JP2001304325A - Suspension unit - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To not only realize the optimum riding comfort of a running bicycle, but also to enable the start of traveling without hindering the rider's stepping on the bicycle, while mounting the vehicle on a bicycle. The versatility can be expected to be improved without deteriorating the performance. A damper body (1) having one end connected to a vehicle body and the other end connected to a wheel side and urged in a direction of extension by a suspension spring (11), and disposed outside the damper body (1). When the damper body 1 expands and contracts, the damper body 1
Between the reservoir 2 and the passage 14a communicating the reservoir 2 with the damper body 1, and the amount of oil passing through the passage when an electric signal is input from the outside. The first means assumes that the reservoir 2 is interposed on the outer periphery of the damping part 3, and the second means means that the electric signal is transmitted to the drive wheels. It is assumed that the output is performed based on a detection signal from a sensor that detects a tension state of the wound drive chain.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a suspension unit, and more particularly to an improvement of a suspension unit for a motorcycle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the case of a motorcycle, for example, a recent bicycle, a suspension unit is actively disposed between a vehicle body side and a wheel side so that a road surface transmitted to the vehicle body via wheels is provided. It is said to absorb vibration.

[0003] There have been various proposals for a suspension unit for this purpose. Among them, for example, damping generated when a damper main body mounted between a vehicle body side and a wheel side expands and contracts. Some are configured so that the force can be adjusted in level by input of an external electric signal.

[0004] Therefore, according to this suspension unit, for example, it is possible to generate a preferable damping force by inputting an electric signal based on a switch operation by a rider, and to realize the running of the bicycle according to the road surface condition.

[0005] However, the conventional suspension unit may be pointed out as having the following problems even though it is effective in absorbing road surface vibration.

[0006] That is, this type of suspension unit is basically provided to improve the riding comfort when the bicycle is running, and the riding comfort at this time is, specifically, a fluffy feeling. You can learn.

[0007] Considering this fact, considering that the rider depresses the pedal at the start of traveling, so that the rider depresses the pedal strongly at the beginning of traveling, aside from running at a constant speed, the above-mentioned fluffy feeling is caused by the rider's depression at the start of traveling. Function in a direction that hinders

On the other hand, in consideration of the situation in which this type of suspension unit is deployed on a bicycle, the damper body is provided integrally with a reservoir allowing oil supply and discharge and a damping portion capable of adjusting the level of generated damping force. This leads to an unnecessarily bulky suspension unit, which deteriorates the mountability on a bicycle.

On the other hand, even if the reservoir and the tone-reducing part are separated from the damper body and connected by a hose or a pipe, the number of the damper body, the reservoir and the tone-reducing part is three. , Which also makes it less accessible on bicycles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is not only to realize an optimum riding comfort on a running bicycle, but also to provide a rider's foothold. Another object of the present invention is to provide a suspension unit that is optimal for expecting an improvement in versatility without deteriorating the mountability on a bicycle, while allowing the vehicle to start running without obstructing the vehicle.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, a suspension unit according to the present invention has a first means in which one end is connected to a vehicle body and the other end is connected to a wheel. A damper body urged in the direction of extension by a suspension spring, a reservoir disposed outside the damper body and permitting oil supply and discharge between the damper body and the damper body when the damper body expands and contracts; and A damping unit that is arranged in a passage communicating with the damper body and generates a damping force when the oil passes, and adjusts the generated damping force by inputting an electric signal from the outside;
It is assumed that the reservoir is interposed on the outer periphery of the tone reduction unit.

In the second means, a damper body having one end connected to the vehicle body and the other end connected to the wheel side and being urged in a direction of extension by a suspension spring, A reservoir disposed to permit supply and discharge of oil to and from the damper body when the damper body expands and contracts; and a reservoir disposed in a passage communicating the reservoir with the damper body to generate a damping force when the oil passes. And a detuning unit for adjusting the level of the generated damping force by inputting an external electric signal. The electric signal is detected by a sensor that detects a tension state of a drive chain wound around a driving wheel. It is assumed that the signal is output based on the signal.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below based on an embodiment shown in the drawings. A suspension unit according to the present invention is provided on a rear wheel side of a bicycle (not shown). As shown in FIG.
, A reservoir 2 and a tone reduction unit 3.

First, the damper body 1 has an upper end in the figure connected to a saddle (not shown) which is a vehicle body side of the bicycle, and a lower end in the figure corresponds to a wheel side of the bicycle. It is said to be connected to the rear wheel (not shown).

The damper body 1 includes a suspension spring 1
1, a piston rod 13 serving as a wheel-side member is inserted through a cylinder 12 serving as a vehicle-body-side member so as to be able to protrude and retract.

Incidentally, although not shown, the extension-side oil chamber and the compression-side oil are provided in the cylinder 12 by a piston which is connected to the base end, which is the upper end of the piston rod 3, and is slidably housed in the cylinder 12. It is assumed that the chamber is partitioned, and the pressure side oil chamber is communicated with the reservoir 2 via a pipe 14 connected to the bottom 12 a of the cylinder 12.

In view of the intention of the present invention, the conduit 14 is not shown, but may be a pressure-resistant hose which can be expected to have some flexibility compared to the conduit 14. In the case of using a pressure-resistant hose, it is advantageous in improving the tower mountability of the suspension unit.

In the damper main body 1 formed as described above, during the compression operation in which the piston rod 13 is immersed in the cylinder 12, an amount of oil corresponding to the rod invading volume is transferred from the pressure side oil chamber to the reservoir 2. Spit out,
During the extension operation in which the piston rod 13 comes out of the cylinder 12, an amount of oil corresponding to the rod retraction volume is supplied from the reservoir to the pressure side oil chamber.

That is, since the damper body 1 does not have a damping force generating portion inside, the damper body 1 does not generate a damping force at the time of expansion and contraction. Oil supply and discharge will be realized.

Although the pipe 14 is connected to the cylinder 12, the cylinder 12 is a body-side member and is set so as not to receive direct input of road vibration. This is advantageous in that the durability is not unnecessarily reduced.

Next, the reservoir 2 is arranged separately from the damper main body 1 and is connected to the damper main body 1 through the above-mentioned conduit 14. It is assumed that oil is supplied and discharged in an amount corresponding to the rod volume, and in the illustrated embodiment, it is assumed that the oil is interposed on the outer periphery of a tone reduction unit 3 described later.

That is, the reservoir 2 has a bladder 21 made of an elastic body held on the outer periphery of the adjusting portion 3 as shown in the figure, and the inner periphery of the bladder 21 and the outer periphery of the adjusting portion 3 are connected to each other. An oil chamber R is defined between them.

The oil chamber R is set so that the oil from the damper body 1 flows in through the adjusting section 3. The outer periphery of the bladder 21 is formed by a cylindrical cover member 22 on the so-called outer peripheral side. It is going to be covered from.

At this time, the upper and lower ends of the bladder 21 are fixed to the outer periphery of the tone-reducing portion 3 by using a tightening ring 23, and the lower end of the cover member 22 is also attached to the outer periphery of the lower end of the tone-reducing portion 3 by a tightening band. It is said that it is fixed by the use of 24.

The upper end of the cover member 22 is an open end, and the space between the inner periphery of the cover member 22 and the outer periphery of the bladder 21 does not prevent the bladder 21 from expanding. The space is set so as not to receive resistance due to contact with the member 22.

Therefore, in the reservoir 2 formed as described above, the oil chamber R partitioned inside the bladder 21 is provided.
The bladder 21 expands to allow this when the oil flows into the air, and the oil is discharged and contracted when the pipe line 14 becomes a negative pressure.

The elasticity of the bladder 21 exerts a so-called spring force, which provides a cushioning effect during the compression operation of the damper body 1 and urges the damper body 1 in the extending direction. become.

In the reservoir 2, since the oil does not come into contact with so-called air such as gas or air, there is no danger of mixing air into the oil. Therefore, the suspension unit is mounted on the bicycle. Of course, air is not mixed into the oil during the transportation or handling before the tower is loaded, and the generation of the damping force by the attenuation unit 3 described later can be stabilized.

The tone reduction unit 3 is disposed in a passage 14a that communicates the pipe 14 with the reservoir 2, and adjusts the amount of oil passing through the passage 14a by inputting an external electric signal. Thus, the damping force generated by the attenuation section 3 is set so that the level can be adjusted.

That is, although not shown, the tone reduction unit 3 is driven by, for example, a switch operation by a rider when necessary, or by a detection signal from a sensor mounted on the vehicle.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the tone reduction unit 3 has a rotary valve 31 existing in the above-described passage 14a, and the rotary valve 31 is connected to a battery (not shown). It is described that the rotary actuator 32 is rotated by a rotary actuator 32 driven by application of a direct current.

Therefore, when the amount of oil passing through the passage 14a is reduced, the damping unit 3 generates a high damping force due to a large throttle resistance. In addition, when the amount of oil passing through the passage 14a is increased, a low damping force due to a small throttle resistance at that time is generated.

Since the oil which is subjected to the throttle resistance by the depressing portion 3 is caused by the expansion and contraction operation of the damper body 1, the damping force is generated when the damper body 1 expands and contracts. Therefore, the expansion / contraction speed of the damper main body 1 can be adjusted by the selected operation of the attenuation section 3.

According to the above, as a result, the reservoir 2
Allows the supply and discharge of oil when the damper body 1 expands and contracts,
It is sufficient for the tone reduction unit 3 to be able to adjust the amount of oil supplied / discharged to / from the reservoir 2.
May be set to an arbitrary structure as long as they are interposed on the outer periphery of the attenuation section 3.

For example, in the place shown in FIG. 2, in the reservoir 2, a gas chamber G is defined as a chamber section defined between the inner circumference of the bladder 21 and the outer circumference of the attenuation section 3. The space between the outer periphery and the inner periphery of the cover member 22 is set to the oil chamber R1 communicating with the passage 14a.

Therefore, the upper end of the cover member 22 is screwed to the outer periphery on the upper end side of the tone-reducing portion 3, and the lower end of the cover member 22 is connected to the lower end of the tone-reducing portion 3 with the lower end of the bladder 21 interposed therebetween. It is said that it is fixed to the outer periphery by crimping.

In this embodiment, the tone-decreasing section 3
Is configured in the same manner as that shown in FIG. 1 described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

As a result, in this embodiment, it is possible to supply and discharge the oil between the reservoir 2 and the damper main body 1 as well as to use the above-described attenuation section 3 shown in FIG. Similarly, it is possible to generate a predetermined level-adjusted damping force.

Next, in the place shown in FIG.
1 is similar to the embodiment shown in FIG.
The oil chamber R held on the outer periphery of the adjusting section 3 and communicating with the passage 14 a is defined between the inner periphery of the bladder 21 and the outer periphery of the adjusting section 3.

The cover member 22 for covering the outer periphery of the bladder 21 also has a lower end attached to the outer periphery of the lower end side of the tone-decreasing portion 3 as in the embodiment shown in FIG.
It is said that it is fixed by the use of No. 4.

Further, it is assumed that the upper end of the cover member 22 is open, and that there is a space between the inner periphery of the cover member 22 and the outer periphery of the bladder 21 which does not hinder the expansion of the bladder 21. I have.

By the way, in this embodiment, the leaf valve 33 is rotated by the driving of the rotary actuator 32, and at this time, the width of the flow passage communicating with the passage 14a is selected. And

Also, in this embodiment, the so-called essential part such as the rotary actuator 32 is housed in the casing 34 of the attenuating part 3 and is made into a cartridge.

As a result, in this embodiment, it is possible to supply and discharge oil between the reservoir 2 and the damper main body 1 as well as to use the above-described attenuation section 3 shown in FIG. Similarly, a predetermined level-adjusted damping force can be generated.

In this embodiment, since the tone-decreasing section 3 is formed as a cartridge, selecting a tone-decreasing section 3 having different characteristics enables easy selection of the tone-decreasing section 3 according to the intended use. This is advantageous in that it can be produced.

Incidentally, in the tone reducing section 3 configured as described above, the rotary actuator 32 is set to be driven when an external electric signal is input. The electric signal from outside may be input manually by the rider, but is preferably input as follows.

That is, first, assuming that this suspension unit is provided on the rear wheel side of a bicycle for a motorcycle, it is necessary to consider that the rider presses the pedal strongly at the start of traveling of the bicycle, so that At this time, in consideration of the fact that the fluffy feeling obtained by this suspension unit functions in the direction that hinders the rider from stepping on, the electric signal is integrally held by the rear wheels as driving wheels as shown in FIG. Preferably, the output is based on a detection signal from a sensor 6 that detects a tension state (a state indicated by a solid line in the figure) of the drive chain 5 wound around the rear wheel gear 4.

When an electric signal is input to the rotary actuator 32 based on a detection signal from the sensor 6 for detecting the tension state of the drive chain 5, the tone reduction unit 3
If the setting is made to increase the damping force in the above, the stepping of the rider at the time of starting the running described above will not be hindered by the fluffy feeling, and the stepping force of the rider will be transmitted to the crank 7 fully, and the rear wheel gear 4, ie, the drive It can be said that the rear wheel can be efficiently rotated.

In FIG. 4, a pulley 6a is in contact with the drive chain 5, for example.
When the pulley 6a moves due to the tension of the drive chain 5, the sensor 6 is set to detect the operation, that is, to detect that the stroke has occurred.

Therefore, as long as it is detected that the pulley 6a has made a stroke, the pulley 6a may be connected via a link 6b as shown in FIG.
It may be set so that the sensor 6 detects that a has been stroked.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is an effective arrangement when there is room in the space for disposing the sensor 6 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the drive chain 5, and FIG.
The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is an effective arrangement when there is not enough space for disposing the sensor 6 in a direction substantially orthogonal to the drive chain 5.

Further, in the embodiment shown in FIG.
The sensor 6 is configured so as to be able to directly detect the amount of movement of the pulley 6a, and a signal from the sensor 6 is converted into an electric signal by the controller C and is set so as to be input to the rotary actuator 32. It is going to be.

Incidentally, although not shown, even in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the signal from the sensor 6 is converted into an electric signal by the controller C, and this is input to the rotary actuator 32. Of course, it is set so that.

In the above description, the case where the suspension unit according to the present invention is used for a bicycle has been described as an example. However, from the intention of the present invention, even if this suspension unit is used for a motorcycle. Of course, the function and effect in that case are the same as those described above.

In the above description, the suspension unit according to the present invention is arranged on the rear wheel side of the bicycle, that is, the rear cushion unit is used. However, the present invention is intended. From this point of view, this suspension unit may be used for a front fork in a motorcycle, and the operation and effect in that case are the same as those described above.

[0056]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the reservoir is interposed on the outer periphery of the attenuation section, even if the reservoir is separated from the damper main body, the reservoir chamber, This is advantageous in that the mountability on the two-wheeled vehicle is not reduced as compared with the case where the tone reduction unit and the damper main body are separately provided.

Further, according to the present invention, the electric signal input to the tone reduction unit is output based on a detection signal from a sensor for detecting a tension state of the drive chain wound around the drive wheel. Therefore, for example, if the suspension unit is provided on the rear wheel side of a bicycle for a motorcycle, and the attenuation unit is set to generate a high damping force when an electric signal is input, At the start of running, the rider depresses the pedal strongly so that the so-called stepping is not hindered by the fluffy feeling obtained with this suspension unit, so that the rider's stepping force can be fully utilized and the bicycle can start running efficiently Becomes possible.

As a result, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize not only the optimum riding comfort of the running bicycle but also the start of the running without hindering the rider from stepping on the bicycle. It is most suitable for expecting improvement of versatility without deteriorating the tower loadability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway front view of a suspension unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial front view showing a tone-reducing portion and a reservoir according to another embodiment, partially cut away;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a tone reduction unit and a reservoir according to another embodiment in the same manner as in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a principle diagram showing a positional relationship between a drive chain and a sensor.

FIG. 5 is a principle view showing a partially enlarged positional relationship between a drive chain and a sensor according to another embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between a drive chain and a sensor according to another embodiment, similarly to FIG. 5;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Damper main body 2 Reservoir 3 Reduction part 4 Rear wheel gear 5 Drive chain 6 Sensor 6a Pulley 6b Link 11 Suspension spring 12 Cylinder 12a Bottom part 13 Piston rod 14 Pipe line 14a Passage 21 Bladder 22 Cover member 31 Rotary valve 32 Rotary actuator 33 Leaf valve G Gas chamber R, R1 Oil chamber

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) F16F 9/32 F16F 9/32 TF term (Reference) 3D014 DD02 DE08 DE13 DE22 DE27 DF22 DF25 3J069 AA50 AA64 EE11 EE63

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A damper body having one end connected to a vehicle body and the other end connected to a wheel side and urged in a direction of extension by a suspension spring, and a damper body disposed outside the damper body. A reservoir that allows the supply and discharge of oil between the damper body and the damper body during expansion and contraction of the damper body. A suspension unit comprising: a dimming unit that adjusts the level of generated damping force by inputting a signal; and a reservoir interposed on the outer periphery of the dimming unit. 2. A damper body having one end connected to the vehicle body and the other end connected to the wheel side and urged in a direction of extension by a suspension spring, and a damper body disposed outside the damper body. A reservoir that allows the supply and discharge of oil between the damper body and the damper body during expansion and contraction of the damper body. A tone reduction unit that adjusts the generated damping force by inputting a signal.The electrical signal is output based on a detection signal from a sensor that detects a tension state of a drive chain wound around a drive wheel. Suspension unit characterized by the following: