This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) on Patent Application No(s). 106117920 filed in Taiwan, R.O.C. on May 31, 2017, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The disclosure relates to a bicycle rear derailleur, more particularly to a bicycle rear derailleur capable of absorbing impact and being positioned in place.
In recent years, road bikes, mountain bikes and other types of bicycles are all popular in the market, and it motivates bicycle manufacturers to pay more attention on improving their products. Generally, a bicycle has front sprockets on an output shaft and rear sprockets on a rear wheel hub, and there is a chain wrapped around the front sprockets and the rear sprockets. When a rider pedals the bicycle to rotate the front sprockets, the front sprockets can drive the rear sprockets to rotate through the chain so as to move the bicycle. Moreover, the bicycle is usually provided with derailleurs to switch the position of the chain. In detail, there are a front derailleur and a rear derailleur; the front derailleur is configured to move the chain among the front sprockets, and a rear derailleur is configured to move the chain among the rear sprockets. By using the front derailleur and the rear derailleur to switch the position of the chain, the gear ratio between the front sprockets and the rear sprockets can be changed.
One embodiment of the disclosure provides a bicycle rear derailleur, which is adapted to be mounted on a bicycle frame. The bicycle rear derailleur comprises a mounting frame assembly, a linkage assembly and a movable assembly. The mounting frame assembly comprises a pivot, a main frame, a resistance applying member and a resistance controller. The pivot is adapted to be fixed on the bicycle frame. The main frame is rotatably disposed on the pivot. The resistance-applying member is disposed on the main frame, and the resistance-applying member is configured to apply a force on the pivot so as to adjust a rotational resistance of the main frame. The resistance controller is disposed on the main frame, and the resistance controller is configured to control the resistance-applying member to adjust the force applied on the pivot. The linkage assembly is pivoted to the mounting frame assembly. The movable assembly is pivoted to the linkage assembly.
One embodiment of the disclosure provides a bicycle rear derailleur, which is adapted to be mounted on a bicycle frame. The bicycle rear derailleur comprises a mounting frame assembly, a linkage assembly and a movable assembly. The mounting frame assembly comprises a pivot, a main frame, a gasket and a shaft. The pivot is adapted to be fixed on the bicycle frame. The main frame is rotatably disposed on the pivot. The gasket is located between the main frame and the bicycle frame. The gasket is adapted to be fixed on the bicycle frame. The pivot is disposed through the main frame and the gasket. The main frame is rotatable with respect to the gasket. The shaft is disposed through the main frame. The linkage assembly is pivoted to the mounting frame assembly. The movable assembly is pivoted to the linkage assembly. The main frame is rotatable to a first position and a second position. The shaft has a pressing end. When the main frame is in the first position, the pressing end is next to a surface of the gasket facing the main frame. When the main frame is in the second position, the shaft is movable along an axis thereof, thereby allowing the pressing end of the shaft to press against the gasket.
The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only and thus are not intending to limit the present disclosure and wherein:
In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.
Please refer to
In this embodiment, a bicycle rear derailleur 1 is provided. The bicycle rear derailleur 1 includes a mounting frame assembly 10, a linkage assembly 70 and a movable assembly 80.
The mounting frame assembly 10 is adapted to be mounted onto a bicycle frame 3. The linkage assembly 70 includes, for example, two connecting rods. Two ends of each connecting rod are respectively pivoted to the mounting frame assembly 10 and the movable assembly 80, and therefore the linkage assembly 70, the mounting frame assembly 10 and the movable assembly 80 together form a four-bar linkage structure. The movable assembly 80 is adapted to connect to a guide pulley 81 and a tension pulley 82. The guide pulley 81 and the tension pulley 82 are configured for a chain (not shown) to be disposed thereon; the guide pulley 81 is able to move the chain to different sprockets, and the tension pulley 82 is able to keep the chain tight. In this embodiment, the movable assembly 80 is movable relative to the mounting frame assembly 10 through the linkage assembly 70. In addition, in this embodiment, the bicycle rear derailleur 1 further includes a gasket 30, adapted to be disposed on the bicycle frame 3, which will be described in more detail later on.
As shown in
The resistance-applying member 120 is disposed on the main frame 110, and the resistance applying member 120 is configured to apply a force on the pivot 100 so as to adjust a rotational resistance of the main frame 110. In this embodiment, the resistance-applying member 120 is a clamping sleeve, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The clamping sleeve 120 includes a clamping part 121, a fixed part 122 and a movable part 123. The fixed part 122 and the movable part 123 are respectively connected to two ends of the clamping part 121. The fixed part 122 is fixed to the main frame 110. The clamping part 121 surrounds the pivot 100, such that the movable part 123 and fixed part 122 are adjacent to each other with a distance therebetween.
Please refer to
The shaft 140 is movably disposed through the cam 130. The handle 141 is connected to one end of the shaft 140. The handle 141 is configured to rotate the shaft 140 and the cam 130 about the axis C, and also configured to move the shaft 140 along the axis C.
Please refer to
In this embodiment, the first positioning portion 1411 is a protrusion, and the second positioning portion 113 is a cavity, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the first positioning portion may be a cavity, and the second positioning portion may be a protrusion able to be engaged into the cavity.
The spring 150 is sleeved on the shaft 140. Two ends of the spring 150 respectively press against the handle 141 and the main frame 110. The spring 150 is configured to provide a force on the handle 141 to move it away from the bicycle frame 3 along the axis C.
The side cover 160 is disposed on the main frame 110 so as to fix the clamping sleeve 120 and the cam 130 in the main frame 110. In addition, the shaft 140 is able to penetrate the side cover 160 along the axis C.
The gasket 30 is located between the main frame 110 of the mounting frame assembly 10 and the bicycle frame 3, and the pivot 100 is disposed through the gasket 30. The gasket 30 has a surface 31 and a protruding engage portion 33. The surface 31 faces the main frame 110. The protruding engage portion 33 is adapted to be fixed to the bicycle frame 3 so the gasket 30 is immovably fixed to the bicycle frame 3. In addition, the surface 31 has a press edge 32.
The operation of the bicycle rear derailleur 1 is described hereafter. Please refer to
Firstly, when the cam 130 is rotated to the releasing position by the handle 141 through the shaft 140 (as shown in
As shown in
It is noted that, in this embodiment, the handle 141 is pressed against the main frame 110 when the cam 130 is not in the releasing position (e.g. a position between the releasing position and the strengthening position, or the strengthening position), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the handle 141 may be spaced apart from the main frame 110.
As shown in
After the rear wheel is replaced, the main frame 110 is able to be moved back to the first position once the shaft 140 is pulled back to the third position. In addition, in this embodiment, when the handle 141 is placed into the recess 114 of the main frame 110, the spring 150 between the handle 141 and the main frame 110 is compressed to store elastic energy. As a result, when the shaft 140 is to be pulled back to the third position, the spring 150 can provide the stored elastic energy serving as a return force for the handle 141 so that the handle 141 is able to be easily pulled out of the recess 114.
In this embodiment, the shaft 140 and the cam 130 are two independent components, and are connected and moved together through the shaft 140, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the shaft and the cam may be formed as one piece.
In addition, the spring 150 is optional, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the mounting frame assembly may not include the spring 150.
Furthermore, in other embodiments, when the main frame 110 is in the first position, the pressing end 142 of the shaft 140 may not be in contact with the surface 31 of the gasket 30, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
In this embodiment, the handle 141 is provided for adjusting the position of the cam 130, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the cam 130 may be rotated by a motor. For example, please refer to
In this embodiment, a bicycle rear derailleur includes a control assembly 200. The control assembly 200 includes a sensor 210 and a driver 220. The sensor 210 is, for example, a pressure sensor, and the driver 220 is, for example, a motor. As shown in
It is noted that, the bicycle rear derailleur 1 in the first embodiment is also able to move the shaft 140 via the automatic manner as being used in the second embodiment.
According to the bicycle rear derailleur as described above, the cam is rotatably pressed against the clamping sleeve, such that it is possible to adjust the clamping strength of the clamping sleeve according to actual requirements. Accordingly, for example, when riding on a bumpy road, the bicycle rear derailleur may encounter great impacts that exceed the tension of the spring on the cage and the restriction of the clutch, but the movements of the bicycle rear derailleur and the chain are properly minimized while the pivot is clamped by the clamping sleeve; as a result, the bicycle rear derailleur is prevented from being damaged, and the chain is prevented from falling off.
In addition, the bicycle rear derailleur is able to be moved toward the rear side of the bicycle to leave a larger space between the bicycle rear derailleur and the rear wheel, and the bicycle rear derailleur is able to be fixed in place when the shaft is pressed against the gasket. Therefore, it is favorable for removing the rear wheel.
Furthermore, the cam is able to be moved by the control assembly. Therefore, the adjustment of the cam is instant, providing a better experience for the users.
The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the disclosure and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the disclosure and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the disclosure be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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106117920 | May 2017 | TW | national |