Children's bicycle

Abstract

To provide a bicycle for children, which is easy to assemble a connection part for connecting a steering shaft of an auxiliary handlebar and easy to perform installation and replacement work of a steering wire.SOLUTION: A bicycle 1 for children includes a guardian steering mechanism 4 which enables an auxiliary handle 4 to steer a main handlebar 3. The guardian steering mechanism 4 includes: an auxiliary handle connection mechanism 18 connecting a steering shaft 17 of the auxiliary handlebar 4 at a rear part of a vehicle body; a handlebar driving mechanism 19 fixed on a fork column 12; and a pair of steering wire 20 transmitting rotation of the steering shaft 17 to the handlebar driving mechanism 19. The auxiliary handle connection mechanism 18 is supported on an attachment seat 21 fixed on a rear end part of a seat tube 9 in front of and below a chain stay 8 and includes a support cylinder 22, an auxiliary handle support shaft 23 and a wire guide member 24. The steering wire 20 extends forward along a lower surface of a down tube 6 from the wire guide member 24 and is connected with a wire connection member 32 of the handlebar driving mechanism 19.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a bicycle for infants, which is provided with a protector steering mechanism that enables a main driver's handle at the front of the vehicle body to be steered by an auxiliary handle for a protector connected to the rear side of the vehicle body.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known an infant vehicle provided with a handle for a protector at the rear of the vehicle body for the purpose of assisting an infant who has just started riding a bicycle, for example, an infant who has difficulty operating the handle or brakes while pedaling on their own (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The infant vehicle described in Patent Document 1 includes a rotating member that rotates in conjunction with an auxiliary handle support shaft of the protector handle, and a pair of steering wires (push-pull wires) that connect this rotating member and the front wheel fork support shaft. The rotating member is provided inside a cylindrical casing welded to the rear end of a down tube (main frame). The rear ends of the pair of steering wires are wound around the outer periphery of the rotating member and connected thereto respectively, and are guided into the down tube through an opening of the cylindrical casing, pass through both side portions of the seat pipe in the down tube, and extend toward the front wheel fork support shaft side. On the other hand, the front end side of the steering wire is led out from an opening at the front end of the down tube, winds along the outer periphery of the front wheel fork support shaft so as to directly wind around from both sides in the vehicle body width direction, and winds so as to cross in front of the outer periphery of the front wheel fork support shaft, and its front end is connected to the front wheel fork support shaft via end connecting means respectively.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the conventional infant ride-on toys described above, when welding the cylindrical casing to the downtube, it is necessary to precisely position the steering wire exit opening so that it matches the angle of the internal rotating member and the extension angle of the steering wire, and to position it in the appropriate location in the up, down, left, and right directions. If this is not done accurately, twisting of the steering wire and the rotating member, or interference between the steering wire and the inner circumference of the downtube or the outer circumference of the seat tube may occur, impairing steering performance. In addition, because the steering wire passes through the downtube, there is a problem in that the installation and replacement of the steering wire becomes complicated. Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a child's bicycle in which the attachment part of the parental auxiliary handle support shaft can be easily attached during manufacturing, and the installation and replacement of the steering wire can be easily performed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The following description refers to reference numerals in the attached drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto. To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a child's bicycle 1 equipped with a guardian steering mechanism 4 that allows the main driver handle 3 at the front of the vehicle to be steered by an auxiliary handle 2 for guardians connected to the rear of the vehicle body. The frame of the vehicle body comprises a head tube 5 through which the fork column 12 of the front wheel is inserted in the vertical direction, a down tube 6 that extends from the head tube 5 inclined downward to the rear and is connected at its lower end to the central front of the crank axle tube 7, a pair of chainstays 8 that extend rearward from the left and right rear of the crank axle tube 7, a seat tube 9 whose lower end is connected to the central rear of the crank axle tube 7 and the lower end of the down tube 6 between the front ends of the pair of chainstays 8 and extends upward, and a pair of seatstays 10 that connect the upper part of the seat tube 9 and the rear end of the chainstays 8. The parent steering mechanism 4 comprises an auxiliary handle connection mechanism 18 located at the rear of the vehicle body that detachably receives the steering shaft 17 of the auxiliary handle 2, a handle drive mechanism 19 attached to the fork column 12, and a pair of steering wires 20 that connect the handle drive mechanism 19 and the auxiliary handle connection mechanism 18 and transmit the rotation of the steering shaft 17 to the handle drive mechanism 19. The auxiliary handle connection mechanism 18 comprises a mounting seat 21, a support cylinder 22, an auxiliary handle support shaft 23, and a wire guide member 24. The mounting seat 21 is located below the front of the chainstay 8 and fixed to the rear of the lower end of the seat tube 9. The support cylinder 22 is fixed on the mounting seat 21 and extends upward. The auxiliary handle support shaft 23 is rotatably mounted on the support cylinder 22, to which the steering shaft 17 is connected, and to which the rear ends of the pair of steering wires 20 are locked. The wire guide member 24 is fixed to the auxiliary handle support shaft 23 and is positioned to guide the rear ends of a pair of steering wires 20 along the outer circumference of the auxiliary handle support shaft 23 from both the left and right sides, and to guide the rear ends to the locking pieces 28a and 28b of the auxiliary handle support shaft 23. The mounting seat 21 comprises a main plate portion 25 and a pair of wire insertion pieces 27a and 27b. The main plate portion 25 has a circular opening 25a in the center and its front end is welded to the rear side surface of the seat tube 9. The pair of wire insertion pieces 27a and 27b each have wire insertion holes and are located on both the left and right sides of the main plate portion 25, extending downward to a position below the rear end of the down tube 6.The support cylinder 22 is welded at its lower end around the circular opening 25a of the mounting seat and extends upward. The auxiliary handle support shaft 23 is inserted into the support cylinder 22 so as to be rotatable around its axis but immovable in the axial direction, with its lower part protruding downward through the circular opening 25a and its upper part extending upward from the support cylinder 22, and has a flange portion 28 at its lower part. The flange portion 28 is equipped with a pair of locking pieces 28a, 28b for locking the rear end of the steering wire 20. The wire guide member 24 comprises an upper guide member 24a fixed to the upper surface of the flange portion 28 below the mounting seat 25 and a lower guide member 24b fixed to the lower surface. The handle drive mechanism 19 comprises a support flange portion 31 fixed to the outer circumference of the fork column 12 below the head tube 5 and a wire connecting member 32 fixed on the support flange portion 31. The wire connecting member 32 comprises a mounting flange portion 32a surrounding the outer circumference of the fork column 12, a boss portion 32b rising from the inside of the mounting flange portion 32a and surrounding the outer circumference of the fork column 12, and a pair of left and right wire locking portions 32c provided on the front side of the mounting flange portion 32a. The pair of steering wires 20 are each looped around the left and right outer circumference of the boss portion 32b at their front ends and secured to the wire locking portion 32c. The intermediate portions extend rearward along the lower surface of the down tube 6 below the down tube 6. At the rear, one of the wires is secured to the wire insertion hole of one wire insertion piece 27a of the mounting seat 25 with a wire adjuster 20a, passes through the wire insertion hole, and is secured to one locking piece 28a of the flange portion 28 via an upper guide member 24a. The other wire is secured to the wire insertion hole of the other wire insertion piece 27b of the mounting seat 25 with a wire adjuster 20b, passes through the wire insertion hole, and is secured to the other locking piece 28b of the flange portion 28 via a lower guide member 24b. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a child's bicycle in which the connection part of the parental auxiliary handle support shaft can be easily attached, and the installation and replacement of the steering wire can be easily performed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1]This is a side view showing the child's bicycle of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional plan view showing the parental steering mechanism in a child's bicycle. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the auxiliary handle connection mechanism in a child's bicycle. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the auxiliary handlebar connection mechanism in a child's bicycle. [Figure 5] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the auxiliary handle connection mechanism in a child's bicycle. [Figure 6] Figure 1 shows the wire guide members in the auxiliary handle connection mechanism of a child's bicycle, where (a) is a cross-sectional view of the upper guide member and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the lower guide member. [Figure 7] Figure 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional side view showing the handle drive mechanism attached to the front wheel fork column side of a child's bicycle. [Figure 8] Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the handle drive mechanism. [Figure 9] Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the handle drive mechanism. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In Figure 1, the child's bicycle 1 is a bicycle equipped with a parent steering mechanism 4 that allows the parent to steer the main driver handle 3 at the front of the bicycle using an auxiliary handle 2 for the parent connected to the rear of the bicycle.

[0009] The frame of the bicycle consists of a head tube (5), a down tube (6), a crank axle tube (7), a chainstay (8), a seat tube (9), and a seatstay (10).

[0010] The head tube 5 allows the fork column 12 of the front wheel 11 and the handle stem 13 connected to it to pass through vertically. The down tube 6 extends rearward from the head tube 5, sloping downwards to the rear, and connects at its lower end to the front center of the crank axle tube 7 in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction). The crank axle of the pedals (not shown) is supported by the crank axle of the pedals. A pair of chainstays 8 extend rearward from the left and right rear of the crank axle tube 7, sandwiching the rear wheel 14, and support the axle of the rear wheel 14 at their rear ends. The seat tube 9 extends upward, with its lower end connected to the left and right rear center of the crank axle tube 7 and the lower end of the down tube 6 between the front ends of the pair of chainstays 8. A seat post 16 supporting the saddle 15 is inserted through the seat tube 9. A pair of seatstays 10 connect the upper part of the seat tube 9 to the rear end of the chainstays 8.

[0011] As clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2, the guardian steering mechanism 4 comprises an auxiliary handle connection mechanism 18 located at the rear of the vehicle body that can detachably receive the tubular steering shaft 17 of the auxiliary handle 2, a handle drive mechanism 19 attached to the fork column 12, and a pair of steering wires 20 that connect the handle drive mechanism 19 and the auxiliary handle connection mechanism 18 and transmit the rotation of the steering shaft 17 to the handle drive mechanism 19.

[0012] As clearly shown in Figures 3 to 6, the auxiliary handle connection mechanism 18 comprises a mounting base 21, a support cylinder 22, an auxiliary handle support shaft 23, and a wire guide member 24.

[0013] The mounting base 21 supports the auxiliary handle connection mechanism 18 on the frame, and is located at the front lower part of the chainstay 8 and fixed to the rear of the lower end of the seat tube 9.

[0014] In the illustrated embodiment, the mounting seat 21 is formed by bending a sheet metal material, and includes a flat main board portion 25, a fixing piece 26 extending forward from the main board portion 25, and a pair of wire insertion pieces 27a and 27b located on both the left and right sides of the fixing piece 26 and bending and extending downward from the main board portion 25. The main board portion 25 has a circular opening 25a at the center, and the front end portion is welded to the rear side surface of the seat tube 9 through the fixing piece 26. The pair of wire insertion pieces 27a and 27b each have a wire insertion hole, are located on both the left and right sides of the main board portion 25, and extend downward to positions below the rear end portion of the down tube 6 respectively.

[0015] The support cylinder 22 is welded around the circular opening 25a of the mounting seat 21 at the lower end, extends upward through between the pair of chain stays 8, and is fixed to the pair of chain stays 8 on the way.

[0016] The auxiliary handle support shaft 23 is inserted into the support cylinder 22 so as to be rotatable around the axis and immovable in the axial direction, and the rear ends of the pair of steering wires 20 are locked through the wire guide member 24. The steering shaft 17 of the auxiliary handle 2 is detachably connected to the auxiliary handle support shaft 23.

[0017] In the illustrated embodiment, the auxiliary handle support shaft 23 is axially prevented from coming off the mounting seat 21 by the wire guide member 24 and the stopper pin 30. The upper part of the auxiliary handle support shaft 23 extends upward from the support cylinder 22. The tip end portion of the steering shaft 17 is inserted into this extended portion, and they are coupled to each other by a detachable bolt 29 passing through both of them.

[0018] When the steering shaft 17 is mounted on the auxiliary handle support shaft 23, the flange portion 17a at the tip abuts against the upper end of the support cylinder 22. A pair of stopper protrusions 17b facing in the radial direction are provided on the lower surface of the flange portion 17a, and by engaging with the concave portion 22a for adjusting the rotation range provided at the corresponding position of the upper end portion of the support cylinder 21, the rotation range of the steering shaft 1, that is, the rotation range of the auxiliary handle support shaft 23 is limited to an angle slightly smaller than 180°.

[0019] The lower part of the auxiliary handle support shaft 23 protrudes downward through the circular opening 25a and has a flange portion 28 at this lower part. The flange portion 28 is equipped with a pair of locking pieces 28a and 28b that lock onto the rear end of the steering wire 20.

[0020] In the illustrated embodiment, the wire guide member 24 comprises an upper guide member 24a fixed to the upper surface of the flange portion 28 below the mounting seat 21, and a lower guide member 24b fixed to the lower surface of the flange portion 28. Both the upper guide member 24a and the lower guide member 24b are roughly disc-shaped and concentric with the auxiliary handle support shaft 23, and have an annular groove on their outer circumference for receiving the steering wire 20. The upper guide member 24a and the lower guide member 24b are configured to receive the rear end of the steering wire 20 at positions separated from each other vertically and horizontally, wind it inward along the annular groove for about half a turn, and then guide it to the locking pieces 28a and 28b of the flange portion 28, respectively.

[0021] The locking piece 28a stands perpendicularly upward from the flange 28, corresponding to the upper guide member 24a, and the locking piece 28b hangs downward from the flange 28, corresponding to the lower guide member 24b. As a result, the pair of operating wires 20 cross each other without vertical displacement or interference, are wound around the wire guide member 24, and are locked to the locking pieces 28a and 28b.

[0022] As clearly shown in Figures 7 to 9, the handle drive mechanism 19 comprises a support flange 31 fixed to the outer circumference of the fork column 12 below the head tube 5, and a wire connecting member 32 fixed thereon.

[0023] The wire connecting member 32 comprises a mounting flange 32a surrounding the outer circumference of the fork column 12, a boss 32b rising from the inside of the mounting flange 32a and surrounding the outer circumference of the fork column 12, and a pair of left and right wire locking portions 32c provided on the front side of the mounting flange 32a.

[0024] The pair of steering wires 20 are each wrapped around the left and right outer circumference of the boss portion 32b at their front ends and secured to the wire locking portion 32c. The middle portions of the steering wires 20 extend rearward along the lower surface of the down tube 6.

[0025] One end of the steering wire 20 is secured at the rear by a wire adjuster 20a engaging with the wire insertion hole of one wire insertion piece 27a of the mounting seat 21, passing through the upper wire insertion hole, and being secured to one locking piece 28a via the upper guide member 24a.

[0026] The other steering wire 20 is secured by a wire adjuster 20b in the lower wire insertion hole of the other wire insertion piece 27b of the mounting seat 21, passing through the wire insertion hole and being secured to the other locking piece 28b of the flange 28 via the lower guide member 24b.

[0027] In the above configuration of the child's bicycle 1, the steering wire 20 can be neatly routed along the outer underside of the down tube 6. Therefore, during manufacturing, it is unnecessary to require a high level of consideration to prevent interference with other components, such as precisely matching the extension angles of the down tube 6 and the steering wire 20, and precisely positioning the exit point of the steering wire 20 from the auxiliary handle connection mechanism 18. Subsequent adjustment and replacement of the steering wire 20 are also easy. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0028] 1. Children's bicycle 2. Parental control handle 3 Main handle 4. Parental steering mechanism 5 Head tube 6 Downtube 7 Crankshaft cylinder 8 Chainstays 9 seat tube 10 Seat Stays 11 Front Wheel 12 Folk Columns 13 Handle Stem 14 Rear wheels 15 saddle 16 seatpost 17 Steering shaft 17a Flange section 17b Stopper protrusion 18. Auxiliary handle connection mechanism 19. Handle drive mechanism 20 Steering wire 20a Wire Adjuster 20b Wire Adjuster 21 Mounting base 22 Support tube 22a Recess 23 Auxiliary handle support shaft 24 Wire guide member 24a Upper guide member 24b Lower guide member 25 Main plate part 25a opening 26 Fixing piece 27a Wire insertion piece 27b Wire insertion piece 28 Guard section 28a Locking piece 28b Locking piece 29 volts 30 Stopper pins 31 Support flange 32 Wire connecting member 32a Tsuba 32b Boss section 32c Wire locking section

Claims

1. A child's bicycle equipped with a parent steering mechanism that allows the parent to steer the main driver's handle at the front of the vehicle using an auxiliary handle connected to the rear of the vehicle, The frame of the vehicle comprises a head tube through which the front wheel fork column is inserted vertically, a down tube that extends from the head tube inclined downwards to the rear and connects at its lower end to the central front part of the crank axle tube, a pair of chainstays extending to the rear from the left and right rear parts of the crank axle tube, a seat tube whose lower end connects to the central rear part of the crank axle tube and the lower end of the down tube between the front ends of the pair of chainstays and extends upward, and a pair of seatstays connecting the upper part of the seat tube to the rear ends of the chainstays, The guard steering mechanism comprises an auxiliary handle connection mechanism provided at the rear of the vehicle body for detachably receiving the steering shaft of the auxiliary handle, a handle drive mechanism attached to the fork column, and a pair of steering wires connecting the handle drive mechanism and the auxiliary handle connection mechanism and transmitting the rotation of the steering shaft to the handle drive mechanism. The auxiliary handle connection mechanism comprises: a mounting seat located below the front of the chainstay and fixed to the rear of the lower end of the seat tube; a support cylinder mounted on the mounting seat; an auxiliary handle support shaft provided to rotate axially on the support cylinder and to which the steering shaft is connected and to which the rear ends of the pair of steering wires are locked; and a wire guide member fixed to the auxiliary handle support shaft, which guides the rear ends of the pair of steering wires along the outer circumference of the auxiliary handle support shaft from both the left and right sides, and leads the rear ends to the locking portion of the auxiliary handle support shaft. The mounting base comprises a main plate portion having a circular opening in the center and its front end welded to the rear side surface of the seat tube, and a pair of wire insertion pieces located on both the left and right sides of the main plate portion, each extending downward to a position below the rear end of the down tube and each having a wire insertion hole. The support cylinder is welded at its lower end around the circular opening of the mounting base and extends upward, The auxiliary handle support shaft has a lower part that protrudes downward through the circular opening and an upper part that extends upward from the support cylinder, and is inserted into the support cylinder so as to be rotatable around the axis but immovable in the axial direction, and has a flange portion at its lower part that has a pair of locking pieces for locking the rear end of the steering wire, The wire guide member comprises an upper guide member fixed to the upper surface of the flange portion below the mounting base, and a lower guide member fixed to the lower surface of the flange portion. The handle drive mechanism comprises a support flange fixed to the outer circumference of the fork column below the head tube, and a wire connecting member fixed on the support flange. The wire connecting member comprises a mounting flange surrounding the outer circumference of the fork column, a boss rising from the inside of the mounting flange and surrounding the outer circumference of the fork column, and a pair of left and right wire locking portions provided on the front side of the mounting flange. A child's bicycle characterized in that the pair of steering wires are each looped around the left and right outer circumference of the boss portion at their front ends and secured to the wire locking portion, the intermediate portions each extend rearward along the lower surface of the down tube below the down tube, and at the rear, one of the wires passes through the wire insertion hole of one of the wire insertion pieces of the mounting seat with a wire adjuster secured to it and is secured to one of the locking pieces of the flange portion via the upper guide member, and the other wire passes through the wire insertion hole of the other wire insertion piece of the mounting seat with a wire adjuster secured to it and is secured to the other locking piece of the flange portion via the lower guide member.

2. The mounting base is formed by integrally molding a sheet metal material and further comprises a fixing piece that extends forward from the main plate portion and whose front end is welded to the rear side surface of the seat tube. The child's bicycle according to claim 1, characterized in that the wire insertion pieces extend forward from the main plate portion and are bent downward at a right angle to a position below the rear end of the down tube.

3. The wire insertion holes of the pair of wire insertion pieces are positioned so as to be offset vertically from each other. The child's bicycle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, at the rear, one of the pair of steering wires passes through the wire insertion hole, with a wire adjuster engaged in the upper wire insertion hole of one of the wire insertion pieces, and is engaged with one of the locking pieces of the flange via the upper guide member, while the other wire passes through the wire insertion hole, with a wire adjuster engaged in the lower wire insertion hole of the other wire insertion piece, and is engaged with the other locking piece of the flange via the lower guide member.

4. The child's bicycle according to claim 1, characterized in that the support cylinder extends upward through the space between the pair of chainstays in its intermediate portion and is connected to the pair of chainstays via a connecting member.

Images