JPS6112433Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improvement of an initial setting load adjustment device for a suspension spring interposed between relatively movable members of a shock absorber, mainly in a rear wheel suspension system such as a motorcycle.

Conventionally, in a suspension system, a suspension spring that is combined with a shock absorber is interposed between the shock absorber body and the piston rod. is designed to engage with a stopper protruding from the main body, and by rotating the sleeve and changing the relative position between the cam surface and the stopper, the sleeve can be raised and lowered to adjust the initial setting load of the spring. It's summery.

However, in order to rotate the sleeve, it has been common practice to use an operating lever or the like that is fixed to the sleeve and projects outward. Therefore, when used as a rear wheel suspension system for a motorcycle as described above, depending on the position of the operating lever, it may interfere with the passenger's body, the vehicle body, the wheels, etc., resulting in extremely unfavorable results. There is.

As a countermeasure against this, the present applicant has previously developed a system in which the operating lever 2 (holder) supporting one end of the suspension spring 1 is engaged with the stopper 4 of the shock absorber body 3 via the cam stepped surface 5, as shown in FIG. The mating cam cylinder 6 (sleeve) is formed separately, and the operating lever 2 is provided with an engaging protrusion 7 and a cam cylinder 6.
has a cam surface 8 that engages with the protrusion 7 only in one direction.
By rotating the cam cylinder 6 via the operating lever 2, the stopper 4 can be moved to any desired cam step surface 5 to freely adjust the initial setting load of the suspension spring 1, and vice versa. By rotating the operating lever 2 in the direction, this spring initial setting load does not change (that is, the relative position of the operating lever 2 with respect to the stopper 4 does not change).
We proposed a device in which the operating lever 2 could be moved to any desired position (Japanese Patent Application No. 1983-3760).

However, according to this, when operating the lever 2
Although this prevents the lever from interfering with the vehicle body, wheels, etc., there is still a risk that a passenger's foot may come into contact with the lever 2 while riding. There is also a problem that the operation becomes inconvenient.

The present invention was proposed in view of these various problems, and an object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned problems by configuring the operating lever so that it can be folded downward.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 2, a piston rod 12 is slidably inserted into the shock absorber main body 11, and while a damping effect is exerted by a piston, cylinder chamber, orifice, etc. (not shown), the main body 11
An under bracket 13 is provided at the lower end of the piston rod 12 to connect to the wheel side, and an upper bracket 14 is provided to the tip of the piston rod 12 to connect to the vehicle body.

A suspension spring 17 is interposed between the main body 11 and the piston rod 12 via holders 15 and 16 to absorb shocks acting on the wheels.

A cam cylinder 18 is inserted into the outer periphery of the cylindrical main body 11 so as to be relatively rotatable, and cam surfaces 19 and 20 are formed on the upper and lower end surfaces of the cam cylinder 18. A plurality of cam grooves 19A having a constant height are formed to engage only in one direction with the positioning protrusion 21 protruding below the cam groove 15.

Further, the lower cam surface 20 is formed into cam step surfaces 20a to 24e having different heights in stages, and a stopper 22 protruding from the main body 11 is attached to the cam step surface 20a to 24e.
It is engaged with 0a to 20e.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an operating lever 25 is supported on a bracket 23 formed on the holder 15 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction in the drawings, centering on a coupling pin 24. As shown in FIGS.

The operating lever 25 is urged downward by a coil spring 26 interposed between it and the bracket 23 to the extent that it becomes parallel to the main body 11.
a is locked by the end surface 15a of the holder 15, while the holder 15 rotates upward as shown by the chain line.
When the bracket is parallel to the bracket 23, its end surface 25b comes into contact with the arcuate portion 23a of the bracket 23. In this embodiment, the cam cylinder 18 is formed symmetrically when viewed from the axial direction. Furthermore, the number of stepped surfaces of the cam 20 can be increased or decreased as desired.

Next, the effect will be explained.

FIG. 2 shows the stopper 22 and the cam cylinder 1 when the initial setting load of the suspension spring 17 is the smallest.
8 and the cam surface 20. In order to increase the spring initial setting load from this state, first move the operation lever 25, which is folded downward parallel to the shock absorber body 11, by applying the force of the coil spring 29. As shown by the two-dot chain line, rotate counterclockwise to a substantially horizontal position and pull it up.

Next, the operating lever 25 is rotated horizontally (downward in the drawing) to rotate the cam cylinder 18, and the cam step surface 20a that engages with the stopper 22 is moved to 20b...20.
All you have to do is move it to e.

In this case, since the interval between the holders 15 and 16 becomes narrower as the cam step surfaces 20a, 20b, . . . 20e are moved, the initial setting load can be increased stepwise.

On the contrary, if you want to reduce the initial setting load, you only need to rotate the operating lever 25 further. , 16 becomes wider, the initial setting load can be reduced step by step.

The operation lever 25 is rotated by lifting the operation lever 25 against the return force of the coil spring 26, so that the user can easily apply force and perform the operation.

Furthermore, if you release your hand after adjustment, the operating lever 25 will rotate downward as shown in the figure due to the coil spring 26 and will not protrude much to the side.
5. Interference with the vehicle body etc. is avoided. Therefore, it is possible to make the operating lever 25 long, and it becomes easy to adjust a high set load.

Furthermore, when a force is applied to rotate the operating lever 25 upward in the figure, the positioning protrusion 21 of the holder 15 moves over the cam groove 19a of the cam cylinder 18. Therefore, the operating lever 25 can be rotated and retracted to a safer position without changing the set position of the cam cylinder 18, and the operating lever 25 can be moved to a position where it is easiest for the user to apply operating force when adjusting the load. It is also possible to give direction.

As explained above, according to the present invention, the operating lever has a simple structure so that it can be tilted downward in the longitudinal direction of the shock absorber, which improves operability.
It is possible to provide an initial setting load adjustment device for a suspension system with excellent maintainability and safety.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a front view showing the main parts of the conventional device, Fig. 2 is a front view showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 3 is a front view of the operating lever, and Fig. 4 is the A-- A
It is a sectional view taken along the line. 15, 16... Holder, 17... Suspension spring, 18... Cam tube, 19, 20... Cam surface,
21...Positioning protrusion, 22...Stopper, 2
3... Bracket, 24... Connection pin, 25...
Operation lever, 26...coil spring.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A holder that supports one end of a suspension spring and has an engagement protrusion on one surface supports an operating lever rotatably in the longitudinal direction of the shock absorber, and is protruded from the holder and the shock absorber body. A cam cylinder is rotatably interposed in the main body and is located between the stopper and one peripheral end of the cam cylinder is a cam stepped surface whose height changes stepwise, and the other peripheral end is connected to the holder. The cam surface is formed into an uneven shape having a plurality of grooves that selectively engage with the projections of the cam, and the operating lever is biased by a coil spring so as to be able to rotate toward the cam cylinder side. Initial setting load adjustment device for suspension system.