US 10,894,577 B2Granted

Bicycle drive system

AssigneeCeramicSpeed Sport A/S

InventorsJason Smith, Morten Opprud Jakobsen, Greg Andrew Vanderbeek, Simon Elnicki Hafner, Hanxiong Yang, Alexander Jacobson Rosenberry, Steven Andrew Simkins, Chase Dixon Cleveland, Eric Stefan Perkey

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

patentgrep

Loading patent…

Abstract

A bicycle drive system includes a front face gear, a rear face gear, a drive shaft, and a front roller-toothed gear assembly coupled to the first end of the drive shaft, and a rear roller-toothed gear assembly coupled to the second end of the drive shaft. Both the front roller-toothed gear assembly and the rear roller-toothed gear assembly include one or more roller elements. The roller-toothed gear assemblies are advantageous in ensuring the bicycle drive system is highly efficient, and is only minimally or not at all affected by dirt, water, contaminants, or other foreign matter typically experienced in un-clean riding conditions.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A multi-gear bicycle drive system comprising a drive shaft, the drive shaft being configured for connecting a front face and rear face gear of the bicycle drive system, the bicycle drive system comprising:

a front face gear comprising a cog-disk and at least one concentric gear-ring comprising a first set of fixed gear teeth, wherein the first set of gear teeth are fixed relative to the at least one concentric gear-ring of the front face gear;
a rear face gear comprising a cog-disk and at least a plurality of concentric gear-rings comprising a second set of fixed gear teeth, wherein the second set of gear teeth are fixed relative to the plurality of concentric gear-rings of the rear face gear;
and
a shaft having an axis of rotation and having a first end of the drive shaft and a second end,
wherein the drive shaft further comprises:
a roller-toothed gear assembly coupled to at least one of the first end of the drive shaft or the second end of the drive shaft,
wherein the roller-toothed gear assembly is configured to mesh with at least one of the plurality of concentric gear-rings of the rear face gear, so that rotational movement of the gear-ring is transmitted to the shaft,
wherein the roller-toothed gear assembly comprises at least one roller element,
wherein the at least one roller element of the roller-toothed gear assembly engages at least one of the plurality of concentric gear-rings of the rear face gear,
wherein the at least one roller element comprises an inner raceway, an outer raceway, and rollers between the inner raceway and the outer raceway, the at least one roller element being at least one of a ball bearing, a roller bearing, or a double row ball,
wherein the outer raceway of the at least one roller element engages the second set of fixed gear teeth of the plurality of concentric gear-rings of the rear face gear, and
wherein the at least one roller element is movable fore and aft relative to the rear face gear between a first position, in which the at least one roller element is engaged with a first gear-ring of the plurality of concentric gear-rings of the rear face gear, and a second position, in which the at least one roller element is engaged with a second gear-ring of the plurality of concentric gear-rings of the rear face gear.

9 more elements

a front face gear comprising a cog-disk and at least one concentric gear-ring;
a rear face gear comprising a cog-disk and at least a plurality of concentric gear-rings;
and
a shaft having an axis of rotation and having a first end of the drive shaft and a second end,
wherein the drive shaft further comprises:
a roller-toothed gear assembly coupled to at least one of the first end of the drive shaft or the second end of the drive shaft,
wherein the roller-toothed gear assembly is configured to mesh with at least one of the plurality of concentric gear-rings of the rear face gear, so that rotational movement of the gear-ring is transmitted to the shaft,
wherein the roller-toothed gear assembly comprises a first spinner plate, a second spinner plate, and at least one roller element between the first spinner plate and the second spinner plate,
wherein the at least one roller element of the roller-toothed gear assembly engages at least one of the plurality of concentric gear-rings of the rear face gear,
wherein the at least one roller element comprises an inner raceway, an outer raceway, and rollers between the inner raceway and the outer raceway, the at least one roller element being at least one of a ball bearing, a roller bearing, or a double row ball,
wherein the outer raceway of the at least one roller element engages the at least one concentric gear-ring of the front face gear or at least one of the plurality of concentric gear-rings of the rear face gear,
wherein the first spinner plate and the second spinner plate are each engaged with the inner raceway of the at least one roller element, and
wherein the at least one roller element is movable fore and aft relative to the rear face gear between a first position, in which the at least one roller element is engaged with a first gear-ring of the plurality of concentric gear-rings of the rear face gear, and a second position, in which the at least one roller element is engaged with a second gear-ring of the plurality of concentric gear-rings of the rear face gear.

10 more elements

a front face gear comprising a cog-disk and at least one concentric gear-ring;
a rear face gear comprising a cog-disk and at least a plurality of concentric gear-rings;
and
a shaft having an axis of rotation and having a first end of the drive shaft and a second end,
wherein the drive shaft further comprises:
a roller-toothed gear assembly coupled to at least one of the first end of the drive shaft or the second end of the drive shaft,
wherein the roller-toothed gear assembly is configured to mesh with at least one of the plurality of concentric gear-rings of the rear face gear, so that rotational movement of the gear-ring is transmitted to the shaft,
wherein the roller-toothed gear assembly comprises at least one roller element,
wherein the at least one roller element of the roller-toothed gear assembly engages at least one of the plurality of concentric gear-rings of the rear face gear,
wherein the at least one roller element comprises an inner raceway, an outer raceway, and rollers between the inner raceway and the outer raceway, the at least one roller element being at least one of a ball bearing, a roller bearing, or a double row ball,
wherein the outer raceway of the at least one roller element engages at least one of the plurality of concentric gear-rings of the rear face gear, and
wherein the at least one roller element is movable fore and aft relative to the rear face gear between a first position, in which the at least one roller element is engaged with a first gear-ring of the plurality of concentric gear-rings of the rear face gear, and a second position, in which the at least one roller element is engaged with a second gear-ring of the plurality of concentric gear-rings of the rear face gear.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/364,282Filed 26 Mar 2019 · us provisional application
Priority: DK 2018 0016316 Apr 2018
Published: US 2019/0300116 A13 Oct 2019
Granted: 19 Jan 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification13 codes

B62M 11/08
With spur gear wheels: with a radially-shiftable intermediate gear wheel
F16H 3/30
With gears shiftable only axially: with driving and driven shafts not coaxial
B62J 23/00
Cycle saddles or seats: other protectors specially adapted for cycles
B62J 45/411
Characterised by the type of sensor: torque sensors