JPH04215584A - Pedal for bicycle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the sliding and jolting of a shoe on the surface of a pedestal body and adjust the mounted attitude of the shoe mounted on the surface of the pedal body. CONSTITUTION:A tread adjusting system provided with one or multiple members adjustable for the apex height is formed on the surface of a pedal body of a bicycle pedal rotatably supporting the pedal body on a pedal shaft fitted to a crank arm.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to bicycle pedals.

0002

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Bicycle pedals generally consist of a pedal body rotatably supported on a pedal shaft attached to the end of a crank arm.By applying pedal force to the pedal body, the crankshaft is rotated. It is configured to generate driving force. In order to transmit the pedaling force to the pedal as effectively as possible, it is desirable that the rider's foot, the shoe, and the pedal rotate as one without slipping or wobbling between the shoe and the pedal.

Conventionally, in order to prevent slippage between the shoes and the surface of the pedal body, anti-slip protrusions have been provided on the surface of the pedal body, toe clips or toe straps have been provided to fix the shoes to the pedal body, Furthermore, pedals and the like are provided that are provided with a cleat engagement portion in the vehicle width direction that engages with a cleat groove provided on the bottom surface of the shoe. Furthermore, in recent years, so-called binding type pedals have been developed in which an engaging metal fitting provided on the bottom of the shoe is fixed onto the surface of the pedal body. The above-mentioned binding type pedals apply the principle of binding metal fittings that fix ski boots to ski boards, and because the shoes can be securely fixed to a predetermined location on the pedal body, the pedal force is transmitted efficiently and is extremely efficient. Can perform good pedaling.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the shape of the bottom surface of each shoe differs depending on the shoe, and depending on the combination of the shoe and the pedal, there is a problem that the shoe may slip easily on the surface of the pedal body or the shoe may wobble on the pedal. occurs. Moreover, since only the front part of the bottom of the bicycle shoe is placed on the surface of the pedal body, the portion that comes into contact with the pedal body is limited to a narrow range on the bottom of the shoe. For this reason, looseness or the like is likely to occur between the bottom surface of the shoe and the pedal tread surface. If the driver depresses the pedal while there is play between the shoe and the pedal, the shoe will shake in the vehicle width direction, which will not only worsen the pedaling sensation but also reduce the transmission efficiency of the pedal effort.

[0005] Also, in the case of binding type pedals, it is necessary to downsize the engaging fittings provided on the shoes and the shoe fixing device on the pedal side, and looseness occurs between the engaging fittings and the shoe fixing device. It becomes easier. In particular, shoes for mountain bikes need to be constructed so that they can be used not only for rotating the pedals but also for walking in the mountains and fields. For this reason, it is necessary to further reduce the size of the engagement fittings provided on the shoes, and there is also a risk of mud etc. adhering to them, so the distance between the engagement fittings of the shoes and the pedal-side shoe fixing device must be reduced. It becomes more likely to occur.

[0006] In addition, with the above-mentioned binding type pedal, it is possible to reliably specify the position in which the shoes are placed on the pedal, but if the position in which the shoes are placed in the pedal is inappropriate, the rider's feet may be affected. This may place an unnecessary burden on you. That is, the optimal position for placing the shoes on the pedals differs depending on the rider's body type (for example, X-legged or O-legged), the type of shoes, and the like. For this reason, the position in which the shoes are placed so that the bottom surface of the shoes is parallel to the pedal axis is not necessarily optimal for each rider. Therefore, in a binding type pedal, if the mounting position of the shoes is uniformly defined, the load placed on the knee joints of the rider will increase, which may lead to increased fatigue. In particular, if the angle of the bottom surface of the shoe in the vehicle width direction is inappropriate, there is a risk that a large burden will be placed on the rider's joints such as ankles and knees.

The present invention was devised under the above-mentioned circumstances, and is capable of solving the above-mentioned conventional problems and adjusting the placement posture of shoes placed on the surface of the pedal body. Its task is to provide bicycle pedals.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention takes the following technical measures. That is, the present invention provides a bicycle pedal in which a pedal body is rotatably supported on a pedal shaft attached to a crank arm, in which a member capable of adjusting the top height is provided at one or more locations on the surface of the pedal body. The pedal is characterized by a pedal tread adjustment mechanism.

[0009]

The pedal according to the present invention has a pedal tread surface adjustment mechanism formed by providing one or more members on the surface of the pedal body that are capable of adjusting the top height. The above-mentioned member is configured such that its top portion is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the shoe to define the position of the bottom surface of the shoe and maintain the position of the shoe on the surface of the pedal body. Furthermore, since the above-mentioned member is configured to be able to adjust its top height, it is possible to not only adjust the height at which the shoe is placed on the surface of the pedal body, but also adjust the inclination of the bottom surface of the shoe with respect to the surface of the pedal body. You can even adjust it.

[0010] By forming the above-mentioned pedal tread surface adjustment mechanism, problems such as the shape of the bottom surface of the shoe not matching the surface shape of the pedal body, causing the shoe to wobble on the pedal and reducing pedaling efficiency occur. I won't. Therefore, it is possible to configure an optimal tread surface in accordance with the shoes to be adopted. In addition, in a binding type pedal, even if there is play between the shoe's engagement fittings and the pedal-side shoe fixing device, by adjusting the height of the top of the above member, the play can be absorbed and the shoe can be fixed to the pedal surface without wobbling. Therefore, pedaling efficiency can be significantly improved.

Furthermore, since it is possible to adjust the angle of the bottom of the shoe with respect to the pedal surface, the shoe can be placed or fixed on the pedal surface at an optimal angle depending on the body shape of each rider. be able to. As a result, even when using binding type pedals, the above-mentioned tread surface adjustment mechanism eliminates unnecessary strain on the knees, etc., and enables optimal pedaling, resulting in less fatigue and more efficient pedaling. can perform good pedaling.

0012

[Example] The following is an example of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 11.
This will be explained in detail based on. A first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 to 6. The pedal 1 according to this embodiment is
As shown in FIG. 1, it includes a pedal shaft 3 attached to a crank arm 2, and a pedal body 4 rotatably supported by the pedal shaft 3 via a bearing (not shown). The pedal body 4 has a generally trapezoidal shape in plan view, and has a tread 5 on one surface on which a shoe 6 is placed. The pedal 1 according to this embodiment is provided with a so-called binding type shoe fixing device 9, and as shown in FIG. By fixing the shoe 6 to the surface of the shoe 6, the shoe 6 can be positioned at a predetermined placement position.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shoe fixing device 9 includes a front locking portion 10 provided on the front surface of the pedal body 4, and a rear locking portion 10 provided on the rear surface of the pedal body 4. 11 and the engaging metal fitting 8 along the surface of the pedal body 4.
and a fixing plate 12 that defines the lower surface position of the
As shown in FIG. 2, the engagement fitting 8 provided on the bottom surface 7 of the shoe 6 is configured to be fixed on the surface of the pedal body 4 so as to be sandwiched therebetween from the front and back directions.

The front locking portion 10 includes a substantially L-shaped front locking piece 13 that engages with the front end of the engagement fitting 8 to prevent upward and forward movement of the engagement fitting 8. are doing. On the other hand, the rear locking portion 11 includes a substantially L-shaped rear locking piece 14 that engages with the rear end of the engaging fitting 8.
movement backwards and upwards is prevented. Also, Figure 3
As shown in , the rear locking portion 11 is attached so as to be rotatable rearward about a shaft 15 provided parallel to the pedal shaft 3, and a spring 16 allows the engagement fitting 8 of the shoe 6 to be rotated rearward. It is elastically biased in the direction of pinching with the front locking part 10.

The fixing plate 12 is attached to the pedal body 4.
It is provided between the front locking part 10 and the rear locking part 11 along the surface of the shoe 6 so that the bottom surface of the engagement fitting 8 provided on the shoe 6 comes into contact with it in the engaged state. It is formed. Furthermore, a pair of horizontal locking pieces 17 are formed extending from both sides of the front portion of the fixing plate 12 to prevent movement of the engagement fitting 8 in the vehicle width direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, the engagement fitting 8 provided on the bottom of the shoe 6 is connected and fixed by a screw 19 to a fixing fitting 18 embedded in the front of the bottom of the shoe. At both front and rear ends of the engaging fitting 8, there is a front end that faces the bottom surface of the shoe 6 with a predetermined gap h therebetween, and that engages with the front locking part 10 and the rear locking part 11 of the shoe fixing device 9. An engaging portion 20a and a rear engaging portion 20b are formed. The lower edge of the rear engaging portion 20b is cut out in an inclined manner, and the front engaging portion 20a is connected to the front locking portion 1.
0, by pressing the rear locking part 11 from above with the lower edge of the rear locking part 20b, the rear locking part 11 is forcibly rotated backward against the spring 16. The rear engaging portion 20b is configured to be able to be engaged with and fixed to the rear locking piece 14 of the rear locking portion 11. On the other hand, in order to release the engagement between the engaging fitting 8 and the shoe fixing device 9, the heel of the shoe 6 is rotated outward around the tip of the engaging fitting 8, and the rear engaging part 20b is The engagement with the rear locking portion 11 may be released.

Now, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pedal tread is provided with members 22a and 22b that extend and retract in a height-adjustable manner on both sides of the rear surface of the pedal body 4. An adjustment mechanism 23 is provided. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the tread adjustment mechanism 23 according to the present embodiment includes a pair of left and right tread surface adjustment mechanisms that are retractably accommodated in accommodation holes 24 provided on both rear sides of the pedal body 4. It includes members 22a, 22b and height adjustment screws 25, 25 for adjusting the height of the members 22a, 22b from the surface of the pedal body. By adjusting the height so as to come into contact with the shoe bottom surfaces 7a and 7b, the shoe 6 is fixed to the pedal body 4 in cooperation with the engaging fitting 8 and the shoe fixing device 9.
It is configured so that it can be positioned and fixed on the surface of the

The members 22a and 22b according to this embodiment are formed into substantially rectangular shapes in plan view, and are shown in FIGS. 4 and 6.
As shown in the figure, a screw hole 26 is formed in the bottom surface.

As shown in FIG. 6, the height adjustment screws 25, 25 have threaded portions 27 that are screwed into the screw holes 26 of the members 22a, 22b, and are formed at the base end portions of the threaded portions 27. The flange portion 2 is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the accommodation hole 24 and supports the pressing force applied to the members 22a and 22b.
8, extending from the flange portion 28, and extending from the accommodation hole 24.
A through hole 24a that penetrates from the bottom of the pedal body 4 to the back side of the pedal body 4.
The head 30 is fitted to the tip of the shaft 29 so as not to be relatively rotatable. Above head 3
0 is rotatably accommodated in a head accommodation hole 31 formed on the back surface of the pedal body 4, and the head 30 is inserted by inserting a hexagonal wrench or the like into a hexagonal hole 32 provided in the head 30. By rotating, the threaded portion 27 can be rotated without moving it in the vertical direction. This results in
The members 22a and 22b screwed into the threaded portion 27 are moved in the axial direction of the threaded portion 27 so as to be guided by the side wall portion of the accommodation hole 24, so that the members 22a and 22b are screwed into the threaded portion 27 so that they protrude from the surface of the pedal body 4. Height is adjusted. With the above configuration, the tops of the members 22a, 22b can be adjusted so as to come into contact with the bottom surfaces of the shoes 6 placed on both sides of the pedal body 4.

By providing the pedal tread surface adjustment mechanism 23, it is possible to reliably support both sides 7a, 7b of the bottom surface of the shoe 6 on the surface of the pedal body 4. Therefore, even if there is some play between the shoe fixing device 9 and the engagement fitting 8, it is adjusted and absorbed by the pedal tread adjustment mechanism, and the shoe 6 is securely placed on the surface of the pedal body 4. can be fixed to. Therefore, the shoes 6 do not rattle on the surface of the pedal body 4 and the efficiency of pedaling does not decrease.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the protruding heights of the left and right members 22a and 22b can be adjusted to be different, so that the shoe 6 can be fixed in an inclined state with respect to the axis of the pedal shaft 3. can. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, when the height of the outer member 22b in the vehicle width direction is made higher than the inner member 22a in the vehicle width direction, the bottom surface of the shoe 6 tilts inward in the vehicle width direction, and (θ) It becomes possible to pedal with the rider's feet tilted inward into the vehicle body. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the mounting angle of the shoe with respect to the pedal surface according to the rider's body type or the shape of the shoe sole, and it is possible to take an optimal pedaling posture. As a result, there is no longer any strain placed on the rider's knee joints, etc. due to the placement of the shoes.
It can significantly improve pedaling efficiency.

In addition, the height of the shoe on the pedal surface can be adjusted by the above-mentioned tread surface adjustment mechanism, so that the actual height of the saddle (the distance between the top surface of the saddle and the center of rotation of the bottom surface of the shoe) can be adjusted. ) can also be fine-tuned. Therefore, even when shoes with different sole thicknesses are used, it is possible to extremely easily set a shoe placement position that allows an optimal pedaling posture.

FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a tread adjustment mechanism 23b including a member 35 having an arcuate cross section is provided. The member 35 according to this embodiment is
The arcuate convex portion 35a is accommodated in the accommodation hole 36 so as to face the pedal tread 5, and one side edge is rotatable within the accommodation hole 36 and is accommodated in the accommodation hole 36 by the spring 33. It is supported in a state where it is elastically biased in the direction in which it is moved. Then, the concave portion 35b of the member 35 is pressed upward by the screw member 37 extending from the bottom of the accommodation hole 36, and the height of the top of the convex portion 35a is adjustable from the surface of the pedal body 4. It is designed to stand out.

FIG. 8 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the member 38 is constructed using a substantially cylindrical eccentric cam body. By rotating the member 38 about the shaft portions 38b, 38b supported by the side walls of the accommodation hole 36 of the pedal body 4, the eccentric cam surface 38a protrudes from the surface of the pedal body 4 in a height-adjustable manner. is configured to do so. The member 38 has a threaded hole 38c provided in the shaft portion 38b and a through hole 4 formed in the side wall portion 4b of the pedal body.
By screwing together the fixing screw 37b inserted from c, the member 38 is fixed at a rotational position where the top of the eccentric cam surface 38a takes a desired position.

A fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 9 to 11. In this embodiment, on the bottom surface of the cylindrical member 39,
While forming a plurality of protrusions 39a at regular intervals in the circumferential direction,
By forming a stepped locking portion 40a in the circumferential direction on the bottom surface of the accommodation hole 40 that accommodates the member 39, and engaging the projection 39a and the locking portion 40a in stages, the member 39 The amount of protrusion of the top of the pedal body 4 from the surface of the pedal body 4 can be adjusted. The member 39 is inserted through the back side of the pedal body 4 and is elastically biased toward the back side of the pedal body 4 by a coil spring 42 via a screw member 41 screwed into the bottom of the member 39. The projection 39a and the locking portion 40a are held in engagement with each other, and the engagement position can be easily changed and adjusted.

The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. In the embodiment, the pedal tread adjustment mechanism 23 was constructed by providing a pair of members 22a and 22b on both rear sides of the pedal body 4, but for example, an additional member may be provided in front of the pedal body surface to adjust the height at three or more locations. The pedal tread adjustment mechanism can be configured to be adjustable. Further, in this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a pedal provided with a shoe fixing device 9 for fixing a shoe 6 provided with an engagement fitting 8, but a pedal provided with a toe clip and a toe strap, or a cleat engagement The present invention can also be applied to a pedal provided with a section. Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to ordinary bicycle pedals that are not equipped with the shoe fixing device or toe clip as described above. Further, in this embodiment, the height of the member can be adjusted using a screw or a cam, but the height can also be adjusted using other adjustment mechanisms. Furthermore, the shape of the member is not limited to the example.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the pedal shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a shoe placed on the surface of the pedal shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a main part showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a main part showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of main parts showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG. 9. FIG.

11 is a cross-sectional view of a main part taken along the line XI-XI in FIG. 9. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1... Pedal 2... Crank arm 3... Pedal shaft 4... Pedal body 6... Shoes 22a, 22b, 35, 38, 39... Member 23... Pedal tread adjustment mechanism

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: A bicycle pedal comprising a pedal body rotatably supported around a pedal attached to a crank arm, wherein the pedal body is provided with one or more members on the surface of which the height of the top can be adjusted. A bicycle pedal characterized by forming a pedal tread surface adjustment mechanism.