JPH0958567A - Auxiliary power assist type bicycle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make prevention of reversing of an electric motor compatible with backward movement by a method wherein clutch operation of a one-way clutch to prevent reversing of the electric motor is releasable during backward movement. SOLUTION: In an auxiliary power assist type bicycle wherein a one-way clutch 96 to prevent reversing of an electric motor 36 is arranged in the middle of an auxiliary power transmission system 95 to transmit the auxiliary power of the electric motor 36 to a resultant force device, for example, a differentiating device 55, a clutch operation release means (a release projection 109) is provided to release clutch operation of the one-way clutch 96 until reversing torque applied on the one-way clutch 96 attains a prescribed strength.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an auxiliary power assist type in which an electric motor is mounted on the body of a bicycle and the auxiliary power assists the pedaling force to facilitate uphill running and running while receiving a headwind. Regarding bicycles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art This type of auxiliary power assisted bicycle is equipped with an electric motor and a force combiner. The force combiner combines human power (pedal depression force) with auxiliary power of the electric motor, and the resultant force is obtained. It is designed to be output to the drive wheel side. FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a structural example of such an auxiliary power assisted bicycle.

In this figure, the crankshaft 201 extending in the vehicle width direction is driven in the rotational direction indicated by arrow A by the pedaling force. A differential device 202 as a resultant device is coaxially provided on the crankshaft 201. This differential 20
2 is, for example, a bevel gear-like human power input gear 203 and an auxiliary power input gear 204, one to two pairs of planetary gears 205 and 206 meshing with both gears 203 and 204, and the planetary gears 205 and 20.
6 is composed of a differential carrier 207 that holds it rotatably, and the differential carrier 207 includes a drive sprocket.
208 is integrated with the rotation.

The human power input gear 203 is integrally rotated with the crankshaft 201, and the auxiliary power input gear 204 is the clutch sleeve 2.
It can rotate around the crankshaft 201 together with 09. In addition, the differential carrier 207 has an auxiliary power input gear on one side.
It is rotatably supported around 204 via a one-way clutch 210, and the other side is rotatably supported by a crankshaft 201.

An electric motor 211 is installed in the vicinity of the differential device 202 thus constructed.
The auxiliary power generated by 211 is transmitted to the differential device 202 via the auxiliary power transmission system 212.

The auxiliary power transmission system 212 is an electric motor.
A primary drive gear 214 that is provided integrally with the main shaft 213 of the 211 and rotates in a direction indicated by an arrow B; and a large-sized primary driven gear 215 that meshes with the primary drive gear 214,
The secondary drive gear 216, which has a small diameter and is integral with the primary driven gear 215, is rotatably supported by the crankshaft 201 and meshes with the secondary drive gear 216.
It is composed of a secondary driven gear 217 that is connected to the 209 to rotate integrally.

The primary driven gear 215 and the secondary drive gear 216 include a one-way clutch 219 around an intermediate shaft 218 fixed between the electric motor 211 and the crankshaft 201.
Is pivoted through. This one way clutch 219
To drive the primary driven gear 215 and the secondary drive gear.
216 is only allowed to rotate in the direction indicated by arrow C.

When the crankshaft 201 rotates in the A direction due to the pedal effort, the human power input gear 203 rotates in the same direction as the crankshaft 201. When the electric motor 211 operates, its auxiliary power is reduced in two stages by the reduction gear train 212 and transmitted to the clutch sleeve 209, and the auxiliary power input gear 204 also rotates in the A direction.

As described above, since both gears 203 and 204 rotate simultaneously in the A direction, the planet gears 205 and 206 move to the crankshaft 201.
Revolves around A in the direction A, and this revolution causes a differential carrier
207 together with drive sprocket 208 crankshaft 201
Rotate around. And drive sprocket 208
Drive wheel (rear wheel of bicycle) through a chain not shown
Drive.

When there is a difference between the human power and the auxiliary power, the rotational speeds of the human power input gear 203 and the auxiliary power input gear 204 are different, and the planetary gears 205 and 206 rotate (differential device).
202 is differential). Therefore, the rotational speeds of the differential carrier 207 and the drive sprocket 208 are the averaged rotational speeds of the human power input gear 203 and the auxiliary power input gear 204. Thus, by using the differential device 202, it is possible to smoothly combine human power and auxiliary power and output the resultant force to the drive wheel side.

The controller 221 connected to the electric motor 211 adjusts the output of the electric motor 211 so that the ratio of human power to auxiliary power (assist ratio) is always 1: 1.

By the way, according to this auxiliary power assisted bicycle, it is possible to travel by only pedaling force without operating the electric motor 211. In this case, when the crankshaft 201 is rotationally driven in the A direction by the pedal effort, the human power input gear 203 of the differential device 202 also rotates in the A direction.
Since the load from the drive wheels is applied to the differential carrier 207, the differential device 202 differentially tries to reverse the auxiliary power input gear 204 in the anti-A direction.

However, since the reverse rotation of the auxiliary power input gear 204 is prevented by the one-way clutch 219, the reaction thereof drives the differential carrier 207 to rotate in the direction A at a speed half that of the human power input gear 203. . Therefore, the rotation of the crankshaft 201 is decelerated by half and transmitted to the drive sprocket 208, so that the vehicle can travel only with the pedal effort. Since the rotation of the crankshaft 201 is reduced by half, the pedal effort is very light and the starting and running are easy.

The one-way clutch 210 provided on the shaft support of the differential carrier 207 transmits only the rotation of the auxiliary power input gear 204 in the A direction to the differential carrier 207, and the rotational speed of the auxiliary power input gear 204 is increased. It has a function to prevent the differential carrier 207 from exceeding the rotation speed.

Without the one-way clutch 210, for example, an operation in which the pedal is suddenly strongly depressed to increase the rotational speed of the crankshaft during constant-speed running, and immediately thereafter, the pedal is stopped or reversed (so-called seesaw rowing).
If you do the following problems.

That is, first, when the pedal is suddenly and strongly depressed, the control device 221 senses a sudden increase in the pedal effort, and outputs the output of the electric motor 211 in an attempt to balance the human power and the auxiliary power. Sharply improve. However, since this involves a slight response delay, the pedal stops or reverses when the output of the electric motor 211 is actually improved.

At this moment, the human power input gear 203 becomes unloaded, while the auxiliary power input gear 204 tries to rapidly rotate in the A direction due to the increase in the output of the electric motor 211. Since the differential carrier 207 is loaded from the drive wheels, the differential gear 202 is differential due to the increase in the rotation speed of the auxiliary power input gear 204, and the human power input gear 203 tries to reverse in the anti-A direction. To do.

Therefore, the force that the human power input gear 203 tries to rotate in reverse is transmitted to the pedal through the crankshaft 201 and felt as a kickback by the foot of the occupant who is stepping on the pedal. This kickback is felt every time the pedal is stopped, so that the ride feeling is greatly impaired.

This problem is solved by providing the one-way clutch 210. That is, as described above, even if the electric motor 211 tries to rapidly rotate the auxiliary power input gear 204 in the A direction, the one-way clutch 210 causes the auxiliary power input gear 204 and the differential carrier 207 to rotate integrally, and the auxiliary power input gear 204 is rotated. Since the rotation speed of 204 cannot exceed the rotation speed of the differential carrier 207,
As a result, the differential device 202 is locked, and the abrupt rotation of the auxiliary power input gear 204 causes the differential device 202 to move.
It is possible to prevent the situation in which the human-power input gear 203 is reversely rotated due to the difference between the two and the kickback is transmitted to the pedal.

[0020]

However, when the auxiliary power assist type bicycle constructed as described above is pulled rearward to be moved back, the drive sprocket 208 together with the differential carrier 207 will be reversed in the anti-A direction. However, the differential carrier 207 is a one-way clutch 21.
With 0, rotation is integrated with the auxiliary power input gear 204,
Since the one-way clutch 219 prevents the auxiliary power input gear 204 from rotating in the reverse direction, the drive sprocket 208 cannot rotate in the reverse direction.

The present invention has been made in order to solve this problem, and the clutch action of the one-way clutch for preventing the reverse rotation of the electric motor can be released during the backward movement to prevent the reverse rotation of the electric motor and the backward movement. An object of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary power assisted bicycle that can achieve both of the above.

Another object of the present invention is to ensure that the clutch action of the one-way clutch can be released and restored with a simple structure.

Another object of the present invention is to make it possible to divert conventionally provided parts as parts for releasing the clutch action of the one-way clutch, thereby reducing the number of parts and reducing the cost. .

[0024]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an auxiliary power assisted bicycle according to the present invention has an auxiliary power transmission for transmitting the auxiliary power of an electric motor to a resultant device as described in claim 1. In an auxiliary power assisted bicycle equipped with a one-way clutch that prevents reverse rotation of the electric motor in the middle of the system, a clutch action releasing means that releases the clutch action of the one-way clutch until the reverse torque applied to the one-way clutch reaches a predetermined strength. Provided.

With this structure, while the reverse torque applied to the one-way clutch is small, the clutch action releasing means keeps the clutch action of the one-way clutch released, and when the reverse torque reaches a predetermined strength, the one-way clutch is released. The clutch action of the clutch is restored.
This reverse rotation torque is very small during back movement and becomes large during manual running, so if the operating torque of the clutch action releasing means is set so that the clutch action of the one-way clutch does not return with a slight reverse rotation torque during back movement. It is possible to achieve both reverse rotation prevention and back movement of the electric motor.

Further, in the auxiliary power assisted bicycle according to the present invention, as described in claim 2, the clutch shaft is rotatably inserted through the center of the fixed clutch outer of the one-way clutch. A clutch roller is built inside the wedge chamber provided on the inner periphery of the
The wedge action of the clutch roller prevents the clutch shaft from rotating in the reverse direction, and the clutch action releasing means is provided in the wedge chamber until the reverse rotation torque reaches a predetermined strength. The wedge action of the clutch roller is released by being inserted and pressing the clutch roller in the radial direction, and at the same time when the reverse rotation torque reaches a predetermined strength, the clutch roller is moved in the axial direction of the clutch shaft and pulled out from the wedge chamber. It is a release protrusion that restores the wedge action of.

With this structure, at the same time that the reverse torque from the force combiner reaches a predetermined strength, the release projection, which is the clutch action releasing means, moves axially and is pulled out from the wedge chamber, so that the clutch roller performs the wedge action. The clutch action of the one-way clutch can be reliably released and restored with a simple configuration.

Further, in the auxiliary power assisted bicycle according to the present invention, as described in claim 3, the intermediate shaft of the auxiliary power transmission system is used as the clutch shaft, and the intermediate shaft is axially moved together with the release projection. The axially movably supported helical gear for auxiliary power transmission provided on the intermediate shaft and the other helical gear that meshes with this helical gear apply thrust load when the reverse torque reaches a predetermined strength. The intermediate shaft and the release projection are moved to the anti-one-way clutch side, and the release projection is pulled out from the wedge chamber of the clutch outer to restore the clutch action of the one-way clutch.

According to this structure, the intermediate shaft, which has been conventionally provided, can be used as the clutch action releasing part of the one-way clutch, so that the number of parts and the cost can be reduced.

[0030]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a left side view of an auxiliary power assisted bicycle according to the present invention.

The auxiliary power assisted bicycle 1 is provided with a body frame 2 made of, for example, a metal tube, and a front fork 4 supporting a front wheel 3 is provided on a front head of the body frame 2 with a handlebar 5 and a basket 6. The rear wheel 7 is pivotally supported on the rear portion of the body frame 2, and the saddle 8 is mounted on the upper center of the body frame 2.
Is installed.

An auxiliary power assist device 10 incorporating an electric motor is mounted on the lower center of the vehicle body frame 2. A crank shaft 11 extending in the vehicle width direction is rotatably supported by the auxiliary power assist device 10.
A crank 12L and a crank 12R are rotatably and integrally fixed to both ends of the pedal 11, and pedals 13 are rotatably provided at the tips of the cranks 12L and 12R, respectively.

A drive sprocket 15 located on the right side of the auxiliary power assist device 10 is mounted on the crankshaft 11 between the drive sprocket 15 and the driven sprocket 16 provided on the rear wheel 7. Chain 17
Is wrapped around.

The crankshaft 11 is rotationally driven in the forward rotation direction indicated by the arrow A when an occupant seated on the saddle 8 depresses the pedal 13 with his / her foot, and together with this, the drive sprocket 15
Rotates in the same direction as the crankshaft 11, and this rotation is transmitted to the driven sprocket 16 by the chain 17 and the rear wheel 7
Is driven.

Further, a battery unit 20 for operating an electric motor incorporated in the auxiliary power assist device 10 is fixed to the front half of the vehicle body frame 2. This battery unit 20 includes, for example, a dozen small batteries 21.
And a battery case (not shown) made of synthetic resin.
It has a sealed structure inside. A control device 23 for controlling the output of the electric motor is attached to the upper part of the auxiliary power assist device 10.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the auxiliary power assist device 10, and FIG. 3 is a left side view of the auxiliary power assist device 10 taken along the line III-III of FIG. Further, FIG. 4 is a mechanical conceptual perspective view of the auxiliary power assist device 10 showing one embodiment of the present invention.

The casing 25 forming the outer shell of the auxiliary power assist device 10 is made of, for example, an aluminum alloy, and the left case half body 26 and the right case half body 27 are fixed by several bolts 28 as shown in FIG. The outer cover 29 is fixed to the left side opening of the case body 26 with several bolts 30. Note that FIG. 3 shows a state in which the outer cover 29 is removed.

The crankshaft 11 is rotatably supported on the rear portion of the casing 25 by using bearings 31 and 32, and the cranks 12L and 12R are bolted to both ends of the crankshaft 11 protruding left and right from the casing 25. Fixed at 33.

An electric motor chamber 35 is defined in the front portion of the casing 45, and the above-mentioned electric motor 36 is installed inside the electric motor chamber 35. This electric motor 36 generates auxiliary power, and its outer case 37 is attached to the case half with several bolts 38.
It is fixed to the 26 side, and its main shaft 39 is parallel to the crankshaft 11.

A roller type planetary reduction mechanism 41 is provided on the left side of the electric motor 36. This planetary reduction mechanism
The sun roller 42 of 41 is formed in a shaft shape, the left end thereof is pivotally supported by a bearing 43 provided on the outer cover 29 side, and the right end thereof is pivotally supported by a bearing 44 provided on the case half body 26 side. The left end of the main shaft 39 of the electric motor 36 is spline-fitted and rotationally connected.

An annular ring roller 45 is fixed to the case body 26 with bolts 46, and a reduction carrier 47 is rotatably supported around the sun roller 42 via a bearing 48 on the left side of the ring roller 45. ing. Four roller shafts 49 parallel to the sun roller 42 are fixed to the deceleration carrier 47, and a planet roller 51 is rotatably supported on each of these roller shafts 49. The outer peripheral surfaces of the four planet rollers 51 contact the inner peripheral surface of the ring roller 45 and the outer peripheral surface of the sun roller 42. A primary drive gear 52 is rotatably provided on the left side surface of the reduction carrier 47.

When the main shaft 39 of the electric motor 36 rotates, the sun roller 42 of the planetary speed reduction mechanism 41 also integrally rotates, and each planetary roller 51 rotates between the fixed ring roller 45 and the rotating sun roller 42. While revolving around the sun roller 42,
As a result, the deceleration carrier 47 and the primary drive gear 52 are driven to decelerate and rotate. The main shaft 39 and the sun roller 42 are indicated by the arrow B.
In the direction indicated by, the reduction carrier 47 and the primary drive gear 52 also rotate in the same direction.

By the way, in the present embodiment, the planetary speed reduction mechanism 41 is constituted by a roller type. For example, a pinion gear is provided on the outer circumference of the sun roller 42 and the ring roller 45 is changed to a ring gear (internal gear) to change each planetary gear. The planetary reduction mechanism 41 may be configured as a gear type by changing the roller 51 to a planetary gear that meshes with the pinion gear and the ring gear.

On the other hand, in the rear part of the casing 25, there is a force unit chamber.
54 is defined, and a differential device 55 as a resultant device is built therein. The differential device 55 is provided coaxially with the crankshaft 11, and is configured as follows, for example.

First, a manual input gear 56 is mounted on the crankshaft 11 via a one-way clutch 57. This one-way clutch 57 causes the human power input gear 56 to rotate integrally with the crank shaft 11 when the crank shaft 11 is rotating in the A direction, and the rotation input to the human power input gear 56 when the crank shaft 11 is rotating in the reverse A direction. This is a clutch mechanism that prevents the reverse rotation of the human power input gear 56 by turning off.

An auxiliary power input gear 58 is rotatably supported on the left side of the human power input gear 56 with respect to the crankshaft 11. The number of teeth of the auxiliary power input gear 58 is the same as the number of teeth of the human power input gear 56. And these both gears 56,58
A differential carrier 60 is also provided. In addition, in FIG. 4, in order to make the structure of the entire differential device 55 easy to understand, a part of the differential carrier 60 is simplified and shown in the shape of a rod.

The differential carrier 60 is the carrier half 60 on the left side.
L and the carrier half body 60R on the right side are assembled with bolts 61, the boss 62 of the carrier half body 60L is rotatably supported on the outer periphery of the boss 63 of the auxiliary power input gear 58, and the boss 64 of the carrier half body 60R is cranked. It is rotatably supported on the shaft 11. The boss 64 projects outward from the case half 27 to the right, and the drive sprocket 15 is rotatably integrated with the boss 64.

Four gear shafts 65 are provided between the carrier half body 60L and the carrier half body 60R, and a pair of first planetary gears 66 meshing with the human power input gear 56 are provided on these gear shafts 65, A pair of second planet gears 67 having the same number of teeth as the first planet gear 66 and meshing with the first planet gear 66 and also meshing with the auxiliary power input gear 58 are rotatably supported.

A large-diameter secondary driven gear 70 is rotatably supported by the crankshaft 11 on the left side of the differential device 55 constructed as described above, and the boss 71 of the secondary driven gear 70 is differential. The boss 63 of the auxiliary power input gear 58 extended to the device 55 side
Has been matched. A cylindrical sleeve member 72 is mounted around the outer circumferences of both bosses 71 and 63 so as to be movable in the axial direction.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, outer splines 73 and 74 are formed on the outer peripheral surfaces of the boss 63 of the auxiliary power input gear 58 and the boss 71 of the secondary driven gear 70, respectively. Cage,
An inner spline 75 engraved on the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve member 72 engages with the outer splines 73, 74.

Further, the boss 62 of the carrier half body 60L extends cylindrically to the left to cover the outer periphery of the sleeve member 72, and a one-way clutch 76 is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the boss 62 and the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve member 72. Has been. This one-way clutch 76
Has a function of transmitting only the rotation of the auxiliary power input gear 58 in the A direction to the differential carrier 60 and preventing the rotational speed of the auxiliary power input gear 58 from exceeding the rotational speed of the differential carrier 60.

Further, a flange 78 is formed on the outer circumference of the sleeve member 72 adjacent to the left side of the one-way clutch 76, and an outer spline 79 is engraved on the outer circumference of the flange 78. On the other hand, an inner spline 80 engageable with the outer spline 79 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the left end portion of the boss 62 of the carrier half body 60L.

As shown in FIG. 5 (A), when the sleeve member 72 is located near the secondary driven gear 70 (to the left), the inner spline 75 of the sleeve member 72 is formed on the boss 63 of the auxiliary power input gear 58. Outer spline 73 and secondary driven gear
Since the secondary driven gear 70 and the auxiliary power input gear 58 are rotationally integrated with each other by engaging both of the outer splines 74 formed on the boss 71 of the 70, the rotation of the secondary driven gear 70 is assisted by the auxiliary power input. It is transmitted to the gear 58. At this time, the sleeve member
The outer spline 78 of 72 is not engaged with the inner spline 80 formed on the boss 62 of the carrier half 60L.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5 (B), the sleeve member
When 72 is located closer to the differential device 55 (to the right), the inner spline 75 of the sleeve member 72 engages only with the outer spline 73 of the auxiliary power input gear 58, and the secondary driven gear 70 moves to the auxiliary power input gear 58. To be separated. At the same time, the outer spline 79 of the sleeve member 72 and the inner spline 80 of the carrier half body 60L engage with each other, whereby the differential of the differential device 55 (relative rotation between the human power input gear 56 and the auxiliary power input gear 58). Is locked.

Such a movement of the sleeve member 72 in the axial direction is performed by the moving mechanism 82 shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5 (A), (B).
It is performed by The moving mechanism 82 is a mechanism that uses a cylindrical cam and is operated by an operation cable 83, and the other end of the operation cable 83 is connected to an operation unit (not shown) provided on the handlebar 5 or the like. The sleeve member 72 can be arbitrarily operated by the occupant to operate the crankshaft.
It can be moved in 11 axial directions.

A disc-shaped sensor plate 84 is provided on the left side of the secondary driven gear 70 so as to rotate integrally with the crankshaft 11, and an outer peripheral portion of the sensor plate 84 is provided with an uneven shape 85 at equal intervals. Is formed, and this uneven shape 85
The rotation speed of the crankshaft 11 is detected by the rotation sensor (not shown) reading the movement of the above, and the data is input to the control device 23.

Further, the outer peripheral surface of the deceleration carrier 47 of the planetary deceleration mechanism 41 is also formed with uneven shapes 86 at equal intervals, and when the deceleration carrier 47 is rotated by the operation of the electric motor 36, the vicinity of the deceleration carrier 47. The rotation speed of the electric motor 36 is detected by reading the movement of the concave-convex shape 86 by the rotation sensor 87 fixed to, and this data is also input to the control device 23.

By the way, the sun roller 42 of the planetary reduction mechanism 41
An intermediate shaft 90 is rotatably supported by bearings 91 and 92 between the crankshaft 11 and the crankshaft 11. The intermediate shaft 90 has a large-diameter primary driven gear 93 that meshes with the primary drive gear 52.
And a small-diameter secondary drive gear 94 that meshes with the secondary driven gear 70 are provided integrally with each other, and the intermediate shaft 90 is driven by the primary drive gear 52 and rotationally driven in the direction indicated by arrow C.

As shown in FIG. 4, helical gears are used for the primary drive gear 52 and the primary driven gear 93,
The twisting direction of the teeth is set so that a left thrust load is applied to the primary driven gear 93 and the intermediate shaft 90 when the primary drive gear 52 rotates in the B direction.
The secondary drive gear 94 and the secondary driven gear 70 are spur gears. The primary drive gear 52, the primary driven gear 93, the secondary drive gear 94, and the secondary driven gear 70 constitute an auxiliary power transmission system 95, and the auxiliary power transmission system 95 causes the auxiliary power of the electric motor 36 to the differential device 55. It is being transmitted.

A one-way clutch 96 is provided in the middle of the auxiliary power transmission system 95 in order to prevent the electric motor 36 from rotating in the reverse direction when a reverse torque is applied from the differential device 55. The one-way clutch 96 is provided, for example, between the secondary drive gear 94 and the bearing 92 on the intermediate shaft 90.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the one-way clutch 96 taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 2, and FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a portion VII in FIG. 8 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII in FIG.

This one-way clutch 96 has three screws.
The intermediate shaft 90 is rotatably inserted as a clutch shaft into the center hole 100 of the clutch outer 99 fixed to the case half body 26 side by 98, and three wedge chambers formed on the inner peripheral surface of the center hole 100.
It is of wedge roller type in which clutch roller 102 is built in 101. Each of the three wedge chambers 101 is formed in a wedge shape whose height increases in the rotation direction C of the intermediate shaft 90, and each clutch roller 102 is formed by a push piece 103 and a push spring 104. Is pressed in the direction of narrowing.

In this one-way clutch 96, when the intermediate shaft 90 rotates in the C direction, each clutch roller 102 increases the height of the wedge chamber 101 (on the push piece 103 side).
The rotation of the intermediate shaft 90 is not hindered, but when the intermediate shaft 90 tries to reverse in the anti-C direction, each clutch roller 102 rolls in the direction in which the height of the wedge chamber 101 decreases. Bite between the ceiling of the wedge chamber 101 and the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate shaft 90,
The wedge action prevents the reverse rotation of the intermediate shaft 90. The push piece 103 and push spring 104 are
By pressing the clutch roller 102 in the direction in which the wedge chamber 101 is narrowed, the wedge action of the clutch roller 102 is accelerated.

The intermediate shaft 90 is axially movably supported together with the primary driven gear 93 and the secondary drive gear 94, and is always urged to the right by the thrust spring 106. A release member 107 is mounted on the right side of the secondary drive gear 94 so as to be rotatable with respect to the intermediate shaft 90 and slide integrally in the axial direction.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 8 and 9, the release member 107 is an annular release ring 108.
In addition, the three release projections 109 extending toward the one-way clutch 96 side and the three release guides 110 are integrally configured, and the release ring 108 is mounted on the intermediate shaft 90.

As shown in FIG. 8, the tip of the release projection 109 is cut obliquely to form a slope cam 109a. This slope cam 109a is the wedge chamber of the clutch outer 99.
It is inserted in 101. The release projection 109 serves as a clutch action releasing means that releases the clutch action of the one-way clutch 96 until the reverse torque applied to the one-way clutch 96 reaches a predetermined strength. On the other hand, the release guide 110 is formed in a round bar shape and is slidably inserted into an insertion hole 111 formed in the clutch outer 99 without play.
It functions to hold the release projection 109 in place in the wedge chamber 101.

When the intermediate shaft 90 is located on the left side, the release projection 109 is in a state of being pulled out from the wedge chamber 101 by about half as shown by the solid line in FIG. Do not interfere with. Intermediate shaft 90 in this state
If it tries to reverse in the reverse C direction, the wedge action of the clutch roller 102 occurs as described above, and the reverse rotation of the intermediate shaft 90 is prevented.

However, when the intermediate shaft 90 is located to the right, the release protrusion 109 is pushed into the wedge chamber 101 to the position shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 8, and the slope cam 109a moves to the clutch roller 102. Push in the radial direction to push the piece
Move to 103 side. Therefore, the clutch roller 102 cannot roll to the side opposite to the push piece 103, the wedge action of the clutch roller 102, that is, the clutch action of the one-way clutch 96 is released, and the intermediate shaft 90 can rotate in both forward and reverse directions.

When the electric motor 36 is stopped, only the biasing force of the thrust spring 106 acts on the intermediate shaft 90, so that the intermediate shaft 90 is pressed rightward as shown in FIG. Although it is inserted deeply into the wedge chamber 101 and the clutch action of the one-way clutch 96 is released, when the electric motor 36 operates, the primary drive gear 52 and the primary driven gear 93, which are helical gears, generate a thrust load, and this The thrust load moves the primary driven gear 93 leftward together with the intermediate shaft 90 against the urging force of the thrust spring 106 (the state shown in FIG. 4), so that the clutch action of the one-way clutch 96 is restored and the intermediate shaft 90 moves. Reverse rotation in the anti-C direction becomes impossible.

In the auxiliary power assisted bicycle 1 configured as described above, when traveling while using both human power and auxiliary power of the electric motor 36 in combination, the moving mechanism 82 is operated to move the sleeve member 72 to the second position. Position it on the side of the next driven gear 70 (in the state shown in FIG. 5A), and pedal the pedal 13 while operating the electric motor 36.

In this state, the human power input gear 56 of the differential device 55 is rotationally driven in the A direction by the pedaling force applied to the crankshaft 11, while the electric power decelerated by the planetary speed reduction mechanism 41 and the auxiliary power transmission system 95. The auxiliary power input gear 58 of the differential device 55 is also rotationally driven in the A direction by the auxiliary power of the motor 36.

Therefore, the rotation of both the gears 56, 58 in the A direction causes the first and second planetary gears 66, 67 to revolve around the crankshaft 11 in the A direction. Therefore, the differential carrier 60 is rotationally driven in the direction A together with the drive sprocket 15, and the rear wheel 7 is driven via the chain 17.

The difference in rotational speed between the human power input gear 56 and the auxiliary power input gear 58 is absorbed by the rotation of the first and second planetary gears 66, 67 (the differential of the differential device 55). Therefore, the human power and the auxiliary power are always smoothly combined, and the resultant force is efficiently output to the rear wheel 7 side. Then, the pedaling force of the pedal 13 is greatly reduced, which makes traveling on an uphill or traveling while receiving a headwind very easy. When the crankshaft 11 is rotated in the reverse direction, the one-way clutch 57 acts to prevent the reverse rotation of the human power input gear 56.

The control device 23 uses the data of the rotation speed of the crankshaft 11 and the rotation speed of the electric motor 36 input from the two rotation sensors to determine the rotation speeds of the human power input gear 56 and the auxiliary power input gear 58 of the differential device 55. Index these two gears 56,5
Adjust the output of the electric motor 36 so that the rotation speed of 8 always matches. As a result, the ratio of human power to auxiliary power (assist ratio) is always maintained at 1: 1 and it is possible to travel more efficiently and with a natural feeling.

Here, even if the kickback from the electric motor 36 comes, for example, the pedal 13 is suddenly and strongly depressed during constant-speed running, and immediately thereafter, the pedal 13 is stopped or reversed. The action of the one-way clutch 76 provided in the differential device 55 prevents the kickback from being transmitted to the pedal 13.

That is, when the pedal 13 is suddenly and strongly depressed while the auxiliary power assisted bicycle 1 is running at a constant speed, the rotational speeds of the crankshaft 11 and the human power input gear 56 are rapidly increased. An electric motor to match the rotation speed of the input gear 58 to the rotation speed of the human input gear 56.
Improve the output of 36.

However, since this causes a slight response delay, when the output of the electric motor 36 is improved, the pedal 13
The rotation of (crankshaft 11) is stopped or reversed, and the human power input gear 56 is in an unloaded state. On the other hand, the auxiliary power input gear 58 tends to rapidly rotate in the A direction due to the increase in the output of the electric motor 36.

At this time, since the load from the rear wheels 7 is applied to the differential carrier 60, the differential device 55 is differential due to the increase in the rotation speed of the auxiliary power input gear 58, and the human power input gear 56 is anti-A. However, the one-way clutch 76 causes the auxiliary power input gear 58 and the differential carrier 60 to rotate integrally with each other, and the rotational speed of the auxiliary power input gear 58 cannot exceed the rotational speed of the differential carrier 60. Therefore, as a result, the differential device 55 is locked, and it is possible to prevent the situation in which the human-power input gear 56 reverses and the kickback is transmitted to the pedal 13 due to the rapid increase in rotation of the auxiliary power input gear 58. is there.

By the way, in the case of traveling only by human power without operating the electric motor 36, by operating the moving mechanism 82 to move the sleeve member 72 in the axial direction of the crankshaft 11, it is possible to perform a two-speed shift. Has become.

That is, when the pedal 13 is pedaled in the state where the sleeve member 72 is moved to the side of the secondary driven gear 70 as shown in FIG. 5A (starts in the state of FIG. 9), the human power input of the differential device 55 is performed. The gear 56 rotates in the direction A together with the crankshaft 11, but the differential carrier 60 tries to stop due to the load from the rear wheels 7, so that the differential device 55 differentially drives the first and second planetary gears 66, 67. Tries to reverse the auxiliary power input gear 58 in the opposite A direction.

The reverse rotation torque from the auxiliary power input gear 58 causes the intermediate shaft 90 to reversely rotate in the anti-C direction to try to reverse the main shaft of the electric motor 36 in the anti-B direction.
Since there is rotation resistance in the main shaft of the, the intermediate shaft is between the primary drive gear 52 and the primary driven gear 93, which are helical gears.
Thrust load that tries to push 90 to the left occurs.

Since the urging force of the thrust spring 106 that presses the intermediate shaft 90 to the right is set to be smaller than the thrust load, the intermediate shaft 90 is pressed by the thrust load and is released together with the release member 107. Move to the left,
In the state shown in FIG. 4, the release protrusion 10 of the release member 107
9 is pulled out from one-way clutch 96.

Therefore, the clutch action of the one-way clutch 96 (wedge action of the clutch roller 102) occurs, and the reverse action of the intermediate shaft 90 in the counter C direction is prevented by this clutch action, and the secondary driven gear 70 and the auxiliary power input gear are provided. 58 cannot be reversed in the anti-A direction. Therefore, as a result of the reaction, the differential carrier 60 is rotationally driven in the direction A at a speed half that of the human power input gear 56, and as a result, the rotation of the crankshaft 11 is decelerated to one half and the drive sprocket 15 is driven. Be transmitted to. In this state, the pedaling force of the pedal 13 becomes very light, which facilitates starting and climbing.

If the pedal 13 is pedaled with the sleeve member 72 positioned on the differential device 55 side as shown in FIG. 5 (B), the secondary driven gear 70 is moved relative to the auxiliary power input gear 58 as described above. At the same time as the separation, the outer spline 79 of the sleeve member 72 and the inner spline 80 of the carrier half body 60L are engaged with each other to lock the differential of the differential device 55, so that the entire differential device 55 is connected to the crankshaft 11. It rotates as a unit and the rotation of the crankshaft 11 is directly reduced without slowing down.
It is transmitted to 15. Therefore, it is possible to travel quickly and lightly like a general bicycle.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5 (A) and FIG. 9, the auxiliary power transmission system 95 is connected to the differential device 55 side through the sleeve member 72, and the auxiliary power assisted bicycle 1 is provided. When the vehicle is pulled backward and moved back, the drive sprocket 15 and the differential carrier 60 reversely rotate in the anti-A direction, and the one-way clutch 76 causes the auxiliary power input gear 58 to rotate integrally with the differential carrier 60. Auxiliary power input gear 58
And the secondary driven gear 70 also reverses in the anti-A direction.

Then, due to the reverse torque from the auxiliary power input gear 58, the intermediate shaft 90 tries to reverse in the counter C direction. Since the reverse rotation torque at this time is very small, the biasing force of the thrust spring 106 outweighs the slight thrust load generated between the primary drive gear 52, which is a helical gear, and the primary driven gear 93, and the intermediate shaft 90 Is kept biased rightward by the thrust spring 106. Therefore, the release protrusion 109 of the release member 107
Is inserted into the one-way clutch 96 side, the clutch action of the one-way clutch 96 is released, and the intermediate shaft
Since 90 is kept reversible, the auxiliary power assisted bicycle 1 can be easily moved back.

As described above, the release projection 109, which is the clutch action releasing means of the one-way clutch 96 provided on the intermediate shaft 90, has the clutch of the one-way clutch 96 when the reverse torque from the force combiner is very small, such as during back movement. This function is released to keep the intermediate shaft 90 reversible, and when the reverse torque becomes strong, such as when driving manually, the one-way clutch 96 is restored to prevent reverse rotation of the electric motor 36 to prevent reverse rotation. It is possible to achieve both prevention of reverse rotation of the electric motor 36.

Further, the one-way clutch 96 is of a wedge roller type, and the clutch action of the one-way clutch 96 is released and restored by inserting or removing the release projection 109 into the wedge chamber 101 of the clutch outer 99. As a result, the clutch action of the one-way clutch 96 can be reliably released and restored with a simple configuration.

Furthermore, since the intermediate shaft 90, which is a conventionally provided component, is used as the clutch shaft of the one-way clutch 96, the number of components and cost can be reduced. The primary driven gear 93 and the primary drive gear 52 that apply the thrust load to the intermediate shaft 90 are merely changed from the conventional spur gears to the helical gears, and the cost does not increase significantly.

In this embodiment, the differential gear 55 is used as the force combiner, but other types of force combiner may be considered. Further, although the primary drive gear 52 and the primary driven gear 93 are helical gears in this embodiment, the secondary drive gear 94 and the secondary driven gear 70 may be helical gears.

[0091]

As described above, in the auxiliary power assisted bicycle according to the present invention, the one-way clutch for preventing the reverse rotation of the electric motor is provided in the middle of the auxiliary power transmission system for transmitting the auxiliary power of the electric motor to the combination device. The provided auxiliary power assist type bicycle is characterized in that a clutch action releasing means for releasing the clutch action of the one-way clutch is provided until the reverse rotation torque applied to the one-way clutch reaches a predetermined strength.

According to this structure, the clutch action releasing means keeps the clutch action of the one-way clutch released while the reverse torque applied to the one-way clutch is small, and when the reverse torque reaches a predetermined strength, the one-way clutch is released. The clutch action of the clutch is restored.
This reverse rotation torque is very small during back movement and becomes large during manual running, so if the operating torque of the clutch action releasing means is set so that the clutch action of the one-way clutch does not return with a slight reverse rotation torque during back movement. It is possible to achieve both reverse rotation prevention and back movement of the electric motor.

In the auxiliary power assisted bicycle according to the present invention, the one-way clutch is a wedge provided on the inner peripheral portion of the clutch outer with the clutch shaft rotatably inserted through the center of the fixed clutch outer. A clutch roller is built in the chamber, and the clutch roller is of a wedge roller type configured so that the clutch roller is prevented from rotating in the reverse direction by the wedge action of the clutch roller. Up to the strength of the clutch roller, the clutch roller is inserted in the above-mentioned wedge chamber and the clutch roller is pressed in the radial direction to release the wedge effect of the clutch roller. Is a release projection that is pulled out from the wedge chamber to restore the wedge action of the clutch roller.

In such a structure, at the same time when the reverse torque from the resultant force device reaches a predetermined strength, the release projection as the clutch action releasing means moves in the axial direction and is pulled out from the wedge chamber, and the wedge action of the clutch roller. The clutch action of the one-way clutch can be reliably released and restored with a simple configuration.

Further, in the auxiliary power assisted bicycle according to the present invention, the intermediate shaft of the auxiliary power transmission system is used as the clutch shaft, and the intermediate shaft is axially movably supported together with the release protrusion in the intermediate direction. A helical gear for auxiliary power transmission provided on the shaft and another helical gear that meshes with this helical gear generate a thrust load when the reverse torque reaches a predetermined strength, and cause the intermediate shaft and the release protrusion to move. The structure is such that it is moved to the side opposite to the one-way clutch and the release projection is pulled out from the wedge chamber of the clutch outer to restore the clutch action of the one-way clutch.

According to this structure, since the intermediate shaft, which is a conventionally provided component, can be used as a component for releasing the clutch action of the one-way clutch, the number of components can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a left side view of an auxiliary power assist type bicycle according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an auxiliary power assist device.

3 is a left side view of the auxiliary power assist device taken along the line III-III of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual perspective view of the mechanism of the auxiliary power assist device according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing the state where the intermediate shaft is moved to the left and the clutch action of the one-way clutch is restored.

5A is a sectional view showing a state where the sleeve member is moved toward the secondary driven gear, and FIG. 5B is a sectional view showing a state where the sleeve member is moved toward the differential device.

6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the one-way clutch taken along line VI-VI in FIG.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of part VII of FIG.

8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of the mechanism of the auxiliary power assist device, showing a state where the intermediate shaft is moved to the right and the clutch action of the one-way clutch is released.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a structural example of an auxiliary power assisted bicycle which is a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Auxiliary power assisted bicycle 36 Electric motor 52 Primary drive gear that is a helical gear for auxiliary power transmission 55 Differential device as a combiner 90 Intermediate shaft as a clutch shaft 93 Primary helical gear for auxiliary power transmission Driven gear 95 Auxiliary power transmission system 96 One-way clutch 99 Clutch outer 101 Wedge chamber 102 Clutch roller 109 Release projection as means for releasing clutch action

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A one-way clutch 96 for preventing reverse rotation of the electric motor 36 in the middle of an auxiliary power transmission system 95 for transmitting the auxiliary power of the electric motor 36 to a resultant device (for example, a differential device 55).
In the auxiliary power assisted bicycle provided with, the auxiliary power assisting means is provided with a clutch action releasing means for releasing the clutch action of the one-way clutch 96 until the reverse rotation torque applied to the one-way clutch 96 reaches a predetermined strength. Type bicycle. 2. The one-way clutch 96 is rotatably inserted through the center of a fixed clutch outer 99, and a clutch roller 102 is provided inside a wedge chamber 101 provided in an inner peripheral portion of the clutch outer 99. A wedge roller type in which the reverse rotation of the clutch shaft is blocked by the wedge action of the clutch roller 102, while the clutch action releasing means is used until the reverse rotation torque reaches a predetermined strength. Is inserted into the wedge chamber 101 and presses the clutch roller 102 in the radial direction to release the wedge action of the clutch roller 102, and at the same time when the reverse torque reaches a predetermined strength, it moves in the axial direction of the clutch shaft. The auxiliary power assist type bicycle according to claim 1, wherein a release protrusion 109 is drawn out from the wedge chamber 101 to restore the wedge action of the clutch roller 102. 3. The intermediate shaft 90 of the auxiliary power transmission system 95 is used as the clutch shaft, and the intermediate shaft 90 is axially supported together with the release projection 109 so as to be movable in the axial direction.
The auxiliary load transmission helical gear (primary driven gear 93) and the other helical gear that meshes with this helical gear (primary drive gear 52) have thrust load when the reverse torque reaches a predetermined strength. Is generated to move the intermediate shaft 90 and the release protrusion 109 to the anti-one-way clutch 96 side,
The auxiliary power assist type bicycle according to claim 1, wherein the release projection 109 is pulled out from the wedge chamber 101 of the clutch outer 99 to restore the clutch action of the one-way clutch 96.