JP6366011B2 - Bicycle suspension - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a bicycle suspension, and in particular, a road bike, a city cycle, and an electric motor provided on a handle column and a saddle column in order to suppress vibration transmitted to a rider through the handle column and saddle column from an impact received by a front wheel and a rear wheel. The present invention relates to a bicycle suspension suitable for an assist bicycle.

  Conventionally, bicycles such as road bikes, city cycles, and electrically assisted bicycles are equipped with suspensions for absorbing shock transmitted from the front and rear wheels to the handlebars and saddles when traveling. It has been. For example, in Patent Document 1, a long bolt that is vertically movable on the same axial center in a pair of upper and lower cylindrical members that are inserted in a mutually stretchable manner is provided in a bearing fixed in the upper cylindrical member. The upper end portion is slidably supported, and the lower end portion is supported by a ring-shaped support base fixed in the lower cylindrical member so as to be screwed together. A coil spring for biasing the long bolt upward is disposed between the long bolt and the upper and lower cylindrical members, and a pair of upper and lower rotation stop holders are fixed to the upper and lower cylindrical members, and the upper and lower rotation stop holders Strength provided with anti-rotation mechanism consisting of guide rails that are slidable in guide holes formed in either or both ends of the opposite rotation stop holder fixed to either or both ends of the A “bicycle suspension” that is strong and excellent in stability is disclosed.

JP 2011-98715 A

  However, the above-described conventional configuration has high strength and excellent stability, but has a problem that the number of parts such as a rotation-stop holder is large, and the manufacturing man-hours and costs are high.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a suspension that not only has smooth and stable vertical movement while ensuring the strength of the handle column and saddle column, but also has a simpler configuration and reduced manufacturing steps and cost. is there.

  Therefore, a bicycle suspension according to the present invention is a bicycle suspension for absorbing an impact applied to a wheel, and includes a suspension unit having an upper cylindrical member and a lock unit having a lower cylindrical member, and the upper and lower cylindrical members. The suspension unit is fitted to each other so as to be movable up and down, and the suspension unit includes a bearing fixed to the upper inner portion of the upper cylindrical member, a polygonal outer periphery and a cylindrical inner portion slidably inserted into the bearing. A slide shaft having a periphery, a support base for supporting the outer periphery of the lower end portion of the slide shaft through a step, a suspension bolt inserted into the slide shaft, and a suspension extending from the slide shaft and the lower ends of the support base A fixing nut screwed to the tip of the bolt, and a coil inserted on the outer periphery of the slide shaft between the bearing and the support base The lock unit is inserted into the stopper and a ring-shaped stopper fixed in the lower cylindrical member at a predetermined interval from the support base fixed to the upper end portion in the lower cylindrical member. And the head is supported by the stopper, and the tip thereof is a lock bolt that is screwed and fixed to the lock nut. The inner periphery of the bearing is formed in a polygonal shape corresponding to the outer periphery of the slide shaft. On the other hand, the upper cylindrical member is synchronized with the expansion and contraction of the coil spring without rotating and moves up and down.

  The outer periphery of the lower end portion of the slide shaft has a circular shape with a step formed from a polygon, and the opposing wall portion sandwiching the two opposite sides of the outer periphery of the polygon of the slide shaft on the inner peripheral upper end portion of the support base It is preferable that the inner periphery of the support base on the lower side from the facing wall portion has a circular shape in which the circular lower end portion of the slide shaft is fitted.

  In order to ensure smooth vertical movement of the slide shaft, it is preferable to form a lubricating oil storage space for filling lubricating oil between the outer periphery of the slide shaft and the bearing on the inner peripheral surface of the bearing.

It is preferable that the outer periphery of the slide shaft has a hexagonal cross section not only for preventing rotation of the slide shaft but also for strength.

  A cylindrical guide ring having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the fixing nut is provided on the inner periphery of the lower cylindrical member between the support base and the stopper, and the axis of the fixing nut is used as the axis of the suspension bolt. It is preferable to arrange them so that they coincide with each other in order to more smoothly attach the fixing nut to the suspension bolt.

  The bearing, the support base, and the stopper are preferably fixed by spot welding a plurality of small welding holes formed through the peripheral walls of the upper cylindrical member and the lower cylindrical member.

  Moreover, a bearing, a support base, and a stopper can also be fixed with the fixing pin penetrated from the several small through-hole penetrated by the surrounding wall of the upper cylindrical member and the lower cylindrical member. Furthermore, it can be fixed by a bond injected therefrom as a through hole for injecting a bond instead of the fixing pin.

  Further, a rotation blocking rod through hole for inserting a rotation blocking rod for blocking the rotation of the fixing nut is formed in the peripheral wall of the lower cylindrical member between the support base and the guide ring. This is preferable for smoothly screwing and fixing the fixing nut.

  According to the bicycle suspension of the present invention, a slide shaft having an outer periphery with a polygonal cross section and a cylindrical inner periphery is provided, and the inner periphery of the bearing is formed in a polygonal shape corresponding to the outer periphery of the slide shaft. Since the upper cylindrical member is synchronized with the expansion and contraction of the coil spring without rotating with respect to the shaft, it is configured to move up and down, so that the strength of the bicycle handle post and saddle post can be prevented and the strength can be secured. In addition to smooth and stable shock absorption, manufacturing man-hours and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a bicycle suspension according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the suspension separated into a suspension unit and a lock unit. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the spot welding location for fixing a bearing, a support base, and a stopper in the upper and lower cylindrical bodies of the suspension unit and the lock unit. They are a sectional view (a), a longitudinal sectional view (b), and a bottom view (c) of the sliding shaft in (b) showing a state in which the sliding shaft is fitted to the bearing of the suspension unit. . It is the top view (a) of the slide shaft, the longitudinal cross-sectional view (b) which shows the state which fitted the slide shaft to the support base, the bottom view, and a YY arrow directional cross-sectional view (d). It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the suspension unit except a cylindrical member same as the above. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the lock unit. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows a mode that the lock unit is fixed to a lock metal fitting. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which fixes a fixing nut to the suspension bolt. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state by which the coil spring lock volt | bolt was compressed in the lock unit.

  The bicycle suspension according to the present invention is applied to the handle column and the saddle column in order to absorb the impact generated on the front wheel and the rear wheel of the bicycle. As shown in FIG. And a lock unit 200 having a lower cylindrical member 201. The upper and lower cylindrical members 101 and 201 are fitted to each other so as to be movable up and down.

  The suspension unit 100 includes a bearing 102 fixed to an upper portion in the upper cylindrical member 101, a slide shaft 103 having a hexagonal outer periphery and a cylindrical inner periphery that are slidably inserted into the bearing 102. A support base 105 that supports the outer periphery of the lower end of the slide shaft 103 through a step, a suspension bolt 104 inserted into the slide shaft 103, and a suspension that extends from the slide shaft 104 and the lower ends of the support base 105. The fixing nut 107 is fastened to the front end of the bolt 104, and the coil spring 106 is fitted on the outer periphery of the slide shaft 103 between the bearing 102 and the support base 105.

  A washer 104b is disposed between the bearing 102 and the upper end of the slide shaft 103 inserted through the bearing 102 and the suspension bolt head 104a. A hexagonal groove for fitting a hexagonal wrench is formed in the center of the suspension bolt head 104a. A lubricating oil storage space 102a for filling lubricating oil such as grease is formed between the outer periphery of the slide shaft 103 and the inner peripheral side of the upper end of the bearing 102 (see FIG. 4B).

  4A, the inner periphery of the bearing 102 is formed in a hexagonal shape corresponding to the outer periphery of the slide shaft 103, and the upper cylindrical member 101 does not rotate with respect to the slide shaft 103. The coil spring 106 is synchronized with the expansion and contraction to move up and down.

  The outer periphery 103b of the lower end portion of the slide shaft 103 is formed in a circular shape from a hexagonal cross section through a step 103a (see FIG. 4c), and the upper end portion of the inner periphery of the support base 105 is formed as shown in FIG. Opposing wall portions 105b and 105b sandwiching two parallel sides of the hexagonal cross section of the slide shaft 103 are formed, and the inside of the support base 105 below the flat surface 105a between the opposing wall portions 107b and 107b is formed. The circumference is formed in a circular shape into which the circular lower end portion 103b of the slide shaft 103 is fitted. The lower end portion 103b is formed in such a length that the tip does not protrude from the lower end of the support base 105 (see FIG. 5b).

  The support base 105 is fitted and fixed to the upper end portion of the lock unit 200, and the suspension bolt 104 extending from the lower end of the support base 105 is fastened with a fixing nut 107 to fasten the suspension unit 100. And the lock unit 200 are connected.

  The lock unit 200 is inserted into the stopper 202 and a ring-shaped stopper 202 fixed in the lower cylindrical member 201 at a predetermined interval from the support base 105 fixed to the upper end portion in the lower cylindrical member 201. The head 203 a is supported by the stopper 202 and has a lock bolt 203 whose tip is screwed into the lock nut 300. A short cylindrical guide ring 204 having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the fixing nut 107 is provided along the inner peripheral wall surface of the lower cylindrical member 201 between the support base 105 and the stopper 202.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the bearing 102, the support base 105, and the guide ring 202 pass through a plurality of small welding holes 101 a, 201 a, and 202 a on the corresponding peripheral walls in the upper cylindrical member 101 and the lower cylindrical member 201, respectively. Formed and fixed by spot welding.

  FIG. 6 shows a state in which the upper and lower cylindrical members 101 and 201 are excluded from the suspension unit 100, and a coil spring 106 is provided between the bearing 102 and the support base 105 and is attached to the outer periphery of the slide shaft 103 so as to be extendable and contractable. By inserting the suspension bolt 104 into the support base 105 and fastening the tip screw portion with the fixing nut 107, the slide shaft 103 and the suspension bolt 104 are supported by the support base 105. Since 103 is movable up and down in the bearing 102, the slide shaft 103 and the suspension bolt 104 are movable up and down within the extension / contraction range of the coil spring 106. With this configuration, the suspension unit 100 is prevented from rotating about the axis with respect to the lock unit 200 and can only move up and down in synchronization with the expansion and contraction of the coil spring 106.

  In order to assemble the bicycle suspension 1 configured as described above, first, in FIG. 3, the bearing 102 and the stopper 202 are spot welded and fixed to predetermined positions of the upper and lower cylindrical members 101 and 201, respectively. Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the lock bolt 203 is inserted into the stopper 202, the guide ring 204 and the fixing nut 107 are placed on the lock bolt head 203 a on the stopper 202, and the support base 105 is lowered. The cylindrical member 201 is fitted to the upper end portion and spot welded and fixed.

  Next, the lock unit 203 is fixed by fastening the lock bolt 203 to the lock fitting 300. In order to fasten the lock bolt 203 to the lock fitting 300, as shown in FIG. 8, a hexagon wrench W is inserted through the inside of the support base 105 and the fixing nut 107 and fitted into the hexagon groove of the lock bolt head 203a. Rotate and install.

  The suspension unit 100 is attached to the fixed lock unit 200. When the suspension unit 100 in the state shown in FIG. 2 is inserted into the lock unit 200, the lower end of the upper cylindrical member 101 is fitted to the outer periphery of the upper end of the lower cylindrical member 201, and the tip of the suspension bolt 104 passes through the support base 105. Then, the screw hole of the fixing nut 107 is reached. This is fitted into the hexagonal groove of the suspension bolt head 104a using a hexagon wrench and rotated to be fixed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9, the rotation prevention rod P is inserted from the rotation prevention rod through hole 201 c drilled in the lower cylindrical member 201, and the fixing nut 107 is pressed to prevent the rotation of the fixing nut 107. .

  Finally, the upper end opening of the upper cylindrical member 101 is sealed with the sealing cap 108. A screw is cut on the outer periphery of the lower end side of the sealing cap 108, and a corresponding screw is cut on the inner periphery of the upper end portion of the upper cylindrical member 101. A screw hole is formed in the center of the sealing cap 108 and can be sealed by the screw cap 109.

  The bicycle suspension according to the present invention is particularly applicable to road bikes, city cycles, handle columns and saddle columns of electrically assisted bicycles.

1: Suspension device 100: Suspension unit 101: Upper cylindrical member 101a: Weld hole 102: Bearing 102a: Lubricating oil reservoir 103: Slide shaft 104: Suspension bolt 104a: Suspension bolt head 104b: Washer 105: Support base 106: Coil Spring 107: Fixing nut 108: Sealing cap 109: Screw cap 200: Lock unit
201: Lower cylindrical member 201a, 201b: Welding hole 201c: Through hole 202 for rotation prevention rod: Stopper 203: Lock bolt 204: Guide ring 203a: Lock bolt head 300: Lock fitting P: Rotation prevention rod W: Hexagon wrench

Claims (8)

A bicycle suspension for absorbing shocks applied to wheels,
A suspension unit having an upper cylindrical member and a lock unit having a lower cylindrical member, the upper and lower cylindrical members are fitted to each other so as to be movable up and down,
The suspension unit includes a bearing fixed to the upper part of the upper cylindrical member, a slide shaft having a polygonal outer periphery and a cylindrical inner periphery that are slidably inserted into the bearing, and a lower end of the slide shaft. A support base for supporting the outer periphery of the part through a step, a suspension bolt inserted into the slide shaft, and a fixing nut screwed to the tip of the suspension bolt extending from the slide shaft and the lower end of the support base; The coil spring is inserted into the outer periphery of the slide shaft between the bearing and the support base,
The lock unit includes a ring-shaped stopper fixed in the lower cylindrical member at a predetermined interval from the support base fixed to the upper end portion of the lower cylindrical member, and a head portion inserted through the stopper. It consists of a lock bolt that is supported by the stopper and whose tip is screwed into the lock nut.
The inner periphery of the bearing is formed in a polygonal shape corresponding to the outer periphery of the slide shaft, and the upper cylindrical member is synchronized with the expansion and contraction of the coil spring without rotating with respect to the slide shaft so as to move up and down. Bicycle suspension characterized by that.   The outer periphery of the lower end portion of the slide shaft is a circular shape formed with a step from a polygon, and the opposing wall portion sandwiching two opposing sides of the outer periphery of the polygon of the slide shaft on the inner peripheral upper end portion of the support base 2. The bicycle suspension according to claim 1, wherein the inner periphery of the support base on the lower side from the opposing wall portion has a circular shape that fits the circular lower end portion of the slide shaft. .   The bicycle suspension according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bearing is formed with a lubricating oil storage space for filling lubricating oil between the outer periphery of the slide shaft and the bearing at an upper portion of the inner peripheral surface.   The bicycle suspension according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the outer periphery of the slide shaft has a hexagonal cross section.   A cylindrical guide ring having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the fixing nut is provided on the inner periphery of the lower cylindrical member between the support base and the stopper, and the axis of the fixing nut is used as the axis of the suspension bolt. The bicycle suspension according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bicycle suspension is arranged so as to coincide with each other. To claim 5, characterized in that the formation of the rotation preventing rod through hole for inserting the rotation prevention rod for preventing rotation of the fixing nut to the peripheral wall of the lower cylindrical member between said supporting base and said guide ring Bicycle suspension as described. The bearing, the support base, and stopper, to any one of claims 1-6, wherein a plurality of small welding hole formed through the peripheral wall of the upper cylindrical member and lower cylindrical member is fixed by spot welding Bicycle suspension as described. The bearing, the support base, and stopper, claim, characterized in that it is fixed by the fixing pins that are screwed from the plurality of small threaded holes formed through the peripheral wall of the upper cylindrical member and lower cylindrical member 1-7 A bicycle suspension according to any one of the above.

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