Bicycle with battery, motor and motor mount, wire routing, speed sensor, and dropper seat post

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12043344-B2
Application number	US-202318307541-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2023
Priority date	Aug 21, 2018
Publication date	Jul 23, 2024
Grant date	Jul 23, 2024

Abstract

An ebike comprises a front wheel, a rear wheel, a frame structure supported on the front wheel and the rear wheel, a crank assembly, and a battery assembly. The frame structure can include a front fork supported on the front wheel, a head tube coupled to the front fork, and a down tube extending downward and rearward from the head tube, the down tube defining a down tube axis and being open at its lower end. The crank assembly can be supported by the frame structure and can be rotatable about a crank axis that is spaced rearward from the down tube axis. The battery assembly can be at least partially secured in the down tube in an installed position and can be slidable into the down tube from the lower end of the down tube along the down tube axis.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ebike comprising:
a front wheel;
a rear wheel, a center plane of the rear wheel defining a vertical center plane;
a frame structure supported on the front wheel and the rear wheel, the frame structure including a main frame and further including a rear frame pivotally coupled to the main frame at a lower pivot axis defining a horizontal plane, wherein the horizontal plane is perpendicular to the vertical center plane and parallel to a ground surface when the front wheel is resting on the ground surface and the rear wheel is resting on the ground surface, and extends through the lower pivot axis, wherein the main frame includes a head tube, a down tube, a seat tube, and a bottom shell coupling the down tube to the seat tube, the bottom shell including sidewalls at least partially defining a hollow interior;
a motor assembly having an upper motor portion positioned in the hollow interior of the bottom shell and a lower motor portion hanging below the bottom shell, the motor assembly being secured to the bottom shell by a lower fastener below the horizontal plane and an upper fastener above the horizontal plane, wherein the lower fastener is positioned rearward of the lower pivot axis;
a motor controller coupled to the frame structure; and
a speed sensor assembly coupled to the frame structure for sensing rotational speed of at least one of the front wheel or the rear wheel, the speed sensor assembly including:
a sensor unit coupled to the frame structure adjacent to the at least one of the front wheel or the rear wheel, the sensor unit having two ends, a length between the two ends, and a maximum sensor width measured perpendicular to the length; and
a sensor wire secured to an end of the two ends of the sensor unit and coupling the sensor unit to the motor controller, wherein the sensor wire includes an outer housing having a housing width that is at least 25% of the maximum sensor width.

2. An ebike as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the housing width is at least 30% of the maximum sensor width.

3. An ebike as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the housing width is at least 40% of the maximum sensor width.

4. An ebike as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the housing width is at least 50% of the maximum sensor width.

5. An ebike as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor unit is free of an integral mounting structure.

6. An ebike as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a sensor mount secured to the frame structure, wherein the sensor unit is sandwiched between the sensor mount and the frame structure.

7. An ebike as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the sensor mount includes a first recess shaped to receive the sensor unit and a second recess shaped to receive the sensor wire.

8. An ebike as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the second recess is shaped to receive the sensor wire in a first configuration, and wherein the sensor mount further includes a third recess adapted to receive the sensor wire in a second configuration different than the first configuration.

9. An ebike as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the frame structure includes a chainstay, and wherein the sensor mount is secured to the chainstay.

10. An ebike as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the upper fastener is a first upper fastener, wherein the frame structure includes a second upper fastener, wherein both the first upper fastener and the second upper fastener are positioned above the horizontal plane, wherein the lower pivot axis is positioned rearward of both the first upper fastener and the second upper fastener, wherein the lower pivot axis is positioned between the second upper fastener and the lower fastener, wherein the frame structure includes a chainstay and a seatstay that are pivotally coupled to one another at a rear pivot axis, and wherein both the lower pivot axis and the rear pivot axis are positioned rearward of the first upper fastener and the second upper fastener.

11. A bicycle frame assembly comprising:
a frame structure including a main frame and further including a rear frame pivotally coupled to the main frame at a lower pivot axis defining a horizontal plane, wherein the horizontal plane is perpendicular to a vertical center plane and parallel to a ground surface when a front wheel is resting on the ground surface and a rear wheel is resting on the ground surface, and extends through the lower pivot axis, wherein the main frame includes a head tube, a down tube, a seat tube, and a bottom shell coupling the down tube to the seat tube, the bottom shell including sidewalls at least partially defining a hollow interior;
a motor assembly having an upper motor portion positioned in the hollow interior of the bottom shell and a lower motor portion hanging below the bottom shell, the motor assembly being secured to the bottom shell by a lower fastener below the horizontal plane and an upper fastener above the horizontal plane, wherein the lower fastener is positioned rearward of the lower pivot axis;
a motor controller coupled to the frame structure; and
a speed sensor assembly coupled to the frame structure and configured to sense rotational speed of at least one of the front wheel or the rear wheel, the speed sensor assembly including:
a sensor unit coupled to the frame structure and having two ends, a length between the two ends, and a maximum sensor width measured perpendicular to the length; and
a sensor wire secured to an end of the two ends of the sensor unit and coupling the sensor unit to the motor controller, wherein the sensor wire includes an outer housing having a housing width that is at least 25% of the maximum sensor width.

12. A bicycle frame assembly as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the housing width is at least 30% of the maximum sensor width.

13. A bicycle frame assembly as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the housing width is at least 40% of the maximum sensor width.

14. A bicycle frame assembly as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the housing width is at least 50% of the maximum sensor width.

15. A bicycle frame assembly as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the sensor unit is free of an integral mounting structure.

16. A bicycle frame assembly as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising a sensor mount secured to the frame structure, wherein the sensor unit is sandwiched between the sensor mount and the frame structure.

17. A bicycle frame assembly as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the sensor mount includes a first recess shaped to receive the sensor unit and a second recess shaped to receive the sensor wire.

18. A bicycle frame assembly as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the second recess is shaped to receive the sensor wire in a first configuration, and wherein the sensor mount further includes a third recess adapted to receive the sensor wire in a second configuration different than the first configuration.

19. A bicycle frame assembly as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the frame structure includes a chainstay, and wherein the sensor mount is secured to the chainstay.

20. A bicycle frame assembly as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the upper fastener is a first upper fastener, wherein the frame structure includes a second upper fastener, wherein both the first upper fastener and the second upper fastener are positioned above the horizontal plane, wherein the lower pivot axis is positioned rearward of both the first upper fastener and the second upper fastener, wherein the lower pivot axis is positioned between the second upper fastener and the lower fastener, wherein the frame structure includes a chainstay and a seatstay

Assignees

• Specialized Bicycle Components Inc

Inventors

• Talavasek Jan
• Patureau Vincent
• Pallure Marc
• Sonderegger Marco Werner

Classifications

• B62M6/55

  power-driven at crank shafts parts · CPC title

• B62J11/19

  specially adapted for electric wires · CPC title

• B62M6/40

  Rider propelled cycles with auxiliary electric motor · CPC title

• B62K3/02

  Frames (tandem frames B62K3/14) · CPC title

• B62K25/286

  the shock absorber being connected to the chain-stay via a linkage mechanism · CPC title