Bicycle electrical generator hub

• US 20050285461A1
• Filed: 04/26/2005
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shimano Inc
• Original Assignee: Shimano Inc
• Inventors: Fukuda, Masahiko, Takeda, Kazuhiro, Kitamura, Satoshi, Ueno, Koken
• Granted Patent: US 7,042,123 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 310/67.00A
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 25/08 with electrical or fluid transmitting systems
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/145 having an annular coil, e.g. of the claw-pole type
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1846 structurally associated with wheels or associated parts dynamos arranged in the wheel hub of cycles B62J6/12

Abstract

A bicycle gearshift system is mounted on the rear part of the frame of the bicycle. The bicycle gearshift system includes an electrically powered rear derailleur, a rear hub, a charger part, and a gearshift control part. The electrically powered rear derailleur is mounted on the rear part of the frame. The rear hub is also mounted to the rear part of the frame. The rear hub has an electrical generator mechanism that generates electricity through the rotation of the wheel. The charger part is mounted on the rear hub and stores the electrical energy that was generated by the generator part. The gearshift control part is equipped on the electrically powered rear derailleur, where gearshift control of the electrically powered rear derailleur is performed through the energy that is stored in the charger part.

Claims

1. A bicycle electrical generator hub configured to be mounted at the center of a wheel of a bicycle, comprising:

a hub axle;

a hub unit rotatably disposed on a periphery of the hub axle with a bearing arranged between the hub unit and the hub axle;

an electrical generator part configured and arranged to generate electricity from rotation of the hub unit relative to the hub axle;

a charger part configured and arranged to store the electricity that is generated by the electrical generator part as electrical energy; and

an electrical energy output part that is configured and arranged to output the electrical energy that is stored in the charger part.

2. The bicycle electrical generator hub according to claim 1, wherein

the electrical generator part is configured and arranged to generate alternating current electricity from the rotation of the hub unit relative to the hub axle;

and

the charger part includes a current rectifier circuit that converts the alternating current electricity that is generated by the electrical generator part into direct current electricity, and an electric energy storage element that stores the direct current electricity as direct current electrical energy.

3. The bicycle electrical generator hub according to claim 2, wherein

the charger part is arranged in the hub unit and includes a washer-shaped circuit board configured and arranged to have the hub axle pass therethrough, and

the current rectifier circuit and the electric energy storage element are arranged on the washer-shaped circuit board.

4. The bicycle electrical generator hub according to claim 2, wherein

the electric energy storage element includes an electrical double-layer capacitor.

5. The bicycle electrical generator hub according to claim 2, further comprising

a speed signal generator part configured and arranged to generate a speed detection signal to detect speed of the hub unit relative to the hub axle from the alternating current electricity generated by the electrical generator part.

6. The bicycle electrical generator hub according to claim 5, further comprising

a signal superimposition part configured and arranged to superimpose the speed signal generated by the speed signal generator part on the direct current electric energy stored in the electric energy storage element, with the electric energy output part being further configured and arranged to output the direct current electric energy with the speed detection signal superimposed thereon.

7. The bicycle electrical generator hub according claim 1, wherein

the electrical generator part includes a permanent magnet arranged on an inner peripheral surface of the hub unit, and an inner stationary unit rigidly attached to the hub axle that is disposed on an inner peripheral side of the permanent magnet.

8. The bicycle electrical generator hub according to claim 7, wherein

the inner stationary unit includes a ring-shaped coil disposed on the inner peripheral side of the permanent magnet, and a yoke having multiple sets of first layered yokes and multiple sets of second layered yokes, each of the multiple sets of first layered yokes including multiple flat layer pieces mounted on a first axial side of the ring-shaped coil, and each of the multiple sets of second layered yokes includes multiple flat layer pieces mounted on a second axial side of the ring-shaped coil that is opposite from the first axial side, the first and second sets of layered yokes disposed so as to substantially encompass the periphery of the coil,

each of the multiple flat layer pieces includes a yoke outer periphery part disposed between the permanent magnet and the coil and extending axially to the opposite side of the ring-shaped coil from the axial side where the piece is mounted, and a yoke inner periphery part that is magnetically connected to the yoke outer periphery part and is disposed on the axial side where the piece is mounted, and

the multiple sets of the first and second layered yokes are alternately disposed about the ring-shaped coil such that the inner periphery parts of each of the yokes face a direction of the axle and the outer periphery parts of each of the yokes face direction of the periphery.

9. The bicycle electrical generator hub according to claim 1, further comprising

a free wheel operatively coupled to the hub unit to transmit only rotation in a forward direction of movement of a bicycle to the hub unit.

10-20. -20. (canceled)