CN108798095B - Bicycle parking device - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a bicycle parking device which can suppress initial investment required for installation and maintenance cost thereafter, stabilize the lifting speed of a parking frame and suppress generation of vibration noise even when the individual weight of a bicycle mounted on the parking frame and the number of the parking frames lifted simultaneously in a real vehicle state change, and realize stable and quiet lifting of the parking frame during operation. A lower carriage (20) which is urged to be constantly pulled upward by a gas spring (80) is disposed below an upper carriage (10) which is urged to be constantly pulled upward by a constant pressure spring (1). A piston rod (80R) of the gas spring (80) protrudes downward and exerts a traction force corresponding to the total load of the lower movable body (21) and the bicycle mounted on the parking frame (11). The front end of the piston rod (80R) is connected to the lower movable body (21) via a winding transmission mechanism (8) including a movable pulley (8M), a fixed pulley (8F), and a wire (8 w).

Description

Bicycle parking device

The application is a divisional application of patent applications with application date of 2017, 8, and 31, application number of 201710770726.7 and invention name of 'bicycle parking lot'.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a bicycle parking device.

Background

In recent years, in addition to general bicycles (for example, about 15kgf to 20 kgf), sport bicycles with light weight, children's bicycles (for example, less than 15kgf), electric assist bicycles with heavy weight (in road traffic law, bicycles with driving assist are called, and there are bicycles with more than 20 kgf), and the like have been spread, and the range of weight has been expanded in comparison with the conventional ones with the diversification of vehicle types. For example, in a parking lot installed by a government (government operation) operated by an autonomous entity or the like, there is no limitation on the carrying-in of the various bicycles described above in principle, or in a public parking lot installed in a collective housing such as a building or an apartment, the specifications of the owned bicycles are frequently changed due to the relocation, the change of the home structure, or the like, and therefore, a bicycle parking device capable of flexibly coping with the change in the weight of the bicycle mounted on the vertically ascending/descending parking frame is desired.

The applicant of the present application has proposed in patent document 1a bicycle parking device as follows: a multi-stage constant pressure spring is provided for lifting a bicycle mounted on a parking stand, and an assist force corresponding to the weight of the bicycle can be applied by adjusting the number of stages of the constant pressure spring used. Patent document 2 discloses the following technique: the air supply to the air cylinder is switched to assist the lifting operation of the bicycle in the real state. According to the above-described conventional technique, a predetermined assisting force (spring force or cylinder driving force) acts on a bicycle mounted on a parking frame when the parking frame is lifted.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese utility model registration No. 3198802

Patent document 2: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2007-138680

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, when a plurality of bicycle stops are installed in a parking lot, the number of stages of the constant pressure spring must be adjusted for each bicycle stop in patent document 1, and the control equipment including the generation of compressed air, piping equipment, and operation switches in patent document 2 is required, so that initial equipment investment and maintenance costs tend to increase.

In addition, in the constant pressure spring system of patent document 1, when the bicycle parking device is operated, for example, when a lightweight bicycle with less than 15kgf is loaded with respect to a rated load of 25kgf of the constant pressure spring, there is a possibility that a readjustment or additional adjustment of the spring force is necessary in order to suppress a sudden rise of the parking frame and to alleviate vibration noise associated with an abrupt stop at the upper layer. On the other hand, in the cylinder system of patent document 2, when a situation where the number of jiffies that simultaneously rise in a real vehicle state among a plurality of bicycle stops constantly fluctuates, such as during a rush hour simultaneous operation, there is a possibility that it is difficult to stably supply a predetermined air pressure and the jiffies rise and fall at a stable speed (in addition, the addition of a supercharger, a pressure accumulator, and the like causes a significant increase in cost).

The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a bicycle parking place that can suppress initial investment required for installation and subsequent maintenance costs, and can realize stable and quiet lifting of a parking frame during operation by stabilizing the lifting speed of the parking frame and suppressing generation of vibration noise even when the weight of each bicycle mounted on the parking frame and the number of the parking frames simultaneously lifted in a real vehicle state change.

Means for solving the problems and effects of the invention

In order to solve the above problems, a bicycle parking device according to the present invention includes:

a first lifting/lowering section (e.g., an upper carriage) having a parking frame on which a bicycle can be mounted and a first movable body (e.g., an upper movable body) which can move up and down the parking frame along a column vertically erected in a cylindrical shape in a vertical direction, the first lifting/lowering section being urged to be pulled upward all the time by a first urging member having a function of pulling a total load of the parking frame and the first movable body in an empty state in which the bicycle is not mounted;

a second lifting/lowering section (e.g., a lower carriage) disposed below the first lifting/lowering section, including a second movable body (e.g., a lower movable body) that is capable of lifting/lowering integrally with the first lifting/lowering section along the support column, and that is urged to move upward at all times by a second urging member having a function of pulling a total load of the second movable body and a bicycle mounted on the parking frame in a real-vehicle state; and

an engaging portion provided between the first lifting portion and the second lifting portion, the engaging portion being capable of locking the first lifting portion and the second lifting portion with respect to the column, respectively, and being capable of lifting in an independent state of the first lifting portion in the empty state, and capable of lifting in an integrated state by pressing contact portions provided in the first lifting portion and the second lifting portion in the actual state,

the bicycle parking device as described above is characterized in that,

the first urging member is a constant pressure spring which is stretched between the first movable body and a winder provided in the support column,

the second biasing member is constituted by a gas spring disposed inside the pillar, and a cylinder (a head portion of the gas spring) is directly or indirectly attached to the pillar via an attachment member, and a tip end portion of a piston rod that projects downward and exerts a traction force is connected to the second movable body via a winding transmission mechanism including a movable pulley.

In this way, the second biasing member is formed of a gas spring, and the cylinder thereof is attached to the pillar, and the piston rod is connected to the second movable body via the winding transmission mechanism including the movable pulley, whereby the second biasing member can be compactly housed and arranged inside the pillar. Further, since the gas spring is used for the second biasing member, the function of pulling the total load of the bicycle in the actual vehicle state and the second movable body and the buffer function at the upper-layer stop position are exhibited by the inert gas sealed in the inner sealed space of the cylinder, and even when the individual weight of the bicycle mounted on the parking frame changes, the lifting speed of the parking frame can be stabilized and the generation of vibration noise can be suppressed, and stable and quiet lifting of the parking frame can be realized during operation.

Specifically, the gas spring is operated in a state where an inert compressed gas such as nitrogen, helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, or carbon dioxide is sealed in a sealed space inside the cylinder. Therefore, if the enclosed gas pressure is adjusted in advance to obtain a predetermined gas reaction force (also the pressing force of the piston rod), the adjustment can be performed again frequently in accordance with the weight change of the bicycle, unlike a constant pressure spring, and the rising speed of the parking frame does not become unstable in the order of the number of cylinders that are simultaneously operated, like the number of cylinders that receive the supply of compressed gas from a compressor or the like.

The winding transmission mechanism includes a movable pulley, a fixed pulley, and a connecting member (wire, rope, belt, chain, etc.). A sheave (wear) in which a guide groove of a coupling member is provided around the dried noodles may be used as the movable sheave or the fixed sheave. The movable pulley has the following functions: the auxiliary force for assisting the raising of the parking frame in the real vehicle state is reduced to one of an integral number of the pressing force of the piston rod (i.e., the reaction force of the gas sealed in the cylinder), and the parking frame stroke is extended to an integral number of the piston rod stroke.

The constant pressure spring used in the first biasing member is formed by winding a long plate spring in a spiral shape, and the spring force (restoring force generated during linear stretching) is substantially constant (the amount of change is small) even when the amount of deflection changes.

In order to solve the same problem as the present invention, another bicycle parking device includes a lifting/lowering unit including a parking frame on which a bicycle is mounted and a movable body capable of lifting/lowering the parking frame along a support column vertically provided in a cylindrical shape, and the lifting/lowering unit is urged to be constantly pulled upward by an urging member having a function of drawing a total load of the parking frame, the movable body, and the bicycle mounted on the parking frame in an actual state,

the urging member may be constituted by a gas spring disposed inside the column, and (a head portion of) a cylinder of the gas spring may be directly or indirectly attached to the column via an attachment member, and a tip end portion of a piston rod that projects downward and exerts a traction force may be connected to the movable body via a winding transmission mechanism including a movable pulley.

In this way, in the case of a flip-up storage type bicycle parking device of a type in which the parking frame in an empty state is changed from a horizontal posture to an inverted posture at a lower-stage (lower) position to a storage state (unused state), the urging member is composed of a gas spring, and the cylinder thereof is attached to the pillar and the piston rod is connected to the movable body via a winding transmission mechanism including a movable pulley, whereby the parking device can be compactly housed and arranged inside the pillar. Further, since the gas spring is used as the biasing member, the function of pulling the total load of the jiffy stand, the movable body, and the bicycle in the actual state and the buffer function at the upper-layer stop position are exhibited by the inert gas sealed in the inner sealed space of the cylinder, and therefore, even when the individual weight of the bicycle mounted on the jiffy stand varies, the rising speed of the jiffy stand can be stabilized, the generation of vibration noise can be suppressed, and stable and quiet rising of the jiffy stand can be realized during operation. The gas spring, the winding transmission mechanism, and the movable pulley are the same as those of the present invention.

In these bicycle stops, the head of the cylinder of the gas spring is attached to the stay in a swingable state or a non-swingable state, and the movable pulley is attached to the tip end of the piston rod in a swingable state or a non-swingable state,

a linear guide mechanism is provided for reciprocating the movable sheave in a predetermined direction in accordance with the protrusion and retraction of the piston rod.

By providing such a linear guide mechanism, the piston rod can be stably moved in the entire range of the piston rod stroke (i.e., the movable sheave movement distance). Therefore, vibration noise during the lifting of the parking frame can be reduced, and the accuracy and durability of the bicycle parking device can be improved.

The linear guide mechanism includes, for example, a guide rail provided on the column and a guide roller disposed near the movable pulley, and guides the movable pulley to move in the vertical direction. Further, a high-precision linear guide mechanism can be configured by using a linear guide (also referred to as a linear guide) such as an "LM guide" (registered trademark of THK corporation) in which a plurality of rolling elements (balls or rollers) are interposed between a linear rail and a linear carriage (carriage).

When the cylinder bore of the gas spring is set to D₀D is the diameter of the piston rod₀The head-side pressure receiving area AH of the piston₀And the pressure receiving area AR of the rod side₀Are respectively expressed by the following formula,

AH₀＝πD₀ ²/4

AR₀＝AH₀-πd₀ ²/4＝π(D₀+d₀)(D₀-d₀)/4，

pressure receiving area ratio r of gas spring₀Through r₀＝AR₀/AH₀＝(D₀+d₀)(D₀-d₀)/D₀ ²Is found in the following, and 0.77. ltoreq. r₀≤0.92。

Thus, the pressure receiving area ratio r of the gas spring is set₀By making the hysteresis generated on the projecting side and the retracting side of the piston rod relatively small, the man-made operation force required on the ascending side of the parking frame (i.e., the piston rod projecting side) and the descending side of the parking frame (i.e., the piston rod retracting side) in the actual vehicle state can be reduced, and the operability when the parking frame is lifted and lowered can be improved.

Further, the pressure receiving area ratio r with respect to the gas spring₀Preferably at 0.80. ltoreq. r₀A range of 0.89 or less, more preferably 0.82 or less r₀The range of less than or equal to 0.87. If the upper limit value is exceeded, the piston rod may be bent, while if the lower limit value is fallen below, the operating force particularly when the parking frame is raised increases, and there is a possibility that an obstacle may be generated in the parking operation of the bicycle with the power assist device by the elderly person.

The parking frame is formed in a guide groove shape for guiding a wheel of a mounted bicycle, and includes:

anti-falling units (for example, side guides) provided on both sides in the longitudinal direction to prevent lateral rollover of the mounted bicycle;

a wheel support unit (for example, a tire support) provided at the bottom of the guide groove shape for holding a wheel introduced earlier during mounting and for specifying the introduction position of the bicycle; and

in order to suppress the floating of the prior-introduced wheel during the rise-stop, the inverted U-shaped wheel protecting unit (e.g., tire protector) extends upward from a predetermined position between the wheel supporting unit and the support column in one of the anti-toppling units, then extends downward through the direction changing portion that bypasses the prior-introduced wheel, and reaches the other anti-toppling unit.

In this way, since the wheel support unit and the wheel protection unit are provided to the jiffy stand in addition to the falling prevention unit, even when the wheel is previously introduced to float from the jiffy stand due to the impact at the time of stopping the upper layer, the wheel can be prevented from coming off or falling off, and the vibration noise can be reduced.

In place of the constant pressure spring used in the bicycle parking device according to the present invention, when the first urging member is constituted by an auxiliary gas spring which is another gas spring disposed inside the pillar separately from the gas spring, the (head portion of the) auxiliary cylinder of the auxiliary gas spring is attached to the pillar directly or indirectly via an attachment member, and the tip end portion of the auxiliary piston rod which protrudes downward and exerts the traction force is connected to the first movable body via an auxiliary winding transmission mechanism which includes an auxiliary movable pulley which is another movable pulley provided separately from the movable pulley and which is another winding transmission mechanism provided separately from the winding transmission mechanism.

In this way, the assist gas spring constituting the first urging member can raise and lower the parking frame in the empty state at a substantially constant speed throughout the entire stroke, thereby stabilizing the raising and lowering operation (similarly to or further than the constant pressure spring of the present invention) and improving the durability of the first urging member.

The winding transmission mechanism comprises: a connecting member having one end fixed to the support column is wound around a movable pulley attached to the distal end portion of the piston rod and a fixed pulley attached to the support column, and the other end of the connecting member is fixed to the second movable body,

the auxiliary winding transmission mechanism comprises: an auxiliary connecting member as another connecting member having one end fixed to the support column and provided separately from the connecting member is wound around an auxiliary movable pulley and an auxiliary fixed pulley, the auxiliary movable pulley is attached to a distal end portion of the auxiliary piston rod, the auxiliary fixed pulley is another fixed pulley attached to the support column and provided separately from the fixed pulley, and the other end of the auxiliary connecting member is fixed to the first movable body,

the winding transmission mechanism and the auxiliary winding transmission mechanism are separated from each other in the left-right direction with respect to a width center line along the length direction of the parking frame and are arranged in parallel in the up-down direction (for example, the vertical direction) inside the support column,

the winding center lines of the fixed pulley and the auxiliary fixed pulley are arranged obliquely so as to intersect the width center line at positions separated by a predetermined distance in the longitudinal direction, and the coupling member wound around the fixed pulley hangs down from the intersection point with the width center line to reach the second movable body, and the auxiliary coupling member wound around the auxiliary fixed pulley hangs down from the intersection point with the width center line to reach the first movable body, in a plan view.

In this way, the fixed pulley and the auxiliary fixed pulley are disposed obliquely with respect to the width center line, and the coupling member and the auxiliary coupling member respectively hang down from positions shifted in the longitudinal direction of the width center line in a plan view. As a result, since the connection point between the second movable body and the coupling member and the connection point between the first movable body and the auxiliary coupling member are located at the center of the width, the lifting and lowering of the second movable body by the coupling member and the lifting and lowering of the first movable body (and the parking frame) by the auxiliary coupling member are smoothly performed without tilting. In addition, since the winding transmission mechanism and the auxiliary winding transmission mechanism can be disposed in the narrow inner space of the column so as to be separated from each other on the left and right sides, the assembly is easy, and a malfunction due to erroneous assembly can be prevented.

The gas spring is provided with a linear guide mechanism for reciprocating the movable sheave in the vertical direction (for example, in the vertical direction) in accordance with the protrusion and retraction of the piston rod, and on the other hand,

the auxiliary gas spring is provided with an auxiliary linear guide mechanism for reciprocating the auxiliary movable pulley in the vertical direction (for example, in the vertical direction) independently of the movable pulley in accordance with the protrusion and retraction of the auxiliary piston rod.

Since the linear guide mechanism and the auxiliary linear guide mechanism are provided to reciprocate the movable sheave and the auxiliary movable sheave independently of each other, the coupling member and the auxiliary coupling member can stably operate over the entire range of the parking frame stroke (for example, 1.2m) without being entangled with each other.

The auxiliary gas spring includes:

an auxiliary piston connected to a base end portion of an auxiliary piston rod in an auxiliary cylinder, dividing the interior of the auxiliary cylinder into a head-side sealed chamber and a rod-side sealed chamber, and having one or more auxiliary orifices formed therethrough for allowing fluid to move between the sealed chambers;

an inert compressed gas which is sealed inside the auxiliary cylinder, moves from the rod-side sealed chamber to the head-side sealed chamber through the auxiliary orifice when the auxiliary piston rod protrudes, and moves from the head-side sealed chamber to the rod-side sealed chamber through the auxiliary orifice when the auxiliary piston rod retracts; and

a buffer oil sealed inside the auxiliary cylinder and at a position closer to the distal end portion side of the auxiliary piston rod than a sealing region (range) of the inert compressed gas, and moving from the rod-side sealed chamber to the head-side sealed chamber through the auxiliary orifice following movement of the inert compressed gas when the auxiliary piston rod is protruded, and moving from the head-side sealed chamber to the rod-side sealed chamber through the auxiliary orifice before movement of the inert compressed gas when the auxiliary piston rod is retracted,

when the auxiliary piston rod protrudes downward, a stepwise buffer function is exhibited by the inert compressed gas that first flows from the rod-side sealed chamber to the head-side sealed chamber through the auxiliary orifice and the buffer oil that flows thereafter.

In this way, when the auxiliary piston rod protrudes downward, the auxiliary gas spring performs the cushion function by the inert compressed gas and the cushion function by the cushion oil in stages, and therefore, the rising speed of the parking frame during rising in the empty state can be controlled, and the generation of vibration noise can be suppressed.

Specifically, the parking frame in the above-described empty state during the ascent is subjected to the first-stage buffering action when the inert compressed gas passes through the auxiliary orifice, and the ascent speed gradually decreases as it approaches the upper-stage stop position, and is subjected to the second-stage buffering action when the buffer oil passes through the auxiliary orifice, and the ascent speed further decreases immediately before reaching the upper-stage stop position.

In this way, the parking frame that is ascending in an empty state (for example, during automatic return) is subjected to the first-stage damping action when the inert compressed gas passes through the auxiliary orifice, and then to the second-stage damping action when the damping oil passes through the auxiliary orifice immediately before reaching the upper-stage stop position, thereby reducing the generation of vibration noise at the upper-stage stop position.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an overall front view showing a state in which a parking stand is in an upper position in an empty state and in a standby state as an embodiment of a bicycle parking stand according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a right side view of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a left side view of fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of portions a1 and a2 in fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of portions B1 and B2 in fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is an explanatory view of a main part in fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the column when the movable sheave in fig. 1 is viewed from above.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the column when the fixed sheave in fig. 1 is viewed from above.

Fig. 9 is a front view of an intermediate movable portion provided with the movable sheave of fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a side view of the intermediate movable portion of fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is an overall front view showing a state in which the parking frame is located at a lower position in an empty state, following fig. 1.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged view of a portion C in fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a plan view and a right side view illustrating a main part of fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is an overall front view showing a state in which the parking frame is located at a lower position in the real vehicle state, following fig. 11.

Fig. 15 is an enlarged view of a portion D in fig. 14.

Fig. 16 is a plan view and a right side view illustrating a main part of fig. 15.

Fig. 17 is an overall front view showing a state in which the parking frame is located at an upper position in the real vehicle state next to fig. 14.

Fig. 18 is a left side view of fig. 17.

Fig. 19 is an enlarged view of the portions E1, E2, and E3 in fig. 17.

Fig. 20 is an overall front view showing a state in which the parking frame is located at a lower position in the unloading state, following fig. 17.

Fig. 21 is an enlarged view of a portion F in fig. 20.

Fig. 22 is a plan view and a right side view illustrating a main part in fig. 21.

Fig. 23 is an overall front view showing a state in which the parking frame is lifted from the lower position in the unloading state, following fig. 20.

Fig. 24 is an enlarged view of a portion G in fig. 23.

Fig. 25 is a front view of the parking stand.

Fig. 26 is a top view of fig. 25.

Fig. 27A is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing the structure and operation of the gas spring.

Fig. 27B is an explanatory view of a head-side end surface of the piston.

Fig. 27C is an explanatory view of a rod-side end surface of the piston.

Fig. 28 is an overall right side view showing a parking stand in an upper position in an empty state and in a standby state as a first modified example of a bicycle parking stand different from the present invention.

Fig. 29 is a rear view of fig. 28.

Fig. 30 is an enlarged view of a portion H in fig. 29.

Fig. 31 is a front view of fig. 28.

Fig. 32 is a front view showing a state in which the parking frame is located at the lower position in an empty state, following fig. 31.

Fig. 33 is a rear view of fig. 32.

Fig. 34 is a sectional view of the column when the movable sheave in fig. 28 is viewed from above.

Fig. 35 is a sectional view of the column when the fixed sheave in fig. 28 is viewed from above.

Fig. 36 is a front view of an intermediate movable portion provided with the movable sheave of fig. 28.

Fig. 37 is a side view of the intermediate movable portion of fig. 36.

Fig. 38 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing the structure and operation of the gas spring.

Fig. 39 is an explanatory view of a head-side end surface of the piston.

Fig. 40 is an explanatory view of a rod-side end surface of the piston.

Fig. 41 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing the structure and operation of the assist gas spring.

Fig. 42 is an explanatory view of a head-side end surface of the auxiliary piston.

Fig. 43 is a rod-side end face explanatory view of the auxiliary piston.

Fig. 44 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing a first reference example of the assist gas spring.

Fig. 45 is an explanatory view of a rod-side end surface of the auxiliary piston shown in fig. 44.

Fig. 46 is an end view of the orifice plate shown in fig. 44.

Fig. 47 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing a second reference example of the assist gas spring.

Fig. 48 is an explanatory view of a rod-side end face of the auxiliary piston shown in fig. 47.

Fig. 49 is an end view of the first orifice plate shown in fig. 47.

Fig. 50 is an end view of the second orifice plate shown in fig. 47.

Fig. 51 is an overall front view of a parking frame in a real vehicle state as a second modification of the bicycle parking device when the parking frame is in a stopped state at an upper position.

Fig. 52 is an overall front view of the parking stand in the real state in the bicycle parking machine of fig. 51 in a stopped state at a lower position.

Fig. 53 is an overall front view of the parking stand in an empty state in the bicycle parking device of fig. 51 in a stowed state at a lower position.

Description of the symbols

100. 200, 300 bicycle parking device

110 cycle

1 constant pressure spring (first force applying component)

3 support post

8 winding and hanging transmission mechanism

8M movable pulley

8F fixed pulley

8f winding central line

8w wire (connecting member)

10 Upper portion trolley (first lifting part; lifting part)

11 jiffy stand

11y center line of width

12 Upper movable body (first movable body; movable body)

20 lower trolley (second lifting part)

21 lower movable body (second movable body)

30U Upper engaging part (engaging part)

30L lower engaging part (engaging part)

321 upper contact part (contact part)

323 tire support (wheel support unit)

331 lower abutting portion (abutting portion)

38 mounting component

60 tire protection member (wheel protection unit; suspension suppression unit)

62 side guide (anti-tipping unit)

80 gas spring (second force applying component; force applying component)

80S cylinder

80P piston

80R piston rod

80F orifice

80G, 82G Linear guide mechanism

81 auxiliary gas spring (first force applying component; other gas spring)

81S auxiliary cylinder

811 head-side closed chamber

812 rod side closed chamber

81P auxiliary piston

81R auxiliary piston rod

81F auxiliary orifice

81G auxiliary linear guide mechanism

800 auxiliary winding transmission mechanism (other winding transmission mechanism)

8N auxiliary movable pulley

8E auxiliary fixed pulley

8e winding central line

8X wire (auxiliary connecting component)

SO sealing oil (Airtight oil)

BO buffer oil

r₀Pressure receiving area ratio of the gas spring 80

r₁Pressure receiving area ratio of the auxiliary gas spring 81

x₀Gas mean flow index of gas spring 80

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments and the like of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(examples)

An embodiment of the bicycle parking device of the present invention will be explained. Fig. 1 to 6 show a state in which the bicycle parking device 100 is in a standby state, that is, a parking frame 11 for mounting (placing) a bicycle 110 (see fig. 14) is in an upper position (upper position) of a square tubular pillar 3 vertically erected from a base portion 4 in an empty state (non-mounted state). Further, the present invention may be applied to a vertically ascending and descending type bicycle parking place having upper and lower stages of jiffy stands, but in the embodiment shown here, illustration of the jiffy stand positioned at the lower stage (lower side) in the standby state is omitted, and only the jiffy stand positioned at the upper stage (upper side) in the standby state will be described.

In the standby bicycle parking device 100 shown in fig. 1 to 6, an upper carriage 10 (first elevating portion) is disposed above (above) the pillar 3, and the upper carriage 10 is biased by a single (or a plurality of) constant pressure springs 1 (first biasing members) so as to be always pulled upward. On the other hand, a lower carriage 20 (second elevating portion) is disposed at a lower portion (lower position) of the column 3 separately from the upper carriage 10, and the lower carriage 20 is biased by a gas spring 80 (second biasing member) so as to be pulled upward at all times. The number of gas springs 80 to be assembled can be adjusted (changed), and for example, a plurality of gas springs 80 can be arranged in a row.

The upper carriage 10 shown enlarged in fig. 4 is a first carriage, and the upper carriage 10 includes: a parking frame 11 on which a bicycle 110 can be mounted; and an upper movable body 12 (first movable body) capable of moving up and down the parking frame 11 along the column 3 vertically provided in a cylindrical shape. The parking frame 11 is formed in an elongated shape extending in a forward/backward direction (hereinafter, referred to as a front/rear direction) when the bicycle 110 is loaded and unloaded, and when the bicycle is parked, the bicycle 110 moves forward toward the pillar 3 to be in a real-vehicle state (see fig. 14), and when the bicycle is unloaded, the bicycle 110 moves backward from the pillar 3 to be in an empty-vehicle state (see fig. 20). The upper movable body 12 is fixed to the parking frame 11 and is movable up and down along the support column 3 together with the parking frame 11 via a plurality of (for example, four in total shown in fig. 2) rollers 121.

The constant pressure spring 1 is wound around the upper movable body 12 and a winding device 1a (see fig. 1 and 2) provided in the uppermost cover 3T of the support column 3, and has a function of pulling a total load of the parking frame 11 and the upper movable body 12 in an empty state in which no bicycle is mounted, and specifically, is set to a spring force (e.g., 9kgf) larger than the total load (e.g., 7 kgf). The constant pressure spring 1 is formed by winding a long plate spring in a spiral shape, and the spring force (restoring force generated during linear stretching) is substantially constant (i.e., the amount of change is small) even when the amount of deflection changes.

The lower carriage 20 shown enlarged in fig. 5 is a second carriage disposed below the upper carriage 10, and in the actual state of the parking frame 11 (see fig. 14 to 16), the lower carriage 20 can be raised and lowered along the support column 3 integrally with the upper carriage 10 (the parking frame 11 and the upper movable body 12). Specifically, the lower carriage 20 includes a lower movable body 21 (second movable body), and the lower movable body 21 moves up and down along the support column 3 via a plurality of (for example, four in total shown in fig. 2) rollers 211 in a state (coupled state) in which the lower movable body 21 is integrated with the upper movable body 12 in the actual state of the parking frame 11 (see fig. 14 to 16) by the action of an engagement portion 30 described later, and the lower carriage 20 is locked so as not to move up and down at a position below the support column 3 in the empty state of the parking frame 11 (see fig. 1 to 6 and 11 to 13).

The gas spring 80 is disposed inside the column 3, and has a function of pulling at least a total load of the bicycle 110 (for example, 18kgf) and the lower movable body 21 (for example, 1kgf) mounted on the parking frame 11 in a real vehicle state (for example, see fig. 14), and is specifically set so as to obtain a biasing force corresponding to the total load (for example, 19 kgf). The gas spring 80 here is mounted indirectly (or directly to the column 3) to the column 3 via the mounting member 38 as shown in fig. 4, and the tip end portion of the piston rod 80R that projects downward and exerts a traction force as shown in fig. 5 is connected to the lower movable body 21 via the winding transmission mechanism 8 including the movable pulley 8M. Therefore, the urging force of the gas spring 80 is set in accordance with the structure of the winding transmission mechanism 8 such as the movable pulley 8M.

In this way, in the empty state of the parking frame 11 (see fig. 1 to 6 and 11 to 13), the parking frame 11 and the upper movable body 12 in the empty state are supported by the biasing force (e.g., 9kgf) of the constant pressure spring 1, and in the actual state of the parking frame 11 (see fig. 14 to 16), the biasing force (e.g., 19kgf) of the gas spring 80 is added to the biasing force (e.g., 9kgf) of the constant pressure spring 1, thereby supporting the parking frame 11 (the parking frame 11+ the bicycle 110), the upper movable body 12, and the lower movable body 21 in the actual state.

As shown in fig. 27A to 27C, the gas spring 80 includes: a cylinder 80S in which a working fluid is sealed; a cylinder-side mounting portion 80BS provided at the rear end (head) of the cylinder 80S and mounted on the upper portion of the pillar 3 (see fig. 4); a piston 80P inserted into the cylinder 80S and partitioning the interior of the cylinder 80S into two chambers, a first chamber (head-side closed chamber) 801 and a second chamber (rod-side closed chamber) 802; a piston rod 80R having a rear end connected to the piston 80P and a front end protruding outward from the front end of the cylinder 80S; a rod-side mounting portion 80BR provided at the tip (head) of the piston rod 80R and mounted to an intermediate movable portion 82 (movable sheave elevating portion: see fig. 5); and an orifice 80F provided in the piston 80P and configured to allow the working fluid to flow between the two chambers 801 and 802 inside the cylinder 80S as the piston rod 80R moves.

Area AR of pressure receiving surface 80P2 on second chamber 802 side of piston 80P₀Smaller than the area AH of the pressure receiving surface 80p1 on the first chamber 801 side₀Since the force received from the enclosed gas is small on the second chamber 802 side of the piston 80P, a pressing force (also referred to as a gas reaction force) PF in the extension direction (downward in this case) is always generated in the piston rod 80R within a predetermined piston rod stroke 80RS₀The jiffy stand 11 in the actual vehicle state can be raised (see fig. 17). In addition, inert compressed gas such as nitrogen, helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, or carbon dioxide is sealed in the two chambers 801 and 802 as a working fluid, and nitrogen is used here. The rod-side sealed chamber 802 of the gas spring 80 is filled with a sealing oil SO for gas sealing (i.e., for holding nitrogen gas sealed in the cylinder 80S)The air-tight sealing oil).

Specifically, nitrogen (inert compressed gas) in the rod-side sealed chamber 802 flows into the head-side sealed chamber 801 through the orifice 80F, and thereby a pressing force PF pushing the piston 80P and the piston rod 80R downward is generated₀(gas reaction force) ((a) → (B) in fig. 27A). In this embodiment, since the movable sheave 8M (described later in detail) is used, the parking frame 11 in the actual vehicle state is raised by a parking frame stroke 11RS (for example, 1.2M) which is about twice the piston rod stroke 80RS (for example, the downward projection amount is 60cm) (see fig. 17). Furthermore, the pressing force PF is generated as the nitrogen gas moves (passes through the orifice 80F)₀Gradually decreases. In other words, particularly in the end section of the piston rod stroke 80RS (the parking frame stroke 11RS), the gas spring 80 also functions as a shock absorber (damper), and therefore, the rising speed of the parking frame 11 in the actual vehicle state can be reduced, and the vibration noise at the upper layer position can be reduced. When a pushing force (external force) acts on the piston rod 80R, nitrogen gas in the head-side sealed chamber 801 flows into the rod-side sealed chamber 802 through the orifice 80F, and the piston rod 80R retreats and returns into the cylinder 80S ((B) → (a) in fig. 27A).

The strut 3 is formed in a rectangular tube shape, and as shown in fig. 7 and 8, the strut 3 has a partition wall portion 3v partitioning an inner space thereof in a front-rear direction (vertical direction in the drawing). In the column 3, a main portion of the winding transmission mechanism 8 (see fig. 4 and 5) for moving the lower movable body 21 up and down is provided in the column inner space 381 on the front side with respect to the partition wall portion 3 v. On the other hand, the lower movable body 21, the upper movable body 12, and the constant pressure spring 1 for moving the upper movable body 12 up and down are provided in the post inner space 382 on the rear side with respect to the partition wall portion 3v (see fig. 4 and 5).

The winding transmission mechanism 8 includes a movable pulley 8M, a fixed pulley 8F, and a wire rod 8w as a coupling member. As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the winding transmission mechanism 8 here is formed as follows: a wire 8w having one end fixed to the upper portion of the column 3 is wound around a movable pulley 8M attached to the distal end portion (distal end portion) of the piston rod 80R and a fixed pulley 8F attached to the column 3, and the other end of the wire 8w is fixed to the lower movable body 21. Specifically, as shown in fig. 4, one end of the wire 8w in a ring shape is engaged with a hook member 84 (a pillar-side fixing portion) fastened and fixed to the upper front side of the pillar 3, and the other end extends downward. As shown in fig. 5, the tip end of the wire 8w extending downward is wound around the movable sheave 8M provided in the intermediate movable portion 82 and folded back upward. Since the intermediate movable portion 82 is attached to the rod-side attachment portion 80BR at the tip (front end) of the piston rod 80R, the intermediate movable portion 82 functions as a movable sheave elevating portion. Returning to fig. 4, the wire 8w folded back upward at the movable pulley 8M is wound around the fixed pulley 8F fixed to the mounting member 38 at the upper portion of the column 3 and folded back downward again. Referring to fig. 5, the wire 8w folded back downward at the fixed pulley 8F is formed in a hook-and-hold fixed state in which it is hooked on the hook portion 28 (lower movable body side fixing portion) of the lower carriage 20. The lower carriage 20 is lifted and lowered by the winding transmission mechanism 8 and the gas spring 80.

The gas spring 80 exerts downward pressing force (may also be referred to as biasing force) on the piston rod 80R, and when the piston rod 80R extends downward in accordance with the pressing force, the movable pulley 8M at the tip end of the piston rod 80R also moves downward in conjunction therewith. Thereby, the wire 8w wound around the fixed sheave 8F is pulled toward the movable sheave 8M to be lowered, while the opposite side is pulled upward, and the lower carriage 20 fixed to the front end thereof is raised.

On the other hand, when an external force (for example, an operation force of a user) that presses downward against the downward pressing force of the piston rod 80R acts on the ascending lower carriage 20, the wire 8w wound around the fixed pulley 8F is pulled downward on the side opposite to the movable pulley 8M, and the movable pulley 8M is pulled upward. At this time, the movable pulley 8M is also pulled up, and the piston rod 80R retreats into the cylinder 80S.

As shown in fig. 5, 7, 9, and 10, the movable sheave 8M is disposed in the pillar interior space 381 on the front side, and is attached to the intermediate movable section 82 so as to be lifted and lowered integrally with the intermediate movable section 82. The movable pulley 8M has the following functions: the assisting force for assisting the raising of the parking frame 11 in the real vehicle state is reduced to one of the integral parts of the pressing force of the piston rod 80R (i.e., the reaction force of the cylinder-enclosed gas), and the parking frame stroke 11RS is expanded to the integral multiple of the piston rod stroke 80 RS. Here, as shown in fig. 17, the parking frame stroke 11RS is set to be twice the piston rod stroke 80RS (for example, the parking frame stroke 11RS is 1.2m, and the piston rod stroke 80RS is 0.6 m). Thus, the bicycle parking device 100 can be downsized by disposing the shorter and small gas spring 80 in the stay 3.

As shown in fig. 4 and 8, the fixed pulley 8F is arranged as follows: the wire 8w extending upward with the driven pulley 8M passing through the front side in-pillar space 381 is folded downward so as to enter the rear side in-pillar space 382 in which the lower carriage 20 is disposed. One end side of the wire rod 8w is fixed to the hooking member 84 in the front pillar inner space 381, wound around the movable pulley 8M and reaching the fixed pulley 8F, and the other end side of the wire rod 8w enters the rear pillar inner space 382 from the fixed pulley 8F and is fixed to the lower carriage 20 in the pillar inner space 382. The fixed pulley 8F is disposed above the partition wall 3v so as to straddle the front side in the strut space 381 and the rear side in the strut space 382.

As shown in fig. 5 and 7, the intermediate movable portion 82 is disposed in the front in-column space 381, and is capable of moving up and down integrally with the piston rod 80R. Fig. 1 and 3 show the operating position of the intermediate movable portion 82 when the piston rod 80R is contracted and the lower carriage 20 is in the lower position. On the other hand, fig. 17 and 18 show the operating position of the intermediate movable portion 82 when the piston rod 80R is extended and the lower carriage 20 is in the upper position.

As shown in fig. 3, 5, 7, 9, and 10, the intermediate movable portion 82 is raised and lowered along the column 3 via a plurality of (for example, four in total as shown in fig. 3 and 9) rollers 821. The winding transmission mechanism 8 is provided with a linear guide mechanism 82G, and the linear guide mechanism 82G reciprocates the movable pulley 8M in a predetermined direction in accordance with the projection and retraction of the piston rod 80R. By providing such a linear guide mechanism 82G, the projecting and retracting operation of the piston rod 80R is stabilized over the entire range of the piston rod stroke 80RS (i.e., the movable pulley movement distance: see fig. 17). Thus, vibration noise during the elevation of the parking stand 11 can be reduced, thereby improving the accuracy and durability of the bicycle parking device 100.

As shown in fig. 3, 5, and 7, the linear guide mechanism 82G includes: a rail 831 (guide rail) provided to the column 3; and a roller 821 (guide roller) disposed in the vicinity of the movable pulley 8M. The linear guide mechanism 82G guides the movement of the intermediate movable portion 82 provided with the rollers 821 in the vertical direction, which is the axial direction of the support column 3, by the rail 831 provided to the support column 3, thereby moving the movable sheave 8M fixed to the intermediate movable portion 82 up and down in the vertical direction.

As shown in fig. 3 and 9, the rollers 821 are provided rotatably in pairs on the left and right of the intermediate movable portion 82, and two pairs are provided in parallel in the up-down direction. On the other hand, as shown in fig. 7, the rail 831 is formed by a wall portion constituting the pillar 3. That is, the column 3 has: opposed peripheral walls 3w, 3 w; and a partition wall portion 3v extending from the peripheral walls 3w, 3w in directions facing each other and dividing the interior of the pillar 3 in the front-rear direction, wherein a rail 831 is formed by the peripheral walls 3w, 3w and the partition wall portion 3 v. Specifically, the peripheral walls 3w, 3w of the strut 3 include facing portions 3wr, 3wr located at positions facing both end portions 3vr, 3vr of the partition wall portion 3v on the front side, respectively, and the roller 821 is guided so as to be sandwiched between the facing portion 3wr and the end portion 3vr facing in the front-rear direction at all times when being lifted and lowered in the strut 3.

As shown in fig. 2, 4, and 5, the upper carriage 10 and the lower carriage

20 Linear guide portions 12G are provided, respectively. The linear guide 12G includes: rollers 121 and 211 (guide rollers) provided on the upper carriage 10 and the lower carriage 20, and a rail 131 (guide rail: see fig. 7) provided on the support column 3. As shown in fig. 7, the rail 131 (guide rail) includes: both end portions 3vr, 3vr of the partition wall portion 3v of the pillar 3; and rear end bent portions 3fr, 3fr of the peripheral wall 3w, the rear end bent portions 3fr, 3fr being located at positions facing the both end portions 3vr, 3vr on the rear side, respectively, and the rollers 121, 211 being sandwiched between the both end portions 3vr, 3vr and the rear end bent portion 3fr3fr, are guided.

The gas spring 80 is mounted to be swingable in the front-rear direction with respect to the strut 3. Specifically, as shown in fig. 4, a cylinder-side mounting portion 80BS constituting a head portion of a cylinder 80S at the rear end is mounted to a mounting member 38 extending in the front-rear direction at an upper portion of the pillar 3 via a shaft member 38A so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction. On the other hand, as shown in fig. 5, a rod-side mounting portion 80BR of the head portion of the piston rod 80R constituting the tip end is mounted to the intermediate movable portion 82 via a shaft member 82A so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction.

As shown in fig. 8, the mounting member 38 is a plate material having a U-shape in plan view, and the mounting member 38 is fastened and fixed to the upper portion of the pillar 3 (here, the partition wall portion 3v) by fastening and fixing members 38R, 38R such as bolts and nuts. The mounting member 38 formed in a U shape has opposing wall portions 38w, 38w opposing on the front side and the back side, and a shaft member 38A (see fig. 4) as the swing center of the cylinder-side mounting portion 80BS is fixed to the opposing wall portions 38w, 38w so as to penetrate both of the opposing wall portions 38w, 38 w. Returning to fig. 4, the cylinder-side mounting portion 80BS of the gas spring 80 is rotatably mounted to the shaft member 38A between the facing wall portions 38w, so that the gas spring 80 can swing in the front-rear direction on the lower side of the mounting member 38.

As shown in fig. 7, 9, and 10, the intermediate movable portion 82 includes a main body portion 82C formed of a plate material having a U-shape with a wide width in a plan view. The body 82C has a bottom wall 82b and opposing walls 82w, the opposing walls 82w, 82w are bent at right angles on both left and right sides of the bottom wall 82b and extend so as to face each other, and the shaft member 82A is fixed to the opposing walls 82w, 82w so as to penetrate both of the opposing walls 82w, 82 w. The shaft member 82A is a bolt, and the shaft member 82A is fastened and fixed to the opposing wall portions 82w, 82w by a nut. The intermediate movable portion 82 is disposed such that the opposing wall portions 82w, 82w are positioned on the front surface side and the back surface side in the pillar 3. Returning to fig. 5, the rod-side mounting portion 80BR of the gas spring 80 is rotatably mounted with respect to the shaft member 82A between the opposing wall portions 82w, so that the gas spring 80 can swing in the front-rear direction on the upper side of the intermediate movable portion 82.

Further, as shown in fig. 5, the gas spring 80 is disposed in the front pillar inner space 381 so as to be inclined rearward (rightward in the drawing) as it goes downward. Thus, when the piston rod 80R protrudes to the outside (below) of the cylinder 80S and the intermediate movable portion 82 is lowered, the gas spring 80 swings with respect to both the support column 3 and the intermediate movable portion 82 so as to reduce the inclination angle θ with respect to the axial direction of the support column 3 and the vertical direction 3z, which is the lifting direction of the intermediate movable portion 82. On the other hand, when the piston rod 80R retracts into (above) the cylinder 80S and the intermediate movable portion 82 moves upward, the gas spring 80 swings with respect to both the support column 3 and the intermediate movable portion 82 so as to increase the inclination angle θ with respect to the axial direction of the support column 3 and the vertical direction 3z, which is the direction in which the intermediate movable portion 82 moves upward and downward.

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, the movable sheave 8M and the fixed sheave 8F each have a sheave 8s, and the sheave 8s is rotatably disposed on the outer peripheral side of the shaft member 8A via a bearing. In fig. 7, the shaft member 8A that rotatably supports the movable pulley 8M is a bolt disposed so as to pass through both of the opposing wall portions 82w, 82w of the intermediate movable portion 82, and the shaft member 8A is fastened and fixed by a nut. In fig. 8, the shaft member 8A rotatably supporting the fixed pulley 8F is a bolt disposed so as to pass through both of the opposing wall portions 38w and 38w of the mounting member 38, and the shaft member 8A is fastened and fixed by a nut.

As described above with reference to fig. 4 and 8, the mounting member 38 is fixed to the column 3, and holds the shaft member 38A (cylinder swing shaft) that constitutes the swing center of the cylinder-side mounting portion 80BS of the gas spring 80 and the shaft member 8A (fixed pulley support shaft) that supports the fixed pulley 8F. On the other hand, as described with reference to fig. 5, 7, 9, and 10, the intermediate movable portion 82 includes a roller 821 that rolls on a rail 831 in the vertical direction of the support column 3, and holds a shaft member 82A (lever swing shaft) that constitutes the swing center of the lever-side attachment portion 80BR of the gas spring 80 and a shaft member 8A (movable sheave support shaft) that supports the movable sheave 8M.

Returning again to fig. 7 and 8, a guide groove 8v for the wire 8w is provided in each sheave 8s of the movable pulley 8M and the fixed pulley 8F on the winding surface of the wire 8 w. As shown in fig. 7, the intermediate movable portion 82 to which the movable pulley 8M is attached has a drop-off prevention unit 82B that prevents the wire 8w from dropping off from the guide groove 8v of the movable pulley 8M. On the other hand, as shown in fig. 8, the mounting member 38 that supports the fixed pulley 8F has a drop-off prevention unit 38B that prevents the wire 8w from dropping off from the guide groove 8v of the fixed pulley 8F.

First, the falling off prevention unit 82B will be explained. As shown in fig. 5, 7, 9, and 10, the drop-off prevention unit 82B provided for the movable sheave 8M is a member disposed so as to overlap (overlap) the outer peripheral side of the guide groove 8v of the movable sheave 8M. In the bottom wall portion 82B of the intermediate movable portion 82, a movable sheave through hole 82H is formed for allowing the movable sheave 8M to pass therethrough without contact, and an opening edge portion (through hole inner edge portion) surrounded by the movable sheave through hole 82H functions as a first drop-off prevention means 82B. The intermediate movable portion 82 here has a shaft-like member 82c on the opposite side of the bottom wall portion 82b of the opposing wall portions 82w, and fixed to the opposing wall portions 82w, 82w so as to pass through both of the opposing wall portions 82w, 82 w. The shaft-like member 82c is disposed below the shaft member 8A serving as the rotation shaft of the movable pulley 8M, and the wire 8w is turned upward toward the fixed pulley 8F. The shaft-like member 82c faces the guide groove 8v on the outer peripheral side of the movable sheave 8M, and functions as a second anti-slip means 82B. The shaft-like member 82c is a bolt, and the shaft-like member 82c is fastened and fixed to the opposing wall portions 82w, 82w by a nut.

Next, the falling off prevention unit 38B will be explained. As shown in fig. 4 and 8, the drop-off prevention unit 38B provided for the fixed sheave 8F is a member disposed so as to overlap the outer peripheral side of the guide groove 8v of the fixed sheave 8F. Here, the plate material 38b is disposed above the opposing wall portions 38w, 38w of the U-shaped mounting member 38 fixed to the pillar 3 and on the open side so as to extend between the opposing portions of the opposing wall portions 38w, 38 w. The plate member 38B faces the guide groove 8v on the outer peripheral side of the fixed sheave 8F, and functions as a slip-off preventing means 38B. The plate material 38b is fastened together with the mounting member 38 to the partition wall portion 3v by fastening members 38R, 38R.

Here, the engaging portion 30 for lifting and lowering the upper carriage 10 and the lower carriage 20 in an integrated state will be described. As shown in fig. 4 to 6 in an enlarged manner, an engagement portion 30 is provided between the upper carriage 10 and the lower carriage 20, and the engagement portion 30 is formed by dividing: an upper engaging portion 30U disposed on the bottom surface side of the upper bogie 10 (the parking frame 11); and a lower engaging portion 30L disposed on the upper surface side of the lower carriage 20 (lower movable body 21). The upper carriage 10 (the parking frame 11) and the lower carriage 20 (the lower movable body 21) are lockable to the support column 3 by the upper engaging portion 30U and the lower engaging portion 30L, respectively. In addition, in the empty state of the parking frame 11 (see fig. 1 to 6 and 11 to 13), the upper bogie 10 (the parking frame 11 and the upper movable body 12) is lifted and lowered in a separate state, and in the actual state of the parking frame 11 (see fig. 14 to 16), the upper bogie 10 (the parking frame 11 and the upper movable body 12) and the lower bogie 20 (the lower movable body 21) are lifted and lowered in a state of being integrally coupled.

As shown in fig. 1, 4, 6, 11, and 12, the upper engaging portion 30U includes a parking frame stopper plate 31 and an interlocking plate 32, the parking frame stopper plate 31 being capable of releasing the locking of the parking frame 11 locked at the upper position or the lower position of the support column 3 by a human operation of an operating lever 313 (operating portion) or an operation of the operating lever 313 by the tires 110F and 110R when the bicycle 110 moves in and out of the parking frame 11, and the interlocking plate 32 moving forward toward the support column 3 side in an empty state and moving backward in a real state depending on the state in which the bicycle 110 moves in and out of the parking frame 11. The operating lever 313 and the parking frame stopper plate 31 are coupled via a coupling mechanism 314 (see fig. 26) such as a link.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 13 and 16, the lower engaging portion 30L includes a lower stopper plate 33, and the lower stopper plate 33 follows the forward and backward movement of the interlocking plate 32 (see fig. 6), moves forward toward the pillar 3 in an empty state to move to a position where it can be locked to the pillar 3 (see fig. 5 and 12), and retreats from the pillar 3 in a full state to release the lock (see fig. 15).

Specifically, as shown in fig. 2, upper and lower deck stopper members 31U and 31L are provided at upper and lower positions of the strut 3. As shown in fig. 4, the upper-layer parking frame stopper 31U is formed in a wedge shape having a larger width toward the upper side, and the parking frame stopper plate 31 is constantly biased toward the pillar 3 by the tension coil spring 312 (biasing member) (see fig. 6B). Therefore, when the parking frame 11 (and the upper movable body 12 integrated therewith) moves upward, the parking frame stopper plate 31 is locked by being seated on the upper surface thereof after passing over the upper-layer parking frame stopper 31U against the urging force (spring force) of the tension coil spring 312. When the parking frame stopper plate 31 is moved rearward against the biasing force of the tension coil spring 312 by a manual operation of the operating lever 313, the locked state of the parking frame stopper plate 31 can be released.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 5 and 12, since the lower-stage parking frame stopper 31L is formed in a wedge shape having a width that increases toward the lower side, when the parking frame 11 (and the upper movable body 12 integrated therewith) moves downward, the parking frame stopper plate 31 rides over the lower-stage parking frame stopper 31L against the biasing force (spring force) of the tension coil spring 312 and then is seated on the lower surface thereof, thereby being locked. When the parking frame stopper plate 31 is moved rearward against the biasing force of the tension coil spring 312 by a manual operation of the operating lever 313, the locked state of the parking frame stopper plate 31 can be released.

As shown in fig. 1, the tire receiver 323 of the parking frame 11 and the interlocking plate 32 are coupled via a coupling mechanism 324 (see fig. 26) such as a link, and the interlocking plate 32 is constantly biased toward the pillar 3 by a tension coil spring 322 (biasing member) (see fig. 6B). When the bicycle 110 is carried in to the parking frame 11 (the full state of fig. 14), the tire support 323 tilts forward and the interlocking plate 32 moves backward against the urging force (spring force) of the tension coil spring 322, and when the bicycle 110 is carried out from the parking frame 11 (the empty state of fig. 20), the tire support 323 tilts backward and the interlocking plate 32 moves forward by the urging force of the tension coil spring 322.

As shown in fig. 14 to 16, in the actual vehicle state, that is, when the interlocking plate 32 moves backward, the rear surface of the upper abutting portion 321 (abutting portion) protruding downward from the interlocking plate 32 and the front surface of the lower abutting portion 331 (abutting portion) protruding upward from the lower stopper plate 33 are brought into a pressure contact state, and the upper bogie 10 (the parking frame 11 and the upper movable body 12) and the lower bogie 20 (the lower movable body 21) are connected to each other so as to be able to move up and down in an integrated state.

Returning to fig. 5, a lower stopper 33L is provided below the lower deck frame stopper 31L of the pillar 3. Since the lower stopper 33L is formed in a wedge shape having a width that increases toward the lower side, when the lower carriage 20 (the lower movable body 21) moves downward, the lower stopper plate 33 rides on the lower stopper 33L against the urging force of the tension coil spring 332 and then is seated on the lower surface thereof, thereby being locked. As shown in fig. 14 to 16, in the actual vehicle state, that is, when the linkage plate 32 moves backward, the lower stopper plate 33 moves backward against the biasing force of the tension coil spring 332, and the locked state can be released.

In this way, in the actual state of the jiffy stand 11, the locked state of the lower stopper plate 33 is released, and the upper bogie 10 and the lower bogie 20 are integrally coupled, so that the upper bogie 10 and the lower bogie 20 can be integrally lifted and lowered. The lower carriage 20 can be lifted and lowered integrally with the upper carriage 10 only when the parking frame 11 is in the actual state, and is locked in the lower position and cannot be lifted when the parking frame 11 is in the empty state.

Fig. 25 and 26 show specific examples of the jiffy stand 11 including the operation lever 313. A pair of right and left reinforcing plates 111 (auxiliary members) are fixed to a tire opening and closing located at a rear end of the parking frame 11. The operation lever 313 spans the right and left reinforcement plates 111 so as to be rotatable with respect to the parking frame 11. Specifically, the operation lever 313 includes: a boss portion 313a rotatably attached to a support shaft 111a extending between the reinforcing plates 111, 111; a rotation arm portion 313c extending in the radial direction from the boss portion 313 a; and a semi-cylindrical grip portion 313b formed at the tip end of the rotating arm portion 313 c. When the operation lever 313 is unlocked when the parking frame 11 is in an empty state (see fig. 1) or in a real state (not shown) at the upper position, the grip portion 313b is gripped by the hand of the operator together with the coupling shaft 111b that couples the left and right reinforcing plates 111, 111.

When the bicycle 110 is carried in and out at the lower position of the parking frame 11, (the grip portion 313b of) the operating lever 313 rotates by coming into contact with the front wheel 110F or the rear wheel 110R of the bicycle 110, and instantaneously moves the parking frame stopper plate 31 rearward to release the locked state with the strut 3 (hereinafter, the condition after the passage of the wheel will be described).

In this way, in both the actual vehicle state and the empty vehicle state, the operating force of the operating lever 313 can be reduced by gripping the rotatable gripping portion 313b together with the connecting shaft 111b during the lowering operation of the parking frame 11, and the parking frame 11 can be safely lowered while being supported.

Note that 33S shown in fig. 2 and the like is a safety stopper provided on the column 3 above the lower stopper 33L, and for example, when the locking of the lower stopper plate 33 with respect to the lower stopper 33L is erroneously operated, the safety stopper 33S functions as a safety device for emergency locking of the lower stopper plate 33, and the same configuration as that of the lower stopper 33L is used. As shown in fig. 6B, the upper contact portion 321 is formed in a Y-shaped groove shape in a bottom view, and thus the contact area with the lower contact portion 331 (see fig. 13a and the like) formed to protrude in a triangular shape in a plan view is increased, and the pressure contact force is increased.

Next, the operation of the bicycle parking device 100 described above will be described in general terms in the order of operation.

< Standby state ═ parking empty state, upper position > (FIGS. 1 to 6)

As shown in fig. 4, the lower surface of the parking frame stopper plate 31 is seated on the upper surface of the upper layer parking frame stopper 31U and locked. However, the lower surface of the parking frame stopper plate 31 may be stationary in a state of being slightly floated from the upper surface of the upper layer parking frame stopper 31U as shown in the figure due to the spring force of the constant pressure spring 1 supporting the upper bogie 10 (the parking frame 11 and the upper movable body 12 in the empty state). As shown in fig. 5, the upper surface of the lower stopper plate 33 is locked by abutting against the lower surface of the lower stopper 33L, and the lower carriage 20 (the lower movable body 21) is supported by the urging force of the gas spring 80.

< state of parking overhead vehicle, descending in progress > (not shown)

When the upper surface of the upper deck stopper 31U and the lower surface of the parking frame stopper plate 31 are unlocked by gripping the gripping portion 313b and rotating the operating lever 313, the upper truck 10 starts to descend. When the grip portion 313b is released, the parking frame stopper plate 31 is biased toward the pillar 3 by the tension coil spring 312 again.

< state of parking overhead vehicle, lower floor position > (fig. 11 to 13)

As shown in fig. 12, after the parking frame stopper plate 31 passes over the inclined portion of the lower parking frame stopper 31L, the upper surface of the parking frame stopper plate 31 abuts against the lower surface of the lower parking frame stopper 31L and is locked, and the upper bogie 10 (the parking frame 11 and the upper movable body 12 in the empty state) is supported by the spring force of the constant pressure spring 1. When the upper carriage 10 and the lower carriage 20 are in the lower position, the lower stopper plate 33 moves slightly downward compared to the lower stopper 33L and no longer abuts against the lower surface of the lower stopper 33L (see fig. 12; however, it does not stay in the lock release position after moving rearward but stays in the lockable position after moving downward).

< parking frame mounted state, lower floor position > (fig. 14 to 16)

As shown in fig. 14, a case where the bicycle 110 is mounted on the stand 11 and shifted to the actual state will be described in chronological order.

(1-1) stage of front wheel 110F contacting with operating lever 313

When the front wheel 110F (wheel loaded earlier) of the bicycle 110 comes into contact with the operating lever 313 (grip portion 313b), the operating lever 313 rotates, and the parking frame stopper plate 31 instantaneously moves rearward to release the locked state with the stay 3. At this time, the tire support 323 is tilted backward, the lower stopper plate 33 is moved forward by the interlocking plate 32 to be in a locked state with respect to the column 3, and the contact portions 321 and 331 are in a pressure released state, so that the spring force of the constant pressure spring 1 acts on the parking frame 11 (the traction target in this case is the single upper bogie 10). However, since about 1/2 of the bicycle 110 is already loaded on the parking frame 11, the parking frame 11 (the upper bogie 10) does not rise. Further, when the front wheel 110F passes, the operating lever 313 (the grip portion 313b) rotates and returns, and the parking frame stopper plate 31 moves forward and returns to the locked state with the pillar 3.

(1-2) stage where rear wheel 110R is in contact with operating lever 313

When the rear wheel 110R (wheel to be subsequently carried in) of the bicycle 110 comes into contact with the operating lever 313 (grip portion 313b), the operating lever 313 rotates, and the parking frame stopper plate 31 instantaneously moves rearward to release the locked state with the stay 3. At this time, the tire support 323 is tilted backward, the lower stopper plate 33 is moved forward by the interlocking plate 32 to be in a locked state with respect to the column 3, and the contact portions 321 and 331 are in a pressure released state, so that the spring force of the constant pressure spring 1 acts on the parking frame 11 (the traction target in this case is the single upper bogie 10). However, since the weight of the bicycle 110 greater than 1/2 is already loaded on the parking frame 11, the parking frame 11 (the upper cart 10) does not rise. Further, when the rear wheel 110R passes, the operating lever 313 (the grip portion 313b) rotates and returns, and the parking frame stopper plate 31 moves forward and returns to the locked state with the pillar 3.

(2) Stage of front wheel 110F actuating the tyre support 323

When the tire support 323 is tilted forward by the front wheel 110F (wheel loaded first) of the bicycle 110, the lower stopper plate 33 is moved backward by the interlocking plate 32 to be in a state of releasing the lock with the pillar 3, and the contact portions 321 and 331 are in a pressure contact state, so that the spring force of the constant pressure spring 1 and the pressure force of the gas spring 80 act on the parking frame 11 (the traction target here is the integrated upper and lower bogies 10 and 20). However, since the parking frame stopper plate 31 moves forward and maintains the locked state with the strut 3, the parking frame 11 (the upper bogie 10 and the lower bogie 20) does not rise.

< parking frame in the actual vehicle position, starting from the lower position > (not shown)

The operator steps on the grip portion 313b to rotate the operation lever 313, thereby moving the parking frame stopper plate 31 rearward. When the lower surface of the lower deck stopper 31L and the upper surface of the parking frame stopper plate 31 are unlocked, the upper truck 10 and the lower truck 20 start to ascend in an integrated state. When the grip portion 313b is released, the parking frame stopper plate 31 is biased toward the pillar 3 by the tension coil spring 312 again.

< parking frame actual vehicle state, upper position > (fig. 17 to 19, fig. 16)

The rack stopper plate 31 goes over the inclined portion of the upper-layer rack stopper 31U, and the lower surface of the rack stopper plate 31 is seated on the upper surface of the upper-layer rack stopper 31U and locked. However, the lower surface of the parking frame stopper plate 31 may be stationary in a state of being slightly floated from the upper surface of the upper-stage parking frame stopper 31U by the biasing force of the constant pressure spring 1 and the gas spring 80 that support the upper bogie 10 and the lower bogie 20.

< jiffy stand unloading state, automatic return starting at lower position > (fig. 20 to 22)

A case where the bicycle 110 is unloaded from the parking frame 11 and shifted to the empty state as shown in fig. 20 will be described in chronological order.

(1) Stage of front wheel 110F actuating the tyre support 323

When the tire support 323 is tilted backward by the front wheel 110F (wheel to be subsequently unloaded) of the bicycle 110, the lower stopper plate 33 is moved forward by the interlocking plate 32 to be in a locked state with respect to the column 3, and the contact portions 321 and 331 are in a pressure-released state, so that the spring force of the constant pressure spring 1 acts on the parking frame 11 (the traction target in this case is the single upper truck 10). However, since the parking frame stopper plate 31 moves forward and maintains the locked state with respect to the pillar 3, the parking frame 11 (the upper vehicle 10) does not rise.

(2-1) stage where rear wheel 110R is in contact with operating lever 313

When the rear wheel 110R (wheel carried out earlier) of the bicycle 110 comes into contact with the operating lever 313 (grip portion 313b), the operating lever 313 rotates, and the parking frame stopper plate 31 instantaneously moves rearward to release the locked state with the strut 3. At this time, the tire support 323 is tilted backward, the lower stopper plate 33 is moved forward by the interlocking plate 32 to be in a locked state with respect to the column 3, and the abutting portions 321 and 331 are in a pressure released state, so that the spring force of the constant pressure spring 1 acts on the parking frame 11 (the traction target here is the single upper bogie 10). However, since the weight of the bicycle 110 is not less than 1/2, the stand 11 (the upper cart 10) does not rise. Further, when the rear wheel 110R passes, the operating lever 313 (the grip portion 313b) rotates and returns, and the parking frame stopper plate 31 moves forward and returns to the locked state with the pillar 3.

(2-2) stage where front wheel 110F is in contact with operating lever 313

When the front wheel 110F (wheel to be subsequently unloaded) of the bicycle 110 comes into contact with the operating lever 313 (grip portion 313b), the operating lever 313 rotates, and the parking frame stopper plate 31 instantaneously moves rearward to release the locked state with the stay 3. At this time, the tire support 323 is tilted backward, the lower stopper plate 33 is moved forward by the interlocking plate 32 to be in a locked state with respect to the column 3, and the abutting portions 321 and 331 are in a pressure released state, so that the spring force of the constant pressure spring 1 acts on the parking frame 11 (the traction target here is the single upper bogie 10). Therefore, the parking frame 11 (the upper vehicle 10) is separated from the lower vehicle 20 and starts to be automatically raised (automatically returned) while the front wheels 110F pass through the tire opening and closing of the parking frame 11.

< jiffy stand unloading state, automatic return from lower position > (fig. 23, 24)

As shown in fig. 23, the upper bogie 10 continues to rise by the spring force of the constant pressure spring 1 even after the parking frame stopper plate 31 passes over the lower parking frame stopper 31L. However, since the upper surface of the lower stopper plate 33 comes into contact with the lower surface of the lower stopper 33L to be in the locked state, the lower carriage 20 slightly moves upward and stays at the lower position. As described above, since a slight time lag (time lag) is provided between the release of the lock of the parking frame stopper plate 31, the release of the pressure contact state of the contact portions 321 and 331, and the lock operation of the lower stopper plate 33, the automatic return raising of the upper carriage 10 and the lock stop of the lower carriage 20 function reliably.

< prevention of excessive elevation at an upper position that mainly functions in an unloading state of a parking frame > (refer to FIG. 4)

As shown in fig. 4, when the upper truck 10 (the parking frame 11) is automatically returned to the upper position in the parking frame unloading state, the buffer portion 90A of the air damper 90 (the buffer) abuts on the upper movable body 12 (or the parking frame 11) so that the upper truck 10 is slowly stopped at the upper position even if the ascending speed of the upper truck 10 (the parking frame 11) is not reduced even if the upper truck passes over the upper parking frame stopper 31U. The air damper 90 is attached to an upper portion of the rear pillar inner space 382 such that a front end of the piston rod 90R faces downward, and has a cushion portion 90A at a front end thereof, and operates by contact with the upper movable body 12, thereby applying a cushion action (i.e., a shock absorbing action at the time of contact) to the upper cart 10. The buffering action of the air damper 90 effectively functions in a situation where the spring force of the constant pressure spring 1 is relatively large and the parking frame 11 rapidly rises at the time of automatic return.

The operation of the bicycle parking device 100 is cyclically executed once in the above-described manner, and the device returns to the standby state shown in fig. 1 to 6 and stops.

In this way, since the operation of locking the lower carriage 20 to the column 3 by the lower stopper plate 33 (and the operation of releasing the pressure-contact state of the abutment portions 321 and 331) and the operation of unlocking the upper carriage 10 from the column 3 by the jiffy stand stopper plate 31 are performed in two stages in chronological order, the automatic return structure can function reliably without malfunction. At this time, the operation of the interlocking plate 32, which moves according to the entrance and exit of the bicycle 110 to and from the parking frame 11, is directly transmitted to the lower stopper plate 33, thereby simplifying the structure and improving the stability of the operation, which contributes to the improvement of the durability.

Next, the wheel brake 6 of the bicycle parking device 100 will be explained.

As shown in fig. 14 and 17, the wheel brake member 6 is provided to the parking frame 11. The parking frame 11 is formed in a guide groove shape for guiding the wheels 110F and 110R of the mounted bicycle 110, and includes: a side guide 62 serving as a rollover prevention unit for preventing the loaded bicycle 110 from rolling over; a tire support 323 as a wheel support unit that holds a wheel that is introduced earlier at the time of mounting and defines an introduction position of the bicycle 110; and a tire protector 60 as a wheel protection unit (levitation suppressing unit) that suppresses levitation of the previously introduced wheel at the time of ascent stop.

The side guides 62 are long plate materials or bar materials provided along the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the parking frame on both the front side and the rear side of the mounted bicycle 110. The side guide 62 here has one end fixed to the pillar 3 and the other end fixed to the rear end side of the parking frame 11 on the opposite side of the pillar 3, and has a reinforcing portion 61, and the reinforcing portion 61 is coupled to the parking frame 11 immediately below at one or more intermediate positions in the longitudinal direction of the parking frame 11. Further, the side guide 62 and the parking frame 11 may be separately prepared and assembled, but the side guide 62 and the parking frame 11 may be integrally formed.

The tire support 323 is provided at the bottom of the guide groove shaped parking frame 11, and holds a wheel (front wheel 110F in fig. 14 and 17) that is introduced earlier during mounting, and defines the introduction position of the bicycle 110. The tire support 323 may be a different form from the present embodiment as long as it is configured to hold the previously introduced wheel in order to define the introduction position of the bicycle 110.

The tire protector 60 is an inverted U-shaped member that extends upward from a predetermined position between the tire support 323 and the column 3 in one of the side guides 62 provided on the front surface side and the rear surface side, and then extends downward through a top portion 60a (direction changing portion) that bypasses the leading wheel (front wheel 110F in fig. 14 and 17) to reach the other side guide 62. The tire protector 60 here is provided with: the top portion 60a is allowed to pass above a preceding introduction wheel (front wheel 110F in fig. 14 and 17) of the bicycle 110 in a parking frame real vehicle state at least at a position closer to the pillar 3 than the rotation center of the preceding introduction wheel. Further, the tire protector 60 here is provided with an inclined shape that is closer to the pillar 3 side toward the top 60a side. Further, the tire protector 60 and the side guide 62 may be separately prepared and assembled, but the tire protector 60 and the side guide 62 may be integrally formed.

In this way, since the tire receiver 323 and the tire protector 60 are provided in the parking frame 11 in addition to the side guides 62, even when the previously introduced wheel (the front wheel 110F in fig. 14 and 17) floats from the parking frame due to the impact at the time of stopping on the upper layer, the wheel can be prevented from coming off or falling off, and the vibration noise can be reduced.

Finally, the gas spring 80 will be described in detail.

In the conventional bicycle parking device shown in patent document 1, a constant pressure spring (a second constant pressure spring in patent document 1) is used instead of the gas spring 80 in the present embodiment. However, in the constant pressure spring system of patent document 1, when a lightweight bicycle with less than 15kgf is mounted with respect to a rated load of 25kgf of the constant pressure spring, for example, in order to suppress a sudden rise of the parking frame and to alleviate vibration noise accompanying a sudden stop of the upper layer, there is a possibility that a situation in which readjustment or additional adjustment of the spring force is required. In contrast, if the gas spring 80 is configured as in the present embodiment, the gas sealed in the sealed space inside the cylinder 80S exerts a function of pulling the total load of the bicycle 110 and the lower bogie 20 in the real vehicle state, a function of decelerating and stabilizing the speed when pulled upward toward the upper-layer stop position, and a function of buffering at the upper-layer stop position, and therefore, even when the individual weight of the bicycle mounted on the parking frame changes, the lifting speed of the parking frame can be stabilized to suppress the generation of vibration noise, and stable and quiet lifting of the parking frame can be realized during operation. Further, by using the winding transmission mechanism 8 including the movable pulley 8M, the gas spring 80 can be compactly housed and arranged inside the column 3, so that initial investment required for installation and maintenance cost thereafter are suppressed, and durability is improved.

However, when the gas spring system as in the present embodiment is adopted in the bicycle parking device 100, the following problems occur.

I.e. the problem of hysteresis of the gas spring. In the case where only the constant-pressure spring is used for raising the parking frame as in the related art, the spring force acting when the parking frame is raised and the spring force acting when the parking frame is lowered are the same, and therefore, the user can operate the parking frame with substantially the same force both when raising and lowering the parking frame. However, in the case of the gas spring, since there is hysteresis, a difference occurs between a spring force acting when the piston rod is projected and a spring force acting when the piston rod is retracted. Therefore, the user needs to operate the parking frame with different power when the user raises and lowers the parking frame. As a result, for example, the operation for lowering the parking frame is lighter than expected, and the lowering speed of the parking frame becomes too fast, or the operation for raising the parking frame requires more force than expected, and the raising of the parking frame takes time, which is troublesome due to the difference in force.

In order to solve such a new problem, in fig. 27A to 27C, the inner diameter of the cylinder 80S is D₀D represents the diameter of the piston rod 80R₀AH represents the area (pressure receiving area) of the pressure receiving surface on the head side of the piston 80P (i.e., on the side of the cylinder-side mounting portion 80 BS)₀And the area (pressure receiving area) of the pressure receiving surface on the rod side of the piston 80P (i.e., on the rod-side mounting portion 80BR side) is AR₀Then, they are expressed as follows.

(1)AH₀＝πD₀ ²/4

(2)AR₀＝AH₀-πd₀ ²/4＝π(D₀+d₀)(D₀-d₀)/4

At this time, the pressure receiving area ratio r₀Is expressed as follows.

(3)r₀＝AR₀/AH₀＝(D₀+d₀)(D₀-d₀)/D₀ ²

Also, in the present embodiment, the pressure receiving area ratio r is set₀Adjusted to satisfy the following relationship.

(4)0.77≤r₀≤0.92

Thus, by setting the pressure receiving area ratio r of the gas spring 80₀By relatively reducing the hysteresis generated on the projecting side and the retracting side of the piston rod to be large, the user's operation force required on the ascending side of the parking frame (i.e., the piston rod projecting side) and the descending side of the parking frame (i.e., the piston rod retracting side) in the real vehicle state is reduced, and the operability when the parking frame 11 is lifted and lowered can be improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, D is adopted₀＝30mm、d₀＝12mm、r₀A value of 0.840. Wherein, regarding the pressure receiving area ratio r₀Preferably at 0.80. ltoreq. r₀A range of 0.89 or less, more preferably 0.82 or less r₀The range of less than or equal to 0.87. If the upper limit value is exceeded, the piston rod may be bent, while if the lower limit value is fallen below, the operating force particularly when the parking frame is raised increases, and there is a possibility that an elderly person may get in trouble with the parking operation of the bicycle with the power assist device.

In addition, in the gas spring 80 of the present embodiment, the pressing force PF based on the downward pressing force with respect to the piston rod 80R₀The obtained assisting force AF for assisting the rising of the parking frame 11 in the real vehicle state₀Is 147N-245N [ -15 kgf-25 kgf [ ]]. The gas spring 80 has the following structure: working fluid (inert compressed gas) sealed in the two chambers 801 and 802, respectively, is caused to flow through one or more orifices 80F formed in the piston 80P, and the cylinder bore is defined as D₀D is the diameter of the piston rod₀Let each orifice diameter be k_i(i＝1～n)、When the number of orifices is n, the gas average flow index x of the gas spring 80 represented by the formula 1₀The value of (A) is adjusted to be not less than 5 and not more than x₀≤25。

[ mathematical formula 1 ]

In this example, D is used₀＝30mm、d₀＝12mm、n＝1、k₁＝1.0mm、x₀A value of 21.0. Furthermore, the piston rod press-out force PF₀(also known as gas reaction force) is determined by the piston rod diameter d₀And a pressure p of the enclosed gas₀Determining (PF)₀＝p₀×πd₀ ²/4). In addition, by using the movable pulley 8M, AF can be performed₀Reduced to PF₀Is one of an integer of (herein, AF)₀＝PF₀/2)。

By mixing x₀The (average gas flow index) is adjusted to the above range, and the ascending speed of the bicycle 110 in the actual state of the parking frame 11 can be set to be in the range of 0.5m/s to 1.0 m/s. In practice, there is a problem in that the ascending speed of the parking frame 11 is too fast or too slow when the bicycle parking apparatus 100 is used, and in practice, the ideal speed is 1.5sec to 2.0sec for the entire length of the travel of the parking frame (here, 1.2 m). By mixing x₀By adjusting the range, the parking frame 11 can be raised at an ideal speed.

Furthermore, x₀The range of (gas average flow index) is preferably defined as 7. ltoreq. x₀In the range of 23 or less, more preferably 8. ltoreq. x₀The range of less than or equal to 21. If the upper limit value is exceeded, the flow resistance increases, and there is a possibility of causing malfunction particularly in winter. If the flow resistance is lower than the lower limit value, the flow resistance decreases, and particularly, a sudden increase may be caused in summer or at the time of overheating.

The above embodiments are merely examples. The present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications such as additions and omissions may be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the claims.

In the above embodiment, the wire 8w wound around the movable sheave 8M and the fixed sheave 8F to pull the lower carriage 20 may be a connecting member such as a rope, a belt, or a chain.

In the linear guide mechanism 82G configured to have the roller 821 and the rail 831 in the above embodiment, a linear guide (also referred to as a linear guide) such as an "LM guide" (registered trademark of THK) in which a plurality of rolling elements (balls or rollers) are interposed between a linear rail and a linear carriage may be used instead of the above configuration. This makes it possible to construct a linear guide mechanism with higher accuracy.

The constant pressure spring 1 (first force application unit) in the above embodiment may be provided as another force application member, and for example, a spring or a counter weight may be employed. As the spring, any of a metal spring (for example, a coil spring, a plate spring, and the like) made of metal such as spring steel, a nonmetal spring (for example, a damper made of rubber or the like) made of synthetic rubber, synthetic resin, or the like, a fluid spring (for example, an air spring, a gas spring, an oil damper, or the like) made of air, oil, or the like may be used, and different types of springs may be used in combination. In a first modification described below, a case will be described in which the assist gas spring 81 is used instead of the constant pressure spring 1.

Hereinafter, a modified example different from the present invention will be described. The same components as those in the above embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. Further, the above-described embodiment and the following modifications may be implemented in combination as appropriate in a field where no contradiction in technical aspects occurs.

(first modification)

A first modification of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 28 to 43.

The bicycle parking place 200 of the first modification differs from the bicycle parking place 100 of the embodiment mainly in that the auxiliary gas spring 81 and the auxiliary winding transmission mechanism 800 are used instead of the constant pressure spring 1, and the arrangement of the gas spring 80, the movable pulley 8M, and the fixed pulley 8F used in the embodiment is modified.

As shown in fig. 28 to 30 and 41, the assist gas spring 81 is another gas spring disposed in the column 3 separately from the gas spring 80 that pulls the lower carriage 20 (second raising/lowering section), and pulls the upper carriage 10 (first raising/lowering section) instead of the constant pressure spring 1. The assist gas spring 81 includes an assist cylinder 81S, an assist piston 81P, an assist piston rod 81R, an assist orifice 81F, a cylinder-side mounting portion 81BS, a rod-side mounting portion 81BR, and the like, as in the gas spring 80, and a working fluid (here, nitrogen gas) is sealed in two chambers (a head-side sealed chamber 811 and a rod-side sealed chamber 812) inside the assist cylinder 81S. The auxiliary piston rod 81R always has a pressing force PF in the extension direction (downward in fig. 28, 29, and 41)₁(gas reaction force).

In fig. 42 and 43, the inner diameter of the assist cylinder 81S is D₁D represents the diameter of the auxiliary piston rod 81R₁AH represents the area (pressure receiving area) of the pressure receiving surface on the head side of the auxiliary piston 81P (i.e., on the side of the cylinder-side mounting portion 81 BS)₁AR represents the area (pressure receiving area) of the pressure receiving surface on the rod side of the auxiliary piston 81P (i.e., on the side of the rod-side mounting portion 81 BR)₁The expressions are as follows.

(5)AH₁＝πD₁ ²/4

(6)AR₁＝AH₁-πd₁ ²/4＝π(D₁+d₁)(D₁-d₁)/4

At this time, the pressure receiving area ratio r₁Is expressed as follows.

(7)r₁＝AR₁/AH₁＝(D₁+d₁)(D₁-d₁)/D₁ ²

In the present modification, the pressure receiving area ratio r is set to₁Adjusted to satisfy the following relationship.

(8)0.77≤r₁≤0.92

Thus, by setting the pressure receiving area ratio r of the assist gas spring 81₁Is set to be large to relatively reduce the projection side and retreat of the piston rodThe delay caused by the entry side can reduce the user's operation force required on the ascending side of the parking frame (i.e., the piston rod projecting side) and the descending side of the parking frame (i.e., the piston rod retreating side) in the empty state, and improve the operability when the parking frame 11 is lifted and lowered.

In the present modification, D is used₁＝27mm、d₁＝10mm、r₁A value of 0.863. Wherein, regarding the pressure receiving area ratio r₁Preferably at 0.80. ltoreq. r₁A range of 0.89 or less, more preferably 0.82 or less r₁The range of less than or equal to 0.87. If the upper limit value is exceeded, the piston rod may be bent, while if the lower limit value is fallen below, the operating force particularly when the parking frame is raised increases, and there is a possibility that an elderly person may get in trouble with the parking operation of the bicycle with the power assist device.

In this modification, the gas spring 80 and the assist gas spring 81 are the same size, and D is shown in fig. 38 to 40₀＝D₁＝27mm，d₀＝d ₁10 mm. Therefore, the pressure receiving area ratio r of the gas spring 80₀Is r₀＝r₁＝0.863。

In addition, as shown in fig. 38 to 40, in this modification, D in equation 1₀＝27mm，d₀＝10mm，n＝3，k₁＝k₂＝0.6mm，k₃1.0mm and the gas mean flow index x of the gas spring 80 is used₀A value of 8.41.

As described above, the gas spring 80 (see fig. 38 to 40) in the present modification has a structure common to the gas spring 80 (see fig. 27A to 27C) in the embodiment, except for the number n of orifices of the piston 80P. Therefore, the operation of the gas spring 80 in the present modification (fig. 38) is the same as the operation of the gas spring 80 in the embodiment (fig. 27A), and the detailed description thereof is omitted.

Next, the assist gas spring 81 (see fig. 41 to 43) in the present modification has substantially the same structure as the gas spring 80 (see fig. 38 to 40) described above. Here, the auxiliary gas spring 81 shown in fig. 41 is filled with a buffer oil BO larger than the closing oil SO filled in the gas spring 80 shown in fig. 38.

As shown in fig. 41, the auxiliary piston 81P of the auxiliary gas spring 81 is connected to the base end of the auxiliary piston rod 81R inside the auxiliary cylinder 81S, and divides the inside of the auxiliary cylinder 81S into closed chambers 811 and 812 on the head side and the rod side. A plurality of (three in this case) auxiliary orifices 81F that allow movement (flow) of the nitrogen gas (inert compressed gas) and the cushion oil BO are formed through the auxiliary piston 81P.

The nitrogen gas is sealed inside the assist cylinder 81S. When the auxiliary piston rod 81R protrudes, nitrogen gas can move from the rod-side closed chamber 812 to the head-side closed chamber 811 through the auxiliary orifice 81F (fig. 41 a → fig. 41B). On the other hand, nitrogen gas can move from the head-side closed chamber 811 to the rod-side closed chamber 812 through the auxiliary orifice 81F when the auxiliary piston rod 81R retracts (fig. 41B → fig. 41 a).

The buffer oil BO is sealed in a region on the front end side (lower end side) of the auxiliary piston rod 81R than a sealing region (range) of nitrogen gas (inert compressed gas). The buffer oil BO can move from the rod-side closed chamber 812 to the head-side closed chamber 811 via the auxiliary orifice 81F after the movement of the nitrogen gas at the time of the protrusion of the auxiliary piston rod 81R (fig. 41B → fig. 41C). On the other hand, when the auxiliary piston rod 81R retreats, the buffer oil BO can move from the head-side closed chamber 811 to the rod-side closed chamber 812 through the auxiliary orifice 81F before the nitrogen gas moves (fig. 41C → fig. 41B).

In this way, when the auxiliary piston rod 81R protrudes downward, the auxiliary gas spring 81 exhibits a stepwise buffer function by the nitrogen gas that first flows into the head-side closed chamber 811 from the rod-side closed chamber 812 through the auxiliary orifice 81F and the buffer oil BO that subsequently flows therein (fig. 41B and 41C).

Specifically, the jiffy stand 11 (see fig. 23 and 24) that is in the process of ascending in the empty state receives the first stage of the buffer action (fig. 41B) when the nitrogen gas passes through the auxiliary orifice 81F, and the ascending speed gradually decreases as the position approaches the upper-stage stop position. Further, the damping oil BO is subjected to the second stage of damping action when passing through the auxiliary orifice 81F (fig. 41C), and the rising speed is further reduced immediately before reaching the upper-stage stop position.

In this way, the jiffy stand 11 that is in the process of ascending in the empty state as in the automatic return mode is subjected to the first-stage damping action when the nitrogen gas passes through the auxiliary orifice 81F continuously and then to the second-stage damping action when the buffer oil BO passes through the auxiliary orifice 81F immediately before reaching the upper-stage stop position, and the generation of the vibration noise at the upper-stage stop position is reduced.

Returning to fig. 29, in the auxiliary gas spring 81, a cylinder-side mounting portion 81BS constituting a rear end (head) of the auxiliary cylinder 81S is indirectly (or directly with respect to the column 3) mounted to the column 3 via a mounting member 380, and a distal end portion (see fig. 37) of an auxiliary piston rod 81R that projects downward to exert a traction force is connected to the upper movable body 12 via an auxiliary transmission mechanism 800 that includes an auxiliary movable pulley 8N and is provided separately from the transmission mechanism 8. The auxiliary movable pulley 8N is another movable pulley provided separately from the movable pulley 8M around which the transmission mechanism 8 is wound.

As shown in fig. 30 and 34, the mounting member 380 is mounted on the upper portion of the column 3. The mounting member 380 is fixed to the upper end of the column 3 so as to be internally fitted to the cover 3T. The mounting member 380 includes: an inverted U-shaped body portion 380C, the body portion 380C having opposing wall portions 380w, 380w extending downward from the front and back sides of the top wall portion 380C; a shaft member 380A through which both of the opposing wall portions 380w, 380w pass; and lower end portions 380B, 380B extending outward in the facing direction from the facing wall portions 380w, 380 w. The lower ends 380B, 380B are fixed to the fixing portions 3B, 3B at the upper ends of the pillars 3 by fastening members such as bolts. The shaft member 380A is a fastening member made of a bolt and a nut, and is fastened and fixed to the opposing wall portions 380w, 380w so as to sandwich the opposing wall portions 380w, 380w from the outside. The gas spring 80 and the auxiliary gas spring 81 are disposed so that the shaft member 380A penetrates the mounting holes of the cylinder-side mounting portions 80BS and 81BS, and are swingable in the front-rear direction with respect to a shaft member 380A (cylinder swing shaft) constituting a swing center. In fig. 30, only the auxiliary gas spring 81 is shown, but the gas spring 80 is also fixed to the mounting member 380 so as to be able to swing in the same manner.

As shown in fig. 28, the auxiliary winding transmission mechanism 800 is another winding transmission mechanism provided separately from the winding transmission mechanism 8, and the auxiliary winding transmission mechanism 800 is configured to: a wire 8x (auxiliary connecting member) having one end fixed to the column 3 is wound around an auxiliary movable sheave 8N attached to the distal end portion of the auxiliary piston rod 81R and an auxiliary fixed sheave 8E attached to the column 3 (see fig. 34 and 35), and the other end is fixed to the upper movable body 12 (first movable body: see fig. 29 and 33). The wire 8x is a separate wire from the wire 8w wound around the transmission mechanism 8, and the auxiliary fixed pulley 8E is a separate fixed pulley from the fixed pulley 8F.

The pillars 3 have the same shape as the embodiment. However, unlike the embodiment, the winding transmission mechanism 8 and the auxiliary winding transmission mechanism 800 are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction with respect to the width center line 11y along the longitudinal direction of the parking frame 11 and are arranged not in series but in parallel in the vertical direction inside the pillar 3, as shown in fig. 34 and 35. That is, the hitch transmission mechanism 8 and the auxiliary hitch transmission mechanism 800 are arranged in parallel inside the column 3 on the front side and the rear side in the width direction 11x of the parking frame 11. Further, both the main portion of the winding transmission mechanism 8 for moving up and down the lower movable body 21 and the main portion of the auxiliary winding transmission mechanism 800 for moving up and down the upper movable body 12 are provided in the column 3 in the column inner space 381 on the front side with respect to the partition wall portion 3 v.

As shown in fig. 28, one end of the loop of the wire 8w wound around the transmission mechanism 8 is hooked and fixed to a hooking member 86 (a column-side fixing portion) provided on one side (here, the front side) of the front surface and the back surface of the upper portion of the column 3, and the other end extends downward.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 28, one end of the loop of the wire 8x of the auxiliary winding transmission mechanism 8 is fixed to a locking member 860 (a pillar-side fixing portion) provided on the other side (here, the back side) of the front surface side and the back surface side of the upper portion of the pillar 3, which is the opposite side of the wire 8w, and the other end extends downward.

As shown in fig. 35, the movable pulley 8M of the winding transmission mechanism 8 is disposed on the front side inside the column 3, and is vertically moved up and down on the front side. Specifically, the movable sheave 8M is provided in the intermediate movable portion 82 attached to the distal end portion of the piston rod 80R, and the intermediate movable portion 82 with the rollers 821 (guide rollers) is moved and guided in the vertical direction, which is the axial direction of the support column 3, by the rails 831 (guide rails) provided on the front side inside the support column 3, thereby moving the movable sheave 8M up and down in the vertical direction. The mechanism (the rail 831 and the roller 821) for moving and guiding the intermediate movable portion 82 is a linear guide mechanism 80G for reciprocating the movable sheave 8M in the vertical direction in accordance with the projection and retraction of the piston rod 80R of the gas spring 80.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 35, the auxiliary movable pulley 8N of the auxiliary winding transmission mechanism 800 is disposed on the back side of the inside of the column 3 opposite to the movable pulley 8M, and is lifted and lowered in the vertical direction on the back side. Specifically, the auxiliary movable sheave 8N is provided in an auxiliary intermediate movable portion 820 attached to the distal end portion of the auxiliary piston rod 81R, and the auxiliary movable sheave 8N is moved up and down in the vertical direction by moving and guiding the auxiliary intermediate movable portion 820 with rollers 822 (guide rollers) in the vertical direction, which is the axial direction of the column 3, by a rail 832 (guide rail) provided on the back surface side in the column 3. The mechanism (the rail 832 and the roller 822) for moving and guiding the auxiliary intermediate movable portion 820 is an auxiliary linear guide mechanism 81G for reciprocating the auxiliary movable pulley 8N (independently from the movable pulley 8M of the transmission mechanism 8) in the vertical direction in accordance with the protrusion and retraction of the auxiliary piston rod 81R of the auxiliary gas spring 81.

The movable sheave 8M and the auxiliary movable sheave 8N have a separation preventing means 82B for preventing the corresponding wire rods 8w, 8x from separating. The drop-off prevention unit 82B is a member disposed so as to overlap the outer peripheral sides of the guide grooves 8v of the movable sheave 8M and the auxiliary movable sheave 8N. As shown in fig. 36 and 37, the intermediate movable portion 82 and the auxiliary intermediate movable portion 820 each include a U-shaped body portion 82C, the body portion 82C includes a bottom wall portion 82b positioned on the upper side, opposing wall portions 82w and 82w extending so as to be bent downward on both left and right sides of the bottom wall portion 82b and to face each other, and the intermediate movable portion 82 and the auxiliary intermediate movable portion 820 include a shaft-like member 82C fixed so as to penetrate both of the opposing wall portions 82w and 82 w. The shaft-like members 82c are disposed below the shaft member 8A (movable pulley support shaft) supporting the movable pulley 8M and the auxiliary movable pulley 8N, respectively, and on both front and rear sides of the shaft member 8A. The pair of shaft-like members 82c function as the drop-off prevention means 82B for the movable pulley 8M and the auxiliary movable pulley 8N, respectively.

As shown in fig. 36 and 37, the intermediate movable portion 82 and the auxiliary intermediate movable portion 820 have the same configuration, and the tip portions of the piston rod 80R and the auxiliary piston rod 81R of the gas spring 80 and the auxiliary gas spring 81 corresponding to each other are fixed to the respective portions, while the movable pulley 8M and the auxiliary movable pulley 8N corresponding to each other are rotatably supported by the shaft member 8A (movable pulley support shaft). The intermediate movable portion 82 and the auxiliary intermediate movable portion 820 are provided with female screw holes 82H in the bottom wall portions 82b located on the upper sides, and rod-side mounting portions 80BR and 81BR constituting male screw portions provided at the distal ends of the corresponding piston rod 80R and auxiliary piston rod 81R are screwed into the female screw holes 82H. That is, the intermediate movable portion 82 and the auxiliary intermediate movable portion 820 are fixedly disposed at the distal ends of the piston rod 80R and the auxiliary piston rod 81R, respectively, which have the inclination angle θ with respect to the vertical direction 3z, so as not to swing.

As shown in fig. 35, pairs of rollers 821 and 822 (here, a pair of rollers) are rotatably attached to both the front surface side and the back surface side of the main body 82C of the intermediate movable portion 82 and the auxiliary intermediate movable portion 820, and can be raised and lowered integrally with the corresponding piston rod 80R and auxiliary piston rod 81R. Of the rollers 821, 822 of the 4 rollers arranged in the column 3, the rollers 821, 822 positioned on the outer side are guided by rails 831, 832, respectively, and the rails 831, 832 are formed by an end portion 3vr of the partition wall portion 3v and an opposing portion 3wr formed by bending the peripheral wall 3w so as to face the end portion 3 vr. On the other hand, the rollers 821 and 822 positioned inside are guided by the rail portions 831a and 831b of the inner rail portion 830 provided in the partition wall portion 3v, respectively. Further, the inner rail portion 830 has a rail surface partitioning portion 831c protruding rearward between the rail portions 831a, 831b so as to partition them. The inner rail portion 830 may be formed separately from the partition wall portion 3v as shown in the figure, or may be formed integrally with the partition wall portion 3 v. Since the rear pillar inner space 382 of the pillar 3 is opened rearward in the entire vertical direction, the rail member constituting the inner rail portion 830 can be easily fixed from the rear pillar inner space 382 by a bolt or a screw after being disposed on the wall surface on the front side of the partition wall portion 3 v.

As shown in fig. 34, the fixed pulley 8F of the transmission mechanism 8 is disposed obliquely so that the winding center line 8F intersects the width center line 11y in plan view. The wire 8w of the actuator 8 extends upward from the driven pulley 8M in the front pillar inner space 381, and when the tip thereof is wound around the fixed pulley 8F, it hangs down from the intersection of the winding center line 8F and the width center line 11y, passes through the rear pillar inner space 382, reaches the lower movable body 21, and is fixed to the hook portion 28 (see fig. 31).

In addition, since the structure of the lower carriage 20 including the lower movable body 21 is the same as that of the embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 34, the auxiliary fixed pulley 8E of the auxiliary winding transmission mechanism 800 is located forward of the fixed pulley 8F of the winding transmission mechanism 8 in plan view, and is disposed obliquely so that its winding center line 8E intersects with the width center line 11 y. The wire 8x of the auxiliary winding transmission mechanism 800 extends upward from the auxiliary movable pulley 8N at a position on the rear side of the wire 8w of the winding transmission mechanism 8 in the front side column inner space 381, and when the front end thereof is wound around the auxiliary fixed pulley 8E, it hangs down from the intersection of the winding center line 8E and the width center line 11y, and the rear side column inner space 382 reaches the upper movable body 12 at a position on the rear side of the wire 8w of the winding transmission mechanism 8 and is fixed to the hanging portion 18 (see fig. 30).

The structure of the upper bogie 10 including the upper movable body 12 and the parking frame 11 is the same as that of the embodiment, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

As shown in fig. 30, the fixed pulley 8F and the auxiliary fixed pulley 8E are fixed to the upper portion of the column 3 by corresponding attachment members 380F and 380E, respectively. Here, the mounting members 380F and 380E are U-shaped plate members as the mounting member 38 of the embodiment, and have a bottom wall portion 380s and opposing wall portions 380t and 380t, respectively. Each bottom wall portion 380s is fastened and fixed to a top wall portion 380c of another mounting member 380 attached to the upper portion of the pillar 3 by a bolt member. The mounting members 380F and 380E herein each include a shaft member 8A (fixed pulley support shaft), and the shaft member 8A penetrates both of the opposing wall portions 380t and 380t to support the fixed pulley 8F and the auxiliary fixed pulley 8E. On the other hand, a shaft-like member 380u that penetrates both the opposing wall portions 380t and 380t is provided above the shaft member 8A. These shaft-like members 380u are disposed so as to overlap each other on the outer peripheral side of the guide groove 8v of the fixed pulley 8F and the auxiliary fixed pulley 8E, and function as the slip-off preventing means 38B for the fixed pulley 8F and the auxiliary fixed pulley 8E, respectively.

The operation of the gas spring 80 is the same as that of fig. 27C of the embodiment in fig. 38. The gas spring 80 and the lower carriage 20 that winds the transmission mechanism 8 are lifted and lowered in the same manner as in the embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the raising and lowering of the upper carriage 10 by the auxiliary gas spring 81 and the auxiliary winding transmission mechanism 800 will be described.

The assist gas spring 81 always exerts downward pressing force (may be referred to as urging force) on the assist piston rod 81R. Therefore, when the auxiliary piston rod 81R is extended downward by the pressing force, the auxiliary movable pulley 8N at the tip of the auxiliary piston rod 81R is also lowered in conjunction with the downward movement, and the wire material 8x wound around the auxiliary fixed pulley 8E is pulled downward toward the auxiliary movable pulley 8N. As a result, the opposite side of the wire 8x wound around the auxiliary fixed sheave 8E to the auxiliary movable sheave 8N side is pulled upward, and the upper carriage 10 fixed to the front end thereof is raised.

On the other hand, when an external force (for example, the weight of the bicycle or a downward pressing force by the user's hand) pressing downward acts on the raised upper cart 10, the auxiliary movable sheave 8N side of the wire 8x wound around the auxiliary fixed sheave 8E is pulled upward so as to overcome the downward pressing force of the auxiliary piston rod 81R. At this time, the auxiliary movable sheave 8N is also pulled upward, and the auxiliary piston rod 81R retreats into the auxiliary cylinder 81S.

In this way, the upper carriage 10 is lifted by the assist gas spring 81 in the same manner as the lower carriage 20 is lifted by the gas spring 80. On the other hand, the upward and downward movement of the upper carriage 10 by the assist gas spring 81 is the same as the upward and downward movement of the upper carriage 10 by the constant pressure spring 1 of the embodiment, and the upward movement is generated by the urging force while the upper carriage 10 is constantly urged upward, and the downward movement is generated by the external force against the urging force. Therefore, the operations of bicycle parking device 200 according to the present modification are generated in the same manner as bicycle parking device 100 according to the above embodiment, including the sequence of operations. The operation of the assist gas spring 81 is described in detail with reference to fig. 41. Therefore, the operation of the bicycle parking device 200 according to the present modification will not be described.

(first reference example)

Fig. 44 to 46 show a first reference example of the assist gas spring. A plurality of (here, two) auxiliary orifices 81F ' for gas that allow only the movement (flow) of nitrogen gas (inert compressed gas) are formed through the auxiliary piston 81P ' of the auxiliary gas spring 81 '. Further, an orifice plate 81P is fixed to a middle portion of the auxiliary piston rod 81R at a predetermined distance from the auxiliary piston 81P'. A plurality of (here, two) auxiliary orifices 81f for oil allowing movement (flow) of only the cushion oil BO are formed through the orifice plate 81 p.

In this reference example, the assist gas spring 81 ' can exhibit a two-stage damper function by providing the assist piston 81P ' having the assist orifice 81F ' dedicated to gas flow and the orifice plate 81P having the assist orifice 81F dedicated to oil flow. In fig. 45 and 46, the gas auxiliary orifice 81F' and the oil auxiliary orifice 81F are arranged to be circumferentially aligned, and the latter is formed to have a larger diameter than the former. The distance separating the auxiliary piston 81P 'from the orifice plate 81P, the positional relationship between the gas auxiliary orifice 81F' and the oil auxiliary orifice 81F, the size relationship thereof, and the like can be appropriately determined.

(second reference example)

Fig. 47 to 50 show a second reference example of the assist gas spring. A plurality of (here, two) auxiliary orifices 81F "for gas that allow only the movement (flow) of nitrogen gas (inert compressed gas) are formed through the auxiliary piston 81P" of the auxiliary gas spring 81 ". Further, a first orifice plate 81P1 and a second orifice plate 81P2 are fixed to the intermediate portion of the auxiliary piston rod 81R at predetermined distances from the auxiliary piston 81P ″. A plurality of (here, two) auxiliary orifices 81f1 and 81f2 for oil, which allow movement (flow) of only the cushion oil BO, are formed through the orifice plates 81p1 and 81p2, respectively.

In this reference example, the assist gas spring 81 ″ can exhibit a three-stage damper function by providing the assist piston 81P ″ having the assist orifice 81F ″ dedicated to gas flow and the first and second orifice plates 81P1 and 81P2 having the first and second assist orifices 81F1 and 81F2 dedicated to oil flow. In fig. 48 to 50, the gas auxiliary orifice 81F ", the oil first auxiliary orifice 81F1, and the oil second auxiliary orifice 81F2 are arranged so as to be circumferentially aligned with each other, and the latter orifices are formed to have larger diameters as they become. The separation distance between the auxiliary piston 81P ″ and the first and second orifice plates 81P1, 81P2, the positional relationship between the gas auxiliary orifice 81F ″ and the oil first and second auxiliary orifices 81F1, 81F2, and the size relationship thereof can be appropriately determined.

(second modification)

A second modification of the bicycle parking device will be described with reference to fig. 51 to 53.

The bicycle parking place 300 according to the second modification is different from the bicycle parking place 100 (or the bicycle parking place 200 according to the first modification) of the embodiment mainly in that the constant pressure spring 1, the auxiliary gas spring 81, and the auxiliary winding transmission mechanism 800 are not present, and the gas spring 80 and the winding transmission mechanism 8 are coupled to the upper cart 10 to lift the upper cart 10.

In the latter case, in the bicycle parking place 300 according to the second modification, the upper truck 10 having the parking stand corresponds to the upper truck 10 and the lower truck 20 in the bicycle parking place 100 (or the bicycle parking place 200 according to the first modification) of the embodiment, which are always integrally configured, and there is no engaging portion 30 for integrating the upper truck 10 and the lower truck 20. Therefore, the bicycle parking place 300 according to the second modification is not configured to wait for the empty parking frame 11 to stand at the upper position (see fig. 1 to 6) as in the bicycle parking place 100 according to the embodiment (or the bicycle parking place 200 according to the first modification) when not in use, but to wait for the empty parking frame 11 to stand at the lower position.

However, as shown in fig. 53, in the bicycle parking device 300 according to the second modification example, the standby state at the lower position is changed from the horizontal posture to the inverted posture, and the storage state (unused state) is formed. That is, the bicycle parking device 300 according to the second modification holds the parking frame 11 to be rotatable between the horizontal posture (fig. 51 and 52) and the inverted posture (fig. 53) about the support shaft 70 located at the side end of the pillar 3 with respect to the upper movable body 12. Since the parking frame 11 in the empty state is changed from the horizontal posture to the inverted posture at the lower (lower) position to be in the stored state, such a bicycle parking place 300 is called a pop-up storage type bicycle parking place.

The up-down movement of the upper cart 10 of the bicycle parking device 300 according to the second modification will be described.

As described above, it can be considered that: the upper carriage 10 of the second modification is the carriage in which the upper carriage 10 and the lower carriage 20 in the embodiment (or the first modification) are integrated, and is pulled by the single gas spring 80. Then, in the upper carriage 10 according to the second modification, a series of raising operations in which the parking frame 11 is raised to reach the upper position and is shifted to the standby state of fig. 17 from the state before the actual vehicle in which the bicycle 110 is mounted in the empty state of fig. 11 is changed to the actual vehicle state of fig. 14 in which the parking frame 11 is held in the lower position are performed in the same manner as the raising operations of the upper carriage 10 and the lower carriage 20 formed integrally in the embodiment (or the first modification). Further, in the upper truck 10 according to the second modification, a series of lowering operations for shifting from the standby state of fig. 17 in which the parking frame 11 is at the upper end position in the actual state to the bicycle 110 loadable state in which the parking frame 11 is lowered to reach the lower stage position of fig. 14 are performed in the same manner as the lowering operations of the upper truck 10 and the lower truck 20 integrally formed in the embodiment (or the first modification).

Further, the inverted posture mechanism, the inverted posture release mechanism, and the like of the parking frame 11 with respect to the upper carriage 10 may adopt a known structure of the pop-up storage type (for example, refer to japanese patent laid-open nos. 2012 and 86806 and 2011 and 173476). The parking frame 11 may be configured to be folded at the middle (middle folding type) in an inverted posture (storage posture).

Claims (1)

1. A bicycle parking device is provided with:

a first lifting/lowering unit having a parking frame on which a bicycle can be mounted and a first movable body which can lift and lower the parking frame along a column vertically erected in a cylindrical shape and which is urged to be pulled upward all the time by a first urging member having a function of pulling a total load of the parking frame and the first movable body in an empty state in which no bicycle is mounted;

a second lifting/lowering section which is disposed below the first lifting/lowering section, has a second movable body which is capable of lifting/lowering integrally with the first lifting/lowering section along the support column, and is urged to the second lifting/lowering section so as to be pulled upward all the time by a second urging member having a function of pulling a total load of the second movable body and a bicycle mounted on the parking frame in a real vehicle state; and

an engaging portion provided between the first lifting portion and the second lifting portion, the engaging portion being capable of locking the first lifting portion and the second lifting portion with respect to the column, respectively, and being capable of lifting the first lifting portion in an independent state in the empty state, and capable of lifting the first lifting portion and the second lifting portion in an integrated state by pressing contact portions provided to the first lifting portion and the second lifting portion, respectively, in the actual state,

the bicycle parking device is characterized in that,

the first urging member is a constant pressure spring which is bridged between the first movable body and a winder provided in the support column,

the second urging member is constituted by a gas spring disposed inside the support column, a cylinder of the gas spring is directly or indirectly attached to the support column via an attachment member, and a distal end portion of a piston rod that projects downward and exerts a traction force is connected to the second movable body via a winding transmission mechanism including a movable pulley.

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