Liquid lubricant injection device for bicycle chains

Abstract

To inject liquid lubricant into required locations of a chain while the chain is still attached to a bicycle, and to reduce time and labor. [Solution] The device comprises a tank (11) which contains liquid lubricant and whose capacity can be changed by an external force, a discharge section (12) of the tank (11), and a sponge member (13) provided at a tip (12a) of the discharge section (12), the sponge member (13) having a plurality of continuous air bubbles opening onto its outer circumferential surface, the discharge section (12) of the tank (11) and the opening on the outer circumferential surface of the sponge member (13) being connected via the continuous air bubbles, and the liquid lubricant discharged from the discharge section (12) due to changes in the capacity of the tank (11) is discharged from the outer circumferential surface of the sponge member (13) via the continuous air bubbles.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THEINVENTION This invention relates to a bicycle chain liquid lubrication injection device for injecting lubricant between components of a bicycle chain. [Background technology]

[0002] To keep the bicycle running smoothly, lubricant is injected into the chain. In the bicycle chain 1 shown in Figure 5, the gap g1 between the outer plate 2 and the inner plate 3, the gap g2 between the inner plate 3 and the end face of the roller 4, the gap g3 between the inner surface of the roller 4 and the outer surface of the bush 5, and the gap g4 between the inner surface of the bush 5 and the outer surface of the pin 6 are each approximately 60 μm, and it is preferable to supply lubricant to these gaps g1, g2, g3, and g4.

[0003] When using a lubricant based on highly viscous oil or wax, the lubricant is liquefied by heating or diluting with a solvent, and the bicycle chain 1 removed from the bicycle is immersed in the liquid to allow the lubricant to permeate the gaps. This method requires the chain 1 to be removed from the bicycle and then attached again, which is time-consuming.

[0004] Therefore, a liquid lubricant with low viscosity is used, which can be injected into the gaps g1, g2, g3, and g4 while the chain 1 is still attached to the bicycle. When injecting liquid lubricant, the chain 1 is moved by rotating the bicycle pedals, and lubricant is dripped from a container 7 as shown in FIG. 6 at points p1, p2, p3, and p4 of the chain 1 in FIG. 5. The container 7 is made up of a flexible container body 8 and a nozzle 9, and the lubricant is dripped from an outlet 9a at the tip of the nozzle 9 by lightly pressing the side of the container body 8. The lubricant dripped at points p1 and p2 permeates into the gap g4 between the inner circumferential surface of the bush 5 and the outer circumferential surface of the pin 6 through the gaps g1 and g1 between the outer plate 2 and the inner plate 3, and the lubricant dripped at points p3 and p4 permeates into the gap g3 between the inner circumferential surface of the roller 4 and the outer circumferential surface of the bush 5 through the gaps g2 and g2 between the inner plate 3 and the end face of the roller 4. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-33491 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When using the container 7, it is necessary to drip the lubricant onto four points p1, p2, p3, and p4 for each pin 6. In addition, it is necessary to adjust the position of the discharge port 9a to each of the points p1, p2, p3, and p4 so that the lubricant permeates into each gap. For example, in the case of a chain with a length of 112 links, it was necessary to position and drip the solution at 448 locations, which was time-consuming and labor-intensive.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a liquid lubricant injection device for a bicycle chain that can inject liquid lubricant into required locations of the chain while it is still attached to the bicycle, while reducing the labor and time required. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The first invention comprises a tank that contains a liquid lubricant and whose volume can be changed by an external force, a discharge part of the tank, and a sponge member provided at the tip of the discharge part, the sponge member being a truncated pyramid shape in which the bottom surface on the discharge part side is larger than the bottom surface on the tip side, which is the side opposite to the bottom surface. In the form The sponge member has a plurality of continuous bubbles opening onto its outer peripheral surface, the discharge portion of the tank and the opening on the outer peripheral surface of the sponge member are in communication with each other via the continuous bubbles, and liquid lubricant discharged from the discharge portion due to a change in the capacity of the tank is discharged from the outer peripheral surface of the sponge member via the continuous bubbles.

[0011] The second invention comprises a tank which contains a liquid lubricant and whose volume can be changed by an external force, a discharge part of the tank, and a sponge member provided at a tip of the discharge part, the tip of the discharge part being fixed in the sponge member at a position on the base end side of a center line passing through the center between a base end of the sponge member which is on the discharge part side and a tip end which is on the opposite side to the base end. The sponge member has a plurality of open cells opening on its outer peripheral surface, and the discharge portion of the tank communicates with the opening on the outer peripheral surface of the sponge member via the open cells, and liquid lubricant discharged from the discharge portion due to a change in the volume of the tank is discharged from the outer peripheral surface of the sponge member via the open cells. do. Effect of the Invention

[0012] No. 1 ,2 According to the invention, the lubricant seeps out from the surface of the sponge member and penetrates into the gaps between the parts just by pressing the sponge member against the required parts of the bicycle chain. In addition, there is no need to accurately position the discharge part. Therefore, even if there are many places to be injected, it is possible to reduce the labor and time.

[0013] Also A sponge member is pressed between a pair of outer plates. Meba This allows lubricant to be simultaneously supplied to multiple gaps between parts that are in contact with the surface of the sponge member, significantly reducing the time and effort required compared to dripping lubricant one spot at a time.

[0014] especially, No. 1According to the invention, the sponge member can be easily inserted between the outer plates of the chain, and the large bottom surface side portion of the inserted sponge member is compressed, allowing a sufficient amount of lubricant to be supplied.

[0015] Also, No. 2 According to the invention, the inside of the tip side of the sponge member is free to deform because there is no drainage part of the tank or the like. Therefore, if the chain is moved with the tip side of the sponge member inserted between the outer plates, the sponge member will slip out from between the outer plates as the outer plates move. If the chain moves further, the sponge member will enter between the next outer plates that face the tip of the sponge member. In this way, even if the sponge member is not completely inserted or removed between the pair of outer plates, the sponge member is continuously inserted between the pair of outer plates as the chain moves. This reduces the repetitive movement of the sponge member back and forth, and further reduces the effort and time required for injecting lubricant. In addition, since the discharge part is provided inside the sponge member, the insertion depth of the sponge member into the chain can be confirmed by colliding the tip of the discharge part with the roller. For example, the insertion depth of the sponge member can be determined based on the position where the tip of the discharge part collides with the roller when the chain is moved, and the amount of lubricant supplied according to the insertion depth of the sponge can be controlled. Furthermore, the amount of lubricant supplied from the sponge member to the chain can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the tip of the discharge part with respect to the sponge member. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an external view of a liquid lubricant injection device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for injecting lubricant into a chain using the liquid lubricant injection device of the first embodiment. [Diagram 3]FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the sponge member of the first embodiment is inserted into a chain. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the liquid lubricant injection device of the second embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of a typical bicycle chain. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an external view of a conventional liquid lubricant injection container. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] [First embodiment] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. FIG. 1 is an external view of a liquid lubricant injection device 10 of the first embodiment, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are explanatory views of the injection of lubricant into a chain. A liquid lubricant injection device 10 shown in FIG. 1 is made up of a tank 11, a cylindrical body 12 constituting a discharge portion, and a sponge member 13 provided on the tip side thereof. The tank 11 is a molded product of flexible resin such as polyethylene, and its volume changes depending on external pressure. The tank 11 has an opening 11a formed in the bottom wall shown in Fig. 1. For example, if the tank 11 is held between fingers and pressure is applied as indicated by arrows A1 and A2, the volume of the tank 11 decreases, and the liquid lubricant contained therein is discharged to the outside through the opening 11a.

[0018] Moreover, a cylindrical body 12 that communicates with the inside of the tank 11 is integrally formed with the opening 11a. The cylindrical body 12 is composed of a large diameter portion 12a on the tank 11 side and a small diameter portion 12b on the tip side, and the end of the small diameter portion 12b is opened as a discharge port 12c.

[0019] Furthermore, the sponge member 13 is provided on the cylindrical body 12 so as to surround the small diameter portion 12b of the cylindrical body 12. In other words, the sponge member 13 is fixed to the cylindrical body 12 by inserting the small diameter portion of the cylindrical body 12 into the sponge member 13. The sponge member 13 is a deformable resin member having open cells. The sponge member 13 is made of a sponge material that is commonly available. The open cells allow the exhaust port 12c to communicate with an opening on the outer circumferential surface of the sponge member 13.

[0020] The sponge member 13 has an outer shape that is a truncated square pyramid, with the bottom surface S1 on the cylindrical body (discharge section) 12 side being larger than the bottom surface S2 on the tip side. The bottom surface S2 on the tip side has a dimension that allows it to be inserted into the space surrounded by the pair of outer plates 2, 2 and rollers 4, 4 of the chain 1 (see FIG. 5). The dimension that allows it to be inserted into the space means that the bottom surface S1 is not too large compared to the opening area of ​​the space, and it may be of course smaller than the opening area, but may also be of a size that allows it to be pushed into the gap by deforming even if it is larger than the opening area.

[0021] In addition, in the sponge member 13, the discharge port 12c at the tip of the cylindrical body 12 is fixed in the sponge member 13 at a position near the base end on the discharge part side between the bottom surface S1 on the cylindrical body (discharge part) 12 side and the bottom surface S2 which is the tip on the side opposite to the bottom surface S1. cone This means that the discharge outlet 12c is located above the center line L1 in the height direction of the table.

[0022] Therefore, in the sponge member 13, the tip side portion below the discharge port 12c is not affected by the cylindrical body 12 and can freely deform. In addition, since the outlet 12c is provided at a position biased toward the bottom surface S1 side of the sponge member 13 as described above, the liquid lubricant discharged from the outlet 12c toward the tip is likely to spread throughout the entire sponge member 13 via the continuous air bubbles.

[0023] [Actions and Effects] A procedure for injecting a liquid lubricant into the chain 1 shown in FIG. 5 using the liquid lubricant injection device 10 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The liquid lubricant stored in the tank 11 of the first embodiment is a low-viscosity liquid that can penetrate into minute gaps (approximately 60 μm) between the parts of the chain 1. For example, it is a liquid in which tungsten disulfide powder of 25% by weight or less is dispersed in alcohol. In addition, oil-based lubricants with high viscosity can also be used by diluting them with a solvent to sufficiently reduce the viscosity.

[0024] When injecting lubricant into the chain 1, the chain 1 is left attached to the bicycle, and a liquid lubricant injection device 10, with liquid lubricant stored in a tank 11, is positioned above a specific outer plate 2. The liquid lubricant injection device 10 is then moved along arrow B1 in Figure 2 to the chain 1, and the sponge member 13 is pushed into the gap between the outer plates 2, 2 until it is in the position shown by the two-dot chain line.

[0025] The sponge member 13 is deformable and can be inserted into the space between the outer plates 2, 2 of the chain 1, and when it is pressed into the space of the chain 1, it deforms to fit the shape of the space. As a result, as shown in Fig. 3, the outer circumferential surface of the sponge member 13 comes into contact with the shapes of the components that make up the chain 1, such as the outer plates 2, 2, inner plates 3, 3, and rollers 4, 4. Note that pins 6, 6 are arranged on both sides of the sponge member 13, and the components attached to each pin 6, 6 are arranged symmetrically with the sponge member 13 at the center. Here, in order to distinguish between the pins 6, 6 adjacent to each other across the sponge member, one pin (on the right side in the figure) is referred to as pin 6, and the other pin (on the left side in the figure) is referred to as pin 6'.

[0026] In this way, after the outer circumferential surface of the sponge member 13 is brought into contact with each component of the chain 1, the tank 11 is pressed with a finger to push out the liquid lubricant in the tank 11 from the tank 11. The liquid lubricant is discharged from the outlet 12c of the cylinder 12, seeps into the sponge member 13, passes through the sponge member 13, and seeps out from the outer circumferential surface of the sponge member 13. The seeped out liquid lubricant permeates around one of the pins 6 from points p1, p2, p3, and p4 into the gaps g1, g1, g2, g2, g3, and g4 between the components attached to the pin 6. At this time, on the other pin 6' side, the liquid lubricant also permeates into the gaps g1, g2, g3, and g4 between the components via points p1, p2, p3, and p4 on the pin 6' side.

[0027] In this first embodiment, when the sponge member 13 is pressed into a space formed by a pair of opposing outer plates 2, 2 in the chain 1, liquid lubricant is simultaneously injected into the gaps g1, g1, g2, g2, g3, g4 formed around each of the two pins 6, 6' and into the gaps g1, g1, g2, g2, g3, g4 formed around each of the two pins 6, 6'. By inserting the sponge member 13 once, the liquid lubricant can be simultaneously injected into the injection points p1, p2, p3, and p4 for two pins 6. In other words, when the conventional container 7 is used, it is possible to inject the liquid lubricant into eight points that require alignment and dripping at one time.

[0028] After pushing the sponge member into one space of the chain 1 and injecting the liquid lubricant, pull the sponge member 13 out of the chain 1 and turn the bicycle pedals to move the chain 1 in the direction of the arrow C1 in Figure 2. Then, push the sponge member 13 into the space between the outer plates 2, 2 on the left side along the arrow B2, press the tank 11, and pull out the sponge member 13. This process is repeated while moving the chain 1. When the chain 1 is rotated once, liquid lubricant is injected between the parts corresponding to all of the pins 6.

[0029] In the process of making one revolution of the chain 1, the sponge member 13 is inserted only into the space formed by the opposing outer plates 2, 2, omitting the space formed by the opposing inner plates 3, 3. Therefore, the number of times the sponge members 13 need to be inserted in one revolution of the chain is half the number of pins 6. For example, in the case of 112 pins, it is 56 times. Moreover, the sponge members 13 only need to be pushed into a specified space in the chain 1, and precise alignment is not required.

[0030] In contrast, the conventional injection method requires alignment and dropping four times as many times as the number of pins 6 . In this way, by using the liquid lubricant injection device of the first embodiment, the work can be overwhelmingly simplified compared to the conventional method, and the work and time can be saved.

[0031] In the first embodiment, the sponge member 13 has many portions where the cylindrical body 12 is not inserted, and the tip side in particular is freely deformed. Therefore, for example, even if the chain 1 is moved without completely pulling out the sponge member 13 inserted in the space of the chain 1, the sponge member 13 naturally comes out of the chain 1 and is not damaged. At this time, since the discharge port 12c is located inside the sponge member 13, the insertion depth of the sponge member into the chain 1 can be confirmed by colliding the discharge port 12c, which is the tip of the cylindrical body 12, with the roller 4. Therefore, the tip side of the sponge member 13 can be inserted between the outer plates 2, 2 at a position where the liquid lubricant can be appropriately supplied from the sponge member 13 to the chain 1.

[0032] In other words, the amount of liquid lubricant supplied from the sponge member 13 to the chain 1 can be adjusted according to the position of the outlet 12c within the sponge member 13, that is, according to the degree to which the cylindrical body 12 is inserted into the sponge member 13. Furthermore, by setting the elastic force of the sponge member 13 appropriately, when the chain 1 moves while in contact with the sponge member 13 that has come out of the chain 1, and the space in the chain 1 and the tip of the sponge member 13 are in a corresponding position, the restoring force of the sponge member 13 can cause the tip to enter the space in the chain 1.

[0033] [Second embodiment] 4, the liquid lubricant injection device 14 of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is configured such that the cylinder 12, which is the discharge portion in the first embodiment, is divided into two parts, that is, a cylinder part 15 on the tank 11 side and a connecting cylinder 16 on the sponge member 13 side. The liquid lubricant injection device 14 is provided with a tip member 17 consisting of the connecting cylinder 16 and the sponge member 13. The cylindrical portion 15 is molded integrally with the tank 11 and communicates with the opening 11a, and has a male thread 15a formed on its outer surface.

[0034] The connecting tube 16 has an internal thread 16a formed on the inner periphery of the base end side, which threads coincide with the external thread 15a, and an outlet 16b opens at the tip end. The outlet 16b is fixed inside the sponge member 13. The tip member 17, which is made up of the connecting tube 16 and the sponge member 13 to which it is fixed, is detachably attached to the tank 11 by means of the male thread 15a and the female thread 16a. The other configurations are similar to those of the first embodiment, and the same components as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals as in FIG.

[0035] [Actions and Effects] In the second embodiment, a tip member 17 is attached to a cylindrical portion 15 of a tank 11 that contains a liquid lubricant. As in the first embodiment, by inserting the sponge member 13 into the space in the chain 1 and pressurizing the tank 11, liquid lubricant can be injected into the gaps in the chain 1 from the outer surface of the sponge member 13 while the chain is still attached to the bicycle.

[0036] In the second embodiment, the tip member 17 is provided separately, so that when the sponge member 13 is damaged or the air bubbles become clogged with foreign matter due to repeated insertion and removal of the chain 1, the tip member 17 can be replaced and used. Furthermore, by removing the tip member 17, the liquid lubricant can be transferred from a larger storage container in which it is stored to the tank 11 in the amount required for use.

[0037] In the first and second embodiments, the entire tank 11 is flexible and the content volume is changed by applying pressure to the outer wall side, but the configuration of the tank is not limited to this. For example, a part that is deformed by contacting only a part with a finger, or the end of the tank may be bellows-shaped. The shape of the sponge member 13 is also not limited to the above embodiment. In the first and second embodiments, the sponge member 13 is in the shape of a regular square pyramid, but the sponge member 13 may be in the shape of a circular cone or other pyramid, or may be in the shape of a cylinder or a rectangular column. Simply making the tip side smaller can make it easier to insert into the chain 1, but making the tip side smaller is not essential. Also, several stirring balls made of glass, metal, or the like may be placed in the tank 11. By shaking the tank 11 before use, the lubricant in the tank can be stirred, and the lubricant components can be uniformly dispersed on the medium.

[0038] In addition, in the above embodiment, the minute gap between the components of the chain 1 is set to about 60 [μm], but it goes without saying that it is not limited to this value. [Industrial Applicability]

[0039] You can easily lubricate your bicycle chain. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1 Chain 2 Outer plate (of chain) 3. Inner plate (of chain) 10,14 Liquid lubricant injection device 11. Tank 12 (Discharge part) Cylindrical body 12c, 16b (Tip of discharge part) Discharge port 13 Sponge material S1, S2 (bottom surface of sponge material) g1,g2,g3,g4 (gaps between parts)

Claims

1. a tank containing a liquid lubricant and having a volume that can be changed by an external force; a discharge portion of the tank; A sponge member provided at the tip of the discharge portion; It consists of: The sponge member is The bottom surface on the discharge portion side has a truncated pyramid shape larger than the bottom surface on the tip side, which is the side opposite to the bottom surface, The cell has a plurality of open cells that open to its outer circumferential surface. a discharge portion of the tank and an opening in the outer peripheral surface of the sponge member communicate with each other via the open bubbles; The liquid lubricant discharged from the discharge portion due to a change in the volume of the tank is discharged from the outer circumferential surface of the sponge member via the continuous air bubbles. Liquid lubricant injection device for bicycle chains.

2. a tank containing a liquid lubricant and having a volume that can be changed by an external force; a discharge portion of the tank; A sponge member provided at the tip of the discharge portion; It consists of: The tip of the discharge part is the sponge member is fixed in the sponge member at a position on the base end side of a center line passing through the center between a base end on the discharge portion side and a tip end on the side opposite to the base end, The sponge member is The sponge member has a plurality of open cells opening on its outer peripheral surface, and the discharge part of the tank communicates with the openings on the outer peripheral surface of the sponge member via the open cells, and the liquid lubricant discharged from the discharge part due to a change in the volume of the tank is discharged from the outer peripheral surface of the sponge member via the open cells. Liquid lubricant injection device for bicycle chains.

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