TWI820926B - Cable actuation structure - Google Patents

Abstract

A cable actuation structure is adapted to a seat tube of a bicycle. The seat tube includes a telescopic tube and a switch lever. The switch lever is disposed in the telescopic tube, and the switch lever is adapted to drive the telescopic tube to elongate or shorten after being pushed. The cable actuation structure is adapted to push the switch lever. The cable actuation structure includes a base, a cable, a magnetic element and a lever module. The base is adapted to be disposed in the telescopic tube and has an opening groove. The opening groove is adapted to allow the switch lever being reached into. The cable has a cable body and a magnetic attracted portion connected to the cable body. The lever module is disposed in the opening groove. The lever module has an actuating portion, a pivot portion and a cable through portion. The pivot portion is located between the actuating portion and the cable through portion, and the pivot portion is pivoted to the base. The cable is fixed to the cable through portion. The cable actuation structure is adapted to push the switch lever. The magnetic element is fixed in the opening groove, and the magnetic element is adjacent to the cable through portion. The cable is connected to the magnetic attracted portion thus to be fixed to the cable through portion via the magnetic element. The cable body is passed through the cable through portion, and the cable body is adapted to extend out of the telescopic tube.

Description

cable control structure

The present invention relates to a cable control structure, in particular to a cable control structure suitable for a bicycle seat tube.

Cycling has the functions of sightseeing and fitness, and the intensity of exercise can be adjusted according to the route choice or the type of bicycle. Therefore, in recent years, more and more people have engaged in cycling. With different road conditions, the applicable riding posture of the bicycle also varies, and the riding posture can be adjusted through the height of the seat cushion. For example, a higher seat height is suitable for off-road use, while a lower seat height is suitable for cornering and downhill dives on the road.

The telescopic seat tube allows the rider to adjust the height of the seat cushion directly from the handlebar switch during riding, without interrupting the ride to adjust the height of the seat cushion. Simply put, a telescopic seat tube uses a cable connected between the seat cushion and a switch to actuate the seat cushion to extend or contract. In addition, some of the cables of the telescopic seat tube are installed inside the seat tube. This cable installation method can be called "internal routing", which can prevent the cables from being exposed and affecting the appearance of the bicycle. However, the current cables for telescopic seat tubes are still difficult to install because workers cannot look directly into the seat tube when installing the cables.

The present invention provides a cable control structure suitable for a bicycle seat tube, so as to have the advantage of easy installation.

The cable control structure provided by the invention is suitable for the seat tube of a bicycle. The seat tube includes the seat tube body and the adjustment switch. The adjustment switch is arranged in the seat tube body and is suitable for controlling the expansion and contraction of the seat tube body after being pushed. The cable control structure is adapted to push the adjustment switch. The cable control structure includes a base, a cable, a magnetic part and a lever module. The base is suitable for being arranged in the seat tube body and has a slot. The slot corresponds to the adjustment switch setting. The cable has a connected wire body and a magnetic attraction piece. The lever module is arranged in the slot. The lever module has an actuating part, a pivot part and a threading part. The pivoting part is located between the actuating part and the threading part and is pivoted to the base. The cable is fixed on the threading part. The actuating part is adapted to push the adjustment switch. The magnetic suction part is fixed in the slot and adjacent to the threading part. The cable is attracted to each other through the magnetic attraction part and the magnetic attraction part and then positioned at the threading part. The thread body passes through the threading portion and is adapted to extend outside the seat tube body.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned lever module may include a first lever and a second lever. The first lever has a pivot portion, a threading portion and a first pivot end. The pivot portion is located between the first pivot end and the threading portion, and the first pivot end is pivoted to the second lever. The second lever has an actuating part and a second pivot end, and the second pivot end is pivoted to the base. The portion of the second lever between the actuating portion and the second pivot end is pivotally connected to the first lever, and the actuating portion is closer to the pivot portion than the second pivot end. The cable is adapted to pull the lever module along a first direction, and the actuating part is adapted to push the adjustment switch along a second direction opposite to the first direction.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned cable control structure further includes a pivot. The base has two inner side walls, and the two inner side walls are located in the slot and opposite to each other. The lever module is arranged between the two inner walls. The second pivot end has a through slot, and the long side of the through slot extends along the second direction. The pivot shaft passes through the through slot and is connected and fixed between the two inner walls.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the threading portion may have a top surface, a bottom surface and side surfaces. The top surface faces the second direction and is opposite to the bottom surface, and the side surfaces are connected between the top surface and the bottom surface. The top surface has a groove, and the magnetic suction part is adjacent to the groove. The threading part further has a threading groove and a groove communicating with each other. The wire groove runs through the top and bottom surfaces, and a wire opening is formed on the side. The thread body is suitable for being placed into the threading groove through the thread opening. The magnetic pieces are attracted to each other through the magnetic parts and then positioned in the groove.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned magnetic attraction part is, for example, disposed on the side opposite to the thread opening of the threading part.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned first lever also has an axial direction, and the axial direction is directed from the threading portion to the first pivot end. The wire placement opening may have an opening width in the axial direction. The width of the magnetic piece is greater than the opening width, and the wire diameter of the wire body is smaller than the opening width.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned wire duct may also have a first section and a second section that are connected. The first section has a line opening. The second section extends axially and is perpendicular to the first section.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned cable control structure may further include a magnetic structure, and the magnetic structure is disposed on the magnetic attraction piece and corresponds to the magnetic attraction portion. The magnetic attraction part attracts each other through the magnetic structure and the magnetic attraction part to be positioned at the threading part.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the material of the above-mentioned magnetic attraction component includes, for example, magnetic material.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned base has two inner walls, and the two inner walls are located in the slot and opposite to each other. The lever module is disposed between two inner walls, one of the two inner walls having positioning grooves. The magnetic suction part is fixed in the positioning groove.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned magnetic attraction component includes a head and a magnetic attraction base, and the head portion is connected to the wire body and the magnetic attraction base. The material of the magnetic base includes magnetic materials.

The cable control structure of the present invention uses a magnetic attraction component combined with the cable, and a magnetic attraction part corresponding to the magnetic attraction component. Furthermore, the magnetic suction part is fixed on the base, so when the cable is extended into the base, the magnetic suction part and the magnetic suction part will attract each other, thereby positioning the cable at the desired position on the base. Based on the above, the cable control structure of the present invention can accurately and quickly install cables on the base without visually observing the internal structure of the base. Therefore, the cable control structure of the present invention has the advantage of being easy to install.

In order to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, embodiments are given below and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a cable control structure installed on a seat tube according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figures 2 and 3 are schematic diagrams of the cable control structure and adjustment switches of Figure 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the cable control structure of FIG. 3 from another perspective. Please refer to Figure 1 first. The cable control structure 100 is suitable for the seat tube ST of the bicycle. The seat tube ST includes a seat tube body T and an adjustment switch SL. The adjustment switch SL is arranged in the seat tube body T and is suitable for controlling the expansion and contraction of the seat tube body T after being pushed. The cable control structure 100 is adapted to push the adjustment switch SL. Please refer to Figures 2 and 3. The cable control structure 100 includes a base 110, a cable 120, a magnetic part 130 and a lever module 140. The base 110 in Figure 3 is shown with a dotted line to clearly show the cable 120. , the magnetic attraction part 130 and the lever module 140 . Please refer to FIGS. 3 and 4 together. The base 110 is suitable for being disposed in the seat tube body T (shown in FIG. 1 ) and has a slot 111 (shown in FIG. 4 ). The slot 111 corresponds to the position setting of the adjustment switch SL. The cable 120 has a connected wire body 121 and a magnetic attraction component 123 (marked in FIG. 4 ). The lever module 140 is disposed in the slot 111 . The lever module 140 has an actuating part 141, a pivot part 142 and a threading part 143. The pivot portion 142 is located between the actuating portion 141 and the threading portion 143 and is pivoted to the base 110 . The actuating part 141 is adapted to push the adjustment switch SL. The magnetic attraction part 130 is fixed in the slot 111 and adjacent to the threading part 143 . The magnetic attraction component 123 is formed by combining the head B and the magnetic attraction base 122. For example, the head B connects the wire body 121 and the magnetic attraction base 122. The magnetic attraction part 123 and the magnetic attraction part 130 are attracted to each other and then positioned at the threading part 143 , whereby the cable 120 is fixed to the threading part 143 via the magnetic attraction part 123 . The thread body 121 passes through the threading portion 143 and is adapted to extend out of the seat tube body T (shown in FIG. 1 ).

Please refer to Figure 1 again. It should be noted that the seat tube body T includes a connected telescopic section T1 and a fixed section T2. One end of the telescopic section T1 can be used to install a seat cushion (not shown), and the cable control structure 100 can be fixed in the fixed section T2. The portion of the fixing section T2 in FIG. 1 where the cable control structure 100 is fixed is shown as a dotted line in order to clearly present the cable control structure 100 . In addition, the fixing section T2 and the cable control structure 100 may be provided with corresponding threads for locking, but the present invention does not limit the fixing method.

The cable 120 is at least partially installed inside the seat tube body T, and the above-mentioned installation method can also be called "internal wiring". Please refer to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 together. The material of the wire body 121 may include metal. However, in one embodiment, the wire body 121 can be integrally formed with the magnetic base 122, and the present invention does not limit this. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the cable control structure of FIG. 3 from another perspective, in which the perspective relationship between FIG. 5 and FIG. 3 is illustrated by directions X, Y, and Z, and the partial lever module 140 of FIG. 5 is illustrated by a dotted line. Please refer to FIGS. 4 and 5 together. The cable control structure 100 of this embodiment may further include a magnetic structure 150 . The magnetic structure 150 is disposed on the magnetic base 122 and corresponds to the magnetic portion 130 . The magnetic base 122 attracts each other through the magnetic structure 150 and the magnetic portion 130 and is positioned on the threading portion 143 . Specifically, the magnetic structure 150 has magnetism and serves as a medium for the magnetic suction base 122 and the magnetic suction part 130 to attract each other; in this case, the magnetic suction base 122 may not have magnetism. However, in another embodiment, the material of the magnetic base 122 includes, for example, a magnetic material; in other words, the magnetic base 122 can be fixed to the magnetic portion 130 by its own magnetism. In this case, the magnetic portion 130 can be a magnet or a magnetic material. It is made of iron or other materials that can be used for magnetic positioning of the magnetic base 122.

In this embodiment, the magnetic attraction part 130 is, for example, a magnet. In addition, the magnetic attraction part 130 and the magnetic structure 150 may be in the shape of a disk or a plate, and may be mutually adsorbed on a larger surface of the disk or plate to increase the distance between the magnetic attraction part 130 and the magnetic structure 150 Magnetic attraction. In this embodiment, the shapes of the magnetic attraction portion 130 and the magnetic structure 150 are disk-shaped, but the invention is not limited thereto.

The material of the base 110 in this embodiment can be metal, such as aluminum, titanium, stainless steel, or alloys of the aforementioned metal materials. However, in other embodiments, the material of the base 110 can also be non-metallic materials such as plastic, carbon fiber composite materials, etc. . Please continue to refer to Figure 5. In this embodiment, the base 110 may have inner side walls 112 and 113 (also marked in Figure 4). The inner side walls 112 and 113 are located in the slot 111 and face each other. The lever module 140 is disposed between the inner side walls 112 and 113, where the inner side wall 112 has a positioning groove P (also shown in FIG. 6). The magnetic attraction part 130 is fixed in the positioning groove P. Specifically, the positioning groove P can be located at the position where the magnetic suction part 130 is to be installed in the base 110. This makes it easier to install the magnetic suction part 130 in the correct position when assembling the cable control structure 100. By the way, please refer to Figures 4 and 5 together. When assembling the cable control structure 100, the magnetic part 130 can be fixed in the positioning groove P (shown in Figure 5) first, and then the lever module 140 It is installed in the slot 111, and finally the cable 120 is magnetically positioned through the magnetic suction part 130 and fixed in the threading part 143. However, the present invention does not limit the specific assembly process.

Please refer to FIGS. 3 and 4 again. The material of the lever module 140 in this embodiment may include aluminum, stainless steel, plastic steel or polymer composite materials such as carbon fiber, but the invention is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the lever module 140 may include a first lever L1 and a second lever L2. The first lever L1 has a pivot portion 142, a threading portion 143 and a first pivot end P1. The pivot portion 142 is located between the first pivot end P1 and the threading portion 143 , and the first pivot end P1 is pivoted to the second lever L2. The second lever L2 has an actuating portion 141 and a second pivot end P2. The second pivot end P2 is pivoted to the base 110 . The portion of the second lever L2 located between the actuating portion 141 and the second pivot end P2 is pivotally connected to the first lever L1, and the actuating portion 141 is closer to the pivot portion 142 than the second pivot end P2. The cable 120 is adapted to pull the lever module 140 along the first direction D1, and the actuating part 141 is adapted to push the adjustment switch SL along the second direction D2 opposite to the first direction D1. Furthermore, the wire body 121 of the cable 120 can extend out of the seat tube ST (shown in FIG. 1 ) along the first direction D1 and be connected to the control module (not shown). The control module can pull the wire body 121 after being activated, thereby causing the cable 120 to pull the lever module 140 along the first direction D1. Incidentally, the pivot portion 142 may include a pivot axis AX1 that passes through the first lever L1 and the base 110 . Similarly, another pivot axis AX2 can pass through the first pivot end P1 and the second lever L2 of the first lever L1 so that the first lever L1 and the second lever L2 are pivotally connected to each other. Incidentally, in this embodiment, the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 may be substantially parallel to the direction Y.

Cable control structure 100 also includes pivot 160, for example. The second pivot end P2 has a through groove G1, and the long side L of the through groove G1 extends along the second direction D2. The pivot shaft 160 passes through the through slot G1 and is connected and fixed between the inner side walls 112 and 113 (shown in Figure 4). In this way, when the second lever L2 is actuated by the first lever L1, the through groove G1 can provide space for the second lever L2 to rotate or move. In addition, please refer to FIGS. 3 and 6 together. The threading portion 143 may have a top surface S1 , a bottom surface S2 and a side surface S3 (drawn in FIG. 6 ). The top surface S1 faces the second direction D2 and is opposite to the bottom surface S2, and the side surface S3 is connected between the top surface S1 and the bottom surface S2. The top surface S1 has a groove G2 (also shown in FIG. 4 ), and the magnetic attraction portion 130 (shown in FIG. 3 ) is adjacent to the groove G2. Please continue to refer to FIG. 6 , the threading part 143 may also have a threading groove G3, and the threading groove G3 communicates with the groove G2. The wire groove G3 penetrates the top surface S1 and the bottom surface S2, and forms a wire opening O on the side S3. The wire body 121 is suitable for being placed into the wire threading groove G3 through the wire placement opening O. Please refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 6 together. The magnetic base 122 is suitable for attracting and positioning the magnetic portion 130 (shown in FIG. 4 ) and then being fixed in the groove G2. Specifically, the magnetic attraction portion 130 is, for example, provided on the side of the threading portion 143 opposite to the thread opening O. Specifically, during the installation process of the cable 120, for example, first extend the section of the cable 120 with the magnetic seat 122 into the seat tube body T (shown in Figure 1), and the magnetic seat 122 will close to the magnetic seat T. The magnetic suction part 130 is attracted to the magnetic suction part 130 through the magnetic attraction force. Furthermore, when the magnetic attraction base 122 moves toward the magnetic attraction portion 130 due to the magnetic attraction force, the wire body 121 will enter the threading groove G3 through the wire opening O, so that the magnetic attraction base 122 can be closer to and fixed on the magnet. Suction part 130. Based on the above, the magnetic base 122 can be positioned and fixed in the groove G2 by mutual attraction with the magnetic portion 130, and the wire body 121 extends out of the seat tube body T from the cable groove G3, thus completing the installation of the cable 120. Incidentally, the shape of the magnetic base 122 can be cylindrical, and the shape of the groove G2 can be complementary to the shape of the magnetic base 122, but the present invention does not limit these detailed features.

Please continue to refer to FIG. 6 . In this embodiment, the first lever L1 also has an axial direction A, for example, and the axial direction A points from the threading portion 143 to the first pivot end P1 . The wire placement port O has an opening width W1 in the axial direction A. The width W2 of the magnetic base 122 may be greater than the opening width W1, and the wire diameter of the wire body 121 may be smaller than the opening width W1. In this way, the wire body 121 can more easily enter the wire threading groove G3 through the wire opening O, and the magnetic base 122 can be more firmly fixed in the groove G2. On the other hand, the wire duct G3 may also have a first section SG1 and a second section SG2 that are connected. The first section SG1 has a line setting port O. The second section SG2 extends along the axial direction A and is perpendicular to the first section SG1. In this way, the cable 120 can enter the second section SG2 from the first section SG1, and the second section SG2 can provide space for the wire body 121 to rotate relative to the second lever L2 when the cable 120 is pulled along the first direction D1. or move.

To sum up, the cable control structure of the present invention uses a cable with a magnetic attraction component and a magnetic attraction part corresponding to the magnetic attraction component. Furthermore, the magnetic suction part is fixed in the seat tube body, so when the cable is extended into the seat tube body, the magnetic suction base will be attracted to the magnetic suction part, thereby fixing the cable at the desired installation position in the seat tube body. . Based on the above, the cable control structure of the present invention can accurately and quickly install the cable into the seat tube body without visually inspecting the inside of the seat tube body. Therefore, the cable control structure of the present invention has the advantage of being easy to install.

Although the present invention has been disclosed above through embodiments, they are not intended to limit the present invention. Those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs can make some modifications and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be determined by the appended patent application scope.

100: Cable control structure 110:Pedestal 111: Grooving 112, 113: medial wall 120:cable 121: Line body 122:Magnetic base 123:Magnetic parts 130:Magnetic suction part 140: Lever module 141: Actuation part 142: Pivot joint 143:Threading part 150:Magnetic structure A:Axis AX1, AX2, 160: Pivot B:Head D1: first direction D2: second direction G1:Through slot G2: Groove G3:Threading duct L: long side L1: first lever L2: Second lever O: Line port P: Positioning slot P1: first pivot end P2: The second pivot terminal S1: Top surface S2: Bottom surface S3: Side SG1: first paragraph SG2: Second paragraph SL: Adjustment switch ST:Seat tube T:Seat tube body T1: telescopic section T2: Fixed segment W1: opening width W2: Width X, Y, Z: direction

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a cable control structure installed on a seat tube according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figures 2 and 3 are schematic diagrams of the cable control structure and adjustment switches of Figure 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the cable control structure of FIG. 3 from another perspective. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the cable control structure of FIG. 3 from another perspective. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the cable control structure of FIG. 3 from another perspective.

110:Pedestal

111: Grooving

112, 113: medial wall

121: Line body

122:Magnetic base

123:Magnetic parts

130:Magnetic suction part

141: Actuation part

142: Pivot joint

143:Threading part

150:Magnetic structure

160:Pivot

B:Head

G1:Through slot

G2: Groove

L: long side

L1: first lever

L2: Second lever

P1: first pivot terminal

P2: The second pivot terminal

SL: Adjustment switch

Claims (10)

A cable control structure suitable for a bicycle seat tube. The seat tube includes a seat tube body and an adjustment switch. The adjustment switch is arranged in the seat tube body and is suitable for controlling the expansion and contraction of the seat tube body after being pushed. The cable control structure is suitable for pushing the adjustment switch. The cable control structure includes: a base, which is suitable for being arranged in the seat tube body and has a slot corresponding to the adjustment switch; a cable The wire has a wire body and a magnetic attraction piece; a lever module is arranged in the slot. The lever module has an actuating part, a pivoting part and a threading part. The pivoting part is pivoted to The base, the threading part is for the cable to thread, the actuating part is suitable for pushing the adjustment switch; and a magnetic suction part is fixed in the slot and adjacent to the threading part; wherein the cable passes through the The magnetic piece and the magnetic part are attracted to each other and then positioned on the threading part, and the thread passes through the threading part and is adapted to extend out of the seat tube body to be connected to a controller. The cable control structure of claim 1, wherein the lever module includes a first lever and a second lever; the first lever has the pivot portion, the threading portion and a first pivot The connecting end is located between the first pivoting end and the threading part. The first pivoting end is pivoted to the second lever; the second lever has the actuating part and a second The pivot end, the second pivot end is pivoted to the base, the part of the second lever between the actuating part and the second pivot end is pivoted to the first lever, and the The actuating part is closer to the pivot part than the second pivot end; The cable is adapted to pull the lever module along a first direction, and the actuating part is adapted to push the adjustment switch along a second direction opposite to the first direction. The cable control structure according to claim 2, further comprising a pivot, wherein the base has two inner walls, the two inner walls are located in the slot and face each other, and the lever module is disposed inside the two inner walls. The second pivot end has a through groove between the side walls. A long side of the through groove extends along the second direction. The pivot shaft passes through the through groove and is connected and fixed between the two inner walls. The cable control structure of claim 2, wherein the threading portion has a top surface, a bottom surface and a side surface, the top surface faces the second direction and is opposite to the bottom surface, and the side surface is connected to the top surface and the side surface. Between the bottom surfaces, the top surface has a groove, and the magnetic part is adjacent to the groove; the threading part has a threading groove communicating with the groove, and the threading groove penetrates the top surface and the bottom surface, and is on the side A wire opening is formed, and the wire body is suitable to be inserted into the threading groove through the wire opening. The magnetic piece and the magnetic part are attracted to each other and then positioned in the groove. The cable control structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first lever has an axial direction, the axial direction is directed from the threading part to the first pivot end, and the cable setting port has an opening in the axial direction. Width: a width of the magnetic piece is greater than the width of the opening, and a diameter of the wire body is smaller than the width of the opening. The cable control structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein the cable duct further has a first section and a second section that communicate with each other, the first section has the cable opening, and the first lever has an axial direction. , the axial direction points from the threading portion to the first pivot end, and the second section extends along the axial direction and is perpendicular to the first section. The cable control structure of claim 1 further includes a magnetic structure disposed on the magnetic part and corresponding to the magnetic part, wherein the magnetic part and the magnetic part attract each other through the magnetic structure to position. At the location of the magnetic attraction part. The cable control structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material of the magnetic attraction member includes magnetic material. The cable control structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base has two inner walls, the two inner walls are located in the slot and face each other, and the lever module is disposed between the two inner walls, wherein One of the two inner walls has a positioning groove, and the magnetic suction part is fixed in the positioning groove. The cable control structure of claim 1, wherein the magnetic attraction component includes a head and a magnetic attraction base, the head connects the wire body and the magnetic attraction base, and the material of the magnetic attraction base includes magnetic material.