JPH0948379A - Front suspension mechanism of automobile and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the weight of the whole body of a wheel suspension means, by inserting a main shaft of a wheel suspension means to a column main body, and setting the main shaft by providing a front wheel column interlocked with the suspension means inserted to the column main body, in parallel with the front pipe of a frame in a bicycle and the like. SOLUTION: A main shaft 3 of a wheel suspension means 2 is inserted in a column main body 1, while in the main shaft 3, a front wheel column A interlocked with a suspension means 4 inserted to the column main body 1 is provided in parallel with a front pipe 6 of a frame 5 in a bicycle and the like. In other words, a breading 7 provided at the lower side of the column main body 1 is supported to the front pipe 6, and, while a connecting means 10 which supports a shaft 9 rotatable to one side front pipe 6 is installed at the upper part of the column main body 1, a handle is installed to the connecting means 10, and the front wheel column A is provided in parallel with the front pipe 6 of the frame 5. Consequently, the weight of the whole body of the wheel suspension means 2 can be reduced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention provides a front wheel column provided with wheel suspension means so that it can be buffered, in parallel with a front pipe of a frame of a bicycle or the like for weight reduction, high compatibility, and suspension. The present invention relates to a front suspension mechanism for a bicycle or the like, which makes it easier to change the hardness and the amount of travel thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, with the popularization of bicycles used for off-road running and the like, improvements in this type of bicycle have been observed.
In this improvement, it is required that the vehicle can travel more easily with limited human power and that the overall structure is lightweight and robust. Therefore, the extra mechanism for unnecessary strength and riding comfort is rather simplified. However, there are cases where it is more important to soften the impact on rough roads so as not to place an excessive burden on important points as the applications are diversified.
For this reason, a suspension mechanism has been added to the wheel suspension means (front fork) so that the shock absorber is absorbed by the interior of the cushioning material.

As for the technical disclosure concerning the interior of the suspension mechanism, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the wheel suspension means 25 is used.
The mainstream of the two fork bottoms 26, 26 in which shock absorbing means (not shown) for absorbing shock is incorporated is, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-56785, a fork. A spring adjuster that can move forward and backward in the axial direction of the slide tube is provided on the shoulder, a suspension spring is built in the slide tube, and the lower end of the spring is connected to the bottom spring seat on the bottom tube side. This is due to the structure in which the spring adjuster is supported.

Further, there is a technique in which a single shock absorbing means is internally provided in the steering column.
It is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 355.

[0005]

However, in the former fork bottom having the cushioning means built in, the pair of left and right bottoms are provided with the cushioning means respectively, so that the weight of the entire wheel suspension means is increased and the weight is reduced. However, the performance of the bicycle is deteriorated by going against this type of bicycle, and the travel amount of the suspension is short, so that good driving performance cannot be obtained. In addition, the latter steering column equipped with shock absorbing means is used for a special frame structure, so it cannot be applied to frames with different front pipe (column) diameters of the frame.
Its compatibility is low. And the like.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a main shaft of wheel suspension means and a front wheel column in which suspension means thereof is installed in front of a frame of a bicycle or the like. In addition to the pipe, the weight of the entire wheel suspension means can be reduced, and the travel amount of the suspension can be adjusted in a long width to improve the riding comfort as well as the driving operation. This is to provide a front suspension mechanism for bicycles and the like that can be easily mounted on different frames and has improved compatibility.

[0007]

Means for a front suspension mechanism for a bicycle or the like according to the present invention for achieving the above object is such that a main shaft of a wheel suspension means is fitted mainly to a column, and the main shaft is a column. This is characterized in that the front wheel column linked to the suspension means mainly installed inside is arranged in parallel with the front pipe of the frame in a bicycle or the like.
Further, according to the present invention, a shaft receiving portion provided in the lower portion of the column main body is pivotally supported to the front pipe, and a coupling means for pivotally supporting one of the column main body to the front pipe is attached to the upper portion of the column main body. In some cases, a handle is attached to the means so that the front wheel column is juxtaposed with the front pipe of the frame.

[0008]

When the front suspension mechanism according to the present invention is mounted on a bicycle for traveling as shown in the embodiment, the main shaft of the wheel suspension means is fitted in the column main body and the suspension means in the main column is mounted on the main shaft. The front wheel columns linked to each other are attached to the front pipe of the bicycle frame substantially in parallel and arranged in parallel, and further the handle is attached in a predetermined manner so that the front wheel column can be rotated, like a normal bicycle. Since the vehicle is driven and driven, the suspension means installed mainly in the column can absorb the impact even in off-road traveling, and smooth traveling can be obtained.

Further, a shaft receiving portion provided on the lower portion of the column main body is pivotally supported on the front pipe, and a connecting means for pivotally supporting one end of the column main body to the front pipe is attached to the upper portion of the column main body. In the case where the front wheel column is installed side by side with the front pipe of the frame by attaching the handle to the main shaft, the main shaft of the wheel suspension means is fitted in the main body of the column, and the front wheel column linked to the suspension means in the main body of the column is fitted to this main shaft. ,
It is mounted on the front pipe of the bicycle so as to be rotatable by the connecting means and the connecting means, and then the handle is attached to the connecting means to run while operating the handle. The suspension means provided at the end absorbs the impact and enables smooth running.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of a front suspension mechanism for a bicycle or the like according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The front suspension mechanism according to this embodiment is used for a bicycle used for off-road traveling, etc. The main shaft 3 of the wheel suspension means 2 is fitted into the main body 1, and the main shaft 3 is provided with the front wheel column A linked to the suspension means 4 installed in the column main body 1 in parallel with the front pipe 6 of the frame 5 in a bicycle or the like. More specifically, the shaft supporting portion 7 provided in the lower portion of the column main body 1 is pivotally supported by the front pipe 6 on the shaft 8 side, and one of the shaft supporting portions 7 is rotatably pivoted to the front pipe 6 in the upper part of the column main body 1. Attaching the connecting means 10 supported by 9
A handle 11 is attached to the connecting means 10, and the front wheel column A is arranged in parallel with the front pipe 6 of the frame 5.

The main body of the column main body 1 is formed in a pipe shape, and a part of the main shaft 3 of the wheel suspension means 2 and the suspension means 4 are internally provided in the main body, and the main body 1 is provided below the main portion. Is provided with an L-shaped bearing 7 protruding therefrom, and the bearing 7 is formed so as to support a shaft 8 fitted into the front pipe 6 of the frame 5 and is rotatable to the front pipe 6 Side by side.

Next, the wheel suspension means 2 is comprised of bifurcated front bottoms 13 and 13 for supporting the wheels 12, and a main shaft 3 partly fitted in the column main body 1.
A buffer member 14 made of synthetic resin is installed between the shoulders of the front bottoms 13 and 13 and the column main body 1, and the tip of the main shaft 3 is pulled out from the column main body 1 or rotated. A stop piece 15 is provided so as to prevent it from doing so.

Further, the suspension means 4 installed in the column main body 1 is made of an elastomer, which is made of a gel-like and flexible material such as rubber, and the lower end thereof is the main shaft 3 of the wheel suspension means 2 in the column main body 1. Of the column main body 1 is brought into contact with an adjustment cap 16 screwed onto the upper end opening of the column main body 1, and the travel amount is varied by adjusting the screwing of the adjustment cap 16 to turn off. The impact of the wheel suspension means 2 can be adjusted on the road or the like.

Next, the connecting means 10 for fixing the upper part of the front wheel column A is fitted with the column main body 1 and the through hole 17 which is loosely inserted into the main shaft 9 fitted in the front pipe 6 as shown in FIGS. Through hole 18 for inserting and fixing, and split groove 1 for inserting handle 11
9 and a through hole 20, and a set screw 21 for fixing the fitted handle 11 is provided in the split groove 19.

The front pipe 6 of the frame 5 is provided with a front wheel column A provided with the wheel suspension means 2 and the suspension means 4 in parallel, and a rear wheel 22 is attached to the rear part of the front wheel 6 and a predetermined driving means 23 is provided on the rear wheel 22. And a saddle 24 is provided in the middle of the frame 5 to form a bicycle.

When assembling a bicycle using the front suspension mechanism of the bicycle or the like according to the present invention and traveling on an off-road or the like, first, the main shaft 3 of the wheel suspension means 2 is fitted in the column main body 1 and A front wheel column A formed by abutting a suspension means 4 provided in the column main body 1 on a main shaft 3 is attached to a bicycle frame 5 via a shaft receiving portion 7 provided at a lower portion of the front wheel column A and a connecting means 10. The front wheel column A is rotatably and parallelly supported by the shafts 8 and 9 to arrange the front wheel column A in parallel with the front pipe 6, and then the handle 11 is attached to the connecting means 10 by the handle 11. Since the front wheel column A can be turned,
The vehicle is driven and operated in the same manner as a normal bicycle, and even during off-road traveling, the shocks received by the wheels 12 of the wheel suspension means 2 are absorbed by the suspension means 4 incorporated in the column main body 1 to ensure smooth running. You can get a light running.

[0017]

As described above, in the front suspension mechanism for a bicycle or the like according to the present invention, the main shaft of the wheel suspension means is fitted to the column main body, and the main shaft is linked to the suspension means internally provided in the column main body. Since the front wheel column is arranged side by side with the front pipe of the frame of a bicycle or the like, the weight of the entire wheel suspension means can be reduced because it is robust and especially the suspension mechanism is integrated into one. This is optimal for a mountain bike or the like for the purpose of weight reduction, and does not cause performance deterioration as in the past. Furthermore, the travel amount of the suspension can be made long, and the front pipe mounting part is lower than the buffer absorbing part of the suspension so that the mounting part of the frame does not rise too much even if the movable part of the main shaft is long. In addition, the shape and the like are flexible according to the size of the entire suspension and the performance of the cushioning member. Also, since the front wheel column is independent of the front pipe of the frame with a separate structure,
Even if it is not based on a special frame structure, it can be used on existing frames, and it can also be applied to frames with different frame front pipe (column) diameters, resulting in good compatibility etc. It plays.

Further, according to the present invention, the shaft bearing portion provided in the lower portion of the column main body is pivotally supported to the front pipe, and the upper portion of the column main body is provided with the connecting means rotatably supporting one of them to the front pipe. By attaching a handle to this connecting means and arranging the front wheel column in parallel with the front pipe of the frame, the column main body can be projected upward from the connecting means,
The shock absorption of the suspension can be made long, and the width of the absorption movement can be made long, and the suspension function is greatly improved. However, since the connecting means is of a type in which the front pipe is connected to the front wheel column and the handle, there are practical effects such as increasing the strength of the front portion.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a front suspension mechanism for a bicycle or the like according to the present invention, and is a front view of a usage state.

FIG. 2 is a front view in which a part of the main configuration of the embodiment is vertically cut.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the connecting means in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a connecting means in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a conventional wheel suspension means.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a front portion of a bicycle including the conventional front suspension mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Column Main Body 2 Wheel Suspension Means 3 Main Spindle 4 Suspension Means A Front Wheel Column 5 Frame 6 Front Pipe 7 Shaft Bearing 8 Shaft 9 Shaft 10 Connecting Means 11 Handle

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A main shaft of a wheel suspension means is fitted in a column main body, and the main shaft is provided with a front wheel column linked to a suspension means installed in the main body of the column in parallel with a front pipe of a frame in a bicycle or the like. A front suspension mechanism for bicycles, etc. 2. A connecting means, which is rotatably supported on a front pipe by a shaft receiving portion provided on a lower portion of the column main body, and one of which is rotatably supported on the front pipe by an upper portion of the column main body. The front suspension mechanism for a bicycle or the like according to claim 1, wherein a handlebar is attached to the front wheel column and the front wheel column is provided in parallel with the front pipe of the frame.