Drive unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11180218-B2
Application number	US-201916715081-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2019
Priority date	Dec 19, 2018
Publication date	Nov 23, 2021
Grant date	Nov 23, 2021

Abstract

A drive unit includes: a pedal crankshaft to which a pedal stepping force of a rider is applied; an electric motor that detects a torque input to the pedal crankshaft and generates a drive force; and a transmission that changes shift of the drive force of the electric motor and delivers the drive force to the pedal crankshaft, the transmission includes a main shaft that supports a plurality of drive gears and a counter shaft that supports a plurality of driven gears that engage with the plurality of respective drive gears, and the transmission selects one torque delivery gear among the plurality of drive gears, delivers the drive force of the electric motor to the counter shaft, and shifts the torque delivery gear without inverting a rotational direction of the drive gear.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drive unit comprising:
a pedal crankshaft to which a pedal stepping force of a rider is applied;
an electric motor that detects a torque input to the pedal crankshaft and generates a drive force;
a transmission that changes shift of the drive force of the electric motor and delivers the drive force to the pedal crankshaft; and
a one-way clutch that is provided on a power delivery path from the electric motor to the pedal crankshaft and blocks delivery of a pedal torque, which has been input to the pedal crankshaft, to a side of the electric motor,
wherein the transmission includes
a main shaft that supports a plurality of drive gears and
a counter shaft that supports a plurality of driven gears that engage with the plurality of respective drive gears,

the transmission selects one torque delivery gear from the plurality of drive gears, delivers the drive force of the electric motor to the counter shaft, and shifts the torque delivery gear without inverting a rotational direction of the drive gear, and
the one-way clutch is provided coaxially with the counter shaft.

2. The drive unit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the one-way clutch is provided on a delivery path from the counter shaft to the pedal crankshaft.

3. The drive unit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the counter shaft is disposed above the pedal crankshaft and the main shaft.

4. The drive unit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the main shaft is disposed below the pedal crankshaft, and a drive shaft of the electric motor is disposed above the main shaft.

5. The drive unit according to claim 1 ,
wherein a drive shaft of the electric motor is disposed further forward than the pedal crankshaft.

6. The drive unit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the main shaft is disposed further forward than the pedal crankshaft.

7. The drive unit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the transmission includes a gear position sensor.

8. The drive unit according to claim 7 ,
wherein the gear position sensor is disposed below the main shaft.

9. The drive unit according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a deceleration gear pair on a delivery path from the electric motor to the main shaft.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tsutsui Masayuki
• Yoshizawa Hiroyasu
• TAKAHASHI Tomochika

Classifications

• F16H3/10

  with one or more one-way clutches as an essential feature · CPC title

• F16D41/28

  with intermediate wedging coupling members · CPC title

• B60K17/04

  characterised by arrangement, location or kind of gearing · CPC title

• B62M11/04 Primary

  of changeable ratio · CPC title

• B62M11/06

  with spur gear wheels (B62M11/14 takes precedence) · CPC title