JPS6212108Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to an improvement of a spring load adjustment mechanism for a hydraulic shock absorber.

In hydraulic shock absorbers for vehicles, the load of a coil spring is adjusted in order to adjust the vehicle height or to obtain appropriate shock absorbing characteristics according to road surface conditions.

By the way, this load adjustment is achieved by fitting a spring adjuster, which has one end of a coil spring on one end surface and a wavy cam surface on the other end surface, to the outer circumference of the cylinder so that it can slide freely, and the wavy cam surface of the spring adjuster and the cylinder. The spring adjuster is made to slide relative to the cylinder by changing the engagement position with a stopper protruding from the outer periphery, thereby adjusting the set length of the coil spring.

On the other hand, in recent years, especially rear wheel suspension systems for two-wheeled vehicles have come to be installed at the lower position of the seat, and the above-mentioned spring load adjustment method becomes difficult to adjust, and in some cases, adjustment may become impossible.

The present invention was developed to effectively solve this problem, and its purpose is to finally control the spring adjuster via a gear mechanism by rotating a rotating shaft that protrudes to the side of the cylinder. A hydraulic shock absorber that allows easy adjustment and remote control by rotating the spring adjuster and sliding the spring adjuster relative to the cylinder by changing the engagement position between the cam surface and the stopper. To provide a spring load adjustment mechanism.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a half-cut side view of a hydraulic shock absorber having a mechanism according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged detailed view of section A in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the adjustment mechanism.

Reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1 denotes a cylinder, and a piston rod 3 is inserted from above into an inner cylinder 2 provided concentrically inside the cylinder, as shown in the figure. A piston 4 is fixed to the piston 4, which is slidably fitted in the vertical direction. and,
A plurality of oil holes 4a are bored in the piston 4, and a valve mechanism 5 for opening and closing these oil holes 4a is provided on the upper end surface of the piston 4.

A rod guide 6 and an oil seal 7 are fitted into the upper interior of the cylinder 1 so as to be in sliding contact with the outer periphery of the piston rod 3, and these are prevented from coming off by a plate 8 crimped to the inner periphery of the upper end of the cylinder 1. . Furthermore, piston 4 and rod guide 6
A rebound spring 9 is interposed between them as shown.

Therefore, inside the inner cylinder 2, the upper working chamber S ₁ is formed by the piston 4.
and a lower working chamber _S2 , and a reservoir chamber _S3 is formed between the inner tube 2 and the cylinder 1.
Hydraulic oil is sealed in S ₁ , S ₂ , and S ₃ , and especially the upper part of reservoir chamber S ₃ is occupied by gas. The lower working chamber S ₂ and the reservoir chamber S ₃ are configured to communicate with each other via a valve mechanism 10 and an oil passage 11 provided at the lower part of the inner cylinder 2.

An upper bracket 12 is fixed to the upper end of the piston rod 3, and a spring receiver 13 is fixed to the lower edge of the upper bracket 12. A stop lever 14 is provided on the lower surface side of the upper bracket 12.

Incidentally, a cylindrical adjusting pipe 15 having an open upper part is provided on the outer periphery of the lower part of the cylinder 1, with its lower end fixedly fixed. An oval stopper 1 is provided on the outer periphery of the adjustment pipe 15.
6 and 16 are protruded from opposing positions, and a circular hole 15a through which the shaft passes is bored.

Further, a spring receiver 17 is fitted on the outer periphery of the cylinder 1 so as to be rotatable in the circumferential direction. The spring receiver 17 has a flange 17a in its middle portion, and a face gear 17b is carved on the lower end surface of the spring receiver 17 as shown in FIG. It is in contact with the end face. Then, upward from the flange 17a of the spring receiver 17 is a notched groove 17c...
is perforated, and therefore, engaging pieces 17d with rectangular side surfaces are integrally erected above the collar portion 17a.
The spring receiver 17 is connected to the engaging piece 17 as shown in detail in FIG.
A washer 18 is disposed on the upper end surface of d, and a snap spring 18' is fitted into the outer circumferential groove 19 of the cylinder 1.
is in contact with the washer 18 to restrict movement in the vertical direction. The vertical movement of the spring receiver 17 is restricted by
The upper ends of the engaging pieces 17d may be bent inward and inserted directly into the outer circumferential groove 19.

As shown in detail in FIG. 3, in the spring receiver 17, a cylindrical spring adjuster 20 having a wavy cam surface 20a formed on the lower end surface is engaged with a groove 20b provided on the inner circumference of the upper surface. The mating pieces 17d... are inserted and engaged. Therefore, this spring adjuster 20 rotates together with the spring receiver 17 in the circumferential direction,
It is configured to slide on the spring receiver 17 in the vertical direction. The wavy cam surface 20a of this spring adjuster 20 is connected to the adjuster pipe 15.
It is stationary at a position where it abuts and engages with stoppers 16, 16 provided protrudingly.

A coil spring 21 is stretched between the spring receiver 13 and the spring adjuster 20, and the spring adjuster 20 is constantly pressed downward by the coil spring 21. A ring-shaped spacer 22 made of a low-friction material such as Teflon is interposed between the coil spring 21 and the spring adjuster 20.

On the other hand, a rotating shaft 23 faces inside the adjusting pipe 15 through a circular hole 15a formed in the pipe 15, and a face gear 17b provided in the spring bearing 17 is attached to the end of the rotating shaft 23. A meshing spur gear 24 is fixed to rotate together, and a nut member 25 is fixed to the other end of the rotating shaft 23 that extends outside the adjust pipe 15.

Next, the operation of the adjustment mechanism whose configuration has been shown above will be explained.

If the rotating shaft 23 is rotated using a tool from the state where the spring adjuster 20 is located at the lower limit shown in FIG. rotates on the outer periphery of the cylinder 1 without sliding up and down. As the spring receiver 17 rotates, the spring adjuster 20 that engages with it also rotates together with the spring adjuster 20, and the rotation of the spring adjuster 20 causes the wavy cam surface 20a provided thereon and the protruding part on the adjuster pipe 15. The engagement position with the stoppers 16, 16 changes, and as a result, the spring adjuster 20 moves upward relative to the spring receiver 17 while rotating. This spring adjuster 20
Due to the upward movement of the spring adjuster 20 and the spring receiver 1,
The coil spring 21 stretched between the coil springs 3 and 3 is compressed, and its spring load is adjusted to be high.

Then, if the rotating shaft 23 is further rotated to move the spring adjuster 20 downward, the spring load of the coil spring 21 will be adjusted to be low again.

Since the spacer 22, which is a low-friction member, is interposed between the coil spring 21 and the spring adjuster 20, the spring adjuster 20 can rotate smoothly. Also, since the vertical sliding of the spring receiver 17 is regulated by the snap spring 18', the spring receiver 17 remains in the fixed position even if the spring adjuster 20 moves upward, and the hydraulic shock absorber can be used upside down. It is also possible to do so.

In the above, since the load of the coil spring 21 can be easily adjusted by simply turning the rotating shaft 23 from the outside, even in a two-wheeled vehicle in which the rear wheel suspension device as described above is attached to the lower part of the seat, it is possible to easily adjust the load of the coil spring 21 by turning the rotating shaft 23. Therefore, adjustment work can be easily performed as long as there is a space to insert a tool.

Furthermore, by connecting a wire cable to the rotating shaft 23 and installing its operating section on the handle operating section, the load can be adjusted even by remote control, making the adjustment work even easier.

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the spring adjuster is finally slid relative to the cylinder via a gear mechanism by rotating the rotating shaft protruding to the side of the cylinder, thereby causing the coil spring to slide. Since the set length of the spring is adjusted, the work of adjusting the spring load becomes easier and the adjustment can be performed remotely.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a half-cut side view of a hydraulic shock absorber having an adjustment mechanism according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged detailed view of section A in FIG. 1. , FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the adjustment mechanism. In the drawing, 1 is the cylinder, 3 is the piston rod,
4 is a piston, 15 is an adjuster pipe, 16 is a stopper, 17 is a spring receiver, 17b is a face gear, 18' is a snap spring, 20 is a spring adjuster, 20a is a wavy cam surface, 21 is a coil spring,
23 is a rotating shaft, and 24 is a spur gear.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In a spring load adjustment mechanism for a hydraulic shock absorber, one end of a coil spring provided on the outer periphery of the cylinder is supported by a spring adjuster, and the load of the coil spring is adjusted by displacing the spring adjuster. A stopper is provided protruding from the top, and an adjustment pipe with an open top is fitted on the outside.
A spur gear is rotatably disposed inside the adjusting pipe, and the rotating shaft of the spur gear is extended outside the adjusting pipe, so that its flange is in contact with the upper end surface of the adjusting pipe, and the spur gear is in contact with the lower end surface. A cylindrical spring bearing formed by carving a face gear that meshes with the spur gear is fitted into the cylinder so as to be rotatable in the circumferential direction and immovable in the axial direction, and a wavy shape on the lower end surface that engages with the stopper. A hydraulic shock absorber characterized in that a spring adjuster having a cam surface and supporting a coil spring on the upper end surface is engaged with the spring receiver so as to be slidable in the axial direction and rotated together in the circumferential direction. Spring load adjustment mechanism.