Bicycle pedal

Abstract

To provide a bicycle pedal capable of reducing the force required to pedal a bicycle.SOLUTION: A bicycle pedal 1 includes a pedal body 9 having a pedal tread surface 8, and a pedal shaft 10 that rotatably supports the pedal body 9, where a ratchet mechanism 18 is provided between the pedal body 9 and the pedal shaft 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a bicycle pedal that can reduce the force required to pedal a bicycle. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, bicycle pedals (hereafter simply referred to as "pedals") have a pedal body with a pedal surface on which the rider places their foot, and a pedal shaft that rotatably supports the pedal body at a position midway between the front and rear of the pedal surface. These pedals are attached to the ends of a pair of crank arms that extend 180° in opposite directions from either end of the bicycle's crankshaft (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-061857 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When pedaling a bicycle, the pedals move in a circle around the crankshaft with the length of the crank arm as the radius.

[0005] Here, the inventors of the present application considered whether it would be possible to lengthen the distance from the center of the pedal's circular motion to the position where the pedal depression force acts (point of force) in the section of the pedal's circular motion trajectory where the driver presses the pedal with great force, i.e., the section where the pedal is located in front of the crankshaft.

[0006] If the distance from the center of the pedal's circular motion to the point where the pedaling force acts (the force point) can be increased, then even if the pedaling force is the same, the force that rotates the crankshaft will increase because the distance from the center of the circular motion to the force point will be longer, making it possible to reduce the force required to pedal the bicycle.

[0007] In conventional pedals, the pedal body is supported so as to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions around the pedal shaft, so the position where the pedal depression force acts (point of force) is always the position of the pedal shaft.

[0008] The problem to be solved by this invention is to provide a bicycle pedal that can reduce the force required to pedal a bicycle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a bicycle pedal having the following configuration. [Configuration 1] a pedal body having a pedal tread on which a bicycle rider places their foot; a pedal shaft that rotatably supports the pedal body at a midpoint in the front-rear direction of the pedal tread surface, A bicycle pedal characterized in that a ratchet mechanism is provided between the pedal body and the pedal shaft, which restricts rotation of the pedal body relative to the pedal shaft in a direction in which the portion of the pedal body forward of the pedal shaft moves downward, and allows rotation of the pedal body relative to the pedal shaft in a direction in which the portion of the pedal body forward of the pedal shaft moves upward.

[0010] With this configuration, the ratchet mechanism located between the pedal body and the pedal axle restricts the rotation of the pedal body relative to the pedal axle in a direction that would cause the portion of the pedal body forward of the pedal axle to move downward, so that when the pedal body is depressed, the point where the pedal force acts (the point of force) is at the front end of the pedal tread, not the pedal axle.As a result, in the section of the pedal's circular motion where the rider presses the pedal with great force, i.e., the section where the pedal is located in front of the crank axle, the distance from the center of the pedal's circular motion to the point where the pedal force acts (the point of force) is lengthened, making it possible to reduce the force required to pedal the bicycle.

[0011] On the other hand, in the section of the pedal's circular motion trajectory where the driver does not press the pedal, i.e., the section where the pedal is located behind the crankshaft, by applying a pressing force to the part of the pedal body rearward of the pedal shaft, the pedal body can be rotated relative to the pedal shaft in a direction in which the part of the pedal body forward of the pedal shaft moves upward (i.e., in the direction in which the ratchet mechanism rotates freely), and the pedal tread surface can be kept facing upward.

[0012] [Configuration 2] A bicycle pedal as described in configuration 1, wherein the front-to-rear distance from the center of the pedal shaft to the front end of the pedal tread is longer than the front-to-rear distance from the center of the pedal shaft to the rear end of the pedal tread.

[0013] By adopting this configuration, it is possible to particularly increase the distance from the center of the pedal's circular motion to the front end of the pedal tread in the section of the pedal's circular motion trajectory where the pedal is located in front of the crankshaft, making it possible to effectively reduce the force required to pedal the bicycle.

[0014] [Configuration 3] the pedal body is composed of a footplate having the pedal tread surface and a pedal force distribution arm that distributes the pedal force acting on the footplate to the front and rear of the pedal shaft; the pedal force distribution arm has a pedal shaft connecting portion rotatably connected to the pedal shaft, a front arm portion extending forward from the pedal shaft connecting portion, and a rear arm portion extending rearward from the pedal shaft connecting portion, A bicycle pedal as described in configuration 1 or 2, wherein the front end of the foot plate is rotatably connected to the front arm portion, and the rear end of the foot plate is supported by the rear arm portion via a spring member so as to be movable up and down.

[0015] By adopting this configuration, it becomes easier to depress the pedal while keeping the pedal surface horizontal in the section of the pedal's circular motion trajectory where the pedal is located in front of the crankshaft.

[0016] In other words, in the section where the pedal is located in front of the crankshaft, if the pedal force is applied only to the part of the pedal body in front of the pedal axle, and not to the part of the pedal body behind the pedal axle, the angle between the pedal body and the crank arm will be fixed by the action of the ratchet mechanism, and as the crank arm rotates, the pedal body will tilt forward, making it impossible to maintain a horizontal pedal tread.

[0017] Therefore, in order to keep the pedal tread level in the section where the pedal is located in front of the crankshaft, it is necessary to press down on the part of the pedal body that is forward of the pedal axle, while also applying a force to keep the pedal tread level on the part of the pedal body that is rearward of the pedal axle; however, such an action is difficult to actually perform.

[0018] To address this issue, the pedal body, which is comprised of the footplate and force distribution arm described above, has a front end of the footplate pivotally connected to the front arm, and a rear end of the footplate supported by the rear arm via a spring for vertical movement. By pressing down on the footplate, the force acts from the front end of the footplate on the front arm, while the rear end of the footplate is released downward, and some of the force acts from the rear end of the footplate on the rear arm via the spring. This makes it easy to press down on the pedal while maintaining a horizontal pedal tread in the section where the pedal is located forward of the crankshaft.

[0019] [Configuration 4] A bicycle pedal as described in any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein a weight is provided on the underside of the pedal body so that the center of gravity of the pedal body is located forward and below the center of the pedal shaft when the pedal tread is facing upward, so that when the pedal body is rotated relative to the pedal shaft so that the pedal tread faces downward, the pedal body rotates in the direction of idling of the ratchet mechanism, i.e., in the direction in which the portion of the pedal body forward of the pedal shaft moves upward, and the pedal tread naturally returns to its upward-facing state.

[0020] When this configuration is adopted, the weight attached to the underside of the pedal body adjusts the center of gravity of the pedal body to be located forward and below the center of the pedal shaft. Therefore, even if an external force is applied to the pedal tread surface and the pedal tread surface faces downward when the foot is not placed on the pedal tread surface, the pedal body rotates in the idling direction of the ratchet mechanism, allowing the pedal tread surface to naturally return to an upward position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] The bicycle pedal of this invention has a ratchet mechanism between the pedal body and the pedal axle that restricts the rotation of the pedal body relative to the pedal axle in a direction that would cause the portion of the pedal body forward of the pedal axle to move downward. This means that when the pedal body is depressed, the point at which the pedal force acts (the point of application) is located at the front end of the pedal tread, not the pedal axle. As a result, in the section of the pedal's circular motion where the rider applies great force to the pedal, i.e., the section where the pedal is located forward of the crank axle, the distance from the center of the pedal's circular motion to the point at which the pedal force acts (the point of application) is lengthened, making it possible to reduce the force required to pedal the bicycle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a left side view of a bicycle using a bicycle pedal according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] A top view of the pedal area in Figure 1 [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the right pedal of the pair of left and right pedals in FIG. 2 and its vicinity. [Figure 4] Cross-sectional view along line IV-IV in Figure 3 [Figure 5] Cross-sectional view along line VV in Figure 3 [Figure 6] Diagram showing the circular motion of the pedal shown in Figure 4 [Figure 7] A diagram showing the relationship between the point where the pedal depression force shown in Figure 6 acts (the point of force) and the center of the pedal's circular motion. [Figure 8] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the movement of the pedal body when a pedal force is applied only to a portion of the pedal body in front of the pedal shaft, without applying any pedal force to a portion of the pedal body in rear of the pedal shaft shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 5 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 showing a modified example in which a weight is added to the underside of the pedal body. [Figure 10] This figure explains how the pedal body rotates due to the weight of the weight from the downward-facing state shown in Figure 9, and the pedal surface returns to its upward position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] 1 and 2 show a bicycle using a bicycle pedal 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as "pedal 1") according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] The bicycle has a saddle 2 on which the rider sits, a crankshaft 3 positioned below the saddle 2 and extending in the left-right direction, a pair of left and right crank arms 4 extending 180° in opposite directions from either end of the crankshaft 3, and pedals 1 attached to the tip of each crank arm 4. A crank sprocket 5 is fixed to the crankshaft 3, and a chain 6 is wound around the crank sprocket 5. The bicycle moves forward by alternately stepping on the pair of left and right pedals 1 located in front of the crankshaft 3 (left side in the figure).

[0025] As shown in FIG. 3, the pedal 1 has a pedal body 9 having a pedal tread 8 on which a bicycle rider places his / her foot L, and a pedal shaft 10 that supports the pedal body 9 so that it can rotate.

[0026] A threaded shaft portion 11 having a male thread on its outer periphery is formed at the inner end (lower end in the drawing) of the pedal shaft 10 in the left-right direction, and this threaded shaft portion 11 is screwed into a pedal hole 12 formed at the tip of the crank arm 4. As a result, the pedal shaft 10 is fixed to the tip of the crank arm 4 in parallel with the crankshaft 3. A spindle shaft portion 13 that rotatably supports the pedal body 9 is formed at the outer end (upper end in the drawing) of the pedal shaft 10 in the left-right direction.

[0027] The pedal body 9 is composed of a footplate 9A having a pedal tread surface 8 and a pedal force distribution arm 9B that distributes the pedal force acting on the footplate 9A to the front and rear of the pedal shaft 10.

[0028] The pedal force distribution arm 9B has a pedal shaft connecting portion 14 that is rotatably connected to the pedal shaft 10, a front arm portion 15 that extends forward (to the left in the figure) from the pedal shaft connecting portion 14, and a rear arm portion 16 that extends rearward (to the right in the figure) from the pedal shaft connecting portion 14. The pedal shaft connecting portion 14, the front arm portion 15, and the rear arm portion 16 are integrally formed from a metal such as steel.

[0029] The pedal shaft connecting portion 14 is formed with a shaft insertion hole 17 that penetrates in the left-right direction (up-down direction in the drawing), and the spindle shaft portion 13 of the pedal shaft 10 is inserted into the shaft insertion hole 17 in a state where it is rotatable but is prevented from slipping out of the shaft insertion hole 17. A ratchet mechanism 18 is inserted between the inner periphery of the shaft insertion hole 17 and the outer periphery of the spindle shaft portion 13.

[0030] The front end (left side in the drawing) of the foot plate 9A is rotatably connected to a front end shaft 19 that extends in the left-right direction (up-down direction in the drawing) and is attached to the front end of the front arm portion 15. The rear end (right side in the drawing) of the foot plate 9A is supported by the rear arm portion 16 via a spring member 20 so that it can move up and down. The upper surface of the foot plate 9A forms a pedal tread 8 on which the driver places his / her foot L. The length of the pedal tread 8 in the front-to-rear direction is set to be 15 cm or more (preferably 20 cm or more) but 30 cm or less.

[0031] The pedal body 9 (the foot plate 9A and the pedal force distribution arm 9B) is supported on the pedal shaft 10 at a midpoint in the fore-and-aft direction of the pedal tread 8 so that the front end (the left end in the figure) of the pedal tread 8 is located forward of the pedal shaft 10 and the rear end (the right end in the figure) of the pedal tread 8 is located rearward of the pedal shaft 10. The center of the pedal shaft 10 is positioned rearward (to the right in the figure) of the point that bisects the distance between the front and rear ends of the pedal tread 8, so that the distance from the center of the pedal shaft 10 to the front end of the pedal tread 8 is longer than the distance from the center of the pedal shaft 10 to the rear end of the pedal tread 8. The distance from the center of the pedal shaft 10 to the front end of the pedal tread 8 is set to be 10 cm or more (preferably 13 cm or more) but not more than 20 cm.

[0032] 4, the ratchet mechanism 18 is a one-way clutch configured to restrict rotation of the pedal body 9 relative to the pedal shaft 10 in a direction in which the portion of the pedal body 9 forward of the pedal shaft 10 (in the figure, the portion of the footplate 9A forward of the pedal shaft 10 and the front arm portion 15 of the pedal force distribution arm 9B) moves downward (counterclockwise in the figure), and to allow rotation of the pedal body 9 relative to the pedal shaft 10 in a direction in which the portion of the pedal body 9 forward of the pedal shaft 10 moves upward (clockwise in the figure). The ratchet mechanism 18 may also function as a bearing that rotatably supports the pedal body 9 relative to the pedal shaft 10, or the ratchet mechanism 18 and a bearing that rotatably supports the pedal body 9 relative to the pedal shaft 10 may be provided separately.

[0033] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, spring member 20 is a torsion coil spring having coil portion 21 formed by winding steel wire into a coil shape and a pair of extension portions 22, 23 extending from both ends of coil portion 21. As shown in Figure 3, coil portion 21 is rotatably supported by a spring support pin 24 provided on step force distribution arm 9B and extending in the left-right direction (up-down direction in the figure). As shown in Figure 5, the pair of extension portions 22, 23 extend rearward (rightward in the figure) from coil portion 21 at a vertical interval, with upper extension portion 22 engaging with upper locking portion 25 provided at the rear end of footboard 9A and lower extension portion 23 engaging with lower locking portion 26 provided on rear arm portion 16, biasing upper locking portion 25 and lower locking portion 26 in directions vertically separating them from each other.

[0034] The rear arm 16 is provided with a preload applying portion 27 that keeps the spring member 20 compressed in the vertical direction. The preload applying portion 27 restricts the upward movement range of the upper extension 22, thereby keeping the spring member 20 in a state where a load (preload load) in the vertical direction is preloaded. As a result, when the tread force acting from the foot L on the rear end of the foot plate 9A becomes greater than the preload load of the spring member 20, the rear end of the foot plate 9A swings downward relative to the rear arm 16 in accordance with the magnitude of the tread force.

[0035] An example of how to use this pedal 1 will be described below.

[0036] When the bicycle shown in FIG. 1 is pedaled, the pedal 1 moves in a circle around the crankshaft 3 with the length of the crank arm 4 as the radius, as shown in FIG.

[0037] Here, due to the action of the ratchet mechanism 18 (see Figure 3), the rotation of the pedal body 9 (tread plate 9A and force distribution arm 9B) relative to the pedal shaft 10 in the direction in which the portion of the pedal body 9 (tread plate 9A and force distribution arm 9B) in front of the pedal shaft 10 moves downward (counterclockwise in Figure 6), so when the pedal body 9 shown in Figure 6 is depressed, the position at which the depression force of the pedal 1 acts (force point F) is not at the position of the pedal shaft 10, but at the position of the front end of the pedal tread surface 8, as shown schematically in Figure 7.

[0038] Therefore, in the section of the circular motion trajectory of pedal 1 shown in Figure 7 where the rider presses pedal 1 with great force, i.e., the section where pedal 1 is located in front of crankshaft 3 (to the left in the figure) (particularly, the section from position P2 where pedal 1 is moved forward by approximately 45° from position P1 directly above crankshaft 3 to position P3 where pedal 1 is moved a further 90° from that position), this pedal 1 can lengthen the distance from the center of circular motion of pedal 1 (i.e., the center of crankshaft 3) to the position where the pressing force of pedal 1 acts (force point F), thereby reducing the force required to pedal the bicycle.

[0039] On the other hand, in the section of the circular motion trajectory of the pedal 1 shown in Figure 7 where the driver does not press the pedal 1, i.e., where the pedal 1 is located behind the crankshaft 3 (to the right in the figure), by applying a pressing force to the part of the pedal body 9 shown in Figure 4 that is behind the pedal shaft 10 (the right part in the figure), the pedal body 9 can be rotated relative to the pedal shaft 10 in a direction in which the part of the pedal body 9 that is ahead of the pedal shaft 10 (the left part in the figure) moves upward (i.e., in the direction in which the ratchet mechanism 18 rotates freely), and the pedal tread surface 8 can be kept facing upward.

[0040] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the front-to-rear distance from the center of the pedal shaft 10 to the front end of the pedal tread 8 of this pedal 1 is set to be longer than the front-to-rear distance from the center of the pedal shaft 10 to the rear end of the pedal tread 8.Therefore, as shown schematically in Figure 7, in the section where the pedal 1 is located in front of the crank shaft 3 (to the left in the figure), it is possible to make the distance from the center of the circular motion of the pedal 1 (i.e., the center of the crank shaft 3) to the front end of the pedal tread 8 (the left end in the figure) particularly long, thereby effectively reducing the force required to pedal the bicycle.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 3, the pedal 1 has a pedal body 9 rotatably supported by a pedal shaft 10, which is composed of a foot plate 9A and a force distribution arm 9B. Therefore, in the section of the circular motion trajectory of the pedal 1 shown in FIG. 7 where the pedal 1 is located in front of the crankshaft 3 (to the left in the figure), it is easy to depress the pedal 1 while keeping the pedal tread surface 8 horizontal.

[0042] In other words, in the section where the pedal 1 is located in front of the crankshaft 3 shown in Figure 7 (to the left in the figure), if a pedal force is applied only to the part of the pedal body 9 that is in front of the pedal shaft 10 (to the left in the figure) and not to the part of the pedal body 9 that is behind the pedal shaft 10 (to the right in the figure), the angle between the pedal body 9 and the crank arm 4 will be fixed by the action of the ratchet mechanism 18 (see Figure 3), and as the crank arm 4 rotates, the pedal body 9 will tilt forward, as shown schematically in Figure 8, and the pedal tread surface 8 will not be able to remain horizontal.

[0043] Therefore, in order to keep the pedal tread surface 8 horizontal in the section where the pedal 1 is located in front of the crankshaft 3 shown in Figure 8, it is necessary to press down on the part of the pedal body 9 in front of the pedal shaft 10 (the left part in the figure), while also applying a pedaling force to the part of the pedal body 9 behind the pedal shaft 10 (the right part in the figure) to keep the pedal tread surface 8 horizontal; however, such an action is difficult to actually perform.

[0044] To address this problem, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the pedal body 9 is composed of a footplate 9A and a force distribution arm 9B, with the front end of the footplate 9A pivotally connected to the front arm 15 and the rear end of the footplate 9A supported by the rear arm 16 via a spring member 20 for vertical movement. As a result, as shown in Figure 6, by stepping on the footplate 9A, the force acts from the front end of the footplate 9A on the front arm 15 via the front end shaft 19, while the rear end of the footplate 9A is released downward, and some of the force also acts from the rear end of the footplate 9A on the rear arm 16 via the spring member 20. Therefore, in the section where the pedal 1 is located in front of the crankshaft 3, it is easy to press down on the pedal 1 while keeping the pedal tread surface 8 horizontal.

[0045] As shown in Figure 9, it is preferable to provide a weight 28 on the underside of the pedal body 9 and adjust the center of gravity G of the pedal body 9 with the pedal tread surface 8 facing upward by using the weight of this weight 28 so that it is positioned forward (left side in the figure) and below the center of the pedal shaft 10.

[0046] In this way, as shown in Figure 10, even if an external force is applied to the pedal body 9 and causes it to rotate around the pedal shaft 10 when the foot is not placed on the pedal tread 8, causing the pedal tread 8 to face downward, the pedal body 9 will rotate in the direction of the ratchet mechanism 18's idle (clockwise in the figure), and the pedal tread 8 will naturally return to its upward position.

[0047] In the above embodiment, a torsion coil spring was used as an example of the spring member 20 that supports the rear end of the footboard 9A so that it can move up and down, but it is also possible to use a compression coil spring that extends in the vertical direction as the spring member 20. In this case, it is sufficient to configure the rear arm portion 16 to support the lower end of the spring member 20, and the upper end of the spring member 20 to support the underside of the rear end of the footboard 9A. It is also possible to use a tension coil spring that extends in the vertical direction as the spring member 20.

[0048] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 bicycle pedal 8 Pedal tread 9 Pedal body 9A Tread 9B Pedal force distribution arm 10 Pedal shaft 14 Pedal shaft connection 15 Front arm 16 Rear arm 18 Ratchet mechanism 20 Spring member 28 weight L foot G center of gravity

Claims

1. a pedal body (9) having a pedal tread (8) on which a bicycle rider places his / her foot (L); a pedal shaft (10) that rotatably supports the pedal body (9) at a midpoint in the front-to-rear direction of the pedal tread surface (8), A bicycle pedal characterized in that a ratchet mechanism (18) is provided between the pedal body (9) and the pedal shaft (10) to restrict rotation of the pedal body (9) relative to the pedal shaft (10) in a direction in which the portion of the pedal body (9) forward of the pedal shaft (10) moves downward, and to allow rotation of the pedal body (9) relative to the pedal shaft (10) in a direction in which the portion of the pedal body (9) forward of the pedal shaft (10) moves upward.

2. 2. A bicycle pedal according to claim 1, wherein the front-to-rear distance from the center of the pedal shaft (10) to the front end of the pedal tread (8) is longer than the front-to-rear distance from the center of the pedal shaft (10) to the rear end of the pedal tread (8).

3. The pedal body (9) is composed of a footplate (9A) having the pedal tread surface (8) and a foot force distribution arm (9B) that distributes the foot force acting on the footplate (9A) to the front and rear of the pedal shaft (10), The pedal force distribution arm (9B) has a pedal shaft connecting portion (14) rotatably connected to the pedal shaft (10), a front arm portion (15) extending forward from the pedal shaft connecting portion (14), and a rear arm portion (16) extending rearward from the pedal shaft connecting portion (14), 3. A bicycle pedal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the front end of the foot plate (9A) is rotatably connected to the front arm portion (15), and the rear end of the foot plate (9A) is supported by the rear arm portion (16) via a spring member (20) so as to be movable up and down.

4. 3. A bicycle pedal as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein a weight (28) is provided on the underside of the pedal body (9) so that the center of gravity (G) of the pedal body (9) is located forward and below the center of the pedal shaft (10) when the pedal tread (8) is facing upward, so that when the pedal body (9) is rotated relative to the pedal shaft (10) so that the pedal tread (8) faces downward, the pedal body (9) rotates in the direction of idling of the ratchet mechanism (18), i.e., in the direction in which the portion of the pedal body (9) forward of the pedal shaft (10) moves upward, and the pedal tread (8) naturally returns to its upward position.

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