1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a wheel, and more particularly to a vehicle wheel, such as a bicycle wheel, which is incorporated with a wheel axle centrifugal adjusting arrangement such that a wheel axle of the vehicle can be connected with the wheel in an adjustably movable manner.
2. Description of Related Arts
A conventional vehicle, such as a bicycle or a tricycle, comprises a vehicle frame, a driving unit, such as a mechanical transmission system, supported by the vehicle frame, and at least two wheels each of which rotatably connected to the vehicle frame via a wheel axle which is driven to rotate by the driving unit.
As a matter of fact, for such a conventional vehicle, the wheel axle is usually coaxially connected with the respective vehicle wheel in order to maintain maximum stability of the vehicle while it is moving. Very often however, due to the special applications of a particular vehicle, there may be a need to adjust the relative position of the wheel axle and the vehicle wheel such that the vehicle wheel, while it is driven to rotate, is centrifugally rotating with respect to the wheel axle. Therefore, the vehicle is adapted to achieve a predetermined pattern of movement.
The problem here not lies with the advantages and disadvantages of having the wheel axle coaxially or centrifugally connected to the vehicle wheel. Both connection modes achieve substantially different objectives. The major difficulty lies with the manner in which the vehicle axle connects to the vehicle wheel.
Conventionally, almost all vehicles only allow their wheels either coaxially or centrifugally connecting to the vehicle wheel. Manual adjustment to either mode of the connection is generally unavailable. Accordingly, when a user desires to have both kinds of vehicles, he/she has to buy it one by one without many other options.
Recently, there have been developed a kind of vehicles in which the wheel axle is adjustably connected to the vehicle wheel. While this kind of vehicles generally overcomes the above-mentioned difficulty, unfortunately, it creates other problems. For example, the connection between the wheel axle and the vehicle wheel is usually very complicated so that when one is trying to adjust the vehicle wheel from coaxial connection to centrifugal connection or vice versa, some tools must be used and very often, a considerable amount of forces have to be applied for releasing the original connection before the adjustment can be done. After the adjustment, yet considerable amount of forces have to be used again for securing the new connection for keeping subsequent operations of the vehicle safe and stable.
On the other hand however, it should be admitted that there are still some vehicles, especially toy vehicles, in which the vehicle wheel is adjustably connected to the respective wheel axle. Since they are inherently toy vehicles, the adjustment is usually become too simple to the extent that even a young child is capable of adjusting the vehicle wheel without any difficulty. In this situation, it may be unsafe to let the child alone with the vehicle because the child may not be able to correctly appreciate the effect of adjusting the position of the wheel axle with respect to the vehicle wheel.
Accordingly, conventional vehicles are either too complicated or too simple in allowing adjustment with respect to the vehicle wheels and the corresponding wheel axle. Thus one can see the difficulty in striking a balance between the complicity and the safety issue, bearing in mind the marketing strategy of the vehicle in question. For example, a too sophisticated mechanism cannot be incorporated into a toy vehicle because it would unduly increase the manufacturing cost and the ultimate selling price of the toy vehicles, thus sharply reducing its competitive edge against competitors in the marketplace.
A main object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle wheel incorporated with a wheel axle centrifugal adjusting arrangement wherein a wheel axle of a vehicle is adapted to connect with the vehicle wheel in an adjustably movable manner. Moreover, after the position of the wheel axle is adjusted, the wheel axle centrifugal adjusting arrangement is capable of retaining the wheel axle for specified operation of the vehicle.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle wheel incorporated with a wheel axle centrifugal adjusting arrangement which is capable of enabling a wheel axle to be either coaxially or centrifugally connected with the vehicle wheel, subject to a selection and adjustment of a user of the present invention.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle wheel incorporated with a wheel axle centrifugal adjusting device which is capable of varying the position of the wheel axle with respect to the vehicle wheel without needing to involve any hand tools or equipments, thus minimizing hassles to the user of the present invention.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle wheel incorporated with a wheel axle centrifugal adjusting device which allows adjustment of a position of the wheel axle with respect to the vehicle wheel for any vehicle wheel having a guiding slot formed thereon.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle wheel incorporated with a wheel axle centrifugal adjusting device which enhances pleasantness of a user when he/she is traveling with a vehicle, such as a bicycle, incorporated with the vehicle wheel of the present invention.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle wheel incorporated with a wheel axle centrifugal adjusting device which does not involve complicated or expensive components so as to minimize the manufacturing cost and the ultimate selling price of the present invention.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle, such as a bicycle, incorporated with a vehicle wheel comprising the wheel axle centrifugal adjusting arrangement such that the vehicle is adapted operate with the vehicle wheel coaxially or centrifugally connecting with the wheel axle.
Accordingly, in order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a vehicle wheel adapted for rotatably mounting to a wheel axle of a vehicle, comprising:
a wheel body having an elongated guiding slot radially extended from a center of the wheel body; and
a wheel axle centrifugal adjusting arrangement, comprising:
a sliding member slidably mounted along the guiding slot for mounting the wheel body to the vehicle axle; and
a gear adjustment device, comprising a first gear unit mounted at the guiding slot of the wheel body and a second gear unit mounted at the sliding member to substantially engage with the first gear unit so as to selectively adjust the sliding member to slide along the guiding slot, in such a manner that when the sliding member is slid at a position that the vehicle axle is located at the center of the wheel body, the wheel body is eccentrically rotated with respect to the vehicle axle, and when the sliding member is slid at a position that the vehicle axle is located offset from the center of the wheel body, the wheel body is centrifugally rotated with respect to the vehicle axle.
These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
Referring to
Referring to
The wheel body 10 is circular in shape and has an elongated guiding slot 11 formed thereon and radially extended through a center of the circular wheel body 10 in which the wheel axle centrifugal adjusting arrangement 20 is mounted on the guiding slot 11 for adjusting a position of connection between the wheel axle 83 and the wheel body 10.
The wheel axle centrifugal adjusting arrangement 20 comprises a sliding member 21 mounted along the guiding slot 11 in a slidably movable manner, and is adapted for mounting the wheel body 10 to the respective vehicle axle 83.
The wheel axle centrifugal adjusting arrangement 20 further comprises a gear adjustment device comprising a first gear unit 221 mounted at the guiding slot 11 of the wheel body 10, and a second gear unit mounted at the sliding member 21 to substantially engage with the first gear unit 221 so as to selectively adjust the sliding member 21 to slide along the guiding slot 11, in such a manner that when the sliding member 21 is slid at a position where the vehicle axle 83 is located at a center of the wheel body 10, the wheel body 10 is adapted to eccentrically rotate with respect to the vehicle axle 83, and when the sliding member 21 is slid to a position where the vehicle axle 83 is located offset from the center of the wheel body 10, the wheel body 10 is adapted to centrifugally rotate with respect to the vehicle axle 83.
Referring to
Specifically, the rotor gear 222 has a gearing teeth portion 2221 and a shaft portion 2222 extended therefrom, whereas the longitudinal locking portion of the longitudinal locking gear side of the locking wall gear 2211 is embodied as having a plurality of locking teeth evenly formed thereon which is arranged to engage with the gearing teeth portion 2221 of the rotor gear 222 when the rotor gear 222 is in the locked position. On the other hand, the longitudinal releasing portion of the longitudinal locking gear side of the locking wall gear 2211 is embodied as having a flat releasing surface formed thereon, wherein when the rotor gear 222 is in the unlocked position, it is allowed to slide on the flat releasing surface so as to slide the sliding member 21 along said guiding slot 11.
The first gear unit 221 further comprises an engaging wall gear 2212 which is mounted on a second side wall of the guiding slot 11 and has a longitudinal engaging gear side engaging with the rotor gear 222 in such a manner that when the rotor gear 222 is engaged between the longitudinal engaging gear side of the engaging wall gear 2212 and the longitudinal locking portion of the locking wall gear 2211, the rotor gear 222 is securely locked up in position, and when the rotor gear 222 is engaged between the longitudinal engaging gear side of the engaging wall gear 2212 and the longitudinal releasing portion of the locking wall gear 2211, the rotor gear is allowed to rotate to slide the sliding member 21 along said guiding slot 11, as shown in
Moreover obviously, the gearing teeth portion of the rotor gear 222 has a plurality of teeth formed thereon for engaging with the longitudinal locking portion of the longitudinal locking gear side of the locking wall gear.
In other words, when the rotor gear 222 is in the unlocked position, the gearing teeth portion of the rotor gear 222 is arranged to communicate with the longitudinal releasing portion of the locking wall gear 2211 and the longitudinal engaging gear side of the engaging wall gear 2212. Since the longitudinal releasing portion is embodied as a flat surface, the rotor gear 222 is thus released from being locked and capable of sliding along the sliding slot 11 by rotatably engaging with the longitudinal engaging gear side of the engaging wall gear 2212. Thus, it means that the rotor gear 2212 is adapted to drive, by rotatably engaging with the longitudinal engaging gear side of the engaging wall gear 2212, the sliding member 21 moving along the guiding slot 11 for adjustment of the position of the wheel axle 83 with respect to the wheel body 10.
In other words, a length of the longitudinal engaging wall gear 2212 dictates the extent to which the sliding member 21 is capable of moving along the guiding slot 11. That also means the length of the longitudinal engaging wall gear 2212 reflects the maximum possible displacement which the position of the wheel axle 83 can be adjusted.
Referring to
The wheel axle centrifugal adjusting arrangement 20 further comprises a resilient element 24, which is embodied as a regular compressive spring, disposed within the gear cavity for applying an urging force against the rotor gear 222 so as to transversely push the rotor gear 222 within the gear cavity to normally engage with the longitudinal locking portion of the locking wall gear 2211. In other words, the resilient element 24 is arranged to normally push for retaining the rotor gear 222 in the locked position.
According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the resilient element 24 is arranged to be coaxially mounted to the shaft portion of the rotor gear 222 so as to substantially push the gearing teeth portion of the rotor gear 222 to engage with the longitudinal locking portion of said locking wall gear 2211.
As a result, a user of the present invention may manually pull the adjustment actuator 23 outwardly from the sliding member 21 for moving the rotor gear 222 from the locked position to the unlocked position. Once the rotor gear 222 is moved to the unlocked position, by rotating the rotor gear 222 via rotating the adjustment actuator 23, the rotor gear 222 is arranged to slidably move along the longitudinal engaging gear side of the longitudinal engaging wall gear 2212 and the longitudinal release portion of the longitudinal locking gear side of the longitudinal locking wall gear 2211. Illustrating diagrams are shown in
Referring to
Alternatively, the adjustment actuator 23 can be embodied as detachably coupling with the rotor gear 222 such that the user of the present invention is capable of selectively adjust the position of the wheel axle 83 with respect to the vehicle wheel 1. Moreover, this feature can also prevent unwanted adjustment by such persons as children in that the wheel axle 83 can only be adjusted by utilizing the adjustment actuator 23 for moving the rotor gear 222 from the locked position to the unlocked position.
Referring to
Referring to
Furthermore, the sliding member 21 further has a gear cavity 212 formed therein to rotatably receive the rotor gear 222 which is capable of moving between the locked position and the unlocked position, and comprises a shaft attachment member 213 transversely extended in the guiding slot 11 for connecting with the wheel axle 83 so as to rotatably mount the wheel body 10 to the wheel axle 83.
Referring to
In order to fit the maximum variety of circumstances which may present, the shaft attachment member 213 may be embodied as having a through shaft connecting channel formed thereon wherein the wheel axle 83 is adapted to rotatably connected to the wheel body 10 by passing through the shaft connecting channel.
Referring to
The operation of the wheel axle centrifugal adjusting arrangement 20 is as follows: when a user of the present invention desires to adjust the position of the wheel axle 83 with respect to the wheel body 10, he/she simply needs to slightly pull from the wheel body 10 the adjustment actuator 23 so as to drive the rotor gear 222 from the locked position to the unlocked position. Then, he/she should rotate the adjustment actuator 23 so as to rotatably drive the rotor gear 222 sliding along first gear unit 221 the guiding slot. Since the wheel axle 83 is rotatably connected with the sliding member 21, thus, a sliding movement of the sliding member 21 would ultimately alter the position of the wheel axle with respect to the wheel body on which the sliding member 21 is slidably mounted. Hence, the direction of sliding would depend upon the direction of rotation. This also means the user is capable of adjusting the position of the wheel axle 83 with respect to the wheel body 20.
After adjustment is completed, the user simply needs to release the pulling force. Due to the normal retaining force exerted by the resilient element 24 to the rotor gear 222 as disclosed above, it will then be driven by the resilient element 24 back to the locked position.
One skilled in the art would appreciate that the vehicle wheel 1, after adjustment, is capable of either rotating coaxially with the wheel axle 83 or rotating centrifugally with respect to the wheel axle 83, as freely decided by the user of the present invention.
Referring to
One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting.
It will thus be seen that the objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. It embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of illustrating the functional and structural principles of the present invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.