A vehicle transfer includes an input shaft, an output shaft, an output member, a clutch, a motor, a screw mechanism, a transmitting mechanism, a fork shaft, an amplifying link mechanism, a high-low switching mechanism, and a fork. The fork shaft is configured to move in an axial direction of the fork shaft. The amplifying link mechanism is connected to the nut member and the fork shaft. The amplifying link mechanism is configured to amplify an amount of movement of the nut member in the direction of the common axis and transmit the amplified amount of movement to the fork shaft. The fork is connected to the fork shaft. The fork is configured to transmit moving force of the fork shaft to the high-low switching mechanism such that the high-low switching mechanism switches between the high-speed gear and the low-speed gear.

A variable-speed belt drive includes at least: two shafts that can be positioned in a substantially parallel manner; two variably interspaced flange pulleys, one driving, the other driven, one carried by one, the other by the other of the shafts, the pulleys being interconnected by the belt; a speed-variation device controlled by the action of the flanges of the driving pulley being brought together or interspaced; and elements for recalling the flanges in a close position. The speed-variation device is manually controlled and the shaft of the driven pulley is provided with at least one idler member having an outer peripheral surface mounted on the shaft in a freely rotating manner, and around which the belt can wind at least partially in the interspaced position of the flanges of the driven pulley, corresponding to the position with the smallest diameter for the winding of the belt around the shaft.

A power transfer device includes a hydraulic clutch capable of coupling and decoupling a secondary shaft of a CVT and axles to and from each other. A secondary pulley of the CVT includes a movable sheave movably supported by the secondary shaft, and a secondary piston that rotates together with the secondary shaft and that constitutes a second hydraulic actuator together with the movable sheave. The secondary piston of the second hydraulic actuator is used to define an engagement oil chamber of the hydraulic clutch.

The present invention relates to a bicycle derailleur gear, particularly a front derailleur gear, with improved reliability that comprises a kinematic mechanism in the form of a four-bar linkage with a base body and a mobile body connected together through a pair of connecting rods hinged to the base body and to the mobile body at four pin elements, the mobile body carrying a chain guide, the four-bar linkage-kinematic mechanism being associated with derailleur gear actuation means suitable for deforming the four-bar linkage-kinematic mechanism so as to determine a displacement of the mobile body with respect to the base body and consequently a displacement of the chain guide, the derailleur gear actuation means being of the motorized type and comprising a motor casing and an outlet shaft that projects directly from said motor casing and characterized in that the actuation means command a translation in the axial direction of the outlet shaft with respect to the motor casing and are mounted between distinct components of the four-bar linkage-kinematic mechanism through interposition of at least one tilting interface about a fifth pin element substantially parallel to the pin elements.

A chain tensioning device includes a main body, a chain guide and a rotary fluid damper unit. The chain guide is pivotally coupled to the main body to rotate around a rotational axis with respect to the main body. The rotary fluid damper unit is operatively connected between the main body and the chain guide to provide rotational resistance to the chain guide around the rotational axis. The rotary fluid damper unit includes at least one primary flow limiting valve and at least one support member. The primary flexible valve portion of the at least one primary flow limiting valve is configured to flex and contact the at least one support member to form a primary flow path between a free end of the primary flexible valve portion of the at least one primary flow limiting valve and the other of the first and second members.

The invention presented herein solves the problem of sending a signal or alert ahead of time with sufficient advance notice in order for an operation or action to be carried as close as possible to a pre-determined point, either by one or more operators or by automated systems. The invention learns and factors in the total reaction time of the system and evaluates dynamic conditions to improve its predictions over time. The invention also presents an apparatus that conveys the signal or alert to one or more operators in a simple and effective way.

An electrical bicycle derailleur includes a base member and a movable member movably arranged between a retracted position and an extended position. A linkage operatively couples the movable member to the base member. The linkage includes a first link member and a second link member. The first link member is disposed closer to the base member than the second link member. A motor unit is operatively coupled to the first and second link members to rotate the first and second link members. A linkage housing is configured to support the first and second link members and the motor unit. A first diameter of the first link member is different from a second diameter of the second link member and/or a first tooth number of the first link member is different from a second tooth number of the second link member.

A method is provided for controlling an automatic transmission unit including at least a transmission with different selectable gear ratios and a clutch and being associated with a propulsion unit for a vehicle. The method includes operating the vehicle at a prevailing vehicle speed (v) in a downslope with the automatic transmission unit in a neutral gear or disengaged from the propulsion unit; operating the propulsion unit in an idle mode of operation; controlling the automatic transmission unit so as to select a gear which is a relatively low gear with regard to the prevailing vehicle speed (v), while maintaining the automatic transmission unit in a neutral gear or disengaged from the propulsion unit; and engaging the clutch to be slipping between the propulsion unit and the automatic transmission unit in order to adapt the rotational speed of the propulsion unit to the gear ratio of the relatively low gear.

The present invention refers to a bicycle gearshift with improved precision control, which comprises a kinematic mechanism in the form of a four-bar linkage with a base body and a mobile body connected together through a pair of connecting rods articulated to the base body and to the mobile body at four pin elements, each pair of opposite pin elements of the four pin elements defining a diagonal of the four-bar linkage-kinematic mechanism, the base body comprising a first attachment group to a bicycle frame and the mobile body being connected to a chain guide at a second attachment group, the four-bar linkage-kinematic mechanism being associated with gearshift actuation means suitable for deforming the four-bar linkage-kinematic mechanism so as to determine a displacement of the mobile body with respect to said base body and consequently a primary displacement of the chain guide in the axial direction with respect to the axis (A) of a cogset, at least one from the first attachment group and the second attachment group comprising a chain tensioning spring, the chain tensioning spring determining a set-up of the chain guide when engaged with a chain of a bicycle transmission, and it is characterized in that it comprises a kinematic mechanism for adjusting the preload of the chain tensioning spring as a function of the primary displacement of the chain guide so as to determine a variation in the set-up of the chain guide.

A bicycle transmission apparatus comprises a base member, an input shaft, a first transmission member, a second transmission member, and a first coupling member. The base member is configured to be attached to a bicycle frame as a separate member from the bicycle frame. The first transmission member is rotatable relative to the base member about a first rotational axis different from the input rotational axis. The second transmission member is rotatable relative to the base member about a second rotational axis different from each of the input rotational axis and the first rotational axis. The first coupling member is configured to couple the first transmission member to the second transmission member to transmit rotation of the first transmission member to the second transmission member at a variable speed stage.