US-12623747-B2 - Systems and methods for folding and packing a human powerable vehicle

US12623747B2US 12623747 B2US12623747 B2US 12623747B2US-12623747-B2

Abstract

A bicycle folding system comprises a front fork with a first steerer for rotating the front fork in a head tube, a second steerer that rotatably attaches to a crown of the front fork, and a clamp module that secures the first steerer in the head tube. The clamp module also detachably attaches to the second steerer, which (a) secures the second steerer in front of and substantially parallel to the first steerer when the bicycle is in a rideable configuration, and (b) detaches to allow rotation of the second steerer when folding the bike. The axis of rotation of the second steerer for the bike folding process is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the first steerer in the front fork.

Inventors

Bert Vermeulen

Assignees

Bert Vermeulen

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20230710

Claims (20)

1 . A folding system for a bicycle comprising: a front fork comprising: a fork steerer configured for rotation inside of a head tube; at least one fork blade configured for attaching a front wheel to the front fork; and a fork crown that connects the fork steerer to each fork blade; an auxiliary steerer, wherein: the auxiliary steerer comprises a proximal end and a distal end; the auxiliary steerer is non-collinear and at least approximately parallel to the fork steerer when the bicycle is in a rideable configuration; the auxiliary steerer is in front of the fork steerer when the bicycle is in a rideable configuration; the auxiliary steerer distal end is above the top of the head tube when the bicycle is in a rideable configuration; the auxiliary steerer distal end is configured for attaching a handlebar; a rotational coupling module wherein: the rotational coupling module attaches the auxiliary steerer proximal end to the fork crown; the rotational coupling module is configured to rotate the auxiliary steerer from a rideable configuration to a folded configuration; and the rotational coupling module is configured for rotating the auxiliary steerer in a plane parallel with a plane of rotation of a rear wheel of the bicycle; and a clamp module configured for: rigid non-rotatable attachment to the fork steerer in a region above the top of the head tube to secure the fork steerer in the head tube; and detachable attachment of the auxiliary steerer: to rigidly attach the auxiliary steerer to the front fork when the bicycle is in a rideable configuration; and to release the auxiliary steerer so that it can be rotated when the bicycle is converted to a folded configuration.
2 . The folding system for a bicycle of claim 1 wherein: the front fork comprises two fork blades wherein both fork blades: are configured for attaching a front wheel to the front fork on one end; and are connected to the fork crown on the other end; the front fork is configured for using disk brakes; the rotational coupling module is configured to rotate the auxiliary steerer about an axis of rotation that is perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the fork steerer in the head tube.
3 . The folding system for a bicycle of claim 2 wherein: the rotational coupling module comprises: a hinge block configured for attachment to the fork crown; a pivot pin configured for rotationally coupling the hinge block to a pivot shaft; and a pivot shaft configured for attachment to the auxiliary steerer.
4 . The folding system for a bicycle of claim 3 wherein: the front fork is configured to stay in the same plane as for a straight forward riding configuration and to fit inside a rear frame section when the bicycle is folded.
5 . The folding system for a bicycle of claim 1 wherein: the front fork comprises two fork blades wherein both fork blades: are configured for attaching a front wheel to the front fork on one end; and are connected to the fork crown on the other end.
6 . The folding system for a bicycle of claim 1 wherein: the front fork is configured for using disk brakes.
7 . The folding system for a bicycle of claim 1 wherein: the rotational coupling module is configured to rotate the auxiliary steerer about an axis of rotation that is perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the fork steerer in the head tube.
8 . The folding system for a bicycle of claim 1 wherein: the rotational coupling module comprises: a hinge block configured for attachment to the fork crown; a pivot pin configured for rotationally coupling the hinge block to a pivot shaft; and a pivot shaft configured for attachment to the auxiliary steerer.
9 . The folding system for a bicycle of claim 1 wherein: the folding system further comprises folding handlebars.
10 . The folding system for a bicycle of claim 1 wherein: the folding system further comprises at least one spoked wheel with disk brakes in which a central section can be removed using lug nuts.
11 . The folding system for a bicycle of claim 1 wherein: the folding system comprises a clamp between a front frame section and a rear frame section that uses barrel nuts.
12 . The folding system for a bicycle of claim 1 wherein: the folding system comprises a clamp between a front frame section and a rear frame section that uses an eccentric shaft and follower.
13 . A bicycle folding system, wherein: the system comprises a fork, a shaft, a coupling, and a clamp; the fork comprises: a steerer configured for rotation inside of a head tube; at least one blade configured for attaching a wheel to the fork; and a crown that connects the steerer to the blade; the shaft is located in front of and substantially parallel to the steerer when the bicycle is in a rideable configuration; the coupling rotatably attaches one end of the shaft to the crown; the coupling comprises: a block configured for attachment to the crown; a pivot shaft configured for attachment to the shaft; and a pin configured for rotationally coupling the block to the pivot shaft; the other end of the shaft is configured for attaching a handlebar; the clamp secures the steerer in the head tube in a region above the head tube; and the clamp detachably attaches to the shaft: to rigidly attach the shaft to the fork when the bicycle is in a rideable configuration; and to release the shaft so that it can be rotated when converting the bicycle to a folded configuration.
14 . The system of claim 13 wherein: the shaft is non-collinear with the steerer when the bicycle is in a rideable configuration; the fork comprises two blades configured for attaching a front wheel; the fork comprises disk brake calipers; the front wheel comprises a disk brake rotor; and the coupling is configured to rotate the shaft about an axis of rotation that is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the steerer in the head tube.
15 . The system of claim 13 wherein: the fork is configured to stay in the same plane as for a straight forward riding configuration and to fit inside a rear frame section when the bicycle is folded.
16 . The system of claim 13 wherein: the coupling is configured to rotate the shaft about an axis of rotation that is perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the steerer in the head tube.
17 . The bicycle folding system of claim 13 wherein: the bicycle folding system is configured for folding a bicycle frame that has its front and rear wheels removed.
18 . The bicycle folding system of claim 13 wherein: the bicycle folding system is configured for folding a bicycle with wheels having a nominal outside tire diameter of at least 26 inches into the folded configuration that can fit into a rectangular prism having a total length plus width plus height of no more than 62 inches.
19 . The bicycle folding system of claim 13 wherein: the coupling is configured for rotating the shaft in a plane parallel with a plane of rotation of a rear wheel of the bicycle.
20 . A method for folding a bicycle comprising the steps of: establishing a fork that comprises: a steerer configured for rotation inside of a head tube; at least one blade configured for attaching a wheel to the fork; and a crown that connects the steerer to the blade; using a coupling to rotatably attach one end of a an auxiliary steerer to the crown; wherein: the auxiliary steerer is non-collinear and at least approximately parallel to the steerer when the bicycle is in a rideable configuration; the auxiliary steerer is in front of the steerer when the bicycle is in a rideable configuration; attaching a handlebar to the other end of the auxiliary steerer; using a clamp above the head tube to: secure the steerer inside of the head tube; rigidly attach the auxiliary steerer to the fork when the bicycle is in a rideable configuration; and release the auxiliary steerer so that it can be rotated when converting the bicycle to a folded configuration; and rotating the auxiliary steerer in a plane parallel to the plane of rotation of a rear wheel of the bicycle to convert the bicycle from the rideable configuration to the folded configuration.

Description

This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/359,864 filed 10 Jul. 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. FIELD OF INVENTION This document relates to systems and methods for improving the ability to pack a human-powerable wheeled vehicle when not ridden, and to unpack it for riding. Human-powerable wheeled vehicles can include unicycles, bicycles, tricycles, quadricycles, wheelchairs, strollers, push scooters, and powered versions of such vehicles (such as e-bikes) that use human power and other power sources, such as electric motors or gasoline engines. BACKGROUND It is beneficial for bikes, or similar, to be packed compactly, protected from impact, and covered when stored or transported by car, transit (buses, trains, etc.), planes, boats, etc. The packed bike might be carried or rolled short distances at a station or airport. Packed human-powerable vehicles can be stored and locked more easily than when “ready to ride.” To minimize weight, human-powerable vehicles typically use space frame structures for strength and stiffness, but space frames and bike wheels occupy a large physical volume, which is undesirable for storage and transport. Bike transport on commercial aircraft is an example. Many airlines charge for each piece of checked luggage. They charge more for oversize items (often specified as length+width+height greater than 62 linear inches) and/or overweight items (typically more than 50 pounds). Airlines might refuse to take luggage if not properly packed and are often not responsible for damage during transit. Observation of how luggage is handled shows that a packed bike must sustain impacts from all directions and angles. Luggage must be openable and searchable by airport security personnel and must be easily repacked after inspection. Some bicycles with small wheels use ingenious folding to convert from a packed to a ridable bike quickly, cleanly, and without tools. Some small wheel bikes fold compactly enough to fit within the 62-linear inch size requirement and 50-pound weight limit. It is much easier to fit into 62 linear inches when the wheel is less than one third of the total length+width+height, i.e. when the nominal outside diameter of the tire is 20 inches or less. Folding bike embodiments with small wheels and tires (20 inch or less) generally don't perform as well on a variety of road surfaces and terrains as bicycles with normal full-size wheels. In this document and related claims, full-size wheels are defined as wheels with a nominal outside tire diameter of 24 inches or greater and small wheels have tires nominally 20 inches in diameter or smaller. Here is a list of common small and full wheel and tire sizes: Common name (nominal outsideOutside diameter Bead seat diameterdiameter of tire)of rim(inside diameter of tire)700C/29 inch648 mm (25.5 inches)622 mm (24.5 inches)650B/27.5 inch610 mm (24 inches) 584 mm (23 inches) 26 inch585 mm (23 inches) 559 mm (22 inches) 24 inch533 mm (21 inches) 507 mm (20 inches) 20 inch477 mm (19 inches) 451 mm (18 inches) 20 inch 432 mm (17.75 inches) 406 mm (16.25 inches)16 inch 375 mm (14.75 inches) 349 mm (13.75 inches) Prior art full-size wheeled bikes that pack into the 62 linear inches typically require much time, tools, expertise, and finesse to disassemble, pack, and reassemble. Referring to the bike wheel sizes listed, a typical road bike uses 700C wheels, with an outside tire diameter of 27 to 29 inches and an outside rim diameter of about 25.5 inches. The typical target packed size for such bikes is 26×26×10 inches. It takes removing the air from the tires, many disassembly steps, detailed instructions, tools, covers to wrap each part, and patience to pack all the parts into these dimensions and prevent damage during transport. One challenge with fitting a bike with full-size wheels into 62 linear inches is that the wheels are large in diameter and fat in the center due to the tension spokes in a triangular configuration, when viewed in cross section, or a dual conical configuration when viewed three dimensionally. The spokes typically terminate in a set of holes in one plane in the rim and terminate in two parallel planes in a circular configuration in the hub. In a cross-section view, this looks like a triangle that is wide at the hub and narrow at the rim. When two wheels with such centers are put into a 26×26×10 inch case, there is little room for anything else. Saving space by compactly storing the wheels can simplify packing the other bicycle parts. It is known to have wheels that disassemble to save space, but disassemble-able wheels typically do not use tension spokes in a triangular/conical configuration. Wheels with triangular/conical spokes in tension are desired because this space frame configuration has a high strength to weight ratio. Weight is paramount for a human-powerable vehicle. Bike technology and components continue to improve. For example,