JPS6222687Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a damping force adjustment device in a shock absorber, and more specifically, an orifice provided in a piston rod is changed by external operation, and thereby the damping force is adjusted depending on the selected orifice. This invention relates to a damping force adjustment device for a shock absorber that can be switched in stages.

In general, motorcycles are equipped with front forks or rear shock units as shock absorber means, for example, on both sides of the front or rear wheels. In order to improve comfort and handling, the damping force is made variable each time.

This damping force adjustment can be achieved, for example, by drilling a through hole in the piston rod that leads to the oil chamber, and inserting a rotary valve in which a plurality of orifices with different diameters are formed into the piston rod, and by rotating the rotary valve by external operation. It is known that one of the orifices is placed opposite the through hole to obtain a damping force depending on the diameter of the selected orifice.

To rotate this rotary valve, an operating rod is rotatably inserted into the piston rod, one end of this rod is connected to the rotary valve, the other end is protruded from the outer end of the piston rod, and a rotatable adjuster is attached to this end. The rotary valve is designed to be rotated by rotating this operating mechanism via the operating rod.

However, since this operating mechanism is assembled externally to the shock absorber, it is necessary to dismount the motorcycle each time to adjust the damping force, resulting in very poor workability.

Also, recently there are models that use only one rear-wheel-side rear-action unit, but this rear-action unit is built into the inside of the vehicle frame, or the rear-action unit is installed near the saddlebag. Because of this, it is not possible to insert a hand into the operating mechanism during operation, and other tools are required for operation, resulting in poor operability. For this reason, the present applicant has developed a shock absorber damping force adjustment device that allows the damping force to be adjusted remotely, regardless of the structure or installation position of the operating mechanism, at a location away from the shock absorber, for example, even while riding the vehicle. Developed (1986)
No. 129255).

This adjustment device has a gear mechanism interlocked with a valve such as a rotary valve, and this gear mechanism can be rotated and operated from a rotary operation section installed in the driver's seat etc. through a freely rotatable flexible wire transmission means. It is something.

However, since the above-mentioned damping force adjustment device has a long wire interposed between the gear mechanism and the rotary operation part, the wire itself undergoes twisting deformation depending on the winding direction, and the twisting restoring action of this wire causes the gear to shift. There is a problem in that the rotary valve rotates via the mechanism, causing malfunction and changing the damping force. Further, when the wire becomes long, there is a problem that the transmission efficiency of rotational force is poor and the response is poor.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to prevent the rotary valve from being activated when it is not operated due to the restoring force due to torsional deformation of the wire within a certain range even if a flexible wire conduction means is used. It is an object of the present invention to provide a shock absorber damping force adjustment device that does not cause malfunction.

In order to achieve this object, the present invention is characterized in that an intermittent feed mechanism is provided at an intermediate position where the rotation of the wire is transmitted to the rotary valve to absorb the rotation due to the above-mentioned restoring action.

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

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment in which a Geneva mechanism is provided as an intermittent feeding mechanism.

In the shock absorber A according to the present invention, a piston rod 3 is slidably inserted into a cylinder 1 via a piston 2, and the piston 2 defines two upper and lower oil chambers 4 and 5 within the cylinder 1. An under bracket 6 is provided at the lower end of the cylinder, and an upper bracket 7 is connected to the upper end of the piston rod 3 protruding from the cylinder, and the shock absorber A is connected between the body and the wheels of the two-wheeled vehicle via these brackets 6 and 7. Interventions are becoming more common.

A vertical hole 8 and a horizontal hole 9 are bored in the piston rod 3 to communicate the liquid chambers 4 and 5 partitioned by the piston 2, and these two holes 8 and 9 form a fixed orifice. The piston rod 3 protrudes from the cylinder 1 and is fixed to the base end of the upper upper bracket 7 via a screw or the like, and an operating rod 12 is rotatably inserted into the piston rod 3 via a bearing 10. A cylindrical body 13, which is a rotary valve fixed at the tip of 12, is connected to the vertical hole 8.
It is rotatably arranged inside. The cylindrical body 13 has a plurality of orifices a, b...n smaller than the horizontal hole 9 and each having a different inner diameter at a position facing the horizontal hole 9.
are bored, and one of these orifices a, b...n selectively opens into the horizontal hole 9 according to the rotation of the cylinder 13.
As a result, the oil passing area of the lateral hole 9 is made variable, and the damping force is adjusted in accordance with the size of the inner diameter of the orifices a, b...n. It should be noted that the cylinder 13 can also be used with a structure that allows it to be displaced in the axial direction.

A positioning member 16 consisting of a spring seat 11 and a cylindrical body is slidably inserted into the outer periphery of the cylinder 1, and a fixed spring seat 14 is held in the upper bracket 7, and a suspension spring is inserted between these spring seats 11 and 14. 15 is interposed, and this spring 15 is always connected to the piston rod 3.
is energized in the direction of extension.

A multistage cam surface 16 is formed at the end of the positioning member 16, and by meshing a stopper with one of the cam surfaces 16a, the position of the positioning member 16 is displaced, and the initial spring load of the spring 15 corresponding to that position is changed. is now being set.

A cushion member 17 is fixed to the end of the upper bracket 7 to prevent the upper bracket 7 from colliding with the cylinder 1 when the piston rod 3 is fully compressed.

A space 18 that opens laterally is formed in the upper bracket 7, and a gear mechanism, for example, a face gear 19, is rotatably inserted into this space 18. When the chamfered outer ends of the operating rod 12 are fitted together and the face gear 19 is driven to rotate, the operating rod 12 and the cylindrical body 13, which is a rotary valve, are fitted together.
are designed to rotate by the same amount in the same direction.

Although a gear is formed circumferentially on the outer peripheral end surface of the face gear 19, a crown gear or other similar gear may be used instead of the face gear 19.

A spacer 20 is interposed in a space 18 between one side of the face gear 19 and the upper bracket 7 to prevent the face gear 19 from rattling.

Further, a plurality of grooves are provided on the other side of the face gear 19, and a detent mechanism B interposed between the face gear 19 and the upper bracket 7 selectively engages with one of the grooves to determine the face gear 19 and the operating rod 12. is now being carried out.

The detent mechanism B consists of a spring and a ball incorporated in a hole provided in the upper bracket 7.

A spur gear 21 is rotatably incorporated into the upper bracket 7 in an axial arrangement orthogonal to the face gear 19. This spur gear 21 is held by a holding member 22, and the holding member 22 is prevented from coming off by a snap ring 23. ing.

Teeth are carved on the outer periphery of the spur gear 21, and these teeth mesh orthogonally with the teeth of the face gear 19, so that the rotation of the spur gear 21 is transmitted to the face gear 19.

In place of the spur gear 21, other known gears such as a bevel gear may be used.

A shaft 21a is provided at the center of the spur gear 21,
This shaft 21a is a driven gear 40 as an intermittent feeder.
It is linked with On the outer periphery of the driven gear 40, there is a concave circumferential surface portion 4 that slides in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the shaft 42 of the driving gear.
0a and a circular arc recess 42 formed in a part of the shaft 42
A convex surface portion 40b corresponding to the arcuate recess 42a and a radial groove 45 for engaging and receiving a pin 43 protruding from the drive gear 41 at a circumferential position with respect to the arcuate recess 42a are formed, and when the disk 44 is rotated, the shaft 42 and the concave circumferential surface 40a, the rotational force of the shaft is not transmitted, but the pin 43 is in contact with the groove 4 of the driven gear 40.
5, rotational motion is transmitted while the driven gear 40 is positioned in the groove 45, and the driven gear 40 rotates 90 degrees for each rotation of the disk 44.

The shaft 42 of the drive gear 41 is connected to the flexible wire 24, so that when the wire 24 is rotated, the drive gear 41 is rotated. The wire 24 is inserted into a flexible tube 25, and the wire 24 and the tube 25 are connected to an adjustment member 26 installed at a position near the driver's seat, for example, on the steering wheel side, through an arbitrary position on the vehicle body.

In the adjustment member 26, a cover 28 is fixed onto a base 27 via bolts 29, and a driving gear 30 and a driven gear 31 are installed between the base 27 and the cover.
These gears 30 are rotatably meshed via teeth 32 on the outer periphery.

A guide 33 protrudes from the outside of the base 27, one end of the tube 25 is fixed to the outer periphery of the guide 33 via a stopper 34, and one end of the wire 24 rotatably inserted into the guide 33 is connected to the driven gear 3.
1, so that the wire 24 rotates in the same direction as the driven gear 31 rotates.

The base 27 and the cover 28 are connected to a vehicle body side, such as a steering wheel, through bolts, pins, or other fasteners inserted into the holes 28a, 33a.

The drive gear 30 is rotatably supported by the base 27 and the cover 28, and a portion of the shaft 35 is chamfered.
This chamfered portion 37 is fitted into the operating knob 36, so that when the operating knob 36 is rotated in one direction, the drive gear 30 is rotated in the same direction by the same amount.

The knob 36 and the shaft 35 are connected via a bolt 38 to prevent the knob 36 from coming off.

A plurality of grooves are formed on the lower surface of the drive gear 30,
A detent mechanism 39 provided on the base 27 side selectively fits into one of the grooves to position the drive gear 30.

The detent mechanism 39 consists of a spring and a ball built into the hole.

A mark, such as an arrow, is written on the top surface of the cover 28, and a marking consisting of numbers, etc. is written on the top surface of the knob 36, and the spacing and number of these markings corresponds to the spacing and number of orifices a, b...n of the rotary valve. , and the detent mechanism B39 corresponds to the spacing and number of the grooves to be fitted, and when aligned with one of the markings,
The orifice corresponding to one of these landmarks is selected.

Next, we will discuss the operation.

Assume that the driver rotates the knob 36 near the handle while riding the motorcycle, and aligns it with a certain number, for example, on a sign. Knob 3
6 and the driving gear 30 rotate 180 degrees, and the driven gear 3
1 is driven by a drive gear 30 and rotates by an amount corresponding to a gear ratio. At the position where the marking faces the mark, the day tent mechanism 39 fits into the groove of the drive gear 30,
Positioning is performed by holding the driving gear 30 and the driven gear 31 stopped.

Next, when the driven gear 31 rotates, the flexible wire 24 fixed to the gear 31 rotates within the tube 25 by the same amount and in the same direction, and this movement rotates the drive gear 41 of the intermittent feed mechanism. The driven gear 40 rotates 90 degrees per rotation of the drive gear 41, and the knob 3
The driven gear 40 rotates by an amount corresponding to the rotation of the gear 6.

The rotational output of the driven gear 40 is transmitted to the spur gear 21 via the shaft 21a. When the spur gear 21 rotates, the face gear 19 that meshes with it rotates, and the rotational force of the face gear 19 is transmitted to the operating rod 12 and the cylindrical body 13 of the rotary valve. At this time, due to the relationship of the gear ratios of the above gears, the knob 36 is set to 180.
When the cylinder is rotated by a degree, the dividing body 13 also rotates according to the amount of rotation, and one of the orifices a, b...n, which corresponds to a certain number in the markings, is designed in advance so that it faces the through hole 9. There is. Since the face gear 19 positions the cylindrical body 13 at a position corresponding to the marking by the detent mechanism B and prevents it from shifting, the position of the orifice remains opposed to the through hole 9 and is prevented from shifting.

In this state, when the shock absorber A receives vibrations from the wheel side while the vehicle is running, a damping force corresponding to the selected orifice is obtained.

In the intermittent feed mechanism using the Geneva mechanism, the disc 46 is in a position where the pin 43 is not engaged with the groove 45
The movement is not transmitted to the driven gear, and in this state, even if a torsional restoring force or the like is generated in the wire 24 due to the transmission of rotational torsion, slip rotation between the concave circumferential surface portion 40a of the intermittent feed mechanism and the outer circumferential surface of the shaft 42 is prevented. Because unexpected rotation can escape without being transmitted through motion, the rotary valve will not be displaced and malfunctions can be prevented.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment using a partial gear as the intermittent feed mechanism, which consists of a drive gear 50 and a driven gear 51. The drive gear 50 is the shaft 4
A plurality of teeth 48 and a smooth surface 52 are formed on the outer periphery of the shaft 47, and the driven gear 51 has a plurality of long teeth 44 having a convex peripheral surface on the outer periphery of the shaft 47, and a 90 degree angle between these teeth 49. Short teeth 53 having concave peripheral surfaces at intervals
While the short teeth 53 are in sliding contact with the smooth surface 52, the rotational force of the drive gear 50 is not transmitted to the driven gear 51, while the teeth 48 of the drive gear 50 are in contact with the long teeth 49 of the driven gear 51. During this meshing period, rotational force is transmitted to the driven gear 51, and the driving gear 50
The driven gear 51 is configured to rotate 90 degrees for each rotation.

The shaft 46 of the drive gear 50 is interlocked with the wire 24 in FIG. 1, and the driven gear 51 is interlocked with the spur gear 21 via a transmission mechanism such as a shaft. Other operations are the same as in FIG.

This invention allows valve members such as rotary valves to be remotely changed in the rotational direction or linear direction via a wire, so it is possible to remotely switch while riding the vehicle without having to get off the vehicle, which significantly improves adjustment work. did. Moreover, even if the shock absorber is located in a position where it is obstructed by the vehicle body, there is no need to put hands inside the vehicle body, and the operation can be simplified. or,
By providing an intermittent feed mechanism in the middle of the wire and configuring it to transmit rotational torsion, even if the wire receives twisting force and a restoring force is generated, the torsional displacement etc. will be caused by the idling state of the intermittent feed mechanism. This prevents changes in damping force due to torsional displacement, or in other words, prevents malfunctions.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway longitudinal sectional front view of a shock absorber using a damping force adjusting device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are plan views of an intermittent feed mechanism, respectively. 9...Through hole, 13...Valve, 19,21...
Gear mechanism, 24... Flexible wire, 40, 41...
... Geneva mechanism, 50, 51 ... partial gear.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] (1) In a shock absorber that can obtain a damping force according to the diameter of the through hole by changing the diameter of the through hole provided in the valve, the valve is connected to a gear mechanism. A damping force adjustment device for a shock absorber in which the gear mechanism is linked to a flexible wire via an intermittent feed mechanism, and the flexible wire is rotated remotely. (2) The shock absorber damping force adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the intermittent feeding mechanism is a Geneva mechanism. (3) The damping force adjusting device for a shock absorber according to claim 1, wherein the intermittent feeding mechanism comprises a partial gear.