Front-wheeled bicycle for carrying luggage

Abstract

To provide a front-wheeled bicycle for carrying luggage that can carry heavy objects and large amounts of cargo on top of the two front wheels, maintain an upright posture without tipping over when riding while stationary, and allows for stable riding even on curves by mechanically tilting the vehicle body in the turning direction with steering. [Solution] The vehicle body tilting device 4 is formed by a luggage rack 21 and a front wheel support frame 2 that supports the left and right front wheels and is equipped with support columns 22R. A vehicle body support frame 11A equipped with a swing arm 41 is fixed to the handle post 13 and is swingably connected to a connecting body 27 by an L-shaped link ball 52M. A pivot fitting 35 and a connecting plate 31 of the steering shaft 14 are connected by a connecting rod 36M. The swing arm 41 is connected to a linear bush 44, a pitman arm 32, and a pivot fitting 35 via a connecting fitting 43 using L-shaped link balls 52S and 52M. When turning, the vehicle body can be tilted while the horizontal position of the luggage rack 21 is maintained by steering the handle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a bicycle that steers two front wheels on the left and right, loads luggage on the upper part of the front wheels, and drives the rear wheels.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, three-wheel bicycles with front two-wheel steering, etc. are more difficult to fall over and more stable than ordinary two-wheel bicycles, so they have been developed for the elderly and those who are not used to riding bicycles. As a three-wheel bicycle having two front wheels on the left and right and one rear wheel, there has been a proposal to mechanically tilt the vehicle body during turning to facilitate curve running, but it has not yet reached the point where a large amount of heavy objects can be stably loaded even during running and stopping.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 already filed by the present applicant is a front two-wheel bicycle steered by two front wheels. Even when the directions of the left and right front wheels are changed by handle steering, the inclination of the front wheels is suppressed, and only the vehicle body is inclined. A front wheel support frame that supports the left and right front wheels and a vehicle body support frame provided in front of the handle post of the vehicle body that supports the rear wheels are connected by a universal joint so as to be swingable. The pitman arm arranged at the center of the front wheel support frame is fixed to the rotating body, and a connecting member provided on the steering shaft built in the handle post and the rotating body are connected via a connecting rod by a universal joint other than the above. A swing arm fixed to the lower part of the handle post is connected by a universal joint other than the movable connecting body so as to be movable. Based on the front wheel support frame by handle steering, the swing arm swings due to the rotation of the rotating body and the movement of the universal joint of the movable connecting body, and the vehicle body can be inclined by the swing of the handle post, and it has been proposed as a front two-wheel bicycle that can run stably during cornering.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0005] The front-wheeled bicycle with a body tilting device described in Patent Document 1 has a front wheel support frame that supports the left and right front wheels as its base, and a body support frame that supports the rear wheel is attached in front of the handle post of the vehicle body, which is swingably connected by a universal joint. When steering, the vehicle body tilts inward when turning, enabling stable cornering. However, when loading luggage, as with a normal two-wheeled bicycle, the structure is integrated with the handle post, so the loaded luggage also tilts as the vehicle body tilts, making it prone to instability when heavy objects are loaded, and the load capacity is also limited.

[0006] The present invention aims to solve the problems of such conventional structures, and aims to manufacture an inexpensive two-wheeled front bicycle for carrying luggage that can be ridden by elderly people, inexperienced riders, etc., with a structure that allows the vehicle to tilt when cornering by operating a vehicle tilting device, so that the loaded luggage does not tilt and stable riding is possible, and so that elderly people, inexperienced riders, etc. can easily ride it with heavy objects and large amounts of luggage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In a two-wheeled bicycle steered by two front wheels, a luggage support platform is provided by fixing a support column to the upper part of the connecting body of the front wheel support frame that supports the two front wheels, and a swing arm is attached to the lower part of the vehicle support frame provided in front of the handle post that supports the rear wheel. The front wheel support frame and the vehicle support frame are connected so as to be able to swing (oscillate) with a universal joint, and a rotating body located in the center of the front wheel support frame, a pitman arm, and the swing arm are connected to a connecting member provided at the lower part of the steering shaft built into the handle post with a connecting rod, a movable connecting body, and a universal joint other than the above, and the gist of the structure is such that when steering the handle in a curve, the upper surface (mounting surface) of the luggage support platform remains approximately horizontal, and the handle post and vehicle body can tilt based on the front wheel support frame.

[0008] The vehicle body support frame, the side support and connecting body of the front wheel support frame are formed by bending a metal plate into a roughly U-shape, and are provided with grooves into which the holder portions of the multiple universal joints can be loosely inserted, and multiple mounting holes. The grooves that allow for loose insertion have a rotation-preventing function, and the mounting holes have a positioning function, thus improving workability during assembly. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, by providing a cargo loading platform on the upper part of the front wheel support frame, heavy objects and large amounts of cargo can be loaded without being affected by the tilt of the vehicle body caused by steering when turning, enabling stable driving. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a front view of a two-wheeled bicycle for carrying luggage according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a front view of the vehicle in a tilted state during a left turn, as shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is an enlarged cross-sectional view (side view) of the main part AA in Figure 1. [Figure 4] This is a magnified front view of the main part of Figure 1. [Figure 5]Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view (front view) of the main part of the BB. [Figure 6] This is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the key parts of the vehicle when it is tilted during a left turn, as shown in Figure 5. [Figure 7] This is a top view of Figure 3, rotated 90 degrees to the right. [Figure 8] This is a top view of the vehicle in a tilted state during a left turn, as shown in Figure 7. [Figure 9] This is a left-side view of a two-wheeled bicycle designed for carrying large amounts of cargo, with the left front wheel removed. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The two-wheeled front bicycle for carrying luggage according to the embodiment of the present invention may have either one or two rear wheels. However, in this application, an embodiment relating to the operation of the vehicle body tilting device 4 by steering the handlebars when turning and the state of the luggage support platform (luggage support platform) 21 will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 9.

[0012] In this embodiment, the description of the luggage-carrying front-two-wheeled bicycle 1 will be based on the straight-ahead position shown in Figure 1, where the rider is sitting on the bicycle, gripping the handlebars 19L and 19R of the handlebars 12 and facing forward. The front wheels 16L and 16R are considered to be in front, the rear wheel 17 is considered to be in the rear, the grip 19L is on the left, and the grip 19R is on the right. The luggage-carrying front-two-wheeled bicycle 1 will also be described as the vehicle body 1 depending on the context of the text, and the description of devices not directly related to the luggage receiving platform 21 and the vehicle body tilting device 4 of the luggage-carrying front-two-wheeled bicycle 1, such as brakes and pedals, will be omitted.

[0013] The luggage support platform 21 shown in Figure 1 has support columns 22L and 22R (mounting brackets) fixed to connecting bodies 26L and 26R of the front wheel support frame 2 which supports the front wheels 16L and 16R, and the luggage support platform 21 is provided almost horizontally on top of them, and the front wheels 16L and 16R support the luggage via the front wheel support frame 2 and bearing brackets 34L and 34R (side bearing bodies). The handle post 13 which supports the rear wheel 17 and has a steering shaft 14 built inside has body support frames 11A, 11B and 11C provided in front of it as shown in Figure 3, and body support frame 11A to which a swing arm 41 is attached is swingably connected to a connecting body 27 fixed to the upper support body 23 of the front wheel support frame 2 by an L-shaped link ball 52M (universal joint).

[0014] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a retainer 28 is provided at the lower part of the upper support 23 of the front wheel support frame 2, and a rotating fitting 35 (rotating body) is rotatably connected by an L-shaped link ball 52S (universal joint), and the upper mounting portion 35a of the rotating fitting 35 (rotating body) and a connecting plate 31 (connecting member) which is built into the handle post 13 and fixed to a rotatable steering shaft 14 are connected by an L-shaped link ball 52S (universal joint) via a connecting rod 36M, and rotate The lower part of the metal fitting 35 (rotating body) is fixed to the upper center of the pitman arm 32, the slide shaft 45 of the linear bush 44 (movable connecting body) is connected to the L-shaped link ball 52M, and via the connecting fitting 43, the L-shaped link ball 52S (universal joint) is connected to the mounting fitting 41a and the swing arm 41 which is equipped with a reinforcing plate 42, and the swing arm 41 is attached to the lower part of the vehicle body support frame 11A to constitute the vehicle body tilting device 4.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the I-shaped link ball 51M (universal joint) connected to the bearing fitting 34R (side bearing body), the upper and lower axes of the shank portion of the L-shaped link ball 52M (universal joint), and the upper and lower axes of the shank portion of the L-shaped link ball 52S (universal joint) that connects the rotating fitting 35 (rotating body) to the holding body 28 of the front wheel support frame 2 are set to be inclined backward by about 3 to 5 degrees, similar to the caster angle of a buggy car, a passenger car, etc., as the caster angle of the front wheels 16L and 16R. The handle post 13 is set to be inclined backward by about 5 to 20 degrees to achieve running stability. The camber angle of the front wheels 16L and 16R is set such that, as shown in FIG. 1, the front wheels 16L and 16R are inclined inward by 2 to 3 degrees from the vertical state. The front wheel support frame 2 is configured to improve the straight-ahead stability when loading luggage.

[0016] The luggage platform 21 shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 is formed in a substantially square shape using a flat bar or angle steel. The columns 22L and 22R, in which the metal plates are bent in a substantially U-shape similar to the connecting bodies 26L and 26R, are perpendicularly fixed to the connecting bodies 26L and 26R, and the luggage platform 21 is fixed substantially horizontally to the upper part thereof. The luggage platform 21 can be configured to be in a forward-tilted or backward-tilted state without insisting on being horizontal according to the shape of the vehicle body 1 and the loading situation of the luggage, but it is desirable to be horizontal left and right.

[0017] The luggage platform 21, the columns 22L and 22R, and the front wheel support frame 2 can be arbitrarily changed in terms of the mounting method, shape, size, etc., as long as the swing of the handle post 13 by the vehicle body tilting device 4 is possible according to the size and weight of the loaded luggage.

[0018] The vehicle body support frames 11A, 11B, and 11C are formed by bending a metal plate in a substantially U-shape. As shown in FIG. 3, three of them are connected (fixed) to the handle post 13. The vehicle body support frame 11A is for mounting the L-shaped link ball 52M. The vehicle body support frames 11B and 11C serve as reinforcing members, and their dimensional shapes can be freely changed according to the purpose of luggage loading, and the design as a bicycle can also be freely set.

[0019] The vehicle body support frame 11A in front of the steering post 13 has a groove formed in a substantially U-shape into which the holder portion of the L-shaped link ball 52M can be loosely inserted, and a plurality of connection holes. The loosely insertable groove serves as a rotation stopper during assembly, and the connection holes have a positioning function during assembly.

[0020] In order to reduce the weight, the vehicle body support frames 11B and 11C are formed by bending a metal plate into a substantially U-shape, but other shapes such as square pipes can also be used. As long as the strength of the vehicle body 1 can be ensured and it can be manufactured at a low cost, other shapes can be arbitrarily used.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 and FIG. 7, the front wheel support frame 2 is based on an upper support 23 formed by bending a metal plate into a substantially U-shape and a lower support 25 formed by bending flat steel into a trapezoid. On both sides, side supports 24L and 24R formed by bending a metal plate into a substantially U-shape and having connection holes are arranged to form a skeleton. A holder 28 formed by bending flat steel and having a plurality of connection holes is arranged in front of the central part. On the upper left and right parts of the upper support 23, connectors 26L and 26R formed by bending a metal plate into a substantially U-shape and having connection holes are fixed, and a connecting body 27 formed by bending a metal plate into a substantially U-shape and having connection holes in the front and rear is fixed to the upper central part of the upper support 23. As shown in FIG. 1, the skeleton of the front wheel support frame 2 is formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape when viewed from the front.

[0022] The connectors 26L and 26R and the side supports 24L and 24R are formed by bending a metal plate into a substantially U-shape, and have a structure with a groove formed so that the holder portions of the I-shaped link ball 51M and the L-shaped link ball 52M can be inserted, which serves as a rotation stopper for the holder portion, and connection holes having a positioning function during assembly are provided.

[0023] As shown in Figure 3, the connection between the vehicle body support frame 11A and the front wheel support frame 2 is made by arranging multiple L-shaped link balls 52M facing each other from left to right, with the axes of the mounting bolts on the shanks aligned, and connecting them to the connecting body 27 of the front wheel support frame 2. The axes of the holders of the L-shaped link balls 52M are parallel, and the mounting parts are connected to the vehicle body support frame 11A with their mounting parts facing upwards, forming a bearing. The front wheel support frame 2 acts as the base, and the vehicle body support frame 11A and the handle post 13 are supported in a swingable state.

[0024] Therefore, at this point, the handle post 13, which is equipped with the vehicle body support frames 11A, 11B, and 11C, can swing (oscillate) independently relative to the front wheel support frame 2, which is equipped with the luggage rack 21.

[0025] The bearing at the connection between the body support frame 11A and the front wheel support frame 2 does not need to be limited to the L-shaped link ball 52M; if the body support frame 11A and the handle post 13 can swing, a normal bearing using ball bearings can also be used.

[0026] As shown in Figures 3 to 7, the turning mechanism 3 is based on a rotating fitting 35 (rotating body) located at the lower center of the front wheel support frame 2. The rotating fitting 35 is formed by bending a metal plate in multiple places and has multiple connection holes. Its lower part is fixed to the upper center of the pitman arm 32 located below the rotating fitting 35, and it is rotatably connected to the holder 28 by multiple L-shaped link balls 52S.

[0027] A mounting portion 35a provided at the upper end of the rotating fitting 35 and a connecting plate 31 (connecting member) provided at the lower part of the steering shaft 14 built into the handle post 13 are connected by a connecting rod 36M and a plurality of link balls 52S.

[0028] The pitman arm 32 shown in Figures 3 and 4 is formed by bending a metal plate and has connecting holes at its front and rear ends. Its central upper part is fixed to a rotating fitting 35. The front end and the front part of the knuckle arm 33R are connected via a connecting rod 36S and multiple L-shaped link balls 52S, and the rear end is connected to the slide shaft 45 of the linear bush 44 with an L-shaped link ball 52M, thus forming the turning mechanism 3.

[0029] As shown in Figures 3 and 5 to 8, the swing arm 41 of the vehicle body tilting device 4 is formed by bending a metal plate so that the front part is a flat surface that acts as the swinging part, and it has connection holes for link balls 52S on the left and right sides, and the rear part is an L-shaped mounting bracket 41a, and the strength is maintained by forming it in an integrated state with a reinforcing plate 42 between it and the flat surface of the front part, and the mounting bracket 41a is fixed to the vehicle body support frame 11A.

[0030] The oscillating arm 41 is an important component of the vehicle body tilting device 4, but as long as it has sufficient strength to withstand the tilting (oscillating) when a person is riding and when turning, the size and shape of the oscillating arm 41 can be freely changed to match the shape of the vehicle body support frames 11A, 11B, and 11C, and the external design of the bicycle for carrying luggage can also be freely chosen.

[0031] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the connecting fitting 43 of the vehicle body tilting device 4 is formed by bending a metal plate into a roughly U-shape, with multiple connecting holes provided on the left and right surfaces and the lower surface. A linear bush 44 containing a slide shaft 45 is connected to the lower surface, and the shank portions of multiple L-shaped link balls 52S are connected to the left and right surfaces. The holder portion is connected to the left and right connecting holes on the flat surface of the swing arm 41. The slide shaft 45 contained in the linear bush 44 is connected to the shank portion of an L-shaped link ball 52M connected to the rear of the pitman arm 32, thereby connecting the vehicle body support frame 11A, the front wheel support frame 2, and the turning mechanism 3 to form a vehicle body tilting device 4 that operates when the steering wheel 12 is turned.

[0032] The operation of the vehicle tilting device 4 is as follows: When the steering wheel 12 is turned to the left, as shown in Figure 2, the connecting plate 31, which is built into the steering post 13 and fixed to the lower part of the steering shaft 14 supported by the steering shaft bearing 15, rotates to the left, as shown in Figures 7 and 8. Simultaneously, the rotating fitting 35 rotates counterclockwise via the connecting rod 36M, and at the same time, the pitman arm 32 rotates to the left, and as shown in Figure 2, the knuckle arm 33L rotates to the left via the connecting rods 36S and 36L, in conjunction with the movement of the front wheels 16L and 16R to the left, as shown in Figures 3 and 6. As shown, the L-shaped link ball 52M, to which the rear of the pitman arm 32 and the slide shaft 45 are connected, also rotates to the left in conjunction with the rotating fitting 35. The rotation and sliding of the slide shaft 45 causes the lower part of the linear bush 44 to move to the right, and via the connecting fitting 43, the swing arm 41 swings to the right. The body support frame 11A and the handle post 13 swing and tilt to the left, with the L-shaped link ball 52M of the connecting body 27 of the front wheel support frame 2 as the pivot point, and at the same time, the body 1 also tilts to the left.

[0033] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, steering the handle 12 to the left causes the connecting rod 36L to move to the left and engage with the stopper 29 at the lower end of the holder 28, stopping the rotation of the handle 12, and also stopping the front wheels 16L and 16R, thus determining the minimum turning radius. The vehicle tilting device 4, based on the front wheel support frame 2, acts instantaneously on the tilt of the vehicle body 1 and the turning of the front wheels 16L and 16R in response to the steering of the handle 12, while the cargo platform 21 maintains a nearly horizontal position. The above explanation is for left turns, but the same effect applies to right turns.

[0034] The front wheel support frame 2 maintains the position of the rotating fitting 35 and supports the front wheels 16L and 16R while maintaining a state where rotation is possible. As the camber angle of the front wheels 16L and 16R is tilted 3 to 5 degrees backward, the front wheels 16L and 16R also have a slight tilt in the direction of the vehicle body 1's tilt, but no positional change is observed relative to the tilt of the vehicle body 1. Therefore, when driving around curves on flat roads, the loaded cargo remains horizontal and the vehicle body remains stable. Even on road gradients, stable cornering is possible because the front wheel support frame 2 is the main support for the front wheels 16L and 16R.

[0035] As shown in Figures 1 to 4 and Figure 6, the distance from the center of the steering shaft 14 to the grip portions 19L and 19R of the steering wheel 12 is set to approximately 1 / 5 of the distance between the axis of the L-shaped link ball 52S, which rotatably connects the pivot fitting 35, and the rear of the pitman arm 32 and the center of the ball of the L-shaped link ball 52M, which connects the slide shaft 45. Therefore, when steering the steering wheel 12 to tilt the vehicle body 1, if the rotational load on the steering wheel 12 is set to 1, the swing arm can apply approximately 5 times that rotational load to tilt the vehicle body 1, allowing the vehicle body 1 to swing with less force and facilitating the loading of heavy objects.

[0036] When either of the front wheels 16L or 16R rides up onto a protrusion, the rotational load on one of the front wheels 16L or 16R is transmitted from the knuckle arms 33L, 33R through the rotating fitting to the swing arm 41 and then to the handlebar grips 19L, 19R of the handlebar 12. However, the distance of the connection relative to the load is reversed from the above, and the load on the handlebar grips 19L, 19R of the handlebar 12 is reduced to about 1 / 5. As a result, if the handlebar 12 is held lightly, the lateral swaying of the vehicle body 1 is reduced, and it is also possible to ride while leaning against the vehicle body 1 when it is stopped.

[0037] Figure 9 shows an example of a front-wheeled bicycle for carrying luggage. A luggage box 61 capable of carrying a large amount of luggage is attached to a luggage support 21 above the two front wheels. A swing arm 41 is fixed to the lower front of the vehicle body to which the handle post 13 is attached, and is connected to the steering shaft 14 via a connecting rod 36M to a vehicle body tilting device 4. This configuration allows the vehicle body 1 to tilt without the luggage box 61 tilting when turning left or right.

[0038] From the above application examples, the shape, size, and manufacturing method of the vehicle body 1, front wheels 16L and 16R, handle post 13, front wheel support frame 2, luggage loading platform 21, etc. can be freely changed to suit the purpose of the two-wheeled front bicycle 1 for carrying luggage, such as by using different sizes for the front wheel 16R and rear wheel 17. When the vehicle body tilting device 4 is in operation, the front wheel support frame 2 equipped with the luggage loading platform 21 is stationary and stable, so a child seat or attachment can be mounted on top of the front wheel support frame 2 to carry a wheelchair, and a two-wheeled front bicycle specifically for transporting people can also be manufactured.

[0039] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, a structure is formed by a front wheel support frame 2 and a luggage rack 21 on which luggage can be loaded, and the vehicle body can be tilted based on the front wheel support frame 2 for loading luggage by steering the handlebars. If the vehicle body tilting device 4 is utilized, it can also be configured for bicycles with multiple rear wheels 17, or electric assist bicycles, etc. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0040] 1 ············ Front two-wheeled bicycle (frame) 11A, 11B, 11C ·· Vehicle support frame 12 ··········· Handle 13 ··········· Handlepost 14 ··········· Steering axis 15 ··········· Steering bearing 16L,16R ···· Front wheel 17 ··········· Rear wheel 18 ··········· Saddle 19L, 19R ······ Grip 2 ··········· Front wheel support frame 21 ··········· Luggage receiving platform (luggage loading platform) 22L, 22R ······ Support posts (mounting brackets) 23 ······························ Upper support 24L, 24R ······ Side support 25 ··········· Lower support 26L, 26R ······ Connector 27 ·········· Consolidated body 28 ············ Holding body 29 ··········· Stopper 3 ············ Conversion mechanism 31 ··········· Connecting plate (connecting component) 32 ·········· Pitman Arm 33L, 33R ······ Knuckle arm 34L, 34R ······ Bearing bracket (side bearing body) 35 ··········· Rotating fittings (rotating bodies) 35a ·········· Mounting part 36S,36M,36L · Connecting rod Package ············ Body tilting device 41 ··········· Swivel arm 41a ·········· Mounting hardware 42 ··········· Reinforcement plate 43 ··········· Connecting fittings 44 ··········· Linear bushing (movable connecting element) 45 ··········· Slide axis (movable connecting part) 51M ·········· I-shaped link ball (flexible joint) 52S, 52M ······ L-shaped link ball (flexible joint) 61 ··········· Luggage box 71L, 71R ······ Brake

Claims

1. A front-wheeled bicycle steered with two front wheels, characterized in that a front wheel support frame supporting the two front wheels, each having a luggage rack on top, and a body support frame supporting the rear wheels, each having a swinging arm located in front of the handle post of the vehicle body, are swingably connected, and a rotating body positioned in the center of the front wheel support frame, a pitman arm, and the swinging arm are connected by a connecting rod, a movable connecting body, and a universal joint to a connecting member provided on a steering shaft built into the handle post, and the vehicle body can be tilted based on the front wheel support frame, a front-wheeled bicycle for carrying luggage.

2. The front two-wheeled bicycle for carrying luggage according to claim 1, characterized in that the vehicle body support frame and the side support and connecting body of the front wheel support frame are formed by bending a metal plate into a substantially U-shape, and are provided with a groove and mounting hole into which the holder portion of the universal joint can be loosely inserted, and have an anti-rotation function and a positioning function.

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