Operation lever

Abstract

Provided is an operation lever that suppresses vibration-induced wear between overlapping surfaces of the operation lever and an operation lever support member, and improves service life, said operation lever comprising the operation lever support member 25 that supports a first rotation base part 12a of the operation lever 11, wherein a third pivot insertion hole 13b is formed as penetrating through the operation lever support member 25 and the first rotation base part 12a. The first rotation base part 12a is supported rotatably in the operation lever support member 25 by means of a pivot 26 inserted into the third pivot insertion hole 13b, and a wear-suppressing member 31 having lubricity is sandwiched between the first rotation base part 12a and the operation lever support member 25 at a location where the two overlap.

Description

Operating lever

[0001] The present invention relates to an operating lever, and more particularly to an operating lever that is rotatably mounted on an operating lever support member provided on a hydraulic master cylinder and that generates hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic master cylinder when rotated.

[0002] Conventionally, in an operating lever for operating a hydraulic master cylinder connected to a brake for a motorcycle, an annular groove has been formed in the overlapping surface where the operating lever and the operating lever support member overlap, in order to suppress wear on the overlapping surface caused by rotating the operating lever (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In addition, in a structure in which an operating lever support pin is protruded from an operating lever support member and the operating lever is rotatably inserted into the operating lever support pin, a nut is screwed onto the end of the operating lever support pin protruding from the operating lever via a washer to prevent the operating lever from coming off, and the washer suppresses rattle of the operating lever, allowing the operating lever to rotate smoothly (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

[0004] WO2018 / 179740 Utility Model Publication No. 180760 / 1986

[0005] However, in the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 and 2, although the operating lever can be smoothly rotated, vibrations of the vehicle body transmitted to the operating lever cause wear on the overlapping surface between the operating lever and the operating lever support member, and the small gap between the operating lever and the operating lever support member widens, making the lever stroke unstable and potentially preventing the required thrust from being generated.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an operating lever that can suppress wear of the overlapping surface between the operating lever and the operating lever support member due to vibration, thereby improving the service life of the operating lever.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the operating lever of the present invention overlaps a pivot base of the operating lever with an operating lever support member that supports the pivot base, and has an axial member inserted into a through hole that passes through the operating lever support member and the pivot base, thereby rotatably supporting the pivot base on the operating lever support member.The operating lever is characterized in that a lubricating wear-suppressing member is attached to the location where the pivot base and the operating lever support member overlap.

[0008] According to the operating lever of the present invention, it is possible to suppress wear of the overlapping surface between the operating lever and the operating lever support member due to vibration, thereby improving the service life of the operating lever.

[0009] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a front view showing a state in which an operating lever of a first embodiment of the present invention is attached to a hydraulic master cylinder. Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an operating lever, a hydraulic master cylinder, and a wear-suppressing member showing the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state in which an operating lever of a second embodiment of the present invention is attached to a hydraulic master cylinder.

[0010] 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, an operating lever 11 operates a hydraulic master cylinder 21 connected to a brake for a motorcycle. Rotating the operating lever 11 pushes a piston (not shown) of the hydraulic master cylinder via a push rod 14, and hydraulic pressure increased by the piston's pushing action is supplied to the brake.

[0011] The hydraulic master cylinder 21 is a well-known vertically-mounted master cylinder, and has a cylinder bore (not shown) with a piston formed in a vertically long cylinder body 21 a. A bracket half 21 b is formed on the bottom side of the cylinder bore of the cylinder body 21 a, and the hydraulic master cylinder 21 is attached to a handlebar 24 by fastening the bracket half 21 b to a half-split bracket 22 with bolts 23.

[0012] Furthermore, a pair of operating lever support members 25, 25 are provided on the cylinder bore opening side of the cylinder body 21a, and the operating lever 11 is inserted between the operating lever support members 25, 25 via a wear-suppressing member 31 and is rotatably attached by a pivot 26 (shaft member).

[0013] The operating lever support members 25, 25 are formed as a pair separated by a predetermined gap, and first pivot insertion holes 25a, 25a (through holes of the present invention) for inserting the pivot 26 are formed therethrough.

[0014] The operating lever 11 is composed of a lever body 12 disposed on the handlebar 24 at the front of the vehicle body, and a knocker 13 disposed between the inside of the lever body 12 and the cylinder body 21a.

[0015] The lever body 12 has a first rotation base 12a (rotation base of the present invention) inserted between a pair of operating lever support members 25, 25 and rotatably supported by a pivot 26, and an operating portion 12b disposed substantially along the front side of the handlebar 24, and an accommodating recess 12c for accommodating the knocker 13 is formed inside the first rotation base 12a. Also, a second pivot insertion hole 12d (through hole of the present invention) for inserting the pivot 26 via a collar 27 is formed coaxially with the first pivot insertion holes 25a, 25a, penetrating through the first rotation base 12a. Furthermore, countersunk holes 12e, 12e are formed around the opening of the second pivot insertion hole 12d on the surface facing the operating lever support member 25.

[0016] The knocker 13 is accommodated in the accommodation recess 12c, has a second rotation base 13a rotatably supported by the pivot 26, and is fitted with a push rod 14 that pushes the piston when the knocker 13 rotates. A third pivot insertion hole 13b (a through hole of the present invention) through which the pivot 26 is inserted via a collar 27 is formed in the second rotation base 13a coaxially with the first pivot insertion hole 25a and the second pivot insertion hole 12d.

[0017] The wear-reducing members 31 are donut-shaped disk components made of, for example, a thin resin plate and have lubrication properties. The wear-reducing members 31 are disposed in the counterbore 12e, and have an insertion hole 31a in the center through which the pivot 26 is inserted. The wear-reducing members 31 are thick enough to fill the gap between the overlapping surfaces S1, S1 ( FIG. 1 ) of the first rotation base 12a and the operating lever support member 25 when the first rotation base 12a is inserted between the pair of operating lever support members 25, 25.

[0018] To assemble the operating lever 11 formed as described above, first, the second pivot base 13a of the knocker 13 is inserted into the accommodating recess 12c of the lever body 12 and overlapped, and then the collar 27 is inserted through the second pivot insertion hole 12d and the third pivot insertion hole 13b, thereby temporarily assembling the lever body 12 and the knocker 13.

[0019] Next, with the wear-reducing members 31 attached to the countersunk portions 12e, the first rotation base 12a of the lever body 12 is inserted between and overlapped with the pair of operating lever support members 25. Furthermore, the pivot 26 is inserted through the first pivot insertion hole 25a, the insertion hole 31a, and the collar 27 and fixed. As a result, the operating lever 11 is rotatably supported by the operating lever support members 25 with the wear-reducing members 31 attached between the overlapping surfaces S1.

[0020] In this way, by attaching the wear-reducing member 31 having lubricity between the overlapping surfaces S1, S1, it is possible to fill the gap between the overlapping surfaces S1, S1 while maintaining good rotational operability of the operating lever 11. This makes it possible to prevent wear of the overlapping surfaces S1, S1 due to vibration, and improve the service life of the operating lever 11. Furthermore, because the wear-reducing member 31 can be attached between the overlapping surfaces S1, S1 by simply making a minor change to the component shape, namely, by forming a counterbore 12e in the operating lever 11, there is no risk of increased costs.

[0021] FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0022] In this embodiment, one of the wear reducing members 32 has a conical portion 32b that protrudes conically from an insertion hole 32a through which the pivot 26 passes toward the outer periphery. When the wear reducing member 32 is attached to one of the counterbore portions 12e of the first rotation base 12a and disposed between the first rotation base 12a and one of the operating lever support members 25, a biasing force in the pivot axis direction generated in the wear reducing member 32 by a repulsive force due to deformation of the conical portion 32b presses the first rotation base 12a against the other operating lever support member 25, thereby enabling a satisfactory assembly of the first rotation base 12a and the operating lever support member 25 without rattle. Furthermore, because the wear reducing member 32 keeps the first rotation base 12a pressed against the other operating lever support member 25, there is no risk of rattle in the operating lever 11 even if the thickness of the wear reducing members 31, 32 changes due to repeated rotation of the operating lever 11.

[0023] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the hydraulic master cylinder may have any structure. The operating lever is not limited to one composed of a lever body and a knocker, and may not include a knocker. The operating lever is not limited to one supported by a pair of operating lever support members, as in the above-described embodiments. It may be one supported by a single operating lever support member, or only one side of the pivot base of the operating lever may overlap with the operating lever support member. While the above-described embodiments feature a counterbore provided in the lever body for mounting a wear-reducing member, the operating lever support member may also be provided with a counterbore for mounting a wear-reducing member. The operating lever of the present invention may also be applied to an operating lever operated via a connecting means, such as a hydraulic master cylinder or cable, for a clutch.

[0024] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11...operating lever, 12...lever body, 12a...first pivot base, 12b...operating portion, 12c...accommodating recess, 12d...second pivot insertion hole, 12e...countersink, 13...knocker, 13a...second pivot base, 13b...third pivot insertion hole, 14...push rod, 21...hydraulic master cylinder, 21a...cylinder body, 21b...bracket half, 22...half-split bracket, 23...bolt, 24...handlebar, 25...operating lever support member, 25a...first pivot insertion hole, 26...pivot, 27...collar, 31...wear-inhibiting member, 31a...insertion hole, 32...wear-inhibiting member, 32a...insertion hole, 32b...conical portion, S1...overlapping surface

Claims

1. An operating lever in which a rotation base of an operating lever and an operating lever support member supporting the rotation base are overlapped with each other, and a shaft member is inserted into a through hole formed through the operating lever support member and the rotation base, thereby rotatably supporting the rotation base on the operating lever support member, wherein a lubricating wear-inhibiting member is attached to the location where the rotation base and the operating lever support member overlap.

2. An operating lever according to claim 1, wherein said wear-suppressing member has a thickness sufficient to fill the gap between the overlapping surfaces where said pivot base and said operating lever support member overlap.

3. The operating lever according to claim 1, characterized in that the operating lever support members are formed as a pair spaced apart from each other, the pivot base is disposed between the pair of operating lever support members, the wear-inhibiting members are respectively attached between one side of the pivot base and the operating lever support member where the pivot base and the operating lever support member overlap, and between the other side of the pivot base and the operating lever support member, and at least one of the wear-inhibiting members is biased in the axial direction of the shaft member.

Images