DUAL RIDING AND DRIVING TRICYCLE IN JUXTAPOSING LINK
A dual riding and driving tricycle in juxtaposing link comprises a primary bicycle body, an auxiliary cycle body and an articulation mechanism including a resilient tension mechanism. Primary bicycle body comprises a saddle sat by a primary rider, a front wheel controlled by a steering handle, a rear wheel and a pair of pedals to drive. Auxiliary cycle body comprises an auxiliary saddle sat by an auxiliary rider, an auxiliary wheel with a hub shaft located between hubs of front wheel and rear wheel in primary bicycle body and a pair of pedals to drive. Articulation mechanism comprises a left holding base, a right holding base and two parallel linking trough beams being disposed between both holding bases. Resilient tension mechanism comprises plural elastic elements connected on articulation mechanism respectively. Thereby, primary rider and auxiliary rider can independently tread respective pedals to drive synergistically.
The present invention relates to a dual riding and driving tricycle in juxtaposing link, particularly for one that can be pedaled by two drivers in side-by-side coordination manner so that the drivers and tricycle will incline integrally in parallel manner without tumbling or overturning possibility.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONGenerally speaking, the bicycle is a kind of very popular transportation means of manpower type. It is all well-known that bicycle is totally unstable when standstill, which must rely on the foot of the rider to maintain the equilibrium. Upon driving turns, inertia makes the bicycle body keep advance along the original direction. If weight center is too high, bicycle speed is too fast or too urgent sharp during turn, even friction force is enough to offer the necessary centripetal force, the centrifugal moment may make the bicycle body rotate and overturn. When bicycle performs turn, by inclination of driver body and bicycle body, the reversed moment can be created to reduce the centrifugal moment, which may cause the bicycle overturn outwards. Basing on this principle and phenomenon, dual riding and driving tricycle in juxtaposing link bicycle is naturally more stable during driving advance comparing with the simple tricycle or four-wheeled vehicle.
Currently, one kind dual-riding bicycle of tandem type, which has double seats being placed one before the other for two riders, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,065 in title of “Tandem bicycle” by inventors: Liu; Ssu-Liu (Taipei, TW) already exists in the market. However, the double seats for two riders in tandem bicycle in the patented tandem bicycle are arranged in linear one-after-another longitudinal fashion, which is very unstable and susceptible to laterally tumble during driving or parking status unless being upheld by side supporter or held by the foot of the rider to maintain the equilibrium when standstill. Besides, the driving power in the patented tandem bicycle is singularly pedaled by the primary rider instead of two riders in synergistically manner.
Moreover, USPTO published patent application case No. 20040144585 in title of “Human powered golf cart with auxiliary power source” by inventors: Vasser, Paul M.; (Aptos, Calif.) disclosed a quadri-cycle of double seats for two riders in side-by-side manner. Although the patented quadricycle golf cart enables two riders to pedal driving power respectively in synergistically manner, the rigid link between double seats for two riders are non-articulatory manner in the quadricycle chassis so that the overall quadricycle body is susceptible to laterally tumble during high speed or turn-making driving fashion.
Additionally, another kind dual-riding bicycle of parallel-linking type also already exists in the market. However, the structure of parallel-linking dual-riding bicycle is linked of two independent bicycles by a fixing rod in rigid manner without articulation flexibility, which results in awkward action during high speed or corner turn; if it is forced to drive in high speed, sharp turn or in passing over bumpy road, the parallel-linking dual-riding bicycles may overturn. Thus, it is only good for children in learning walk.
Having realized and addressed all the foregoing issues as well as sensed the promotion in recreation effect for the dual riding and driving bicycle, the applicant of the present invention paid utmost attention in research and development for a long term. Eventually, the “dual riding and driving tricycle in juxtaposing link” of the present invention is successfully contrived out.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe primary object of the present invention is to provide a tricycle that can be dual driven by two riders sitting on separated saddles of different primary bicycle body and auxiliary cycle body in side-by-side manner so that each of two riders can independently treads each associated pedals to offer individual driving power for the tricycle in synergistically manner.
The second object of the present invention is to provide a tricycle that the separated primary bicycle body and auxiliary cycle body are linked by an articulation mechanism including a resilient tension mechanism so that highly balanced stability is always kept even the tricycle runs over a bumpy road, ground of drop height or makes turn. Besides, the tricycle features to have a hypothetical acute triangle that is defined by three contact points with ground for an auxiliary wheel of the auxiliary cycle body as well as a rear wheel and a front wheel of the primary bicycle body as three vertices of the hypothetical acute triangle so that not only the safety is secured for overall tricycle and riders of the present invention without any risk of overturn or tumble down during riding the tricycle but also the balanced stability is always kept in standstill during parking the tricycle.
The third object of the present invention is to provide a tricycle that has an auxiliary wheel of the auxiliary cycle body disposed on a hub shaft, which is firmly connected to each corresponding crank of the right pedal and left pedal respectively.
The fourth object of the present invention is to provide a tricycle that has a gear box containing directly meshed an active gear and a passive gear with idle wheel set so that not only the structure of the tricycle becomes simple but also both manufacturing cost and maintenance expense can be reduced.
The fifth object of the present invention is to provide a tricycle that has a changeable gear cluster and a gear set, which contains a major active gear and a minor passive gear; Thereby, the changeable gear cluster and gear set are linked to be able to mutually drive each other by a pair of loop chains.
The final object of the present invention is to provide a tricycle that the primary bicycle body, which is similar to the basic structure of the conventional bicycle popularly marketed currently, has a rear wheel and a front wheel while the auxiliary cycle body has an auxiliary wheel such that both of the primary bicycle body and auxiliary cycle body are linked in juxtaposition via at least a articulation mechanism.
Please refer to
Said primary bicycle body 1, which is similar to the basic structure of the conventional bicycle popularly marketed currently with structural feature in independently active driving mechanism, comprises a linking block 10 with plural positioning holes, a steering handle 24 with two brake levers 101, 102, a cross top bar 11, a head sleeve tube 12 having a front stem 23 inserted therein, a down bar 13, an upright seat bar 14 having a saddle 15 on the top end thereof, a rear folk 16 having a rear wheel 18 with a hub 180, a front folk 17 having a front wheel 19 with a hub 190 and a primary driving mechanism that includes a major front sprocket wheel 20 with a pair of pedals 25, 26 disposed at the joint of the down bar 13 and upright seat bar 14, a minor rear gear cluster 21 coaxially disposed with the hub 180 of the rear wheel 18 and a loop chain 22 linked the front sprocket wheel 20 and rear gear cluster 21 respectively so that the primary rider sit on the primary saddle 15 can tread the pair pedals 25, 26 to offer a driving power to forwardly drive the primary bicycle body 1 moving on.
Said auxiliary cycle body 3, which have neither front folk nor front wheel as in the primary bicycle body 1, comprises a linking block 30 with plural positioning holes 300, a holding handle 40 without brake lever, a cross top bar 31, a head sleeve tube 32 having a front stem 39 inserted therein, a down bar 33, an upright seat bar 34, an auxiliary saddle 35 on the top end of the upright seat bar 34, an auxiliary wheel 43 and an auxiliary driving mechanism having a pair of pedals 41, 42; A pair of crotched backward prongs 331, 332 are created at the bottom end of the down bar 33 and a pair of crotched downward prongs 341, 342 are created at the bottom end of the upright seat bar 34 such that both free pair ends of the crotched backward prongs 331, 332 and crotched downward prongs 341, 342 joint at a pair of separated fixing jointers 45, 46, where the auxiliary wheel 43 is disposed (as shown in
The redundant description for operation mode of the primary driving mechanism is saved here as it is a well-known technology while the operation mode of the auxiliary driving mechanism is described as below:
Firstly, once the active gear 371 is driven by the pair pedals 41, 42, the minor idle wheel 381 is driven by the active gear 371 due to being meshed mutually;
secondly, the major idle wheel 382 is driven by the minor idle wheel 381 via coaxial interlocked manner;
thirdly, the passive gear 372 is driven by the major idle wheel 382 due to being meshed mutually;
fourthly, the removable hub boss 44 is driven by the passive gear 372 via coaxial interlocked manner; and
finally, the auxiliary wheel 43 is driven by the removable hub boss 44 due to being firmly fixed mutually,
Thus, by proper selection each diameter proportions or gear ratios for each meshed pair active gear 371 with minor idle wheel 381 and pair major idle wheel 382 with passive gear 372, the desired driving momentum via treading the pedals 41, 42 for the auxiliary cycle body 3 is obtained at the discretion of the auxiliary rider on the auxiliary saddle 35; Namely, the auxiliary rider sit on the auxiliary saddle 35 can tread the pair pedals 41, 42 to offer a driving power to forwardly drive the auxiliary cycle body 3 with result that the overall tricycle is moved on; Therefore, the auxiliary cycle body 3 also has structural feature in independently active driving mechanism as that for the primary bicycle body 1.
Said articulation mechanism 5, please refer to
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A resilient tension mechanism is configured in the articulation mechanism 5 by suitable arrangement of certain plural elastic elements 55, 56, 57, 58, which are preferably arranged in diagonally crisscross fashion as shown in
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When the tricycle of the present invention runs over a bumpy road or ground of drop height such as road surface under the right auxiliary cycle body 3 is higher than road surface under the left primary bicycle body 1 as shown in
When the tricycle of the present invention makes a right turn with rightward inclination to react for the centrifugal force as shown in
The primary feature for the tricycle of the present invention is that not only the primary bicycle body 1 and the auxiliary cycle body 3 are parallel in longitudinal direction but also the hub shaft 430 of the auxiliary wheel 43 for the auxiliary cycle body 3 is relatively located between the hubs 180, 190 of the rear wheel 18 and front wheel 19 in the primary bicycle body 1 along longitudinal direction as shown in
Both steering handle 24 on the primary bicycle body 1 and holding handle 40 on the auxiliary cycle body 3 are equipped with function of height adjustment, which is not to be described here in redundant manner as it is a well-known structural technology. A brake for front wheel 19 of the primary bicycle body 1 is wired to the right brake lever 102 on the steering handle 24 while no counterpart brake or wire in the auxiliary cycle body 3 because of no front wheel disposed therein. A brake system for the rear wheel 18 of the primary bicycle body 1 and the auxiliary wheel 43 associated to the auxiliary cycle body 3 is functioned by a rear wheel brake wire 29 with two shunt brake wires 291, 292 such that the free end of the rear wheel brake wire 29 is connected to the left brake lever 101 on the steering handle 24 while each free end of both shunt brake wires 291, 292 is connected to the rear wheel 18 brake of the primary bicycle body 1 and the auxiliary wheel 43 brake associated to the auxiliary cycle body 3 as shown in
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In concluding the disclosure heretofore, the dual riding and driving tricycle in juxtaposing link of the present invention can attach an auxiliary cycle body 3, 6 to a common bicycle, which serves as a primary bicycle body 1, to achieve the effects in dual riding and independent driving respectively for primary rider and auxiliary rider. The contrivance of the articulation mechanism 5 provides features in keeping balanced stability without risk in overturn or tumble down under most driving conditions other than the recreational effect. Moreover, the simple and reasonable structure for the auxiliary cycle body 3, 6 offers double benefits in reducing manufacturing cost and maintenance expense due to easiness for it.
Claims
1-20. (canceled)
21. A dual riding and driving tricycle, comprising:
- a primary bicycle body includes a front wheel, a rear wheel, a saddle for a rider to sit thereon, a steering handle for controlling a driving direction and a pair of pedals for the rider to power the primary bicycle body;
- an auxiliary cycle body including an auxiliary saddle, an auxiliary wheel and an auxiliary driving mechanism having a pair of pedals so that an auxiliary rider sitting on the auxiliary saddle can pedal the pair of pedals of the auxiliary driving mechanism to power the auxiliary cycle body;
- at least one articulation mechanism including a first linking terminal for coupling with the primary bicycle body, a second linking terminal for coupling with the auxiliary cycle body and a pair of parallel linking beams arranged such that the first linking terminal, the second linking terminal and the two parallel linking beams construct a parallelogram articulation; and
- a resilient tension mechanism including at least two elastic elements such that both ends of each said elastic element are respectively connected to the articulation mechanism.
22. The tricycle as claimed in claim 21, wherein a hub shaft is disposed in a hub of the auxiliary wheel such that individual cranks of the auxiliary cycle body extend in a lateral manner and have respective pedals.
23. The tricycle as claimed in claim 21, wherein said auxiliary driving mechanism of the auxiliary cycle body comprises a removable hub boss integrally fixed on a hub of the auxiliary wheel, wherein a hub shaft is disposed in the hub boss such that individual cranks of the auxiliary cycle body are extended in a lateral manner and have respective pedals; a fixed active gear and a removable passive gear are disposed around the hub of the auxiliary wheel in coaxial fashion but rotate independently such that the active gear is driven by the pair of pedals of the auxiliary driving mechanism and the passive gear is able to drive the removable hub boss; a minor idle wheel and a major idle wheel form an idle wheel set and are disposed around a shaft in coaxial fashion and co-rotate in an interlocked manner such that the minor idle wheel and the major idle wheel respectively mesh with the active gear and the passive gear.
24. The tricycle as claimed in claim 22, wherein a pair of separated fixing jointers are further disposed on the hub shaft of the auxiliary wheel of the auxiliary cycle body, a fixed active gear and a removable passive gear, which are encased in a gear box, are disposed around the hub of the auxiliary wheel in coaxial fashion but rotate independently such that the active gear is driven by the pair pedals of the auxiliary driving mechanism and the passive gear drives the removable hub boss; said gear box contains an idle wheel set of a minor idle wheel and a major idle wheel; both the minor idle wheel and the major idle wheel are disposed around a shaft in coaxial fashion and co-rotate in an interlocked manner such that the minor idle wheel and the major idle wheel respectively mesh with the active gear and the passive gear.
25. The tricycle as claimed in claim 21, wherein the auxiliary driving mechanism of the auxiliary cycle body comprises a removable hub boss integrally fixed on a hub of the auxiliary wheel, wherein a hub shaft is disposed in the hub boss such that individual cranks of the auxiliary driving mechanism extend in a lateral manner and have respective pedals; a major active gear fixed on the hub shaft of the auxiliary wheel and a minor passive gear fixed on the removable hub boss; a changeable gear cluster including a minor derailleur sprocket and a major derailleur sprocket having different diameters; the major active gear and minor derailleur sprocket being linked by an external loop chain while the minor passive gear and the major derailleur sprocket are linked by an internal loop chain.
26. The tricycle as claimed in claim 25, wherein said changeable gear cluster is disposed on a down bar of the auxiliary cycle body.
27. The tricycle as claimed in claim 21, wherein a hypothetical triangle which is defined by three points, the three points being contact points between a riding surface and each of the auxiliary wheel, the front wheel and the rear wheel, has angles of the triangle formed at the rear wheel and the front wheel which are acute angles.
28. The tricycle as claimed in claim 21, wherein said first linking terminal includes a left holding base, said left holding base includes a holding compartment with an opening end facing inwardly while said second linking terminal includes a right holding base, said right holding base includes a holding compartment with an opening end facing inwardly such that two linking trough beams are disposed between the left holding base and right holding base in a parallel manner; wherein a pivotal articulatory parallelogram is formed by the left holding base, the right holding base and the pair of parallel linking trough.
29. The tricycle as claimed in claim 21, wherein said at least two elastic elements includes at least one pair of elastic elements arranged in a diagonal crisscross fashion.
30. The tricycle as claimed in claim 29, wherein each pair of elastic elements in the articulation mechanism is braided into a multi-stranded string or arranged into a multiple crisscross array.
31. The tricycle as claimed in claim 21, wherein each said linking trough beam is -shaped or -shaped with an opening.
32. A dual riding and driving tricycle, comprising:
- a primary bicycle body including a linking block with plural positioning holes, a steering handle with two brake levers, a cross top bar, a head sleeve tube having a front stem inserted therein, a down bar, an upright seat bar having a saddle on the top end thereof, a rear folk having a rear wheel with a hub, a front folk having a front wheel with a hub and a primary driving mechanism that includes a major front sprocket wheel with a pair of pedals disposed at the joint of the down bar and upright seat bar, a minor rear gear cluster coaxially disposed with the hub of the rear wheel and a loop chain linked on the front sprocket wheel and rear gear cluster respectively so that a primary rider sitting on the primary saddle can pedal the pair of pedals to drive the primary bicycle;
- an auxiliary cycle body including a linking block with plural positioning holes, a holding handle without brake lever, a cross top bar, a head sleeve tube having a front stem inserted therein, a down bar, an upright seat bar, an auxiliary saddle on the top end of the upright seat bar, an auxiliary wheel and an auxiliary driving mechanism having a pair of pedals so that an auxiliary rider sitting on the auxiliary saddle can pedal the pair of pedals to drive the auxiliary cycle body;
- an articulation mechanism including a left holding base abutted to a first linking terminal, a right holding base abutted to a second linking terminal such that the right holding base is securely locked on the linking block at the head sleeve tube of the auxiliary cycle body while the left holding base is securely locked on the linking block at the head sleeve tube of the primary bicycle body; two linking trough beams are disposed between the left holding base and the right holding base in a parallel manner; a pivotal articulatory parallelogram is formed by the left holding base, the right holding base and the pair of parallel linking trough beams such that the saddle of the primary bicycle body and the saddle of the auxiliary cycle body are always kept in a parallel fashion; and
- a resilient tension mechanism includes a plurality of elastic elements such that both ends of each of said plurality of elastic elements are securely connected on said articulation mechanism respectively.
33. A dual riding and driving tricycle, comprising:
- a primary bicycle body including a front wheel, a rear wheel, a saddle for a rider to sit thereon, a steering handle for the rider to control a driving direction and a pair of pedals for the rider to generate driving power for the primary bicycle body;
- an auxiliary cycle body including an auxiliary saddle, an auxiliary wheel with a hub shaft such that the hub shaft of the auxiliary wheel is relatively located between the hubs of the front wheel and the rear wheel in the primary bicycle body along a longitudinal direction, and an auxiliary driving mechanism having a pair of pedals so that an auxiliary rider sitting on the auxiliary saddle can pedal the pair of pedals to drive the auxiliary cycle body;
- an articulation mechanism including a first linking terminal for coupling with the primary bicycle body, a second linking terminal for coupling with the auxiliary cycle body and a pair of parallel linking beams such that the first linking terminal, the second linking terminal and the two parallel linking beams form a parallelogram articulation; and
- a resilient tension mechanism including at least two elastic elements such that both ends of each said elastic element are connected to the articulation mechanism.
34. The tricycle as claimed in claim 33, wherein said plural elastic elements in the articulation mechanism are arranged in diagonal crisscross fashion.
35. The tricycle as claimed in claim 34, wherein the at least two elastic elements includes at least one pair of elastic elements, each pair of elastic elements in the articulation mechanism is braided into a multi-stranded string or arranged into a multiple crisscross array.
36. The tricycle as claimed in claim 33, wherein said auxiliary driving mechanism of the auxiliary cycle body comprises a removable hub boss being integrally fixed on a hub of the auxiliary wheel, a hub shaft is disposed therein such that individual cranks extend in a lateral manner and have respective pedals; an active gear and a passive gear being disposed around the hub of the auxiliary wheel in coaxial fashion but rotating independently such that the active gear is driven by the pair of pedals and the passive gear is able to drive the removable hub boss; a minor idle wheel and a major idle wheel contained in a idle wheel set is disposed around a shaft in coaxial fashion and co-rotates in an interlocked manner so that each minor idle wheel and major idle wheel is meshed with a corresponding said active gear and said passive gear respectively.
37. The tricycle as claimed in claim 33, wherein the auxiliary driving mechanism of the auxiliary cycle body comprises a removable hub boss integrally fixed on a hub of the auxiliary wheel, a hub shaft is disposed in the hub boss such that individual cranks of the auxiliary cycle body extend in a lateral manner and have respective pedals; a major active gear fixed on the hub shaft of the auxiliary wheel and a minor passive gear fixed on the removable hub boss; a changeable gear cluster including a minor derailleur sprocket and a major derailleur sprocket of different diameters; the major active gear and the minor derailleur sprocket is linked by an external loop chain while the minor passive gear and the major derailleur sprocket is linked by an internal loop chain.
38. The tricycle as claimed in claim 37, wherein said changeable gear cluster is disposed on the down bar or the rear folk of the auxiliary cycle body.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 23, 2009
Publication Date: Jan 27, 2011
Inventors: Hsu-Sheng CHIN (Kaohsiung), Tsung-Lin Fan Chiang (Tainan County), Chih-Ching Chin (Kaohsiung)
Application Number: 12/507,914