Adjustable seat tube structure and bicycle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10202158-B2
Application number	US-201715688897-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2017
Priority date	Aug 31, 2016
Publication date	Feb 12, 2019
Grant date	Feb 12, 2019

Abstract

An adjustable seat tube structure which is for adjusting a height of a saddle for a bicycle includes a lower tube, an upper tube and a piston set. The lower tube includes a top end. The upper tube is disposed at the lower tube and is limitedly moved relative to the lower tube. The upper tube is linked with the saddle and includes an upper end, an inner space, and a lower end. The upper end is protruded out of the top end, and the inner space is for receiving a gas. The lower end is corresponded to the upper end. The piston set includes a piston, a valve and a rod. The piston is disposed inside the inner space, and the lower end is moved relative to the piston. The valve is disposed inside the piston and the rod is connected to the piston.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An adjustable seat tube structure which is for adjusting a height of a saddle for a bicycle, comprising:
a lower tube comprising a top end;
an upper tube disposed within the lower tube and being limitedly moved relative to the lower tube, the upper tube being linked with the saddle, the upper tube comprising:
an upper end protruded out of the top end;
an inner space for receiving a gas and an oil, wherein the gas is near the upper end, the oil stays away from the upper end, and a surface of the oil touches the gas; and
a lower end opposite the upper end; and

a piston set, comprising:
a piston disposed inside the inner space, the lower end moved relative to the piston;
a valve disposed inside the piston; and
a rod connected to the piston;

wherein the valve is opened to allow the gas or the oil to pass through the piston, such that the upper tube is moved relative to the piston set so as to adjust a relative distance between the top end and the upper end, and the relative distance is fixed when the piston is fixed by closing the valve.

2. The adjustable seat tube structure of claim 1 , wherein the valve comprises a valve opening, and the piston set further comprises:
a controlling bar for passing through the rod to go into the piston so as to couple to the valve opening, the controlling bar being controlled by a controller to close the valve opening.

3. The adjustable seat tube structure of claim 1 , wherein the upper tube comprises a lower seal, the lower seal is for covering the lower end to prevent the piston from leaving the upper tube, and the lower seal comprises a through hole for the rod to pass through.

4. The adjustable seat tube structure of claim 1 , further comprising:
a seat tube sleeved on the upper tube, the seat tube and the upper tube disposed inside a receiving space of the lower tube, the seat tube and the upper tube being limitedly and simultaneously moved inside the receiving space, the seat tube comprising a disposing end near the upper end, wherein the disposing end is for disposing the saddle.

5. The adjustable seat tube structure of claim 1 , wherein the piston is limitedly moved between a top dead center and a bottom dead center, a first distance is included between the upper end and the piston when the piston arrives at the bottom dead center, a second distance is included between the upper end and the piston when the upper end is moved relative to the piston to allow the piston to arrive at the bottom dead center, the first distance is larger than the second distance, and when the piston is moving from the bottom dead center to the top dead center, the relative distance is incrementally shortened.

6. The adjustable seat tube structure of claim 1 , wherein the piston is limitedly moved between a top dead center and a bottom dead center, the top dead center is near the upper end, and the bottom dead center is near the lower end.

7. The adjustable seat tube structure of claim 6 , wherein the piston touches the gas when the piston arrives at the top dead center.

8. The adjustable seat tube structure of claim 1 , further comprising:
a nozzle disposed at the upper end.

9. An adjustable seat tube structure which is for adjusting a height of a saddle for a bicycle, comprising:
a lower tube comprising a top end;
an upper tube disposed within the lower tube and being limitedly moved relative to the lower tube, the upper tube being linked with the saddle and comprising:
an upper end protruded out of the top end;
an inner space for receiving a gas; and
a lower end opposite the upper end; and

a piston set, comprising:
a piston disposed inside the inner space, the lower end moved relative to the piston;
a valve disposed inside the piston; and
a rod connected to the piston;

wherein the valve is opened to allow the gas to pass through the piston, such that the upper tube is moved relative to the piston set so as to adjust a relative distance between the top end and the upper end, and the relative distance is fixed when the piston is fixed by closing the valve.

10. The adjustable seat tube structure of claim 9 , wherein the upper tube comprises a lower seal, the lower seal is for covering the lower end to prevent the piston from leaving the upper tube, and the lower seal comprises a through hole for the rod to pass through.

11. The adjustable seat tube structure of claim 10 , wherein the piston is limitedly moved between a top dead center and a bottom dead center, the top dead center is near the upper end, the bottom dead center is near the lower end, and a height is included between the piston and the lower seal when the piston arrives at the bottom dead center.

12. The adjustable seat tube structure of claim 9 , wherein the piston is limitedly moved between a top dead center and a bottom dead center, a first distance is included between the upper end and the piston when the piston arrives at the bottom dead center, a second distance is included between the upper end and the piston when the upper end is moved relative to the piston to allow the piston to arrive at the bottom dead center, the first distance is larger than the second distance, and when the piston is moving from the bottom dead center to the top dead center, the relative distance is incrementally shortened.

13. The adjustable seat tube structure of claim 9 , further comprising:
a nozzle disposed at the upper end.

14. A bicycle, comprising:
a saddle; and
a frame for disposing the saddle, comprising:
an adjustable seat tube structure, comprising:
a lower tube comprising a top end;
an upper tube disposed within the lower tube and being limitedly moved relative to the lower tube, comprising:
an upper end protruded out of the top end;
an inner space for receiving at least one fluid; and
a lower end opposite the upper end;

a piston set, comprising:
a piston disposed inside the inner space, the lower end moved relative to the piston;
a valve disposed inside the piston; and
a rod connected to the piston; and

a seat tube sleeved on the upper tube, the seat tube and the upper tube being limitedly and simultaneously moved relative to the lower tube, the seat tube comprising a disposing end near the upper end, wherein the disposing end is for disposing the saddle;

wherein the valve is opened to allow the at least one fluid to pass through the piston, such that the upper tube is moved relative to the piston set so as to adjust a relative distance between the top end and the upper end, and the relative distance is fixed when the piston is fixed by closing the valve.

15. The bicycle of claim 14 , wherein the valve of the adjustable seat tube structure comprises a valve opening, and the piston set further comprises:
the controlling bar for passing through the rod to go into the piston so as to couple to the valve opening, the controlling bar being controlled by a controller to close the valve opening.

16. The bicycle of claim 15 , wherein the adjustable seat tube structure further comprises:
the controller connected to the controlling bar so as to axially move the controlling to close the valve opening.

17. The bicycle of claim 14 , wherein the upper tube of the adjustable seat tube structure comprises a lower seal, the lower seal is for covering the lower end to prevent the piston from leaving the upper tube, and the lower seal comprises a through hole for the rod to pass through.

18. The bicycle of claim 14 , wherein the seat tube is pressed into the lower tube so as to allow the piston to approach the upper

Assignees

• Giant Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jhou Shu-Yu
• Hsu Che-Wei

Classifications

• B62J1/08 Primary

  Frames for saddles; Connections between saddle frames and seat pillars; Seat pillars (attaching seat pillars to cycle frames B62K19/36) · CPC title

• F15B15/202

  Externally-operated valves mounted in or on the actuator · CPC title

• B62J2001/085

  Seat pillars having mechanisms to vary seat height, independently of the cycle frame · CPC title