TWI869778B - Bicycle headset - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a bicycle headset, which is installed between a front fork tube and a front frame. The bicycle headset comprises a bottom lid, a top lid, a gasket, a bearing, and a return member. The bottom lid fixed connected with the front frame has a snap-fit slot. The top lid is placed on the bottom lid, and the front fork tube mounted through the top lid. The gasket is placed in the snap-fit slot and provides a press to the top lid. The bearing is placed between the top lid and the bottom lid that the top lid can rotate relative to the bottom lid. The return member is placed on the bottom lid and against the top lid and the bottom lid.

Description

Bicycle headset

A bicycle headset, in particular a resettable bicycle headset.

The steering structure of a bicycle is achieved by the relative rotation of the frame and the handlebars. It is mainly achieved by the headset assembly installed on the front tube of the frame and the front fork tube connected to the handlebars. When the front tube of the frame is fixed to maintain the direction, the front fork tube and the front wheel are driven when the handlebars are turned, so that the front fork tube can rotate relative to the front tube, thereby allowing the bicycle to achieve the steering function.

The common structure of the front headset includes an upper headset and a lower headset. The upper headset and the lower headset are mounted on the front tube of the frame, and the clamping ring in the upper headset is fixed to the front fork tube and supported by a bearing to rotate the clamping ring so that the front fork tube can rotate relative to the front tube.

However, existing headset products and technologies do not have the function of automatically returning the bicycle handlebars to their original position relative to the frame when the handlebars are turned backwards.

In view of the above, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a bicycle headset that can provide the function of automatically resetting relative to the bicycle frame when the bicycle handlebars are turned backwards.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a bicycle headset is provided, which is arranged on a front fork tube and a front frame. The bicycle headset includes a lower cover, an upper cover, a bearing and a reset member. The lower cover is used to be installed on the front frame. The upper cover is accommodated in the lower cover, and the upper cover is used to be sleeved on the front fork tube. The bearing is placed between the upper cover and the lower cover so that the upper cover can rotate relative to the lower cover. The reset member is placed in the lower cover, and the reset member abuts against the upper cover and the lower cover.

According to an embodiment of the aforementioned bicycle headset, the lower cover has a first limiting groove, the upper cover has a second limiting groove, and the reset member has two limiting ends respectively disposed in the first limiting groove of the lower cover and the second limiting groove of the upper cover. The length of the first limiting groove of the lower cover may be less than the length of the second limiting groove of the upper cover, and the length of the second limiting groove of the upper cover may be greater than or equal to one quarter of the circumference of the reset member. The number of the lower cover, the upper cover, the gasket, the bearing member and the reset member may be two respectively, and the two lower covers, the two upper covers, the two gaskets, the two bearing members and the two reset members are respectively assembled and installed in reverse on the front fork tube and the front frame.

According to another embodiment of the aforementioned bicycle headset, the lower cover has a first limiting groove, the upper cover has a second limiting groove, and the reset member has two limiting ends respectively disposed in the first limiting groove of the lower cover and the second limiting groove of the upper cover. The length of the first limiting groove of the lower cover can be equal to the length of the second limiting groove of the upper cover, and the length of the second limiting groove of the upper cover can be equal to half of the circumference of the reset member, and the reset member further has two turning sections, the two turning sections are respectively connected to the two limiting ends, and are respectively disposed in the second limiting groove of the upper cover and the first limiting groove of the lower cover relative to the two limiting ends. The lower cover further has a blocking portion, which is disposed in the first limiting groove of the lower cover to block a limiting end or a turning section of the reset member.

According to another embodiment of the aforementioned bicycle headset, the lower cover has an inner ring rib, the upper cover has an outer ring concave, and the outer ring concave of the upper cover is sleeved on the inner ring rib of the lower cover. The reset member can be a torsion spring. The bearing member can be a self-lubricating bearing. The lower cover has a buckle groove, and the gasket is placed in the buckle groove of the lower cover and presses the upper cover.

Thus, through the aforementioned implementation method and the bicycle headset of the embodiment, the two limiting ends of the reset member are respectively placed in the second limiting groove of the upper cover and the first limiting groove of the lower cover. When the front fork tube is rotated by force and drives the upper cover, it can push against one limiting end of the reset member, and the other limiting end of the reset member is limited by the lower cover. At this time, the reset member stores the twisted mechanical energy, and when released, it can provide the effect of enabling the upper cover to drive the front fork tube to reset.

In addition, the number of the lower cover, upper cover, gasket, bearing and reset member in the bicycle headset can be designed to be two respectively, so that the two lower covers, two upper covers, two gaskets, two bearings and two reset members are respectively assembled and installed on the front fork tube and the front frame in opposite directions, and the front fork tube has the functions of forward reset and reverse reset through the reverse symmetrical assembly structure.

100, 100A: Bicycle headset

110, 110A: Lower cover

111, 111A: First limit slot

112: Inner ring rib

113: Resistance Department

114: Buckle slot

120, 120A: Upper cover

121, 121A: Second limit slot

122: Outer ring concave

130: Gasket

140, 140A: Bearings

150, 150A: reset piece

151, 151A: limit end

152: Turning point

200, 200A: front frame

300, 300A: front fork tube

In order to make the above and other purposes, features, advantages and embodiments of the present invention more clearly understood, the attached drawings are described as follows: FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a bicycle headset installed on a front frame and a front fork tube according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram showing a bicycle headset according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the bicycle headset in FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram showing the bicycle headset in FIG. 2; FIG. 5 is another schematic diagram showing the bicycle headset in FIG. 2; 1 cross-sectional schematic diagram; Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing the first action of the upper cover and the reset member in the bicycle headset in Figure 2; Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the second action of the lower cover and the reset member in the bicycle headset in Figure 2; Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing the installation of a bicycle headset on a front frame and a front fork tube according to another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 9 is a partially transparent schematic diagram showing a bicycle headset according to another embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 10 is a partially exploded diagram showing the bicycle headset in Figure 9;

Please refer to Figures 1 to 5. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a bicycle headset 100 installed on a front frame 200 and a front fork tube 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram showing a bicycle headset 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is an exploded view of the bicycle headset 100 in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the bicycle headset 100 in Figure 2. Figure 5 is another cross-sectional schematic diagram of the bicycle headset 100 in Figure 2. The bicycle headset 100 includes a lower cover 110, an upper cover 120, a gasket 130, a bearing 140 and a reset member 150.

The lower cover 110 is a long cylindrical ring structure, which has a first limiting groove 111, an inner ring rib 112, a blocking portion 113 and a buckle groove 114, and the lower cover 110 is fixed to the inner wall of the front frame 200. The first limiting groove 111 is recessed in at least a portion of the inner wall of the lower edge of the lower cover 110, the inner ring rib 112 protrudes in an annular shape from the inner wall of the lower cover 110, the blocking portion 113 protrudes in an annular shape from the inner wall of the first limiting groove 111, and the buckle groove 114 is recessed in an annular shape on the inner wall of the upper edge of the lower cover 110 relative to the first limiting groove 111.

The upper cover 120 is a long cylindrical ring structure and is rotatably disposed in the lower cover 110 relative to the lower cover 110 , and the inner wall of the upper cover 120 is fixedly sleeved on the outer wall of the front fork tube 300 . The upper cover 120 has a second limiting groove 121 and an outer ring recess 122. The second limiting groove 121 corresponds to the first limiting groove 111 of the lower cover 110 and is arranged on at least a portion of the inner wall of the lower edge of the second limiting groove 121. The outer ring recess 122 corresponds to the inner ring rib 112 of the lower cover 110 and is convexly arranged on the inner wall of the upper cover 120, so that the upper cover 120 can be accommodated in the lower cover 110 by being sleeved on the inner ring rib 112 of the lower cover 110 through the outer ring recess 122. In this embodiment, the length of the first limit groove 111 of the lower cover 110 can be equal to the length of the second limit groove 121 of the upper cover 120, and the length of the first limit groove 111 and the second limit groove 121 can be equal to half of the circumference of the reset member 150. Such a structural design will allow the front fork tube 300 to turn left and right, and the reset member 150 is pushed and driven by the upper cover 120, and the distance balance of its elastic reset is limited to the length of the first limit groove 111 of the lower cover 110 and the second limit groove 121 of the upper cover 120. The specific operation method is described in detail in the following description paragraph.

The gasket 130 is an annular ring structure and is embedded in the buckle groove 114 of the lower cover 110 and is used to seal and compress the upper cover 120 so that the upper cover 120 can be stably connected to the front fork tube 300 relative to the lower cover 110 to prevent the upper cover 120 from loosening from the front fork tube 300. In this embodiment, the gasket 130 can be made of elastic and anti-slip material.

The bearing 140 is an annular sheet structure and is accommodated between the upper cover 120 and the lower cover 110 so that the upper cover 120 can rotate relative to the lower cover 110. The bearing 140 is a structure that supports the upper cover 120 and rotates relative to the axis of the lower cover 110 to reduce the friction resistance between the lower cover 110 and the upper cover 120. This is a known technique and will not be described in detail here. In this embodiment, the bearing 140 can be a common bearing on the market, and more preferably a self-lubricating bearing.

The reset member 150 is a vortex ring structure, which is arranged in the space surrounded by the inner wall of the lower cover 110 and abuts against the upper cover 120 and the lower cover 110, wherein the two ends of the reset member 150 extend to have two limiting ends 151 and two turning sections 152, and the two limiting ends 151 are respectively placed in the first limiting groove 111 of the lower cover 110 and the second limiting groove 121 of the upper cover 120 and are limited by the lower cover 110 and the upper cover 120. The two turning sections 152 are U-shaped structures, and are connected to the two limiting ends 151 by the vortex ring body of the reset member 150, and the two turning sections 152 are respectively placed in the second limiting groove 121 of the upper cover 120 and the first limiting groove 111 of the lower cover 110 relative to the two limiting ends 151 and are also limited by the upper cover 120 and the lower cover 110. In this embodiment, the reset member 150 can be a torsion spring.

Please refer to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 together. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a first action of the upper cover 120 and the reset member 150 in the bicycle headset 100 in FIG. 2, and FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a second action of the lower cover 110 and the reset member 150 in the bicycle headset 100 in FIG. 2. When the front frame 200 is fixed, the front fork tube 300 rotates to drive the upper cover 120 to rotate radially. One of the turning sections 152 of the reset member 150 is located in the second limiting groove 121 of the upper cover 120 and is pushed by the upper cover 120 due to the rotation. At the same time, the other turning section 152 of the reset member 150 is limited in the first limiting groove 111 of the lower cover 110, so that the reset member 150 begins to be deformed by load. At this point, if the reset member 150 releases the force on the front fork tube 300 and the upper cover 120, the upper cover 120 can be pushed back by the elastic restoring force, so that the upper cover 120 rotates to drive the front fork tube 300 to reset.

In this embodiment, the turning stroke of the front fork tube 300 is determined by the two limiting ends 151 of the reset member 150 and the two turning sections 152 moving in the limiting distance of the second limiting groove 121 of the upper cover 120 and the first limiting groove 111 of the lower cover 110, respectively. Therefore, when the upper cover 120 continuously pushes against one of the turning sections 152 of the reset member 150 to turn, the limiting end 151 connected to the turning section 152 moves in the first limiting groove 111 of the lower cover 110 until the limiting end 151 is blocked by the blocking portion 113 of the lower cover 110 and cannot continue to move, so as to prevent the front fork tube 300 from turning too far.

Please refer to Figures 8 to 10, Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing a bicycle headset 100A installed on a front frame 200A and a front fork tube 300A according to another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 9 is a partially transparent schematic diagram showing a bicycle headset 100A according to another embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 10 is a partially exploded view of the bicycle headset 100A in Figure 9. The bicycle headset 100A includes two lower covers 110A, two upper covers 120A, two bearings 140A, and two reset members 150A. The difference between this embodiment and the previous embodiment is that the reset member 150A omits the turning section 152 structure and only includes the limiting end 151A, so that the reset member 150A can be used for a coil spring of common specifications on the market.

In this embodiment, the two lower covers 110A, the two upper covers 120A, the two bearings 140A and the two reset members 150A of the bicycle headset 100A are respectively assembled and installed on the front fork tube 300A and the front frame 200A in reverse order, that is, one of the lower covers 110A, one upper cover 120A, one bearing 140A and one reset member 150A is assembled and arranged on the upper edge of the inner wall of one end tube of the front frame 200A, and the other lower cover 110A, the other upper cover 120A, the other bearing 140A and the other reset member 150A are assembled and arranged on the lower edge of the inner wall of one end tube of the front frame 200A.

The length of the first limiting groove 111A of the two lower covers 110A is less than the length of each second limiting groove 121A of the two upper covers 120A, and the length of the second limiting groove 121A of the two upper covers 120A is greater than or equal to one quarter of the circumference of each reset member 150A. Since the bicycle headset 100A is respectively assembled in a corresponding manner, the design of such a structure will make the angle of the front fork tube 300A that can turn left and right, and the distance of the two reset members 150A that are elastically reset by the push and drive of the two upper covers 120A are balanced and limited to the first limiting groove 111A of the two lower covers 110A and the second limiting groove 121A of the two upper covers 120A. The specific operation method is described in detail in the following description paragraph.

When turning in any direction, the upper cover 120A located at one end of the front frame 200A pushes the reset member 150A to deform according to the rotation direction of the front fork tube 300A, thereby generating an elastic reset force, and the upper cover 120A at the other end moves the reset member 150A relative to the second limiting groove 121A according to the rotation direction of the front fork tube 300, so that the front fork tube 300A can be reset by the elastic reset force.

Specifically, when the front fork tube 300A rotates counterclockwise and drives the upper cover 120A located at the upper edge of the inner wall of one end tube of the front frame 200A, the upper cover 120A will push the limit end 151A to move counterclockwise, but at this time the other end of the reset member 150A is just accommodated in the first limit groove 111A of the lower cover 110A and cannot move. The reset member 150A is deformed by force, and the upper cover 120A can be pushed back by the elastic restoring force after the force is applied.

It must be noted that the other upper cover 120A located at the lower edge of the inner wall of the other end tube of the front frame 200A will also be actuated by the counterclockwise rotation of the front fork tube 300A. However, since the bicycle headset assembly 100A arranged in groups up and down is installed in reverse groups, when the upper cover 120A is displaced counterclockwise, the limiting end 151A of the other reset member 150A can be displaced relative to the second limiting groove 121A, so the second limiting groove 121A will not produce the effect of pushing against the reset member 150A.

In the same actuation mode, when the front fork tube 300A rotates clockwise, the limiting end 151A of the reset member 150A located at the upper edge of the inner wall of one end tube of the front frame 200A is displaced relative to the second limiting groove 121A, and the elastic restoring force is generated by the other reset member 150A located at the lower edge of the inner wall of the other end tube of the front frame 200A through the second limiting groove 121A of the other upper cover 120A. In this way, the two sets of structures of the bicycle headset 100A are respectively arranged in opposite directions, so that when the front fork tube 300A rotates left or right (clockwise/counterclockwise), the elastic restoring force provided by the upper and lower reset members 150A can make the front fork tube 300A more balanced in force and stably turn or reset.

In summary of the above implementation methods and examples, the bicycle headset of the present invention can produce the following effects: through the limiting arrangement of the reset member in the bicycle headset with the first limiting groove of the lower cover and the second limiting groove of the upper cover, the reset member provides the function of unidirectional or bidirectional reset of the bicycle front fork tube. In addition, a blocking part is provided on the lower cover to block the limiting end and turning section of the reset member, so as to prevent the bicycle front fork tube from turning too far and the reset member from working too elastically and fatigue.

100:Bicycle headset

110: Lower cover

114: Buckle slot

120: Upper cover

121: Second limit slot

122: Outer ring concave

130: Gasket

140: Bearings

150: Reset piece

151: Limit end

152: Turning point

Claims (8)

A bicycle headset is provided on a front fork tube and a front frame. The bicycle headset comprises: a lower cover for mounting on the front frame, the lower cover having a first limiting groove; an upper cover received in the lower cover and used for sleeved on the front fork tube, the upper cover having a second limiting groove; a bearing member disposed between the upper cover and the lower cover, the reset member having two limiting ends disposed on ... The first limiting groove of the lower cover and the second limiting groove of the upper cover are provided to enable the upper cover to rotate relative to the lower cover; and a reset member is placed in the lower cover, and the reset member abuts against the upper cover and the lower cover, wherein the length of the first limiting groove of the lower cover is less than the length of the second limiting groove of the upper cover, and the length of the second limiting groove of the upper cover is greater than or equal to one quarter of the circumference of the reset member. The bicycle headset as described in claim 1, wherein the number of the lower cover, the upper cover, the bearing member and the reset member is two respectively, and the two lower covers, the two upper covers, the two bearing members and the two reset members are respectively assembled and installed on the front fork tube and the front frame in reverse order. The bicycle headset as described in claim 1, wherein the length of the first limiting groove of the lower cover is equal to the length of the second limiting groove of the upper cover, the length of the second limiting groove of the upper cover is equal to half of the circumference of the reset member, and the reset member further has two turning sections, the two turning sections are respectively connected to the two limiting ends, and are respectively placed in the second limiting groove of the upper cover and the first limiting groove of the lower cover relative to the two limiting ends. As described in claim 3, the bicycle headset, wherein the lower cover further has a blocking portion, the blocking portion is disposed in the first limiting groove of the lower cover, and is used to block one of the limiting ends or one of the turning sections of the reset member. A bicycle headset as described in claim 1, wherein: The lower cover has an inner ring rib; and the upper cover has an outer ring concave, and the outer ring concave of the upper cover is sleeved on the inner ring rib of the lower cover. A bicycle headset as described in claim 1, wherein the reset member is a torsion spring. A bicycle headset as described in claim 1, wherein the bearing component is a self-lubricating bearing. The bicycle headset as described in claim 1 further comprises: the lower cover has a buckle groove; and a gasket, which is placed in the buckle groove of the lower cover and presses the upper cover.

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