Land vehicles – Wheeled – Occupant propelled type
Patent
1996-09-16
1998-11-10
Hurley, Kevin
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Occupant propelled type
280255, 280259, B62M 106
Patent
active
058332570
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to an alternating drive for wheeled vehicles comprising a pair of pedals moved along a circular path around a pedal shaft pivoted to the frame of the vehicle. In the following specification the term "bicycle" will be used to designate not only the conventional types of bicycles with two wheels but also all kinds of wheeled vehicles driven by a rider wherein the wheels thereof are driven by the transported person by means of pedals or rotating handles through a mechanical transmission. Such vehicles are e.g. the three-wheeled hand carts.
In the most commonly used types of bicycles with pedal drive the pedal rotates a gear engaging a chain which engages a further gear mounted on the shaft of the driven wheel being normally the rear wheel. The driven gear is coupled to the driven shaft by means of a free-wheel mechanism. The transmission between the pedal and the driven wheel can in several embodiments be changed in discrete steps by means of a transmission changer. The function of the transmission changer is based on the possibility that the chain can be coupled to several different gears. In case of such systems the transmission can be changed only when the chain is actually moving i.e. the bicycle is actually driven, although there can be a need to change transmission even when the bicycle is standing.
The term "alternating drive" refers to a drive differing from conventional chain drives in that the pulling force of a pair of pulling elements reciprocating in opposite directions acts on the driven wheel. Such an alternating drive is described e.g. in EP 0 210 336 A2, wherein the rider treads on a pair of pedals moving up and down. At both sides of the hub of the rear wheel respective free-wheels are provided comprising respective gears, and respective ends of a chain are connected to the central part of each pedal. The two branches of the chain are coupled to the gears of the free-wheels through a direction-reversal shaft, and the branches are united at a common roller. The transmission ratio between the pedal and the driven wheel can be adjusted by sliding the heights of the connection points of the chain along the pedals.
In such a drive the movement of the rider, his load and the characteristic curve of the displacement of the feet substantially differ from similar characteristics of conventional bicycles driven by pedals moved along circular paths which characteristics have become customary. Traditions are very strong in the field of riding bicycles, therefore only designs can expect wider public acceptance in which the leg movement of the rider, the forces acting on the legs and the movement of the bicycle are all similar to the sensations experienced at traditional bicycles.
Such a new design is e.g. the drive with "bio-pace" characteristic used mainly in mountain bikes, which is a chain drive but the driving gear has the shape of a rhombus with rounded corners.
The object of the invention is to provide an alternating drive for wheeled vehicles which can provide the sensation of riding conventional bicycles, which does not require the use of a chain, wherein the transmission ratio can be changed continuously even if the vehicle is standing, and in which the extent of the idle range of the pedal, characteristic to circular pedal movement, can be decreased.
For meeting the above objectives an alternating drive has been provided for wheeled vehicles, in which a pair of pedals are moved along a circular path around a pedal shaft pivoted to the frame of the vehicle. The drive according to the invention comprises a pair of swinging arms pivoted around an auxiliary shaft attached to the frame and allowing a swinging movement within a predetermined angular range, and respective transmission means are arranged between the swinging arms and the pedals for converting the circular movement of the pedals into an alternating swinging movement with a phase difference corresponding to a half swinging period, and wherein at both sides of the shaft of the driven wheel of the vehicle respective f
REFERENCES:
patent: 433172 (1890-07-01), Jett
patent: 609498 (1898-08-01), Campbell
patent: 2185698 (1940-01-01), Wright
patent: 4133550 (1979-01-01), Brown
patent: 5121654 (1992-06-01), Fasce
Kaboldy Attila
Kohlheb Robert
Racz Gabor
Vonhauser Oliver
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