Actuation device of the control cable of a front derailleur of a bicycle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10040512-B2
Application number	US-201715641769-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 5, 2017
Priority date	Jul 5, 2016
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

A front derailleur actuation device having a cable-winding bush in a casing rotatable about axis (X) in a first angular direction (A) between a first angular position and a last two angular positions to actuate a member mounted rotatable about axis (X) and a stationary member mounted in the casing. Either the rotating member or the stationary member is provided with at least one pointer slidably engaged on a fastening track equipped with a plurality of stop areas provided on the other member. The stationary member or the rotating member provided with the fastening track further comprises at least one further stop area not arranged along the fastening track, said further stop area being engageable by the pointer and being arranged between two successive stop areas of said fastening track, the cable-winding bush passing between two angular positions following the passage of the pointer between two stop areas.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An actuation device of a control cable of a front derailleur of a bicycle, comprising:
a casing, configured for fixing to bicycle handlebars,
a cable-winding bush mounted in the casing angularly rotatable about a rotation axis (X) in a first angular direction (A) between a first angular position and a last angular position and in a second angular direction (B) between the last angular position and the first angular position to actuate a front derailleur of a bicycle,
a rotating member mounted in the casing about the rotation axis (X) and a stationary member mounted in the casing, wherein one from the rotating member and the stationary member is provided with at least one pointer slidably engaged on a fastening track equipped with a plurality of stop areas provided on the other of the rotating member and the stationary member,
the stationary member or the rotating member provided with said fastening track further comprising at least one further stop area not arranged along said fastening track,
said further stop area being engageable by said pointer and being arranged between two successive stop areas of said fastening track,
the cable-winding bush passing between two angular positions following the passage of the pointer between two stop areas.

2. The actuation device according to claim 1 , wherein said last angular position of the cable-winding bush corresponds to a last stop area arranged along said fastening track and said first angular position of the cable-winding bush corresponds to a first stop area along said fastening track; said further stop area being arranged between the last and the penultimate stop area along said fastening track.

3. The actuation device according to claim 1 , wherein said further stop area is reachable by said pointer during a rotation of the cable-winding bush along the second angular direction (B) and not being reachable by said pointer during a rotation of the cable-winding bush along the first angular direction (A).

4. The actuation device according to claim 1 , wherein said stop areas along the fastening track and said further stop area are equally radially spaced with respect to said rotation axis (X).

5. The actuation device according to claim 1 , wherein said fastening track comprises a plurality of loops, which define said stop areas along said fastening track, and a plurality of free sliding paths each of which extends between two consecutive loops.

6. The actuation device according to claim 5 , wherein said free sliding paths comprise a substantially rectilinear portion that extends in a radially inner direction from one loop up to a next loop.

7. The actuation device according to claim 5 , wherein said loops define circumferential shoulders for said pointer during a rotation of the cable-winding bush along said second angular direction (B).

8. The actuation device according to claim 5 , wherein said free sliding paths comprise a stop shoulder arranged near to a respective loop; said stop shoulder being able to be passed over by said pointer during a rotation of the cable-winding bush along said first angular direction (A) and not being able to be passed over by said pointer during a rotation of the cable-winding bush along said second angular direction (B).

9. The actuation device according to claim 5 , wherein said further stop area is arranged between two successive loops and radially outside of the respective free sliding path that joins said two loops.

10. The actuation device according to claim 1 , wherein:
said stationary member or rotating member provided with at least one pointer comprises a second pointer angularly spaced by 180° from the at least pointer;
the stationary member or the rotating member provided with said fastening track comprises a further fastening track equipped with a respective plurality of stop areas and at least one respective further stop area not arranged along said further fastening track,
said fastening tracks, the respective stop areas and the two further stop areas not arranged along the fastening tracks are identical and point-for-point diametrically opposite,
the cable-winding bush passes from one angular position to an adjacent angular position following the simultaneous passage of each pointer from one stop position to an adjacent stop position.

11. The actuation device according to claim 1 comprising a ball-carrying disc comprising a first and a second substantially rectilinear throat extending radially and angularly separated by 180°, the first and the second throat slidably receiving a respective pointer.

12. The actuation device according to claim 11 , wherein said at least one pointer and said second pointer emerge axially from said throats to slidably engage a respective fastening track.

13. The actuation device according to claim 1 , wherein said fastening track is formed on said stationary member and a mobile member comprises a ball-carrying disc on which said pointers are slidably provided.

14. The actuation device according to claim 1 , wherein a number of stop areas of each fastening track is equal to a number of angular positions of the cable-winding bush minus one.

Assignees

• Campagnolo Srl

Inventors

• Minto Marco

Classifications

• Y10T74/20402

  Flexible transmitter [e.g., Bowden cable] · CPC title

• Y10T74/20438

  Single rotatable lever [e.g., for bicycle brake or derailleur] · CPC title

• F16C1/12

  Arrangements for transmitting movement to or from the flexible member · CPC title

• B62K23/06

  Levers · CPC title

• B62M25/04 Primary

  hand actuated · CPC title