JPH061276A - Bicycle with folding frame - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] (Modified) [Purpose] To provide a bicycle with a foldable frame for use in urban areas. [Structure] This bicycle is characterized by being provided with a frame that defines a lower longitudinal member 2 that rotatably supports a rear wheel 3 and a pedal crankshaft 4. The saddle strut 11 and the handle strut 12 are hinged to the lower longitudinal member 2 and are positioned substantially parallel to each other and connected by an upper pipe 13, which is substantially relative to the lower longitudinal member 2. It is parallel and is hinged to the pillars 11 and 12,
Form an articulated parallelogram connection. The steering sleeve 20 is articulated to the handle post 12 to support the front wheel 25 and cooperate with the handle 27. Further provided is a fixing rod 30 for holding the frame in the operating position, which is arranged diagonally to the articulated parallelogram.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bicycle equipped with a folding frame, which is particularly suitable for use in urban areas.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As is well known, so-called foldable bicycles are currently available on the market with specific articulations to allow the bicycle to be reduced in size when not in use.

Presently known foldable bicycles include a frame, generally derived from a tubular member, with a hinge member in the middle of its longitudinal extension to position the front wheels on the sides of the rear wheels. It actually makes it possible to fold the frame. When the bicycle is in operation, these hinges are conveniently locked to provide the required mechanical resistance.

As can be said from many points of view, the folding bicycle facilitates the storage of the bicycle in the trunk of an automobile, but has a problem of bulk reduction that does not allow the bicycle to be carried by hand. This is because the distribution of mass cannot facilitate the carrying of the bicycle.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to make the carrying of a bicycle by hand practical and easy by having very small dimensions that can conceptually resemble a pair of skis in the folded state. Another object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks associated with known folding bicycles by providing a bicycle having a folding frame that allows the bicycle to be stored indoors in an extremely small space.

[Object of the Invention]

Within the scope of the above object, it is a particular object of the present invention to allow a user to use city transportation so that he can easily carry a bicycle, eg by bus or subway, and thus reach public transportation. Practical and maneuverable vehicles are available that reduce the travel time required for travel, and thus bicycles are possible, but generally at least for some parts of the travel public transportation can be used to reduce travel time overall It is to provide a bicycle that can be done.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bicycle which has the same gear and running performance as a normal bicycle despite being a folding type bicycle.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a folding bicycle which is easily obtained starting from generally commercially available components and materials and which is simply economically competitive. .

[0009]

As will be apparent from the following description, the above-mentioned problems and the above-mentioned problems are provided with a frame having a lower longitudinal member for rotatably supporting a rear wheel and a pedal crankshaft, and A saddle strut and a handle strut hinged to the lower longitudinal member, the strut being substantially parallel to each other and connected by an upper pipe,
The upper pipe is substantially parallel to the lower longitudinal member and is hinged to the strut to form an articulated parallelogram connection, and is further articulated to the handle strut for front wheels. A steering sleeve that supports the steering wheel and that cooperates with the steering wheel, and a fixed rod that is provided to hold the frame in the driving position, and the fixed rod is arranged on the diagonal line of the articulated parallelogram. And is solved by a bicycle with a folding frame, especially for use in urban areas.

Other features and advantages will be apparent from, but not limited to, the description of the preferred embodiment of a bicycle with a foldable frame illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, a bicycle according to the present invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 12, comprises at its rear end a frame constituted by a lower longitudinal member 2 rotatably supporting a rear wheel 3. A bottom bracket or shaft of the pedal crank, indicated by reference numeral 4, is rotatably supported in the middle portion of the longitudinal member 2.

Advantageously, the longitudinal member has a box-like shape and incorporates a movement transmitting means constituted by a first crown wheel 5 fixed to the bottom bracket 4, said first crown wheel 5 comprising The first chain 6 transmits the rotary motion of the bottom bracket to the pinion 7 associated with the second crown wheel 8, and the second crown wheel 8 transfers the motion to the pinion 10 key-fixed to the rear wheel 3 by the second chain 9. introduce.

In this way, the transmission ratio can be increased and, in spite of the considerable reduction in size, the same final ratio as in a conventional bicycle can actually be obtained.

A saddle post, indicated by reference numeral 11, is hinged to the lower longitudinal member 2 at the connecting axis of the pedal crankshaft 4 and is actually arranged on the side of the lower longitudinal member.

A handle post, indicated by reference numeral 12, is hinged to the front end of the lower longitudinal member 2.

The columns 11 and 12 extend substantially parallel to each other and are connected to each other by an upper pipe 13.
The upper pipe is hinged to the ends of the columns 11 and 12, and is arranged on the side of the column 11 in the space formed between the column 11 and the longitudinal member 2 and above the column 12. It is inserted into the formed fork-shaped connecting portion 14.

Supports 11 and 12, an upper pipe 13,
The front part of the longitudinal member 2 actually forms an articulated parallelogram.

The handle strut 12 constitutes a support member for a steering sleeve, indicated by the reference numeral 20, which is actually a raised portion 2 formed at the end of the strut 12.
1 and 22 are pivotally articulated.

The steering shaft 23 is fixed to the sleeve 20 to laterally support the steering front wheel 25, and is connected to the handle shaft 26 at the upper position, and the handle shaft 26 is provided with a hinge means to handle the handle shaft 26. 27, so that the handle can be aligned with the handle shaft 26 about an axis perpendicular to the handle shaft 26 when not in use.

The saddle support 11 has a sleeve-like shape into which the shaft 28 of the saddle 29 can be inserted in a nested manner by a method known per se.

Fixing rods, generally designated by the reference numeral 30, are provided to secure the frame in place and to allow it to be placed diagonally to the articulated parallelogram.

Said fixing rod 30 is preferably constituted by an outer nesting member 31, which is connected by means of a fixing pin 35 to an inner nesting member 32 for fixing the fixing rod 30 in the required length and thus in the required length. A fixation is obtained. The fixed rod 30 is pivotally connected to a fork formed at the front end of the lower longitudinal member 2 and a pivot pin at the lower end of the steering column 12, while the other end pivots the upper pipe 13 relative to the column 11. The upper pipe 13 is pivotably connected to the upper pipe 13 in the vicinity of the moving region.

The rod 30 is located above the longitudinal member 2 and on the side of the area provided with the upper pipe 13.

As shown more clearly in FIG. 3, the different members that make up the frame are mounted in adjacent parallel planes,
Thus, the members of the different frames do not overlap during the folding operation.

As shown more clearly in FIGS. 4 and 5, the folding operation is very simple. Fixing member 35
After removing the rod from the telescopic rod 30, the saddle support 1
Fold 1 by rotating 1 in the direction of the rear wheel 3.

After the frame is completely folded, the members are placed side by side with each other, resulting in a structure with an elongated shape with a very small volume, and thus very easy and easy to carry. As mentioned above, handle 2
7 can be further rotated to align it with its shaft 26.

【The invention's effect】

As can be seen from the above description, the present invention solves certain problems and objectives, and in particular by developing articulated parallelogram connections, simply rotating the parts relative to each other when not in use. It provides a foldable bicycle frame whose volume can be significantly reduced and which can reach a compact state of being placed side by side on top of each other, resulting in a mainly unidirectionally extending assembly. The facts are highlighted.

It is also possible to eliminate the need to maintain a weight which can be cumbersome as a result of using the front wheels as ground contact members during a carrying operation.

The present invention described above is capable of many design changes, and all of these design changes are within the scope of the present invention.

Furthermore, it is also possible to replace all the other technically equivalent elements in detail.

In practice, the materials used, as well as the attendant shapes and dimensions, can be any, as long as they are compatible with the particular use.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bicycle in a driving state.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a bicycle according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a bicycle according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the bicycle according to the invention during the folding operation.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the bicycle in a folded state.

[Explanation of symbols] 1 bicycle 2 longitudinal member 3 rear wheel 4 pedal racunk shaft 5 first crown wheel 6 first chain 7 pinion 8 second crown wheel 9 second chain 10 pinion 11 saddle strut 12 handle strut 13 upper pipe 20 maneuvering Sleeve 26 handle shaft 27 handle 30 fixing rod

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A frame having a lower longitudinal member (2) for rotatably supporting a rear wheel (3) and a pedal crankshaft (4), and a hinge attached to the lower longitudinal member (2). Saddle stanchions
(11) and a handle strut (12), which are substantially parallel to each other and connected by an upper pipe (13), the upper pipe being substantially relative to the lower longitudinal member (2). Are parallel to each other and are hinged to the columns (11, 12) to form an articulated parallelogram connection, and are further articulated to the handle column (12) to support the front wheel (25). And a steering sleeve (20) associated with the handle (27) and a fixed rod provided to hold the frame in the operating position.
(30), and the fixing rod (30) is arranged in a diagonal line of the articulated parallelogram, particularly a bicycle with a foldable frame for use in urban areas. 2. The fixing rod (30) is composed of an outer telescopic tube-shaped member (31) and an inner telescopic tube-shaped member (32) which are slidable with each other, and further comprises a fixing means (35). The bicycle with a foldable frame according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixing rod (30) is fixed to a required effective length. 3. A saddle strut (11) is arranged in the same plane as the handle strut (12) with respect to a side portion of the longitudinal member (2) and a side portion of the upper pipe (13), and a fixing rod (30) is provided. A bicycle with a foldable frame according to claim 1, characterized in that (1) is superposed on the lower longitudinal member (2). 4. The lower longitudinal member (2) has a box shape, and has an assembly (5-10) for transmitting the motion from the pedal crankshaft (4) to the rear wheel (3). A bicycle equipped with the folding frame according to claim 1. 5. The motion transmission assembly comprises a first crown wheel (5) keyed to the pedal crank wheel (4) and meshed with a first chain (6), the first chain comprising: A second chain (9) that is firmly engaged with a first pinion (7) rotatably associated with the second crown wheel (8), the second crown wheel being wound around the second pinion (10). ) And the second pinion is rigidly associated with the hub of the rear wheel (3).
Bicycle with a foldable frame as described. 6. The steering sleeve (20) is attached to the handle column (12).
The bicycle with a folding frame according to claim 1, wherein the bicycle is rotatably supported by a pair of raised portions formed at the ends of the bicycle. 7. A bicycle in which a steering sleeve is connected to a handle shaft (26) and cooperates with an associated shaft (26) to rotate the handle (27) about an axis perpendicular to the handle shaft (26). 7. The handle (27) is arranged in a position parallel to the handle shaft (26) when the handle is folded.
Bicycle with a foldable frame as described. 8. The frame has an elongated shape in which the columns (11, 12) and the fixing rods (30) are folded substantially parallel to the lower longitudinal member (2) in a folded state. A bicycle having the folding frame according to claim 1.