Lockable front fork shock absorber

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of bicycle shock absorption front forks, in particular to a lockable front fork shock absorber which comprises an upper pipe and a fork shoulder installed at the bottom of the upper pipe, stroke pipes are installed on the two sides of the fork shoulder, fork barrels are arranged on the outer sides of the stroke pipes in a sleeved mode, and a fork bridge is fixedly connected between the two fork barrels. And a damping mechanism for absorbing and damping impact force and pressure generated during riding is additionally arranged in the stroke pipe. The magnetic field is generated by electrifying the electromagnetic ring, so that the magnetorheological fluid in the stroke pipe is high-viscosity and low-fluidity Bingham fluid from the characteristic of low-viscosity Newtonian fluid when the magnetic field is applied externally, and the damping spring is locked; the two electric contacts make contact with each other and send out an electric signal, so that the electromagnetic ring is triggered to be temporarily electrified to generate a magnetic field, the magnetorheological fluid in the rubber air bag and the stroke pipe is temporarily converted into Bingham fluid, the damping effect is enhanced, and impact force is absorbed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of bicycle shock-absorbing fork technology, and in particular to a lockable front fork shock absorber. Background Technology

[0002] The primary functions of a bicycle front fork are support and shock absorption. It absorbs and disperses impacts and pressures from the road, reducing bumps and making riding smoother and more comfortable. A good front fork can also provide better handling and stability, further enhancing the riding experience.

[0003] For example, Chinese patent CN215436763U discloses a lockable shock-absorbing fork assembly for bicycles. By changing the position of the insert rod, it is inserted into the limiting rod, which restricts the vertical displacement of the limiting rod. This makes the position between the fork tube and the travel rod relatively fixed. The limiting rod is locked by a locking rod, ensuring the stability of the limiting rod and preventing loosening. It is relatively stable and will not loosen, reducing the cushioning force when pedaling and improving pedaling efficiency, making it more energy-efficient when riding on the road.

[0004] However, with current technology, when locking the shock absorption of the front fork, the rider needs to manually lock it before riding. If the rider encounters bumpy roads and needs to use the shock absorption to avoid shocks, they also need to stop and manually unlock it, which is quite cumbersome and troublesome. Utility Model Content

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this utility model provides a lockable front fork shock absorber, which solves the technical problems of existing technologies requiring manual locking and unlocking, which are cumbersome and inconvenient to operate and have poor practical effects, and achieves the purpose of quickly and conveniently locking the front fork shock absorber.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this utility model provides the following technical solution: a lockable front fork shock absorber, including a top tube and a fork shoulder installed at the bottom of the top tube, with travel tubes installed on both sides of the fork shoulder, fork sleeves sleeved on the outside of the travel tubes, and a fork bridge fixedly connected between the two fork sleeves, and a shock absorption mechanism for absorbing and damping the impact and pressure generated during riding is added inside the travel tube.

[0007] Preferably, the shock absorption mechanism includes a shock absorption spring installed on the inner wall of the stroke tube, and a sealing piston that slides vertically and vertically connected to the inner wall of the stroke tube is installed at the bottom of the shock absorption spring. A piston rod is installed at the bottom of the sealing piston, and the bottom of the piston rod is connected to the bottom wall of the fork barrel. A flexible spring is sleeved on the piston rod, with its upper and lower ends respectively connected to the sealing piston and the side wall of the stroke tube.

[0008] Preferably, magnetorheological fluid is injected between the top wall of the stroke tube and the sealing piston, a segmented electromagnetic ring is installed in the mounting groove opened in the stroke tube, and an auxiliary component for auxiliary shock absorption is also provided in the stroke tube.

[0009] Preferably, the auxiliary component includes a partition plate installed on the upper part of the inner wall of the travel tube, an open rubber airbag installed in the through hole in the center of the partition plate, and electrical contacts installed on the top of the rubber airbag and the top wall of the travel tube.

[0010] Preferably, the electromagnetic ring and the electrical contacts are both electrically connected to the electronic control system on the bicycle.

[0011] Preferably, a disc brake mounting bracket is installed on the rear side of the fork barrel, and a fork foot mounting bracket is installed on the front bottom side of the fork barrel.

[0012] By employing the above technical solution, this utility model provides a lockable front fork shock absorber, which has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0013] 1. This utility model generates a magnetic field by energizing the electromagnetic ring, which causes the magnetorheological fluid in the stroke tube to change from a low-viscosity Newtonian fluid to a high-viscosity, low-flow Bingham fluid when an external magnetic field is applied, thereby locking the shock-absorbing spring and quickly and conveniently locking the front fork shock absorber.

[0014] 2. When the sealed piston pushes the damping spring to its limit, the magnetorheological fluid in the stroke tube is squeezed out into the rubber air bag, causing the two electrical contacts to come into contact and send an electrical signal, thereby triggering the electromagnetic ring to be briefly energized to generate a magnetic field, which causes the magnetorheological fluid in the rubber air bag and the stroke tube to be briefly transformed into Bingham fluid, thereby enhancing the damping effect and absorbing the impact force. Attached Figure Description

[0015] The accompanying drawings, which are provided to further understand this application and constitute a part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments of this application and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application.

[0016] In the attached diagram:

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the rear view structure of this utility model;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the shock absorption mechanism of this utility model.

[0021] In the diagram: 1. Top tube; 2. Fork shoulder; 3. Travel tube; 4. Fork bucket; 5. Fork bridge; 6. Shock absorption mechanism; 61. Shock absorption spring; 62. Sealed piston; 63. Piston rod; 64. Flexible spring; 65. Electromagnetic ring; 66. Auxiliary components; 661. Divider plate; 662. Rubber air bladder; 663. Electrical contact; 71. Disc brake mount; 72. Fork foot mount. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0023] Example 1

[0024] To address the issues of existing technologies requiring manual locking and unlocking, which are cumbersome and ineffective, this embodiment provides a lockable front fork shock absorber. Please refer to... Figures 1-4 This embodiment provides a lockable fork shock absorber that can be quickly and conveniently locked. The lockable fork shock absorber includes a top tube 1 and a fork shoulder 2 mounted at the bottom of the top tube 1. Travel tubes 3 are mounted on both sides of the fork shoulder 2, and fork sleeves 4 are fitted onto the outer side of the travel tubes 3. A fork bridge 5 is fixedly connected between the two fork sleeves 4. A shock-absorbing mechanism 6 is added inside the travel tubes 3 to absorb and dampen the impact and pressure generated during riding. The shock-absorbing mechanism 6 absorbs and dampens vibrations generated during riding. Furthermore, the inclusion of an electromagnetic ring 65 and magnetorheological fluid allows for targeted locking of the fork shock absorption effect to adapt to different road conditions and riding requirements.

[0025] During riding, the bicycle is subjected to impacts and pressures from the road, so a front fork shock absorber is needed to absorb and dampen these impacts. Therefore, the device is equipped with a shock absorption mechanism 6, which includes a shock-absorbing spring 61 installed on the inner wall of the travel tube 3. A sealing piston 62, which slides vertically and vertically connected to the inner wall of the travel tube 3, is installed at the bottom of the shock-absorbing spring 61. A piston rod 63 is installed at the bottom of the sealing piston 62, and the bottom of the piston rod 63 is connected to the bottom wall of the fork cassette 4. Flexible springs 64 are fitted on the piston rod 63, with their upper and lower ends connected to the sealing piston 62 and the side wall of the travel tube 3, respectively. When encountering bumpy road sections, the impact force pushes the piston rod 63 to slide into the travel tube 3, thereby pushing the sealing piston 62 to move upward along the inner wall of the travel tube 3 and compress the shock-absorbing spring 61. The elasticity of the shock-absorbing spring 61 is used to absorb and dampen the impact force. The flexible spring 64 prevents the shock-absorbing spring 61 from pushing the sealing piston 62 to collide with the travel tube 3 when it rebounds, thus providing a buffering and protective function.

[0026] When high-speed riding or climbing hills requires significant effort, the shock absorption mechanism 6 absorbs some of the power output during the climb, increasing the difficulty and physical exertion. Therefore, the device is filled with magnetorheological fluid between the top wall of the stroke tube 3 and the sealing piston 62. A segmented electromagnetic ring 65 is installed in the mounting groove inside the stroke tube 3. An auxiliary component 66 for auxiliary shock absorption is also provided inside the stroke tube 3. When the front fork shock absorption needs to be locked, the electromagnetic ring 65 is energized to generate a magnetic field. This causes the magnetorheological fluid between the stroke tube 3 and the sealing piston 62 to change from a low-viscosity Newtonian fluid to a high-viscosity, low-flow Bingham fluid under the applied magnetic field, thereby locking the shock absorption spring 61. This quickly and conveniently locks the front fork shock absorption. Furthermore, as the magnetic field strengthens, the magnetorheological fluid gradually transforms, allowing the front fork shock absorption effect to be adjusted according to actual needs to adapt to different riding requirements.

[0027] A disc brake mounting bracket 71 is installed on the rear side of the fork hopper 4, and a fork foot mounting bracket 72 is installed on the front side of the bottom of the fork hopper 4.

[0028] Example 2

[0029] Based on Example 1, such as Figures 1-4As shown, when encountering extremely bumpy road conditions, the shock absorber spring 61 is compressed to its limit and then released. At this point, the rider will experience significant bumps, resulting in a poor riding experience. Therefore, the device also includes an auxiliary component 66 to enhance the shock absorption effect of the fork. The auxiliary component 66 includes a partition plate 661 installed on the upper part of the inner wall of the travel tube 3. An open-type rubber air bladder 662 is installed in the through hole in the center of the partition plate 661. Electrical contacts 663 are installed on the top of the rubber air bladder 662 and the top wall of the travel tube 3. The electromagnetic ring 65 and the electrical contacts 663 are also included. Electrically connected to the bicycle's electronic control system, when the sealed piston 62 is pushed to slide rapidly to the top of the stroke tube 3, the magnetorheological fluid inside the stroke tube 3 is squeezed and discharged into the interior of the rubber air bladder 662 until the rubber air bladder 662 is fully inflated, causing the electrical contact 663 at its top to contact the electrical contact 663 on the top wall of the stroke tube 3 and send an electrical signal, thereby triggering the electromagnetic ring 65 to be briefly energized and generate a magnetic field, causing the magnetorheological fluid inside the rubber air bladder 662 and the stroke tube 3 to briefly transform into Bingham fluid, thereby enhancing the shock absorption effect and absorbing the impact force.

[0030] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms “comprising,” “including,” or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

[0031] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A lockable front fork shock absorber, comprising a top tube (1) and a fork shoulder (2) installed at the bottom of the top tube (1), wherein travel tubes (3) are installed on both sides of the fork shoulder (2), fork sleeves (4) are sleeved on the outside of the travel tubes (3), and a fork bridge (5) is fixedly connected between the two fork sleeves (4), characterized in that: The stroke tube (3) is additionally provided with a damping mechanism (6) for absorbing and damping the impact force and pressure generated during riding.

2. A lockable front fork shock as defined in claim 1, wherein: The damping mechanism (6) comprises a damping spring (61) mounted on the inner wall of the stroke tube (3), and the bottom of the damping spring (61) is provided with a sealing piston (62) slidingly connected to the inner wall of the stroke tube (3), the bottom of the sealing piston (62) is provided with a piston rod (63), and the bottom of the piston rod (63) is connected to the bottom wall of the fork barrel (4), and the piston rod (63) is provided with a flexible spring (64) connected to the sealing piston (62) and the side wall of the stroke tube (3) at the upper and lower ends.

3. A lockable front fork suspension as defined in claim 2, characterized in that: The top wall of the stroke tube (3) and the sealing piston (62) are filled with magnetorheological fluid, a segmented electromagnetic ring (65) is mounted in the mounting groove in the stroke tube (3), and an auxiliary assembly (66) is further arranged in the stroke tube (3) to assist in damping.

4. A lockable front fork suspension as defined in claim 3, characterized in that: The auxiliary assembly (66) comprises a partition plate (661) mounted on the upper part of the inner wall of the stroke tube (3), an open rubber airbag (662) is mounted in the through hole in the center of the partition plate (661), and the top of the rubber airbag (662) and the top wall of the stroke tube (3) are provided with electric contacts (663).

5. A lockable front fork suspension as defined in claim 4, characterized in that: The electromagnetic ring (65) and the electric contacts (663) are electrically connected to the electric control system on the bicycle.

6. A lockable front fork shock as defined in claim 1, wherein: A disc brake mounting seat (71) is mounted on the rear side of the fork barrel (4), and a fork leg mounting seat (72) is mounted on the front side of the bottom of the fork barrel (4).

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