Cantilevered rear stay and suspension for a shaft driven bicycle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9650103-B2
Application number	US-201514613704-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 4, 2015
Priority date	Feb 4, 2015
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

A bicycle having a drive-shaft connecting a crank to an internal hub gearbox on a rear wheel. The bicycle having a suspension system and a cantilevered rear stay that connects the rear wheel to the frame and maintains the hub in a relative radial distance from the crank to maintain contact of the drive-shaft with the crank and gearbox. The suspension system having a linearly moveable damping device disposed within the frame. A swing arm pivotally extends from the rear stay to the damping device. The pivotal connection of the rear stay to the frame, the linear connection of the damping device to the frame, and the pivotal connection of the swing-arm to both the rear stay and damping device provide a four-bar sliding mechanism to provide suspension for the rear wheel on the bicycle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A bicycle comprising:
a cantilevered stay pivotally connecting a rear wheel to a frame;
a crank supported by the frame, wherein the cantilevered stay is pivotally connected to the frame about the crank;
a gearbox disposed within a hub;
a drive-shaft disposed in the cantilevered stay connecting the crank to the gearbox; and
a suspension system connected to the cantilevered stay and frame to damp relative movement therebetween, wherein the suspension system has a spring disposed longitudinally forward of the crank within the frame and a pair of swing-arms connectably extending from the cantilevered stay to the spring.

2. The bicycle of claim 1 wherein the suspension system includes a hydraulic shock absorber disposed within the spring.

3. The bicycle of claim 1 wherein a bevel crank-gear is connected to the crank, a bevel drive-gear is connected to the gearbox, and the drive-shaft includes a pair of bevel shaft-gears on each end in mesh with the bevel crank-gear and bevel drive-gear.

4. The bicycle of claim 1 wherein the gearbox is configured to provide a number of speeds for the bicycle.

5. A bicycle comprising:
a cantilevered stay pivotally connecting a rear wheel to a frame;
a slider damping device slideable within the frame;
a swing-arm pivotally connected to both the stay and the damping device to provide a four-bar slider mechanism with the stay and damping device and provide suspension for the rear wheel on the bicycle; and
a crank supported by the frame, wherein the stay is pivotally connected to the frame about the crank.

6. The bicycle of claim 5 wherein the cantilevered stay is a fork, the bicycle further comprises a hub about a rear axle supported by opposing prongs of the fork to provide rotatable connection of the rear wheel to the bicycle.

7. The bicycle of claim 6 further comprising a gearbox disposed in the hub.

8. The bicycle of claim 7 wherein the gearbox is configured to provide at least two speeds.

9. The bicycle of claim 5 wherein the swing-arm is connected to the cantilevered stay longitudinally rearward of the crank and the swing-arm is connected to the slider damping device longitudinally forward of the crank.

10. The bicycle of claim 5 further comprising:
a crank-gear connected to the crank;
a drive-gear connected to a gearbox disposed in a hub of the rear wheel; and
a drive-shaft connectably extending between the crank-gear and drive-gear.

11. The bicycle of claim 10 wherein the crank-gear is a bevel crank-gear, the drive-gear is a bevel drive-gear, and the drive-shaft has a pair of bevel shaft-gears in meshable contact with the crank-gear and drive-gear.

12. The bicycle of claim 10 wherein the cantilevered stay pivots about the crank and provides for movement of the drive-gear along a substantially constant radius from the crank-gear.

13. The bicycle of claim 5 wherein the slider damping device comprises a spring having a first end mounted to the frame and a second end connected to the swing-arm.

14. The bicycle of claim 5 wherein the slider damping device comprises a shock absorber having a first end mounted to the frame and a second end connected to the swing-arm.

15. A bicycle comprising:
a frame having a down-tube disposed between a head-tube and a hanger bracket;
a crank disposed in the hanger bracket;
a steerable front fork connected to the head-tube;
a pivotable rear fork connected about the hanger bracket;
a shock-absorber disposed within the down-tube;
a pair of swing-arms pivotally connected to and extending between the rear fork and the shock-absorber; and
a drive-shaft connecting the crank to a rear drive-gear.

16. The bicycle of claim 15 wherein the shock-absorber has a hydraulic shock surrounded by a coil spring.

17. The bicycle of claim 15 wherein the drive-shaft is at least partially disposed in the rear fork.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Perkins William Paul

Classifications

• B62K25/30

  pivoted on pedal crank shelf (B62K25/32 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B62K25/20 Primary

  for rear wheel · CPC title

• B62M11/00

  Transmissions characterised by the use of interengaging toothed wheels or frictionally-engaging wheels (with roller engaging the periphery of ground wheel B62M13/00) · CPC title

• B62M17/00 Primary

  Transmissions characterised by use of rotary shaft, e.g. cardan shaft · CPC title

• B62K2201/04

  Helical springs · CPC title