Brakes – Vehicle – Velocipede
Patent
1990-11-30
1992-06-02
Oberleitner, Robert J.
Brakes
Vehicle
Velocipede
188 2412, 188 2421, B62L 112
Patent
active
051179482
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to caliper brakes, cantilever brakes or like brakes for bicycles.
BACKGROUND
Conventional brakes for bicycles include, for example, a center-pull caliper brake as disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Publication SHO 63-193127. This brake comprises a pair of brake arms movable toward or away from each other and each having a brake shoe at its lower end, an arm bracket attachable to the body of a bicycle and supporting the brake arms thereon, and return springs for always biasing the respective brake arms away from each other to move the brake shoes away from each other. Each of the brake arms has a boss portion formed with a spring accommodating cavity around a pivot, and the return spring is provided around the pivot and accommodated in the cavity. The return spring has one end engaged with the boss portion of the brake arm and the other end engaged with an adjusting member which is mounted by a ratchet sleeve on the pivot. A ratchet pawl provided on the adjusting member is opposed to and engageable with a ratchet portion of the ratchet sleeve. Accordingly, the biasing force of the return spring is adjustable by rotating the adjusting member to thereby properly position the brake shoe relative to the wheel rim. Thus, the brake shoes are adapted to give a uniform shoe clearance.
With the conventional brake described above, the ratchet pawl and a coiled spring for biasing the pawl toward the rachet portion are incorporated in the adjusting member, which therefore has an increased thickness, projects from the brake arm a large amount, appears unsightly and has the problem that the rider is unable to recognize the amount of adjustment from outside.
An object of the present invention, which has been accomplished in view of the above situation, is to provide a brake for use in bicycles which is minimized in the length of forward projection from the brake arm to give a neat appearance and which enables the rider to recognize the state to which the biasing force of the spring is adjusted.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
To fulfill the above object, the present invention provides the following technical means.
The present invention provides a bicycle brake comprising a pair of brake arms movable toward or away from each other and each having a brake shoe, an arm mount having a pivot attachable to the body of a bicycle and supporting each of the brake arms thereon, return springs for always biasing the respective brake arms away from each other to move the brake shoes away from each other, and a spring cap directly or indirectly connected to the pivot fixedly. As a first feature of the present invention, the brake arms 5, 6 each have a boss portion 7 formed around the pivot 3 with a cavity 14 accommodating the return spring 15 therein, the return spring 15 having one end 15A engaged with the arm boss portion 7 and the other end 15B engaged with the spring cap 18, the other end 15B of at least one of the return springs 15 projecting outward beyond the outer peripheral wall of the spring cap 18 and being engageable with a plurality of engaging portions 24 formed in the outer peripheral wall and spaced apart circumferentially thereof, whereby the biasing force of the spring is made adjustable from outside.
As a second feature of the present invention, the brake arms 5, 6 each have a boss portion 7 formed around the pivot 3 with a cavity 14 accommodating the return spring 15 therein, the return spring 15 having one end 15A engaged with the arm boss portion 7 and the other end 15B engaged with the spring cap 18, said one end 15A of at least one of the return springs 15 projecting outward through a circumferential slit 27 formed in the boss portion 7, the projecting end 15A of the spring 15 being in engagement with a movable piece 31 mounted on an adjusting screw 29 externally of the boss portion 7 and movable perpendicular to the pivot 3 along the slit 27.
As a third feature of the invention, the brake arms 5, 6 each have a boss portion 7 formed around the pivot
REFERENCES:
patent: 4793444 (1988-12-01), Nagano
patent: 4938318 (1990-07-01), Ishibashi
Oberleitner Robert J.
Schwartz Chris
Yoshigai Kikai Kinzoku Kabushiki Kaisha
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