Variable speed generator for a human powered vehicle
AssigneeShimano Inc.
InventorsKazuhiro Takeda, Satoshi Kitamura, Takumi Onogi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A generator for a human powered vehicle comprises a hub shaft structured to be mounted to the human powered vehicle, a hub shell mounted to rotate relative to the hub shaft, a power generating mechanism including a coil and a magnet that rotate relative to each other, and a rotating member structured to rotate relative to the hub shaft, wherein at least one of the coil or the magnet rotate together with the rotating member. A transmission communicates rotation from an input member to an output member corresponding to a plurality of gear ratios, and a switching unit couples the rotating member to the transmission so that the rotating member rotates at a plurality of speeds relative to the hub shell.
Claims20
A generator for a human powered vehicle comprising:
- a hub shaft structured to be mounted to the human powered vehicle;
- a hub shell mounted to rotate relative to the hub shaft;
- a power generating mechanism including a magnet and a coil that rotate relative to each other to generate an electric current;
- a rotating member structured to rotate relative to the hub shaft;
- wherein at least one of the magnet and the coil rotates together with the rotating member;
- a transmission that communicates rotation from an input member to an output member corresponding to a plurality of nonzero gear ratios;
- and
- a switching unit that couples the rotating member to the transmission so that the rotating member rotates at a plurality of nonzero speeds relative to the hub shell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.