JP5926434B1 - Chest support mechanism and chest support mechanism integrated frame - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a mechanism and a frame that enable a posture with low air resistance and high-output traveling at the same time. In a bicycle having a top tube 6 in a frame structure, a base 1 of a chest support mechanism is fixed to the top tube 6, a support 2 is fixed to the base 1, and a chest support base 3 is fixed to the support 2 to support the chest. Configure the mechanism. Further, the support part 4 is fixed to the base 1 or the support column 2, and the arm rest 5 is fixed to the support part 4, so that the aero bar 14 can be supported. Further, a support 2 is fixed to a frame in which the base 1 of the chest support mechanism is integrally molded, and a chest support pedestal 3 is fixed to the support 2 to constitute a chest support mechanism. Furthermore, the support part 4 is fixed to the frame or the support 2 in which the base is integrally formed, and the arm rest 5 is fixed to the support part 4 so that the aero bar 14 can be supported. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a mechanism for assisting a riding posture of a light vehicle.

  It is known to use a design that takes into account aerodynamics in recent bicycles, particularly bicycles of the kind called light vehicles. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a frame using aerodynamic-shaped pipes.

  In designing a light vehicle, the most demanding issue is running resistance. Running resistance consists of three elements: air resistance, friction resistance, and mechanical resistance. In an experiment analyzing the resistance generated while a bicycle is running, it has been found that when the speed exceeds 30 km / h, 80% or more of the running resistance becomes air resistance. Furthermore, since the ratio of the front projected area during travel is 30% for the vehicle and 70% for the body, a vehicle corresponding to a posture with low air resistance has been studied.

  At the same time, research is also underway to reduce air resistance by adding an auxiliary mechanism to the vehicle instead of the vehicle itself. For example, the use of an aero bar added on the handle facilitates a deep forward tilting posture in which both arms are aligned and project forward, and the front projection area is reduced by 25% from the normal posture.

  Further, according to the experiment of the effect of the aero bar, it is known that when traveling at a speed of 40 km / h, the power in the normal posture requires 400 w or more, whereas in the posture using the aero bar, 300 w is sufficient. As described above, in order to make it easier to drive at high speeds in recent years, the number of designs for improving the riding posture in addition to the improvement of the vehicle body shape is increasing.

  JP-A-5-213254

  However, conventional bicycles are designed to run in a sitting position, and are not considered to run stably for a long time in a posture of raising the waist from the saddle. For example, there is a sprint running method that rises from the saddle. The sprint running method is the most high-powered running method that lifts the hips from the saddle, puts the weight on the crank and runs the crank, and is as effective as improving the posture as a measure against air resistance.

  In normal running, the weight balances the force that holds the vehicle and the force that supports the body of the vehicle, and the center of gravity does not move. On the other hand, in the sprint running method, it is necessary to keep the center of gravity of the body in the air in order to rise from the saddle. At this time, since the center of gravity moves to the rowing leg, the body is prevented from moving by tilting the vehicle to the side opposite to the stepping on. Thereby, the center of gravity is maintained at the center with respect to the travel line. In addition, a force to pull the steering wheel is applied when the vehicle that has finished tilting is returned to the opposite side, and the force to push the foot against the pedal is increased.

  However, the sprint running method has the following adverse effects that do not occur in normal running. By alternately tilting the vehicle, frictional resistance with the road surface and mechanical resistance due to overload on the vehicle increase. When the vehicle body is continuously tilted to the left and right, the trajectory meanders and energy loss occurs with respect to straight movement. Furthermore, since it is necessary to maintain the lower body that exercises as much as possible in the air with the strength of the upper body, it becomes intense whole body exercise. In addition, since the vehicle is tilted quickly and alternately, a deep forward leaning posture is difficult, and the air resistance increases because both elbows are open to the outside. Due to these disadvantages, the sprint running method can be accelerated rapidly, but it is a running method that is limited to a short time due to heavy exhaustion of physical strength.

  The important thing in designing a light vehicle is to reduce the air resistance of the vehicle by improving the frame shape, to make it a vehicle shape that allows a posture with low air resistance, and to control the acceleration / deceleration with easy switching of running methods There are things such as making it a free structure. The most important thing is to design a balanced vehicle that does not fail while taking advantage of each of these multiple elements. In other words, in addition to including elements that impair straight-line stability in vehicle behavior, Sprint is a running method that can be used only for a short time because it consumes physical strength suddenly, so it is difficult to design a vehicle optimized for this. is there.

  An object of the present invention is to achieve both a straight running without meandering and high output in the sprint running method by assisting the riding posture, and at the same time, enabling a forward leaning posture with less air resistance.

  In a bicycle having a top tube in a frame structure, a chest support mechanism comprising a base of a chest support mechanism, a support fixed to the base, and a chest support base fixed to the support is fixed on the top tube. The struts are adjustable as a single body or a composite structure. A support part is fixed to the base or the support column, and an arm rest is fixed to the support part. In addition, the chest support mechanism is configured by adopting a frame design in which the base is integrally formed on the top tube and by allowing the support column to be directly fixed to the frame. A support part is fixed to the frame-integrated base or the support column, and an arm rest is fixed to the support part.

  In the present invention, since the base portion is integrally or additionally fixed to the top tube of the vehicle, the entire fixed chest support mechanism is integrated with the vehicle and does not move during traveling. When the mechanism is used, the support position of the chest is fixed in the vicinity of the upper space of the handle beyond the head tube, a deep forward tilting posture is possible, and it is not necessary to support the upper body with only the arm, so that the posture is not increased. Furthermore, since the body is supported by the vehicle and does not move in the center of gravity and travels stably, there is no change in posture that causes air resistance. For these reasons, when the chest support mechanism is used, the front projection area is reduced, so that traveling with less air resistance than usual is possible.

  When the present invention is used, the posture can be maintained with less energy because there is no need to tilt the vehicle left and right and to support the upper body with only the arms without moving the center of gravity. Also, in normal sprints, if a strong stepping is performed, it is necessary to push down the body that rises against the increase of running resistance with muscle strength, but the mechanism acts as a tension rod and requires less muscle strength to offset the resilience That's it. In addition, the air resistance increases in proportion to the square of the speed, so the required energy also increases abruptly. However, if the mechanism is used, the posture with a small front projection area can be maintained, so that the energy consumption is kept low. Can do. For these reasons, when the chest support mechanism is used, energy efficiency can be improved as the speed increases because energy-saving running can be maintained.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to perform pedaling in which different elements of high-speed rotation with less force and torque rotation with force are combined in a balanced manner. Normally, the position of the pedal that can apply force to the crank is in the range from 1 o'clock to 4 o'clock of the watch, but since the chest support mechanism supports the upper body like a strut bar, the kick leg can be used from 4 o'clock. It is possible to apply force even in the 7 o'clock range. Further, unlike the forward leaning posture in the seating posture, it does not become cramped, so no unnecessary force is applied to pedaling. Further, when the stepped-off foot comes at 7 o'clock, the opposite foot reaches 1 o'clock of the stepping-starting point, so that pedaling can be easily maintained and high-speed rotation is easy. Furthermore, since the upper body is fixed, the kinetic energy generated by the muscles from the upper body to the toes is transmitted to the crank without escape. For these reasons, when the chest support mechanism is used, pedaling of a heavy gear can be maintained at a high speed with less force than usual, so that a high-speed traveling equivalent to a sprint can be performed for a long time.

  Even a vehicle using the present invention can be in a normal running posture, and can be switched to a forward leaning posture using a chest support mechanism at an arbitrary timing. In other words, since the posture can be switched according to the situation such as uphill, downhill, or sharp curve, the running is moderated and efficient pedaling is maintained. From the above, when the chest support mechanism is used, running in a high speed range is stabilized, and balanced and flexible running is possible, so that the potential of the vehicle and itself can be maximized.

It is a general view of a chest support mechanism. It is a side view of the bicycle which fixed the chest support mechanism on the top tube of a frame. It is a side view of the bicycle assembled using the chest support mechanism integrated frame. It is the side and front view of the riding posture which carries out normal driving in a light vehicle. It is the side and front view of the riding posture which performs a sprint run in a light vehicle. It is the side and front view of the riding posture which uses an aero bar in a light vehicle. It is the side and front view of the riding posture which uses a chest support mechanism in a light vehicle. FIG. 4 is a side and front view of a riding posture using a chest support mechanism and an aero bar together in a light vehicle.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows the entire chest support mechanism. The base 1 of the chest support mechanism is fixed to the top tube 6 with a band or the like. When the support 2 is fixed to the base 1 at an arbitrary angle and the chest support base 3 is fixed to the upper end of the support 2, a chest support mechanism is configured. The support column 2 can be extended and contracted, and the angle of the support 3 can be adjusted back and forth so that the support 3 can be moved to the vicinity of the upper space of the handle 10 in front of the top tube 7 by devising a fixing method.

  Equipped with the following parts that are effective when using the Aerobar together. It is assumed that the aero bar 14 and the elbow support 12 are fixed to the handle 10 by a fixing tool 13. The support part 4 is fixed to the base 1 and the arm rest 5 is fixed to the support part 4. At this time, the spacer 8 may be used for height adjustment. The spacer 8 may have a plurality of heights. The fixing position of the arm rest 5 can be moved back and forth and right and left so that the arm rest 5 hits the inner side of the forearm when the aero bar is used. Since the upper body is stabilized by holding the arm rest 5 between both arms, the support part 4, the spacer 8, and the arm rest 5 are firmly fixed to each other with a material having sufficient strength.

    The support part 4 may be configured to have a shape that matches the shape of the base, such as a left and right independent type, in addition to an integrated type. When the support part 4 is a left and right independent type, it may be fixed to the left and right side surfaces of the base 1. The support part 4 may be fixed to the support 2. When using the arm rest 5, the movement of the forearm is limited, but it is possible to cut the handle angle by the movement of the wrist, and if it is not a sharp curve, it will bend while keeping the sprint running by the chest support mechanism Is possible.

  FIG. 2 shows a bicycle in which an additional fixed chest support mechanism is mounted on the top tube 6 of the bicycle. The chest support mechanism is fixed to the bicycle by fixing the base 1 of the chest support mechanism to the top tube 6 of the bicycle, fixing the column 2 to the base 1, and fixing the chest support base 3 to the column 2. The following parts are equipped when using an aero bar. The support part 4 is fixed to the base 1 or the column 2, and at this time, a spacer 8 is used as necessary. The arm rest 5 is fixed to the support part 4. The fixing method and effect of the arm rest 5 are the same as those described in FIG.

  FIG. 3 shows a bicycle using a frame 11 with an integrated base, and a chest support mechanism fixed thereto. A chest support mechanism is configured by fixing the support column 2 to the frame 11 integrally formed with the base, and further fixing the chest support base 3 to the support column 2. The following parts are equipped when using an aero bar. The support part 4 is fixed to the frame 11 or the column 2 in which the foundation is integrally formed. At this time, the spacer 8 is used as necessary. The arm rest 5 is fixed to the support part 4. The fixing method and effect of the arm rest 5 are the same as those described in FIG.

  FIG. 4 shows a normal riding posture of a light vehicle. Fig. 4 (a) showing the normal riding posture from the side shows the most relaxed state when the upper body is raised, but when combined with Fig. 4 (b) showing the normal riding posture from the front, the front projected area of the body is shown. It can be confirmed that the posture is easily affected by air resistance.

  FIG. 5 shows the running posture of a sprint in a light vehicle. In Fig. 5 (a), the posture of the sprint is seen from the side. In sprinting, one gear pedal is switched to a heavy gear to rotate many rear wheels. However, pedaling with weight increases the repulsion force from the pedal, making it difficult to pad at high speed. Therefore, sprinting is possible by using the power of the upper body. When the sprint posture is viewed from the front, FIG. 5B shows that the vehicle body is inclined with respect to the ground. In FIG. 5 (b), the body is pulled to the left with both arms, and the force to press the foot against the pedal is applied by tilting the body opposite to the right foot to be stepped on. As a result, heavy gears that can only be rotated at low speeds are usually run at high speed. However, comparing Fig. 5 (b) with Fig. 4 (b), in Fig. 5 (b), the elbows project sideways and the vehicle body moves left and right repeatedly, so that the movement of the body increases and the front projection area repeatedly fluctuates. Therefore, it turns out that there is much air resistance. That is, although the sprint running method is capable of high speed running, it has a high air resistance and consumes a lot of energy, so that it can be confirmed that it is a running method aimed at acceleration only for a short time.

  FIG. 6 shows a riding posture using an aero bar for a light vehicle. An aero bar formed by mounting the elbow rest 12 and the aero bar 14 to the fixing tool 13 is fixed to the handle 10. FIG. 6A shows a riding posture using an aerobar as viewed from the side, and the forward leaning posture can be easily achieved by placing the elbow on the elbow rest 12 and grasping the aero bar 14. When the ride posture using the aero bar is seen from the front as seen in FIG. 6 (b) and FIG. 6 (a), it can be confirmed that the use of the aero bar has various advantages. First, when the elbow is put on the elbow rest 12, the weight of the upper body is dispersed and supported, so that the physical burden is reduced. In addition, the posture of the upper body is stabilized because the number of support points on the upper body is increased to four in the elbow and hand. In addition, since it is easy to maintain the forward leaning posture, the vehicle travels with less air resistance. Comparing FIG. 6B and FIG. 4B, it can be seen that the frontal projection area of the body is greatly reduced. From these facts, it can be confirmed that the use of the aero bar is effective for high-speed traveling.

  FIG. 7 shows a running posture using a chest support mechanism in a light vehicle. The base 1 of the chest support mechanism is fixed to the top tube 6 of the bicycle, the support 2 is fixed to the base 1, and the chest support pedestal 3 is fixed to the support 2 to constitute the chest support mechanism. When the posture using the chest support mechanism is viewed from the side, it can be confirmed that the base 3 supports the chest near the upper space of the handle beyond the top tube 7. In FIG. 4 (b), the upper body weight is supported by the support mechanism in FIG. 7 (b) as opposed to the upper body being supported by the arm, and the upper body is stabilized by attracting the chest to the base 3 with the arm. Therefore, it can be seen that the burden on the arm is reduced. Comparing FIG. 5 (b) and FIG. 7 (b), it can be confirmed that FIG. 7 (b) has a stable behavior and therefore has a small front projection area and no change in posture. From these facts, it can be confirmed that the chest support mechanism is more energy efficient than a normal sprint.

  FIG. 8 shows a running posture in which the chest support mechanism and the aero bar are used together. The base 1 of the chest support mechanism is fixed to the top tube 6 of the bicycle, the support 2 is fixed to the base 1, and the chest support pedestal 3 is fixed to the support 2 to constitute the chest support mechanism. Assume that the fixture 13 is fixed to the handle 10 and the elbow support 12 and the aero bar 14 are fixed to the fixture 13. The support part 4 is fixed to the base 1 of the chest support mechanism. At this time, a spacer 8 is used as necessary. The arm rest 5 is fixed to the support part 4. The fixing position of the arm rest 5 can be moved back and forth and right and left so that the arm rest 5 hits the inner side of the forearm when the aero bar is used. 8 (a) (b) and 7 (a) (b), where the posture using the chest support mechanism and the aero bar together are viewed from the side. In FIG. 8, the forearm is horizontal and the air is aligned in front of the chest. It can be seen that there is little resistance. Comparing Fig. 8 (a) and Fig. 5 (a), Fig. 8 (a) shows that the support of the chest is increased and the upper body is supported at 7 places. You can see how the kinetic energy of the lower body is transmitted to the crank without escaping. Comparing FIG. 8 with FIGS. 1 to 7, it can be seen that the front projected area of the body is greatly reduced in a light vehicle, and that the upper body is integrated with the vehicle, enabling energy efficient travel. From these facts, it can be confirmed that the present invention is a mechanism capable of achieving both forward leaning posture with low air resistance and high output pedaling in combination with the aero bar.

1: Base of chest support mechanism 2: Support column 3: Chest support base 4: Support parts 5: Armrest 6: Top tube of bicycle 7: Head tube 8: Spacer 9: Stem 10: Handle 11: Base is integrally formed Frame 12: Elbow holder 13: Fixing tool 14: Aero bar

Claims (2)

A base that can be fixed on a top tube of a bicycle, a support that is fixed to the base, and a chest support base that is fixed to the support , and includes an arm rest that holds both arms on the base or the support, and is tilted forward. Chest support mechanism characterized by sometimes supporting the chest. It consists of a base integrally molded on the top tube of the bicycle, a support fixed to the base, and a chest support base fixed to the support , and includes an arm rest that holds both arms on the base or the support, Chest support mechanism integrated frame characterized by supporting the chest.