JP2000316272A - Maximum speed limiting device of bicycle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a maximum speed limiting device of a bicycle, which limits automatically the maximum speed of a bicycle independently of the intention of a driver. SOLUTION: A magnet 34 is fixed on the frame side, and a rotatable conducting plate 42 which can expand in the radial direction is coupled with the wheel side. Rotation of the wheel is transferred to the conducting plate 42, which is energized to the closed side with a coil spring (elastic body) 45. When the rotating speed of the wheel exceeds a specified value, the conducting plate 42 rotating together with the wheel expands, and a braking force F is generated coping with the magnet 34 fixed on the frame side. When the running speed of a bicycle increases and the rotating speed of the wheel exceeds the prescribed value, an electromagnetic force due to an eddy current is generated as the braking force F, and applies damping to the rotation of the wheel, so that the running speed of the bicycle is kept at most a prescribed value, independently of the intention of a driver. Thereby the maximum speed is automatically limited.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bicycle maximum speed limiting device for limiting a maximum speed by a centrifugal eddy current brake.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a manual rim brake or a drum brake is used as a brake device in a bicycle, and these friction brakes are operated by an occupant gripping a brake lever provided on a steering wheel. An operating force is transmitted to a brake shoe via a brake wire, and the brake shoe is pressed against a side surface of a rim of a wheel or an inner peripheral surface of a brake drum rotating with the wheel to generate a braking force due to frictional force. is there.

[0003] Incidentally, such a manual brake device is operated by the occupant's will. The running speed of the bicycle is controlled exclusively by the occupant's operation of the brake device, and the maximum speed is controlled by the occupant's will. Regardless, there was no means for automatically limiting.

[0004]

As described above, means for automatically limiting the maximum speed of a bicycle has not been provided in the past, and especially when the occupant is an infant, for example, when traveling downhill, excessive When the speed occurs, it is difficult for the infant to sufficiently operate the brake device to generate the desired braking force, and in some cases, the infant may panic due to fear and even perform an appropriate braking operation. May not be.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a bicycle maximum speed limiting device which automatically limits the maximum bicycle speed regardless of the occupant's intention. Is to do.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a magnet / or a conductive plate is fixedly mounted on a vehicle body, and the rotatable / radially expandable conductive plate / Alternatively, a magnet is connected to the wheel side and the conductive plate /
Alternatively, the rotation of the wheel is transmitted to the magnet, and the conductive plate / or magnet is urged to the closing side by an elastic body. When the rotation speed of the wheel exceeds a predetermined value, the conductive plate / or magnet rotating with the wheel is rotated. It is characterized in that a braking force is generated in opposition to the magnet and / or the conductive plate which is expanded and fixed to the vehicle body side.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, magnets and / or conductive plates are fixed to opposing inner walls in a housing fixed to the vehicle body frame, respectively. The conductive plate and / or the magnet that is rotatable and expandable in the radial direction is disposed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of the conductive plates / or magnets which are rotatable and radially expandable are provided, and the conductive plates /
Alternatively, a link plate that engages with a corresponding hole of the magnet in a long hole is provided so as to be rotatable around the center of rotation of the conductive plate and / or the magnet.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first, second or third aspect of the present invention, the conductive plate and / or the magnet is rotated so that a braking force acts in a direction for expanding the conductive plate. .

[0010] The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claims 1, 2, 3
Alternatively, the invention is characterized in that the rotation of the wheel is increased in speed by a speed increasing mechanism and transmitted to the conductive plate and / or the magnet.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect of the invention, the speed increasing mechanism is constituted by a planetary gear mechanism.

Therefore, according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, when the running speed of the bicycle increases and the rotation speed of the wheels exceeds a predetermined value, the conductive plate / magnet rotating with the wheels expands. Since it opposes the magnet / conductive plate fixed on the vehicle body side, the electromagnetic force due to the eddy current is generated as a braking force to apply braking to the rotation of the wheels,
As a result, the running speed of the bicycle is suppressed to a certain value or less irrespective of the intention of the occupant, and the maximum speed is automatically limited.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since a plurality of conductive plates / magnets rotating together with the wheels cooperate with each other via the link plate, they are simultaneously opened and closed, and the conductive plates / magnets are rotated. The deviation of the opening / closing timing is eliminated, and the generation of vibration and noise is prevented.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the conductive plate / magnet is rotated so that the braking force acts in a direction to expand the conductive plate / magnet, the rotational speed at which the conductive plate / magnet closes increases. The rotation speed is lower than the rotation speed, and a sufficiently large difference occurs between the two rotation speeds. As a result, a sufficient hysteresis is secured in the opening / closing timing of the conductive plate / magnet, and a sufficient braking force is obtained, and the conductive plate And / or the so-called chattering phenomenon in which the magnet frequently repeats the opening / closing operation at a certain rotation speed range is prevented.

According to the fifth or sixth aspect of the present invention, the rotation of the wheel is accelerated and transmitted to the conductive plate / magnet, so that the conductive plate / magnet rotates at a high speed and has a necessary and sufficient size. Braking force is obtained.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view of an infant bicycle 1 provided with a maximum speed limiting device according to the present invention.
A head pipe 2 is provided at the upper front of the vehicle body.
A handle stem 3 is rotatably inserted through the head pipe 2. A handle 4 is attached to an upper end of the handle stem 3, and a front fork 5 is attached to a lower end of the handle stem 3. A front wheel 6 is rotated by a front axle 7 at a lower end of the front fork 5. It is freely supported. A front carrier 8 is provided in front of the head pipe 2.

A down tube 9 extends obliquely downward and rearward from the head pipe 2 toward the rear of the vehicle body. A seat tube 10 extends rearward from the rear end of the down tube 9 toward the vehicle body. It is set up diagonally above. A seat post 11 is fitted and held in the seat tube 10 so as to be vertically movable. A seat 12 is supported on an upper end of the seat post 11.

A crankshaft 13 is rotatably supported at the rear end of the down tube 9 at the connection with the seat tube 10. A large diameter sprocket 14 is connected to the right side of the crankshaft 13. And the same crankshaft 13
Cranks 15 (only one is shown in FIG. 1) are mounted on the left and right sides of each of them, and a pedal 16 is pivotally supported at an end of each crank 15.

A pair of right and left chain stays 1 is connected to the rear end of the down tube 9 from the connection with the seat tube 10.
A rear end of the chain stay 17 and an upper end of the seat tube 10 are connected to each other by a pair of left and right seat stays 18. A rear wheel 19 is rotatably supported by a rear axle 20 at a connection between the rear end of the chain stay 17 and the seat stay 18. A small diameter sprocket 21 is connected to the right side of the rear axle 20. An endless chain 22 is wound between the sprocket 21 and the sprocket 14 (see FIG. 3). The rear wheel 19
Above the rear, a rear carrier 23 is provided.

A maximum speed limiting device 30 according to the present invention is provided at the center of the left shaft of the rear wheel 19 of the infant bicycle 1 according to the present embodiment.

Here, the maximum speed limiting device 3 according to the present invention.
The configuration and operation of 0 will be described with reference to FIGS.
2 is a left side view of the rear wheel, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the maximum speed limiting device, FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the maximum speed limiting device, FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory view showing the state when the maximum speed limiting device is not operated (a diagram showing the inside of the housing), and FIG. 7 shows a state when the maximum speed limiting device is operating (when a braking force is generated). FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the change over time in the running speed of the bicycle.

The maximum speed limiting device 30 according to the present invention is a centrifugal eddy current brake device, which is connected to a body frame (chain stay 17) via an aluminum cylindrical holding member 31 (see FIGS. 3 and 5). And a hollow disk-shaped housing 32 fixed to the seat stay 18 (see FIG. 1). The housing 32 is made of a split body 32A made of Al,
32B are integrated by a plurality of (eight in the illustrated example) bolts 33, and the central portion thereof is shown in FIG.
The rear axle 20 penetrates as shown in FIG. FIG.
As shown in the figure, the rear axle 20 extends through the center of the hub 19a of the rear wheel 19, and the rear wheel 19 rotates together with the rear axle 20.

By the way, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, opposing inner walls (each divided body 32) in the housing 32 are formed.
A plurality of magnets 34 are fixedly arranged on the inner walls (A, 32B) of the magnet 34 in a ring shape at appropriate intervals in the circumferential direction with an ABS spacer 35 interposed therebetween, and these magnets 34 face each other. The magnetic poles (N and S poles) on the surface of the object are arranged to be opposite to each other (if one is N pole, the other is S pole).

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, a cylindrical nut member 36 made of brass is screwed around the outer periphery of an end of the rear axle 20 facing the inside of the housing 32. The housing 32 is rotatably supported on the housing 32. A cylindrical sleeve 38 made of brass is rotatably supported on the outer periphery of the nut member 36 by a bearing 39.

As shown in FIG. 5, plate-like projections 38a are provided radially outward at opposite locations on the outer periphery of the sleeve 38, and each of the projections 38a has a circular hole 38b. Has been drilled. And this sleeve 38
A ring-shaped link plate 40 made of brass is rotatably fitted to and held on the outer periphery of the bracket.

As shown in FIG. 5, arm portions 40a are integrally protruded radially outward from opposing portions of the outer periphery of the link plate 40.
A long hole 40b long in the radial direction is formed in Oa. Here, two substantially semi-ring shaped grooves 40c are formed in the link plate 40, and notches 40d are partially formed in opposing portions of one side of the link plate 40.

The link plate 40 has two notches 40d formed therein and the projections 38a of the sleeve 38
The notches 40 d are fitted into the outer periphery of the sleeve 38 so as to pass through, and then the notches 40 d are closed by the arc-shaped members 41.

Incidentally, two sets of conductive plates 42 having a semi-ring shape are attached to the sleeve 38 so as to be able to expand in the radial direction.

That is, each conductive plate 42 is formed by assembling two half-ring-shaped plates made of Al and integrally formed, and a circular hole 42a is formed at a position corresponding to one end of each conductive plate 42.
Are drilled. Each of the conductive plates 42 is set so that one end thereof sandwiches the protrusion 38a of the sleeve 38 from both sides, and the circular hole 42a formed in this is formed.
And the circular hole 38 formed in the protrusion 38 a of the sleeve 38.
One end of the conductive plate 42 is rotatably supported by the projection 38a of the sleeve 38 by a screw 43 inserted into the sleeve 38b. Therefore, one end of each conductive plate 42 has a screw 43.
And can be opened in the radial direction.
The protrusion 38a of the sleeve 38 and each conductive plate 42 pass through the groove 40c of the link plate 40, and the link plate 40 can rotate around the outer periphery of the sleeve 38 within a predetermined angle range.

A circular hole 42b is formed at a position corresponding to the other end of the conductive plate 42, and the other end of each conductive plate 42 is connected to the circular hole 42b formed therein. The other end of the conductive plate 42 is connected to the arm 40a of the link plate 40 by a screw 44 inserted into a long hole 40b formed in the arm 40a of the link 40.
Can slide along the long hole 40b formed in the hole.

As shown in FIG. 6, the two sets of conductive plates 42 are arranged point-symmetrically about the rear axle 20 in the housing 32, and the two conductive plates 42 are stretched between them. It is urged to the closing side by the coil spring 45.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, a large-diameter ring gear 46 is provided on the left end face of the hub 19a of the rear wheel 19.
The ring gear 46 has three small-diameter planetary gears 48 connected thereto.
Are engaged. As shown in detail in FIG. 4, each planet gear 48 is connected to the housing 3 via a shaft 49 and a bearing 50.
The two split bodies 32A are rotatably supported, and these planetary gears 48 are provided with sun gears 5 arranged inside thereof.
1 is engaged. The sun gear 51 is fitted on the inner circumference of one end of the sleeve 38, and the sun gear 51 and the sleeve 38 are combined and integrated by a plurality of bolts 52.

The ring gear 46 and the planet gear 4
8 and the sun gear 51 are both made of brass which is a non-magnetic metal, and these constitute a planetary gear mechanism as a speed increasing mechanism. Accordingly, the rotation of the rear wheel 19 is increased in speed by the planetary gear mechanism including the ring gear 46, the planetary gears 48 and the sun gear 51 and transmitted to the sleeve 38, and the sleeve 38 and the link plate 40 and the conductive plate 42 is driven to rotate in the housing 32.

Next, the maximum speed limiting device 30 according to the present invention will be described.
The operation of will be described.

When an infant, who is an occupant, rides on the infant bicycle 1 shown in FIG. 1 and alternately rows the left and right pedals 16, the crankshaft 13 and the sprocket 14 connected thereto rotate. Chain 22 and sprocket 21
(See FIG. 3) and transmitted to the rear axle 20,
The rear axle 20 and the rear wheel 19 connected to the rear axle 20 are rotationally driven, and the bicycle 1 is driven. At this time, the rotation of the rear wheel 19 is simultaneously increased in speed by the planetary gear mechanism composed of the ring gear 46, the planetary gear 48 and the sun gear 51 as described above, and transmitted to the sleeve 38, where it is held by the sleeve 38. The link plate 40 and the conductive plate 42 are rotated in the housing 32.

FIG. 8 shows the relationship between the running speed V of the bicycle 1 and the time t. When the running speed V is relatively small and the value is less than the set value Vmax shown in FIG. 8 (V <Vmax). During a certain period (time 0 to t ₁ ), the rotational speed of the conductive plate 42 is relatively low, so that the radially outward centrifugal force acting on the conductive plate 42 does not exceed the urging force of the coil spring 45, and The conductive plate 42 rotates in a closed state as shown in FIG.
Since no relative rotation occurs between the magnet 2 and the magnet 34, no braking force (electromagnetic force) is generated. For this reason, the rear wheel 19 continues to rotate freely without receiving any resistance.

[0038] Then, for example, when the bicycle 1 is running on a downhill travel speed V reaches the set value Vmax at time t ₁ shown in FIG. 8, acts on this for the rotational speed of the conductive plate 42 is larger As shown in FIG. 7, each conductive plate 42 expands radially outward around one end and opposes the magnet 34, as shown in FIG. 7, against the urging force of the coil spring 45. A desired braking force (electromagnetic force) F is generated by an eddy current generated by the relative rotation of the magnet 42 with respect to the magnet 34. Therefore,
This braking force F acts on the conductive plate 42 to cause the rear wheel 1
In order to apply braking to the rotation of No. 9, the bicycle 1 is decelerated and the running speed V is suppressed to a set value Vmax or less as shown in FIG.

Here, since the rotation of the rear wheel 19 is transmitted to the conductive plate 42 at an increased speed by the planetary gear mechanism, the conductive plate 42 rotates at a high speed in the housing 32 and a brake of a necessary and sufficient size is provided. Where the force F is obtained, each conductive plate 42 is engaged with the elongated hole 40b formed in the arm portion 40a of the link plate 40 via the screw 44, so that both conductive plates 42 are interlocked with each other,
Irrespective of the difference in the elastic modulus of the two coil springs 45 and the weight of the conductive plate 42, both conductive plates 42 are simultaneously expanded by the same amount at the same speed, regardless of this. Since the center of gravity of the entire rotating system including the reference numeral 42 does not shift, generation of unpleasant vibration and noise is prevented.

When the bicycle 1 is decelerated by the braking force F and the running speed V gradually decreases after the time t ₁ shown in FIG. 8, the rotational speed of the conductive plate 42 also decreases. When the centrifugal force becomes smaller than the urging force of the coil spring 45 (time t ₂ shown in FIG. 8), the conductive plate 42 is closed by the urging force of the coil spring 45 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the conductive plate 42 is no longer opposed to the magnet 34 again, the rear wheel 19 in the brake force is not generated is free to rotate without re resistance, time t ₂ later as shown in FIG. 8 the travel speed V gradually Increase. still,
Since the respective conductive plates 42 are simultaneously closed by the link plates 40 in cooperation with each other, unpleasant vibrations and noises can be prevented in this case as well.

Here, in relation to the rotation direction of the conductive plate 42 and the direction of the braking force F, the conductive plate 42
The direction in which the braking force F causes the conductive plate 42 to expand (the moment M (= F × r: see FIG. 7) acting on the conductive plate 42 by the braking force F)
2 in the direction in which the conductive plate 42 is expanded), the rotation speed at which the conductive plate 42 closes is lower than the rotation speed at which the conductive plate 42 opens, and a sufficiently large difference (ΔV shown in FIG. 8) between the two rotation speeds (running speed V). Occurs, and as a result, the conductive plate 4
Sufficient hysteresis is secured at the opening / closing timing 2 (Δt shown in FIG. 8) to obtain a sufficient magnitude of the braking force F, and the conductive plate 42 frequently repeats the opening / closing operation at a certain rotational speed range. The occurrence of the so-called chattering phenomenon is prevented.

Thereafter, the same operation is repeated.
Set value Vmax running speed V is at time t ₃ when 8
7, the conductive plate 42 is opened again as shown in FIG. 7 and the braking force F is generated, the running speed V is suppressed to the set value Vmax or less regardless of the occupant's intention, and the maximum speed is automatically limited. . As a result, it is difficult to generate the desired braking force by sufficiently operating the existing braking device with the infant's force, or the infant may panic due to fear and cannot perform an appropriate braking operation. Even in the case, it is possible to sufficiently cope with this, and the maximum speed of the bicycle 1 can be automatically suppressed to a certain value or less.

In the above embodiment, the magnet 34 is fixed to the housing 32 (body frame side) and the conductive plate 42 is provided on the rear wheel 19 (rotation side). Even if the plate 42 is fixed to the housing 32 (body frame side) and the magnet 34 is provided to the rear wheel 19 (rotation side), the same effect as described above can be obtained.

In the above embodiment, the maximum speed limiting device 30 is provided on the rear wheel 19 side.
May be provided on the front wheel 6 side or on both the front wheel 6 side and the rear wheel 19 side.

Furthermore, although the present invention has been described with reference to a form in which the present invention is applied particularly to a bicycle for an infant, the present invention is similarly applicable to any other bicycle.

The materials of the parts constituting the maximum speed limiting device according to the present invention may be non-magnetic materials other than magnets.
The material can be appropriately selected depending on the required component performance and strength.

[0047]

As is apparent from the above description, claim 1
According to the invention described in (2), when the running speed of the bicycle increases and the rotation speed of the wheel exceeds a predetermined value, the conductive plate / magnet rotating with the wheel is expanded and the magnet fixed to the vehicle body side And / or opposing the conductive plate, an electromagnetic force due to the eddy current is generated as a braking force to apply braking to the rotation of the wheels, and as a result, the running speed of the bicycle is kept below a certain value regardless of the occupant's will. The maximum speed is automatically limited.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since a plurality of conductive plates / magnets rotating together with the wheels cooperate with each other via the link plate, they are simultaneously opened and closed. The deviation of the opening / closing timing is eliminated, and the generation of vibration and noise is prevented.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the conductive plate / magnet is rotated so that the braking force acts in the direction of expanding the conductive plate / magnet, the rotational speed at which the conductive plate / magnet closes increases. The rotation speed is lower than the rotation speed, and a sufficiently large difference occurs between the two rotation speeds. As a result, a sufficient hysteresis is secured in the opening / closing timing of the conductive plate / magnet, and a sufficient braking force is obtained, and the conductive plate And / or the so-called chattering phenomenon in which the magnet frequently repeats the opening / closing operation at a certain rotation speed range is prevented.

According to the fifth or sixth aspect of the present invention, the rotation of the wheel is accelerated and transmitted to the conductive plate / magnet, so that the conductive plate / magnet rotates at a high speed and has a necessary and sufficient size. Braking force is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an infant bicycle provided with a maximum speed limit device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a left side view of the rear wheel of the infant bicycle provided with the maximum speed limiting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a maximum speed limiting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the maximum speed limiting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory view showing a state when the maximum speed limiting device according to the present invention is not operated.

FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory view showing a state when the maximum speed limiting device according to the present invention is operated (when a braking force is generated).

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a change over time in a running speed of a bicycle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Infant bicycle (bicycle) 17 Chain stay (body frame) 18 Seat stay (body frame) 19 Rear wheel (wheel) 30 Maximum speed limiter 32 Housing 34 Magnet 40 Link plate 40a Arm part 40b Slot 42 Conductive plate 45 Coil Spring (elastic body) 46 Ring gear (planetary gear mechanism) 48 Planetary gear (planetary gear mechanism) 51 Sun gear (planetary gear mechanism) F Brake force

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A magnet / or conductive plate is fixedly mounted on a vehicle body, and a rotatable and radially expandable conductive plate / or magnet is connected to a wheel side to rotate the wheel to the conductive plate / or magnet. When the rotation speed of the wheel exceeds a predetermined value, the conductive plate / magnet rotating together with the wheel is expanded to expand the conductive plate / magnet to the vehicle body side. The magnet fixed to /
Alternatively, a maximum speed limiting device for a bicycle, wherein a braking force is generated in opposition to a conductive plate. 2. A magnet plate and / or a conductive plate are fixed to opposed inner walls in a housing fixed to a vehicle body frame, and the rotatable and radially expandable conductive plate is provided in the housing therebetween. The maximum speed limiting device for a bicycle according to claim 1, wherein a magnet is arranged. 3. A plurality of conductive plates / magnets which are rotatable and radially expandable, and a link plate which engages with a long hole at a corresponding portion of the conductive plate / magnet is provided with a conductive plate / magnet. The maximum speed limiting device for a bicycle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the device is rotatably provided around the center of rotation of the bicycle. 4. The maximum speed limiting device for a bicycle according to claim 1, wherein the conductive plate and / or the magnet is rotated so that a braking force acts in a direction to expand the braking force. 5. The maximum speed of a bicycle according to claim 1, wherein the rotation of the wheel is increased by a speed increasing mechanism and transmitted to the conductive plate and / or the magnet. Limiting device. 6. The maximum speed limiting device for a bicycle according to claim 5, wherein said speed increasing mechanism is constituted by a planetary gear mechanism.