HUB, IN PARTICULAR FOR BICYCLES, HAVING A FREE-WHEEL MECHANISM

Abstract

The invention relates to a hub, in particular for bicycles, comprising an axle on which a hub member and a free-wheel member are rotatably arranged, wherein the hub member and the free-wheel member are coupled to each other by a free-wheel mechanism which is based on a pairing of saw-tooth tooth arrangements, which are engaged with each other, of axially adjacent toothed discs and which thereby forms a rotationally secure connection for one rotation direction between the free-wheel member and the hub member, wherein at least two pairings of cooperating saw-tooth tooth arrangements are provided.

Claims

1. A hub comprising an axle on which a hub member and a free-wheel member are rotatably arranged, wherein the hub member and the free-wheel member are coupled to each other by a free-wheel mechanism which is based on a pairing of saw-tooth tooth arrangements, which are engaged with each other, of axially adjacent toothed discs and which thereby forms a rotationally secure connection for one rotation direction between the free-wheel member and the hub member, wherein at least two pairings of cooperating saw-tooth tooth arrangements are provided.

2. The hub according to claim 1, wherein the two saw-tooth tooth arrangements of a pairing are phase-shifted relative to each other.

3. The hub according to claim 1, wherein an arrangement of three toothed discs comprises two external toothed discs and one central toothed disc which is arranged between the external toothed discs, wherein the central toothed disc has at each of two front sides thereof a saw-tooth tooth arrangement and each of the two saw-tooth tooth arrangements cooperates with a corresponding saw-tooth tooth arrangement of one of the two external toothed discs.

4. The hub according to claim 3, wherein the central toothed disc is connected to the hub member in a rotationally secure manner and the two external toothed discs are connected to the free-wheel member in a rotationally secure manner.

5. The hub according to claim 3, wherein the central toothed disc is connected to the free-wheel member in a rotationally secure manner and the two external toothed discs are connected to the hub member in a rotationally secure manner.

6. The hub according to claim 3, wherein the two saw-tooth tooth arrangements of the central toothed disc are phase-shifted relative to each other.

7. The hub according to claim 1, wherein at least two pairings of cooperating saw-tooth tooth arrangements in opposite effective directions form a rotationally secure connection between the free-wheel member and the hub member.

8. The hub according to claim 1, wherein at least one toothed disc can be axially displaced back and forth between two positions in order to produce the engagement of a pairing of cooperating saw-tooth tooth arrangements or to interrupt it.

9. The hub according to claim 8, wherein at least one restoring spring acts in an axial direction on at least one toothed disc.

10. The hub according to claim 1, wherein the free-wheel member has a portion which is located outside the hub member and which is rotatably supported on the axle and has a portion which is located inside the hub member and on which the hub member is rotatably supported.

11. The hub according to claim 10, wherein the toothed discs are arranged in the region of the portion, located inside the hub member, of the free-wheel member.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The invention is explained below with reference to an embodiment and associated drawings, in which:

[0032] FIG. 1 shows an overall view of the hub according to one embodiment;

[0033] FIG. 2 shows an axial section through the embodiment;

[0034] FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of the hub according to the embodiment; and

[0035] FIG. 4 shows a detailed view of the components of the free-wheel mechanism of the embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] FIG. 1 shows the hub according to the invention as an overall view. It shows how the hub member 2 and the free-wheel member 6 are arranged relative to each other on the axle 1 which is closed at the drive side by the covering cap 11 and at the non-drive side by the covering cap 10.

[0037] With reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, it can be seen that the hub has an axle 1 on which a hub member 2 and a free-wheel member 6 are rotatably arranged.

[0038] The free-wheel member 6 has a portion which is located outside the hub member 2 and which is rotatably supported by means of two free-wheel bearings 7 on the axle 1 and a portion which is located inside the hub member 2 and on which the hub member 2 is rotatably supported by means of a hub bearing 9. At the non-drive side, the hub member 2 is rotatably supported directly on the axle 1 by means of an additional hub bearing 8.

[0039] The hub member 2 and the free-wheel member 6 are coupled to each other by a free-wheel mechanism which is based on a pairing of saw-tooth tooth arrangements, which are engaged with each other, of axially adjacent toothed discs and which thereby forms a rotationally secure connection between the free-wheel member 6 and the hub member 2 for one rotation direction. In the embodiment, two pairings 4-3, 5-3 of cooperating saw-tooth tooth arrangements are formed by three toothed discs 3, 4, 5.

[0040] The toothed discs 3, 4, 5 are arranged in the region of the portion, located inside the hub member 2, of the free-wheel member 6. The drive-side external toothed disc 4 and the non-drive-side toothed disc 5 are arranged on the portion, located inside the hub member 2, of the free-wheel member 6 and connected to the free-wheel member 6 in a rotationally secure manner. At the same time, they are axially displaceable counter to the force of a restoring spring 15 in order to bring into engagement the front saw-tooth tooth arrangements thereof where applicable with the two saw-tooth tooth arrangements of the two front sides of the central toothed disc 3 or to release them therefrom. The central toothed disc 3 is axially arranged between the drive-side external toothed disc 4 and the non-drive-side toothed disc 5 and connected to the hub member 2 in a rotationally secure manner with the external circumference thereof.

[0041] The two saw-tooth tooth arrangements of the central toothed disc 3 are phase-shifted relative to each other, that is to say, each tooth of one saw-tooth tooth arrangement is arranged between two teeth of the other saw-tooth tooth arrangement. The idle running angle which has to be overcome until the idle running engages and a torque is transmitted from the free-wheel member 6 to the hub member 2 is thereby halved. In other words, in spite of a very small idle running angle of the proposed free-wheel mechanism, each saw-tooth tooth arrangement can have a relatively large angle between the individual teeth, therefore a relatively small number of teeth and a relatively great engaging face for the other saw-tooth tooth arrangement, whereby a relatively high torque can be transmitted and relatively little wear occurs.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0042] 1 Axle [0043] 2 Hub member [0044] 3 Central two-sided toothed disc [0045] 4 External toothed disc at drive side [0046] 5 External toothed disc at non-drive side [0047] 6 Free-wheel member and shaft [0048] 7 Free-wheel bearing [0049] 8 Hub bearing at non-drive side [0050] 9 Hub bearing at drive side [0051] 10 End cap at non-drive side [0052] 11 End cap at drive side [0053] 12 Seal at non-drive side [0054] 13 Seal at drive side [0055] 14 Spacer sleeve [0056] 15 Restoring spring [0057] 16 Sealing and covering cap