JP5671392B2 - Front fork - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a front fork, and more particularly to an improvement in a front fork that is mounted on the front wheel side of a two-wheeled vehicle as a pair on the left and right.

  There have been various proposals for a front fork that is mounted on the front wheel side of a motorcycle as a pair on the left and right sides. Among them, for example, in the proposal disclosed in Patent Document 1, the front fork is on the vehicle body side. The gas pressure in the gas chamber in the fork main body composed of the tube and the wheel side tube can be adjusted.

  That is, the front fork disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a gas chamber at the upper end of the vehicle body side tube constituting the upper end of the fork main body, and also has a gas supply port communicating with the gas chamber.

  In this front fork, the gas supply port is connected to a pressurized air supply source via a joint, external piping, and an electromagnetic valve as an on / off valve.

  Therefore, in the proposal disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the gas pressure in the gas chamber in the fork main body is insufficient in the front fork, the air from the pressurized air supply source is gasified via the electromagnetic valve. Supplying to the chamber, the gas pressure in the gas chamber can be adjusted to a desired height.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-60876

  However, in the proposal disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, there is a possibility that it may be pointed out that there is a slight problem, considering the fact that the front fork is installed on the front wheel side of the motorcycle.

  In other words, in the proposal disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, the gas supply port provided in the front fork is connected to a pressurized air supply source via a joint, an external pipe, and an on / off valve.

  That is, in a two-wheeled vehicle equipped with a front fork on the front wheel side, it is essential to equip a pressurized air supply source. For example, in order to equip this pressurized air supply source on the vehicle body side, so-called There is a problem that will be difficult to layout.

  In addition, since external piping is connected to the pressurized air supply source, the layout of the external piping on the vehicle body side must be taken into consideration in the same way. There is also a concern that this will cause a sense of incongruity.

  The present invention was devised in view of the above-described circumstances, and is a front that is easy to lay out and can be optimally installed in an actual vehicle, because it enables adjustment of air pressure in the air chamber in the fork main body. The purpose is to provide forks.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the front fork according to the present invention has a configuration in which a fork body composed of a vehicle body side tube and a wheel side tube is disposed in a pair of left and right on the front wheel side of a motorcycle. in a front fork having an air chamber to the fork body which is disposed, the upper end portion of the left and right fork bodies are connected in an air sealed jig, the air filled jig has an upper end portion of the left and right fork body Connected by an air sealing jig, the air sealing jig includes an air valve and the air valve at a base end portion, and includes an air passage that branches at an intermediate portion and communicates with the air chamber in the left and right fork bodies, It is assumed that the air valve is positioned on the back side, which is the seat side of the two-wheeled vehicle, at the upper end sides of the left and right fork bodies.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the air sealing jig communicates the air chambers in the pair of fork main bodies through the air passage communicating with the air valve, so that the air pressure in the air chambers in the pair of fork main bodies is the same. To.

  Therefore, when an air supply / discharge source is connected to the air valve of the air sealing jig and air is supplied to the air chamber in the fork main body through the air valve and the air sealing jig, the air chamber in the pair of fork main bodies Air pressure increases.

  Contrary to the above, when the air is discharged from the air chamber in the fork main body via the air sealing jig and the air valve, the air pressure in the air chamber in the pair of fork main bodies becomes low.

  On the other hand, in the present invention, an air sealing jig that allows air to be supplied to and discharged from the air chamber in the fork main body is disposed on the upper end sides of the left and right fork main bodies, while air is supplied to the air chamber. The air supply / exhaust source for practicing supply / discharge is arranged outside the fork main body and is not always connected to the air sealing jig, that is, the air valve in the air sealing jig. There is no need to equip.

  Therefore, it is not necessary to consider the layout for installing the air supply / discharge source on the vehicle body side of the motorcycle.

  As a result, according to the present invention, it is possible to adjust the air pressure in the air chamber in the fork main body, making the layout easy and optimal for mounting on an actual vehicle.

It is a partial front view which shows the upper end side part of the front fork equipped with the air sealing jig by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the upper end side part of the front fork equipped with the air enclosure jig | tool by other embodiment similarly to FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial plan cross-sectional view of the air sealing jig shown by the position of line XX in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a view showing an air sealing jig according to still another embodiment in the same manner as FIG. 3.

  The present invention will be described below based on the illustrated embodiments. For mounting a pair of front forks on the front wheel side of the two-wheeled vehicle, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper end sides of the pair of front forks on the left and right are integrated in advance by a bridge mechanism (not shown). The lower end of each front fork is connected to the axle of the front wheel, and the front wheel is suspended from the left and right.

  The bridge mechanism is connected to an upper side portion of the upper end portion of the front fork to connect a handle (not shown), and is positioned below the upper bracket B1 so as to be positioned below the upper end portion of the front fork. And an under bracket B2.

  The upper bracket B1 and the under bracket B2 are gripped integrally by inserting the upper end portion of the front fork, that is, the upper end portion of the vehicle body side tube T, into attachment holes (not shown) having split structures formed at both ends. To do.

  Further, in this bridge mechanism, a single steering shaft S that integrally connects the upper bracket B1 and the under bracket B2 is provided at the center of both.

  This steering shaft S is pivotally connected into a head pipe (not shown) that forms the tip of the vehicle body in a two-wheeled vehicle to become a center of rotation, and when the bridge mechanism is rotated by a handle operation, The front wheels can be steered left and right through the front fork.

  By the way, the front fork according to the present invention is such that a wheel side tube (not shown) as a lower end side member is inserted into a vehicle body side tube T as an upper end side member so as to be able to enter and exit. (Not shown) and an air chamber A (see FIGS. 3 and 4) in the fork body.

  Further, in the front fork according to the present invention, it is urged in the extending direction in which the wheel side tube protrudes from the vehicle body side tube T by the air pressure in the air chamber A in the fork main body.

  The air pressure in the air chamber A in the fork main body is assumed to be equal to or higher than the atmospheric pressure when the fork main body is in the maximum extension state. For example, the damping action by the damping part in the damper built in the fork main body is made as set without so-called play.

  And, as for the air pressure in the air chamber A in the fork main body, in the situation where the front fork is equipped on the front wheel side of the two-wheeled vehicle, the air pressure becomes atmospheric pressure or more by being slightly contracted, In that sense, it can be said that the atmospheric pressure does not have to be higher than the atmospheric pressure in the maximum extension state.

  Incidentally, the front fork of the present invention is biased in the extension direction by the air pressure in the air chamber A in the fork main body. For example, the front fork is attached in the extension direction by a suspension spring accommodated in the conventional fork main body. There is an advantage that the total weight is reduced by the absence of the suspension spring as compared to the front fork.

  However, from the point of view of the present invention, the front fork only needs to have the air chamber A in the fork main body, and it does not matter whether the front fork accommodates the suspension spring in the fork main body or not. This does not prevent the establishment of the present invention.

  Note that the fork main body has a bearing that is spaced apart between the vehicle body side tube T and the wheel side tube, although not shown, and a lubricating gap defined by the upper and lower bearings. The working fluid represented by the working oil flows into the lubrication gap, so that the sliding and lubrication that are concentric between the vehicle body side tube T and the wheel side tube are ensured.

  An oil seal and a dust seal are arranged on the inner periphery of the opening end portion, which is the lower end portion of the vehicle body side tube T, in series below the lower bearing that is in sliding contact with the outer periphery of the wheel side tube. The inside of the body is made a sealed space, and the dust seal prevents the dust adhering to the outer periphery of the wheel side tube from entering the oil seal side, thereby ensuring the sealing function of the oil seal.

  Furthermore, at the time of the most contraction operation of the fork main body in which the wheel side tube is immersed in the vehicle body side tube T with a large stroke, the upper end of the wheel side tube is moved to the vehicle body side tube T side to prevent further contraction. It is set to abut, and the oil lock mechanism prevents bottom thrust during the most contraction operation.

  In addition, when the fork main body is extended to the maximum, although not shown, in many cases, the extension spring that the damper is accommodated contracts most, so that the most contraction of the extension spring realizes so-called shock absorption, The length of the fork main body at the maximum extension is regulated.

  By the way, in the front fork according to the present invention, the inside of the fork main body, that is, the inside of the fork main body, which is a sealed space by setting the oil seal, is set as a reservoir (not shown).

  The reservoir contains a predetermined amount of working fluid and has the air chamber A defined by a fluid surface (not shown) of the working fluid. It expands and contracts in synchronization with the expansion and contraction operation, and a predetermined air spring force, that is, a tube reaction force is generated during the expansion and contraction.

  Incidentally, the air chamber A has an air valve on the cap member 11 that closes the upper end opening of the vehicle body side tube T, that is, an air valve that functions similarly to the air valve V (see FIGS. 1, 2, and 4) in the present invention. When disposed, the air pressure enclosed via the air valve may be adjusted in level.

  However, in the present invention, since the air pressure in the air chamber A in the fork main body can be raised or lowered by the air sealing jig J described later, the air valve is re-applied to the cap member 11, that is, the vehicle body side tube T. It can be said that it does not have to be arranged at the upper end.

  If the cap member 11 does not have an air valve, the configuration of the cap member 11 can be simplified. For example, the cost of parts can be reduced, or an adjuster for adjusting a damping force, or a suspension can be used. Advantages such as making it easy to provide an adjuster for adjusting the spring force of the spring are produced.

  On the other hand, the fork main body has a damper (not shown) inside the reservoir for accommodating the working fluid, which is not shown, and this damper is, for example, a vehicle body when set upright. The tip end side portion of the rod body, which is the upper end side member suspended from the shaft core portion of the side tube T, is inserted into the cylinder body, which is the lower end side member erected on the shaft core portion of the wheel side tube, so as to enter and exit. .

  Therefore, in the air chamber A in the fork main body, although not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rod body is positioned on the shaft core portion, and the damper is inverted. When set, the cylinder body is positioned on the shaft core portion of the air chamber A instead of the rod body.

  By the way, in the damper disposed in the shaft core part of the fork main body, the piston body of the housing has a damping means slidable in the cylinder body, as is the case with the damper of the kind thereabouts, Therefore, when the rod side chamber defined by the piston body in the cylinder body and the piston side chamber communicate with each other through the damping means, a predetermined damping action is realized.

  The above is the basic configuration of the front fork according to the present invention. However, the illustrated embodiment has the following configuration.

  That is, the front fork of the present invention has the air sealing jig J and the air sealing jig J includes an air valve V that can be separated from the air supply / discharge source. In addition, a configuration in which the air-sealing jig J is equipped is taken into consideration so that it cannot be easily seen by an outside viewer.

  Therefore, in the following, this air enclosing jig J will be described, and at the same time, consideration will be given to the fact that the state equipped with the air enclosing jig J cannot be easily seen by external viewers. To do.

  First, in the front fork of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the upper ends of the left and right fork main bodies are connected by an air enclosing jig J, and the air enclosing jig J is connected to the left and right fork main bodies. An air valve having an air passage L communicating with the air chamber A in the inside, and is detachably connected to an air supply / discharge source (not shown) such as an air pump disposed outside the left and right fork bodies. V is included.

  Incidentally, the air valve V is configured in the same manner as an air valve known so far, and when an air supply / discharge source is connected, an air between the air supply / discharge source and the air chamber A in the fork main body is provided. The air supplied to the air chamber A in the fork main body is enclosed by the so-called shut-off operation when the air supply / discharge source is separated, and the enclosed air leaks to the outside. Stop.

  Incidentally, in the present invention, the air supply / exhaust source connected to the air valve V is not mounted on the two-wheeled vehicle and is placed outside so-called outside. Therefore, for example, it is disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above. Thus, compared to the case where the motorcycle is always equipped with an air supply / exhaust source, there is no need to consider a so-called layout in the motorcycle. Therefore, in that sense, the air sealing jig J according to the present invention is added to the existing motorcycle in that sense. There is an advantage that it is easy to provide.

  Further, in the present invention, the air sealing jig J is disposed at the upper ends of the left and right fork main bodies. Therefore, the headlights, windshields, Since the shielding object C such as a plate is arranged in the vicinity, it is not easily visible to the outside viewer that the air sealing jig J is provided at the upper ends of the left and right fork bodies.

  More specifically, the air sealing jig J shown in FIG. 1 is basically composed of a hose 1, that is, a flexible pressure-resistant hose formed of, for example, a rubber material. An air valve V is provided at the base end portion.

  In the air sealing jig J, the hose 1 has an air passage L (see FIGS. 3 and 4) inside, and the air passage L is connected to the air chamber A in one and the other fork main body. Communicate.

  At this time, in the air-sealing jig J, a so-called right and left branch is branched at an intermediate portion from the base end portion to the tip end portion, and each of the branched tip ends is a vehicle body side tube T in one and the other fork main body. It is connected to the upper end of the.

  In the air sealing jig J, the tip of the hose 1 is disposed at the shaft core portion of the cap member 11 that closes the upper end opening of the vehicle body side tube T, or at a portion that is eccentric from the shaft core portion. The air valve is removed and connected to the mounting hole after being removed.

  From this, when the front fork has an air valve at the upper end, the air sealing jig J according to the present invention is attached to the fork main body by so-called retrofitting using the mounting hole that appears by removing the air valve. Provided.

  However, in view of the function of the air sealing jig J, it goes without saying that the air sealing jig J may be attached to the fork main body when the front fork is shipped.

  However, in the air sealing jig J of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, when the air valve is provided at the upper end portion of the vehicle body side tube T constituting the fork main body, the air valve is removed, Since it becomes possible to connect the front-end | tip part in the enclosure jig | tool J, ie, the front-end | tip part of a hose, there exists an advantage which makes it easy to use the air enclosure jig | tool J. FIG.

  Therefore, in the air sealing jig J of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the air chambers A in the pair of fork main bodies are communicated with each other via the air passage communicating with the air valve V. The air pressure in the air chamber A is the same.

  Therefore, in the air sealing jig J, an air supply / discharge source is connected to the air valve V of the air sealing jig J, and air from the air supply / discharge source is supplied to the air chamber A in the fork main body. At this time, the air pressure in the air chamber A in the fork main body is increased.

  In the air sealing jig J, contrary to the above, when air is discharged from the air chamber A in the fork main body via the air valve V, the air pressure in the air chamber A in the fork main body is lowered. To do.

  Incidentally, when the air pressure in the air chamber A in the fork main body increases, the increased air pressure in the air chamber A increases the tube reaction force that extends the fork main body, and conversely in the air chamber A in the fork main body. When the air pressure decreases, the reduced air pressure in the air chamber A reduces the tube reaction force that extends the fork body.

  In the above-described embodiment, the air valve V provided at the base end portion of the hose 1 is provided in a so-called lateral direction by bending the base end portion of the hose 1 from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction. Instead of this, although not shown, the base end portion of the hose 1 may not be bent in the horizontal direction, and thus may be provided so-called downward.

  FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 to be described later each show an air sealing jig J according to another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the fork body has, for example, an air valve at the upper end. Regardless of whether or not

  However, when the air sealing jig J of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 described later is used, the thickness of the vehicle body side tube T is set to the upper end of the vehicle body side tube T constituting the fork body. It is essential to provide a through hole T1 penetrating in the direction.

  To describe sequentially, first, the air sealing jig J of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 has an annular body 2 that is integrally connected to the upper ends of one and the other fork main bodies by an appropriate connection structure such as a key structure. The annular body 2 has an air passage L communicating with the air chamber A in the fork main body and opening to the outside (see FIG. 3).

  Incidentally, the annular body 2 is disposed immediately below the upper bracket B1, and has an appropriate connection structure such as the above-described key structure in which the lower end side portion is engaged with the lower end of the upper bracket B1. Thus, it is integrally connected to the outer periphery of the vehicle body side tube T.

Then, the annular body 2, as shown in FIG. 3, the tip portion of the air passage L, that is, composed by connecting the tip of the hose 3 in SEQ設下connector 4 at the open end which opens to the outside.

  On the other hand, in this air enclosing jig J, the hose 3 is formed in the same configuration as in the embodiment of FIG. 1, and has the connector 4 at the tip, so that it is substantially T-shaped. 2, that is, the tip end side is branched to form an air passage (not shown) inside, and an air valve V is provided at the base end portion as the lower end portion in FIG. 2.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the annular body 2 has an airtight seal 6 that is accommodated in an annular groove 5 formed on the upper and lower sides of the inner peripheral portion and is in sliding contact with the outer periphery of the vehicle body side tube T. Between the upper and lower seals 6, a communication hole T 1 that is opened at the upper end of the vehicle body side tube T and communicates with the passage L is opened.

  Therefore, in the air sealing jig J of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the air chambers in the pair of fork bodies via the air passage L of the annular body 2 and the air passage in the hose 3. Since A is communicated, the air pressure in the air chamber A in the pair of fork bodies is made the same.

  In the air sealing jig J, when an air supply / discharge source is connected to the air valve V provided in the hose 3 and air from the air supply / discharge source is supplied to the air chamber A in the fork main body, The air pressure in the air chamber A in the fork main body increases, and the increased air pressure in the air chamber A increases the tube reaction force that extends the fork main body.

  Further, in the air sealing jig J, when air is discharged from the air chamber A in the fork main body via the air valve V, the air pressure in the air chamber A in the fork main body is reduced. The tube reaction force in the fork main body can be reduced.

  The air sealing jig J of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is formed in a bridge body in which the annular body 2 in the air sealing jig J shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and a portion connecting the annular bodies 2 are integrally formed. It becomes.

  That is, the air sealing jig J shown in FIG. 4 includes an annular body portion 7 connected to an upper end portion of one and the other fork main bodies in an airtight structure, and a connecting portion that integrally connects the left and right annular body portions 7. 8 and.

  Incidentally, the annular body portion 7 is connected to the upper end portion of the fork main body in an airtight structure under the arrangement of the seal 6 (see FIG. 3), similarly to the annular body 2 shown in FIGS.

  An air passage L is provided between the left and right annular body portions 7 and the connecting portion 8 continuous thereto, and both end portions of the air passage L are connected to the air chamber A inside the vehicle body side tube T to the vehicle body side tube T. It communicates through the open communication hole T1.

  The communication hole T1 is positioned between the upper and lower seals 6 as in the case of the embodiment shown in FIGS.

  In addition, an air valve V is provided at the central portion of the connecting portion 8, and the air valve V extends in a so-called horizontal direction in which the axial direction is a direction crossing the axial direction of the fork main body.

  Of course, the axial direction of the air valve V may be in any direction as long as the air supply / discharge source can be connected to the air valve V.

  Further, with respect to the air passage L described above, for example, from the outside of one annular body portion 7 which is the right side in FIG. 4, the one annular body portion 7 and the connecting portion 8 are penetrated in FIG. 4. Although formed to the other annular body portion 7 on the left side, a steel ball as a sealing plug is press-fitted into the passage L portion of the one annular body portion 7, and the passage L and the outside are blocked.

  Therefore, even in the air sealing jig J of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the air chamber A in the pair of fork bodies is communicated via the air passage L included in the annular body portion 7 and the connecting portion 8. The air pressure in the air chamber A in the pair of fork bodies is made the same.

  In the air sealing jig J, when an air supply / discharge source is connected to the air valve V provided at the connecting portion 8 and air from the air supply / discharge source is supplied to the air chamber A in the fork main body. The air pressure in the air chamber A in the fork main body increases, and the increased air pressure in the air chamber A increases the tube reaction force that extends the fork main body.

  In the air sealing jig J, contrary to the above, when air is discharged from the air chamber A in the fork main body via the air valve V, the air pressure in the air chamber A in the fork main body is lowered. Therefore, the tube reaction force in the fork main body can be reduced.

  Next, in the present invention, it is assumed that the air valve V described above is positioned on the back side which is the seat side of the two-wheeled vehicle at the upper end sides of the left and right fork main bodies. Consideration is given so that the viewer cannot easily see the state of being present.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 described above, the air valve V in the air sealing jig J is positioned on the back side which is the seat side (not shown) of the two-wheeled vehicle at the upper end side portions of the left and right fork bodies. .

  Therefore, if the two-wheeled vehicle is viewed from the outside from the front of the two-wheeled vehicle toward the two-wheeled rear wheel, the air sealing jig J is provided on the back side of the upper end portion of the fork main body and the air valve V is provided. I cannot see that.

  In other words, when the motorcycle is viewed from the front of the motorcycle toward the rear wheel of the motorcycle, a headlight is installed near the upper end of the front fork or a windshield is provided. In that case, a bib plate is provided.

  For this reason, the above-mentioned headlight or bib plate becomes a shielding object C, so that the state of the back side at the upper end side portion of the fork main body is not easily seen.

  Therefore, in the two-wheeled vehicle embodying the present invention, the air sealing jig J is provided on the back side of the two-wheeled vehicle seat side at the upper end sides of the left and right fork bodies, and the air sealing is performed. The state with the air valve V in the jig J cannot be easily visually recognized by an external viewer.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, it is not possible to visually recognize that the air sealing jig J is disposed from the outside looking at the rear wheel side of the two-wheeled vehicle from the front of the two-wheeled vehicle. There is no sense of incongruity caused by visually recognizing that the tool J is disposed.

  And, a rider of a motorcycle can board the motorcycle without feeling uncomfortable due to an outside observer due to the fact that the air sealing jig J is disposed on the front fork. .

  In the above description, the air sealing jig J has been described as being provided separately from the upper bracket B1 constituting the bridge mechanism. However, in view of the function of the air sealing jig J of the present invention, in particular, FIG. The air sealing jig J may be substituted for the upper bracket B1.

1,3 Hose 2 Annular body 4 Connector 5 Annular groove 6 Seal 7 Annular body part 8 Connecting part 9 Steel ball 11 Cap member A Air chamber B1 Upper bracket B2 Under bracket C Shield J Air sealing jig L Air passage S Steering shaft T Car body side tube T1 Communication hole V Air valve

Claims (4)

In the front fork having a fork main body composed of a vehicle body side tube and a wheel side tube arranged in a pair of left and right on the front wheel side of the two-wheeled vehicle, and having an air chamber in the fork main body arranged in the left and right pair,
The upper ends of the left and right fork bodies are connected with an air sealing jig,
The air sealing jig includes an air valve,
The air valve is provided at the base end portion, and includes an air passage that branches at the middle portion and communicates with the air chamber in the left and right fork bodies,
A front fork which the air valve is characterized by comprising positioned on the back side of the motorcycle seat side of the upper side of the left and right fork bodies. The air filled jig, inside a said air passage, with a bridge member for integrally connecting the upper end portions of the left and right fork bodies, and the air valve provided at the center of the bridge body The front fork according to claim 1. The air sealing jig is an annular body connected to the upper ends of the left and right fork bodies ,
A hose that is branched at the intermediate portion, and each branched tip is connected to the annular body,
The air valve provided at the base end of the hose,
The front fork according to claim 1, wherein an air passage is formed by the inside of the annular body and the hose . The shield that prevents the visibility from the outside of the air enclosed jig to the upper end side of the left and right fork bodies was close arrangement, the shield is headlight, claim 1 comprising a windshield or number plate 3 The front fork as described in any one of .

Images