Stationary Wind Trainer

Abstract

A stationary trainer for use with a bicycle with the rear wheel removed. The stationary trainer has a fan assembly including a fan attached to a fan hub configured to rotate about a fan hub axle. The trainer has a drive assembly including a drive hub having at least one gear cog configured to connect with a chain of the bicycle for providing power to the stationary trainer, and a chain ring, the drive hub configured to rotate about a drive hub axle. The drive hub axle is configured to engage with the rear dropouts of the bicycle. The trainer has a chain drive including a chain connecting the chain ring on the drive hub to a cog on the fan hub. There is a first side panel located on a first side of the fan and a second side panel located on a second side of the fan opposite the first side of the fan. One or more bracing elements connect the first side panel to the second side panel. The fan assembly and the drive assembly are supported by the first side panel and the second side panel, and a distance between an edge of the fan blade and either the first side panel or the second side panel is in the range from 4 mm to 70 mm.

Claims

1. A stationary trainer for use with a bicycle with a rear wheel removed, the stationary trainer comprising: a fan assembly including a fan blade attached to a fan hub configured to rotate about a fan hub axle; a drive assembly including a drive hub having at least one gear cog configured to connect with a chain of the bicycle for providing power to the stationary trainer, and a chain ring, the drive hub configured to rotate about a drive hub axle, wherein the drive hub axle is configured to engage with the rear dropouts of the bicycle; a chain drive including a chain connecting the chain ring on the drive hub to a cog on the fan hub; a first side panel located on a first side of the a fan; a second side panel located on a second side of the fan opposite the first side of the fan; and one or more bracing elements connecting the first side panel to the second side panel, wherein the fan assembly and the drive assembly are supported by the first side panel and the second side panel, and wherein a distance between an edge of the fan blade and either the first side panel or the second side panel is in the a range from 4 mm to 70 mm.

2. A stationary trainer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the distance between the edge of the fan blade and the first side panel and/or the second side panel is in the range from 10 mm to 20 mm.

3. A stationary trainer as claimed in claim 1 wherein a surface of the fan blade includes a dampening material.

4. A stationary trainer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first side panel and the second side panel include a sheet material having a thickness greater than 5 mm.

5. A stationary trainer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first side panel and the second side panel include one or more apertures.

6. A stationary trainer as claimed in claim 5 wherein the one or more apertures are spanned by a mesh.

7. A stationary trainer as claimed in claim 6 wherein an area spanned by the mesh is in the a range of 60% to 90% of an area of the first panel and/or the second panel.

8. A stationary trainer as claimed in claim 6 wherein the mesh includes 70% to 95% voids.

9. A stationary trainer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first side panel and the second side panel are held in a fixed relationship by one or more bracing elements which connect the first side panel to the second side panel.

10. A stationary trainer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the one or more bracing elements include a second mesh attached to the first side panel and to the second side panel.

11. A stationary trainer as claimed in claim 10 wherein a distance between the second mesh and an edge of the fan blade is in a range from 4 mm to 70 mm.

12. A stationary trainer as claimed in claim 10 wherein a distance between the second mesh and an edge of the fan blade is in a range from 10 mm to 20 mm.

13. A stationary trainer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the one or more bracing elements include a plurality of spacers spaced apart around the perimeters of the first side panel and the second side panels and fixed in place by inserting a bolt through the first side panel into the spacer and through the second side panel.

14. A stationary trainer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first side panel is located outside the chain drive and the fan.

15. A stationary trainer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the drive hub includes a chain ring located inside and in a vicinity of the first side panel.

16. A stationary trainer as claimed in claim 1 including a stabiliser extending from a plane of the first side panel.

17. A kitset of parts for a stationary trainer for use with a bicycle having the rear wheel removed, the kitset comprising: a fan hub having a fan hub axle; a fan configured to attached to the fan hub; a drive hub including at least one gear cog configured to connect with a chain of the bicycle for providing power to the stationary trainer; a drive hub axle configured to connect to a rear fork dropouts of a bicycle; a chain drive configured to connect the drive hub to the fan hub; a first side panel; a second side panel; and one or more bracing elements, wherein, on assembly, the fan assembly and the drive assembly are supported by the first side panel and the second side panel and a distance between an edge of the fan blade and either the first side panel or the second side panel is in the a range from 4 mm to 70 mm.

18. A kitset as claimed in claim 17 wherein the first side panel, the second side panel and the one or more bracing elements are configured to provide a framework to support the drive hub axle and/or the fan hub.

19. (canceled)

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0093] Further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0094] FIG. 1 shows a schematic isometric view of a stationary trainer for a bicycle according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0095] FIG. 2 shows another schematic isometric view of the stationary trainer of FIG. 1;

[0096] FIG. 3 shows a schematic plan view of the stationary trainer of FIG. 1;

[0097] FIG. 4 shows a schematic side view of the stationary trainer shown in FIG. 1; and

[0098] FIG. 5 shows a schematic of a fan assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0099] A stationary trainer according to one embodiment of the present invention is generally indicated by arrow 1 in FIGS. 1-5. The stationary trainer 1 includes a fan assembly, including a fan 2, a fan hub 3 and a fan hub axle 4, and a drive assembly including a drive hub 5, gear cog 6, chain ring 7 and drive hub axle 8. The fan assembly and the drive assembly are mounted to and supported by a first side panel 9 and a second side panel 10, with the side panels located on either side of the fan with an internal separation of 85 mm.

[0100] The fan, which is formed from sheet aluminium, has 9 vanes 11, as shown most clearly in FIG. 5. Each vane 11 has a width of 59 mm and a length from the centre of the fan hub axle 4 to the tip of the vane of about 295 mm. The spacing between an edge of the vane 11 and the inside of each side panel is 15.5 mm. This distance is considered to be a good trade off between noise reduction and keeping the width of the wind trainer compact.

[0101] The fan hub 3, which is shown most clearly in FIG. 3, includes a BMX freewheel cog 12 threaded onto the hub. The fan hub is attached to, and supported by, the side panels 9 and 10.

[0102] The drive assembly, which is most clearly seen in FIG. 2, includes a drive hub 5 having a set of cassette gears 6 configured to attach to a chain on a bicycle (not shown). The drive hub rotates about a drive hub axle 8 which is configured to engage with the rear fork dropouts of a bicycle. In this manner a bicycle can be attached to the stationary trainer by engaging the rear fork dropouts with the drive hub axle (in the usual manner, the drive hub axle taking the place of the rear axle of the bicycle) using quick release cam levers (not shown in the figures) to lock the drive assembly 5 to the dropouts of the bicycle, and connecting the chain of the bicycle to the cassette gears. A rider may then pedal the bicycle to power the drive assembly of the stationary trainer, including shifting gears in the normal fashion.

[0103] The drive assembly includes a chain ring 7. The toothed perimeter 13 of the chain ring is off-set towards the first panel 9. This arrangement allows the chain (not shown) connecting the chain ring 7 to the BMX freewheel cog 12 to be located close inside the first panel 9, which may reduce the width of the stationary trainer.

[0104] The drive hub 5 and drive hub axle 7 are mounted to the side panels 9 and 10.

[0105] The first side panel 9 and the second side panel 10 are each formed from a single acrylic sheet (PMMA) of 12 mm thickness. The side panels (9 and 10) in this embodiment are predominantly in the form of circular discs of diameter around 630 mm, apart from an extension on the edge of the first side panel 9 is used to mount the drive hub axle 7 and to protect the chain. Six apertures 14 are laser cut into each side panel. The apertures allow air to move through the apertures and onto the fan 2 as it rotates between the first side panel 9 and the second side panel 10. The apertures include a cavity (not shown) in the side panel configured to accept and retain a mesh 15 which covers the aperture, as shown in FIG. 4.

[0106] As can be seen in FIGS. 1- 4, the fan assembly 3 and the drive assembly 5 are both connected to and supported by the first side panel 9 and the second side panel 10

[0107] The side panels, 9 and 10, are held in a fixed relationship by a plurality of bearing elements in the form of spacers 16. The spacers are in the form of a solid cylinder which has an internally threaded cavity at each end, the cylinder having a length of 85 mm, being equal to the desired separation of the opposing surfaces of the side panels. A bolt is inserted through a hole near the circumference of one of the side panels and screwed into the threaded end section of the spacer. A plurality of such spacers are fitted around the circumference of the side panels.

[0108] Apart from the spacers the space between the circumferences of the two side panels is open. This open space is covered by a mesh of the same type as used to cover the apertures in the sides of the two side panels.

[0109] The stationary trainer 1 includes stabilisers in the form of cylindrical tubes 17, 18 that extend sideways from each side of the stationary trainer as shown in FIGS. 1-4. (The stabilisers are not shown in FIG. 6). The stabilisers are connected to the first and second panels (9 and 10) by quick release hand-operated cam levers (19 and 20 respectively).

[0110] The stationary wind trainer 1 is further supported by a foot in the form of a triangular steel member 21 which is attached to the first side panel 9 and the second side panel 10 in the vicinity of the drive hub 5. The rear end of the side panels are supported by adjustable feet 22 and 23. The adjustable feet are used to adjust the level of the panels.

[0111] Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.