FR3113396A1 - Pedal for a human-powered vehicle such as a cycle - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a pedal for a human-powered vehicle such as a cycle, comprising a generally parallelepipedic body having an upper so-called support face, in rotation about a pivot axis passing laterally through the body of the pedal, the pedal cooperating with a crank of a pedal of the vehicle and allowing a user to actuate in rotation the pedal by an alternating movement of the legs. Such a pedal comprises a center of mass offset with respect to the pivot axis, towards a front end of the body of the pedal, so as to increase the pedaling torque by gravity, the pivot axis further being off-center with respect to the body of the pedal, towards a rear end of the body of the pedal. Figure for the abstract: Figure 4

Description

Pedal for a human-powered vehicle such as a cycle

The present invention belongs to the field of the cycle industry, in particular cycle spare parts, and relates more particularly to a pedal for a human-powered vehicle, such as a cycle.

The present invention finds direct application in sports and road cycling without being limited thereto. It can also be applied to ergocycles.

State of the art

Historically, the first bicycle resembling the modern bicycle dates from the second half of the ^19th century and was developed by the French inventors Lallement and Michaux. For his invention of the velocipede, Pierre Lallement was granted US patent US59915 in 1866. Already at the time, the goal was to facilitate locomotion by seeking to increase the speed of movement while reducing muscular effort. Nowadays, the objectives have not changed, however certain technological advances and technical prowess have made it possible to obtain very good performances, especially in the field of sports cycling.

Given the current ecological challenges and the desire for less pollution transport, the bicycle is once again becoming an increasingly popular means of transport. The installation of free access bicycle terminals in cities has become a symbol of modernity. Thus, the bicycle survives the era of ease and in particular of motorized transport based on fossil fuels. During its evolution, the bike has taken advantage of industrial evolution, research and development through the use of new concepts (VTC, MTB, BMX Freestyle, downhill), new materials (aluminum, composite materials, etc.) , new mechanisms (derailleurs, suspensions, etc.), and new forms of propulsion such as electrically assisted propulsion. The fundamentals of propulsion in cycling are based on the use of levers to optimize the transformation of the forces created by the cyclist into a speed of movement. There is a strong similarity between the artificial derailleur of a bicycle and the “anatomical derailleur” that is the human body. Indeed, the human body is composed of actuators which are the muscles, levers formed by the bones and axes of rotation formed by the joints. Everything comes together in a mechanical chain allowing propulsion.

In order to go faster with less muscular effort, we can either act on the anatomical propulsion by modifying the pedaling posture for example, or modify the material propulsion system. This second case results in the search for improvements in mechanical parts and essentially transmission parts. It is a question of using the principles of mechanics to highlight the possible adaptations in the face of the increase in stress.

There are many solutions offering to improve the transmission parts of bicycles to increase torque and therefore performance.

For example, non-circular trays (elliptical, ovoid, or others) are known. However, these chainrings are not enough to provide maximum muscle comfort when pedaling and sometimes seem to disturb beginner cyclists due to the high tensions on the chain that these chainrings induce during certain phases of pedaling.

Such trays are for example described in the document FR2682349.

Furthermore, pedals are known having a body having a substantially parallelepipedic shape, isometric, generally hollow, in rotation around a pivot axis. The pivot axis is generally centered with respect to the edge of the parallelepiped and is held at one end of a crank of a crankset.

The crankset thus comprises two cranks opposite each other, allowing a user to propel the vehicle by pressing alternately on the two pedals. The pedaling torque applied to the pedals being transmitted to at least one wheel by a gear, generally a chain and sprockets, connected to the crankset.

Over time, new pedals have been developed, with a search for lightness like all the parts of a human-powered vehicle, with the aim of obtaining the lightest possible human-powered vehicle.

Nevertheless, attempts have been made to develop pedals with an offset center of gravity relative to the pivot axis, in particular with the aim of improving the pedaling torque applied by the user.

However, this additional pedaling torque remains limited.

There is thus a need to further improve the pedals in order to facilitate the use of a mechanically propelled vehicle, by creating a substantial pedaling torque allowing a user to get less tired, without needing to use assistance. electric propulsion.

Presentation of the invention

The present invention aims to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art, in particular to increase the pedaling torque by taking advantage of gravity and to optimize certain materials to obtain the best possible performance.

Another objective of the invention is to propose a simple and practical solution, which can be installed without difficulty on existing bicycles and therefore marketed in this sense.

To this end, the invention relates to a pedal for a human-powered vehicle such as a cycle, comprising a generally parallelepipedic body having an upper so-called support face, in rotation around a pivot axis passing laterally through the body of the pedal, the pedal cooperating with a crank of a pedal of the vehicle and allowing a user to actuate the pedal in rotation by an alternating movement of the legs.

According to the invention, the pedal comprises a ballast offset with respect to the pivot axis, towards a front end of the body of the pedal, so as to increase the pedaling torque by gravity, the pivot axis furthermore being off-center relative to the body of the pedal, towards a rear end of the body of the pedal.

Thus, the additional pedaling torque imparted by the pedal is greater. The front of the pedal thus perfected is elongated and offers a leverage effect that has not been exploited until now.

In particular embodiments of the invention, the front end of the body of the pedal is at a distance d1 from the pivot axis of between eight and twelve centimeters, preferably less than ten centimeters.

It should be noted that this distance d1 is significantly greater than what is traditionally done on the pedals, which is rather of the order of three to five centimeters, the toe of the shoe being set back with respect to the end front of the pedal body.

This significant advance further increases the pedaling torque. The maximum distance is configured according to the particular configuration of the vehicle and in particular the position of the front wheel in the case of a bicycle.

A distance d1 of less than ten centimeters is thus preferable in the case of a bicycle in order to prevent the front end of the pedal from coming into contact with the front wheel of the bicycle.

In particular embodiments of the invention, the rear end of the body of the pedal is at a distance d2 from the pivot axis of between four and seven centimeters.

In particular embodiments of the invention, the front end of the body of the pedal is at a distance d1 from the pivot axis and the rear end of the body of the pedal is at a distance d2 from the axis pivot, the ratio between d1 and d2 being between 1.2 and 2, preferably of the order of 1.6.

In particular embodiments of the invention, at least one outer face of the body of the pedal in the immediate vicinity of the front end is bevelled so as to avoid contact of the pedal with a surface on which the vehicle is propelled.

Such contact with the surface, corresponding for example to a lane or a road, is in particular avoided for a bicycle when the latter is inclined, in particular in a phase of change of direction, such as for example in a bend or in a roundabout. point.

In particular embodiments of the invention, the bevel is of the rounded type.

In particular embodiments of the invention, the pivot axis is also offset in the direction of the height of the body of the pedal.

Thus, the inclination of the pedal which is weighted forward is less pronounced in a rest position, thus facilitating the positioning of the foot on the pedal.

In particular embodiments of the invention, the position of the pivot axis is approximately one third from the upper bearing face.

In particular embodiments of the invention, the pedal also comprises, at its front end, a toe-clip or a mechanism for automatically attaching a sole of a shoe.

In particular embodiments of the invention, the weight of the pedal is greater than one kilogram.

In particular embodiments of the invention, at least one part is formed in a metal having a density greater than 10 g/cm ³ .

Such a metal is for example lead or tungsten.

It should be noted that the high density metal can be distributed all along the pedal or only on a front part of the pedal.

In other words, the subject of the invention is a pedaling means for a cycle of the bicycle type, cooperating with a crankset of the cycle and allowing a cyclist to actuate the crankset in rotation by an alternating movement of the legs, said means having a front end pointing consistently forward of the cycle during a pedaling sequence. This means thus comprises an improved pedal and a weighted shoe.

The front part of the pedal is longer than its rear part, relative to its pivot axis This pedaling means is remarkable in that it is weighted at its front end so as to increase the pedaling torque by gravity .

Thus, for a given pedaling effort, the cyclist generates a greater torque and therefore a greater speed of movement. Conversely, the cyclist provides less effort to obtain a given speed, which limits his energy expenditure and therefore his muscle fatigue.

According to an advantageous aspect of the invention, the pedaling means is a specific pedal comprising a ballast placed at its front end so as to shift the center of gravity of said pedal forwards.

As a result, the pedaling means exploits the natural position of the cyclist's foot which constantly rotates while being pointed forwards during pedaling.

According to another advantageous aspect of the invention, the pedaling means is a cycling shoe comprising a ballast at its tip, in the form of a lead shell for example.

According to other aspects of the invention, the pedaling means can be a toe-clip, strap-on or automatic, a shoe cover with a ballast greater than 1 kg, for example, or any other conventional pedaling aid accessory. .

It should be noted that the position and the distribution of the ballast in the pedaling means can be adapted to the geometric specificities of said means so as not to hinder pedaling, for example by undesirable ground contact during turns.

The invention also relates to crankset cranks for cycles of the bicycle type, comprising at least one pedaling means as presented above.

Advantageously, these pedal cranks comprise two pedals, each of the pedals comprising a ballast placed at its front end, as described above.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, each pedal is hinged to a crank, each of said cranks having an angular shape and comprising a small branch of length L ₁ and a large branch of length L ₂ greater than L ₁ , said branches forming an angle α, the pedals being hinged to the free ends of the first branches.

More particularly and according to a preferred embodiment, the lengths L ₁ and L ₂ verify the relationship (L ₂ +L ₁ )/L ₂ = L ₂ /L ₁ and the angle α expressed in radians is substantially equal to πL ₁ /L ₂ , the L ₂ /L ₁ ratio being the golden ratio.

The invention also relates to a bicycle for sports or road cycling, comprising these crankset cranks as presented.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the bicycle further comprises at least one non-circular chainring driven by the crankset and driving a transmission chain, itself driving a pinion on a rear wheel of the bicycle. Such a non-circular top can be elliptical, oval or uniquely symmetrical with respect to a central point.

The fundamental concepts of the invention having just been explained above in their most elementary form, other details and characteristics will emerge more clearly on reading the description which follows and with regard to the appended drawings, giving by way of illustration non-limiting examples of embodiments of pedaling means and an associated bicycle in accordance with the principles of the invention.

Presentation of drawings

The figures are given for purely illustrative purposes for the understanding of the invention and do not limit the scope thereof. The different elements are represented schematically and are not necessarily to the same scale. In all the figures, identical or equivalent elements bear the same reference numeral.

It is thus illustrated in:

: a bicycle-type cycle equipped with pedaling means according to one embodiment of the invention;

: the external forces applied to the crankset during pedalling;

: a weighted pedal at the front according to the invention;

: a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a pedal according to the invention;

: a top view of the pedal of the .

: a front-weighted cycling shoe according to the invention;

: a bent crank according to one embodiment of the invention;

: a crankset according to the invention mounted on a non-circular plate;

: a pedal assembly according to the invention comprising pedals and weighted shoes, angled cranks and a non-circular chainring, and

: a weighted pedal at the front according to the invention and a weighted shoe.

Detailed description of embodiments

It should be noted that certain devices and systems well known in the cycle industry are described here to avoid any insufficiency or ambiguity in the understanding of the present invention.

In the embodiment described below, reference is made to various pedaling means such as pedals, integrated or removable shoes, toe clips and the like, and to an improved crank, intended primarily to equip a bicycle. This non-limiting example of application is given for a better understanding of the invention and does not exclude the incorporation of the pedaling means and the improved crank in other types of cycles such as ergocycles and more generally in any system requiring pedaling and transmission similar to that of a conventional bicycle.

In the rest of the description, the terms "bicycle" and "bicycle" (contraction of velocipede) are used interchangeably to designate a two-wheeled cycle whose driving force is provided by the physical effort of a driver called "cyclist". .

Such a cycle is an example of a human-powered vehicle which can be of any type such as for example a tricycle, a tandem or a cargo bike.

The represents a bicycle 100 of the racing bicycle type for sports or road cycling, mainly comprising a crankset 10 equipped with pedals 11a and 11b according to the invention, at least one chainring 20 secured to the crankset and driven in rotation by the latter, a chain 30 driven by the chainring, a rear wheel 41 driven by the chain, a front wheel 42, as well as other constituent elements that are conventionally found in most bicycles. Among these elements, of which the interest is less for the present invention, mention may be made of a frame with its upper, lower and saddle tubes, its seat stay and its base; a seat with its saddle and its seatpost; and a front axle with its handlebars, steering tube, shock absorber and fork.

In addition, bicycle 100 has front and rear derailleurs, sprockets and front and rear brakes not shown.

It is useful to recall that each pedal 11a and 11b provided with its elongated front part is mounted, via a pivot axis 15, on a crank 12a and 12b which transmits the force to the plate 20 with a lever, the assembly forming the crankset 10. The plate 20 comprises an integral toothed wheel driving the chain 30 which, itself, drives a pinion fixed to the rear wheel 41. The pedals 11a and 11b of the bicycle 100 are in free rotation around their own axes 15 and allow the force of the cyclist to be exerted alternately on one or the other of the two pedals. Indeed, when the foot goes down, the muscular force is transmitted to the corresponding pedal, and when the foot goes up, in the absence of a fixing system on the pedal (tight strapped foot-hold, or mechanical hold), the muscular force is no longer transmitted to the crankset 10.

The crankset 10 is the mechanical assembly which converts the alternating movement of the cyclist's legs during pedaling into a rotational movement and for this purpose comprises a first pedal 11a and a second pedal 11b, on one side and on the other of the plate 20, each hinged to a crank 12a and 12b, the two cranks extending substantially in the same direction passing through the center of plate 20 which also represents the axis of rotation of said crankset.

According to a particularly advantageous aspect of the invention, each pedal 11a and 11b is weighted at its front part, in other words downstream of its axis, which corresponds to the axis of articulation of the pedal on the associated crank, according to the direction of travel of the bike 100.

More specifically, in accordance with the illustrated embodiment, each pedal 11a and 11b is weighted by means of a ballast 13a and 13b placed at the front end of the pedal.

It will also be noted that the front part of each pedal 11a and 11b is longer than the rear part, the two parts being delimited by the pivot axis 15.

Preferably, the weights 13a and 13b have substantially equal masses to ensure symmetry during pedaling. However, an adjustment of the ballasts can be envisaged to adapt the loading of each pedal to the muscular power of the leg concerned of the cyclist.

Thus, the centering of each pedal is modified, with a non-uniform mass distribution longitudinally. As a result, the center of gravity of each pedal, which corresponds to the point of application of the weight of said pedal, is shifted towards the ballast, therefore towards the front of the pedal. Therefore, the torque of the weight of the pedals is changed due to the change of the lever arm.

Indeed, with reference to , if we consider that the effect of the ballasts 13a and 13b results in an additional weight P offset at the front of each pedal, it can easily be seen that the moments of these weights with respect to the axis of rotation 14 of the crankset 10 do not cancel out because of the difference in the lever arms.

More specifically, in the study plane (XZ) of the reference linked to the crankset 10 and of origin O, substantially coincident with the axis of rotation 14, if it is considered that the weights P _a and P _b of the ballasts 13a and 13b are applied respectively to points A and B, the sum of the moments of these weights with respect to O is written:
[math]:

The development of this relation makes it possible to obtain a torque C due to the weights of the ballasts given by the following relation:
[math]:

With m ₁₃ the mass of each ballast 13a and 13b, g the acceleration due to gravity and the angular position of the vector OB. It should be noted that the angle θ corresponds to the angle of rotation of the crank 12b, taken as zero when said crank is horizontal in the downward phase.

It should also be noted that for reasons of simplification, the angle between the vector OA and the axis X is considered equal to the angle between the vector OB and the axis X. In reality, maintaining the pedals substantially at the horizontal during pedaling induces a small difference between these angles which has no impact on the interpretation that follows.

Due to the sign variations of the cosine and the difference (OB – OA) between the descent and ascent phases of each pedal, the torque C remains permanently positive.

For example, on the , the distance OB is greater than the distance OA during the descent of the pedal 11b. At the same time, the angle θ varies between 3π/2 and 0 (rad) and its cosine therefore remains positive.

Thus, the torque C generated by the weights of the ballasts provides additional power during pedaling without additional muscular effort.

The pedals can therefore be weighted in different ways on condition that the front centering of the mass is respected so that the above relation can always be verified.

The represents a pedal 11 having a ballast 13 at its front end. welding, screwing, clipping or any other conventional fastening means.

In other words, the center of mass of the pedal 11 is shifted by the ballast 13 forward of the pedal 11.

As indicated above, it should be noted that the pivot axis 15 of the pedal 11 is off-center towards the rear of the pedal 11 including the ballast 13, so that the front part of each pedal 11 is longer. than the rear part.

Of course, the pedal can be weighted during its manufacture by a change in density of the manufacturing material. Additive manufacturing techniques make it possible, for example, to automatically adjust the density and therefore the mass of the material according to the position in the object to be produced.

Figures 4 and 5 are respectively a schematic view and a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a pedal 110 according to the invention.

The pedal 110 comprises a generally parallelepiped body 120 with an elongated front end 130 and bevelled on the outer edge 140.

The bevel 145, which makes it possible to prevent the pedal 110, which is longer than a standard pedal, from coming into contact with a track on which the bicycle is traveling, in particular during the inclination of the bicycle in a bend, is here produced under the shape of a round but can be made in any other shape such as right.

It should indeed be emphasized that the pedal 110 comprises a front part having a length d ₁ greater than the length d ₂ of the rear part of the pedal. The delimitation between the two front and rear parts corresponds to the pivot axis 15. The ratio between d ₁ and d ₂ is here of the order of 1.6, contributing to a displacement of the center 150 of mass of the pedal 110 towards the front end 130 of the pedal 110, for example placed at the end 210 of the shoe 220 of the cyclist.

Unlike a traditional pedal, the front end 130 thus extends beyond the toe 210 of the shoe 220 in order to increase the additional pedaling torque provided by the pedal. The distance d ₁ between the front end 130 and the pivot axis 15 is nevertheless constrained on a bicycle by the position of the front wheel. A distance d ₁ of less than 10 cm is thus preferred for a bicycle, in order to prevent the pedal 110 from coming into contact with the front wheel or touching the ground when cornering. The end 210 of the shoe 220 can nevertheless exceed the end 130 of the pedal 110 if a ballast is placed on the front of this shoe 220.

Using the advanced pedals with weighted shoes may result in exceeding the 10 cm described. As for the pedal, it is then necessary to adjust this ballast so that the shoe does not touch the front wheel or the ground while turning in the turns.

It should be noted that the center 150 of mass can be advantageously distinct from the central point of the pedal, by further densifying the mass towards the front end 130 of the pedal 110.

In order to prevent the pedal 110 from being too vertical when it is not in use, the pivot pin 15 can advantageously be off-centered in the height of the pedal 110, for example placed at a third of the height relative to the face 160 of the support of the foot.

Advantageously, the pedal 110 can be made of a high density material, greater than 5 g/cm ³ , preferably greater than 10 g/cm ³ such as lead (11.35 g/cm ³ ) or tungsten (19, 3 g/cm ³ ).

The pedal 110 is mostly solid, for example with a mass distributed evenly all along the pedal 110. The particular shape of the pedal 110 with an off-center pivot axis 15 will contribute to placing the center of mass forward , inclined downwards when the cyclist will apply a force on the pedal 110.

For example, the pedal 110 has a weight greater than 1 kg, for example of the order of 2 to 3 kg. This substantial mass, unusual in the world of cycling, helps to increase the pedaling torque and therefore reduces the efforts of the cyclist.

With such pedals, an occasional cyclist can maintain his usual speed with a bicycle equipped with conventional pedals but will tire less.

It should be noted that the pedal 110 can include any type of accessory such as a toe clip at its end or a mechanism 230 for automatic fixing with the sole 240 of the shoe.

The principle of ballasting explained above can be generalized to any other means of pedaling and/or pedaling aid.

For example, the schematically represents a shoe 50 comprising a ballast 51 at its end.

Other means of pedaling and/or pedaling aids can be weighted, such as toe clips, adapters and others.

On cycles fitted with toe clips, the raising phase of the leg is also used to transmit muscular force, by pulling on the pedal.

According to another advantageous aspect of the invention, the cranks have an angular shape, called angled, so as to correctly direct the thrust of the cyclist and increase his torque. In addition, these angled cranks facilitate the passage of the two dead points when pedaling.

The represents a crank 12 'according to a preferred embodiment, said crank comprising a small branch 121 and a large branch 122 ending respectively in hinge ends 123 and 124. The branches 121 and 122 respectively have lengths L ₁ and L ₂ , with L ₂ greater than L ₁ , and form an angle α defined by their mid-axes as an em-dash-dot in the figure.

According to this embodiment, the lengths L ₁ and L ₂ satisfy the relationship (L ₂ +L ₁ )/L ₂ = L ₂ /L ₁ and the angle α expressed in radians is substantially equal to πL ₁ /L ₂ , the ratio L ₂ /L ₁ being the golden ratio.

For example, the length L ₁ , the length L ₂ and the angle α are respectively equal to 8 cm, 13 cm and 111.24°.

For even more performance, the bike can have a 20' non-circular chainring as shown in the .

The various tests reported in the specialized literature have shown no decrease in performance using non-circular chainrings. They even proved to be significantly more efficient (+1.6%) during exercise at the anaerobic threshold. Three factors appear to be behind this improvement. The shape of the plate would allow you to develop more strength during the push/pull phase. In a second step, the plate would facilitate the passage of the dead points by reducing the force necessary for their passage, but the angular acceleration would compensate for the loss of force to maintain a level almost identical to that of a conventional circular plate.

The second factor is the pedaling inertia created during the acceleration caused by passing dead points. This speed would help the cyclist to develop more strength during the push-pull phases.

The last factor would be a consequence of the particular shape of the plate which would generate an earlier activation of the muscles involved in the pushing phase, but also a later activation at the level of the muscles responsible for the traction.

Finally, it may be considered to combine the various elements described to obtain maximum performance.

The partially illustrates a bicycle at the level of its transmission, comprising pedals 11a and 11b weighted 13a and 13b, angled cranks 12'a and 12'b and a non-circular plate 20'. The cyclist can also use weighted shoes 50a and 50b.

The illustrates another type of pedal 110 comprising a front part 130 elongated on its outer edge 140, a rearwardly off-center pivot axis 15 and an upper attachment system 250 of the shell or notch type inside which is inserted a shoe 20 whose toe 210 is preferably weighted.

It clearly emerges from the present description that certain elements can be made differently without departing from the scope of the invention, defined in the claims.

Claims (10)

Pedal for a human-powered vehicle such as a cycle, comprising a generally parallelepipedic body having an upper so-called support face, in rotation around a pivot axis passing laterally through the body of the pedal, the pedal cooperating with a crank a pedal assembly (10) of the vehicle and allowing a user to actuate the pedal assembly in rotation by an alternating movement of the legs, characterized in that the pedal comprises a center of mass offset with respect to the pivot axis, towards a front end of the body of the pedal, so as to increase the pedaling torque by gravity, the pivot axis further being off-center relative to the body of the pedal, towards a rear end of the body of the pedal. Pedal according to the preceding claim, in which the front end of the body of the pedal is at a distance d1 from the pivot axis of between eight and twelve centimeters, preferably less than ten centimeters. Pedal according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the front end of the pedal body is at a distance d1 from the pivot axis and the rear end of the pedal body is at a distance d2 from the pivot axis, the ratio between d1 and d2 being between 1.2 and 2, preferably of the order of 1.6. Pedal according to any one of the preceding claims, in which at least one outer face of the body of the pedal in the immediate vicinity of the front end is bevelled so as to avoid contact of the pedal with a surface on which the vehicle is propelled. . Pedal according to the preceding claim, in which the bevel is of the rounded type. A pedal according to any preceding claim, wherein the pivot axis is also off center in the height direction of the pedal body. Pedal according to the preceding claim, in which the position of the pivot axis is approximately one third from the upper bearing face. Pedal according to any one of the preceding claims, also comprising a toe-clip or a mechanism for automatically attaching a sole of a shoe. Pedal according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the weight of the pedal is greater than one kilogram. Pedal according to any one of the preceding claims, in which at least a part is formed of a metal having a density greater than 10 g/cm ³ .