JPS6246921Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a damping force adjustment device in a shock absorber, and more specifically, an orifice provided in a piston rod is changed by external operation, and thereby the damping force is adjusted depending on the selected orifice. This invention relates to a damping force adjustment device for a shock absorber that can be switched in stages.

In general, motorcycles are equipped with front forks or rear shock units as shock absorber means, for example, on both sides of the front or rear wheels. In order to improve comfort and handling, the damping force is made variable each time.

This damping force adjustment can be achieved, for example, by drilling a through hole in the piston rod leading to the oil chamber, inserting a rotary valve in which multiple orifices with different diameters are formed into the piston rod, and rotating the rotary valve by external operation to adjust the orifice. It is known that one of the orifices is placed opposite the through hole to obtain a damping force depending on the diameter of the selected orifice.

To rotate the rotary valve, an operating rod is rotatably inserted into the piston rod, one end of this rod is connected to the rotary valve, the other end is protruded from the outer end of the piston rod, and a rotatable adjuster etc. An operating mechanism is incorporated, and by rotating this operating mechanism, the rotary valve is rotated via an operating rod.

However, when two front fork or rear suspension units are installed on both sides, the damping force of each shock absorber is adjusted separately, so the magnitude of the damping force of the two left and right shock absorbers is the same. This may result in poor riding comfort. Furthermore, since the operating mechanism is assembled outside the shock absorber, it is necessary to get off the motorcycle each time to adjust the damping force, which may result in very poor workability.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to be able to adjust the damping force of each shock absorber simultaneously and to the same magnitude when a plurality of shock absorbers are provided, and to be able to adjust the damping force of each shock absorber to the same magnitude regardless of the structure or installation position of the operating mechanism. To provide a damping force adjusting device for a shock absorber, which allows the damping force to be adjusted remotely even in a place far away from the vehicle, for example, while riding a vehicle.

For this purpose, the present invention has a gear mechanism interlocked with each valve such as a rotary valve in a plurality of shock absorbers, and each gear mechanism is connected to a rotatable flexible wire, so that each valve can be operated with one operation. It is characterized by being able to be displaced simultaneously and by the same amount.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Two shock absorbers A, A are cylinder 1
A piston rod 3 is slidably inserted into the cylinder 1 via a piston 2, and the piston 2 defines two upper and lower oil chambers 4 and 5 within the cylinder 1. An under bracket 6 is provided at the lower end of the cylinder, and an upper bracket 7 is connected to the upper end of the piston rod 3 protruding from the cylinder, and two shock absorbers A, A are connected via these brackets 6, 7 to, for example, a motorcycle. It is designed to be installed parallel to the vehicle body and between the wheels.

Each piston rod 3, 3 has a vertical hole 8 and a horizontal hole 9, which communicate the liquid chambers 4, 5 divided by the piston 2, and these two holes 8, 9 form a fixed orifice. The piston rod 3 protrudes from the cylinder 1 and connects to the upper upper brackets 7, 7.
It is fixed to the base end via a screw or the like, and operating rods 12, 12 are rotatably inserted into this piston rod 3 via a bearing 10, and a rotary valve barrel is fixed to the tip of these rods 12, 12. The body 13 is rotatably disposed within the vertical hole 8. A plurality of orifices a, b...n, which are smaller than the horizontal hole 9 and have different inner diameters, are bored in the cylinder 13 at positions facing the horizontal hole 9, and these orifices a, b open according to the rotation of the cylinder 13. ... n selectively communicates with the horizontal hole 9, and thereby the horizontal hole 9
The oil passing area is made variable so that the damping force can be adjusted in accordance with the size of the large diameter of the orifices a, b...n.

A spring seat 11 is attached to the outer periphery of each cylinder 1.
A positioning member 16' consisting of a cylindrical body is slidably inserted, and a fixed spring seat 14 is held in the upper bracket 7, and suspension springs 15, 1 are held between these spring seats 11, 14.
5 is interposed, and these springs 15, 15 always urge the piston rod 3 in the direction of extension.

A multi-stage cam surface 16 is provided at the end of the positioning member 16'.
is formed, and by engaging a stopper with one of the cam surfaces 16, the position of the positioning member 16' is displaced, and the initial spring load of the spring 15 corresponding to that position is set.

Cushion members 17 are fixed to the ends of the upper brackets 7, 7 to prevent the upper brackets 7, 7 from colliding with the cylinder 1 when the piston rod 3 is fully compressed.

Spaces 18, 18 opening laterally are formed in the upper brackets 7, 7, and these spaces 18, 1
8, face gears 19, 19 are rotatably inserted, and in the center of these face gears 19, 19 is an operating rod 1 chamfered into a prismatic or semicircular shape.
When the outer ends of the two are fitted together and the face gears 19, 19 are driven to rotate, the operating rod 12 and the cylindrical body 13, which is a rotary valve, rotate in the same direction and by the same amount.

Gears are formed in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral end surfaces of the face gears 19, 19.
Crown gears or other similar gears may be used in place of 9 and 19.

Spacers 20, 20 are interposed in spaces 18, 18 between one side of the face gears 19, 19 and the upper brackets 7, 7.
This prevents the rattling of items 9 and 19.

Further, a plurality of grooves are provided on the other side surfaces of the face gears 19, 19, and a detent mechanism B, B interposed between the face gears 19, 19 and the upper brackets 7, 7 is selectively fitted into one of the grooves. The face gears 19, 19 and the operating rods 12, 12 are positioned.

The detent mechanisms B, B are composed of springs and balls installed in holes provided in the upper brackets 7, 7.

Upper brackets 7 and 7 have face gear 1.
Spur gears 21, 21 are rotatably incorporated in a direction perpendicular to 9, 19, and these spur gears 21, 21 are held by presser members 22, 22.
2 is prevented from coming off with snap springs 23, 23.

Teeth are carved on the outer periphery of the spur gears 21, 21, and these teeth mesh orthogonally with the teeth of the face gears 19, 19, so that the rotation of the spur gears 21, 21 is caused by the rotation of the face gears 19, 19.
9, 19.

In place of the spur gears 21, 21, other known gears such as bevel gears may be used.

One end of a flexible wire 24 is inserted and fixed into the center of each spur gear 21, 21, and this wire 24 is connected to the upper bracket 7, 7.
one flexible tube 25 each fixed to
It is rotatably inserted inside. For this reason, two shock absorbers A,
The gear mechanism in A is interlocked.

A part of the face gear 19 is always exposed to the outside from the upper brackets 7, 7, and symbols such as numbers are provided at equal intervals on the top and side surfaces of the face gears 19, 19, and on the top surface of the spring seat 14, for example. Marks such as arrows are provided.

The spacing and number of symbols are for the cylinder body 13 which is a rotary valve.
corresponding to the spacing and number of orifices a, b...n,
When facing one of the symbols as a landmark, one of the orifices corresponding to this landmark faces the horizontal hole 9. Symbols and landmarks are shock absorbers A and A.
It may be provided on both sides, or it can be used on only one side.

Next, the operation in the implementation of FIG. 1 will be described.

In FIG. 1, for example, when the face gear 19 of the shock absorber A shown below is rotated with a finger and one of the symbols is aligned with the mark, the operating rod 12 and the cylinder body 13 connected to the face gear 19 can be seen.
are rotated by the same amount and in the same direction, and one of the orifices a, b...n corresponding to the symbol faces the horizontal hole 9, and a damping force corresponding to the selected orifice is obtained. On the other hand, when the face gear 19 is rotated, the spur gear 21 meshing with the face gear 19 rotates by the same amount, and at the same time, the wire 24 coupled to the spur gear 21 also rotates by the same amount. For this reason, the rotational movement of the wire 24 is caused by the spur gear 21 in the other shock absorber A shown at the top in the figure.
rotates by the same amount, and this rotational movement of the spur gear 21 is transmitted to the operating rod 12 and the cylinder 1 via the face gear 19.
3, this cylinder 13 rotates at the same time and in the same direction as the cylinder 13 in the lower shock absorber A, and selects the same size orifice. Therefore, when one of the face gears 19 is rotated according to the symbols and marks, the rotary valves of the two shock absorbers are synchronized, making it possible to adjust the damping force to the same magnitude at the same time. Therefore, there is no deviation in the magnitude of the damping forces of the two shock absorbers, and a stable riding comfort can be obtained.

The detent mechanism B, B meshes with one of the grooves with the spacing and number corresponding to the symbol on the side surface of the face gear 19, and unless external force is applied, the face gear 19, 19
This prevents misalignment of the orifice and misalignment of the orifice. Further, the detent mechanisms B, B may be provided on both of the two shock absorbers A, A, but since the face gears 19, 19 are interlocked via the wire 24, they can be used even if they are provided on either one. Moreover, the mechanism is not limited to that shown in the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the invention, in which the wire 24 is directly rotated.

Since the shock absorbers A, A and the gear mechanism incorporated therein are the same as those shown in FIG. 1, the same reference numerals are given in the drawings and the details will be omitted.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a mechanism C for driving the wire 24 is assembled. That is, a disc-shaped adjuster 41 is rotatably held on a support plate 40 fixed to the vehicle body, and these support plates 40
A wire 24 passes through the holes 42 and 43 in the center of the adjuster 41, and both ends of the wire 24 are connected to the spur gears 21 and 21 of the shock absorbers A and A, respectively.
is combined with However, the wire 24 is rotatably inserted into the hole 42, and the wire 24 is inserted into the hole 42 on the adjuster 41 side.
3, and when the adjuster 41 is rotated, the wire 24 is also rotated by the same amount and in the same direction. The amount of rotation of the adjuster 41 is detected, for example, by facing a symbol provided on the top or side surface of the adjuster 41 and a mark provided on the support plate 40, and the spacing and number of the symbols are determined by the orifices a, b...
It corresponds to n. However, the symbol for the adjuster 41 may be omitted; in this case, it can be detected by the symbol on the face gear 19 side, as in the case of FIG. In the above case, when the adjuster 41 is rotated in one direction according to the symbol and mark, the wire 24
rotates, and this rotational force is directly transmitted to the spur gears 21 of the two shock absorbers A, A.
1 rotates the operating rods 12, 12 and the cylinders 13, 13 via the face gears 19, 19, so one of the orifices corresponding to the symbol is selected. Moreover, since the selected orifices are the same in the two shock absorbers A and A, and are selected simultaneously, there will be no deviation in the magnitude of the damping force.

Next, FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which the damping force can be adjusted remotely while riding on a two-wheeled vehicle or the like without getting off the vehicle.

That is, the spur gear 21a is rotatably incorporated into the upper bracket 7 of one shock absorber A, and the spur gear 21a is prevented from coming off via the holding member 22a and the snap ring 23a.
The teeth 1a mesh with a face gear 19 in exactly the same gear mechanism as in FIG. Also spur gear 21a
A flexible wire 24a is coupled to the center of the tube, and this wire 24a is rotatably held within a flexible tube 25a. The shock absorbers A, A, the rotary valves incorporated therein, the gear mechanism, and the transmission mechanism such as the wire that interlocks the two gear mechanisms are the same as those shown in FIG.

The wire 24a and the tube 25a are connected to an adjustment member 26 installed at a position near the driver's seat, for example, on the steering wheel side, through an arbitrary position on the vehicle body. As shown in FIG. 4, in the adjustment member 26, a cover 28 is fixed onto a base 27 via bolts 29, and a driving gear 30 and a driven gear 3 are connected between the base 27 and the cover.
1 is incorporated, and these gears 30 have teeth 3 on the outer periphery.
2, and are rotatably engaged with each other.

A tightening nut 34 is screwed onto the base 27, a guide 33 is inserted into the nut 34, and the ends of the tube 25a and the wire 24a are inserted into the guide 33. One end of the wire 24a rotatably inserted into the guide 33 is connected to the driven gear 31.
The wire 24a is fitted into the center of the driven gear 31 so that the wire 24a rotates in the same direction as the driven gear 31 rotates.

The base 27 and the cover 28 are connected to a vehicle body side, such as a steering wheel, through bolts, pins, or other fasteners inserted into the holes 28a, 33a.

The drive gear 30 is rotatably supported by the base 27 and the cover 28, and a portion of the shaft 35 is chamfered.
This chamfered portion 37 is fitted into the operating knob 36, so that when the operating knob 36 is rotated in one direction, the drive gear 30 is rotated by the same amount in the same direction.

The knob 36 and the shaft 35 are connected via a bolt 38 to prevent the knob 36 from coming off.

A plurality of grooves are formed on the lower surface of the drive gear 30,
A detent mechanism 39 provided on the base 27 side selectively fits into one of the grooves to position the drive gear 30.

The detent mechanism 39 consists of a spring and a ball built into the hole. However, the detent mechanism may be omitted as long as the detent mechanism B in the shock absorber A is provided, and conversely, the detent mechanism B in the shock absorber A may be omitted by providing the detent mechanism 39.

A mark, such as an arrow, is written on the top surface of the cover 28, and a symbol consisting of numbers, etc. is written on the top surface of the knob 36, and the spacing and number of these symbols correspond to the spacing and number of orifices a, b...n of the rotary valve. , and the spacing and number of grooves into which the detent mechanism B, 39 fits, and when one of the symbols is aligned with a mark, the orifice corresponding to one of the marks is selected. .

Next, the operation in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 will be described.

Assume that the driver rotates the knob 36 near the handle while riding the motorcycle, and aligns one of the symbols with the landmark, for example. At this time, the knob 36 and the drive gear 30 rotate by a predetermined angle, and the driven gear 31 is driven by the drive gear 30 and rotates by an amount corresponding to the gear ratio. At a position where a certain symbol faces a mark, the detent mechanism 39 fits into the groove of the drive gear 30, and positions the drive gear 30 and the driven gear 31 by holding them stationary.

Next, when the driven gear 31 rotates, the flexible wire 24a fixed to the gear 31 moves into the tube 25a.
This movement is transmitted to the spur gear 21a provided on the upper bracket 7.

When the spur gear 21a rotates, the face gear 19 of the shock absorber A shown on the lower side that meshes with the spur gear 21a rotates, and the rotational force of the face gear 19 is transferred to the operating rod 12 and the cylindrical body 13 which is a rotary valve.
transmitted to. At this time, due to the relationship between the gear ratios of the respective gears, when the knob 36 rotates by a certain angle, the dividing body 13 also rotates according to the amount of rotation, and the orifices a, b...n corresponding to one of the symbols One of them is designed in advance to face the through hole 9. The position of the cylindrical body 13 is determined by the face gear 19 using the detent mechanism B to prevent it from rattling or shifting, so that the position of the orifice remains facing the through hole 9 and is prevented from shifting. On the other hand, when the face gear 19 rotates, the spur gear 21 and
the other shock absorber A via the wire 24.
The damping force is simultaneously transmitted to the gear mechanism of the rotary valve and simultaneously displaces the rotary valve to obtain the same damping force.

The damping force adjustment device described above has good operability because it can be adjusted remotely while riding the motorcycle, etc., and even if the shock absorber is hidden behind the motorcycle body, it can be adjusted regardless of the structure. It is something that can be adjusted.

Next, FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In this case, one wire is directly connected to the adjustment member 26 on the handle side. That is, a hollow guide 44 is fixed to the upper bracket 7 of one of the shock absorbers, for example, the shock absorber A shown below, and a radially directed hole 45 is formed in the upper bracket 7, so that the guide 4
4, a tube 25a and a wire 24b are inserted, one end of the wire 24b is connected to the adjustment member 26 on the handle side, and the other end is fixed to the spur gear 21. However, the wire may be a single wire 24 extended from the spur gear 21.

According to the adjustment device of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, when the knob 36 of the adjustment member 26, which is the same as that shown in FIG. and hole 45
While rotating, the spur gear 21 is rotated, and this spur gear 21 rotates the face gear 19 of one shock absorber A, and also rotates the cylinder body 13, which is a rotary valve. On the other hand, the spur gear 21 is connected to the wire 2
4, the spur gear 21 of the other shock absorber A is rotated, and as in the case of FIG. Therefore, by rotating one wire with the knob 36, the cylinder bodies 13, 13 of the two shock absorbers A, A can be rotated simultaneously and by the same amount, and the damping force can be adjusted simultaneously and to the same magnitude. .

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the wires 24,
24a, the rotational force of the face gear 19 and the adjuster 41 is transmitted as the rotational force of the rotary valve, but the rotational force of the above-mentioned members is converted to the operating rod or valve member as a linear motion, and the diameter of the hole provided in the valve is transmitted as the axis. It is also possible to adjust the damping force by changing the direction.

Furthermore, FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which the wire 24 is held by fenders serving as guides.

That is, although the wires 24, 24a in FIGS. 1 to 5 are rotatably inserted into the flexible tubes 25, 25a, the wires 24, 24a are not necessarily inserted into the flexible tubes 25, 25a.
does not need to be held by the tubes 25, 25a. For this purpose, one or more fasteners 47 such as clips or rings are provided on the upper or lower surface of the curved fender 46 provided on the vehicle body for mud protection, etc., and the wires 24, 24a are held by the fasteners 47. fender 4
6. It is a guide along the Fender 4.
6 is for preventing the wire from sagging or shifting.

In the present invention, each valve of at least two shock absorbers is interlocked with a gear mechanism through a single wire, so that the two valves can be displaced simultaneously and by the same amount by a single rotational driving operation of the wire or gear mechanism, and each valve can be displaced by the same amount. The damping force of the shock absorber is always the same, preventing setting errors, simplifying the damping operation, and significantly improving work efficiency.

The gear mechanism has a structure in which a spur gear connected to a wire meshes with a gear connected to a connecting rod, so it can be stored compactly in a bracket, and is not limited by mounting spacers and the gear mechanism will not interfere with the vehicle body. Not at all.

Since the wire is single, the gear mechanisms of the two shock absorbers and the valves are always interlocked to always provide the same damping force, and the number of parts and installation space is small.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway vertical front view of a shock absorber using a damping force adjustment device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway longitudinal section of a damping force adjustment device according to another embodiment of the present invention. A front view, FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway longitudinal sectional front view of a damping force adjustment device according to another embodiment, FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional front view of a handle-side adjustment member, and FIG. 5 is a damping according to another embodiment. FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway longitudinal sectional front view of the force adjustment device and a schematic side view showing a state in which a wire is held according to another embodiment. 1... Cylinder, 2... Piston, 3... Piston rod, 4, 5... Oil chamber, 7... Bracket, 12... Operating rod, 19... Gear, 21...
...Gear, 24, 24a...Flexible wire, 26...
...adjustment member, 41...adjuster, 46...fender.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) Two oil chambers partitioned by a piston in a cylinder communicate with each other via a valve, and this valve is operated in the rotational direction or via an operating rod inserted into the piston rod. In a plurality of shock absorbers whose damping force is changed by displacement in the axial direction, a gear connected to an operating rod and a spur gear meshed with this gear are rotatably attached to the bracket of each shock absorber. It has been packed,
A damping force adjustment device for a shock absorber in which a single flexible wire is connected to the spur gear of each shock absorber, and the damping force is adjusted by rotating the flexible wire. (2) A damping force adjustment device for a shock absorber according to claim 1, in which a rotatable adjuster is coupled to the middle of the wire. (3) Utility model registration claim No. 1 in which the wire connected to the spur gear is interlocked with the adjustment member on the handle side.
A damping force adjustment device for the shock absorber described in 2. (4) The damping force adjustment device for a shock absorber according to claim 1, wherein a wire between two shock absorbers is held by a fender.