Bicycle gearbox having segmented sprockets
US10989281B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 14, 2020 |
| Grant date | Apr 27, 2021 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 14, 2040 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF16H55/30
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A gearbox may include a drive spindle and several interconnected gear clusters arranged in a housing. A first of the gear clusters is coaxially fastened to the spindle, and has an outboard gear and an inboard gear. The first gear cluster drives a chain to operate one or more of the other gear clusters, and the inboard gear is physically divided into a plurality of segments. A shifting system for the gearbox includes an actuator configured to urge the segments of the inboard gear of the first gear cluster into and out of the plane of the chain, such that a gear ratio of the gearbox is changeable without displacing the chain out of the plane.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.