US-12617485-B2 - Hub assembly for human-powered vehicle

US12617485B2US 12617485 B2US12617485 B2US 12617485B2US-12617485-B2

Abstract

A hub assembly is provided for a human-powered vehicle. The hub assembly includes a hub axle, a hub body, a bearing spacer and a first hub body bearing. The hub body is rotatably mounted on the hub axle to rotate around a rotational center axis of the hub assembly. The bearing spacer has an inner peripheral end provided to the hub axle and an outer peripheral end spaced radially outward of the inner peripheral end in a radial direction with respect to the rotational center axis. The first hub body bearing is disposed at the outer peripheral end of the bearing spacer and rotatably supporting the hub body.

Inventors

Kenkichi INOUE
Yuuya YONEDA
Azusa Yamazaki

Assignees

SHIMANO INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20210602

Claims (20)

1 . A hub assembly for a human-powered vehicle, the bub assembly comprising: a hub axle; a hub body rotatably mounted on the hub axle to rotate around a rotational center axis of the hub assembly; a bearing spacer having an inner peripheral end non-rotatably coupled to the hub axle and an outer peripheral end spaced radially outward of the inner peripheral end in a radial direction with respect to the rotational center axis; and a first hub body bearing disposed at the outer peripheral end of the bearing spacer and rotatably supporting the hub body.
2 . The hub assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the bearing spacer includes an axial opening at least partly formed in an angular region defined between a horizontally forward direction and a vertically upward direction that is perpendicular to the horizontally forward direction, in a mounting state where the hub assembly is mounted to the human-powered vehicle, a central angle defined by the horizontally forward direction and the vertically upward direction is equal to ninety degrees, and the horizontally forward direction and the vertically upward direction extend from the rotational center axis.
3 . The hub assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising an electric circuit board disposed in the hub body, and a sensor disposed in the hub body, the sensor being electrically connected to the electric circuit board by a first conductor.
4 . The hub assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the sensor is arranged at a position separated from the electric circuit board in a direction parallel to the rotational center axis.
5 . The hub assembly according to claim 4 , wherein the electric circuit board is arranged perpendicular to the rotational center axis.
6 . The hub assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the bearing spacer includes an axial opening, and the sensor is disposed at a position that is axially aligned within the axial opening of the bearing spacer.
7 . The hub assembly according to claim 6 , further comprising a sprocket support structure rotatably disposed around the rotational center axis to transmit a driving force to the hub body while rotating in a driving rotational direction around the rotational center axis.
8 . The hub assembly according to claim 7 , further comprising a detected part coupled to the sprocket support structure, and the sensor including a rotation detection sensor configured to detect the detected part such that rotation of the sprocket support structure around the rotational center axis is detected.
9 . The hub assembly according to claim 7 , further comprising a first sprocket support bearing rotatably supporting a first end of the sprocket support structure, and a second sprocket support bearing rotatably supporting a second end of the sprocket support structure, the first sprocket support bearing and the second sprocket support bearing having outer diameters that are smaller than the outer peripheral end of the bearing spacer.
10 . The hub assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the electric circuit board is electrically connected to a capacitor by a second conductor.
11 . The hub assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the electric circuit board has an arc shape, and has a first circumferential end portion, a second circumferential end portion and at least one are shaped edge extending at least partly from the first circumferential end portion to the second circumferential end portion, and the second conductor extends from one of the first circumferential end portion and the second circumferential end portion.
12 . The hub assembly according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one arc shaped edge includes at least one of an inner arc shaped edge and an outer are shaped edge with respect to the rotational center axis.
13 . The hub assembly according to claim 11 , further comprising a housing disposed in the hub body, and having an outer peripheral surface defining an internal space in which the electric circuit board is disposed.
14 . The hub assembly according to claim 13 , wherein the housing is non-rotatable with respect to the hub axle.
15 . The hub assembly according to claim 3 , further comprising a second hub body bearing rotatably supporting an end of the hub body, and the first hub body bearing rotatably supporting the other end of the hub body with respect to the rotational center axis.
16 . The hub assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising an electric power generator provided to the hub body, and configured to generate electric power by rotation of the hub body.
17 . The hub assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first hub body bearing includes a first inner race and a first outer race, the first inner race contacting the outer peripheral end of the bearing spacer and the first outer race contacting the hub body.
18 . An electrical component for a human-powered vehicle, the electrical component comprising: an electric circuit board having an arc shape, and having a first circumferential end portion, a second circumferential end portion and at least one arc shaped edge extending at least partly from the first circumferential end portion to the second circumferential end portion; at least one conductor extending from the electric circuit board; at least one capacitor electrically connected to the at least one conductor; a sensor arranged to be separated from the electric circuit board in a direction parallel to a thickness direction of the electric circuit board, the sensor being positioned such that the sensor does not overlap the electric circuit board when viewed along the direction parallel to the thickness direction of the electric circuit board; and an additional conductor electrically connecting the sensor and the electric circuit board.
19 . The electrical component according to claim 18 , wherein the at least one capacitor is arranged spaced apart from the electric circuit board in a circumferential direction of the arc shape such that the at least one capacitor does not overlap the electric circuit board when viewed along the direction parallel to the thickness direction of the electric circuit board.
20 . The electrical component according to claim 18 , wherein the additional conductor does not overlap the electric circuit board when viewed along the direction parallel to the thickness direction of the electric circuit board.

Description

BACKGROUND Technical Field This disclosure generally relates to a hub assembly for a human-powered vehicle. Background Information Some wheels for human-powered vehicles (e.g., bicycle) have a hub, a plurality of spokes and an annular rim. The hub has a hub axle that is non-rotatably mounted to a frame of the human-powered vehicle. The hub has a hub body that is coaxially coupled to the hub axle so that the hub body is disposed radially outwardly with respect to the hub axle. The bearings are configured and arranged to support the hub body so that the hub body can freely rotate around the hub axle. In almost all types of bicycles except fixed gear and track racers, a wheel of the bicycle, typically the rear wheel, is provided with a bicycle freewheel that is arranged on a hub of the wheel. The bicycle freewheel usually has a one-way clutch function whereby it only transfers torque in one direction. Thus, freewheels are used so that the bicycle can advance freely without any rotation of the pedals (i.e., during coasting). During coasting, the bicycle freewheel is considered to be in a state of freewheeling in which the bicycle wheel can freely rotate while the sprockets remain stationary. SUMMARY Generally, the present disclosure is directed to various features of a hub assembly for a human-powered vehicle. The term “human-powered vehicle” as used herein refers to a vehicle that can be driven by at least human driving force, but does not include a vehicle using only a driving power other than human power. In particular, a vehicle solely using an internal combustion engine as a driving power is not included in the human-powered vehicle. The human-powered vehicle is generally assumed to be a compact, light vehicle that sometimes does not require a license for driving on a public road. The number of wheels on the human-powered vehicle is not limited. The human-powered vehicle includes, for example, a monocycle and a vehicle having three or more wheels. The human-powered vehicle includes, for example, various types of bicycles such as a mountain bike, a road bike, a city bike, a cargo bike, and a recumbent bike, and an electric assist bicycle (E-bike). In view of the state of the known technology and in accordance with a first aspect of the present disclosure, a hub assembly is provided for a human-powered vehicle. The hub assembly basically comprises a hub axle, a hub body, a bearing spacer and a first hub body bearing. The hub body is rotatably mounted on the hub axle to rotate around a rotational center axis of the hub assembly. The bearing spacer has an inner peripheral end provided to the hub axle and an outer peripheral end spaced radially outward of the inner peripheral end in a radial direction with respect to the rotational center axis. The first hub body bearing is disposed at the outer peripheral end of the bearing spacer and rotatably supporting the hub body. With the hub assembly according to the first aspect, the hub assembly can be configured to easily accommodate additional components in the hub body. In accordance with a second aspect of the present disclosure, the hub assembly according to the first aspect is configured so that the bearing spacer includes an axial opening at least partly formed in an angular region defined between a horizontally forward direction and a vertically upward direction that is perpendicular to the horizontally forward direction, in a mounting state where the hub assembly is mounted to the human-powered vehicle. A central angle is defined by the horizontally forward direction and the vertically upward direction is equal to ninety degrees. The horizontally forward direction and the vertically upward direction extend from the rotational center axis. With the hub assembly according to the second aspect, it is possible to reduce the weight of the hub assembly without compromising the durability of the hub assembly. In accordance with a third aspect of the present disclosure, the hub assembly according to the first or second aspect further comprises an electric circuit board disposed in the hub body, and a sensor disposed in the hub body. The sensor is electrically connected to the electric circuit board by a first conductor. With the hub assembly according to the third aspect, it is possible to obtain various information regarding the hub assembly using the electric circuit board and the sensor. In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the hub assembly according to the third aspect is configured so that the sensor is arranged at a position separated from the electric circuit board in a direction parallel to the rotational center axis. With the hub assembly according to the fourth aspect, it is possible to place the sensor in the optimal position. In accordance with a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the hub assembly according to the fourth aspect is configured so that the electric circuit board is arranged perpendicular to the rotational center