Front suspension and scooter

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of scooters, in particular to a front suspension and a scooter, which comprise a front fork assembly, an upper swing arm, a lower swing arm, a shock absorber and a steering mechanism. One end of the upper swing arm is rotationally connected with the front fork assembly, the lower swing arm is located below the upper swing arm, and one end of the lower swing arm is rotationally connected with the front fork assembly. The shock absorber is laterally hung on the side face of the lower swing arm, and the steering mechanism is connected to the upper end of the front fork assembly. The shock absorber is designed to be in a side hanging mode, the structural compactness can be greatly optimized, more precious space can be released for the scooter, the structural layout can be replanned and is not limited by the space shackle brought by the shock absorber in the center position any more, the scooter can have more flexible exertion space in design, and the service life of the scooter is prolonged. More reasonable and more compact structural design can be easily realized, and a new path is developed for space utilization and overall performance improvement of the scooter.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of scooter technology, specifically to a front suspension and a scooter. Background Technology

[0002] The front suspension of a two-wheeled bicycle mainly consists of shock absorbers, springs, dampers, a front fork assembly, and steering components. The shock absorbers, springs, and dampers work together to cushion road bumps and improve riding comfort. The front fork assembly supports and enables the fork's extension and retraction, ensuring stable steering. The steering components allow the handlebars to flexibly and precisely control the fork's steering, ensuring excellent handling.

[0003] Patent CN220743278U discloses a front suspension system that positions the front shock absorber at the front center of the front fork assembly, reducing the overall installation space required for the front suspension. However, the shock absorber's central position at the front of the fork assembly occupies longitudinal space at the front of the vehicle, which can lead to inflexible space utilization, especially for compact scooters. Therefore, we propose a front suspension system and scooter design to effectively address these drawbacks. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this utility model is to provide a front suspension and scooter to solve the problem mentioned in the background art that the shock absorber located at the center of the front fork assembly occupies a certain longitudinal space.

[0005] This utility model is achieved through the following technical solution: a front suspension and scooter, including a front fork assembly, an upper control arm, a lower control arm, a shock absorber, and a steering mechanism;

[0006] One end of the upper control arm is rotatably connected to the front fork assembly, and the lower control arm is located below the upper control arm with one end rotatably connected to the front fork assembly; the shock absorber is mounted on the side of the lower control arm, and the steering mechanism is connected to the upper end of the front fork assembly.

[0007] Optionally, the fork assembly includes a fork tube, a column rotatably connected inside the fork tube, and a fork arm fixed to the lower end of the column.

[0008] The upper and lower swing arms are rotatably connected to the fork, and the steering mechanism is connected to the upper end of the column.

[0009] Optionally, the upper swing arm includes a connecting tube and side arms fixed to both ends of the connecting tube, wherein the connecting tube and each side arm cooperate to form a U-shape;

[0010] The end of each side arm furthest from the connecting tube is rotatably connected to the fork assembly, and each side arm is bent.

[0011] Optionally, the steering mechanism includes a handlebar and a hinge assembly, with a first universal joint fork fixed to the lower end of the handlebar and a second universal joint fork fixed to the upper end of the fork assembly, and the hinge assembly connecting the first universal joint fork and the second universal joint fork.

[0012] Optionally, the hinge assembly includes an upper hinge and a lower hinge, the upper hinge and the lower hinge are hinged together, the upper hinge is rotatably connected to a first universal joint fork through a first cross-needle roller bearing, and the lower hinge is rotatably connected to a second universal joint fork through a second cross-needle roller bearing.

[0013] This application also proposes a scooter, including the front suspension as described above, and a frame, wherein the ends of the upper and lower control arms away from the front fork assembly are respectively rotatably connected to the frame, one end of the shock absorber is rotatably connected to the lower control arm, and the other end of the shock absorber is rotatably connected to the frame.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, this utility model provides a front suspension and scooter, which has the following beneficial effects:

[0015] This invention designs the shock absorber as a side-mounted type, which can greatly optimize the structural compactness, thereby freeing up more valuable space for the scooter. This allows for a redesign of the structural layout, no longer constrained by the space limitations imposed by the centrally located shock absorber. This gives the scooter more flexibility in its design, making it easier to achieve a more reasonable and compact structural design, and opening up new paths for the space utilization and overall performance improvement of the scooter. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention from another perspective;

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the front fork assembly of this utility model;

[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the upper swing arm of this utility model;

[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the hinge assembly of this utility model.

[0021] In the diagram: 1. Front fork assembly; 101. Fork tube; 102. Column; 103. Fork arm; 2. Upper control arm; 201. Connecting tube; 202. Side arm; 3. Lower control arm; 4. Shock absorber; 5. Steering mechanism; 501. Handlebar; 502. Hinge assembly; 5021. Upper hinge; 5022. Lower hinge; 5023. First cross-needle roller bearing; 5024. Second cross-needle roller bearing; 503. First universal joint fork; 504. Second universal joint fork; 6. Frame. 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: Please refer to Figures 1 to 5 A front suspension includes a front fork assembly 1, an upper control arm 2, a lower control arm 3, a shock absorber 4, and a steering mechanism 5. One end of the upper control arm 2 is rotatably connected to the front fork assembly 1, and the lower control arm 3 is located below the upper control arm 2, with one end also rotatably connected to the front fork assembly 1. The upper control arm 2 and the lower control arm 3 work together to ensure that the wheel's trajectory is approximately vertical when subjected to bumps. The shock absorber 4 is mounted on the side of the lower control arm 3 to absorb shocks from the front of the vehicle, thereby improving comfort. The steering mechanism 5 is connected to the upper end of the front fork assembly 1 and drives the front fork assembly 1 to rotate, thus steering the wheel mounted on the front fork assembly 1.

[0024] In this embodiment, the shock absorber 4 is designed as a side-mounted structure. This layout significantly improves the overall structural compactness, creating favorable conditions for the installation and application of the front suspension system on small two-wheeled vehicles such as scooters. It is worth noting that the shock absorber 4 adopts a single-sided suspension design to achieve efficient space utilization. Given that a single-sided suspension may lead to uneven force distribution on both sides of the front of the vehicle, to ensure consistent structural strength on both sides, the springs used in the shock absorber 4 need to be of a larger specification, using springs with thicker wire diameters. This effectively maintains the stability and reliability of the overall front structure, ensuring the vehicle's safety and handling performance during driving.

[0025] The following is a description of front fork assembly 1:

[0026] The fork assembly 1 includes a fork tube 101 for mounting other components. A column 102 is rotatably connected inside the fork tube 101, and a fork arm 103 is fixed to the lower end of the column 102 for mounting the wheel; when the column 102 rotates, the wheel can be steered via the fork arm 103. In this embodiment, the upper control arm 2 and the lower control arm 3 are rotatably connected to the fork tube 101, and the steering mechanism 5 is connected to the upper end of the column 102, driving the column 102 to rotate.

[0027] It is worth mentioning that the upper swing arm 2 includes a connecting tube 201 and side arms 202 fixed to both ends of the connecting tube 201. The connecting tube 201 and each side arm 202 cooperate to form a U-shape, which is convenient for being fitted onto the outside of the front fork assembly 1. The end of each side arm 202 away from the connecting tube 201 is rotatably connected to the front fork assembly 1, and the connecting tube 201 is rotatably connected to other parts of the scooter.

[0028] In traditional designs, the side arms 202 are made in a straight line, which occupies a lot of longitudinal space. In this design, however, each side arm 202 is curved, which can effectively reduce longitudinal space and make the system structure more compact.

[0029] The steering mechanism 5 is described below:

[0030] The steering mechanism 5 includes a handlebar 501 and a hinge assembly 502. A first universal joint fork 503 is fixed to the lower end of the handlebar 501, and a second universal joint fork 504 is fixed to the upper end of the fork assembly 1. The hinge assembly 502 connects the first universal joint fork 503 and the second universal joint fork 504. In this embodiment, the second universal joint fork 504 is fixed to the upper end of the column 102. When the handlebar 501 is rotated, the column 102 is rotated through the cooperation of the first universal joint fork 503, the hinge assembly 502, and the second universal joint fork 503.

[0031] In this embodiment, the hinge assembly 502 includes an upper hinge 5021 and a lower hinge 5022. The upper hinge 5021 and the lower hinge 5022 are hinged together. The upper hinge 5021 is rotatably connected to the first universal joint fork 503 via a first needle roller bearing 5023, and the lower hinge 5022 is rotatably connected to the second universal joint fork 504 via a second needle roller bearing 5024. The needle roller bearing, with its excellent load-bearing capacity and high rigidity, can not only effectively bear large loads but also properly solve the problem of large steering ratio variations, making the steering ratio very close to 1:1, greatly improving steering accuracy and stability.

[0032] With the above structure, the rotation of the handlebar 501 and the bouncing of the wheel are efficiently decoupled through the hinge. When the vehicle is in motion, the impact force from the ground is fully absorbed by the hinge assembly 502, which greatly reduces the force transmitted to the handlebar 501, significantly improving the comfort during riding and bringing users a smoother and more comfortable riding experience.

[0033] Example 2: Please refer to Figures 1 to 2 This embodiment also proposes a scooter, including a front suspension as in Embodiment 1, and a frame 6. The ends of the upper control arm 2 and the lower control arm 3, away from the front fork assembly 1, are rotatably connected to the frame 6. One end of the shock absorber 4 is rotatably connected to the lower control arm 3, and the other end of the shock absorber 4 is rotatably connected to the frame 6, thereby achieving a side-mounted installation of the shock absorber 4. This side-mounted configuration effectively reduces the longitudinal space occupied by the scooter, greatly optimizes the structural layout of the scooter, making its structure more compact and reasonable, and improving space utilization efficiency and the overall design sophistication.

[0034] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, 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 a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes the element.

[0035] 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 front suspension, characterized in that: It includes a front fork assembly (1), an upper control arm (2), a lower control arm (3), a shock absorber (4), and a steering mechanism (5); One end of the upper swing arm (2) is rotatably connected to the front fork assembly (1), the lower swing arm (3) is located below the upper swing arm (2) and one end is rotatably connected to the front fork assembly (1); the shock absorber (4) is mounted on the side of the lower swing arm (3), and the steering mechanism (5) is connected to the upper end of the front fork assembly (1).

2. A front suspension according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fork assembly (1) includes a fork tube (101), a column (102) is rotatably connected inside the fork tube (101), and a fork arm (103) is fixed at the lower end of the column (102). The upper swing arm (2) and the lower swing arm (3) are rotatably connected to the fork (101), and the steering mechanism (5) is connected to the upper end of the column (102).

3. A front suspension according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper swing arm (2) includes a connecting tube (201) and side arms (202) fixed at both ends of the connecting tube (201). The connecting tube (201) and each side arm (202) cooperate to form a U-shape. The end of each side arm (202) away from the connecting tube (201) is rotatably connected to the fork assembly (1), and each side arm (202) is bent.

4. A front suspension according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steering mechanism (5) includes a handlebar (501) and a hinge assembly (502). A first universal joint fork (503) is fixed to the lower end of the handlebar (501), and a second universal joint fork (504) is fixed to the upper end of the fork assembly (1). The hinge assembly (502) is connected between the first universal joint fork (503) and the second universal joint fork (504).

5. A front suspension according to claim 4, characterized in that: The hinge assembly (502) includes an upper hinge (5021) and a lower hinge (5022). The upper hinge (5021) and the lower hinge (5022) are hinged together. The upper hinge (5021) is rotatably connected to the first universal joint fork (503) through a first cross needle roller bearing (5023). The lower hinge (5022) is rotatably connected to the second universal joint fork (504) through a second cross needle roller bearing (5024).

6. A scooter, comprising a front suspension as described in any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that: It also includes a frame (6), with the upper swing arm (2) and the lower swing arm (3) rotatably connected to the frame (6) at the ends away from the front fork assembly (1), one end of the shock absorber (4) rotatably connected to the lower swing arm (3), and the other end of the shock absorber (4) rotatably connected to the frame (6).

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