TWI872716B - Bicycle frame with adjustable shock-absorbing function - Google Patents

Abstract

A bicycle frame of the present invention includes a first support rod, a second support rod, and a shock absorber. The first support rod has a first pressing portion. The second rod has a second pressing portion opposite to and spaced from the first pressing portion. The shock absorber is disposed between the first and second support rods and abutted against the first and second pressing portions, such that the shock absorber is pressed by the first and second pressing portions to deform elastically. The shock absorber defines a compression portion located at a projection area formed by the first and second pressing portions. When the shock absorber is rotated around an axial direction, the volume of the compression portion is different before and after the rotation of the shock absorber. Thus, the bicycle frame of the present invention can easily adjust the elastic coefficient of the shock absorber by rotating the shock absorber.

Description

Bicycle frame with adjustable suspension

The present invention relates to a bicycle frame, in particular to a bicycle frame with an adjustable shock-absorbing function, which has a simple structure and can easily adjust the elastic coefficient of the shock-absorbing structure.

When a rider rides a bicycle over a bumpy road, he or she will feel obvious vibration and discomfort, so a shock absorber is usually installed on the bicycle frame to absorb the vibration. Conventional shock absorbers usually use metal springs, pneumatic cylinders or hydraulic cylinders to achieve the purpose of shock absorption. The above components will make the structure of conventional shock absorbers more complicated, so that the rider has difficulty in adjusting the elastic coefficient (k value). Therefore, how to provide a shock absorber structure with a simpler structure and easy adjustment of the elastic coefficient is a problem that the industry needs to overcome urgently.

In view of the above shortcomings, the main purpose of the present invention is to provide a bicycle frame with a simple structure and capable of easily adjusting the shock absorption strength.

In order to achieve the above main purpose, the bicycle frame of the present invention includes a first support rod, a second support rod, and a shock-absorbing body. The first supporting rod has a first compression portion; the second supporting rod has a second compression portion, which is opposite to the first compression portion and spaced apart from the first compression portion; the shock absorber is detachably fixed between the first and second supporting rods and abuts against the first and second compression portions, so that the shock absorber can be elastically deformed by the compression of the first and second compression portions; the shock absorber defines a compression portion within a projection area formed by the first and second compression portions, and when the shock absorber rotates around one axis, the volume of the compression portion before the rotation is different from the volume of the compression portion after the rotation.

By means of the above technical features, the bicycle frame of the present invention provides a shock absorber with a simple structure. By rotating the shock absorber to change the volume of the compression portion, the amount of compression of the shock absorber by the first and second compression portions is changed, and the elastic coefficient of the shock absorber can be easily adjusted, thereby achieving the effect of adjusting the shock absorption strength.

Preferably, the shock absorber is in a columnar shape, having a column body and cylindrical surfaces on two sides of the column body, and the shock absorber defines the axial direction extending along the column body.

Preferably, the first pressing portion has a first top abutting wall, a first baffle connected to one end of the first top abutting wall, and a first receiving groove formed by the first top abutting wall and the first baffle; the second pressing portion has a second top abutting wall, a second baffle connected to one end of the second top abutting wall, and a second receiving groove formed by the second top abutting wall and the second baffle; the column of the shock absorber is accommodated in the first and second receiving grooves and abuts against the inner wall surfaces of the first and second top abutting walls, and one of the column surfaces of the shock absorber is blocked by the first and second baffles. In this way, the shock-absorbing body can be stably disposed between the first and second pressing parts, and the shock-absorbing body is blocked by the baffle plate and is not easy to slip out of the first and second pressing parts.

Preferably, the inner wall surfaces of the first and second top abutting walls match the column body of the shock absorber in profile. Thus, the inner wall surfaces of the first and second top abutting walls can provide the column body of the shock absorber with a larger surface friction force, so that the shock absorber is not easy to slip off the first and second pressing parts.

Preferably, the shock-absorbing body is cylindrical or hexagonal.

Preferably, the shock-absorbing body further has two through-holes penetrating along the axial direction of the column body, the through-holes are rotationally symmetrical with respect to the axial direction, and each of the through-holes has a tip and a blunt end, and the aperture of each of the through-holes gradually increases from the tip to the blunt end.

Preferably, the shock-absorbing body further has a plurality of holes penetrating along the axial direction of the column body, and the sizes of the holes are different.

Preferably, the bicycle frame of the present invention further comprises a fixing assembly for fixing the shock absorber to prevent the shock absorber from rotating relative to the first and second pressing parts.

Preferably, the fixing assembly has a coupling member penetrating and fixing the shock-absorbing body, a positioning piece adjacent to the coupling member, and a cam disposed at one of the first pressing portion and the second pressing portion and penetrating and fixing the positioning piece.

Preferably, the coupling member has a rod portion that is fixedly penetrated along the axial direction of the shock-absorbing body; the fixing plate has a groove that is engaged with the rod portion of the coupling member, and a positioning hole that is penetrated by the cam.

The detailed structure, features, assembly or use of the bicycle frame with adjustable suspension function provided by the present invention will be described in the detailed description of the implementation method. However, those with ordinary knowledge in the field should understand that the detailed description and the specific embodiments listed for implementing the present invention are only used to illustrate the present invention and are not used to limit the scope of the patent application of the present invention.

The applicant first explains that in the entire specification, including the embodiments described below and the claims of the patent application, the terms related to direction are based on the directions in the drawings. Secondly, in the embodiments and drawings to be described below, the same component numbers represent the same or similar components or their structural features.

1, a bicycle frame 1 provided in the first embodiment of the present invention is connected between a front fork 11, a seat tube 12, and a rear wheel axle 13 of a bicycle 10. Since the structure of the conventional bicycle 10 is known to those with relevant background, it will not be described in detail.

2 to 4 , the bicycle frame 1 provided in the first embodiment of the present invention includes a frame tube set 20 , two first support rods 30 , two second support rods 40 , a shock absorber 50 , and a fixing assembly 60 .

The frame tube assembly 20 includes a head tube 21, a top tube 22 connected to the top end of the head tube 21, a down tube 23 connected to the bottom end of the head tube 21, a seat tube 24 connecting the top tube 22 and the down tube 23, and two chain stays 25 connected to the bottom end of the seat tube 24.

The top ends of the two first support rods 30 are connected to the top end of the riser 24, and the bottom ends of the two first support rods 30 have a first pressing portion 31, and the first pressing portion 31 has a first top abutting wall 32, a first baffle plate 33 connected to the rear end of the first top abutting wall 32, and a first receiving groove 34 formed by the first top abutting wall 32 and the first baffle plate 33.

The bottom ends of the two second support rods 40 are respectively connected to the two chain stays 25 of the bicycle 10, and the top ends of the two second support rods 40 have a second pressing portion 41, the second pressing portion 41 is opposite to the first pressing portion 31 and is spaced apart from the first pressing portion 31, and the second pressing portion 41 has a second top abutting wall 42, a second baffle plate 43 connected to the rear end of the second top abutting wall 42, and a second accommodating groove 44 formed by the second top abutting wall 42 and the second baffle plate 43.

However, in practice, the positions of the two first supporting rods 30 and the two second supporting rods 40 as shown in FIG. 2 are not limited to the present embodiment. The two first supporting rods 30 and the two second supporting rods 40 may also be connected to the top and bottom of the seat tube 24, respectively; or the two first supporting rods 30 may be connected to the upper tube 22, and the two second supporting rods 40 may be connected to the seat tube 24; or the two first supporting rods 30 may be connected to the down tube 23, and the two second supporting rods 40 may be connected to the seat tube 24.

The shock absorber 50 is made of an elastic material, and the elastic material may be (but not limited to) butyl rubber (Isobutylene Isoprene Rubber, abbreviated as IIR), thermoplastic elastomer (Thermo Plastics Elastomer, abbreviated as TPE), and thermoplastic polyurethane (Thermo Polyurethane, abbreviated as TPU). Please refer to Figures 3 and 4. In this embodiment, the shock absorber 50 is cylindrical, and has a columnar body 51 and a columnar surface 52 on two sides of the columnar body 51, and the shock absorber 50 can define an axial direction A extending along the columnar body 51. In addition, the shock absorber 50 also has two through holes 53, which extend along the axis A and penetrate the two cylindrical surfaces 52 and are rotationally symmetrical with respect to the axis A. Each through hole 53 has a tip 54 and a blunt end 55, and the aperture of each through hole 53 gradually increases from the tip 54 to the blunt end 55. The column 51 of the shock absorber 50 is accommodated in the first and second accommodating grooves 34 and 44 and abuts against the inner wall surfaces of the first and second abutting walls 32 and 42, and the cylindrical surface 52 of the shock absorber 50 is blocked by the first and second baffles 33 and 43. Since the column body 51 of the shock absorber 50 and the inner wall surfaces of the first and second top abutment walls 32 and 42 are mutually matched in contour (both are arc-shaped in the present embodiment), the first and second top abutment walls 32 and 42 can provide the column body 51 of the shock absorber 50 with a larger surface friction force, so that the shock absorber 50 is not easy to slip off the first and second pressure-abutment parts 31 and 41. In addition, the column surface 52 of the shock absorber 50 is simultaneously blocked by the first and second baffles 33 and 43, so that the shock absorber 50 is even less likely to slip off the first and second pressure-abutment parts 31 and 41.

The fixing assembly 60 has a coupling member 61, a positioning piece 64 disposed adjacent to the coupling member 61, and a cam 67 disposed on the first top abutting wall 32 of the first pressing portion 31. The coupling member 61 has a head portion 62 and a rod portion 63 connected to each other, and the rod portion 63 is penetrated and fixed to the shock absorber 50 along the axial direction A of the shock absorber 50; the positioning piece 64 has an insertion groove 65 and a fixing hole 66, the insertion groove 65 of the positioning piece 64 and the rod portion 63 of the coupling member 61 are mutually embedded, and the fixing hole 66 of the positioning piece 64 is penetrated by the cam 67. In this way, the fixing assembly 60 can fix the shock absorber 50 between the first and second pressing portions 31, 41 to prevent the shock absorber 50 from rotating relative to the first and second pressing portions 31, 41.

The above are the structural features of the bicycle frame 1 provided by the first embodiment of the present invention. The following will further introduce the usage of the bicycle frame 1 and the effects produced.

Please refer to FIG. 5 . In actual use, the shock absorber 50 can define a compression portion 56 (the compression portion 56 is the area defined by two imaginary lines) within the projection area formed by the first and second compression portions 31 and 41. At this time, the blunt ends 55 of the two through holes 53 of the shock absorber 50 are respectively oriented toward the first and second compression portions 31 and 41, so that the volume of the compression portion 56 of the shock absorber 50 is smaller. In this case, the shock absorber 50 is more easily elastically deformed by the compression of the first and second compression portions 31 and 41, resulting in a larger compression amount and a smaller elastic coefficient (k value) of the shock absorber 50. If the rider wants to adjust the elastic coefficient of the shock absorber 50, the positioning plate 64 needs to be removed, and the shock absorber 50 shown in FIG. 5 is rotated around its axial direction A (as shown in FIG. 4 ) to the state shown in FIG. 6 . At this time, the tips 54 of the two through holes 53 of the shock absorber 50 are respectively facing the first and second compression portions 31 and 41, so that the volume of the compression portion 56 of the shock absorber 50 is larger. In this case, the shock absorber 50 is less likely to be elastically deformed by the compression of the first and second compression portions 31 and 41, resulting in a smaller compression amount and a larger elastic coefficient (k value) of the shock absorber 50.

As can be seen from the above, the volume of the compression portion 56 is different before and after the shock absorber 50 is rotated, resulting in different compression amounts of the shock absorber 50 and thus affecting the elastic coefficient of the shock absorber 50. In other words, the rider can adjust the elastic coefficient of the shock absorber 50 by rotating the shock absorber 50. In addition, it should be noted that since the shock absorber 50 is cylindrical, the shock absorber 50 can be rotated to any angle along its axial direction A, and the aperture of each through hole 53 of the shock absorber 50 gradually increases from the tip 54 to the blunt end 55, so the elastic coefficient of the shock absorber 50 can be adjusted more finely according to the rider's needs.

However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Please refer to FIG. 7. The structure of the bicycle frame 2 provided in the second embodiment of the present invention is roughly the same as that of the first embodiment. The main difference lies in the structures of the first pressing part 70, the second pressing part 80, and the shock absorber 90. As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the first pressing part 70 has a first top abutting wall 71, the second pressing part 80 has a second top abutting wall 81, and the shock absorber 90 is in the shape of a regular hexagonal column, and the column body 91 of the shock absorber 90 and the inner wall surfaces of the first and second top abutting walls 71 and 81 are mutually matched in profile (both are polygonal in this embodiment). Since the way the shock absorber 90 is installed and fixed between the first and second pressing parts 70 and 80 is exactly the same as that of the first embodiment, it will not be described in detail here.

In addition, the shock absorber 90 further has a plurality of holes 92 penetrating along the axis A of the column body 91 , and the holes 92 have different sizes. In this embodiment, the holes 92 include two small circular holes 93 , two equilateral triangle holes 94 , and two large circular holes 95 .

In actual use, as shown in FIG. 10 , the shock absorber 90 can define a compression portion 96 (the compression portion 96 is an area defined by two imaginary lines) within the projection area formed by the first and second compression portions 70 and 80. At this time, the two small circular holes 93 of the shock absorber 90 are closer to the first and second compression portions 70 and 80. In this case, the shock absorber 90 is compressed by the first and second compression portions 70 and 80, so that the shock absorber 90 has an elastic coefficient (k value). If the elastic coefficient of the shock absorber 90 is to be adjusted, the shock absorber 90 shown in FIG. 10 needs to be rotated 60 degrees around its axis A (as shown in FIG. 9 ) to the state shown in FIG. 11 . At this time, the two equilateral triangular holes 94 of the shock absorber 90 are closer to the first and second compression portions 70 and 80. In this case, the volume of the compression portion 96 of the shock absorber 90 is larger than the volume of the compression portion 96 of the shock absorber 90 shown in FIG. 10 , so the shock absorber 90 is less likely to be compressed by the first and second compression portions 70 and 80, resulting in the elastic coefficient of the shock absorber 90 being smaller than the elastic coefficient (k value) of the shock absorber 90 shown in FIG. 10 . Then, the shock absorber 90 shown in FIG. 11 is rotated 60 degrees around its axis A (as shown in FIG. 9 ) to the state shown in FIG. 12 . At this time, the two large circular holes 95 of the shock absorber 90 are relatively close to the first and second compression parts 70 and 80. In this case, the volume of the compression part 96 of the shock absorber 90 is smaller than the volume of the compression part 96 of the shock absorber 90 shown in FIG. 10 , so the shock absorber 90 is more easily compressed by the first and second compression parts 70 and 80, resulting in the elastic coefficient of the shock absorber 90 being larger than the elastic coefficient (k value) of the shock absorber 90 shown in FIG. 10 .

It should be added here that, since the shock absorber 90 is in the shape of a regular hexagonal column, the shock absorber 90 can be rotated to three predetermined angles to adjust the elastic coefficient, and the holes 92 of the shock absorber 90 are of different sizes, so the elastic coefficient (k value) of the shock absorber 90 can be adjusted according to the needs of the rider.

In summary, the bicycle frames 1, 2 of the present invention provide shock absorbers 50, 90 with simple structures. By rotating the shock absorbers 50, 90 to change the volume of the compression parts 56, 96, the compression amount of the shock absorbers 50, 90 when being compressed is changed, and the elastic coefficient of the shock absorbers 50, 90 can be easily adjusted, thereby achieving the effect of adjusting the shock absorption strength.

1: bicycle frame 2: bicycle frame 10: bicycle 11: front fork 12: seat tube 13: rear wheel axle 20: frame tube set 21: head tube 22: top tube 23: down tube 24: seat tube 25: chain stay 30: first support rod 31: first pressure stop 32: first top stop wall 33: first baffle plate 34: first receiving groove 40: second support rod 41: second pressure stop 42: second top stop wall 43: second baffle plate 44: second receiving groove 50: shock absorber 51: column body 52: column surface 53: perforation 54: tip 55: blunt end 56: compression part 60: fixing assembly 61: coupling 62: head 63: rod 64: positioning piece 65: slot 66: fixing hole 67: convex shaft 70: first compression part 71: first top wall 80: second compression part 81: second top wall 90: shock absorber 91: column 92: hole 93: small round hole 94: triangular hole 95: large round hole 96: compression part A: axial direction

The bicycle frame provided by the present invention is further described below with reference to the embodiments and drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a bicycle using the bicycle frame of the first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a three-dimensional diagram of the bicycle frame of the first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a partial enlarged view of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a decomposition diagram of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a front view of the bicycle frame of the first embodiment of the present invention, showing the state of the compression part before the shock absorber rotates; Figure 6 is similar to Figure 5, showing the state of the compression part after the shock absorber rotates; Figure 7 is a three-dimensional diagram of the bicycle frame of the second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 is a partial enlarged view of Figure 7; Figure 9 is a decomposition diagram of Figure 8; FIG. 10 is a front view of a bicycle frame of the second embodiment of the present invention, showing the state of the compression portion before the shock absorber rotates; FIG. 11 is similar to FIG. 10 , showing the state of the shock absorber after rotating 60 degrees; and FIG. 12 is a continuation of FIG. 11 , showing the state of the shock absorber after rotating another 60 degrees.

1: Bicycle frame

20: Frame tube assembly

21: Head tube

22: Upper tube

23: Down tube

24: Riser

25: Chainstays

30: The first support pole

31: First pressing part

40: The second support pole

41: Second pressing part

50: shock absorber

60:Fixed components

Claims (9)

A bicycle frame with adjustable shock-absorbing function comprises: a first support rod having a first pressing portion; a second support rod having a second pressing portion, the second pressing portion being opposite to the first pressing portion and spaced apart from the first pressing portion; and a shock-absorbing body being detachably fixed between the first and second support rods and abutting against the first and second pressing portions, so that the shock-absorbing body can be elastically deformed by the pressure of the first and second pressing portions; Its characteristics are: the shock absorber defines a compression part within the projection area formed by the first and second compression parts, and when the shock absorber rotates around one axis, the volume of the compression part before the rotation is different from the volume of the compression part after the rotation; the bicycle frame further includes a fixing assembly for fixing the shock absorber to prevent the shock absorber from rotating relative to the first and second compression parts. A bicycle frame with adjustable shock-absorbing function as described in claim 1, wherein the shock-absorbing body is in a columnar shape, has a column body and cylindrical surfaces on two sides of the column body, and the shock-absorbing body defines the axial direction extending along the column body. A bicycle frame with adjustable shock-absorbing function as described in claim 2, wherein the first pressing portion has a first top abutting wall, a first baffle connected to one end of the first top abutting wall, and a first receiving groove formed by the first top abutting wall and the first baffle; the second pressing portion has a second top abutting wall, a second baffle connected to one end of the second top abutting wall, and a second receiving groove formed by the second top abutting wall and the second baffle; the column body of the shock-absorbing body is accommodated in the first and second receiving grooves and abuts against the first and second top abutting walls, and one of the column surfaces of the shock-absorbing body is blocked by the first and second baffles. A bicycle frame with adjustable shock-absorbing function as described in claim 3, wherein the inner wall surfaces of the first and second top support walls match the column body of the shock-absorbing body in contour. A bicycle frame with adjustable shock-absorbing function as described in claim 4, wherein the shock-absorbing body is in the shape of a cylinder or a hexagonal column. A bicycle frame with adjustable shock absorption function as described in claim 5, wherein the shock absorber also has two through holes passing through the axis of the column body, the through holes are rotationally symmetrical with respect to the axis, and each of the through holes has a tip and a blunt end, and the hole diameter of each of the through holes gradually increases from the tip to the blunt end. A bicycle frame with adjustable shock-absorbing function as described in claim 5, wherein the shock-absorbing body also has a plurality of holes penetrating along the axial direction of the column body, and the sizes of the holes are different. A bicycle frame with adjustable shock-absorbing function as described in claim 1, wherein the fixing assembly has a coupling piece that passes through and fixes the shock-absorbing body, a positioning plate adjacent to the coupling piece, and a cam that is arranged on one of the first pressing portion and the second pressing portion and passes through and fixes the positioning plate. A bicycle frame with adjustable shock-absorbing function as described in claim 1, wherein the coupling member has a rod portion that is penetrated and fixed along the axial direction of the shock-absorbing body; the positioning plate has an embedding groove that is engaged with the rod portion of the coupling member, and a fixing hole that is penetrated by the cam.

Images