JPH08207863A - Lever device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To improve the gripping condition of a lever device, and reduce the degree of fatigue at the time of operating the lever device. CONSTITUTION: A lever device 11 is provided with a lever bracket 20 fixed to a handle bar 7, a lever body 21 connected to the lever bracket 20, link members 22, 23 for connecting the lever bracket 20 and the lever body 21 and moving the lever body 21 parallel to the grip part 9L of the handle bar 7 to bring the lever body near the grip part or back off the lever body from the grip part, and a transmission part 41 provided on the link members 22, 23 to transmit the movement of the lever body 21 to a part (clutch cable 15) to be driven.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lever device for a vehicle which operates devices such as a brake and a clutch by gripping a lever body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a handlebar of a motorcycle. Grips 101L and 101R are provided on both ends of the handlebar 100.
Lever devices 102L and 102R are attached corresponding to 101L and 101R. For example, the left lever device 102L operates the clutch device of the engine, and the right lever device 102R operates the front wheel braking device.

These lever devices 101L and 101R are each a lever bracket 103 fixed to a handlebar 100.
And a lever body 105 that is rotatably supported by the lever bracket 103 via a support shaft 104, and the lever body 105 is gripped by the hands of an occupant of the motorcycle.
When pulled to the 01R side, the above clutch device and brake device are activated.

[0004]

However, since the lever body 105 rotates about the support shaft 104 as a fulcrum, when the lever body 105 is gripped, the angle of the lever body 105 is only the angle θ with respect to the occupant's hand. Change. For this reason, only the outer fingers (ring finger or little finger) of the hand are forced to be twisted into the lower side of the lever body 105, which makes it uncomfortable to grip and, like the clutch lever, causes the lever body 105 to move. In the case of a lever device that has a large turning angle and needs to be operated frequently, hand fatigue is also increased.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a lever device for a vehicle which is comfortable to grip and has less fatigue during operation.

[0006]

To achieve the above object, a vehicle lever device according to the present invention comprises a lever bracket fixed to a handlebar, a lever body connected to the lever bracket, and the lever bracket. And a link member that connects between the lever members and moves the lever member in parallel to move toward and away from the grip portion of the handlebar, and a transmission that is provided on the link member and transmits the movement of the lever member to the driven portion. And a section.

[0007]

When the vehicle lever device is constructed as described above,
When the lever body is gripped by the occupant's hand, the lever body moves in parallel with the grip portion while maintaining a constant posture by the action of the link member, and approaches the grip portion.
Further, when the lever body is separated, the lever body separates from the grip portion in the same posture. At that time, the transmission portion attached to the link member transmits the movement of the lever body to the driven portion.

As described above, since the lever body moves by parallel movement while maintaining a constant posture, the lever body does not change its angle with respect to the occupant's hand. For this reason,
The lever body is very comfortable to grip, and fatigue is greatly reduced.

[0009]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a lever device according to the present invention is applied to a handlebar of a motorcycle.

The front fork 1 of this motorcycle is
A pair of left and right extendable fork tubes 2 are supported in parallel by an upper bracket 3 and a lower bracket 4, and a front wheel (not shown) is pivotally supported at the tip of the fork tube 2.

A steering tube 5 is fixed between the upper bracket 3 and the lower bracket 4, and the steering tube 5 is rotatably supported by a front head portion of a vehicle body frame (not shown). The front wheel is steered by rotating the entire fork 1 left and right.

A pair of left and right clamp-shaped handle holders 6 are formed on the upper surface of the upper bracket 3, and a handle bar 7 is fixed to the handle holders 6. The handlebar 7 has, for example, a shape that curves upward from the center toward both ends, and grip rubbers 8 are attached to both ends thereof, and the grip bars 9L and 9R are gripped by an occupant of the motorcycle.

A lever device 11 according to the present invention is installed as a clutch lever on the left grip portion 9L, for example. Further, the lever device 12 according to the present invention is also installed on the right grip portion 9R as, for example, a brake lever. Inside the right grip portion 9R, a throttle mechanism 13 that operates by twisting the grip portion 9R itself is provided.

A clutch cable 15 as a driven portion extending from the lever device 11 is connected to a clutch device of the engine, and when the lever device 11 is operated, the clutch device is activated to interrupt transmission of engine power. It is like this.

Further, the lever device 12 is provided with a master cylinder 16 as a driven part, and a brake hose 17 extends from the master cylinder 16 and is connected to a front wheel braking device (not shown). When the lever device 12 is operated, the hydraulic pressure in the master cylinder 16 rises, the hydraulic pressure is transmitted to the brake device for the front wheels through the brake hose 17, and the rotation of the front wheels is braked.

Further, a throttle cable 18 extends from the throttle mechanism 11 and is connected to a carburetor (not shown). By twisting the grip portion 9R, the throttle valve of the carburetor is opened and the engine output is improved. There is.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lever device 11, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the lever device 11. Also, as shown in FIG.
FIG. 3B is a plan view of the lever device 11 showing the first embodiment of the present invention.

The lever device 11 includes a lever bracket 20 fixed to the handlebar 7 and the lever bracket 20.
It comprises a lever body 21 attached to 20 and a pair of front and rear link members 22 and 23 connecting between the lever bracket 20 and the lever body 21.

A clamp portion 24 is provided at the rear end of the lever bracket 20. The clamp portion 24 is composed of, for example, a clamp body 25 and a clamp cap 26 that sandwich the handlebar 7 from the front and the rear. The lever bracket 20 is provided by fastening two upper and lower bolts 27 to the clamp body 25 from the clamp cap 26 side. Is fixed to the handlebar 7.

A bracket portion 29 extending forward is integrally formed with the clamp body 25. The bracket portion 29 is provided with a vertical cross-sectional shape such that the letter “U” is laterally viewed in a side view, and the slit 30 is provided at the tip thereof.
Are formed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the upper plate of the bracket portion 29
Two through holes 31 are bored in the front and back of the bracket 29a with a space W1 between them. The lower plate 29b of the bracket portion 29 is located at the same position as the through hole 31 and smaller than the inner diameter of the through hole 31. A screw hole 32 having an inner diameter dimension is formed.

On the other hand, the lever body 21 is formed such that its base portion 34 has a vertical cross-sectional shape of a substantially "U" shape in a front view, and a lever shaft 35 extends from the base portion 34. The lever shaft 35 extends substantially parallel to the grip portion 9L, and the tip end portion 36 thereof is formed in a spherical shape, for example.

Two through holes 37 are formed in the upper plate 34a of the base 34.
Are formed in the front and rear with a gap W2, and a screw hole 38 having an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the through hole 37 is formed in the lower plate 34b of the base 34 at the same position as the through hole 37. Has been done. The distance W2 between the through holes 37 is equal to
It is equal to the interval W1 of 31.

The above-mentioned link members 22 and 23 have pipe type bushes 40 press-fitted into both ends thereof, and the inner diameter dimension of the bush 40 is set to be equal to the inner diameter dimension of the through holes 31 and 37. There is. The installation intervals L1 and L2 of the bushes 40 in the longitudinal direction of both link members 22 and 23 are set to be the same.

The lever bracket 20 of the front link member 22
A transmission part 41 is integrally formed near the end on the side. As shown in FIG. 3, the transmission portion 41 has a shape that fits into a notch portion 42 formed in the bracket portion 29, and a cable holding hole 43 is provided therein.

The front and rear link members 22 and 23 are four bolts.
44 is used to connect the bracket portion 29 of the lever bracket 20 and the base portion 34 of the lever body 21. These four bolts 44
Has a shaft portion 44a having a large diameter from its head portion to a middle portion, and a portion ahead of this shaft portion 44a is a screw portion 44b having a small diameter.

The ends of the front and rear link members 22, 23 on the lever bracket 20 side are inserted between the upper plate 29a and the lower plate 29b of the bracket part 29, and the opposite ends of the link members 22, 23 are levers. The base portion 34 of the body 21 is inserted between the upper plate 34a and the lower plate 34b. Then, the bolt 44 is attached to the bracket portion 29 from above.
And the bushes 40 of the link members 22 and 23 and the through holes 31 and 37 of the base 34, and the screw portion of the bolt 44.
44b is fastened to the screw holes 32 and 38 of the bracket portion 29 and the base portion 34. As a result, the lever body 21 moves the link members 22, 23.
Is connected to the lever bracket 20 via.

Even if the bolt 44 is strongly tightened, the bolt 44 will not be tightened any more when the shaft portion 44a of the bolt 44 contacts the lower plate 29b of the bracket portion 29 and the lower plate 34b of the base portion 34. , The link members 22 and 23 are bracket 29
And is rotatably held with respect to the base 34. Also, bolt 44
Since the outer diameter of the shaft portion 44a is set so as to be closely inserted into the inner diameter portion of the bush 40 of the link members 22 and 23, the lever body 21 does not rattle with respect to the lever bracket 20.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 (A) and (B), the clutch cable 15 is a pipe-shaped outer cable 15.
The structure is such that a wire-shaped inner cable 15b is slidably inserted inside a. On the other hand, a cable receiver 46 is screwed into the bracket portion 29 together with a lock nut 47, and the cable receiver 46 holds the end portion of the outer cable 15a. Further, the cable end 15c provided at the end of the inner cable 15b has a front link member.
It is held in the cable holding hole 43 of the transmission portion 41 provided in the 22.

When the cable receiver 46 is twisted, the length of the outer cable 15a changes and the play amount of the inner cable 15b can be adjusted. The clutch cable 15 is easily attached and detached by the slit 30 formed at the tip of the bracket portion 29.

As described above, the through hole of the bracket portion 29
The interval W1 of 31 and the interval W2 of the through hole 37 of the base 34 are set to be equal, and the installation intervals L1 and L2 of the bushes 40 provided on the front and rear link members 22 and 23 are also set to be the same. As shown in FIG. 4 (A), the four bolts 44 form a parallelogram, and the bracket portion 29, the base portion 34, and the link member 2
2,23 form a parallel four-bar mechanism.

Therefore, when the lever body 21 is gripped by the occupant's hand, the action of the parallel four-bar mechanism causes the lever body 21 to move in parallel as shown in FIG.
Approach the side. At that time, as the front link member 22 rotates, the transmission portion 41 is separated from the cable receiver 46, so that only the inner cable 15b of the clutch cable 15 that is the driven portion is pulled and the other end of the clutch cable 15 is pulled. The connected clutch device (not shown) operates.

When the occupant's hand releases the lever body 21, the inner cable 15b is pulled back by the urging force of the return spring provided in the clutch device, and the lever body 21 is separated from the grip portion 9L. Also at this time the lever body
21 moves back to the initial position by parallel movement.

As described above, since the lever body 21 moves and moves in parallel with the grip portion 9L while maintaining a constant posture, the lever body 21 does not change its angle with respect to the occupant's hand. . Therefore, the lever body 21 is very comfortable to grip and the degree of fatigue is significantly reduced.

The lever ratio of the lever device 11 can be easily changed by replacing the link members 22, 23.

5 (A) and 5 (B) are plan views of the lever device 12 showing the second embodiment of the present invention. The basic configuration of the lever device 12 is the same as that of the lever device 11 shown in the first embodiment, and the lever bracket 20A fixed to the handlebar 7, the lever body 21A attached to the lever bracket 20A, and the lever bracket 20A. And a pair of front and rear link members 22A and 23A that form a parallel four-bar mechanism by connecting between the lever bodies 21A.

However, in the lever device 11 of the first embodiment, the transmission portion 41 is formed in the front side link member 22, whereas in the lever device 12 of the second embodiment, the rear side link member 23.
A transmission portion 41A is formed at A. Moreover, this transmission part
41A extends rearward from the end of the rear side link member 23A on the lever bracket 20A side, and is connected to the push rod 16a of the master cylinder 16 via a pin 49.

Therefore, when the lever body 21A is grasped by the occupant's hand, the lever body 21A approaches the grip portion 9R while moving in parallel as shown in FIG. 5 (B), and at that time, the rear link member 23A. As the transmission portion 41A approaches the master cylinder 16 side with the rotation of, the push rod 16a is pushed, the hydraulic pressure in the master cylinder 16 rises, and the brake device for the front wheels operates.

Thus, the lever device of the first embodiment
In 11, the movement of the lever body 21 is transmitted to the clutch cable 15 that is the driven portion by pulling the transmission portion 41 when the lever body 21 is gripped, whereas in the lever device 12 of the second embodiment, When the transmission portion 41A is pushed when the lever body 21A is grasped, the movement of the lever body 21A is transmitted to the master cylinder 16 which is a driven portion via the push rod 16a.

Also in the case of the lever device 12 constructed as described above, the lever body 21A comes into contact with and separates from the grip portion 9R while maintaining a constant posture by the parallel movement, so that the lever body 21A is placed on the occupant's hand. On the other hand, the angle of the lever body 21A does not change, and the lever body 21A is comfortable to grip and less fatigued. In the first and second embodiments described above, the lever bodies 21 and 21A are installed substantially parallel to the grip portions 9L and 9R, but the lever bodies 21 and 21A are installed at a further inclination. Good.

The lever device according to the present invention is not limited to a motorcycle, but may be a straddle-type motorcycle or a four-wheeled vehicle (AT).
The present invention can also be applied to lever devices for vehicles such as V) and ships, and lever devices for other machines and devices.

[0042]

As described above, the vehicle lever device according to the present invention includes a lever bracket fixed to a handlebar, a lever body connected to the lever bracket, and the lever bracket and the lever body. A link member for connecting and disconnecting the lever body to and from the grip portion of the handlebar while moving the lever body in parallel, and a transmission portion provided on the link member for transmitting the movement of the lever body to the driven portion. It is characterized by being configured.

According to this structure, the lever body moves in parallel to move toward and away from the grip portion while maintaining a constant posture, so that the lever body does not change its angle with respect to the occupant's hand. The grip of the lever body is greatly improved, and the fatigue level is also significantly reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a lever device according to the present invention is applied to a handlebar of a motorcycle.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lever device.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a lever device.

FIG. 4 shows the first embodiment of the present invention, (A) is a plan view of the lever device showing a state where the lever body is not gripped,
(B) is a plan view of the lever device showing a state where the lever body is gripped.

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, (A) is a plan view of the lever device showing a state where the lever body is not gripped,
(B) is a plan view of the lever device showing a state where the lever body is gripped.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a handlebar of a motorcycle showing a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 7 Handlebar 9L, 9R Grip part 11, 12 Lever device 15 Clutch cable as driven part 16 Master cylinder 20, 20A as driven part Lever bracket 21, 21A Lever body 22, 23, 22A, 23A Link member 41, 41A Transmission Part 44 bolt

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A lever bracket fixed to a handlebar, a lever body connected to the lever bracket, the lever bracket and the lever body are connected to each other, and the handlebar grip is gripped while the lever body is translated. A lever device for a vehicle, comprising: a link member that is brought into contact with and separated from a portion, and a transmission portion that is provided on the link member and that transmits a movement of a lever body to a driven portion.