CN1090114C - Stabilizer training wheel for bicycle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a side wheel connecting device (18) of a dismountable auxiliary side wheel attached to a bicycle (10), which comprises a required folding shape, namely forming a single structural rod of a helical torsion spring (22); the first end and the second end of the spring rod extend approximately rectangularly to each other under a natural unbiased state, wherein the first end (20) of the spring rod is inverted U-shaped, and is clamped in a rear axle shaft (14) of the bicycle by the bending sections of the first end in the tangential direction, and fixed when the bending sections are adjusted to an upright position relative to the bicycle; the second end (24) of the spring rod can be rotatablely clamped in the auxiliary side wheel to act as the shaft of the auxiliary side wheel; both ends can angularly move to each other by the helical spring. Therefore, when in use, two auxiliary side wheels (installed on the one side and the other side of a rear wheel) and the rear wheel of the bicycle always keep in touch with ground and respectively complete respective functions when riders ride the bicycle; the present invention has a novel point in that the side wheel connecting device has the advantages of simple structure, and to sum up, the connecting device is prepared by the single structural rod.

Description

Exercise balance wheel for bicycles

field of invention

The present invention relates to bicycle attachments, in particular to exercise wheel assemblies or auxiliary side wheel assemblies for controlling dynamic lateral instability on uneven ground.

Background of the invention

People in the industry know that a pair of detachable auxiliary side wheels can be added to the bicycle rear axle in order to control the dynamic lateral instability of the bicycle technically. Indeed, a bicycle is a vehicle whose dynamic stability is enhanced by increasing its speed; at low speeds, it is difficult to maintain lateral stability, especially for children or other people who are not proficient in handling a bicycle. This kind of auxiliary side wheel is very much needed when encountering children who are initially learning to pedal and people who are unstable when riding a bicycle.

A problem with many existing auxiliary side wheels is to mount them on conventional bicycles with arrangements that include rigid linkages. This rigid connection is disadvantageous because unevenness of the ground tends to cause one side of the wheel to rise above the ground relative to the other side of the wheel and cause the bicycle to have undue instability. On the other hand, the rear wheels would be raised above the ground and the rider would temporarily lose propulsion. Furthermore, when the bicycle and the rider are turning, the stability of the vehicle is again compromised because the bicycle cannot tilt due to the rigid linkage of the side wheels.

Some patents have solved this problem by setting the suspension between the bicycle and the training wheels.

US Patent 5,942,354 issued to RAINEY in 1996 discloses practice wheels mounted on the end of a coil spring mounted on each side of the rear wheel axle. The axes of the coil springs are aligned with each other and are offset downwardly, parallel to the rear wheel axle, and since the coil springs can move upward, the exercise wheel can be pulled rearwardly against the action of the springs. A disadvantage of the device disclosed by RAINEY is that the friction caused by uneven ground will pull the wheel backward against forward movement, causing the bicycle to spin.

US Patent 2,450,979 issued to MOLLER in 1948 discloses a coil spring suspension system for mounting a training wheel assembly on the rear axle of a bicycle. The auxiliary axle is held biased downwards from the latter by an L-shaped bracket interconnecting the auxiliary axle and the bicycle gear axle. The wheel shaft of the auxiliary wheel is movably connected with the rear wheel shaft of the bicycle with an upwardly and inwardly inclined adjustable-length coil spring. Because of the angular value between the long coil spring and the two axles, the lateral tilt play of the auxiliary axle relative to the rear axle of the bicycle is limited to a narrow range. MOLLER's device is expensive and prone to damage because it consists of many loose parts.

US Patent 2,793,877 issued to MEIER in 1954 discloses a training wheel mounted near the rear wheel of a bicycle by means of an L-shaped flat spring. The vertical foot of the L-shaped spring leaf and the vertical foot of a second rigidity L-shaped leaf are all fixed on the rear wheel axle of the bicycle. The transverse pins of the rigid plates positioned on the transverse axles of the flexible plates are connected to the transverse legs of the flexible plates with adjustable-length vertical members and are movable. Also, the angular play between the auxiliary axle and the bicycle rear axle is extremely limited on the MEIER system, since the auxiliary axle movement is limited to the downward movement of the horizontal foot of the rigid L-shaped piece (parallel to the bicycle rear axle). Using a leaf spring requires a second rigid leaf and feet to prevent the leaf spring from moving forward and backward on a horizontal plane.

In the two patents mentioned above, the auxiliary wheels play a role, but they require multiple parts to be installed on the bicycle side wheels (such as brackets, etc., spindles, etc., springs, etc.), so they are very complicated. Due to the large number of parts involved, the installation of side wheels is more complicated, and there is a high probability of failure and damage for the same reason. In addition, the spring adjustment device for the training wheel can be adjusted either up or down, not both. Moreover, neither MOLLER's nor MEIER's literature enables the cyclist to effectively deal with the particular surface where the bicycle's main rear wheel becomes stuck in the road groove, while the dual training wheels are left on high ground; as if this In this case, the main rear wheel of the bicycle will be raised slightly from the ground to reduce ground traction.

Summary of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a training wheel assembly for a bicycle which stabilizes the bicycle in an upright position, especially at low speeds.

Another object of the present invention is for the training wheel assembly to include spring attachment means so that each training wheel is permanently in contact with the ground. An important object of the present invention is to provide a coupling device for removably attaching side wheels to a bicycle which is simple in structure and easy to attach to and detach from the bicycle.

Yet another object of the invention is to make the attachment means for detachably attaching the side wheels to the bicycle consist of a single structural part.

An important feature of the present invention is to provide a bicycle with a training wheel assembly which includes spring means which permits angular adjustment of the training wheel up and down relative to the main wheel of the bicycle.

Another important feature of the present invention is to increase the safety in maneuvering of bicycles equipped with training wheels.

圈紧绕弹簧，而其纵向轴线朝自行车向前方向延伸，这样辅助轮在绕在螺旋状弹簧部分的纵轴旋转的同时可自由地垂直移动。In accordance with the object of the present invention, there is provided an auxiliary wheel assembly mounted on the rear axle of a bicycle to provide dynamic lateral stability of the bicycle, a pair of wheel assemblies being adapted to the opposite lateral sides of the rear axle, and each wheel assembly The components include: a training wheel; a bracket; a detachable lateral fixing device for fixing the bracket on the rear wheel axle; and a connecting piece, which includes a vertical part that can be connected to the bracket, a central helical spring part and and A horizontal spindle section parallel to the rear axle, the auxiliary wheel mounted on the end of the spindle section, wherein the helical spring section includes at least

The coils are tightly wound around the spring with its longitudinal axis extending towards the forward direction of the bicycle so that the training wheel is free to move vertically while rotating about the longitudinal axis of the helical spring portion.

圈。心轴部分自然地由水平面向下呈5°延伸(即垂直部分和心轴部分间的角度为95°)，这样，给辅助轮施加重量时，弹簧部分弯曲而心轴向上朝水平面移动。Preferably, the coupling means is formed from a single profiled rod, the helical spring portion being coiled forward so that the mandrel portion is supported by the spring portion without rearward movement. Preferably, the spring section contains approximately

lock up. The arbor section naturally extends 5° downward from the horizontal (i.e. the angle between the vertical section and the arbor section is 95°), so that when weight is applied to the training wheel, the spring section flexes and the arbor moves upward toward the horizontal.

Preferably, wheel adjustment means may be provided for adjusting the position of the training wheel on the spindle to accommodate riders of different weights. The wheel adjustment device may comprise a sleeve slidably fitted on the mandrel portion, and the auxiliary wheel is rotatably mounted on the sleeve. Also can be provided with height adjusting device, cooperate with bracket and fixing device to change the distance between rear wheel axle and spindle and be suitable for the bicycles with different rear wheel sizes. The upper vertical portion of the linkage may consist of an inverted U-bar, a fixture having a nut threaded onto the axle bolt of the rear wheel axle, and a bracket assembly with a nut cooperating with the nut to releasably clamp the U-bar. bracket. The bushing is slidably mounted on the spindle and may be provided with a locking device for adjustably locking the training wheel in a selected position along the spindle. The locking device may comprise a set screw which engages and snaps into a matching transverse screw hole in the casing.

The present invention also provides auxiliary wheel assemblies to be fitted to the rear axle of a bicycle to provide lateral dynamic stability to the bicycle, a pair of such wheel assemblies being adapted to be mounted on opposite lateral sides of the rear axle, each wheel assembly containing an auxiliary wheel; a rigid outer bracket; a rear axle fixing nut for detachably laterally fixing the bracket on the rear axle; and a connecting device comprising an upper vertical inverted U-shaped portion made of a single shaped structural rod suitable for clamping Between the bracket and the teeth of the bicycle holding the rear wheel, the rear wheel axle is located in the U-shaped part; there is also a lower horizontal arbor parallel to the rear wheel axle, on the end of which the auxiliary wheel is mounted, and the upper vertical part can be mounted on the bicycle Adjustable mounting for different rear wheel diameters is provided in a range of positions. Fixed axle nuts may incorporate a quick release mechanism.

Brief description of the drawings

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to accompanying drawing, to understand the present invention better, in the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a partial end view of a bicycle having a pair of training wheels and a wheel attachment arrangement of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a partial side view of the rear of the bicycle with the training wheel of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 are respectively the front view and the side view of the coil spring of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but schematically indicating a prior art training wheel without the suspension to handle uneven ground, even when the bicycle is loaded;

Fig. 6 is similar to Fig. 5, but shows how the existing bicycle suspension improves the stability of the bicycle;

Figure 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the present invention showing in greater detail the adjustable auxiliary side wheel linkage provided on the spindle.

Example details

Figures 1 and 2 show a conventional bicycle 10 comprising a rigid frame 11 supporting a rear wheel 12 on the ground G by means of an axle 14 .

The bicycle 10 is provided with a pair of auxiliary side wheels 16 which are smaller in diameter than the rear wheel 12 . Side wheels 16 are located on either side of the rear wheel 12 . The side wheels 16 are rotatably mounted on corresponding auxiliary wheel linkages 18 , and the linkages 18 are detachably fixed to opposite ends of the wheel axle 14 of the bicycle 10 . Therefore, the spring connecting device 18 connects the auxiliary side wheel 16 to the bicycle frame 11 .

Figures 3 and 4 show that each side wheel connection 18 has an elongated upper inverted U-shaped end 20, an intermediate coil spring 22 and a lower auxiliary wheel spindle end 24; Each foot 20 and 24 also extends laterally. As shown in Fig. 4, all members 20, 22, 24 lie nearly in the same plane in their end view, but form an L-shape in plan view (Fig. 3) in the natural unbiased state. Therefore, the coil spring 22 moves the feet 20 and 24 closer and apart from each other. Figure 3 shows the wheel linkage 18 in the relaxed or unbiased state of the coil spring 22, wherein the legs 20 and 24 form approximately a right angle to each other, preferably 95°. When the relaxed state of Fig. 3, coil spring 22 can make pin 20 and 24 move toward each other forcibly, or make pin 20 and 24 move away forcibly, but adds on the mandatory bias on pin 20 and/or 24 once Unclamp, this spring will make pin 20 and 24 return to the 95 ° angle state shown in Figure 3. The angle between feet 20 and 24 is preferably in the range of 85° to 100°. Preferably, the mandrel portion 24 is in front of the coil spring 22 to prevent the mandrel 24 from bending backwards.

The side wheel linkage 18 is made from a single structural rod folded into the desired shape. In fact, the U-shaped end 20 and the auxiliary wheel spindle 24 integrally form the two ends of the coil spring 22, so the side wheel connecting device 18 is easy to construct and install due to its simple structure.

The inverted U-shaped portion 20 of the spring connecting device 18 is arranged on the side of the bicycle wheel 12, and is approximately parallel thereto, so the threaded end portion 14a of the rear axle 14 is freely stuck on both sides of the U-shaped portion 20. 20a, 20b and transversely outward through the plane of the U-shaped portion 20 (see FIG. 1).

The substantially flat bracket 26 has a shaft hole 26 a through which the shaft end 14 a passes to flatly mount the bracket 26 on the outside of the U-shaped portion 20 . Then, the nut 27 is screwed onto the axle end portion 14a to mount the U-shaped portion 28 transversely on the axle 14 and parallel to the wheel 12. It can be appreciated that the vertical distance between the curved portion 20c of the wheel connecting portion 20 and the wheel fixing shaft 14 is adjustable as a function of the diameter of the rear wheel 12 to suit bicycles of different sizes.

The bracket 26 preferably has a substantially C-shaped cross section, and contains an elongated inner groove portion for engaging the side legs 20a, 20b of the U-shaped portion 20 in the circumferential portion, so as to clamp the U-shaped portion 20 firmly on the bracket 26 and the parallel frame structure 28 of the main frame 11. Therefore, the side wheel attachment device 18 is detachably mounted on the bicycle 10 . Thus, the height of the side wheel attachment 18 relative to the rear wheel 12 can be adjusted by loosening the nut 27 and then sliding the side wheel attachment 20 between the bracket 26 and the frame 28 . After finding the required relative position, put on and tighten the nut 27 again.

Each side wheel 16 is rotatably mounted on the corresponding mandrel 24 near its outer end, and has an appropriate moment arm length, as shown in Figures 1-2, two laterally spaced nuts 23 and 25 are detachable The shaft 24 is engaged with the ground, and a gap is formed therebetween so that the hub 16a of the wheel 16 is engaged therein and can rotate freely. The gap between the removable mounting nuts 23 and 25 should be sufficiently small to prevent accidental partial tilting of the wheel 16 from its running plane perpendicular to the spindle 24 . The longer the distance between the side wheel 16 and the coil spring 22, the longer the moment arm for applying the torsion force to the spring 22, which will easily make the side wheel 16 upward because of the force applied to the proximal end of the mandrel 24. The torque to be generated in the coil spring 22 is greater than the torque applied to the spindle 24 proximate to the coil spring 22 . Therefore, it is preferable to place the side wheel near the end of the spindle 24 to eliminate the necessity of having more turns of the coil spring 22 or the necessity of selecting a material with high inherent elasticity to form the wheel connecting device 18 .

During use, it is best to set the height of the connecting device 18 relative to the rear wheel 12 as shown in FIG. So in most cases the side wheel 16 is always in contact with the ground G, the coil spring 22 exerts a continuous downward pressure on the side wheel 16 due to the weight of the bicycle. When a rider rides on the bicycle 10, adding his body weight to the weight of the bicycle, the coil spring 22 is deformed so that the rear wheel 12 contacts the ground G. As shown in FIG. Like this, the torsion in the helical spring 22 can make two spring feet 24 and 28 close to each other, by 95 ° to 90 °, the side wheel 16 is given proper downward pressure to make it contact the ground G always, and the rear wheel 12 also can maintain The bicycle 10 is propelled in contact with the ground G.

If the ground G is uneven, the side wheels 16 can be moved up or down to compensate for the unevenness of the ground, while the weight of the rider and the action of the coil spring 22 always keep the three rear wheels 12, 16, 16 in contact with the ground.

From Figures 5 and 6 it can be seen how the present invention improves the vehicle's lateral stability and ground indexing forces even at low vehicle speeds or at a standstill because the rear wheels of the vehicle always remain reliably engaged with the ground no matter how uneven the ground is. Also, since there is no secondary coupling between the auxiliary wheel and the main axle - as in the prior art patents discussed in "Background of the Invention" - the circular play of the auxiliary wheel is considerable. Indeed, at high ground inclinations, there is nothing to prevent the auxiliary wheel 16 from moving upwards around the spring-attached helical portion 22 to a position close to the main wheel axle 14 almost perpendicular to the plane in which the main wheel 12 lies. The wide range of adjustment is precisely the advantage of the training wheels 16 .

Figure 7 shows the second embodiment of the present invention, wherein the hub 16a of the side wheel 16 is rotatably arranged on the sleeve 30, and the sleeve 30 can be slidably adjusted along the length direction of the side wheel mandrel 24 (as shown by the arrow shown). The casing 30 can be fixed at a special axis position along the mandrel by a preset screw 32, and the screw 32 is inserted in the corresponding screw hole 34 of the enlarged end portion 30a integrated with it on the casing 30, a concave Cover 36 is installed on the outer end of shaft 24 to prevent accidental breakage, and prevent side wheel 16 from slipping centrifugal shaft 24 when adjusting side wheel 16 or screw 32 in use when screw 32 is not tightened.

The purpose of the adjustable position of the side wheel 16 with the preset screw 32 is to set the required moment arm length between the side wheel 16 and the coil spring 22 . This adjustable torque arm length is advantageous because it allows riders of different weights to use the bicycle with the side wheels 16 . Indeed, the weight of the cyclist on the bicycle must be sufficient to keep the rear wheel 12 in contact with the ground and give the rear wheel 12 an effective wheel indexing force. A light cyclist needs a longer moment arm length than a heavy cyclist to apply the desired torque to the coil spring 22 so that the rear wheel 12 contacts the ground G. In this way, the auxiliary side wheel 16 can be adjusted to suit different riders to obtain maximum efficiency of the side wheel 16. It will be appreciated that a scale may be provided on the spindle 24 to indicate the rider's weight, so that it is easy to find the desired position of the side wheel 16.

Such a training wheel assembly would increase the safety of the cyclist, make him feel more confident and learn how to operate the bicycle more quickly.

Connectors 20, 22, 24 are made in the preferred embodiment from steel rods with a diameter of 0.281" (7 mm) and a Young's modulus of 207 GPa. The steel is preferably OTMB steel and coated with a heat-drying paint. The length of the mandrel section is 5" (12.7 cm) from the vertical; and 1.75" (4.45 cm) inside diameter of the coil springs. These members may be made of any suitable resilient material, such as rods of forged steel or resilient, strong semi-rigid plastic rods. Auxiliary The outer belt 16c of the side wheel 16 can be made of plastic or elastic synthetic rubber, while the auxiliary side wheel hub 16a and the spokes 16b should be made of light rigid material, such as hard plastic.

It should be noted that in the prior art auxiliary wheel connection device of FIG. 5 , it is necessary to periodically adjust the vertical position of the nut N of the fixed wheel connection device A on the rear wheel spindle X. The reason is that at a given time interval, such as twice a month, it is necessary to increase the height of the training wheel W, so that the layman can gradually feel the lateral instability of the bike at low speeds, and maintain the safety and comfort of running.

In contrast, in the invention of FIG. 6 , the continuous adjustment of the height of the training wheels 16 is carried out automatically according to the road conditions, and such continuous height adjustment is clearly advantageous both for safety reasons and for learning purposes.

Claims (11)

1. auxiliary wheel assembly set that is installed on the bicycle rear wheel shaft, the horizontal dynamic stability of car is provided, a pair of this relative cross side that assembly set is suitable for being contained in rear axle of taking turns, each is taken turns assembly set and contains:

One auxiliary wheel;

One carriage;

Anchor fitting is used for laterally removably described carriage being fixed in rear axle; And

One connecting device comprises the last vertical component effect that can be connected in carriage, and an intermediate conveyor screw spring portion reaches the following horizocardia axial region with the rear axle almost parallel; Described auxiliary wheel is installed in axle portion one end, and described coil spring part comprise at least tightly around

Circle, and its longitudinal axis is shown bicycle greatly forwards to stretching out, thus described auxiliary wheel can also generally perpendicularly move freely around the longitudinal axis rotation of coil spring part the time.

2. the described auxiliary wheel assembly set of claim 1 is characterized in that, described connecting device is made with a single abnormally-structured bar.

3. the described auxiliary wheel assembly set of claim 1 is characterized in that, described coil spring part with described forwards to winding, thereby described axle is supported and can not moved backward by described spring portion.

4. the described auxiliary wheel assembly set of claim 1 is characterized in that described coil spring part is nearly

Circle.

5. the described auxiliary wheel assembly set of claim 1 is characterized in that, described axle portion extends 5 ° down by horizontal alignment naturally, and like this when auxiliary wheel is applied weight, coil spring part is out of shape and axle portion moves up towards horizontal surface.

6. the described auxiliary wheel assembly set of claim 1 is characterized in that it also comprises the wheel control apparatus, is used to regulate the position of described auxiliary wheel on described mandrel segment, to be fit to the different cyclist of body weight.

7. the described auxiliary wheel assembly set of claim 6 is characterized in that, the described control apparatus of taking turns comprises a sleeve that is stuck in slidably in the axle portion, and described auxiliary wheel rotatably is contained on this sleeve.

8. the described auxiliary wheel assembly set of claim 1, it is characterized in that it also comprises an arrangement for adjusting height, it and described carriage and described anchor fitting cooperation, to change the distance between described rear axle and the described axle, be fit to the different bicycle of back size of wheel.

9. the described auxiliary wheel assembly set of claim 8, it is characterized in that, the described vertical component effect of going up of described connecting device is made of an inverted U rod member, and described anchor fitting contains a nut that is screwed on the male thread of described hind axle, and described U type bar is removably clamped in carriage and nut cooperation.

10. the described auxiliary wheel assembly set of claim 7 is characterized in that, described sleeve pipe is installed along described axle portion slidably, and described sleeve pipe also contains latching device, along axle portion auxiliary wheel is locked in a chosen position adjustablely.

11. the described auxiliary wheel assembly set of claim 10 is characterized in that, described latching device contains one sets screw, is screwed in the respective transversal screw in the sleeve pipe.

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