Apparatus for changing speed of bicycles
CAFCFirst Claim
1. An apparatus for changing the speed of a bicycle having a rear driving wheel, the apparatus comprising:
- a driven sprocket for receiving the driving force of a driving sprocket;
a speed controlling portion, comprising;
a carrier fixed to one side of the driven sprocket, a plurality of planetary gears within said carrier, each of said planetary gears having at least a first tooth portion and a second tooth portion;
at least two sun gears, each having ratchet-teeth along its inner circumference, one of said sun gears being engageable with said first tooth portion of each of said planetary gears and a second of said sun gears being engageable with said second tooth portion on each of said planetary gears;
a ring gear engageable with the planetary gears;
an output portion, comprising;
a hub shell for transferring the driving force to the rear wheel of the bicycle by means of the carrier and the ring gear;
a clutch means, mounted between the carrier and hub shell and the ring gear and the hub shell to selectively mediate the driving force; and
a speed-change controlling portion, comprising;
a hub shaft having a pawl-positioning portion;
at least two sets of pawls engageable with and releasable from the ratchet-teeth of the sun gears;
a pawl-controlling ring for controlling the position of the pawls;
a transforming disk having a groove along its outer circumference, and a hooking portion on said outer circumference, said hooking portion adapted to transform the position of the pawl-controlling ring through a mediating portion;
a spring for restoring the position of the transforming disk to its original position; and
a spacing portion enabling the transforming disk to rotate freely.
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Reexamination
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for changing the speed of bicycles, more particularly, an apparatus that changes the speed of bicycles using inner gears within a rear wheel hub and controls the inner gears by means of controllers mounted on a hub shaft. The apparatus includes: a driven sprocket receiving the driving force of a driving sprocket; a speed controlling portion, which includes a carrier that is fixed to one side of the driven sprocket, containing a plurality of planetary gears with ratchet-teeth formed along their inner circumferences; at least two sun gears for engaging each step of the planetary gears at their ratchet-teeth; a ring gear engaging the other side of the planetary gears; an output portion, including a hub shell transferring the driving force to the rear wheel by means of the carrier and the ring gear; a clutch means mounted between the carrier and the hub shell, and the ring gear and the hub shell, which selectively mediates the driving force; and a speed-change controlling portion. The speed-change controlling portion includes: a hub shaft having a pawl-positioning portion; at least two sets of pawls which engage with or release from the ratchet-teeth of the two or more sun gears; a pawl-controlling ring that controls the position of the two or more sets of pawls; a transforming disk having a groove along its outer circumference with a hooking portion at a certain position thereon, in order to transform the position of the pawl-controlling ring via a mediating portion; a spring for restoring the position of the transforming disk to its original position; and a spacing portion enabling the transforming disk to rotate freely.
15 Citations
15 Claims
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1. An apparatus for changing the speed of a bicycle having a rear driving wheel, the apparatus comprising:
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a driven sprocket for receiving the driving force of a driving sprocket;
a speed controlling portion, comprising;
a carrier fixed to one side of the driven sprocket, a plurality of planetary gears within said carrier, each of said planetary gears having at least a first tooth portion and a second tooth portion;
at least two sun gears, each having ratchet-teeth along its inner circumference, one of said sun gears being engageable with said first tooth portion of each of said planetary gears and a second of said sun gears being engageable with said second tooth portion on each of said planetary gears;
a ring gear engageable with the planetary gears;
an output portion, comprising;
a hub shell for transferring the driving force to the rear wheel of the bicycle by means of the carrier and the ring gear;
a clutch means, mounted between the carrier and hub shell and the ring gear and the hub shell to selectively mediate the driving force; and
a speed-change controlling portion, comprising;
a hub shaft having a pawl-positioning portion;
at least two sets of pawls engageable with and releasable from the ratchet-teeth of the sun gears;
a pawl-controlling ring for controlling the position of the pawls;
a transforming disk having a groove along its outer circumference, and a hooking portion on said outer circumference, said hooking portion adapted to transform the position of the pawl-controlling ring through a mediating portion;
a spring for restoring the position of the transforming disk to its original position; and
a spacing portion enabling the transforming disk to rotate freely. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
a sag portion positioned inside of the pawl-controlling ring; and
a stopper portion engageable with and releasable from the ratchet-teeth at the inner circumference of the sun gear.
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7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein those pawls positioned relatively far from the pawl-controlling ring further comprise an extended portion that is thinner than the pawl bodies.
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8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mediating portion comprises:
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a splined groove on one side of the pawl-controlling ring;
a connecting portion having a coupling groove, said connecting portion engaging the splined groove; and
a pork ring in the coupling groove, mediating the rotational force by engaging a splined portion of the transforming disk.
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9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spacing portion comprises:
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a sustaining portion sustaining a bear ring, which is mounted between the carrier and the sustaining portion;
a fixed disk that is fixed to the hub shaft; and
a plurality of spacer pins that are fixed to the fixed disk and in contact with the sustaining portion through an arc groove in the transforming disk.
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10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the sustaining portion is rotatable, and a passage hole is provided therein.
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11. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising more than two set of pawls, a plurality of pawl-controlling rings provided between each set of pawls.
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12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the clutch means comprises:
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a clutch ring having a group of pins positioned therein; and
a sloping portion at the outer circumference of the carrier and the ring gear.
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13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the clutch means comprises:
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a first pawl in the space between the planetary gears; and
a ring gear portion at the inner circumference of the hub shell.
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14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the clutch means comprises:
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a second pawl installed in the space between the planetary gears;
a ring gear outside the second pawl simultaneously engaging the planetary gears and the second pawl; and
a third pawl between the ring gear and the hub shell.
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15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mediating portion comprises:
a pin fixed on one side of the pawl-controlling ring, said pin connected to the transforming disk through a disk positioned between the pawl-controlling ring and the transforming disk.
Specification