Wheel hub

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11571929-B2
Application number	US-202016903881-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 17, 2020
Priority date	Jun 17, 2020
Publication date	Feb 7, 2023
Grant date	Feb 7, 2023

Abstract

A wheel hub has a tubular body having a rotational axis and at least one spoke attachment part protruding radially outward from the tubular body. The spoke attachment part includes a cavity, a first spoke attachment hole, a first spoke head contact surface, a second spoke attachment hole, and a second spoke head contact surface. The cavity includes a spoke insertion opening that opens from the spoke attachment part in an axially outward direction parallel to the rotational axis. The first spoke attachment hole extends from the cavity in a first direction. The first spoke head contact surface is located adjacent the first spoke attachment hole. The second spoke attachment hole extends from the cavity in a second direction. The second spoke head contact surface is located adjacent the second spoke attachment hole.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wheel hub for a human powered vehicle, the wheel hub comprising:
a tubular body having a rotational axis; and
at least one spoke attachment part protruding radially outward from a first axial end of the tubular body,
the at least one spoke attachment part including
a cavity including a spoke insertion opening that opens from the at least one spoke attachment part in an axially outward direction parallel to the rotational axis,
a first spoke attachment hole extending from the cavity in a first direction,
a first spoke head contact surface located adjacent the first spoke attachment hole,
a second spoke attachment hole extending from the cavity in a second direction, and
a second spoke head contact surface located adjacent the second spoke attachment hole,

the spoke insertion opening and the first spoke attachment hole being configured relative to each other to receive a first spoke inserted into the cavity through the spoke insertion opening and drawn out of the cavity through the first spoke attachment hole,
the spoke insertion opening and the second spoke attachment hole being configured relative to each other to receive a second spoke inserted into the cavity through the spoke insertion opening and drawn out of the cavity through the second spoke attachment hole, the insertion opening being disposed circumferentially between the first and second spoke attachment holes on the at least one spoke attachment part with respect to the rotational axis of the tubular body, and
the first spoke attachment hole having a first outer end opening and the second spoke attachment hole having a second outer end opening, the first outer end opening and the second outer end opening each being longer in an axial direction than in a radial direction relative to the rotational axis of the tubular body.

2. The wheel hub according to claim 1 , wherein
the first outer end opening and the second outer end opening are located at a same radial distance from the rotational axis of the tubular body.

3. The wheel hub according to claim 1 , wherein
the first outer end opening and the second outer end opening are substantially aligned in a plane perpendicular to the rotational axis.

4. The wheel hub according to claim 1 , wherein
the first spoke attachment hole has a first inner end opening with a first center point and the second spoke attachment hole has a second inner end opening with a second center point, the first center point and the second center point are in axially offset planes, respectively, with respect to the rotational axis of the tubular body, and the first inner end opening and the second inner end opening overlap as viewed in a direction parallel to the axially offset planes.

5. The wheel hub according to claim 4 , wherein
the first outer end opening has a larger cross-sectional area than the first inner end opening, and
the second outer end opening has a larger cross-sectional area than the second inner end opening.

6. The wheel hub according to claim 5 , wherein
the first outer end opening extends farther in an axially inward direction than the first inner end opening, and
the second outer end opening extends farther in the axially inward direction than the second inner end opening.

7. The wheel hub according to claim 4 , wherein
the second inner end opening is partly located axially inwardly with respect to the rotational axis of the tubular body than the first inner end opening.

8. The wheel hub according to claim 7 , wherein
the at least one spoke attachment part includes an outer axially facing surface that includes a first section located on one circumferential side of the spoke insertion opening and a second section located on the other circumferential side of the spoke insertion opening, the second spoke attachment hole is located on a same side of the cavity as the second section, the second section being recessed in an axially inward direction parallel to the rotational axis of the tubular body with respect to the first section.

9. The wheel hub according to claim 1 , wherein
the first spoke attachment hole has a first inner side surface that is inclined in an axially inward direction with respect to a plane perpendicular to the rotational axis of the tubular body, and
the second spoke attachment hole has a second inner side surface that is inclined in the axially inward direction with respect to the plane perpendicular to the rotational axis of the tubular body.

10. The wheel hub according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one spoke attachment part is configured to retain a first elongated head of the first spoke at the first spoke head contact surface and a second elongated head of the second spoke at the second spoke head contact surface such that the first elongated head and the second elongated head each has a first radial length and a second radial length relative to a spoke axis, and the first radial length is longer than the second radial length and extends in a radial direction with respect to the rotational axis of the tubular body.

11. The wheel hub according to claim 10 , wherein
the first spoke head contact surface includes a first spoke head receiving recess, the second spoke head contact surface includes a second spoke head receiving recess, and each of the first spoke head receiving recess and the second spoke head receiving recess is longer in the radial direction with respect to the rotational axis of the tubular body than in an axial direction parallel to the rotational axis of the tubular body.

12. The wheel hub according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one spoke attachment part includes a first circumferential side surface and a second circumferential side surface, the first spoke attachment hole has a first outer end opening located at the first circumferential side surface, and the second outer end opening is located at the second circumferential side surface.

13. The wheel hub according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one spoke attachment part includes a plurality of the spoke attachment parts protruding radially outward from and circumferentially spaced around the first axial end of the tubular body with respect to each other, and
each of the plurality of the spoke attachment parts includes the cavity, the first spoke attachment hole, the first spoke head contact surface, the second spoke attachment hole, and the second spoke head contact surface.

14. The wheel hub according to claim 13 , wherein
the first spoke attachment holes and the second spoke attachment holes are configured to cause the first spokes to contact and intersect the second spokes of adjacent ones of the spoke attachment parts.

15. The wheel hub according to claim 1 , wherein
the first direction is a first tangential direction relative to the tubular body, and
the second direction is a second tangential direction relative to the tubular body that is opposite the first tangential direction.

16. The wheel hub according to claim 1 , wherein
the second direction is opposite to the first direction with respect to the cavity in a circumferential direction with respect to the rotational axis of the tubular body.

17. A wheel comprising the wheel hub according to claim 1 , and further comprising:
a rim connected to the wheel hub by a plurality of spokes that include the first spoke and the second spoke.

18. A wheel hub for a human powered vehicle, the wheel hub comprising:
a tubular body having a rotational axis; and
at least one spoke attachment part protruding radially outward from a first

Assignees

• Shimano Kk

Inventors

• Oka Tomonari

Classifications

• B60B27/023 Primary

  specially adapted for bicycles · CPC title

• B60B27/04

  housing driving means, e.g. sprockets · CPC title

• B60B1/042

  Attaching spokes to hub · CPC title

• B60B1/041 Primary

  of bicycle wheels (bicycle rims characterised by means for attaching spokes B60B21/062) · CPC title

• B60Y2200/13

  Bicycles; Tricycles · CPC title