Motor unit and derailleur
AssigneeShimano Inc.
InventorsShota Suyama, Yuta Mizutani, Atsuhiro Emura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A motor unit comprises a torque limiter and a transmitting structure. The torque limiter includes a first member and a second member. The first member and the second member are movable relative to each other in a state where a torque applied to the torque limiter is equal to or higher than a torque threshold. The first member and the second member are movable together with each other in a state where the torque is lower than the torque threshold. The transmitting structure includes a first race, a second race, a first intermediate element at least partially provided between the first race and the second race, and a second intermediate element at least partially provided between the first race and the second race.
Claims25
A motor unit for a bicycle component, comprising:
- a torque limiter including a first member and a second member, the first member and the second member being movable relative to each other in a state where a torque applied to the torque limiter is equal to or higher than a torque threshold, the first member and the second member being movable together with each other in a state where the torque is lower than the torque threshold;
- a transmitting structure having a transmitting-structure rotational axis, the transmitting structure including:
- a first race;
- a second race;
- a first intermediate element at least partially provided between the first race and the second race;
- and
- a second intermediate element at least partially provided between the first race and the second race;
- the first intermediate element being configured to move toward the first race in response to the first intermediate element pushed by the second race in a first circumferential direction with respect to the transmitting-structure rotational axis;
- the first intermediate element being configured to move toward the first race in response to the first intermediate element pushed by the second race in a second circumferential direction different from the first circumferential direction;
- the first intermediate element being configured to move away from the first race in response to the first intermediate element pushed by the second intermediate element in the first circumferential direction;
- and
- the first intermediate element being configured to move away from the first race in response to the first intermediate element pushed by the second intermediate element in the second circumferential direction different from the first circumferential direction.
A motor unit for a bicycle component, comprising:
- an output member;
- an electric motor including an output shaft;
- a torque limiter entirely disposed inside a housing of the motor unit;
- a transmitting structure configured to transmit a first torque in a first load direction defined from the output shaft to the output member and configured to transmit a second torque in a second load direction defined from the output member to the output shaft, the transmitting structure being configured to transmit a torque in multiple rotational directions based on a rotational direction of the output shaft in a state where the transmitting structure transmits the torque in the first load direction;
- and
- the first torque being higher than the second torque.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.