Mounting method for bottom bracket planetary

• US 8,342,553 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2010
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Patterson Bicycle Transmission LLC
• Original Assignee: Patterson Bicycle Transmission LLC
• Inventors: Patterson, Sam
• Primary Examiner(s): Morris, Lesley D
• Assistant Examiner(s): KNUTSON, JACOB D
• Application Number:
  US12/785,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20100301581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 744/17, 280/259, 280/260, 475/12, 475/269, 475/307
• US Class Current: 280/260
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 19/34 Bottom brackets
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 11/145 built in, or adjacent to, the bottom bracket
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 25/02 with mechanical transmitting systems, e.g. cables, levers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19665 Bevel gear type

Abstract

A mounting device for a bicycle having a bottom bracket planetary gear system with a sun gear or ring gear, and a bottom bracket shell positioned at the convergence of a plurality of frame parts of a bicycle frame is disclosed herein. The mounting device preferably has a control plate, a drive side bearing flange, a control input and control pawl. The control pawl blocks the sun gear, ring gear or planet carrier of the planetary system of the bicycle transmission thereby transferring the sun gear, ring gear or planet carrier force to the control pawl then to the control plate and then to the bicycle frame.

Claims

1. A mounting device for a bicycle having a bottom bracket planetary gear system with a sun gear or ring gear, and a bottom bracket shell positioned at the convergence of a plurality of frame parts of a bicycle frame, the mounting device comprising:

a control plate having a body comprising a central aperture, an annular wall, a first surface and a second surface, the annular wall having a torque fix feature for engaging one of the frame parts, the aperture extending through the body, the second surface mounted against the bottom bracket shell;

a drive side bearing flange positioned through the central aperture of the body of the control plate and positioned through an aperture of the bottom bracket shell through a first opening of the aperture;

a control subassembly comprising a control input element and a control pawl, the control input element extending through the body of the control plate wherein the control pawl is positioned on the first surface of the control plate, the control input element controlled by a control cable; and

wherein the control pawl blocks the sun gear, ring gear or a planet carrier of the bottom bracket planetary gear system of the bicycle thereby transferring the sun gear, ring gear or planet carrier force to the control pawl then to the control plate and then to the bicycle frame through the torque feature.

2. The mounting device according to claim 1 wherein the control plate is composed of a material selected from stainless steel, titanium alloy, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy and composite.

3. The mounting device according to claim 1 wherein the control plate has a thickness ranging from 0.100 inches to 0.300 inches and a diameter ranging from 2 inches to 5 inches.

4. The mounting device according to claim 1 further comprising a non-drive side bearing flange positioned through a second opening of the aperture of the bottom bracket shell assembly threaded into a plurality of threads of the drive side bearing flange.

5. The mounting device according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of frame parts of the frame comprises a chain stay and a seat tube.

6. The mounting device according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of frame parts of the frame comprises a chain stay, a down tube and a seat tube.

16. The mounting device according to claim 1 wherein the control plate is positioned between the drive side bearing flange and the bottom bracket shell, and wherein a gearing of the bottom bracket planetary gear system is freewheeling to permit the use of a single sided torque fix for the torque fix feature.

17. The mounting device according to claim 1 wherein a control input is by means of a rotating control element which rotates on an axis offset from a spindle axis so that a control input signal is transmitted through the control plate only by means of rotation and prevented from sliding.

18. The mounting device according to claim 1 wherein a crank arm, a gearbox, and a spindle are capable of sliding into bearings of the bottom bracket planetary gear system as a preassembled unit, and wherein a shoulder on processing the drive side spindle bearing flange sets the axial spacing by means of a shoulder on the spindle abuting the bearings of the bottom bracket planetary gear system.

19. The mounting device according to claim 1 wherein the ring gear is rotatably mounted on a spindle by means of a bearing system that is substantially in a plane of chain forces acting on a ring gear shell to avoiding cantilevered forces on bearings of the bottom bracket planetary gear system.

20. The mounting device according to claim 1 wherein a torque tube allows the control forces to perpendicularly pass through a plane of forces supporting a ring gear shell.

7. A bicycle having a bottom bracket planetary system, the bicycle comprising:

a frame comprising a plurality of frame parts converging at a bottom bracket shell, the bottom bracket shell having an aperture with a first opening and a second opening;

a gear comprising one of a sun gear, a planet gear or a ring gear;

a ratchet wheel;

a torque tube connecting one of the sun gear, the planet gear or the ring gear to the ratchet wheel;

a control plate having a body comprising a central aperture, an annular wall, a first surface and a second surface, the annular wall having a torque fix feature for engaging one of the frame parts, the aperture extending through the body, the second surface mounted against the bottom bracket shell;

a drive side bearing flange positioned through the central aperture of the body of the control plate and positioned through an aperture of the bottom bracket shell through a first opening of the aperture;

a control subassembly comprising a control input element and a control pawl, the control input extending through the body of the control plate wherein the control pawl is positioned on the first surface of the control plate, the control input element controlled by a control cable; and

wherein the control pawl blocks the sun gear, ring gear or planet carrier of the planetary system of the bicycle thereby transferring the sun gear, ring gear or planet carrier force to the control pawl then to the control plate and then to the bicycle frame.

8. The bicycle according to claim 7 wherein the control plate is composed of a material selected from stainless steel, titanium alloy, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy and composite.

9. The bicycle according to claim 7 wherein the control plate has a thickness ranging from 0.100 inches to 0.300 inches and a diameter ranging from 2 inches to 5 inches.

10. The bicycle according to claim 7 further comprising a non-drive side bearing flange positioned through a second opening of the aperture of the bottom bracket shell assembly threaded into a plurality of threads of the drive side bearing flange.

11. The bicycle according to claim 7 further comprising a handlebar connected to the frame, the handlebar having an actuator, the control cable connected to the actuator of the handlebar.

12. A method for transferring blocking torque from a bicycle sun gear to a bicycle control mechanism and then to a bicycle frame;

the method comprising;

blocking a gear with a control pawl of a mounting device mounted on a bottom bracket shell of the bicycle frame, the gear comprising one of a sun gear, a planet gear or a ring gear, the mounting device comprising a control plate, a torque fix feature for the bicycle frame, a control subassembly comprising a control input element and the control pawl, the control input extending through the control plate, a drive side bearing flange and a non-drive side bearing flange;

transferring a blocking force of the gear to the control pawl;

transferring the blocking force from the control pawl to the control plate; and

transferring the blocking force from the control plate to the bicycle frame through the torque fix feature.

13. The method according to claim 12 further comprising securing the control plate to the bicycle frame wherein the control plate is constrained to rotate about a bottom bracket spindle axis by means contact forces against the drive side spindle bearing flange and the bottom bracket shell, and constrained not to rotate about the spindle axis by means of contact forces against a feature integral with the bottom bracket shell, wherein the control plate supports the control input element for the control of a planetary mechanism rotatably mounted on the drive side spindle bearing flange, wherein the control element is used to block or unblock rotation of one of the sun gear, planet gear or ring gear, wherein the control input element is moveably mounted to an outboard face of the control plate and extends through the control plate to an inboard face of the control plate, wherein the control input element can be actuated by a control cable, rod, lever, hydraulic linkage, wired or wireless electromechanical linkage responding to a control input coming from the rider or from an automated controller such as a microprocessor.

14. The method according to claim 12 further comprising securing the control plate with an integral control mechanism for the control of a planetary gear box, wherein the control plate is held concentric and parallel to a planetary mechanism by means of axial and radial contact forces that exist in a first interface area that is essentially a body of revolution about a planetary axis, and wherein the control plate is prevented from rotating in the driving direction by means of tangential forces that exist in a second interface area that is essentially a plane which is parallel to the planetary axis and radially offset from it.

15. The method according to claim 12 further comprising securing the control plate with an integral control mechanism for the control of a planetary gear box concentric to a pedal spindle using no additional fasteners but only sandwiching the control plate between modified versions of existing parts, wherein the control plate is held concentric to and perpendicular to the pedal spindle by being sandwiched between the bottom bracket shell and the drive side bearing flange, and wherein the control plate is held from rotating in the driving direction by tangential forces between the control plate and one of the several features that normally exist as integral with the bottom bracket shell such as a chain stay, a seat tube, a down tube, or a rear suspension boss.