JPH0226797Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] [Industrial application field]

This invention relates to an operating lever device for operating a bicycle transmission configured to change gears by changing a chain to a selected one of a plurality of sprockets of different diameters.

[Conventional technology]

For example, in the case of a rear transmission (rear derailleur), a replacement frame that supports a guide pulley and a tension pulley is moved in the width direction of a multi-stage freewheel via a control mechanism such as a pantograph ring mechanism. . When the chain runs in the forward direction, it is hooked around the tension pulley and guide pulley and then hooked on the freewheel, so if you move the above-mentioned changing frame and move the guide pulley in the width direction of the freewheel. ,
The chain replaces the sprocket located directly above the guide pulley. The rear derailleur is operated by rotating an operating lever connected to the rear derailleur by an operating cable. The operating lever usually has a disc-shaped base with a cable winding groove and a finger-rest arm extending in the radial direction from the disc-shaped base, and rotates at the center of the disc-shaped base with respect to the frame. movably supported. When the arm is rotated to rotate the disc-shaped base, the operating cable is wound into the winding groove or unwound, so an axial movement is applied to the cable according to the amount of rotation of the arm. It will be done. Since the control mechanism such as the pantograph ring mechanism described above is deformed according to the amount of axial movement of this operating cable, the rear derailleur replacement frame is positioned in the width direction of the freewheel according to the amount of rotation of the operating lever. You will be guided. When the lever is operated in this way, the frame moves continuously, but it takes a very long time to operate the lever to guide the frame to the optimal position for each sprocket, that is, the position directly below each sprocket. Requires high level of skill. For example, if the replacement frame is located between adjacent sprockets, the chain from the guide pulley to the freewheel will tilt, causing unpleasant gear noise. Therefore, the rider must finely adjust the lever to eliminate the gear noise and the accompanying chain vibration, and guide the replacement frame to the optimal position relative to the desired sprocket. In order to improve the poor operability of common bicycle gear shift levers, we have proposed a mechanism that incorporates a so-called click mechanism that locks the operating lever in stages at each rotation angle corresponding to each gear stage. has been done. According to this, at each rotating position where the frame is locked with a sense of moderation, the replacement frame or guide pulley is always guided to the optimal position for a predetermined sprocket, that is, the position directly below that sprocket. However, you can easily and accurately shift gears.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

However, with the above-mentioned gear shift operation lever with a click mechanism, anyone can easily and accurately shift gears, especially when the length of the connecting cable is properly adjusted, but on the other hand, the cable stretches, etc. If the actual length changes, there is a problem in that even if the lever is locked in stages, the replacement frame will be guided to a position shifted in the hub axis direction with respect to each sprocket of the multi-stage freewheel. If the changing frame is misaligned with respect to each sprocket in this way, normal gear shifting operations will not be possible, and even if the chain has been successfully changed to the desired sprocket, it will be difficult to shift from the guide pulley to the sprocket. This will cause the chain to tilt and cause unpleasant gear noises or vibrations. Since the lever is locked at each predetermined rotation angle by the click mechanism, this may cause the lever to be positioned in the middle of each locking angle, causing the lever to be locked in the hub axis direction of the replacement frame. It is not possible to make fine adjustments. Such deviations can be corrected by adjusting the length of the cable, but this adjustment requires considerable skill and time, and in the end, if the cable stretches while driving,
In fact, it becomes impossible to continue normal gear shifting. As a temporary solution to the above problem, JP-A-Sho
Publication No. 60-209377 discloses that a positioning member having a plurality of engagement recesses is provided on the inner periphery of the boss portion of the lever body, and is arranged so as to be biased toward the plurality of engagement recesses and not rotate around the lever axis. A positioning mechanism is constructed by providing an engaging body, and an operating mechanism is provided that can forcibly separate the engaging body from the positioning member against the biasing force thereof to release the positioning function state, and A bicycle gear shift operating device has been proposed that is configured to apply a certain amount of frictional resistance to a lever body. However, the following problem still remains with the mechanism disclosed in the above publication. That is, first, in order to release the positioning function state, the engaging body that is elastically biased toward the positioning member must be displaced against the biasing force. The operating force is essential to release the positioning function, and extra force is required for the switching operation.Secondly, when the positioning function is released, the spring for biasing the engaging body is constantly compressed. Therefore, in setting the strength of each component, consideration must be given to withstand the tension generated when the spring is compressed, and this is a limit to miniaturization of the entire operating device. This results in an increase in weight or a shortened lifespan. This idea was devised under the above circumstances, and it is especially possible to lock the lever in stages by lightly rotating the lever in the cable pulling direction, and it can also be used to lock the lever in stages when the cable length between the lever and the transmission is out of alignment. To provide a bicycle gear shift operation lever device configured so that the function can be released, the operation can be easily performed with a small operating force, and the overall weight and size can be reduced, and the service life can be extended. That is the issue.

[Means to achieve the task]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned problem, this invention takes the following technical measures. That is, the present invention provides a lever main body including a cylindrical base having an operating cable fastening part and an operating cable winding groove on the outer periphery, and an arm extending from the cylindrical base in the radial direction. In a bicycle gear shift operation lever device supported by rotatably fitting a center hole into a lever shaft, (a) a plurality of engagement recesses are formed on one side, and;
(b) a click plate provided to co-rotate with the cylindrical base; (b) a portion of the click plate facing the surface on which the engagement recess is formed that is substantially non-rotatable with respect to the lever shaft; (c) a plate-like engaging body holding member that is loosely held at a position corresponding to the engagement recess forming portion of the click plate in the engaging body holding member; and (c) a thickness of the engaging body holding member; (d) a spring biasing the click plate toward the engagement retention member; (e) on a side of the engagement retention member opposite the click plate; A first rotation in which the abutment surface has a contact surface capable of backing up the engagement body and is rotatably supported around the lever axis, and the abutment surface backs up the engagement body and fixes the engagement body in the lever axis direction. The present invention is characterized by comprising a rotary operation body that can select a position and a second rotational position in which the engaging body remains in a floating state without backing up.

[Effect]

When the rotary operating body is operated to select the first rotational position in which the contact surface backs up one of the engaging bodies, the outer diameter of the engaging body is larger than the thickness of the engaging body holding member. A portion of the engaging body is made to protrude from the side surface of the holding member toward the click plate. The engaging body is loosely held by the engaging body holding member which does not rotate relative to the lever shaft, while the click plate rotates together with the lever body, so when the lever is rotated, it is projected toward the click plate side. The click plate rotates relative to the rolling element. At this time, the engaging body is released from the floating state by backing up by the abutment surface of the rotary operating body and is fixed in the lever axis direction, so that it sequentially fits into each engaging recess formed on the click plate. As a result, the lever body rotates at each rotation angle corresponding to the spacing between the respective engagement recesses.
It is locked in stages with a sense of moderation. Then, when the rotary operating body is operated to select a second rotational position in which the abutment surface does not back up the engaging body, the engaging body held by the engaging body holding member moves freely in the lever axial direction. It remains in a floating idle state and is not pressed against the click plate as in the backup state due to the above-mentioned abutting surface. Therefore, even if the lever body is rotated in this state, the click action described above will not occur. As a result, the lever body can be held at any rotation angle.

【effect】

As described above, according to the bicycle gear shift operating lever device of the present invention, the lever body can be locked in stages with a sense of moderation at each predetermined rotation angle by the simple operation of rotating the rotary operating body. It is possible to select between a so-called click function state in which the lever body is closed and a click function release state in which the lever body can be held at any rotational angle. As a result, as long as the length of the cable connecting the lever and the transmission is set optimally, the click mechanism allows anyone to easily move the transmission frame to each position corresponding to the specified sprocket. On the other hand, even if the cable length becomes inappropriate, the click function can be canceled and the transmission replacement frame can be fine-tuned by simply rotating the rotary operating body. be able to. Moreover, in the present invention, the engaging body that is in a freely movable state by the engaging body holding member is backed up by moving the contact surface of the rotary operating body in the circumferential direction, or
Since the user can select whether or not to back up, the conventional structure employs a method of forcibly moving the engaging body away from the positioning member (equivalent to a click plate) against the elastic force that urges the engaging body. In comparison, there is almost no resistance to the rotation of the rotary operating body at this time, and the click function selection and click mechanism release operations described above can be performed with extremely slight force.
It can be done quickly and reliably. Furthermore, when the click function is released, there is no need to set the strength of each member in consideration of the elasticity of the spring that is compressed and deformed as in the conventional configuration, so the strength of each member can be reduced accordingly, and the cost is reduced. It also has the effect of reducing weight, reducing weight, and extending lifespan.

[Explanation of Examples]

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 9 show a first embodiment of the invention. In this example, the present invention is applied to a lever device that incorporates a so-called ratchet mechanism to reduce rotational resistance in the cable pulling direction. Frame 1 for lower pipe etc. (including handle)
A fixed lever shaft 2 is protrudingly provided by brazing directly or via a clamp band, and a lever body 3 is rotatably supported on this. The lever shaft 2 has a base cylindrical body 21 and an oval cross-sectional view 22 at the tip, and an axial screw hole 23 is bored in the tip surface. On the other hand, the lever body 3 has a cable winding groove 31 on the outer periphery,
It also includes a cylindrical base 33 having a nipple accommodating hole 32 connected to the winding groove 31, and an arm 34 extending radially outward from the cylindrical base. The center hole 4 made in the cylindrical base 33 is
Inward flange 41 provided at the axially intermediate portion thereof
It is roughly divided into an inner cavity part 42 and an outer cavity part 43, and the inner cavity part 42 has the ratchet mechanism 5, and the outer cavity part 43 has the click mechanism 6 characterized by the present invention. , respectively. The base barrel portion 21 of the lever shaft 2 located within the inner cavity portion 42 has ratchet teeth 71 on the outer periphery.
A ratchet roller 7, which is surrounded by a ratchet roller 7, is rotatably fitted in the mantle while its both sides are pressed by friction plates 51 and 52. The space 53 supports a ratchet pawl 55 which is biased in the upright direction by a spring 54 and whose tip can engage with the ratchet tooth 71, thereby forming the ratchet mechanism 5. The ratchet roller 7 and the ratchet pawl 55 are arranged so that the lever body 3 freely rotates with respect to the ratchet roller 7 in the cable winding direction, that is, in the direction of arrow P in FIG. In addition, the above-mentioned ratchet roller 7
The inner end of the lever shaft collar 8 (to be described later) presses the friction plate 52 inward in the axial direction, thereby imparting a certain amount of frictional resistance to its rotation, so that the elasticity imparted to the cable W on the transmission side increases. If the tensile force is not considered, the rotation of the lever body 3 in the direction of arrow P in FIG. 4 will be almost without resistance, and the rotation in the direction of arrow Q will be given frictional resistance. That is, when rotating in the direction of arrow P, the lever main body 3 freely rotates with respect to the ratchet roller 7 due to the action of the ratchet mechanism 5, while it rotates in the direction of arrow Q.
This is because when rotating in the direction, the ratchet pawl 65 pushes against the ratchet tooth 71, causing the ratchet roller 7, which is provided with the above-mentioned resistance, to rotate. The lever shaft collar 8 has an axial through hole 81 of the same shape that can be fitted into the oval cross-section portion 22 of the lever shaft 2, and an outward direction that overlaps with the outer side of the intermediate inward flange 41 of the central hole 4 of the lever body 3. flange 82
and a small judgment surface shaft portion 83 formed at the distal end thereof, and by fitting the axial through hole 81 into the small judgment surface portion 22 of the lever shaft, it becomes impossible to rotate relative to the lever shaft 2. It's summery. Note that the oval-shaped cross section 22 of the lever shaft 3 and the corresponding axial through hole 81 are for preventing the lever shaft collar 8 from rotating relative to the lever shaft 2, so they are The shape is not limited to the oval shape as long as it fits and prevents relative rotation. The same applies to the small judgment surface shaft portion 83 at the distal end of the lever shaft collar 8. The click mechanism 6 of the present invention is provided in the outer cavity 43 on the outer periphery of the lever shaft collar 8.
will be incorporated. As shown in detail in FIG. 5, this click mechanism 6 has a plurality of engagement recesses 91a, 9 arranged in an arc shape at predetermined angular intervals on its outer surface.
1b, 91c...91f and 92a, 92b, 9
2c...92g are arranged in an arc shape and are provided to rotate together with the cylindrical base 33; a surface of the click plate 9 in which the engagement recess is formed; An engaging body holding member 10 is provided at opposing portions so as to be substantially non-rotatable with respect to the lever shaft 2, and a circumferential direction corresponding to a portion of the engaging body holding member 10 where the engaging recess is provided. The engaging bodies 12a, 12a, 1 are loosely held in the position and have an outer diameter substantially larger than the thickness of the engaging body holding member 10.
2b, 12b, and a contact surface 111 on the opposite side of the engaging body holding member 10 from the click plate 9, which can back up a selected one of the engaging bodies 12a, 12a, 12b, 12b, and a lever shaft. a first rotational position in which the abutment surface 111 backs up the engagement body and fixes it in the lever axial direction;
A rotary operation body 11 that can select a second rotation position in which the engaging body remains in a floating state without backing up.
It is composed of: In this example, the click plate 9 has engaging protrusions 93 formed on its outer periphery in the outer cavity 43.
By engaging with the engagement grooves 44 formed on the inner periphery of the cylindrical base 33, the cylindrical base 33 rotates with the cylindrical base 33. In addition, the engaging recesses 91a, 91b, 91c...91f to be formed in the click plate 9
and 92a, 92b, 92c...92g, in this example, are divided into areas A, A' and B, B' which are partitioned to have center angles of about 90 degrees in the circumferential direction. is an engagement recess group 91a for 6 stages,
91b...91f, and in regions B and B', engagement recess groups 92a, 92b...92g for seven stages are formed so as to be arranged in an arc shape. Here, the diametrically opposing regions A and A' of the click plate are used to simultaneously engage two engaging bodies 12a and 12a, which will be described later, which are arranged diametrically opposing each other to operate the click mechanism. are essentially the same. This also applies to the regions B and B'. In this example, each area A, B, A',
The engagement recess at the boundary portion of B' is shaped like a long groove, so that it is commonly used as an engagement recess for different adjacent regions. Further, in this example, the engaging body holding member 10 is attached to the lever shaft 2 by fitting the center hole 101 corresponding to the small judgment surface shaft portion 83 of the lever shaft collar 8 into the small judgment surface shaft portion 83. The click plate 9 is configured to be non-rotatable relative to each other, and the outer periphery is cut out in a U-shape every 90 degrees so that each area A,
Four engaging body holding parts 1 corresponding to B, A', and B'
02 is formed. Each of the engaging body holding parts 102 has steel balls 12a and 1 as engaging bodies.
2a, 12b, and 12b are each equipped for play. Note that these steel balls 12a, 12a, 12b, 12
The outer diameter of b is larger than the plate thickness of the engaging body holding member 10. Furthermore, in this example, as shown in detail in FIGS. 6 to 9, the rotary operating body 11 is formed in a ring shape that is substantially rotatable around the lever shaft, and is formed in the diametrical direction on the inner surface thereof. Two abutting surfaces 111, 111 are formed at the portions facing each other that bulge inward with respect to the other circumferential portions, that is, toward the steel balls 12a, 12a, 12b, and 12b. These two contact surfaces 111, 111
, two steel balls are provided at opposing positions in the diametrical direction across the lever shaft 2 so that only selected two of the four steel balls, ie, 12a, 12a or 12b, 12b, can be backed up. It is formed in places. In this example, the rotary operating body 11 itself has engaging portions 112 provided on its outer surface at every 45 degrees, and a lever shaft 2 that can be engaged with the engaging portions 112.
A regulating member 13 provided so as to be non-rotatable relative to the
With the protrusion 131, it can be locked with a sense of moderation every 45 degrees of rotation. In the figure, the reference numeral 14 is a disc spring interposed between the click plate 9 and the outward flange 82 of the lever shaft collar, and the reference numeral 15 is a disc spring that elastically presses the click plate 9 outward at all times. A presser member 16, which finally presses each of the above-mentioned members that are sequentially fitted onto the lever shaft collar 8, is screwed into the threaded hole 23 of the lever shaft 2, and presses the presser member 15 inwardly of the lever shaft. It's a bolt. When the rotary operation body 11 is rotated, the contact surfaces 111, 111 are set to the number 12 of the four steel balls.
When the two steel balls 12a and 12a are placed in a backward position (first rotational position), the two steel balls 12a and 12a move outward in the axial direction of the lever, as shown in FIG. The retracting movement is caused by the contact surface 111,
111 and fixed in the axial direction of the lever, only the two steel balls 12a, 12a come into elastic contact with the areas A, A' of the click plate 9. These two steel balls 12a, 12a are held by a holding member 10 which basically cannot rotate relative to the lever shaft 2, and the click plate 9 rotates together with the lever 3, so the lever 3 cannot be rotated. When the steel ball 12a,
12a is repeatedly engaged and disengaged in each of the engagement recesses 91a, 91b...91f in areas A and A' of the click plate 9, and is engaged with a sense of moderation at every predetermined angle, that is, at six rotation angle positions. Ru. On the other hand, when the rotary operating body 11 is rotated 90 degrees from the above position, the two steel balls 12
The backup of a and 12a is released, and the contact surface 1
11, 111 are the remaining two steel balls 12b, 1
Backup 2b. Therefore, at this time,
Only these two steel balls 12b, 12b come into elastic contact with the regions B, B' of the click plate 9. When the lever 3 is rotated, the steel balls 12b, 12b engage with the engaging recesses 92a, 92b, . . . in the areas B, B' of the click plate 9.
It is repeatedly engaged and disengaged in sequence at 92g, and is engaged with a sense of moderation at every predetermined angle, that is, at seven rotational angle positions. Further, the rotary operating body 11 is arranged so that its contact surface is one of the steel balls 12a, 12a, 12b, 12b.
When rotated 45 degrees from the above position (first rotation position) to back up (second rotation position),
As shown in FIG. 7, the contact surfaces 111, 111
is in a state where none of the steel balls are backed up. In this state, all the steel balls 12a, 12
a, 12b, 12b become movable within the holding portion 102, and the click function is therefore released. At this time, the lever is held with frictional force at all rotation angles. For example, if the operating cable W that connects the lever body 3 and the transmission is stretched, even if the lever is locked in stages as described above, the replacement frame may shift in the hub axis direction with respect to the predetermined sprocket. When the gear wears off, the click function is released in this way, and the gear change operation can be performed in the same way as with conventional lever devices. 10 and 11 show a second embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the configuration of the rotary operating body 11 is changed. That is, a ring-shaped plate member is formed as the rotary operation body 11, and the ring-shaped plate member 11 is provided with an ear-shaped projection as a contact surface 111 and an inwardly directed projection 112 for preventing rotation in the inner hole. The inward protrusion 1 is inserted into the spline groove 151 on the outer periphery of the inner shaft of the
12 so that they are engaged.
The spline grooves 151 are formed at intervals of 45 degrees, so by selecting the spline groove 151 that engages the inward protrusion 112, the position of the rotating surface 111 can be adjusted by 45 degrees around the lever shaft 2. Can be set for each. Further, the holding member 15 can also be made rotatable by loosening the bolt 16. Also in this example, the rotational position of the rotary operating body 11 around the lever axis is changed, and the contact surface 111
By selecting which steel ball to back up, two types of click patterns can be selected as in the first embodiment, and furthermore, the abutment surface 111 can rotate around the lever axis without backing up any steel ball. By selecting the position, the click function can be canceled. As explained above, according to the bicycle gear shift operation lever device of the present invention, the shift frame of the transmission can be moved to a predetermined sprocket by the simple operation of changing the rotational position of the rotary operating body around the lever axis. It is possible to select between a click function state in which the lever body is locked in stages at predetermined angles and a release state of this click function so that the lever body is guided to the optimum position. Of course, the scope of the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, in the embodiment, regions having similar engagement recess patterns are arranged in diametrically opposed portions of the click plate 9 so that two types of click patterns can be selected. It is also possible to use one type of engaging body and one engaging body. In this case, an engagement recess may be formed only in the region indicated by the symbol A in the figure, and one steel ball 12a corresponding thereto may be loosely held by the engagement body holding member. Conversely, in the embodiment, engagement recesses of different patterns are formed in four regions divided approximately at 90 degrees, and the click function state and click function release state of the four types of click patterns are determined. You can also make it selectable. In this case, it is necessary to configure the abutting surface of the rotary operating body so that any one of the four engaging bodies corresponding to the four areas can be backed up. Furthermore, although not shown, the click plate is divided into three regions of 120 degrees each, and engagement recesses with different click patterns are formed in each region, and the corresponding three steel balls are attached to the engagement body holding member. By holding the play equipment, it is possible to select the click function state and the click function release state of three types of click patterns. Furthermore, by setting each area on the back side of the click plate and forming engagement recesses with different click patterns here, even more diverse click patterns can be set on the premise that the click plate is turned over. can. Further, in the embodiment, a steel ball is selected as the engaging body, but it may be something like a roller. Furthermore, by making the lever body and the click plate slightly movable relative to each other in the circumferential direction, or by making the engaging body slightly movable relative to the engaging body holding member in the circumferential direction, a so-called overshift operation is made possible. be able to.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 9 show a first embodiment of the present invention, with Figure 1 being a perspective view of its overall appearance, and Figure 2 showing the lever body rotated approximately 90 degrees from the state shown in Figure 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view corresponding to the - line section in FIG. 1 in the state, FIG.
5 is an outer side view of the click plate, FIG. 6 is a detailed sectional view of the rotary operating body with the contact surface backing up the engaging body, and FIG. 7 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the rotary operating body with the contact surface engaged. 8 is an inner side view of the rotary operating body, and FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line -- in FIG. 8. 10 and 11 show a second embodiment of the present invention, with FIG. 10 being an enlarged sectional view and FIG. 11 being an inner side view showing the assembly relationship between the rotary operating body and the presser member. 2... Lever shaft, 3... Lever body, 31...
Operation cable winding groove, 33... Cylindrical base, 34
... Arm portion, 4 ... Center hole, 9 ... Click plate, 91a to 91f, 92a to 92g ... Engagement recess, 10 ... Engagement body holding member, 11 ... Rotating operation body, 111 ... Abutment surface , 12a, 12b...
Engagement body, W... operation cable.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A lever body comprising a cylindrical base having an operating cable fastening part and an operating cable winding groove on the outer periphery, and an arm extending from the cylindrical base in a radial direction, A bicycle gear shift operation lever device supported by rotatably fitting a central hole of a shaped base into a lever shaft, comprising: (a) a plurality of engagement recesses formed on one side;
(b) a click plate provided to co-rotate with the cylindrical base; (b) a portion of the click plate facing the surface on which the engagement recess is formed that is substantially non-rotatable with respect to the lever shaft; (c) a plate-like engaging body holding member that is loosely held at a position corresponding to the engagement recess forming portion of the click plate in the engaging body holding member; and (c) a thickness of the engaging body holding member; (d) a spring biasing the click plate toward the engagement retention member; (e) on a side of the engagement retention member opposite the click plate; A first rotation in which the abutment surface has a contact surface capable of backing up the engagement body and is rotatably supported around the lever axis, and the abutment surface backs up the engagement body and fixes the engagement body in the lever axis direction. 1. A bicycle gear shift operating lever device, comprising: a rotary operating body capable of selecting a position and a second rotational position in which the engaging body remains in a floating state without backing up.