted in phase by 1/2 period.
10, 1000 and 11, 1100 are free cranks and arms, respectively, which keep the pedal shafts 17, 1700 perpendicular to the moving surface of the chain, and 6 is a first rotating body 1 and a second rotation by means of nuts 26 and spacers 24, 25. A chain ring 7, which is a third rotating body fixed to the drive shaft 15 together with the body, is a rear wheel driven shaft sprocket that is rotated by the chain ring 6 via the transmission chain 8. In FIG. 7, the drive shaft 15 is rotatably held by a boss 34 that is fixed to the cylinder 32 through a bearing 27. The column 32 is welded to both of the intermediate portion of the connecting portion between the down tube 30 and the seat tube 31 which are a bicycle frame.
  In FIG. 1, the transmission chain 8, the driven shaft sprocket 7, the down tube 30 and the seat tube 31 are according to the prior art.
[0059]
  In FIG. 5, free cranks 10 and 1000 are press-fitted and fixed to the two-surface width portions 13 a and 1300 a of the crankshafts 13 and 1300, respectively, and are rotatably held by bosses 33 that are fixed to the cylinder 32 through bearings 28. Yes. The crankshafts 13 and 1300 are idled by the movement of the crank.
In FIG. 6, the arm 11 is rotatably attached to a connecting shaft 14 fixed to the free crank 10 by shrink fitting or the like via a double-row angular ball bearing 28. The same applies to the left unit.
The free crank / arm pair constitutes a restraining means that keeps the pedal shaft perpendicular to the chain travel surface when force is applied to the pedal. As a result, the force is reliably transmitted from the driver's foot to the pedal, and no bending moment or torsion acts on the link of the chain 3, 300, so the chain itself is not subjected to a moment around a straight line included in the moving surface. Does not require high strength.
Therefore, a chain having a light and thin link, for example, a multi-speed gear used for a normal bicycle can be used.
[0060]
  4 and 8, the pedal 4 is rotatably attached to the pedal shaft 17 by a bearing (not shown) which may be a bearing normally used for a bicycle pedal, and the pedal shaft is an end boss of the arm 11. The boss 11a is fixed with a needle roller bearing 29, and the shaft portion 12a of the driving force receiving link 12 is inserted into the boss 11a.
One end link 3a and the other end link 3b of the chain 3 are fitted to the U-shaped groove 12b of the driving force receiving link 12 by removing the outer link plate 20, and the end link 3a and 3b are respectively connected to the bush 23. It is rotatably attached to the U-shaped groove of the driving force receiving link 12 by a knock pin 18 penetrating inside. The knock pin 18 has the same diameter as the pin 19, and is fitted with a gap in the bush 23 like the pin 19, and the roller 22 is fitted in the outer periphery of the bush 23 with a gap.
[0061]
  Therefore, the chain 3 constitutes an endless drive member by the U-shaped groove 12b and the two pins 18. Since the needle roller bearing 29 and the shaft portion 12a of the driving force receiving link are allowed to be displaced relative to each other in the axial direction, even if a large stepping force acts on the pedal 4 and the crank or arm is slightly bent or twisted, Since the change in the angle of the arm boss portion 11a is small, the chain is not bent or twisted as a problem because the pedal is only slightly displaced outward.
In addition, since both ends of the pin 18 are supported by U-shaped grooves, a large stress is not generated on the pin 18 due to a traction force (tensile force) acting on the chain 3. As the bearing 29, a linear motion bearing such as a cylindrical roller bearing or a linear bush may be used instead of the needle roller bearing.
In general, when a bending moment is applied to a needle roller bearing or a cylindrical roller bearing, a large contact surface pressure is generated at the end of the roller. .
Thereby, the stress gradient is relaxed and the durability is further improved. Moreover, it is also preferable for stress relaxation that a skin baking material is used for the shaft portion 12a, the thin surface layer has a high hardness, and the inside thereof has a soft two-layer structure.
With respect to the chain 3, a conventional technique can be used except for the driving force receiving link 12 and its mounting method.
[0062]
  In FIG. 9, the first support 2 and the second support 200 are fixed to the floating shafts 16 and 1600 by nuts 26 and spacers 25, respectively, and can be freely rotated by a boss 35 that is fixed to a cylinder 32 through a bearing 27. Is held in.
The idle shafts 16 and 1600 run idle as the chain 3 and 300 move.
As shown in FIG. 10, the cylinder 32 is divided into two in the axial direction (vertical direction), the upper small diameter part of the lower cylinder 32b is slidably fitted to the inner periphery of the upper cylinder 32a, and the spring 42 is provided on the lower cylinder 32b. It is also possible to compress and hold by the spring receiver 41 and the spring retainer 40 provided on the upper cylinder 32a, and to compress strongly by setting the chain 3. Conversely, the chain is strongly tensioned by a spring.
[0063]
  In FIG. 1, the rotational axis center Oc of the free crank 10 is located between the center O1 of the first rotating body and the center O2 of the idle shaft, and the sum of the rotational radius Lc of the free crank 10 and the rotational radius La of the arm 11 is the pedal. It is slightly larger than the distance H between the uppermost position or the lowermost position of the center and the rotation center Oc of the free crank.
In this way, the lowest position or the highest position geometrically does not become a thought point or a dead point.
[0064]
  In FIG. 1, the right unit is in the forward stroke, and the pedal 4 is pulled downward from the driver's foot to pull the chain 3 in the direction of the arrow. In the large radius of curvature portion (in the case of the present embodiment, the straight portion) of the forward stroke, the force applied to the pedal 4 is converted to 100% torque. Therefore, the maximum rotational force of FIG. 13 is maintained in this portion.
The weight of the driver's foot or lower limb acts on the left pedal 400, but the left pedal has a kinetic energy associated with the left pedal that the left pedal had at the end of the forward stroke and the depression of the right foot. Ascending by consuming part of the power is the same as in a conventional bicycle.
Also, unlike the “reciprocating linear motion type human-powered drive mechanism” described above, the pedal moving speed does not decrease at the start of the forward stroke, so no acceleration distance is required. Is transmitted as rotational force.
As a result, according to the configuration of this embodiment, the distance between the centers of the pair of rotating bodies and the support body and the pitch circle radius of each pair change, but mechanically 1.2 times that of a conventional bicycle. An input power of up to 1.8 times can be obtained.
[0065]
  In this embodiment, the pitch circle radii of the pair of rotating bodies and the support composed of the rotating bodies are the same, but the present invention can be preferably applied even if the pitch circle radii are different.
  In this embodiment, the description has been made using a chain as the endless drive member. However, any belt, timing belt, special chain, rope, etc. can be used as long as it can transmit the rotational force. It is applicable to.
[0066]
  In this embodiment, no transmission is provided, but the driven shaft sprocket can have multiple stages, for example, 9 stages, and the chainring can have 3 stages instead of 1 stage without reducing the spirit of the present invention. It is.
[0067]
  According to the results of the prototype test of this embodiment in combination with the inventor's multi-stage transmission, the main factor that determines the upper limit of speed performance and climbing performance is the angular speed of the rotating body and the support body (both sprockets) that make a pair. It turns out that there is.
Further, the smoothness of standing is related to the magnitude of the angular velocity of the sprocket arranged on the lower side. That is, when the pedal orbits the sprocket, it is difficult to follow the angular velocity with a large heel, so that the direction change is likely to be delayed. In particular, when the pedal orbits the sprocket located above, the foot is likely to leave the pedal due to centrifugal force.
For the latter, it is possible to follow up to a large angular velocity by fixing the foot to the pedal with a band or by consciously pressing the foot against the pedal. Moreover, it will be solved by getting used to it.
[0068]
  In the case of a bicycle, the pitch circle radius of the sprocket is selected according to the purpose and the driver class.
The pitch circle radius of the sprocket arranged on the upper side is preferably 52 mm (26 teeth when using a normal bicycle chain) or more and 116 mm (57 teeth) or less, more preferably 64 mm or more (32 teeth). The pitch circle radius of the sprocket disposed below 106 mm (the same number of teeth 52) or less is preferably 64 mm or more (the same number of teeth 32) to 116 mm (the same number of teeth 57) or less, more preferably 76 mm or more ( The same number of teeth 38 or more) 106 mm (the same number of teeth 52) or less is selected.
[0069]
  FIG. 11 is a side view showing a second embodiment when the present invention is applied to a bicycle. The center of rotation of the free crank is located outside the elliptical track formed of a chain and is positioned on the seat stay 60 behind the pedal. Yes. The difference from the other first embodiment is that the arrangement of the chain ring 6 is at the bottom, the left and right human power drive mechanism units are arranged on the bicycle inclined by 26 ° from the vertical line, and the like. .
  Thus, if the center of rotation of the free crank is arranged on the rear wheel side, the crank and arm do not hit an obstacle during rough road travel, and can be preferably used for a BMX vehicle intended for rough road travel. If the chain ring 6 is arranged below as in this embodiment, there is an advantage that the transmission chain 8 is shortened. In addition, since the manual drive mechanism is tilted 26 ° from the vertical line while keeping the highest and lowest positions of the pedals the same as the conventional bicycle, the stroke of the pedal can be increased and the input power can be increased compared to the case of the vertical arrangement. Becomes larger. Here, the inclination of 26 ° is merely an example, and this angle changes depending on the purpose of use and the target audience. If the human-powered drive mechanism is inclined as in this embodiment, the driver will be ready to kick the pedal diagonally backward with the foot while holding the steering handle with his hand, so the pedal using the muscles from the waist to the buttocks It can be stepped on and can easily generate a large force. In this embodiment, if the inclination angle of the human-powered drive mechanism is selected, a posture close to the running posture is possible for the driver, and the knee is extended as the pedal is lowered, so the burden on the knee joint is greatly reduced.
[0070]
  FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a third embodiment of the human power drive mechanism of the present invention. An endless drive member 3 is wound between the guide rail 2, which is a semicircular arc support having a radius R equal to the pitch circle radius of the rotator 1, and the rotator 1. The length of the linear portion of the endless drive member between the rotating body 1 and the guide rail 2 is 0.5πR. The endless drive member 3 is provided with a pedal 4, and the driver depresses the pedal 4 substantially vertically downward in the direction of the arrow to move the endless drive member 3 along the elliptical orbit to rotate the rotating body 1. And the drive shaft 15 is rotated. In the case of a bicycle, a chain ring is fixed to the drive shaft 15 as in the first embodiment, and another identical unit is arranged with the pedal phase shifted by 1/2 cycle. In the case of a wheelchair, the drive shaft 15 is coaxial with the propulsion wheel.
In a boat or the like, the drive shaft penetrates the hull and protrudes out of the ship, and a propulsion wheel such as a water wheel or a propeller is provided at the tip.
  As the endless drive member, a chain, a rope, a timing gear, or the like is used. If a chain is used, the roller of the chain can be rolled on the guide rail 2, so that the friction loss is small.
[0071]
  When the third embodiment is applied to a bicycle, the crank radius of the conventional bicycle is R, the average movement speed of the pedal is the same as that of the conventional bicycle, and in the linear region of the endless drive member, Then, when the rotational force at a crank angle of 90 ° in FIG. 13 and 270 ° in the reverse stroke is maintained and is equal to the rotational force of FIG. 13 at the corresponding crank angle in the circumferential region, this embodiment is compared with a conventional bicycle. As a result, the input power increases about 1.18 times.
[0072]
  The work in the physical sense means the product of the force and the moving distance of the action point. If the moving distance is 0, the work done physically is 0 no matter how large the force is. On the other hand, in the human body, it is necessary to contract muscles in order to generate force, and the generation of force involves energy consumption. Let us consider that the time integral of the generated force is roughly proportional to the energy consumed to maintain the force. Then, human power is roughly proportional to the power (work rate) consumed by the person at that time. If the driver's one foot applies a constant force F to the pedal in the forward stroke regardless of the direction and rests in the backward stroke (F = 0), the time average power consumption is equal for both human power drive mechanisms. become. That is, the energy efficiency is considered to be about 1.18 times.
  In this embodiment, the length of the linear portion of the endless drive member is 0.5πR. However, when this length is increased, the input power further increases.
[0073]
  FIG. 14 is a side view showing a fourth embodiment when the human-powered drive mechanism of the present invention is applied to a bicycle, and the center of rotation of the free crank (crankshaft 13) is located outside the elliptical track formed of a chain and forward of the pedal. The left and right human power drive mechanism units are arranged to be inclined 15 ° forward from the vertical line.
In the present embodiment, the multi-speed sprocket 7 is provided on the rear wheel together with the derailleur 9, and the bracket for supporting the human drive mechanism unit is not welded to the bicycle frame like the cylinder 32 of the first embodiment, but is separated from the separate body. It is sandwiched between left and right bottom brackets, which are gathered portions of a down tube, a seat tube, and a chain stay that are bifurcated at the bottom, and is held rotatably.
The bracket can be adjusted by the driver in accordance with the traveling state. Unlike the first embodiment, the drive shaft 15 having the first and second rotating bodies and the chain ring is positioned below.
As in the first embodiment, the idle shaft is separate from the left and right as in FIG. 9, and the crankshaft is separate from the left and right as in FIG. The fourth embodiment will be described in detail below.
[0074]
  FIGS. 14 to 23 illustrate the details of the embodiment of the human power drive mechanism in this embodiment. FIG. 15 is a side view showing the state in which the left and right human power drive mechanisms are removed. FIG. 16 is a side view of the sprocket 7 with the chain ring 6 and the transmission chain 8 removed. FIG. 17 shows the bracket, down tube, and part of the seat tube in FIG. FIG. 18 is a detail of H section of FIG. 17, FIG. 19 is a GG sectional view of FIG. 16, FIG. 20 is a detail of I section of FIG. 17, and FIG. 21 is a L section of FIG. FIG. 22 is an enlarged view, FIG. 22 is a view taken in the direction of arrow J in FIG. 18, and FIG. 23 is a view taken in the direction of arrow M in FIG.
[0075]
  14 to 19, the down tube 30 and the seat tube 31 are bifurcated downward, and branch into 30 a (right side member), 30 b (left side member) and 31 a (right side member), 31 b (left side member), respectively. The three right members 30a and 31a and the right member 45a of the chain stay 45 are assembled together on the right bottom bracket 37 and welded together.
Similarly, the left members 30b, 31b, and 45b of the down tube, the seat tube, and the chain stay are assembled to the left bottom bracket 38 and welded to each other. As shown in FIG. 23, the down tube branches from one circular tube into two substantially elliptical tubes.
The same applies to the seat tube.
  In FIG. 19, the right bottom bracket 37 and the left bottom bracket 38 are firmly fixed by a connecting shaft 39 and a nut 81 together with a distance ring 83 provided in a bracket fixing boss 70 g and two inner rings of two deep groove ball bearings. The bracket body 70 is allowed to rotate while maintaining sufficient rigidity.
A spring pin 82 is positioned so that the left and right bottom brackets do not rotate with respect to each other.
[0076]
  In FIG. 18, 70 is a bracket body, 71 is a bracket telescopic portion inserted into a vertical tube 70c of the bracket body 70, 70a, 70b, 70c, and 70d are a top tube, a down tube, a vertical tube, and a vertical tube, respectively. A short tube is welded together with a crankshaft boss 70e (corresponding to 33 in Example 1), a drive shaft boss 70f (corresponding to 34), and a bracket fixing boss 70g.
Thus, since the bracket body 70 has a triangular ramen structure made of a circular tube, the bending and torsional rigidity is large, a large force is applied to the pedal, and the boss 70g is used as a fulcrum via the arm and the free crank. Even if the torsion acts on the boss 70e, the deformation is extremely small, and the function as a restraining means for the arm and the free crank is ensured. 71a and 71b are welded to each other by a slide tube and a floating shaft boss (corresponding to 35 in the first embodiment) that constitute the bracket expansion / contraction part, respectively.
A ring 71aa into which a guide pin 75 is driven is provided at the lower end of the slide tube, and the guide pin is configured to move by being guided by a groove 70ca (see FIG. 22) provided in the vertical tube 70c of the bracket 70. The parallelism of the center lines of the shaft boss, drive shaft boss, idle shaft boss, and bracket fixing boss 70g is maintained.
[0077]
  The inner circumference of the vertical tube 70c of the bracket body and the outer circumference of the slide tube 71a of the bracket extension / contraction portion can adjust the distance between the centers of the paired sprockets, that is, the distance between the center of the drive shaft boss 70f and the center of the idle shaft boss 71b. A pair of tightening brackets 79 provided at the upper end of the vertical tube 70c are tightened with hexagon socket bolts 78 (the bolt heads are in the tightening bracket and are not visible). (See FIG. 22). In FIG. 22, 70cb is a slit provided in the vertical tube 70c for facilitating the tightening. Here, the direction of tightening of each boss is as shown in FIGS. 18 and 22 so that the tilting of the slide tube due to the tightening does not affect the parallelism between the center line of the floating shaft boss and the center line of the other boss. It is preferably parallel to the center line.
[0078]
  18 and 21, 71c is a tension bolt seat having a screw on the inner surface which is inserted and welded to the floating shaft boss 71b, and 72 is a tension adjusting bolt which is screwed into the tension bolt seat 71c and has a screw 72a inside. 73 is a tension bolt in which the upper screw 73a is screwed into the tension bolt, and the lower end is a tension bolt fixed to the bracket fixing boss with a screw. Reference numeral 74 denotes a lock nut for preventing loosening.
A combination of the tension adjusting bolt and the tension bolt is generally known as an operating screw mechanism. Fine adjustment can be made by setting the inner and outer screw pitches of the tension adjusting bolt and the winding direction of the screw, or tension can be made in a short time.
[0079]
  18 and 20, 90 is a bracket posture adjustment mechanism, 90a is an adjustment handle, 90b is a handle bar fixed to the adjustment handle and screwed to a boss 36a provided on the top tube 36, and 90d is an upper end by a spherical joint 90c. The handle rod 90b, and the lower end thereof is an adjustment rod rotatably connected to a protrusion 70ea provided on the crankshaft boss 70e of the bracket body.
  By rotating the adjustment handle 90a, the handle bar moves up and down to adjust the posture of the bracket.
[0080]
  In this embodiment, the bracket 70 is rotatably held by the left and right bottom brackets via bearings, but it is also preferable that the bracket 70 is directly tightened and fixed with bolts and nuts.
[0081]
  FIG. 24 is a side view showing a fifth embodiment when the human power driving mechanism of the present invention is applied to a bicycle. The rotating bodies of the human power driving mechanism units of the same configuration provided on the left and right have the same axis center as the rear wheel. is doing. 25 is a view as viewed in the direction of the arrow K in FIG. 24 (the chain is not shown). In FIG. 24, these human-powered drive mechanism units are composed of a rotating body 1 provided on the lower side, a guide rail 2 provided on the upper side, and a chain 3 in the right unit. The rotator 1 of the right unit is attached to both ends of the drive shaft 15 together with the rotator 100 of the left unit (not shown), and the seat stay 60 and the chain stay 45 are located inside the bicycle center line of each rotator. There are bearings (not shown) provided in the collecting portion, and further, these bearings are arranged on the inner side of the bicycle center line directly on the drive shaft 15 or via a transmission such as a planetary gear mechanism or a ratchet mechanism. A wheel is installed. Depending on the configuration of the transmission and the ratchet mechanism, the drive shaft 15 may have the same shaft center and be separated from the left and right.
  In FIG. 25, the thickness of the guide rails 2 and 200 is slightly smaller than the inner link plate inner width of the chains 3 and 300 (not shown), and these guide plates are connected via the cylindrical stay 66 and the left and right ribs 65. The right seat stay 60a and the left seat stay 60b are fixed.
Here, the guide rail may be movable so that the chains 3 and 300 can be tensioned.
[0082]
  In this embodiment, since the drive shaft 15 of the rotating body of the human-powered drive mechanism shares the shaft center with the rear wheel, no transmission chain and chain ring are used. Further, in this embodiment, the human-powered drive mechanism is directly supported by the frame of the bicycle body, and in particular, the rotation center of the free crank is provided on the rigid bottom bracket. Therefore, this embodiment can be preferably applied particularly to a portable folding bicycle or the like.
  The size of the rear wheel is such that the driver's feet can rotate the pedal without difficulty, and is preferably 14 inches or more and 26 inches or less, more preferably 17 inches or more and 22 inches or less.
[0083]
  In the above description, the rotating body and the supporting body are each used as a pair for each single-power drive mechanism unit, but the present invention in which the chain is directly pulled by a pedal or the like to increase the duration of the maximum rotational force. As long as the gist of the present invention is utilized, the addition of a plurality is within the scope of the present invention.
[0084]
【The invention's effect】
  According to the human-powered drive mechanism of the present invention, the input power increases. For example, when applied to a bicycle, both speed and climbing performance can be improved. Further, when the present invention is applied to a three-wheeled bicycle, a four-wheeled bicycle, a wheelchair, a boat, and a human-powered airplane, the input power is similarly increased, and both the speed and the torque can be increased.
When the present invention is applied to a training device, it is possible to provide a physical strength enhancing device that simulates a bicycle or a boat. In addition, if the large radius of curvature of the human drive mechanism is placed vertically and the distance between the center of the rotating body and the support that make the pair is reduced to shorten the pedal stroke, the movements of the feet and hips are very similar to human walking. Therefore, it can be suitably used as a walking exercise device for rehabilitation of people with difficulty walking.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a layout diagram of a human power drive mechanism showing a first embodiment when the human power drive mechanism of the present invention is applied to a bicycle.
FIG. 2 is a side view showing the entire bicycle.
3 is a view taken in the direction of arrows YY in FIG.
4 is an XX arrow view of FIG. 2;
5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.
6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.
7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 3;
8 is a view taken along the line DD in FIG. 4;
9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG.
10 is another aspect diagram of FIG. 3. FIG.
FIG. 11 is a side view showing a second embodiment when the human-powered drive mechanism of the present invention is applied to a bicycle.
FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram showing a third embodiment of the human power drive mechanism of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a graph showing the relationship between crank rotational force and crank angle in a conventional bicycle.
FIG. 14 is a side view showing a fourth embodiment when the human-powered drive mechanism of the present invention is applied to a bicycle.
15 is a side view showing a state in which the left and right human power drive mechanisms are removed in FIG. 14;
16 is a side view showing a state in which the chain ring 6 and the transmission chain 8 are removed in FIG. 15;
17 is a partial cross-sectional view in which a part of the bracket, the down tube, and the seat tube are cut along a vertical plane including a bicycle center line in FIG. 16;
18 is a detailed view of a portion H in FIG.
19 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line GG in FIG.
20 is a detailed view of a portion I in FIG.
FIG. 21 is an enlarged view of a portion L in FIG.
22 is a view on arrow J in FIG. 18;
FIG. 23 is a view on arrow M in FIG. 16;
FIG. 24 is a side view showing a fifth embodiment when the human-powered drive mechanism of the present invention is applied to a bicycle.
25 is a view as seen from the direction of the arrow K in FIG. 24. FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
1: First rotating body
100: Second rotating body
2: First support (guide rail, rotating body)
200: Second support (guide rail, rotating body)
3, 300: Chain
4, 400: Pedal
6: Chainring
7: Driven shaft sprocket
8: Transmission chain
10, 1000: Free crank
11, 1100: Arm
12, 1200: Driving force receiving link
12b: U-shaped groove
13, 1300: Crankshaft
13a, 1300a: The width of the two sides of the crankshaft
14: Connecting shaft
15: Drive shaft
16, 1600: idle shaft
17, 1700: Pedal shaft
18: Knock pin
19: Pin
20: Outer link plate
21: Inner link plate
22: Roller
23: Bush
27, 28, 29: Bearing
30: Down tube
30a, 30b: bifurcated portion under the down tube
31: Seat tube
31a, 31b: bifurcated portion under the seat tube
32: Cylinder
33, 34, 35: Boss
37: Right bottom bracket
38: Left bottom bracket
39: Connection shaft
42: Spring
45: Chain stay
60: Seat stay
70: Bracket body
70a, 70b, 70c, 70d: tubes constituting the bracket body
70e, 70f, 70g: Boss provided on the bracket body
71: Bracket stretchable part
71a: slide tube
71b: Boss
71c: Tension bolt seat
72: Tension adjustment bolt
73: Tension bolt
80: Bearing
90: Bracket posture adjustment mechanism
90a: Posture adjustment handle

Claims (1)

  Rotating body, support body, endless driving member wound around the rotating body and the supporting body, a human-powered drive receiving portion attached to the endless driving member, and a surface on which the endless driving member moves A restraining means for restraining rotation of the drive receiving portion around a straight line, the restraining means having an arm rotatably attached at one end to the drive receiving portion, and an end rotatably attached to the frame; A human-powered drive mechanism characterized in that the other end has a free crank rotatably attached to the other end of the arm, and the human-powered drive receiving portion is displaceable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface. .

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