Bicycle having electric drive or auxiliary drive

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10919599-B2
Application number	US-201816616407-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2018
Priority date	May 23, 2017
Publication date	Feb 16, 2021
Grant date	Feb 16, 2021

Abstract

An electric drive for a bicycle is disclosed. The drive includes an electric motor including an drive shaft, a driven shaft connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a driving gear for coupling to a wheel drive, and a transmission structured and arranged to drivingly connect the drive shaft to the driven shaft. The transmission includes a driven wheel, which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the driven shaft in a rotational drive direction, and at least two output gears. The at least two output gears includes a first output gear and a second output gear that each engage with the driven gear offset to one another in a circumferential direction to drive the driven wheel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electric drive for a bicycle, comprising:
an electric motor including a drive shaft;
a driven shaft connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a driving gear for coupling to a wheel drive;
a transmission, structured and arranged to drivingly connect the drive shaft to the driven shaft;
wherein the transmission includes a driven gear, which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the driven shaft in a rotational drive direction, and at least two output gears, the at least two output gears including a first output gear and a second output gear that each engage with the driven gear offset to one another in a circumferential direction of the driven shaft to drive the driven gear; and
wherein a first axis of rotation, about which the first output gear rotates, and a second axis of rotation, about which the second output gear rotates, are arranged inside the transmission in a stationary manner during operation.

2. The drive according to claim 1 , wherein the first axis of rotation, about which the first output gear rotates, and the second axis of rotation, about which the second output gear rotates, are arranged geometrically between an output axis, about which the driven shaft rotates, and an input axis, about which the drive shaft rotates.

3. The drive according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first output gear is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a first intermediate gear;
the second output gear is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a second intermediate gear; and
the transmission has an input gear, structured and arranged to engage with the first intermediate gear and with the second intermediate gear.

4. The drive according to claim 3 , wherein:
the first intermediate gear has a larger number of teeth than the first output gear; and
the second intermediate gear has a larger number of teeth than the second output gear.

5. The drive according to claim 4 , wherein:
the first intermediate gear radially engages over the driven gear on a first axial side; and
the second intermediate gear radially engages over the driven gear on a second axial side.

6. The drive according to claim 5 , wherein the input gear is axially divided into a first partial input gear that engages with the first intermediate gear on the first axial side of the driven gear, and a second partial input gear that engages with the second intermediate gear on the second axial side of the driven gear.

7. The drive according to claim 4 , wherein the first intermediate gear and the second intermediate gear radially engage over the driven gear on the same axial side.

8. The drive according to claim 7 , wherein:
the first intermediate gear engages with a first axial section of the input gear, and
the second intermediate gear engages with a second axial section of the input gear, wherein the second axial section is arranged on the input gear axially offset to the first axial section.

9. The drive according to claim 8 , wherein:
the first axial section of the input gear has a first axial end of the input gear and is axially spaced apart from a second axial end of the input gear;
the second axial section of the input gear has the second axial end of the input gear and is axially spaced apart from the first axial end of the input gear;
the first intermediate gear engages with the input gear axially spaced apart from the second axial end of the input gear; and
the second intermediate gear engages with the input gear axially spaced apart from the first axial end of the input gear.

10. The drive according to claim 4 , wherein the first intermediate gear and the second intermediate gear engage with the input gear axially offset to one another.

11. The drive according to claim 10 , wherein the first intermediate gear and the second intermediate gear radially engage over one another.

12. The drive according to claim 3 , wherein:
a first transmission path leads from the input gear via the first intermediate gear and the first output gear to the driven gear;
a second transmission path leads from the input gear via the second intermediate gear and the second output gear to the driven gear; and
the first transmission path and the second transmission path define the same transmission ratio.

13. The drive according to claim 12 , wherein:
the first intermediate gear and the second intermediate gear have the same number of teeth; and
the first output gear and the second output gear have the same number of teeth.

14. The drive according to claim 12 , wherein:
the first intermediate gear and the second intermediate gear have different numbers of teeth; and
the first output gear and the second output gear have different numbers of teeth.

15. The drive according to claim 3 , wherein the input gear is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the drive shaft.

16. The drive according to claim 3 , wherein the transmission has a planetary transmission drivingly arranged between the drive shaft and the input gear.

17. The drive according to claim 16 , wherein the planetary transmission has a sun gear is drivingly coupled directly or indirectly to the drive shaft, a plurality of planet gears, a planet carrier, and a ring gear, wherein the planet carrier is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the input gear.

18. The drive according to claim 1 , wherein the driven shaft is provided by a pedal shaft.

19. The drive according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least two output gears, the input gear, and the driven gear is composed of plastic.

20. A bicycle, comprising:
a pedal shaft;
a wheel drive for driving a driven wheel of the bicycle;
an electric drive, the electric drive including:
an electric motor including a drive shaft;
a driven shaft connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a driving gear for coupling to the wheel drive;
a transmission, structured and arranged to drivingly connect the drive shaft to the driven shaft;
wherein the transmission includes a driven gear connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the driven shaft in a rotational drive direction, and at least two output gears that respectively engage with the driven gear offset to one another in a circumferential direction of the driven shaft to drive the driven gear; and
wherein the at least two output gears are arranged on a side of the driven shaft facing away from a ground surface when in operation.

21. The bicycle according to claim 20 , wherein, apart from the driven gear, the transmission is arranged above the driven shaft when operating on a surface.

22. An electric drive for a bicycle, comprising:
an electric motor including a drive shaft;
a driven shaft connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a driving gear for coupling to a wheel drive;
a transmission, structured and arranged to drivingly connect the drive shaft to the driven shaft;
wherein the transmission includes a driven gear, which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the driven shaft in a rotational drive direction, and at least two output gears, the at least two output gears including a first output gear and a second output gear that each engage with the driven gear offset to one another in a circumferential direction to drive the driven gear; and
wherein the driven shaft is a hollow shaft and is coaxially permeated by a pedal shaft, wherein the pedal shaft is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the driven shaft in the rotational drive direction.

Assignees

• Mahle Int Gmbh

Inventors

• Doeppner Enrico
• Moczko David
• Oploh Amir
• Stoll Sebastian
• Wirth Christian

Classifications

• B62M11/18 Primary

  with a plurality of planetary gear units · CPC title

• B62M6/55 Primary

  power-driven at crank shafts parts · CPC title

• F16D41/24

  specially adapted for cycles · CPC title

• B62M11/02

  of unchangeable ratio · CPC title

• B62M6/20 Primary

  power-driven at crank shaft parts · CPC title