JP7348455B2 - Saddle height adjustment structure and riding equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a saddle height adjustment structure for adjusting the saddle height of a riding equipment such as a tricycle or a bicycle, and a riding equipment equipped with this saddle height adjustment structure.

Conventionally, this type of invention includes a seat tube having an opening at the upper end, and a seat having a saddle attached to the upper end and inserting the lower end into the opening of the seat tube, as described in Patent Document 1, for example. a post, and a pillar fixing part that is inserted through both the seat tube and the seat post to maintain the saddle height; Some have recesses.
According to this prior art, by selectively fitting a single pillar fixing portion into a plurality of recesses, the heights of the seat post and the saddle can be adjusted in multiple stages.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-72614

By the way, according to the above-mentioned conventional technology, when trying to hold the saddle at a relatively high position, the upper recess among the plurality of recesses provided in the seat post is exposed to the outside above the seat tube. I end up. Therefore, if a finger or an object should be inserted into the recess, there is a risk of damaging the inserted object. Particularly in tricycles and the like used by infants, the fingers of the infants who use them are thin and weak, so it is desirable to eliminate such risks as much as possible.

In order to solve at least part of the above problems, the present invention includes the following configuration.
A seat tube that has an opening at its upper end, a seat post that has a saddle attached to its upper end and whose lower end is inserted into the opening of the seat tube, and is inserted through both the seat tube and the seat post to maintain the saddle height. A locking hole through which the shaft-like holding member can be inserted is provided in the circumferential wall of the seat tube, and a locking hole through which the shaft-like holding member can be selectively inserted is provided in the circumferential wall of the seat post. At least two height adjustment holes are provided at intervals in the axial direction so as to be inserted therethrough, and of these height adjustment holes, the upper height adjustment hole is lower than the height adjustment hole. When the shaft-shaped holding member is inserted into the height adjustment hole and the locking hole, the shaft-shaped holding member is positioned above the seat tube, and the upper height is provided in the seat post. A saddle height adjustment structure for a riding equipment, characterized in that a closing member is provided for opening and closing a height adjustment hole.

Since the present invention is configured as described above, it is possible to prevent damage caused by fingers or other objects touching the concave portion of the seat post or accidentally inserting the seat post.

1 is a perspective view showing an example of a riding equipment equipped with an example of a saddle height adjustment structure according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of the companion tool taken along the center line. It is a perspective view which shows an example of a closure member, (b) shows the state which rotated (a) by 90 degrees. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of the passenger equipment, in which (a) shows a state in which the saddle is attached to the vehicle body frame in a low position, and (b) shows a state in which the saddle is removed from the vehicle body frame. It is a principal part perspective view of a companion tool, and the state in which the closing member is rotated is sequentially shown in (a) and (b). Note that the outer shape of the seat post is shown with a chain double-dashed line, and the internal closing member is shown with a solid line. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of the passenger equipment, in which (a) shows a state before the saddle is attached to the vehicle body frame, and (b) shows a state where the saddle is attached to the vehicle body frame at a high position.

This embodiment discloses the following features.
The first feature is a seat tube with an opening at the upper end, a seat post with a saddle attached to the upper end and the lower end inserted into the opening of the seat tube, and a seat tube that is inserted through both the seat tube and the seat post. and a shaft-shaped holding member for holding the saddle height, the peripheral wall of the seat tube is provided with a locking hole through which the shaft-shaped holding member can be inserted, and the peripheral wall of the seat post is provided with a locking hole through which the shaft-shaped holding member can be inserted. At least two height adjustment holes are provided at intervals in the axial direction so that the holding member can be selectively inserted, and the upper height adjustment hole among these height adjustment holes When the shaft-shaped holding member is inserted into the height adjustment hole below the adjustment hole and the locking hole, the shaft-shaped holding member is located above the seat tube, and the seat post is provided with a , a closing member is provided for opening and closing the upper height adjustment hole (see FIGS. 2 to 6).

As a second feature, the closing member is formed into a shaft shape that is rotatable along the inner peripheral surface of the seat post, and the shaft-shaped holding member is positioned at a height position corresponding to the upper height adjustment hole. It has a first insertion part into which a member can be inserted, and a closing part which can close the height adjustment hole from the inside at a position offset in the circumferential direction with respect to the first insertion part (see FIGS. 2 to 6). ).

As a third feature, the closing member has a second insertion point that allows the shaft-shaped holding member to be inserted into a height position corresponding to a height adjustment hole adjacent to a lower side of the upper height adjustment hole. (See Figures 2 to 6).

As a fourth feature, the closing member is formed into a protruding shape that can be inserted into and removed from the height adjustment hole from the inside (see FIGS. 2, 3, and 6).

As a fifth feature, a rotation operation section is provided on the lower end side of the closure member to enable rotational operation of the closure member (see FIGS. 3 and 5).

The sixth feature is that a riding equipment is provided with the saddle height adjustment structure described above (see FIG. 1).

<Specific embodiment>
Next, a specific embodiment having the above characteristics will be described in detail based on the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an example of riding equipment A to which a saddle height adjustment structure 1 according to the present invention is applied.
This riding equipment A is for children, and has a handle 11, a head tube 12, two front wheels 13a, 13a, etc. supported on the front side of a body frame 10, and a single rear wheel 13b supported on the rear side of the body frame 10. This tricycle is capable of adjusting the height of a saddle 18 that projects upward from a body frame 10.

The vehicle body frame 10 integrally includes a cylindrical down tube 14 extending diagonally downward from the head tube 12 to the rear.
A seat tube 15 that protrudes upward and diagonally rearward is integrally fixed to a midway point in the extending direction of the down tube 14 (see FIG. 2).
A seat post 16 is inserted into the upper end side of the seat tube 15. The seat tube 15 and the seat post 16 are immovably fixed by a shaft-shaped holding member 17 that is inserted through both of them (see FIG. 2).
Further, a saddle 18 is fixed to the upper end side of the seat post 16 via a fastener (for example, a bolt and nut) and a bracket (not shown).

The seat tube 15 is formed of a hard metal material into a substantially cylindrical shape, and its lower end is inserted into the peripheral wall of the down tube 14 and is integrally fixed by welding or the like, and its upper end protrudes rearward and diagonally upward, and its protruding end It has an opening 15a through which the seat post 16 is inserted.
In the seat tube 15, a portion protruding from the down tube 14 is provided with a locking hole 15b that penetrates its peripheral wall in the radial direction.

The locking hole 15b is a through hole into which a shaft-shaped holding member 17, which will be described later, is inserted and removed.

The seat post 16 is formed from a hard metal material into a substantially cylindrical shape with an inner diameter that overlaps the outer peripheral surface of the seat tube 15 . The lower end of the seat post 16 is inserted into the opening 15a of the seat tube 15.
Two height adjustment holes 16a and 16b are provided in the peripheral wall of the seat post 16, one on the upper side and one on the lower side, so that the shaft-shaped holding member 17 can be selectively inserted therethrough.

The upper height adjustment hole 16a passes through the peripheral wall of the cylindrical closing member 20 on one side and the other side in the radial direction.
Each of the height adjustment holes 16a on the one side and the other side is formed in the shape of a long hole that is elongated in the vertical direction.
This height adjustment hole 16a is located at the upper end of the seat tube 15 when the shaft-shaped holding member 17 is inserted into the lower height adjustment hole 16b and the locking hole 15b, and the saddle 18 and the seat post 16 are fixed. located above the opening 15a (see Fig. 2).

Further, the lower height adjustment hole 16b also passes through the peripheral wall of the cylindrical closing member 20 on one side and the other side in the radial direction.
Each of the height adjustment holes 16b on the one side and the other side is formed in a circular shape (round hole shape), and is located on the lower side at a distance from the upper height adjustment hole 16a.

When the saddle 18 and the seat post 16 are in the high position (see FIG. 6(b)), the upper height adjustment hole 16a is exposed to the outside, and the lower height adjustment hole 16b is inside the seat tube 15. hidden in

In the seat post 16 configured as described above, a substantially cylindrical closing member 20 that opens and closes the upper height adjustment hole 16a is provided substantially concentrically with the seat post 16.

The shaft-shaped holding member 17 is a bolt that passes through the seat tube 15, the seat post 16, and the closing member 20 in the radial direction. A nut 17a is screwed onto the distal end side of the shaft-shaped holding member 17 and tightened.

This nut 17a is non-rotatably fitted inside the cover member 19. In addition, as another example, this nut 17a may be a weld nut welded to the seat tube 15 in advance.

The cover member 19 is made of a hard synthetic resin material and has a substantially cylindrical shape, and covers a portion of the seat tube 15 that protrudes from the down tube 14 . This cover member 19 exposes the head of the shaft-shaped holding member 17.

The closing member 20 is formed into a shaft shape from, for example, a hard synthetic resin material. The shape of the closing member 20 only needs to be rotatable along the inner circumferential surface of the seat post 16, and although it is cylindrical in the illustrated example, it can also be a solid cylinder.

This closing member 20 has a first insertion portion 21 into which the shaft-shaped holding member 17 can be inserted, at a height position corresponding to the upper height adjustment hole 16a.
Further, the closing member 20 has a closing portion 22 at the same height position but at a position angularly shifted by 90 degrees in the circumferential direction with respect to the first insertion portion 21, which can close the height adjustment hole 16a from the inside.

Further, the closing member 20 has a second insertion portion 23 into which the shaft-shaped holding member 17 can be inserted, at a height position corresponding to the lower height adjustment hole 16b.

Further, on the lower end side of the closing member 20, an enlarged diameter portion 24 whose diameter is enlarged below the seat post 16 than the inner diameter surface of the seat post 16 is provided. A rotation operation section 25 is provided at the lower end of this enlarged diameter section 24 to enable rotation operation of the closing member 20.

The first insertion portion 21 is a notch that penetrates the upper end side of the seat post 16 in the radial direction. As another example of the first insertion portion 21, it is also possible to form a hole passing through the upper end side of the seat post 16 in the radial direction.

The second insertion portion 23 is a hole that penetrates the lower side of the seat post 16 in the radial direction.
The circumferential position of the second insertion part 23 is approximately the same as the circumferential position of the closing part 22, and is offset by about 90 degrees in the circumferential direction with respect to the first insertion part 21 (Fig. 3 reference).

The closing portion 22 is provided on two protruding pieces 20a, 20a that protrude upward near the upper end of the closing member 20, with the notch-shaped first insertion portion 21 interposed therebetween (FIG. 3). reference).
Each protrusion portion 20a is elastically deflectable in the radial direction relative to its lower portion.

Each of the closing portions 22 is formed to protrude radially outward from the projecting portion 20a and fit into the upper height adjustment hole 16a from the inside.
To explain in detail, the closing portion 22 is a projection having an elongated hole shape in plan view along the inner edge of the height adjustment hole 16a, and partially protrudes radially outward from the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the closing member 20. (See Figure 3).

The enlarged diameter portion 24 is a portion whose diameter is enlarged to prevent the closing member 20 from penetrating deep into the seat post 16, and has a substantially disk shape larger than the inner diameter of the seat post 16 and smaller than the inner diameter of the seat tube 15. and is in contact with the lower end surface of the seat post 16 (see FIG. 2).

According to the illustrated example, the rotation operation unit 25 has a hexagonal hole 25a into which a hexagonal wrench can be fitted and a groove 25b into which a coin can be fitted, which are directed downward on the central axis of the closing member 20.

Next, the characteristic functions and effects of the riding equipment A and the saddle height adjustment structure 1 having the above configurations will be explained in detail.
1 and 4(a) show a state in which the saddle 18 and the seat post 16 are mounted in a low position. In this low position, the closing parts 22, 22 on both sides in the radial direction on the upper side of the closing member 20 have their protruding ends in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the seat post 16, and the projecting piece-like portion 20a on the upper end side of the closing member 20 is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the seat post 16. , 20a are slightly bent in the radial direction.
The following describes the procedure for moving the saddle 18 and seat post 16 from the low position to the high position shown in FIG. 6(b).

First, the shaft-shaped holding member 17 is loosened and removed using a tool such as a hexagonal wrench, and the saddle 18 and seat post 16 are pulled out upward from the seat tube 15 (see FIG. 4(b)).

Next, the closure member 20 is turned 90 degrees using a coin or a hex wrench. Then, the closing portion 22 of the closing member 20 moves in the circumferential direction while slidingly contacting the inner peripheral surface of the seat post 16, and is positioned by fitting into the upper height adjustment hole 16a.
That is, when the closing member 20 rotates as described above and the circumferential position of the closing portion 22 and the circumferential position of the upper height adjustment hole 16a substantially match, each protrusion on the upper end side of the closing member 20 The shaped portion 20a elastically restores its shape outward in the radial direction, and each closing portion 22 fits into each height adjustment hole 16a.

As the closing member 20 rotates approximately 90 degrees as described above, the circumferential position of the second insertion portion 23 and the circumferential position of the lower height adjustment hole 16b substantially match. (See Figure 5(b)).

Next, as shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), the seat post 16 is inserted into the seat tube 15, and after that, the shaft-shaped holding member 17 is inserted into the seat tube 15, the seat post 16, the closing member 20, etc. The nut 17a is inserted through the nut 17a and tightened.

Therefore, the saddle 18, the seat post 16, etc. are fixed at the high position shown in FIG. 6(b) so as not to move in the vertical direction and rotational direction.

At this high position, the height adjustment hole 16a of the seat post 16 is closed by the closing portion 22 of the closing member 20.
In particular, in this embodiment, since the shaft-shaped holding member 17 is passed through the second insertion portion 23 to support the closing member 20, the closing member 20 does not shift or fall due to vibrations, shocks, etc. The height adjustment hole 16a exposed to the outside can be reliably closed by the closing portion 22.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent a finger or an object from being inserted into the height adjustment hole 16a, and furthermore, it is possible to prevent the inserted object from being damaged.

<Modified example>

Further, according to the above embodiment, the seat post 16 is provided with two height adjustment holes 16a and 16b spaced apart in the axial direction, and the closing member 20 is provided with two insertion portions (the first insertion portion 21 and the second insertion part 23), but as another example, it is also possible to provide three or more of these height adjustment holes and three or more insertion holes.

Furthermore, as another example, it is also possible to omit the second insertion section 23 from the above configuration, so that there is only a single insertion section. In this case, the closing member 20 may be positioned above the shaft-shaped holding member 17 by shortening its axial length.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the first insertion section 21 and the closure section 22 are arranged at different positions in the circumferential direction. It is also possible to arrange them in different directional positions. In this embodiment, by sliding the closing member 20 in the axial direction, the first insertion portion 21 or the closing portion 22 is superimposed on the height adjustment hole 16a.

Further, in the embodiment described above, the rotary operation section 25 is configured by the hexagonal hole 25a and the groove 25b, but as another example of the rotation operation section 25, it may be a hole or a protrusion into which a jig other than a hexagonal wrench can be fitted. It is also possible.
Further, as other examples of the rotation operation part 25, a configuration in which a protrusion is provided so as to protrude rearward from the rear end of the enlarged diameter part 24, and this protrusion is held by hand and rotated, It is also possible to provide an uneven anti-slip portion (for example, a plurality of vertical grooves) on the outer circumferential surface of the portion 24, so that this anti-slip portion can be held and rotated by hand.

Further, in the above embodiment, as a particularly preferable example, the closing member 20 is formed into a rotatable shaft shape, but as another example of the closing member 20, the illustrated closing member 20 may be cut on a virtual plane including the central axis. It is also possible to use shapes other than the illustrated example, such as a semi-cylindrical shape.

Further, in the above embodiment, a tricycle for children is configured, but the saddle height adjustment structure according to the present invention can be applied to bicycles including children's bicycles, riding toys in the shape of a car or other shapes, strollers, etc. It is possible to apply to other riding equipment.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified as appropriate without changing the gist of the present invention.

1: Saddle height adjustment structure 15: Seat tube 15b: Locking hole 16: Seat post 16a, 16b: Height adjustment hole 17: Shaft-shaped holding member 20: Closure member 21: First insertion portion 22: Closure portion 23 :Second insertion part 25: Rotation operation part A: Riding equipment

Claims (6)

A seat tube that has an opening at its upper end, a seat post that has a saddle attached to its upper end and whose lower end is inserted into the opening of the seat tube, and is inserted through both the seat tube and the seat post to maintain the saddle height. and a shaft-shaped holding member,
A locking hole through which the shaft-shaped holding member can be inserted is provided in the peripheral wall of the seat tube,
At least two height adjustment holes are provided in the peripheral wall of the seat post at intervals in the axial direction so that the shaft-shaped holding member can be selectively inserted therethrough, and of these height adjustment holes, the upper The closer height adjustment hole is located above the seat tube when the shaft-shaped holding member is inserted through the height adjustment hole below the height adjustment hole and the locking hole. It is set up so that
A saddle height adjustment structure for a riding equipment, characterized in that a closing member for opening and closing the upper height adjustment hole is provided in the seat post. The closing member is formed into a shaft shape that is rotatable along the inner circumferential surface of the seat post, and the shaft-shaped holding member can be inserted into a height position corresponding to the upper height adjustment hole. 2. The saddle height according to claim 1, further comprising: one insertion section; and a closing section capable of closing the height adjustment hole from inside at a position circumferentially shifted with respect to the first insertion section. Adjustment structure. The closing member has a second insertion portion into which the shaft-shaped holding member can be inserted at a height position corresponding to a height adjustment hole adjacent to the lower side of the upper height adjustment hole. The saddle height adjustment structure according to claim 2. 4. The saddle height adjustment structure according to claim 2, wherein the closing member has a protruding shape that can be inserted into and removed from the height adjustment hole from the inside. The saddle height adjustment structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a rotation operation section is provided on the lower end side of the closure member to enable rotational operation of the closure member. A riding equipment comprising the saddle height adjustment structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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