US 5,938,560 AGranted

Bicycle multi-gear hub with coaster brake

AssigneeFichtel & Sachs AG

InventorWerner Steuer

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A bicycle multi-gear hub with a coaster brake includes a hub body, a driver, a planetary gear arrangement and a coaster brake mechanism. The braking effect of the coaster brake mechanism is always boosted in all possible gears by the planetary gear arrangement when the driver is back-pedalled in a braking direction. The planetary gear arrangement can be shifted, if necessary, to always apply braking torque through a ring gear of the planetary gear arrangement, so that the planetary gear arrangement can be in the lowest gear of the multi-gear hub during braking. To shift the planetary gear arrangement into the lowest gear for braking when the planet carrier is connected to the driver for overdrive, a clutch member can be deflected by the planet carrier to disengage the driver from the planet carrier and engage the driver with the ring gear. The portion of the clutch member that engages the planet carrier can be configured independently of the portion of the clutch member that engages the ring gear.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A bicycle multi-gear hub having a coaster brake, said multi-gear hub comprising:

an axle;
a drive member rotatably mounted on said axle to receive torque from a pedal of a bicycle;
a hub body to transmit torque to a bicycle wheel mounted on said multi-gear hub;
a planetary gear arrangement to change the gear of said multi-gear hub from one gear to another;
said planetary gear arrangement being connected between said drive member and said hub body;
said planetary gear arrangement comprising:
a ring gear being disposed about said axle;
at least one planet wheel to mesh with said ring gear;
a planet carrier;
and
said at least one planet wheel being rotatably mounted on said planet carrier;
a coaster brake arrangement;
said coaster brake arrangement comprising an arrangement to shift said planetary gear arrangement from a higher gear to the lowest gear upon said planetary gear arrangement being in a higher gear;
and
said arrangement to shift said planetary gear arrangement comprising:
a clutch member being operatively connected between said drive member and said planetary gear arrangement;
said clutch member being non-rotatably connected to said drive member to transmit torque between said drive member and said planetary gear arrangement;
said clutch member comprising a dog clutch portion;
said clutch member comprising a toothed portion;
said planet carrier comprising a dog clutch receiving portion;
said dog clutch receiving portion being configured and disposed to engage said dog clutch portion of said clutch member;
said ring gear comprising a toothed receiving portion;
said toothed receiving portion being configured and disposed to engage said toothed portion of said clutch member;
said clutch member being disposed to be movable between said dog clutch receiving portion of said planet carrier and said toothed receiving portion of said ring gear;
said clutch member being disposed to be engagable with said dog clutch receiving portion of said planet carrier;
and
said clutch member being disposed to be engagable with said toothed receiving portion of said ring gear to shift said planetary gear arrangement from a higher gear to the lowest gear upon said planetary gear arrangement being in a higher gear and to activate said coaster brake arrangement with said clutch member.

24 more elements

The multi-gear hub according to claim 25, wherein:

each groove of said plurality of grooves comprises:
a third surface;
said third surface defines a third plane, the third plane being substantially parallel to the axis of rotation;
said third surface is disposed to follow said first surface upon said planet carrier rotating in the first direction of rotation;
and
said third surface is disposed immediately adjacent said second surface;
each dog of said plurality of dogs comprises:
a front surface;
a rear surface;
said rear surface is disposed to follow said first surface upon said clutch member being rotated in the first direction of rotation;
said rear surface defines a fourth plane, the fourth plane being substantially transverse to the axis of rotation;
and
the fourth plane defines a second angle between the fourth plane and the axis of rotation, the second angle defined by the fourth plane being substantially equal to the first angle defined by the second plane.

10 more elements

A bicycle multi-gear hub having a coaster brake with an arrangement to shift said hub from a higher gear to the lowest gear upon back pedalling to actuate said coaster brake with said hub being in a higher gear, said multi-gear hub comprising:

a torque input member to receive torque from a pedal of a bicycle;
a torque output member to transmit torque to a bicycle wheel mounted on said multi-gear hub;
a transmission to change the gear of said multi-gear hub from one gear to another gear;
said transmission being disposed between said torque input member and said torque output member;
said transmission having a lowest gear and at least one higher gear;
the lowest gear of said transmission having a first gear ratio, the first gear ratio being the rotation speed of said torque input member divided by the rotation speed of said torque output member upon said transmission being in the first gear;
the at least one higher gear of said transmission having a second gear ratio, the second gear ratio being the rotation speed of said torque input member divided by the rotation speed of said torque output member upon said transmission being in the at least one higher gear;
the first gear ratio of the lowest gear being greater than the second gear ratio of the at least one higher gear;
the first gear ratio of the lowest gear being the greatest gear ratio of said transmission;
a coaster brake arrangement to brake a bicycle wheel mounted on said multi-gear hub;
an arrangement to shift said transmission from the at least one higher gear into the lowest gear upon back pedalling of a pedal to actuate said coaster brake upon said transmission being in the at least one higher gear;
and
said arrangement to shift said transmission being configured and disposed to actuate said coaster brake arrangement.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.