Land vehicles – Wheeled – Occupant propelled type
Patent
1974-05-07
1976-03-16
Friaglia, Leo
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Occupant propelled type
74785, 74786, B62M 1114
Patent
active
039442535
ABSTRACT:
A pedal-operated vehicle including a frame, at least two supporting wheels, a driven wheel hub, and a variable ratio drive system comprising, (in one embodiment) a planetary gear set mounted adjacent and externally of the driven wheel hub. The gear set includes a single sun gear, a single ring gear, and at least one planet gear rotatably mounted on a carrier, with the sun gear being engageable with the wheel hub for driving the same. A foot-operated crank is drivingly connected to the planetary carrier, whereby torque generated by the crank is transferable to the planetary carrier. A rotation controlling means such as a brake is located externally of the ring gear and fixed to the frame for affecting the rotation which the ring gear is permitted to have as the planetary carrier is turned. A hand-operable control unit is used to adjust the brake's effectiveness, whereby the speed of rotation of the sun gear is a function of the rotation which the ring gear is permitted to have. The hand-operable control unit is movable to an infinite number of intermediate positions between its two extreme operating positions, so that there are an infinite number of drive ratios obtainable. As an alternative to the mechanical retarding system, a hydraulic retarding system includes a closed hydraulic loop including a positive displacement pump with an external shaft in contact with the ring gear. A valve in said hydraulic loop can control the amount of liquid circulated through the hydraulic loop, which will affect the rotation of the external shaft, which will in turn affect rotation of the ring gear when torque is applied to the pinion carrier. In another embodiment of the invention, a multi-speed bicycle transmission is adapted to be mounted adjacent the pedal cranks. It includes a single sun gear adapted to be mounted concentrically with the shaft that connects the bicycle's two pedal cranks, with the sun gear rotating alongside the pedal crank hub. The sun gear is rigidly connected to a front chain sprocket.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1411548 (1922-04-01), Yamamoto
patent: 2731857 (1956-01-01), Marino
patent: 3154964 (1964-11-01), Lewis
patent: 3314308 (1967-04-01), Ziegler
patent: 3456528 (1969-07-01), Maruyama
patent: 3529493 (1970-09-01), Egli
patent: 3613853 (1971-10-01), Linthicum
patent: 3690198 (1972-09-01), Huber
patent: 3752013 (1973-08-01), Cross
patent: 3766805 (1973-10-01), Shea
patent: 3774476 (1973-11-01), Sohnlein
Friaglia Leo
McHugh Charles W.
Siemens Terrance L.
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