JP7313593B1 - Brake equipment for bicycles and electric bicycles - Google Patents

Abstract

Kind Code: A1 The present invention provides a brake device which is installed at both ends of a handlebar of a bicycle or the like, is easy to operate to stop the running of the bicycle or the like, and can perform a reliable braking operation. SOLUTION: The tip side of a brake wire 4 whose base end side is fixed to a brake mechanism arranged near the front and rear wheels of a bicycle or the like is connected to the base end of a brake lever 3 connected to both tip parts of a handlebar 2. A pair of brake devices 1 connected to both ends of handlebars 2 in a deployable manner, such as a bicycle brake device 1, which deploys the base end side of the brake lever 3 by pushing down the brake lever 3, and brakes the front and rear wheels by the brake mechanism. a pair of connectors 5 for unfoldably connecting the distal end face of the handlebar 2 and the proximal end face of the brake lever 3; It consists of a brake wire end locking portion that holds the [Selection drawing] Fig. 1

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a brake device that is installed at both ends of the handlebars of a bicycle and an electric bicycle (hereinafter referred to as a bicycle) and that can stop the running of the bicycle.

A typical bicycle brake is a mechanism in which the brake wire is pulled by pulling the brake levers attached to both ends of the handle toward the user using the grip of the hand, and the pulling force of the brake wire acts on the brake mechanism provided on the wheel to stop the rotation of the wheel. Since the bicycle can be stopped by a simple operation of gripping the brake lever, there is an advantage that the operation is easy to understand.

However, since the brake is operated by gripping the brake lever with some fingers while the driver is driving, there is a risk that an accident cannot be prevented if sufficient force is not applied or the operation is delayed in an emergency.

Various braking devices have been disclosed to prevent such accidents. For example, an inner wall surface having a through hole formed therein, a notched cylindrical outer wall surface separated from the inner wall surface and having a slit partly opened in the circumferential direction, the fixing portion being able to accommodate and fix the handle in the through hole, a winding portion having a curved shape, which is housed in a hollow portion formed between the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface so as to be rotatable with respect to the handle, is fixed to the other end of the brake wire, and winds the brake wire in the circumferential direction around the handle, and the winding portion is configured in a curved shape through the slit. A brake device is disclosed that includes an operating portion formed from a protruding operating lever that is connected to a portion and is movable along the slit (see Patent Document 1).

The brake device is attached to the ends of left and right handlebars of a bicycle, and is connected to the other end of a brake wire, one end of which is fixed to a brake mechanism disposed near a wheel, and the other end of the brake wire is pulled so that the wheel is braked by the brake mechanism. A brake device has been disclosed that includes a fixing portion that is fixed by pressing and fixing, and a winding portion that is arranged around the axis of the fixing portion and winds the other end side of the brake wire to wind it in the circumferential direction, and has an operation portion formed of a projecting operation lever having vertical mobility about the center of the cross section of the handle (see Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent No. 6558647 Utility Model Registration No. 3206393

However, the brake device of Patent Document 1 is a brake device in which an operation lever is attached to the vicinity of the end of the handle so that the circumference of the outer circumference of the handle is rotatably held, and the operation lever is rotated upward or downward with both hands while gripping the handle. In this case, it is necessary to hold the operation lever with the palm at all times while riding the bicycle. Compared with the conventional case where only the handle is held, there is a problem that not only does the palm feel uncomfortable, but also the handle operation becomes unstable.

On the other hand, the operating portion of the brake device of Patent Document 2 is formed of a hollow cylindrical body having a circular bottom surface at one end and an open end at the other end, and has a projecting columnar shaft on the central region of the circular bottom surface. As with Patent Document 1, this brake device also requires the user to hold the operation lever with the palm of the hand at all times while riding the bicycle.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is a bicycle braking device in which the distal end of a brake wire whose proximal end is fixed to a brake mechanism disposed near the front and rear wheels of a bicycle is connected to the proximal end of a brake lever connected to both distal ends of the handlebar of the bicycle, and the brake lever is pushed down to expand the proximal end of the brake lever, whereby the braking operation is performed on the front and rear wheels by the brake mechanism.

That is, it is composed of a pair of brake levers connected to both ends of the handlebar in a deployable manner, a pair of connectors for deployably connecting the distal end surface of the handlebar and the proximal end surface of the brake lever, and a wire end receiving portion provided on the proximal side outer peripheral portion of the brake lever to hold the distal end of the brake wire.

The connecting member is composed of a handlebar holding side tube and a brake lever holding side tube, and the circumferential surface where the handlebar holding side tube and the brake lever holding side tube abut against each other is provided with an uneven fitting portion in order to prevent misalignment due to repeated deployment and contact.

The unfolding direction of the pair of connecting devices is in the range from the horizontal front to the vertical downward with respect to the axis of the brake lever.

The brake device is connected to both ends of the handlebar, and is a bicycle brake device that allows both brake levers to be operated simultaneously or either the left or right brake lever to be operated independently during braking.

According to the present invention, the brake lever connected to both ends of the handlebar is always gripped while the vehicle is running, and the brake device is activated by pushing down the brake lever in case of emergency.

In addition, the simple and reliable operation of pushing down the brake lever while gripping the brake lever at all times in an emergency amplifies the pulling force of the brake wire even if the force is weak, and the base end side of the brake wire is pulled more efficiently, so that the driver can realize a strong braking operation by easy operation with a weak force without requiring a grip of the hand.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the brake device which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional view showing an operation state of brake equipment concerning a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the operating state of the brake device which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a front view which shows the state which mounted|wore the bicycle with the brake device which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention, (a) showed a running state, (b) shows a brake operation state. It is explanatory drawing which shows the brake-lever push-down direction of the brake device of this invention. It is a front view which shows the structure of the brake device which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional view showing an operating state of brake equipment concerning a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a right side view showing the composition of the brake equipment concerning a second embodiment of the present invention.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, the brake device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described based on the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the brake device 1 is attached to the left and right handlebars of a bicycle, and is connected to the other end (handle lever side) of a brake wire 4 whose one end side (wheel side) is fixed to a brake mechanism (not shown, the same shall apply hereinafter) arranged near the front and rear wheels, and by pulling the other end side of the brake wire 4, the brake mechanism performs a braking operation on the wheel of the bicycle.

1 to 3 illustrate a brake device 1 mounted on the right hand side of the steering wheel. In the brake device 1, a pair of connecting portions 5 hold the handlebar 2 and the brake lever 3 at both ends of the handlebar 2 so as to be bilaterally symmetrical. The connecting portion 5 is held openably and closably by a rotating shaft 54 of a hinge 53 formed at the bottom, with the end surfaces of the handle holding side tube 51 and the brake lever holding side tube 52 in contact with each other. A means (not shown) for fixing the connecting portion 5 to the handlebar 2 and the brake lever 3 is formed by drilling a plurality of screw holes extending from the outer peripheral surfaces of the handle holding side tube 51 and the brake lever holding side tube 52 to the outer peripheral surfaces of the handlebar 2 and the brake lever 3, and inserting screws into the screw holes for fixing.

A brake wire holding piece 511 having a through hole 512 extending through the other end of the brake wire 4, one end of which is fixed to the brake mechanism arranged near the wheel, is provided at the top of the circumference of the handle holding side cylinder 51. A brake wire holding piece 521 having a through hole 522 for penetrating and holding the other end of the brake wire 4 is provided at the top of the circumference of the brake lever holding side cylinder 52 at a position facing the through hole 512. A brake wire end locking portion 523 for locking the other end of the brake wire 4 is provided at the tip of the through hole 522.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the brake device 1 is operated, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view for facilitating understanding. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the brake lever 3 is pushed down in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the handlebar 2 (if the handlebar 2 is not horizontal, the direction perpendicular to the central axis of the handlebar 2), the brake lever holding side cylinder 52 is deployed with the rotating shaft 54 of the hinge 53 as a fulcrum. Along with this, the brake wire holding piece 521 is unfolded so as to draw an arc, and the brake wire 4 fixed at one end to a brake mechanism arranged near the wheel is pulled to the other end, thereby braking the wheel of the bicycle. Next, when the force pushing down the brake lever 3 is released, the brake lever 3 returns to the state shown in FIG. 1 due to the reaction force of the brake mechanism, and the braking is released.

A procedure for attaching the brake wire 4 for the front wheel to the brake wire holding portion 511 and the brake wire holding portion 521 on the right hand side will be described with reference to FIG. The brake wire 4 is pulled out from the protective tube 41, and the tip of the other end of the brake wire 4 is inserted into the through hole 522 of the brake lever holding tube 52. Next, after inserting into the through hole 512 of the handlebar holding tube 51, the protective tube 41 is attached to the brake wire 4, and the end of the protective tube 4 is brought into contact with the through hole 512 of the handlebar holding tube 51. After that, the brake wire (not shown) on the tip side is pressed down on the brake lever 3 to check the operating state of the brake. and fix it to the brake mechanism of the front wheel. The procedure for attaching the brake wire 4 for the rear wheel to the brake wire holding portion 521 on the left hand side can also be performed in the same manner as described above.

Bicycle handles come in various shapes depending on their uses. For example, city bikes have semi-up handlebars and flat handlebars, and sports bikes have flat handlebars and drop handlebars. The brake device of the present invention can be applied to most steering wheels, but existing steering wheels have different diameters and widths according to their uses and shapes. In addition, there is a possibility of contact or collision when passing other bicycles or pedestrians, so caution is required. Therefore, for the brake device of the present invention, it is desirable to cut both ends of a ready-made handlebar attached to a bicycle to a desired size and connect the brake lever of the present invention, or to adopt a handlebar with a short or narrow width.

FIG. 4 is an example of a front view of the brake device attached to the handlebar 2 according to the above procedure, viewed from the front of the vehicle. (a) shows the stopped or running state, and (b) shows the state in which the brake lever is actuated (depressed). Grips 6 made of rubber, resin, or the like are attached to both ends of the handlebar 2 of the bicycle from the standpoint of grip and operability.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the direction in which the brake lever is pushed down in the brake device of the present invention. The brake lever can be mounted so that it can be bent in all directions of 360° with respect to the central axis of the handlebar (and brake lever). However, as shown in FIG. 5, if the horizontal line in the bicycle running direction is 0° and the vertical direction is 90° with respect to the central axis of the handlebar (and brake lever), the direction in which the brake lever is pushed down is preferably 0° to 90° (range A), more preferably 10° to 80° (range B). Therefore, when the connecting portion 5 is attached, the angle of inclination of the connecting portion 5 with respect to the central axis of the handlebar 2 and the brake lever 3 is appropriately set according to the shape and structure of the handlebars of the bicycle, taking into consideration the above-described preferable pushing-down direction.

Since the shape of the brake device 1 is a structure in which the end of the handlebar 2 and the end of the brake lever 3 are brought into contact with each other and the abutment surfaces are held, the structure can be used for both left and right handles.

That is, since the brake device 1 is configured in a ring shape, it can be designed to use the same parts on the left and right sides, and can be replaced without requiring separate design or members, and can be easily manufactured.

The material of the brake lever 3 used in this brake device is not particularly limited, and various metals can be used, preferably iron, stainless steel or aluminum, more preferably anodized aluminum. This makes it lightweight and robust.

The connecting parts 51 and 52 are not particularly limited in material, and various synthetic resins and metals can be used. For example, reinforced plastic, stainless steel or aluminum material is preferable, and stainless steel is more preferable. This provides water resistance and robustness.

In the present invention, brake levers such as those used in conventional bicycles are eliminated, and brake levers 3 are rotatably connected to both ends of handlebars 2 . A driver drives by gripping the brake lever 3 in the same way as gripping the handlebars of a conventional bicycle with both hands, and in case of an emergency, instead of operating the brake lever with a part of the finger as in the conventional case, the driver can push down the brake lever 3 gripped during driving.

As a result, a state in which the brake device 1 and the driver's hand are highly fixed can be maintained, and the braking operation can be performed with greater stability. In addition, when the driver operates the brake lever 3, it is possible to obtain an excellent effect that the delay in the braking operation due to the operation of the brake lever 3 and the sense of incongruity are hardly felt.

According to the principle of the lever, the brake operation is performed simply by pushing down the brake lever 3 with the rotation shaft 54 of the hinge 53 of the connecting portion as a fulcrum, thereby transmitting the pulling force of the brake wire 4 and pulling the other end of the brake wire 4 toward the brake lever 3 more efficiently.

(Second embodiment)
A brake device 1a according to a second embodiment will be described based on the drawings. The braking device 1a according to the second embodiment is different from the braking device 1 according to the first embodiment in that the hinge shape of the connecting portion has an arm shape and structure as shown in FIG. Other shapes, structures and functions are the same as those of the first embodiment. Differences will be described below.

In FIG. 6, in this brake device, a pair of connecting portions 5a are held by the handlebar 2 and the brake lever 3 with screws 56 and screw holes 57 so as to be bilaterally symmetrical at both ends of the handlebar. The connecting portion 5a is held openably and closably by a rotating shaft 54 attached to a handle-side arm 551 and a brake-lever-side arm 552 formed at the bottom, with the end surfaces of the handle-holding-side cylinder 51a and the brake-lever-holding-side shell 52a in contact with each other. Since other shapes and structures are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the brake device is operated. 7, when both or one of the brake levers 3 is pushed down in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the handlebar 2 (if the handlebar 2 is not horizontal, the direction perpendicular to the central axis of the handlebar 2), the brake lever holding cylinder 52a is deployed with the rotation shaft 54 inserted in the handle-side arm 551 and the brake-lever-side arm 552 as a fulcrum. Along with this, the brake wire holding piece 521 is unfolded so as to draw a circular arc, and the brake wire 4, one end of which is fixed to the brake mechanism arranged near the wheel, is pulled to the other end, thereby braking the front wheel or the rear wheel of the bicycle. Next, when the force pushing down the brake lever 3 is released, the brake lever 3 returns to the state shown in FIG. 6 due to the reaction force of the brake mechanism, and the braking is released.

FIG. 8 is a right side view showing the configuration of the brake device according to the second embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 8, a brake wire holding portion 521 is provided in the upper portion of the brake lever holding side cylinder 52a, and a through hole 522 for inserting the brake wire 4 and a brake wire end locking portion 523 for holding the end of the brake wire 4 are formed. A screw hole 57 and a screw 56 are provided on the circumferential surface of the brake lever holding side tube 52a to fix the brake lever holding side tube 52a to the peripheral surface of the brake lever 3. As shown in FIG. A brake side arm 552 for deploying the brake lever holding side tube 52a is provided below the brake lever holding side tube 52a so as to sandwich a handle side arm 551, and the arm 552 is rotatably supported by the rotating shaft 54.

Although not shown, as another embodiment, the structure of the connecting portions 5 and 5a that hold the connecting portion 5 to the handlebar 2 and the brake lever 3 may be divided into two parts instead of the cylindrical shape shown in the first and second embodiments, or a fastening portion may be provided by cutting one portion of the cylindrical cylinder, and the fastening portion may be fastened to the handlebar 2 and the brake lever 3 with a screw or the like.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be suitably applied as a brake device attached to bicycles and electric bicycles having various uses and shapes.

1, 1a brake device 2 handlebar 3 brake lever 4 brake wire 41 protective tube 5, 5a connecting portion 51, 51a handlebar holding side tube 511 brake wire holding portion 512 through hole 513 holding barrel contact recess 52, 52a brake lever holding side tube 521 brake wire holding portion 522 through hole 523 brake wire end locking portion 524 holding barrel contact convex portion 53 hinge 54 Rotating shaft 55 Arm 551 Handle side arm 552 Brake side arm 56 Screw 57 Screw hole 6 Grip

Claims (4)

A braking device for a bicycle or an electric bicycle in which the distal end of a brake wire whose proximal end is fixed to a brake mechanism disposed near the front and rear wheels of a bicycle or an electric bicycle is connected to the proximal end of a brake lever connected to both distal ends of a handlebar of the bicycle or electric bicycle, and the brake lever is pushed down to deploy the proximal end of the brake lever, whereby the braking operation is performed on the front and rear wheels by the brake mechanism,
a pair of brake levers deployably connected to opposite ends of the handlebar;
comprising a pair of connectors for connecting the distal end surface of the handlebar and the proximal end surface of the brake lever in contact with each other so as to be deployable,
A braking device for a bicycle or an electric bicycle, wherein an insertion hole through which the brake wire is inserted and a wire end receiving portion for holding a distal end portion of the brake wire are formed in the connecting member. 2. The braking device for a bicycle or an electric bicycle according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is composed of a handlebar holding side tube and a brake lever holding side tube, and a circumferential surface where the handlebar holding side tube and the brake lever holding side tube come into contact is provided with an uneven fitting portion. 3. The braking device for a bicycle or an electric bicycle according to claim 1, wherein the pair of connecting members are deployed in a direction from a horizontal forward direction to a vertical downward direction with respect to the axis of the brake lever. The braking device for a bicycle or an electric bicycle according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the braking device can be operated on both sides at the same time or on either side independently.

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