JPH06109079A - Operating cable connecting mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate the readjustment of an operating cable and prevent the residual cable from being caught by other members by installing a cable holding means which can hold the residual operating cable which extends from an operating cable fixing means, in a wound state. CONSTITUTION:An operating cable connecting mechanism is equipped with a rotary member 22 integrally in the upper part of a speed change cam which constitutes a rotary driving mechanism, and the rotary member 22 is equipped with a fixing means 23 for an inner cable t1 and a cable holding means 25 for winding-holding the residual cable t3 which extends from the fixing means 23. As for the cable fixing means 23 a cable pressing piece 30 is screwed on an extension part 29 by a pressing screw 31, and the edge part of the inner cable t1 is nipping-pressed between the cable pressing piece 30 and the surface of the extension part 29 and fixed on the rotary member 22. Since the cable t3 is held in a wound state on the rotary member 22, the cable t3 is prevented from being caught by other link members through the pulling operation of the inner cable t1. Further, since the cable t3 can be easily demounted, the readjustment of the operating cable is facilitated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an operation cable connecting mechanism, and more particularly to an operation cable connecting mechanism which can conveniently hold a remaining portion of a fixed operation cable in a wound state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a rear transmission of a bicycle is provided with a chain guide that rotatably supports a guide pulley and a tension pulley, and this chain guide is mounted on a link base attached to a bicycle frame, so-called parallelogram pantograph link. It is rotatably supported while being biased in a direction to give tension to the chain via a shift link mechanism such as a mechanism. By operating a shift lever device connected to the shift link mechanism via an operation cable, the shift link mechanism is deformed, and the chain guide supported by the movable member of the shift link mechanism moves in the hub axial direction. And is adapted to be translated into a desired sprocket for a multi-stage freewheel.

The shift operation lever device is generally constructed by connecting an operation cable to a base of a lever rotatably supported by a fixed shaft provided on a frame or a handlebar. When the lever is rotated in the opposite direction, the operation cable is pulled up by being wound up in the cable winding groove of the lever base. On the other hand, when the lever is rotated in the opposite direction, the operation cable is moved to the return spring built into the transmission. It is delivered while being pulled by the spring force. At this time, the axial movement of the operation cable is transmitted to the rear transmission to operate it.

A cylindrical nipple is attached to an end portion of the operation cable on the side of the gear shift operation lever device, and the nipple is engaged with the nipple engaging hole formed in the winding groove, whereby An operation cable is connected to the shift operation lever device.

On the other hand, in the rear transmission, the other end of the operation cable is clamped and connected to an appropriate portion of the inner and outer link members of the shift link mechanism. Then, by pulling the shift operation cable with respect to the link base, the inner and outer link members are swung, and the movable member is moved in the hub axial direction, so that the chain is re-engaged and gear shifting is performed.

[0006]

By the way, the length of the operation cable from the nipple locking hole of the gear shift operation lever device to the operation cable fixing point of the rear transmission is different depending on the bicycle or the transmission. On the other hand, as described above, at the end portion of the operation cable on the gear shift operation lever device side,
Since the nipple is integrally provided, in order to adjust the length of the operation cable, cut the end on the transmission side, that is, the rear transmission side with an appropriate length, and link the end. It is attached to one member of the mechanism.

In this case, the operation cable is cut in such a state that an extra cable extends to some extent from the fastening portion. This is because it is necessary to be able to cope with a change in the required cable length when adjusting the shift operating device. Further, it is conceivable that the required length of the operation cable may change even when the transmission or the shift operation lever device is replaced. For this reason, in the conventional transmission, the remaining operation cable extends from the operation cable fastening portion of the transmission.

However, as described above, when the pantograph link mechanism is actuated and the inner and outer link members swing with the remaining operation cable extended, the remaining operation cable is swung around with a large turning radius. Will be done. As a result, problems such as the operation cable being caught by other members of the transmission mechanism or damaging other members are likely to occur. On the other hand, if the operation cable is cut off without leaving an extra cable, it becomes impossible to readjust the transmission.

The present invention has been devised under the circumstances described above. It solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, cuts the operation cable with some allowance, and facilitates readjustment of the operation cable. It is an object of the present invention to provide an operation cable connecting mechanism that can hold the remaining operation cable protruding from the cable fastening point without being caught by other members and the like.

[0010]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention takes the following technical means. That is, the invention described in claim 1 of the present application comprises a fastening means for fastening the operation cable, and a cable holding means capable of holding the remaining operation cable extending from the fastening means in a wound state. It is characterized by being provided.

The invention described in claim 2 of the present application is
In an operation cable connecting mechanism in a rotation drive mechanism for rotating and driving a rotating member by pulling or unwinding an operating cable, a fastening means for fastening the operation cable to the rotating member, and an extension from the fastening means. And a cable holding means capable of holding the remaining operation cable in a state of being wound around the rotation axis of the rotating member.

[0012]

The operation cable connecting mechanism according to the present invention comprises the fastening means for fastening the operation cable, and the cable holding means for holding the remaining operation cable extending from the fastening means. ing. The cable holding means is configured to hold the remaining operation cable extending from the fastening means in a wound state.
Therefore, the remaining operation cable can be accommodated in the extremely small accommodation space. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, there is no possibility that the remaining cables will rotate with a large radius of rotation and be caught by other members of the transmission or damage other members as the transmission operates.

Further, since the operation cable can be cut with a sufficient margin, there is no fear that the length of the operation cable becomes insufficient and the readjustment of the apparatus cannot be performed. Further, since the remaining cable can be held in a wound state, the holding means itself can be downsized, and the operation cable connecting mechanism itself does not become large. Further, since the cable can be held in a wound state, the cable will not be bent and readjustment of the transmission or the like will not be impossible.

Further, as in the invention described in claim 2 of the present application, in the operation cable connecting mechanism in the rotary drive mechanism for rotating and driving the rotating member by the pulling or unwinding operation of the operation cable, a further great effect is exhibited. You can That is, since the remaining operation cable extending from the fastening means can be wound and housed around the rotation axis of the rotating member, the remaining cable can be housed without changing the size of the rotation drive mechanism itself. Can be held. Therefore, the end portion of the operation cable is not swung around with a large turning radius, and it is possible not only to collide with another object but not to damage it, but also to reduce the size and weight of the rotation drive mechanism itself.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the operation cable connecting mechanism according to the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a rear transmission for a bicycle.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the rear portion of the bicycle according to the present embodiment, the hub shaft 4 that rotatably supports the multi-stage sprocket 2 and the hub 3 has a rear end plate 6 of a bicycle frame 5 as in the conventional example. Supported by.
The rear transmission 1 to which the operation cable connecting mechanism 16 according to the present invention is applied is the hub shaft 4 or the multi-stage sprocket 2 described above.
A link base 8 that is provided in front of the rear end plate 6 and is supported below an intermediate portion of a chain stay 7 that extends from the rear end plate 6 toward the front of the vehicle body. The inner link member 9 and the outer link member 10 that extend and the movable member 11 that is swingably connected to the tips of the inner and outer link members 9 and 10 constitute a pantograph link mechanism 12, and the movable member of the pantograph link mechanism 12 is the movable member. A chain guide 15 that rotatably supports a guide pulley 13 and a tension pulley 14 is supported by a chain rotatably around an axis parallel to the hub shaft 4 while elastically urging the chain C in a direction to apply tension to the chain C. It is configured.

Further, in this embodiment, the outer cable t2 of the speed change operation cable T is composed of the inner cable t1 and the outer cable t2 inserted into the inner cable t1.
While the end part of is fixed to an appropriate part of the frame not shown,
Inner cable t extending from the outer cable t2
Reference numeral 1 denotes an operation cable connecting mechanism 16 provided above a connecting portion that connects the inner link member 9 and the link base 8.
Are linked to. Then, the inner cable t1 connected to the operation cable connection mechanism 16 is pulled by an unillustrated shift operation lever device provided on a handlebar or the like, whereby the pantograph mechanism 12 is deformed and a shift is performed.

In the pantograph link mechanism 12 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a speed change cam 17 having an outer peripheral cam surface whose radial distance changes is provided at the end of the inner link member 9 on the link base 8 side. On the other hand, the outer link member 10 is provided with a cam follower 18 that comes into contact with the cam surface 17a of the speed change cam 17. The cam follower 18 uses the spring 17b to move the cam surface 17a.
Is configured to elastically abut.

The operation cable connecting mechanism 16 and the speed change cam 17 are constructed so as to be integrally rotated by pulling the inner cable t1, and the cam is pulled by pulling the inner cable t1. The inner and outer link members 9 and 10 are rotated by changing the contact position between the speed change cam 17 and the cam follower 18 by rotating 17
Is configured to be swung in the vehicle width direction to shift gears. The speed change cam 17 is elastically biased by a spring (not shown) in a direction in which the movable member is displaced outward in the vehicle width direction. In addition, in this embodiment,
The link base 8 is attached to an appropriate portion of the chain stay 7 via a bracket 19 joined by welding.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the operation cable connecting mechanism 16 in the present embodiment is provided above the speed change cam 17 constituting the rotary drive mechanism, and the link base side connecting pin is provided. A rotary member 22 is integrally provided on the shift cam 17 supported by 20a. The rotating member 22 is provided with a fastening means 23 for fastening the inner cable t1 and a cable holding means 25 capable of winding and holding the remaining cable t3 extending from the fastening means 23.

The rotating member 22 is, as shown in FIG.
A reel body 28 having a reel groove 26 for winding the inner cable t1 on the outer periphery is provided, and a fastening means 23 for fastening the inner cable t1 is provided on the outer periphery of the lower flange 27 of the reel body 28. The cable holding means 25 is formed on the upper surface of the reel body 28.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the cable fastening means 23 extends the lower collar portion 27 of the reel body 28 outward in the radial direction, while pressing the extension portion 29 with the cable. It is configured by screwing the piece 30 with a pressing screw 31. The inner cable t1 is
The ends thereof are the cable pressing piece 30 and the extending portion 29.
It is clamped by the pressing screw 31 between itself and the surface thereof, and is fixed to the rotating member 22. On the other hand, the cable holding means 25 is formed by extending a plurality of cable locking projections 33 from the upper flange portion 32 of the reel body 28 substantially parallel to the rotation axis.

The cable locking protrusion 33 according to the present embodiment.
Is a first locking projection 33a having a locking piece 34 formed inwardly in the radial direction of the rotary member 22 at its tip and a second locking projection 33b not having the locking piece 34. And is configured. In this example,
At the two locations on the outer edge of the first locking protrusion 33a rotating member 22,
The second locking projection 33b is formed at one place. The remaining cable t3 extended from the cable fastening means 23 passes inside the first locking protrusion 33a while passing outside the second locking protrusion 33b. , Is wound and held around the rotation axis of the rotating member 22.

In the operation cable connecting mechanism 16 having the above structure, the remaining cable t3 extending from the fastening means 23 is provided.
However, the inner cable t is retained on the upper surface of the rotating member 22 while being wound around its rotation axis.
The remaining cable t3 is swung around with a large turning radius by the pulling operation of 1, and is caught by another link member,
There is no risk of damaging other members of the pantograph link mechanism.

Moreover, since the remaining cable t3 can be held in a wound state, the remaining operation cable t3 can be accommodated and held in an extremely compact manner. Therefore, the rotary drive mechanism can be downsized, and the degree of freedom in designing the transmission 1 is increased. Furthermore, since the remaining operation cable t3 can be very easily wound and held or removed, the gear change operation cable T can be attached and readjusted very easily. In addition, since the remaining operation cable t3 is wound and held, there is no possibility that the cable bends and the transmission 1 cannot be readjusted.

In addition, in this embodiment, since the engaging piece 34 protruding inward in the radial direction is formed at the upper end portion of the first engaging projection 33a, the remaining portion during the gear shift operation is left. There is no concern that the cable t3 will come off in the axial direction of the rotating member 22 and the remaining operation cable t3 will be unwound and swung around with a large turning radius. Further, in the cable connecting mechanism 16 according to the present embodiment, the inner cable t
Since the rotary member 22 is rotationally driven by feeding or winding the reel 1 from the reel groove 26 of the reel body 28, the fixed end of the inner cable t1 is bent at every operation of the transmission. It doesn't hurt.

The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. In the embodiment, the operation cable connecting mechanism 16 according to the present invention is applied to the rear transmission for a bicycle, but it may be applied to other devices which are towed or extended by the operation cable.

Further, in the rear transmission according to the embodiment,
Although it is configured to operate the pantograph link mechanism by the shift cam 17, it can also be applied to a normal rear transmission in which the end portion of the inner cable t1 is fixedly attached to a part of the link members 9 and 10. Further, although the cable holding means 25 according to the present embodiment is configured by forming the cable locking protrusion 33 for winding and locking the remaining operation cable t3, it forms a cylindrical side wall and the remaining The operation cable t3 can be wound around and housed in the inner space of the side wall.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a rear transmission for a bicycle to which an operation cable connecting mechanism according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the rear transmission shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the rear transmission according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an axial sectional view of the wire connecting mechanism according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a main part of the operation cable connecting mechanism showing a state in which the operation cable is fastened.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the operation cable connecting mechanism showing a state in which the operation cable is fastened.

[Explanation of symbols]

 16 Operation Cable Coupling Mechanism 22 Rotating Member 23 Fastening Means 25 Cable Holding Means t1 Operation Cable (Inner Cable) t3 Remaining Operation Cables

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An operation, comprising: a fastening means for fastening an operation cable, and a cable holding means capable of holding a remaining operation cable extending from the fastening means in a wound state. Cable connection mechanism. 2. An operation cable connecting mechanism in a rotary drive mechanism for rotating and rotating a rotary member by pulling or unwinding an operation cable, wherein a fastening means for fastening the operation cable to the rotary member, and the fastening means. And a cable holding means capable of holding the remaining operation cable extending from the means in a state of being wound around the rotation axis of the rotating member.