TWI808799B - Spoke - Google Patents

Abstract

A spoke includes an axis and two connecting elements. The axis has a middle segment and two connecting segments. The two connecting segments are connected to two opposite sides of the middle segment. The two connecting segments respectively has a first peripheral surface, wherein the two first peripheral surface are respectively formed with a friction enhancement structure. The two friction enhancement structures are respectively covered by the two connecting elements via a way of the injection molding. The two connecting elements respectively has a second peripheral surface opposite to the axis, and the two second peripheral surfaces are respectively formed with a connecting structure.

Description

spokes

The present invention relates to a bicycle part, in particular to a spoke.

Cycling has the functions of sightseeing and fitness, and the exercise intensity can be adjusted according to the route selection or the type of bicycle. Therefore, in recent years, more and more people are engaged in cycling. Generally speaking, mountain bikes are more suitable for climbing and cross-country roads, so the intensity of riding is also greater; on the other hand, road bikes are more suitable for long-distance riding on ordinary roads, so many people will choose to use road bikes for sightseeing or commuting.

Generally speaking, a bicycle includes parts such as a frame, a transmission, brakes, a rim, and spokes. The component located in the center of the rim is also called the hub, and the spokes are rods connected between the hub and the rim. Furthermore, the rim deforms slightly due to the stress that is exerted on the bicycle when riding a bicycle, which in turn pulls the spokes in the axial direction of the spokes. Therefore, the spokes must have sufficient structural strength to resist axial tension in order to improve the durability of the bicycle.

The present invention provides a spoke with good structural strength against axial tensile force.

The spoke provided by the present invention includes a shaft body and two connecting pieces. The shaft body has a middle section and two connecting sections. The two connecting sections are connected to opposite sides of the middle section. The two connecting sections respectively have first outer peripheral surfaces, wherein the two first outer peripheral surfaces are respectively formed with friction enhancing structures. The two connecting pieces cover the two friction-enhancing structures at least partially by injection molding. The two connecting pieces respectively have second outer peripheral surfaces facing away from the shaft body, and the two second outer peripheral surfaces are respectively formed with connecting structures.

In an embodiment of the present invention, each of the aforementioned friction enhancement structures includes, for example, a plurality of concave ring portions. The concave ring parts are arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the shaft body, and a convex ring part is formed between two adjacent concave ring parts.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned convex ring portion and concave ring portion, for example, make the first outer peripheral surface wavy.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above two connecting elements can also extend to cover a part of the middle section.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the materials of the above two connecting parts include thermoplastics, for example.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the materials of the above two connecting parts may include epoxy resin, polyetheretherketone, polyaryletherketone or polyetherketoneketone.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above connection structure may be threaded. The axis of each connecting piece is located on the imaginary plane, and the connecting structure is composed of a plurality of zigzag threads viewed from the imaginary plane. The zigzag thread has tooth tips respectively, wherein the zigzag thread is divided into a first angle and a second angle on a line perpendicular to the axis between the midpoint of each tooth tip. The first angle is close to the middle section and the second angle is away from the middle section, wherein the first angle is smaller than the second angle.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned shaft body may have two opposite end surfaces, and the two friction enhancement structures are respectively located between the two end surfaces and the middle section. The two connecting pieces further extend to cover the two end surfaces.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the material of the above-mentioned shaft includes, for example, fiber composite material or thermoplastic.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned intermediate section and the two connecting sections may be integrally formed.

In the spoke of the present invention, the connecting piece is covered and fixed on the shaft by injection molding, and the area of the shaft covered by the connecting piece is provided with a friction enhancement structure to increase the friction between the connecting piece and the shaft. Based on the above structure, the connecting piece can be firmly covered and fixed on the axle body, so when the spoke bears the axial tensile force, the connecting piece is not easy to detach from the axle body, thereby improving the structural strength of the spoke against the axial tensile force.

In order to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, the following specific embodiments are described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a spoke according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the separation of the shaft body and the connecting piece of the spoke of Fig. 1 . Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of one of the connecting elements in Fig. 1 being fixed on the shaft body. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the spoke of FIG. 3 fixed to the copper head. Please refer to FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 , the spoke 100 includes a shaft body 110 and two connecting parts 120 . The shaft body 110 has a middle section 111 and two connecting sections 112 (marked in FIGS. 2 and 3 ). The two connecting sections 112 are connected to opposite sides of the middle section 111 . The two connecting sections 112 respectively have a first outer peripheral surface OS1 , wherein the two first outer peripheral surfaces OS1 are respectively formed with a friction enhancing structure 1120 . The two connecting parts 120 respectively at least partially cover the two friction enhancing structures 1120 by means of injection molding. The two connecting elements 120 respectively have second outer peripheral surfaces OS2 facing away from the shaft body 110 , and the two second outer peripheral surfaces OS2 are respectively formed with connection structures 121 .

Please refer to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 , the material of the connecting member 120 in this embodiment includes, for example, thermoplastics, so as to perform an injection molding process. For example, the material of the connecting member 120 may include epoxy resin (Epoxy), polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polyarylether ketone (PAEK), polyether ketone ketone (PEKK), but the invention is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the two connecting parts 120 can also be extended to cover a part of the middle section 111, so that the two connecting parts 120 can be more firmly fixed on the shaft body 110, so as to further improve the structural strength of the spoke 100 against axial (substantially parallel to the direction Z in FIG. 4 ) tensile force.

Please continue to refer to FIG. 4 , in this embodiment, the connecting piece 120 can be fixed to the rim of the bicycle (not shown) via the copper head N, wherein the connecting structure 121 of the connecting piece 120 can be threaded, and the copper head N can have an internal thread corresponding to the connecting structure 121. It can be understood that, in other embodiments, the connecting member 120 can also be fixed to the rim via a hub, and the specific shape of the connecting structure 121 is not limited to the above-mentioned thread shape. In this embodiment, the axis 122 of each connecting member 120 is located on an imaginary plane, wherein the axis 122 extends substantially parallel to the direction Z, and the above-mentioned imaginary plane may extend substantially parallel to the YZ plane. Viewed from the above-mentioned imaginary plane, for example viewed substantially parallel to the X direction, the connection structure 121 is composed of a plurality of zigzag threads 1210 . Please refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 together. The zigzag thread 1210 has tooth tips T, wherein on the line L perpendicular to the axis 122 between the midpoint C of each tooth tip T, the zigzag thread 1210 is divided into a first angle A1 and a second angle A2. The first angle A1 is close to the middle section 111 and the second angle A2 is away from the middle section 111 , wherein the first angle A1 is smaller than the second angle A2. In this way, each serrated thread 1210 can have a larger tooth thickness, so as to further improve the structural strength against axial tensile force. In addition, because the shape of each zigzag thread 1210 is asymmetrical to the connection line L, when the spoke 100 is subjected to an axial tensile force, the parts of each zigzag thread 1210 located on both sides of the connection line L are subjected to inconsistent forces. This can also prevent the zigzag thread 1210 from slipping relative to the copper head N due to excessive local force. In one embodiment, the first angle A1 may be between 2-10 degrees, such as about 5 degrees; the second angle A2 may be between 40-50 degrees, such as about 45 degrees, but the specific value is not limited thereto.

Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 again. In this embodiment, the middle section 111 and the two connecting sections 112 of the shaft body 110 can be integrally formed to further enhance the structural strength of the shaft body 110 against axial tensile force. Furthermore, the shaft body 110 can be made by injection molding, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, in this embodiment, the material of the shaft body 110 includes fiber composite material or thermoplastic, for example. For example, the above-mentioned fiber composite material may include glass fiber or carbon fiber, and the above-mentioned thermoplastic may include epoxy resin (Epoxy), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyaryletherketone (PAEK), polyetherketoneketone (PEKK), etc., and the present invention does not limit the material of the shaft body 110 .

Please refer to FIG. 2 , FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 together. The friction enhancement structure 1120 can protrude or sag from the outer peripheral surface of the middle section 111 to increase the friction between the connecting piece 120 and the connecting section 112 of the shaft body 110 , thereby improving the structural strength of the spoke 100 against axial pulling force. For example, in this embodiment, each friction enhancing structure 1120 includes a plurality of concave ring portions R1 . The concave ring portions R1 are arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the shaft body 110 , and a convex ring portion R2 is formed between two adjacent concave ring portions R1 . In detail, each concave ring portion R1 is, for example, recessed in the first outer peripheral surface OS1 , and the first outer peripheral surface OS1 forms a convex ring portion R2 between the concave ring portions R1 at intervals. Further, please continue to refer to FIG. 4 , when the connector 120 is subjected to an excessive axial tensile force and slides relative to the shaft body 110 , the convex ring portion R2 can push the connector 120 along the radial direction of the shaft 110 (for example, substantially parallel to the direction Y), and the connector 120 further pushes the copper head N along the radial direction; the copper head N exerts a reaction force on the connector 120 due to being pushed by the connector 120 . In this way, the connecting piece 120 can clamp the connecting section 112 of the shaft body 110 inside again, so as to prevent the connecting piece 120 from continuously sliding relative to the shaft body 110 . In addition, when the protruding ring portion R2 pushes the connecting piece 120 along the above-mentioned radial direction of the shaft body 110, the connecting structure 121 of the connecting piece 120 can be more closely abutted against the internal thread of the copper head N, so that the connecting piece 120 can be further prevented from detaching from the copper head N. Please refer to FIG. 2 , FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 together. In this embodiment, the protruding ring portion R2 and the concave ring portion R1 make the first outer peripheral surface OS1 wavy, for example. For example, the concave ring portion R1 can make the first outer peripheral surface OS1 form a plurality of concave arc surfaces arranged at intervals, and the convex ring portion R2 can form convex arc surfaces between the concave arc surfaces, and the above-mentioned interlaced concave arc surfaces and convex arc surfaces together make the partial first outer peripheral surface OS1 wavy. It can be understood that the specific shape of the friction enhancing structure 1120 is not limited to that shown in FIGS. Incidentally, the shaft body 110 in this embodiment may have two opposite end surfaces 113 , and the friction enhancement structure 1120 is located between the end surfaces 113 and the middle section 111 . The connecting piece 120 further extends to cover the end surface 113 , so that the connecting piece 120 can be more firmly fixed on the shaft body 110 .

To sum up, in the spoke of the present invention, the connecting piece is covered and fixed on the shaft by injection molding, and the area of the shaft covered by the connecting piece is provided with a friction enhancement structure to increase the friction between the connecting piece and the shaft. Based on the above structure, the connecting piece can be firmly covered and fixed on the axle body, so when the spoke bears the axial tensile force, the connecting piece is not easy to detach from the axle body, thereby improving the structural strength of the spoke against the axial tensile force.

Although the present invention has been disclosed as above with the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field of the present invention can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be as defined by the scope of the appended patent application.

100: Spokes 110: Shaft body 111: middle section 112: Connection section 113: end face 120: connector 121: Connection structure 122: axis 1120: Friction Enhanced Structure 1210: Serrated thread A1: first angle A2: Second angle C: Midpoint L: Connect N: copper head OS1: the first outer peripheral surface OS2: Second outer peripheral surface R1: concave ring R2: convex ring T: tooth tip X, Y, Z: direction

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a spoke according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the separation of the shaft body and the connecting piece of the spoke of Fig. 1 . Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of one of the connecting elements in Fig. 1 being fixed on the shaft body. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the spoke of FIG. 3 fixed to the copper head. FIG. 5 is an enlarged schematic view of a zigzag thread of one of the connecting structures in FIG. 4 .

100: Spokes

110: Shaft body

111: middle section

112: Connection section

113: end face

120: connector

121: Connection structure

1120: Friction Enhanced Structure

1210: Serrated thread

OS1: the first outer peripheral surface

OS2: Second outer peripheral surface

R1: concave ring

R2: convex ring

Claims (9)

A spoke, comprising: a shaft body with a middle section and two connecting sections connected to opposite sides of the middle section, the two connecting sections respectively have a first outer peripheral surface, wherein the two first outer peripheral surfaces respectively form a friction enhancing structure; An axis of the connector is located on an imaginary plane, and when viewed facing the imaginary plane, the connecting structure is composed of a plurality of sawtooth threads, each of which has a tooth tip, wherein the sawtooth thread is divided into a first angle and a second angle on a line perpendicular to a midpoint of each of the tooth tips and the axis, the first angle is close to the middle section and the second angle is far away from the middle section, wherein the first angle is smaller than the second angle. The spoke according to claim 1, wherein each of the two friction enhancement structures includes a plurality of concave ring portions, the concave ring portions are arranged at intervals along an axial direction of the shaft body, and a convex ring portion is formed between two adjacent concave ring portions. The spoke according to claim 2, wherein the convex ring portions and the concave ring portions make the first outer peripheral surface wavy. The spoke according to claim 1, wherein the two connecting pieces further extend to cover a part of the middle section. The spoke as claimed in claim 1, wherein the materials of the two connecting parts include thermoplastic. The spoke according to claim 5, wherein the materials of the two connecting parts include epoxy resin, polyetheretherketone, polyaryletherketone or polyetherketoneketone. The spoke according to claim 1, wherein the shaft body has two opposite end surfaces, the two friction enhancement structures are respectively located between the two end surfaces and the middle section, and the two connecting members further extend to cover the two end surfaces. The spoke according to claim 1, wherein the shaft body is made of fiber composite material or thermoplastic. The spoke according to claim 1, wherein the middle section and the two connecting sections are integrally formed.

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