Bicycle sprocket

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10865870-B2
Application number	US-201816028425-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 6, 2018
Priority date	Jul 6, 2018
Publication date	Dec 15, 2020
Grant date	Dec 15, 2020

Abstract

A bicycle sprocket comprises a sprocket body and a plurality of sprocket teeth. The plurality of sprocket teeth includes at least one first axially recessed upshifting-facilitation tooth with respect to a rotational center axis. The plurality of sprocket teeth includes at least one first axially recessed downshifting-facilitation tooth with respect to the rotational center axis. The at least one first axially recessed downshifting-facilitation tooth is adjacent to the at least one first axially recessed upshifting-facilitation tooth without another tooth therebetween in a circumferential direction with respect to the rotational center axis. The at least one first axially recessed upshifting-facilitation tooth and the at least one first axially recessed downshifting-facilitation tooth provide a first continuous recess extending in the circumferential direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A bicycle sprocket comprising:
a sprocket body having a first axially-facing surface and a second axially-facing surface with respect to a rotational center axis of the bicycle sprocket, the second axially-facing surface being opposite to the first axially-facing surface in an axial direction with respect to the rotational center axis, the first axially-facing surface being configured to face a center plane of a bicycle in an assembled state where the bicycle sprocket is mounted to the bicycle;
a plurality of sprocket teeth extending radially outwardly from the sprocket body with respect to the rotational center axis;
the plurality of sprocket teeth including at least one first axially recessed upshifting-facilitation tooth with respect to the rotational center axis, the at least one first axially recessed upshifting-facilitation tooth being recessed from the second axially-facing surface toward the first axially-facing surface;
the plurality of sprocket teeth including at least one first axially recessed downshifting-facilitation tooth with respect to the rotational center axis, the at least one first axially recessed downshifting-facilitation tooth being recessed from the second axially-facing surface toward the first axially-facing surface, the at least one first axially recessed downshifting-facilitation tooth being adjacent to the at least one first axially recessed upshifting-facilitation tooth without another tooth therebetween in a circumferential direction with respect to the rotational center axis; and
the at least one first axially recessed upshifting-facilitation tooth and the at least one first axially recessed downshifting-facilitation tooth providing a first continuous recess extending in the circumferential direction.

2. The bicycle sprocket according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one first axially recessed downshifting-facilitation tooth is provided on an upstream side of the at least one first axially recessed upshifting-facilitation tooth in a rotational driving direction of the bicycle sprocket.

3. The bicycle sprocket according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one first axially recessed upshifting-facilitation tooth includes:
a first upshifting-facilitation tooth recessed in the axial direction; and
a first additional upshifting-facilitation tooth recessed in the axial direction and adjacent to the first upshifting-facilitation tooth without another tooth therebetween in the circumferential direction.

4. The bicycle sprocket according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of sprocket teeth includes a lastly chain-engaging upshifting-facilitation tooth adjacent to the at least one first axially recessed upshifting-facilitation tooth without another tooth therebetween in the circumferential direction, the lastly chain-engaging upshifting-facilitation tooth being provided on a downstream side of the at least one first axially recessed upshifting-facilitation tooth in the rotational driving direction.

5. The bicycle sprocket according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one first axially recessed downshifting-facilitation tooth includes:
a first downshifting-facilitation tooth recessed in the axial direction; and
a first additional downshifting-facilitation tooth recessed in the axial direction and adjacent to the first downshifting-facilitation tooth without another tooth therebetween in the circumferential direction.

6. The bicycle sprocket according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of sprocket teeth includes an initially chain-engaging downshifting-facilitation tooth adjacent to the at least one first axially recessed downshifting-facilitation tooth without another tooth therebetween in the circumferential direction, the initially chain-engaging downshifting-facilitation tooth being provided on an upstream side of the at least one first axially recessed downshifting-facilitation tooth in the rotational driving direction.

7. The bicycle sprocket according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one first axially recessed upshifting-facilitation tooth includes:
a first upshifting-facilitation tooth recessed in the axial direction; and
a first additional upshifting-facilitation tooth recessed in the axial direction and adjacent to the first upshifting-facilitation tooth without another tooth therebetween in the circumferential direction,

the at least one first axially recessed downshifting-facilitation tooth includes:
a first downshifting-facilitation tooth recessed in the axial direction; and
a first additional downshifting-facilitation tooth recessed in the axial direction and adjacent to the first downshifting-facilitation tooth without another tooth therebetween in the circumferential direction, and

the first upshifting-facilitation tooth, the first additional upshifting-facilitation tooth, the first downshifting-facilitation tooth, and the first additional downshifting-facilitation tooth provide the first continuous recess.

8. The bicycle sprocket according to claim 7 , wherein
the first additional upshifting-facilitation tooth is adjacent to the first additional downshifting-facilitation tooth without another tooth therebetween in the circumferential direction.

9. The bicycle sprocket according to claim 8 , wherein
the first additional upshifting-facilitation tooth is provided on a downstream side of the first additional downshifting-facilitation tooth in the rotational driving direction.

10. The bicycle sprocket according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of sprocket teeth includes at least one second axially recessed upshifting-facilitation tooth with respect to the rotational center axis,
the plurality of sprocket teeth includes at least one second axially recessed downshifting-facilitation tooth with respect to the rotational center axis, the at least one second axially recessed downshifting-facilitation tooth being adjacent to the at least one second axially recessed upshifting-facilitation tooth without another tooth therebetween in the circumferential direction, the at least one second axially recessed downshifting-facilitation tooth being provided on an upstream side of the at least one second axially recessed upshifting-facilitation tooth in the rotational driving direction of the bicycle sprocket, and
the at least one second axially recessed upshifting-facilitation tooth and the at least one second axially recessed downshifting-facilitation tooth provide a second continuous recess extending in the circumferential direction with respect to the rotational center axis.

11. The bicycle sprocket according to claim 1 , wherein
the first continuous recess has a plurality of recess depths defined from the second axially-facing surface of the sprocket body in the axial direction.

12. The bicycle sprocket according to claim 11 , wherein
the at least one first axially recessed upshifting-facilitation tooth includes:
a first upshifting-facilitation tooth recessed in the axial direction; and
a first additional upshifting-facilitation tooth recessed in the axial direction and adjacent to the first axially recessed upshifting-facilitation tooth without another tooth therebetween in the circumferential direction,

the first additional upshifting-facilitation tooth is provided on an upstream side of the first upshifting-facilitation tooth in the rotational driving direction,
the plurality of recess depths includes:
a first upshifting recess depth defined from the second axially-facing surface of the sprocket body in the axial direction; and
a second upshifting recess depth defined from the second axially-facing surface of the sprocket body in the axial direction, the second upshifting recess d

Assignees

• Shimano Kk

Inventors

• Yamazaki Azusa
• Kamada Kenji

Classifications

• B62M9/10 Primary

  involving different-sized wheels, {e.g. rear sprocket chain wheels} selectively engaged by the chain, belt, or the like {(bicycle hubs rotatably arranged on axle B60B27/023)} · CPC title

• F16H55/30 Primary

  Chain-wheels · CPC title

• B62M9/12

  the chain, belt, or the like being laterally shiftable {, e.g. using a rear derailleur} · CPC title