JPH0569876A - Bicycle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To utilize surplus energy as assist drive power on an ascending road by accumulating the surplus energy in a rear wheel side on a descending road by a leaf spring. CONSTITUTION:First, at the time of running on a descending road, the first switching mechanism 7 is switched in a direction of resetting to a rotation transmitting condition in a side of a rotation transmitting cylinder 1 by the second ratchet mechanism 6 and also the second switching mechanism 11 is switched in a direction of resetting to a forward directional rotation stop condition of a spring case 8 by an automatic release stopper mechanism 10, when surplus energy by rotation in a side of a rear wheel 16 is accumulated by a leaf spring. Next, at the time of running on an ascending road, reversely to the case of running on the descending road, the first/second switching mechanisms 7, 11 are switched. Then, the spring case 8 is rotated in a forward direction by reaction force of the leaf spring 9 wound and tightened before, and this turning force is transmitted to a rotary shaft of the rear wheel through the third ratchet mechanism 12, rotary main shaft 3, drive wheel 4, endless chain 15 and a driven wheel, so that pedal stepping force can be reduced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bicycle having means for assisting driving force.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, as such a bicycle, for example, a bicycle having a switching mechanism capable of switching a gear ratio between a driving wheel and a driven wheel is known. This bicycle with a switching mechanism is characterized in that it can run at high speed on a flat ground and can easily climb up a steep uphill road.

[0003]

However, in such a bicycle with a switching mechanism, a strong pedaling force is required for high-speed traveling on a flat ground, and the number of rotations of the pedal is increased on a steep uphill. However, the total effort is not reduced at all.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to the above-mentioned conventional problems, and stores surplus energy during downhill or flatland traveling, which is effectively used as an auxiliary driving force during uphill or flatland traveling. The purpose is to provide a bicycle that can be used.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, in the bicycle of the present invention, a cylindrical rotation transmission cylinder rotatably supported by a bearing portion of a bicycle frame,
A reverse rotation preventing ratchet mechanism that prevents reverse rotation of the rotation transmission cylinder, a rotation main shaft that is rotatably supported through the rotation transmission cylinder and has left and right pedal arms fixed to both ends thereof, and the rotation main shaft. With respect to the drive wheel, a first ratchet mechanism that transmits only the rotation in the normal rotation direction of the pedal arm to the drive wheel side, and transmits only the rotation in the normal rotation direction of the drive wheel to the rotation transmission cylinder side A second ratchet mechanism, a first switching mechanism that manually releases and restores rotation transmission by the second ratchet mechanism, and a spring case that is rotatably provided on the rotation transmission cylinder and has an inner peripheral side opened. It is housed inside the spring case, the outer peripheral end of which is fixed to the spring case side, and the inner peripheral end of which is fixed to the rotation transmitting cylinder side. And the leaf spring that can be rotated and the rotation of the spring case in the forward direction is stopped until the rotational force that acts on the spring case by tightening the leaf spring reaches a predetermined value. Automatic release stopper mechanism, a second switching mechanism that manually releases and restores the normal rotation direction rotation stop state by the automatic release stopper mechanism, and a first transmission mechanism that transmits only the normal rotation direction rotation of the spring case to the rotation spindle side. A means provided with a 3-ratchet mechanism and a driven wheel which is connected to the drive wheel by an endless transmission band and is directly connected to the rotary shaft of the rear wheel.

[0006]

Since the bicycle of the present invention is constructed as described above, first, when traveling downhill, the first switching mechanism is switched in the direction of returning to the state of transmitting the rotation to the rotation transmitting cylinder side by the second ratchet mechanism. At the same time, when the second switching mechanism is switched to the direction in which the automatic release stopper mechanism returns to the normal rotation direction rotation stopped state of the spring case, the rotational force on the rear wheel side causes the rotational force on the rear wheel side, the driven wheel, the endless transmission band, and the drive wheel. ，
Since the state is such that the rotation transmission cylinder can be transmitted to the rotation transmission cylinder via the second ratchet mechanism, the rotation of the rotation transmission cylinder in the forward rotation direction causes the leaf spring to be wound around the rotation transmission cylinder side. As a result, surplus energy on the rear wheel side is stored in the leaf spring.

When the rotational force acting on the spring case exceeds a predetermined value due to the reaction force due to the tightening of the leaf spring, the rotation stop state of the spring case is automatically released by the automatic release stopper mechanism. The excessive winding of the leaf spring is prevented.

Next, when traveling uphill, contrary to the case when traveling downhill, the first switching mechanism is switched in the direction in which the rotation transmission to the rotation transmitting cylinder side by the second ratchet mechanism is released. , When the second switching mechanism is switched to the direction in which the normal rotation direction rotation stop state of the spring case by the automatic release stopper mechanism is released, the rotation transmission to the rotation transmission cylinder side is stopped, and the leaf spring winding stop is stopped. At the same time, the rotation of the spring case in the normal rotation direction becomes a free state, so that the spring case is rotated in the normal rotation direction by the reaction force of the leaf spring that has been wound and tightened up to this time, and this rotation force causes the third ratchet mechanism, It is transmitted to the rear wheel rotary shaft side via the rotary main shaft, the drive wheel, the endless transmission band, and the driven wheel, whereby the pedal effort can be reduced.

As described above, according to the present invention, surplus energy during traveling on a downhill or on a level ground can be stored and can be effectively used as an auxiliary driving force when traveling on an uphill or on a level ground.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration of the embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway plan view showing a main part of a bicycle according to an embodiment, and a bicycle B according to this embodiment includes a rotation transmission cylinder 1, a reverse rotation preventing ratchet mechanism 2, a rotation main shaft 3, and a drive wheel 4. A first ratchet mechanism 5, a second ratchet mechanism 6, a first switching mechanism 7, a spring case 8, a leaf spring 9, an automatic release stopper mechanism 10, a second switching mechanism 11, and a third ratchet. The mechanism 12 and the driven wheel 13 are provided as main components.

The rotation transmission cylinder 1 is formed in a cylindrical shape,
It is rotatably supported by a bearing portion 14a of the bicycle frame 14. The reverse rotation preventing ratchet mechanism 2 serves to prevent the reverse rotation of the rotation transmission cylinder 1. As shown in detail in FIG. 5, the ratchet pawl 2a provided on the bicycle frame 14 side and the rotation main shaft. And a ratchet gear 2b formed on the third side. The rotating spindle 3
Is rotatably supported in the hollow portion of the rotation transmission cylinder 1, and left and right pedal arms 3a and 3b are attached to both ends thereof.

The drive wheel 4 is rotatably provided on the rotary main shaft 3, and a chain wheel is used in this embodiment. The first ratchet mechanism 5
Has a role of transmitting only the normal rotation of the pedal arms 3a and 3b to the drive wheel 4 side. As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the ratchet pawl 5a provided on the pedal arm 3b side and , And a ratchet gear 5b formed on the drive wheel 4 side. The second ratchet mechanism 6 serves to transmit only the normal rotation of the drive wheel 4 to the rotation transmission cylinder 1 side, and is provided on the drive wheel 4 side as shown in detail in FIG. The ratchet pawl 6a and the ratchet gear 6b formed on the rotation transmission cylinder 1 side.

The first switching mechanism 7 serves to manually release and restore the rotation transmission by the second ratchet mechanism 6, and is formed on the ratchet pawl 6a so as to project as shown in detail in FIG. It has a pin 7a and a switching cam member 7b that is rotatably provided on the bicycle frame 14 side in correspondence with the rotation locus of the pin 7a. A cam groove 7c capable of changing the locus radius of 7a is formed, and the switching cam member 7b is rotated between the switching cam member 7b and the bicycle frame 14 in a direction to widen the locus radius of the pin 7a. A coil spring 7d for urging is interposed, and a switching handle 7f for rotating the switching cam member 7b in a direction of narrowing the locus radius of the pin 7a via the operation wire 7e is provided. That.

Therefore, normally, the switching cam member 7b is rotated in the direction of expanding the locus radius of the pin 7a by the urging force of the coil spring 7d, and the ratchet pawl 6a is moved upward as shown by the chain line in FIG. By rotating, the engagement state with the ratchet gear 6b is released, whereby the rotation transmission of the drive wheel 4 to the rotation transmission cylinder 1 side is released,
Further, by operating the switching handle 7f to rotate the switching cam member 7b in the direction in which the locus radius of the pin 7a is narrowed, the ratchet pawl 6a rotates downward as shown by the solid line in FIG. 5 to move the ratchet gear 6b. , So that the rotation of the drive wheel 4 in the forward rotation direction can be transmitted to the rotation transmission cylinder 1 side.

The spring case 8 accommodates the leaf spring 9, and is rotatably provided along the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical rotation transmission cylinder side member 1a splined to the outer periphery of the left end portion of the rotation transmission cylinder 1. And is formed in a hollow donut shape whose inner peripheral side is open. The leaf spring 9 stores excess energy, is housed on the outer peripheral wall side of the hollow portion of the spring case 8, its outer peripheral end is fixed to the spring case 8 side, and its inner peripheral end is the rotation transmission cylinder side member 1a. It is provided in a fixed state.

The automatic release stopper mechanism 10 stops the rotation of the spring case 8 in the forward rotation direction until the rotational force acting on the spring case 8 due to the tightening of the leaf spring 9 reaches a predetermined value, and at the same time, a predetermined amount. When it exceeds the value, it serves to automatically release the stopped state, and as shown in detail in FIG. 4, the engaging projection 10a formed on the side wall of the spring case 8 and the engaging projection 10a. Corresponding to the stopper member 10b rotatably provided on the bicycle frame 14 side.
And a coil spring 10c that urges the stopper member 10b to rotate in a direction in which the stopper member 10b is engaged with the engagement protrusion 10a.
When the rotating force acting on the coil spring exceeds a predetermined value, that is, when the winding is completed, this rotating force is applied to the coil spring 10c.
The stopper member 10b is rotated in the clockwise direction by overcoming the repulsive force of the spring case 8, whereby the rotation stop state of the spring case 8 is automatically released, and the excessive winding of the leaf spring 9 is eliminated. ..

The second switching mechanism 11 serves to manually release and restore the rotation stop state in the forward rotation direction by the automatic release stopper mechanism 10. As shown in detail in FIG. It has a configuration including a switching handle 11b that is operated to rotate in a direction in which the engagement state of the stopper member 10b with respect to the engagement protrusion 10a is released via the operation wire 11a connected to the upper end portion.

The third ratchet mechanism 12 serves to transmit only the normal rotation of the spring case 8 to the rotating main shaft 3 side. As shown in FIG. 2 in detail, the side wall of the spring case 8 is provided. Side ratchet pawl 12a and ratchet gear 12 formed on the left pedal arm 3a side
and b. The driven wheel 13 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the drive wheel 4 and the endless chain (endless transmission band) 15 are connected to each other, and are directly connected to the rotary shaft 16 a of the rear wheel 16.

Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described. Since the bicycle B of this embodiment is configured as described above, first,
When traveling downhill, the switching handle 7f is operated to switch the first switching mechanism 7 in the direction of returning to the state in which the rotation is transmitted to the rotation transmission cylinder 1 side by the second ratchet mechanism 6, and the spring case by the automatic release stopper mechanism 10 is operated. The second switching mechanism 11 in the direction of returning to the normal rotation direction rotation stop state of 8
When the switching handle 11b is operated to switch between the rear wheel 16 side, the rotational force on the rear wheel 16 side is transmitted via the rotary shaft 16a of the rear wheel 16, the driven wheel 13, the endless chain 15, the drive wheel 4, and the second ratchet mechanism 6. Since the state in which the rotation transmission cylinder 1 can be transmitted to the first side, the rotation transmission cylinder 1 is rotationally driven in the forward rotation direction, the leaf spring 9 is tightly wound around the rotation transmission side member 1a. The surplus energy due to the rotation is stored in the leaf spring 9.

When the rotational force acting on the spring case 8 side exceeds a predetermined value due to the reaction force due to the tightening of the leaf spring 9, the automatic release stopper mechanism 10 automatically releases the rotation stop state of the spring case 8. As a result, the leaf spring 9
It prevents excessive winding.

Next, when traveling uphill, contrary to the case when traveling downhill, the second ratchet mechanism 6 is operated.
The switching handle 7f is operated to switch the first switching mechanism 7 in the direction of canceling the rotation transmission to the side of the rotation transmission cylinder 1 by the automatic release stopper mechanism 10 to release the rotation stop state of the spring case 8 in the forward rotation direction. When the switching handle 11b is operated to switch the second switching mechanism 11 in the direction, the rotation transmission to the rotation transmission cylinder 1 side is stopped, the winding tightening of the leaf spring 9 is stopped, and the spring case 8 is rotated. Since the rotation in the rolling direction is in the free state, the spring case 8 is rotated in the forward rotation direction by the reaction force of the leaf spring 9 wound up by then, and this rotation force is applied to the third ratchet mechanism 1
2, rotating spindle 3, drive wheel 4, endless chain 15,
And the rotary shaft 16a of the rear wheel 16 via the driven wheel 13.
The rear wheel 16 is driven in the forward rotation direction, and the pedal effort can be reduced.

As described above, the present invention has a feature that surplus energy during traveling on a downhill or on a level ground can be stored and can be effectively used as an auxiliary driving force during traveling on an uphill or on a level ground. There is.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and even if there are design changes and the like within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention. Included in the present invention. For example, the first ratchet mechanism can be provided between the rotary spindle and the drive wheel. Further, a belt system can be adopted as a transmission system using the drive wheel, the driven wheel and the endless transmission band.

[0024]

As described above, in the bicycle of the present invention, the rotation transmission cylinder having the reverse rotation preventing ratchet mechanism, the rotation main shaft pivotally supported by the rotation transmission cylinder, and the rotation main shaft are rotatable. With the first ratchet mechanism, only the normal rotation direction rotation of the pedal arm is transmitted and the second ratchet mechanism transmits only the normal rotation direction rotation to the rotation transmission cylinder side, and the rotation transmission by the second ratchet mechanism is manually released and A first switching mechanism for returning, a spring case that is rotatable with respect to the rotation transmission cylinder and that transmits only rotation in the forward rotation direction to the rotating spindle side by a third ratchet mechanism, an outer peripheral end is fixed to the spring case side, and an inner peripheral end is A leaf spring fixed to the rotation transmission cylinder side, an automatic release stopper mechanism that releases the rotation stop state of the spring case in the forward rotation direction, and a manual release and return of the automatic release stopper mechanism. By adopting a configuration that includes a switching mechanism and a driven wheel that is connected to the drive wheel by an endless transmission band and is directly connected to the rotary shaft of the rear wheel, the surplus energy during traveling on a downhill or level ground is stored and stored. The effect that it can be effectively used as an auxiliary driving force when traveling uphill or on a flat ground is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway plan view showing a main part of an embodiment bicycle.

FIG. 2 is a left side view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a right side view of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a view taken in the direction of arrow D in FIG.

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 6 is an overall view of the example bicycle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Rotation Transmission Cylinder 2 Reverse Rotation Prevention Ratchet Mechanism 3 Rotation Spindle 3a Pedal Arm 3b Pedal Arm 4 Drive Wheel 5 First Ratchet Mechanism 6 Second Ratchet Mechanism 7 First Switching Mechanism 8 Spring Case 9 Leaf Spring 10 Automatic Release Stopper Mechanism 11th 2 switching mechanism 12 third ratchet mechanism 13 driven wheel 14 bicycle frame 14a bearing portion 15 endless chain (endless transmission band) 16 rear wheel 16a rotating shaft

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cylindrical rotation transmission cylinder rotatably supported by a bearing portion of a bicycle frame, a reverse rotation preventing ratchet mechanism for preventing the rotation transmission cylinder from rotating in the reverse direction, and a penetrating through the rotation transmission cylinder. A rotary spindle that is rotatably supported and has left and right pedal arms fixed to both ends thereof, a drive wheel that is rotatably provided with respect to the rotary spindle, and a drive wheel that only rotates the pedal arm in the forward direction. Side ratchet mechanism for transmitting to the side, a second ratchet mechanism for transmitting only the normal rotation of the drive wheel to the rotation transmitting cylinder side, and a first switching for manually releasing and returning the rotation transmission by the second ratchet mechanism. A mechanism, a spring case rotatably provided on the rotation transmission cylinder and having an inner peripheral side open, and a spring case housed inside the spring case, the outer peripheral end of which is fixed to the spring case side. In addition, a leaf spring whose inner peripheral end is fixed to the rotation transmission cylinder side and can be fastened to the rotation transmission cylinder side by rotation in the forward rotation direction, and a rotational force that acts on the spring case by tightening the leaf spring are provided. The rotation of the spring case in the forward rotation direction is stopped until it reaches a predetermined value, and the automatic release stopper mechanism that releases the stopped state when it exceeds the predetermined value, and the forward rotation stop state by the automatic release stopper mechanism A second switching mechanism for manually releasing and returning, a third ratchet mechanism for transmitting only the normal rotation direction rotation of the spring case to the rotation spindle side, and a rotary shaft for the rear wheel connected to the drive wheel by an endless transmission band. A driven wheel, which is directly connected to the bicycle, and.