Wire clutch operating device comprising a center distance adjusting mechanism

Abstract

An assembleable cable control comprises: • A lever for a cable (AP2) • A support body (AP1) to carry the clutch lever • A hinge assembly to connect the lever and the support body via a pin (P) and a bushing (B2), the pin and bushing being eccentric with respect to a corresponding mounting seat (F3, AP1) carried by the lever and the support body respectively; wherein the eccentric pin (P) and the eccentric bushing (B2) have a first assembly position (CN1, CN2) in their corresponding seat, such that a distance between a hinge axis of the hinge assembly and a connecting portion (B1) of the lever with a cable has a first arm value and a second assembly position in which the distance between the hinge axis and the connecting portion (B1) has a second arm value, the first value being different from the second value; and wherein the eccentricities are arranged so that in both the first and second assembly positions, a relative position between the lever and the supporting body remains unchanged.

Description

[0001] 'WIRE CLUTCH OPERATING DEVICE COMPRISING A CENTER DISTANCE

[0002] ADJUSTING MECHANISM'

[0003] DESCRIPTION

[0004] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0005] The present invention relates to a cable control, preferably a clutch control, for a vehicle with handlebars, specifically comprising a mechanism for adjusting the distance between the clutch lever's hinge axis and the clutch cable's attachment to the lever, via an eccentric pin and an eccentric bushing. A handlebar control may be hydraulic i.e. for pressurizing a circuit with an actuation fluid, or cable-operated, for pulling or releasing a sheathed cable e.g. a Bowden cable. STATE OF THE ART

[0006] Mechanisms for adjusting the clutch lever's distance are known: changing the lever's distance changes the force required to pull the clutch cable.

[0007] The smaller the distance, the less force is required to pull the clutch cable, but as a result, the lever travels longer. A larger distance means more force is required to pull the clutch cable, but the advantage is a shorter lever travel. However, the known mechanisms are relatively complex and can easily be incorrectly adjusted.

[0008] OBJECTIVES AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a levercable actuation assembly that can be mounted on a handlebar and eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks.

[0010] The purpose of the present invention is achieved by a levercable actuation assembly (e.g., clutch) comprising a lever ( e . g . , a left-hand clutch lever ) ; a support body to carry the lever ; a hinge assembly to connect the lever and the support body via a pin and a bushing, at least one of the pin and the bushing being eccentric with respect to a corresponding mounting seat carried by the lever and the support body, respectively; wherein said at least one of the eccentric pin P and the eccentric bushing have a first assembly position in its corresponding seat , such that a distance between a hinge axis of the hinge assembly and a portion connecting the lever to a cable ( e . g . , The clutch cable has a first lever arm or center distance and a second assembly position in which the distance between the hinge axis and the connecting portion has a second arm value , the first value being di f ferent from the second value .

[0011] In this way, the lever arm or center distance is varied by simply mounting an insert carried either by the lever or the support body discretely and in a track in one direction or the opposite . These inserts are supplied by the control manufacturer, and the adj ustment of the center distance by the user or a mechanic is quick and error- free .

[0012] Furthermore , both the pin and the bushing are eccentric, and in the first and second assembly positions , both the pin and the bushing are eccentric so as to allow the lever arm and center distance to be changed while maintaining the lever ' s relative position with respect to the support body .

[0013] In this way, the arm changes without impacting the position of the connection point between the clutch cable and clutch lever with respect to the support body . According to a preferred embodiment , the pin and the bushing each have a first optical marking to identi fy the first assembly configuration and a second visual marking to identi fy the second assembly configuration .

[0014] This visual marking is , for example , raised or recessed and comprises a first mark relating to the first assembly configuration and arranged in such a way as to be readable by a user positioned in a predefined position, e . g . , a riding position on a vehicle with handlebars when the pin is in the first configuration, and a second mark relating to the second assembly configuration and arranged in such a way as to be regularly readable by a user positioned in the predefined position . It should be noted that the first and second marks are permanent on the bushing and the pin and are not regularly readable , e . g . , upside down, when the bushing and the pin are in the other assembly configuration .

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pin is supported by said support body and said bushing is supported by said clutch lever .

[0016] This simpli fies assembly .

[0017] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to mount a pin and a bushing on the lever and on the support body by replacing those supplied at the time of purchase of the control .

[0018] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The invention is described below based on non-limiting examples illustrated by way of example in the following figures , which refer respectively to :

[0020] Fig . 1 : A perspective view of the unassembled clutch control . Fig. 2: Front plan view of the assembled clutch control in an idle condition.

[0021] Fig. 3: Front plan view of the assembled clutch control, showing the center distance between bushing Bl and eccentric pin P .

[0022] Fig. 4A, B: Front plan view of eccentric bushing B2 with configuration CN1 (A) and configuration CN2 (B)

[0023] Fig. 5A, B: Front plan view of the clutch control assembled according to configuration CN1 (A) and configuration CN2 (B) .

[0024] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 1 shows an overall plan view of a clutch control or other cable control for a vehicle with handlebars, e.g. a motorcycle, e.g. for actuating a movable element acting on a pressure plate spring in a multi-plate clutch.

[0026] Specifically, this clutch control comprises a first portion API and a second portion AP2. Portion API is an elongated lever body defining two holes Fl and F2 transverse to the body axis. Hole Fl serves to connect the lever body to the handlebars, e.g., when the corresponding circumferential wall is tightened using a known mechanism, preferably a screw, and hole F2 is the hole through which the vehicle's clutch cable passes. Between Fl and F2, the lever body comprises a perforated portion F3 to form a hinged connection with portion AP2 of the clutch control. The hole or seat of the perforated portion F3 is transverse to Fl and F2, and the interlocking occurs via an eccentric pin P, which will be described in detail later. The second portion, AP2 , is a lever comprising a transverse body Cl with a shape complementary to the perforated portion F3 of portion API . In fact , portion API and portion AP2 can be assembled by housing the transverse body Cl in a recess F3 of portion AP2 . Portion API assembled with portion AP2 is shown in Fig . 2 . Furthermore , portion AP2 has two bushings , the first , Bl , is located at the end of the lever from which the transverse body extends . In particular, bushing Bl is located at the intersection between the lever and the transverse body Cl . Bushing Bl or another insert rigidly applied to an end portion of the cable secures a clutch cable to lever API in a known manner, e . g . , by means o f a cable retainer . For example , for a releasable shape coupling, the insert is housed in a special seat in the lever, which retains it and moves it when the lever is pulled by the user . Bushing B2 is supported by the transverse body Cl . However, it should be noted that bushing B2 is not hinged to body Cl but is connected via a shape coupling and can be easily removed by the user, e . g . , along a straight line ; in the embodiment shown in the drawings , this line is parallel to a hinge axis between portion API and portion AP2 . Bushing B2 is eccentric and will be described in detail later .

[0027] Figure 3 highlights the relationship between bushing Bl and eccentric pin P, and therefore bushing B2 . Particular attention is paid to the distance between them . This distance is defined as the center distance . This distance is fundamental for clutch control as it defines the force required for a user of a vehicle with a handlebar to apply to portion API to pull the clutch cable . Speci fically, a smaller center distance requires less force to be applied to the lever to pull the clutch cable , while a larger center distance requires a greater force .

[0028] In the present invention, the center distance can be easily modi fied using the eccentric pin P and the eccentric bushing B2 ; the procedure for this will be explained later . However, before explaining how the center distance is modi fied, it is necessary to describe the eccentric bushing B2 and the eccentric pin P in detail .

[0029] Figure 4A shows a plan view of the eccentric bushing B2 . The bushing comprises a wall L3 with a hole F4 . The center C of the hole is positioned such that the distance DI between the center C and the upper end of the plate El is less than the distance D2 between the center C and the lower end of the plate E2 . This configuration will be referred to as CN1 and corresponds to the configuration shown in Fig . 1 and Fig . 5A, in which the bushing B2 is inserted into the transverse body . Therefore , bushing B2 is axi symmetric and defines , with its seat in the transverse body Cl , at least two assembly positions shown in Fig . 5 . In particular, bushing B2 is eccentric in the sense that the position of the center C changes between assembly in the seat of the transverse body Cl according to configuration CN1 and according to configuration CN2 . Furthermore , the at least two assembly positions are defined through a shape coupling with the transverse body Cl , which can be disassembled and assembled by friction .

[0030] Figure 3B shows a plan view of the same eccentric bushing B2 following a 180 ° rotation around the axis perpendicular to the segment defined between the upper end El and the lower end E2 . Rotation about this axis inverts the spatial relationships . In particular, the distance D2 between the center C and the upper end E2 is greater than the distance DI between the center C and the lower end Al . This configuration will be called CN2 and is shown in Figure 5b .

[0031] As previously described, the eccentric bushing B2 is placed in the transverse body Cl . It is now clear how the eccentric bushing B2 can be inserted into the seat of the body Cl with a first configuration, e . g . CN1 , and can subsequently be removed, rotated as previously described and reinserted into the transverse body Cl with a second configuration, e . g . the CN2 configuration . In greater detail , i f the CN1 configuration is chosen, shown in Fig . 1 , the hole F4 of the bushing B2 , and therefore the pin P, will be at a smaller distance from the bushing Bl than i f the CN2 configuration were chosen, i . e . the center distance of the CN1 configuration is smaller than the center distance of the CN2 configuration . Consequently, the force required to pull the clutch cable when the clutch control is in the CN1 configuration will be smaller than the force required when the clutch control is in the CN2 configuration .

[0032] Pin P is the means by which portion AP2 is assembled to portion API . This is possible by coupling pin P to hole F4 of bushing B2 , thus securing transverse body Cl and therefore portion AP2 to holed portion F3 and then to portion API via a hinged j oint .

[0033] As previously described, bushing B2 in use can be positioned in two possible configurations , and therefore hole F4 , in which pin P engages to assemble the clutch control , is not always in the same position, but will have two distinct positions based on the configuration, i . e . , CN1 or CN2 , selected by the operator . This is clearly illustrated in Fig . 5A and 5B . It is therefore clear that pin P must respect the eccentricity of the bushing so that it can engage hole F4 in both configurations CN1 and CN2 , in order to maintain the relative position between the clutch lever and the support body unchanged in the clutch lever ' s rest position .

[0034] Speci fically, the eccentric pin P respects the distances DI and D2 of the bushing B2 . In this way, the pin P allows the bushing B2 to be fixed in both the CN1 and CN2 conf igurations . Furthermore , both the pin P and the bushing B2 must have the same orientation to allow the assembly of portion 2 with portion 1 .

[0035] Figures 5A and 5B show the main consequence of this construction : having two possible configurations , CN1 and CN2 , it is possible to vary the distance between the bushing Bl and the eccentric pin P and therefore the bushing B2 , i . e . , the center distance .

[0036] By modi fying the center distance , a smaller center distance requires less force to be applied to the lever to pull the clutch cable , while a larger center distance requires a greater force .

[0037] According to the present invention, a clutch control is sold already equipped with pin P and bushing B2 to obtain a first center distance of 24 mm and a second center distance of 29 mm . However, it is also possible to purchase a pair of eccentric pins and bushings to replace the ones originally purchased, thus further varying the center distance, e. g . , a first center distance of 25 mm and a second center distance of 29 mm.

[0038] Furthermore, as illustrated in the figures, both bushing B2 and pin P have markings or graphic symbols identifying the mounting position: the marking is regularly legible by a vehicle user with the handlebars in a driving position.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An assembleable cable control comprising:• A lever for a cable (AP2) ;• A support body (API) to carry the clutch lever;• A hinge assembly to connect the lever and the support body via a pin (P) and a bushing (B2) , the pin and the bushing being eccentric with respect to a corresponding mounting seat (F3, API) respectively carried by the lever and the support body; wherein the eccentric pin (P) and the eccentric bushing (B2) have a first assembly position (CN1, CN2) in their corresponding seat, such that a distance between a hinge axis of the hinge assembly and a connecting portion (Bl) of the lever with a cable has a first arm length and a second assembly position in which the distance between the hinge axis and the connecting portion (Bl) has a second arm length, the first value being different from the second value; and wherein the eccentricities are arranged so that in both the first and second assembly positions, a relative position between the lever and the support body remains unchanged .

2. The cable control according to claim 1, wherein the pin (P) and the bushing (B2) each have a first optical marking to identify the first assembly configuration and a second optical marking to identify the second assembly configuration .

3. The cable control according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the pin (P) is carried by said supportbody (API) and said bushing (B2) is carried by said lever (AP2) .

4. The cable control according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the support body (API) defines a hole (Fl) for connecting the control to a handlebar of a vehicle with a handlebar and a cable actuator, preferably a clutch.

5. The cable control according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first value is 24 mm and the second value is 29 mm.

6. Cable control according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the bushing has a circular hole (F4) housing the pin (P) .

7. Cable control according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the bushing (B2) is carried into a positive fit by one of the lever (AP2) and the support body (API) and the pin (P) is carried into a positive fit by the other of the lever (AP2) and the support body (API) .

8. Control according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the pin (P) rotates with respect to the bushing (B2) .

9. A method for adjusting the force required to pull the cable of a cable actuator, e.g., a clutch of a vehicle with a handlebar, comprising the steps of:• Receiving the eccentric bushing (B2) and the eccentric pin (P) ;• Selecting the desired mounting configuration between the first configuration 1 (CN1) and the second configuration 2 (CN2) ;• Inserting the eccentric bushing (B2) into a seat of a lever (AP2) according to the chosen configuration;• Inserting the lever (AP2) into a lever-carrying body (API) and securing it with an eccentric pin (P) according to the chosen configuration so that in both the first and second assembly positions, a relative position between the lever and the support body remains unchanged.

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