Handle-adjusting device for adjusting the position of a handle relative to a vehicle frame

• US 20050132838A1
• Filed: 12/19/2003
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sunrex Technology Company Limited (Best Elite Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Sunrex Technology Company Limited (Best Elite Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Lin, Samuel
• Granted Patent: US 7,258,039 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 74/493
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/14 Tillers, i.e. hand levers operating on steering columns
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/184 Mechanisms for locking columns at selected positions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20792 Folding or adjustable

Abstract

A handle-adjusting device for adjusting position of a handle relative to a vehicle frame includes a valve cylinder with a valve rod, and a control rod that is formed with a pressing face and a release face. When the control rod is operated to align the pressing face with an upper end of the valve rod, the valve rod is disposed at a retracted position so as to enable rotation of the handle relative to the vehicle frame. When the control rod is operated to align the release face with the upper end of the valve rod, the valve rod is disposed at the extended position so as to prevent rotation of the handle relative to the vehicle frame.

Claims

1. A handle-adjusting device for adjusting position of a handle relative to a vehicle frame, the handle including an upright support rod connected pivotally to the vehicle frame at a lower end thereof, and a handlebar connected fixedly to an upper end of the support rod, said handle-adjusting device comprising:

a mounting seat adapted to be connected pivotally to and disposed behind the support rod;

an upright valve cylinder including

a cylinder body having a lower end adapted to be connected pivotally to the vehicle frame,

a movable rod disposed axially and movably within said cylinder body and having an upper end that projects upwardly from said cylinder body and that is connected fixedly to said mounting seat, and

a valve rod disposed axially and movably within said movable rod and having an upper end that projects upwardly from said movable rod, said valve rod being movable relative to said movable rod between a retracted position, where said movable rod can move within said cylinder body, and an extended position, where said movable rod is fixed relative to said cylinder body, said valve rod being biased to said extended position; and

a control rod having a front end portion that is disposed within said mounting seat and that is formed with a pressing face and a release face, said control rod being operable on said mounting seat to align said upper end of said valve rod with a selected one of said pressing face and said release face of said control rod, said valve rod being disposed at said retracted position so as to enable rotation of the handle relative to the vehicle frame when said pressing face of said control rod is aligned with said upper end of said valve rod, said valve rod being disposed at said extended position so as to prevent rotation of the handle relative to the vehicle frame when said release face of said control rod is aligned with said upper end of said valve rod;

whereby, said control rod can be operated to align said upper end of said valve rod with said pressing face of said control rod so as to permit adjustment of position of the handle, after which the control rod is operated to align said upper end of said valve rod with said release face of said control rod so as to position the handle relative to the vehicle frame.

2. The handle-adjusting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

said mounting seat has a frontwardly and rearwardly extending intermediate hole formed therethrough so as to permit extension of said front end portion of said control rod therethrough, a bottom surface, and a lower hole that has an upper end communicated with said intermediate hole, and a lower end formed in said bottom surface, said upper end of said valve rod extending into said lower hole in said mounting seat;

and

said control rod is movable within said intermediate hole in said mounting seat, said pressing face and said release face being annular and being arranged one behind the other, said pressing face having a diameter larger than that of said release face.

3. The handle-adjusting device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said control rod is further formed with a frustoconical face that is disposed between and that interconnects said pressing face and said release face.

4. The handle-adjusting device -as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a ball that is disposed within said lower hole in said mounting seat between said upper end of said valve rod and said control rod, said upper end of said valve rod being biased to press said ball against said control rod.

5. The handle-adjusting device as claimed in claim 2, wherein

said mounting seat has a front surface;

said control rod is formed with an outward flange at a front distal end thereof, and an externally threaded rear end, said outward flange having a rear side surface abutting against said front surface of said mounting seat so as to prevent rearward removal of said control rod from said intermediate hole in said mounting seat; and

said handle-adjusting device further comprising a T-shaped knob that has an internally threaded front end which engages said externally threaded rear end of said control rod, said knob being sized so as to prevent said knob from moving into said intermediate hole in said mounting seat.

6. The handle-adjusting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

said mounting seat has a frontwardly and rearwardly extending intermediate hole formed therethrough so as to permit extension of said front end portion of said control rod therethrough, a bottom surface, and a lower hole that has an upper end communicated with said intermediate hole, and a lower end formed in said bottom surface, said upper end of said valve rod extending into said lower hole in said mounting seat;

and

said control rod has a cylindrical rod body that is disposed rotatably within said intermediate hole in said mounting seat and that is formed with a groove, which is defined by a planar bottom wall constituting said release face, said pressing face being shaped as a curved surface that has a uniform curvature radius, that is aligned with said release face along a transverse direction of said control rod, and that has two opposite sides which are connected respectively to two opposite sides of said release face.

7. The handle-adjusting device as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a ball that is disposed within said lower hole in said mounting seat between said upper end of said valve rod and said control rod, said upper end of said valve rod being biased to press said ball against said control rod.

8. The handle-adjusting device as claimed in claim 6, wherein

said mounting seat has a front surface;

said control rod is formed with an outward flange at a front distal end thereof, and an internally threaded rear end, said outward flange having a rear side surface abutting against said front surface of said mounting seat so as to prevent rearward removal of said control rod from said intermediate hole in said mounting seat; and

said handle-adjusting device further comprises an L-shaped rotary knob that has an externally threaded front end which engages said internally threaded rear end of said control rod.

9. The handle-adjusting device as claimed in claim 8, wherein said front surface of said mounting seat is formed with a stop rod that extends perpendicularly therefrom, said outward flange of said control rod being formed with a limiting projection that extends radially and outwardly therefrom and that is rotatable relative to said mounting seat to abut against said stop rod of said mounting seat when said pressing face of said control rod is aligned with said upper end of said valve rod.

10. The handle-adjusting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

said mounting seat has a frontwardly and rearwardly extending intermediate hole formed therethrough so as to permit extension of said front end portion of said control rod therethrough, a bottom surface, and a lower hole that has an upper end communicated with said intermediate hole, and a lower end formed in said bottom surface, said upper end of said valve rod extending into said lower hole in said mounting seat;

and

said control rod has a cylindrical rod body that is disposed rotatably within said intermediate hole in said mounting seat and that is formed with a projection which has a cam surface constituting said pressing face, said release face being shaped as a curved surface that has a uniform curvature radius, that is aligned with said pressing face along a transverse direction of said control rod, and that has two opposite sides which are connected respectively to two opposite sides of said pressing face.

11. The handle-adjusting device as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a ball that is disposed within said lower hole in said mounting seat between said upper end of said valve rod and said control rod, said upper end of said valve rod being biased to press said ball against said control rod.

12. The handle-adjusting device as claimed in claim 11, wherein said pressing face has a central portion that is formed with a circular cavity which engages said ball.

13. The handle-adjusting device as claimed in claim 10, wherein said front surface of said mounting seat is formed with a stop rod that extends perpendicularly therefrom, said outward flange of said control rod being formed with a limiting projection that extends radially and outwardly therefrom and that is rotatable relative to-said mounting seat to abut against said stop rod of said mounting seat when said pressing face of said control rod is aligned with said upper end of said valve rod.

14. The handle-adjusting device as claimed in claim 10, wherein

said mounting seat has a front surface;

said control rod is formed with an outward flange at a front distal end thereof, and an internally threaded rear end, said outward flange having a rear side surface abutting against said front surface of said mounting seat so as to prevent rearward removal of said control rod from said intermediate hole in said mounting seat; and

said handle-adjusting device further comprises an L-shaped rotary knob that has an externally threaded front end which engages said internally threaded rear end of said control rod.