Patent Application
20170259663
This invention relates to vehicle wheels which can be self-propelled, and which are suitable for installing on bicycles, tricycles and four-wheel vehicles.
Many modern bicycles and light vehicles are designed to use electric power for driving the wheels to advance, as a replacement of man-power pedaling structure or as an supplement to it. Typical electric bicycles feature a motor installed on the bicycle which is either directly coupled to the wheel shaft or through transmission means like belts or chains. To enable the motor to work properly, a rechargeable battery and a controller are also installed on the bike and connected to the motor for using in cooperation with the motor.
However, many conventional electric bicycles (or called e-bikes) are required to configure a battery module separate from the motor module and that the battery module needs to be fixed somewhere on the bicycle frame. In addition, the controller of the e-bike is also made as a separate module which is fixed on another location of the bicycle frame. Such designs disadvantageously increase the design complexity of the bicycle structure as some space on the bicycle frame has to be reserved for mounting the battery and controller, which may also affect negatively the ergonomic design of the bicycle as the user's pedaling movement may be impeded by these standalone modules. In addition, it poses a challenge for users to convert a conventional bicycle to an e-bike as the frame may not be compatible with the separate modules required to be installed in order to drive the wheels.
In the light of the foregoing background, it is an object of the present invention to provide an alternate electric bike and its wheel module which eliminate or at least alleviate the above technical problems.
The above object is met by the combination of features of the main claim; the sub-claims disclose further advantageous embodiments of the invention.
One skilled in the art will derive from the following description other objects of the invention. Therefore, the foregoing statements of object are not exhaustive and serve merely to illustrate some of the many objects of the present invention.
Accordingly, the present invention in one aspect is a wheel hub capable of being coupled to an axle of a wheel such that the wheel hub is rotatable around the axle. The wheel hub includes a housing adapted to be rotatably supported on the axle, a motor including a stator and a rotor, and a battery module. The stator is adapted to be fixedly connected to the axle. The rotor is connected to the housing via a transmission mechanism. Both the battery module and the motor are located inside the housing, but the battery module is placed external of the motor.
Preferably, the rotor and the stator of the motor are arranged to be coaxial with the axle around a central axis when the wheel hub is supported on the axle. The battery module is located in an inner space of the housing which is external of the rotor and the stator along a radial direction from the central axis.
More preferably, the inner space is in a circumferential shape.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the battery module further contains a plurality of battery cells evenly distributed in the inner space.
In one implementation, the battery cells each is in a longitudinal shape. At least a part of the battery cells are configured in a way that their longitudinal directions are parallel to the central axis.
In another implementation, the battery module contains two or more rows of the battery cells stacked one on another along the radial direction.
In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, two or more of the battery cells are electrically connected together via one or more conductive strip.
In one variation, the battery module is fixedly connected to a casing of the motor whereby the battery module is not rotatable with respect to the axle.
According to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the transmission mechanism further contains a gear reduction module.
Preferably, the gear reduction module is a planetary gear system. An input of the planetary gear system is connected to an output shaft of the motor, and an output of the planetary gear system is connected to the housing.
According to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the transmission mechanism further contains a one-way clutch. An input of the one-way clutch is connected to an output shaft of the motor; an output of the one-way clutch connected to the housing.
Preferably, the one-way clutch contains a flywheel.
In one variation, the wheel hub further includes a controller contained in the housing and connected to the motor. The controller is further adapted to connect to an external device.
In another variation, the wheel hub further includes a sprocket fixedly connected to the housing. The sprocket is adapted to be connected to and driven by an external chain.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is disclosed a power wheel which is adapted to be coupled to a vehicle frame. The power wheel includes an axle for connecting the power wheel to the vehicle frame, a wheel hub coupled to the axle such that the wheel hub is rotatable around the axle, and a rim fixedly connected to the housing of the wheel hub. The wheel hub further includes a housing adapted to be rotatably supported on the axle, a motor including a stator and a rotor; the stator adapted to be fixedly connected to the axle, and a battery module. The rotor is connected to the housing via a transmission mechanism. Both the battery module and the motor are located inside the housing. The battery module is placed external of the motor.
Preferably, the power wheel further comprises a plurality of spokes, where the housing of the wheel hub is connected to the rim by the plurality of spokes.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is disclosed a bicycle including a frame and at least one power wheel rotatably connected to the frame. The power wheel includes an axle for connecting the power wheel to the vehicle frame, a wheel hub coupled to the axle such that the wheel hub is rotatable around the axle, and a rim fixedly connected to the housing of the wheel hub. The wheel hub further includes a housing adapted to be rotatably supported on the axle, a motor including a stator and a rotor; the stator adapted to be fixedly connected to the axle, and a battery module. The rotor is connected to the housing via a transmission mechanism. Both the battery module and the motor are located inside the housing. The battery module is placed external of the motor.
Preferably, the bicycle further contains a handle bar connected to the frame, and a display panel mounted on the handle bar. The power wheel further contains a controller contained in the housing and connected to the motor. The controller is further electronically connected to the display panel.
In one variation, the display panel is connected to the display panel by wires.
In another variation, the display panel is connected to the display panel through wireless communication devices.
There are many advantages to the present invention. Firstly, one can see that the power wheel according to the present invention is a separate and integral piece, since all the essential components necessary for the wheel to self-propel are contained in the housing of the power wheel. Such components include the motor, the battery module, the controller, and the gear reduction module. In other words, there are no bulky external components or devices required for the power wheel to function once it is installed to a unicycle, bicycle, tricycle, or four-wheel vehicle. In this way, the power wheel can be easily configured to replace existing bicycle wheels in a bicycle, thus converting the bicycle to an electric bicycle. Depends on the user's preference, one or more of the wheels of the above vehicles can be replaced with the power wheel according to the present invention to enable multi-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
In addition, the present invention introduces a battery module configuration where the battery cells are accommodated in an inner space of the power wheel housing external of the motor. The battery cells are therefore not placed inside any part of the motor, but at a location which is further away along the radial direction of the power wheel than the motor. Such a configuration not only allows a great number of battery cells to be implemented in the power wheel, which increases the power and endurance ability of the electric bicycle, but also it means that according to requirements the number of battery cells can be varied for example by increasing the size of the housing. The available space for storing the battery cells in the power wheel only depends on the diameter of the power wheel as a whole.
The foregoing and further features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments which are provided by way of example only in connection with the accompanying figures, of which:
In the drawings, like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several embodiments described herein.
In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.
As used herein and in the claims, “couple” or “connect” refers to electrical coupling or connection either directly or indirectly via one or more electrical means unless otherwise stated.
Terms such as “horizontal”, “vertical”, “upwards”, “downwards”, “above”, “below” and similar terms as used herein are for the purpose of describing the invention in its normal in-use orientation and are not intended to limit the invention to any particular orientation.
Turning now to
Referring to
The two ends 53 of the axle 10 are shaped to have a flattened cross-section, and in other words the two ends 53 have a cross-section of which the dimension along one orthogonal direction is different from the dimension along another orthogonal direction. Corresponding to such flattened cross-sectional shape of the axle ends 53, two hook washers 18 are configured to sleeve the two ends 53 of the axle 10 respectively through flattened openings 54 formed on the hook washers 18. The openings 54 have a shape which are also flattened, and thus corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the axle ends 53. Therefore, the axle 10 is prohibited from rotating with respect to the hook washers 18 due to the flattened axle ends 53 and the hook washers 18. The hook washers 18 are used to install the axle and the power wheel to the dropouts on a bicycle frame (not shown) as those skilled in the art would understand.
A motor 11 is configured on the axle 10 which is at the same time located within the housing of the wheel hub. The motor 11 includes a hollow shaft 12 through which the axle 10 passes. The shaft 12 is rotatable relative to the axle 10 due to bearings 14 and 15 on two ends of the shaft 12. The bearing 14 supports the shaft 12 on a first motor cap 16, and the bearing 15 supports the shaft 12 on a second motor cap 17. In addition, the second motor cap 17 has a flat key 29 which fits to a corresponding recess portion (not shown) of the axle 10, so that the motor 11 as a whole is firmly connected to axle 10 and not rotatable with respect to the axle 10. The motor 11 further contains a stator 42 and a rotor 40 which are coaxial with the motor shaft 12 and in fact the axle 10 around a central axis 43. The stator 42 surrounds the rotor 40 which is known to be an “outer stator, inner rotor” motor configuration. The rotor 40 is fixedly coupled to the shaft 12 so the two rotate at the same time. The stator 42 is fixed to the first motor cap 16 and the second motor cap 17 on its two ends along the central axis 43.
The power wheel hub further contains a transmission mechanism, which includes a gear reduction module and a one-way clutch. As shown in
In addition, the gear reduction module is connected to the one-way clutch so that while an output driving force from the gear reduction module may drive the power wheel through the one-way clutch, a rotation of the power wheel would not reversely cause the gear reduction module to rotate passively. In particular, the one-way clutch includes a flywheel 23 which is fixedly connected to the second motor cap 17 of the motor 11 via a connecting flange 24 and a plurality of bolts 25. The flywheel 23 is coupled to the output carrier 22 and the housing body 5 at the same time. Typically, such flywheel 23 includes a follower (e.g. a ratchet) and a driving part (e.g. a ring gear), which are not shown in the drawings. The follower is connected to the housing body 5 and the driving part is connected to the output carrier 22. As those skilled would understand, the follower will be driven by the driving part to rotate only when the rotational speed of the driving part is larger than that of the follower. Conversely, when the follower rotates at a speed larger than that of the driving part, the follower slips over the driving part and not causing the latter to rotate.
On another end of the shaft 12, a controller 28 is configured which is electrically connected to the motor 11 and the battery module (which will be described in more details later). The controller 28 is configured for the controlling the motor operation. The controller 28 receives external command signals from the electric wire 31 mentioned above. Moreover, the electric wire 31 transmits various data including parameters and operations status from the controller 28 to external devices such as a display panel.
Also shown in
The battery cells 32 are placed between the circumferential inner space formed by the interior circumference of the housing body 5 and the motor 11. The battery cells 32 and the battery support 33 are further away from the motor shaft 12 than the motor 11, including the motor stator 42 and rotor 40, along the radial direction from the central axis 43. Therefore, the battery cells 32 and the battery support 33 are external of the motor 11, such that none of the battery cells 32 are placed inside the space defined by the motor 11.
The battery cells 32 are arranged in the circumferential inner space in two rows, and they are evenly distributed along the 360° circumferential direction. As shown in
Turning now to
For eight battery cells 32 connected by long conductive strips 34, the cathodes of the eight battery cells 32 are connected by a long conductive strip 34 which provides a total negative output as a negative pole of the battery part, which is shown in
In
In
Now turning to the operations of the power wheels described above. During operation, the cyclist can choose to pedal the bicycle and/or activate the power wheel(s) for propelling the bicycle. In the case of only one power wheel at the front (e.g. as shown in
In the case of only one power wheel at the rear (e.g. as shown in
When both wheels of the bicycle are power wheels like the case shown in
In using the power wheel on the bicycle, the cyclist looks at the display panel described above to obtain operation status and other important information of the bicycle/power wheel including the bicycle speed, odometer information, remaining battery life, the torque, etc. When the cyclist wants to control the power wheel for example to activate/deactivate it, he or she may use a rotatable knob installed on the handle bar. The rotatable knob upon actuation sends a control signal to the controller in the power wheel through electric wires so as to enable control to the power wheel.
The exemplary embodiments of the present invention are thus fully described. Although the description referred to particular embodiments, it will be clear to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced with variation of these specific details. Hence this invention should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.
While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only exemplary embodiments have been shown and described and do not limit the scope of the invention in any manner. It can be appreciated that any of the features described herein may be used with any embodiment. The illustrative embodiments are not exclusive of each other or of other embodiments not recited herein. Accordingly, the invention also provides embodiments that comprise combinations of one or more of the illustrative embodiments described above. Modifications and variations of the invention as herein set forth can be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and, therefore, only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated by the appended claims.
For example, the power wheels as described and illustrated in
In addition, the battery cells as illustrated in
In a variation of the present invention, the bicycle on which power wheels are installed do not have the sprocket and chain system for driving the wheels using pedaling force. Rather, an electrical generator is coupled to the pedals so that the pedaling action by the cyclist causes the generator to generate electric power. The electric power is then transmitted to the battery module for recharging the battery module. At the same time, the pedals are connected to a sensor which is able to generate control commands to the power wheel controller according to the force, speed, torque, etc. of the pedals. The power wheel may then be controlled according to the commands generated by the pedaling actions of the cyclist.
In the preferred embodiments described above, the power wheels are installed on a bicycle. No doubt that the power wheels may also be used in other types of vehicle to achieve self-propelling, such as unicycle, bicycle, tricycle, or four-wheel vehicle.
In one variation, the electric wires extending from the controller of the power wheel hub may also be used to supply electrical currents for recharging the battery module in the power wheel. In this case there will be multiple electric wires, some of them are used for power transmission and the others are used for signaling.
In another variation, the display panel installed near the handle bar of the bicycle may be integrated with a control panel with buttons or keys to control the power wheel. The rotatable knob or other separate controlling means may be omitted when using the integrated display and control panel.
In the embodiments illustrated in
