US20130075175A1 - Electric bicycle - Google Patents
Electric bicycle Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20130075175A1 US20130075175A1 US13/625,666 US201213625666A US2013075175A1 US 20130075175 A1 US20130075175 A1 US 20130075175A1 US 201213625666 A US201213625666 A US 201213625666A US 2013075175 A1 US2013075175 A1 US 2013075175A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- tube
- bicycle
- top tube
- seat
- rearward
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62K—CYCLES; CYCLE FRAMES; CYCLE STEERING DEVICES; RIDER-OPERATED TERMINAL CONTROLS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR CYCLES; CYCLE AXLE SUSPENSIONS; CYCLE SIDE-CARS, FORECARS, OR THE LIKE
- B62K19/00—Cycle frames
- B62K19/30—Frame parts shaped to receive other cycle parts or accessories
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62J—CYCLE SADDLES OR SEATS; AUXILIARY DEVICES OR ACCESSORIES SPECIALLY ADAPTED TO CYCLES AND NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, e.g. ARTICLE CARRIERS OR CYCLE PROTECTORS
- B62J11/00—Supporting arrangements specially adapted for fastening specific devices to cycles, e.g. supports for attaching maps
- B62J11/10—Supporting arrangements specially adapted for fastening specific devices to cycles, e.g. supports for attaching maps for mechanical cables, hoses, pipes or electric wires, e.g. cable guides
- B62J11/13—Supporting arrangements specially adapted for fastening specific devices to cycles, e.g. supports for attaching maps for mechanical cables, hoses, pipes or electric wires, e.g. cable guides specially adapted for mechanical cables
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62J—CYCLE SADDLES OR SEATS; AUXILIARY DEVICES OR ACCESSORIES SPECIALLY ADAPTED TO CYCLES AND NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, e.g. ARTICLE CARRIERS OR CYCLE PROTECTORS
- B62J7/00—Luggage carriers
- B62J7/02—Luggage carriers characterised by the arrangement thereof on cycles
- B62J7/06—Luggage carriers characterised by the arrangement thereof on cycles arranged above the front wheel, e.g. on the handlebars
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62K—CYCLES; CYCLE FRAMES; CYCLE STEERING DEVICES; RIDER-OPERATED TERMINAL CONTROLS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR CYCLES; CYCLE AXLE SUSPENSIONS; CYCLE SIDE-CARS, FORECARS, OR THE LIKE
- B62K19/00—Cycle frames
- B62K19/30—Frame parts shaped to receive other cycle parts or accessories
- B62K19/34—Bottom brackets
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62K—CYCLES; CYCLE FRAMES; CYCLE STEERING DEVICES; RIDER-OPERATED TERMINAL CONTROLS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR CYCLES; CYCLE AXLE SUSPENSIONS; CYCLE SIDE-CARS, FORECARS, OR THE LIKE
- B62K3/00—Bicycles
- B62K3/02—Frames
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62K—CYCLES; CYCLE FRAMES; CYCLE STEERING DEVICES; RIDER-OPERATED TERMINAL CONTROLS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR CYCLES; CYCLE AXLE SUSPENSIONS; CYCLE SIDE-CARS, FORECARS, OR THE LIKE
- B62K3/00—Bicycles
- B62K3/02—Frames
- B62K3/04—Frames having a substantially horizontal top bar
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62M—RIDER PROPULSION OF WHEELED VEHICLES OR SLEDGES; POWERED PROPULSION OF SLEDGES OR SINGLE-TRACK CYCLES; TRANSMISSIONS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SUCH VEHICLES
- B62M6/00—Rider propulsion of wheeled vehicles with additional source of power, e.g. combustion engine or electric motor
- B62M6/40—Rider propelled cycles with auxiliary electric motor
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62M—RIDER PROPULSION OF WHEELED VEHICLES OR SLEDGES; POWERED PROPULSION OF SLEDGES OR SINGLE-TRACK CYCLES; TRANSMISSIONS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SUCH VEHICLES
- B62M6/00—Rider propulsion of wheeled vehicles with additional source of power, e.g. combustion engine or electric motor
- B62M6/80—Accessories, e.g. power sources; Arrangements thereof
- B62M6/90—Batteries
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
- Y10T29/49002—Electrical device making
- Y10T29/49117—Conductor or circuit manufacturing
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
- Y10T29/49815—Disassembling
- Y10T29/49817—Disassembling with other than ancillary treating or assembling
Definitions
- the present teachings disclose aspects of an electric bicycle and electric bicycle frame including batteries stored in a pair of substantially parallel top tubes.
- the top tubes extend rearward of the bicycle seat tube, and an electronics housing may be disposed between the rearward extending top tube portions.
- FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an electric bicycle, according to aspects of the present teachings.
- FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the electric bicycle of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a rear portion of the frame of the electric bicycle of FIGS. 1-2 , showing further details of an electronics housing disposed between rearward extending portions of the bicycle top tubes.
- FIG. 4 is a semi-transparent side elevational view of the electronics housing of FIG. 3 , showing details of battery end caps disposed within the housing and facilitating electrical connection between the bicycle batteries and the electronics housing.
- FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a front portion of the frame of the electric bicycle of FIGS. 1-2 , showing further details of a front rack and a mounting portion of the bicycle frame that facilitates attachment of the front rack.
- FIG. 6 is a partially exploded view similar to the view of FIG. 5 , depicting the front rack disengaged from the bicycle frame.
- the present teachings generally relate to electric bicycles having batteries integrated into a bicycle frame and configured to be electrically connected to an electronics housing in a particular manner.
- the present teachings also relate to other aspects of an electric bicycle, including a novel front rack and accessory mounting system.
- FIGS. 1-2 schematically depict an electric bicycle, generally indicated at 10 , according to aspects of the present teachings.
- Bicycle 10 includes a frame, generally indicated at 12 , having various tubes that are joined together by any of a number of standard methods known in the art, such as welding, brazing, molding and/or the like. The particular method of joining the tubes depends to a large degree on the chosen frame material. Typical materials used to construct a bicycle frame include steel, aluminum, titanium and carbon fiber, although other materials may be used.
- Frame 12 includes a down tube 14 , a seat tube 16 intersecting a lower portion of the down tube at a bottom bracket region 18 , a pair of chain stays 20 each extending backward from the bottom bracket region to a rear wheel dropout 22 , and a pair of seat stays 24 each extending generally upward and forward from a corresponding one of the rear wheel dropouts to intersect the seat tube.
- the frame further includes a head tube 26 having a lower portion 28 that intersects an upper portion 30 of the down tube and which is configured to receive a steerer tube of a bicycle fork 32 , and an upper portion 34 which is configured to receive a stem of a bicycle handlebar 36 .
- down tube 14 extends generally downward and rearward from the lower portion of the head tube.
- frame 12 includes a first or lower top tube 38 extending between either the lower portion of the head tube or an upper portion of the down tube and the seat tube, and a second or upper top tube 40 extending between the upper portion of the head tube and the seat tube. More generally, the upper top tube extends generally rearward from an upper portion of the head tube, and the lower top tube extends rearward from a portion of the frame below the upper top tube. Whether this portion of the frame is the lower portion of the head tube or an upper portion of the down tube is a matter of design choice that typically depends on the overall frame size. As depicted in FIG. 1 , seat tube 16 intersects each of upper top tube 40 , lower top tube 38 and down tube 14 .
- top tubes 38 and 40 each may be configured to hold a battery or a battery pack for powering an electric motor of bicycle 10 .
- each top tube may contain a plurality of battery cells connected in series to form batteries 42 , 44 , which are inserted into the top tubes.
- top tubes 38 and 40 each extend rearward of seat tube 16 to some extent, i.e. beyond its intersection with the seat tube.
- the electronics housing may be disposed in front of the seat tube, but still between the top tubes.
- the controlling electronics may be disposed elsewhere than in a housing between the top tubes, such as in a bag that may be removably attached to a portion of the bicycle frame or to a rack.
- a rearward portion of the housing may include one or more lights, such as integrated safety lights 51 configured to receive power from the batteries stored within the frame.
- Electronics housing 50 is configured to be electrically connected to batteries 42 , 44 stored within the top tubes.
- upper and lower battery end caps 52 , 54 are provided and configured to fit around seat tube 16 and each to provide an electrical conduit, generally indicated at 56 , 58 in FIG. 4 , between a respective one of the batteries and electronics housing 50 .
- Conduits 56 , 58 each include a pair of detents indicated at 60 , 62 formed in opposing lateral sides of the respective battery end cap and configured to allow passage of wires from the battery to the electronics housing.
- substantially flat wires 64 , 66 are shown passing through detents 60 , 62 in FIG. 4 .
- Another similar wire (not shown) passes through a similar detent on the opposing lateral side of each battery end cap and carries the opposite electrical polarity.
- an electrical conduit between each battery and the electronics housing may be formed in some other manner, such as by passing a wire through or around the seat tube, with or without the use of a battery end cap of the type shown in FIG. 4 .
- conduits provided by battery end caps need not be configured to accommodate flat wires, but instead may have any other shape configured to accommodate electrical connectors of any desired type, such as cylindrical wires.
- Electronics housing typically includes upper and lower “male” electrical plugs 70 , 72 , which are configured to form an electrical connection with a respective one of the battery end caps by interfacing with a corresponding “female” connector in each end cap.
- Other forms of electrical connection between the electronics housing and the battery end caps are possible, including reversing the disposition of the “male” and “female” connectors, or eliminating those connectors entirely and instead using some other form of electrical connection, such as banana plugs, or simply wiring the batteries directly to the electronics housing.
- the plug configuration depicted in FIG. 4 allows convenient installation and removal of the electronics housing from the electric bicycle.
- the electronics housing itself may include a removable rear portion 74 , within which one or more lights such as light 51 may be disposed.
- bicycle 10 also will typically include various other parts of a working electric bicycle, such as a front fork 32 extending generally downward from the lower portion of the head tube and providing a pair of front wheel dropouts 82 , a front wheel 84 , and a rear wheel 86 .
- the electric bicycle will include an electric motor (not shown) attached to some portion of the bicycle drive train, such as to the front wheel hub, rear wheel hub, or bottom bracket, although other attachments are also possible.
- the batteries stored in the top tubes are generally configured to provide locomotive power to the electric bicycle, typically through a power controller, generally indicated at 90 , which is disposed in the electronics housing.
- Controller 90 is configured to provide power from the batteries to the motor of the bicycle according to a control algorithm. This can be accomplished through an electrical connection between the controller and the motor. This electrical connection may include wires disposed entirely within the bicycle frame, although in some cases one or more segments of wire may be disposed outside the frame.
- FIGS. 5-6 depict close-up views of a rack system, generally indicated at 100 , suitable for mounting a rack on the front portion of a bicycle such as electric bicycle 10 .
- Rack system 100 includes a rack 102 that is configured to connect with an integrated mounting portion 104 of bicycle frame 12 .
- mounting portion 104 takes the form of a pair of substantially horizontal mounting tubes 106 , 108 connected to down tube 14 on opposing lateral sides of the down tube.
- An angled bridge portion 110 connects the horizontal mounting tubes to head tube 26 via a connecting tube 112 that passes between a central portion of the head tube and bridge portion 110 .
- Three transverse tubes 114 , 116 , 118 provide additional structural integrity to mounting portion 104 and provide an attachment mechanism for rack 102 , as described in more detail below.
- transverse tube 114 includes a plurality of movable protrusions 120 , 122 , 124 , all of which are attached to a spring-biased member (not shown) that can slide within transverse tube 114 .
- these three protrusions may be slid from left to right in order to engage the rear protrusions 120 , 124 with complementary slots 126 , 128 in a connection member 130 of rack 102 .
- rack 102 includes L-shaped brace members 132 , 134 configured to fit under transverse tube 118 of mounting portion 104 .
- a user angles the rack slightly downward, fits brace members 132 , 134 under transverse tube 118 , lowers the rack toward the horizontal, slides protrusion 122 to the right causing protrusions 120 , 124 also to move toward the right, engages protrusions 120 , 124 with complementary slots 126 , 128 of connection member 130 , lowers the rack to a completely horizontal position, and then releases protrusion 122 , allowing spring-biased protrusions 120 , 124 to slide back toward the left within slots 126 , 128 .
- rack 102 will be securely engaged with mounting portion 104 by the combination of brace members 132 , 134 disposed under transverse tube 118 , and protrusions 120 , 124 engaged within slots 126 , 128 .
- FIGS. 5-6 Although a specific attachment mechanism for mounting rack 102 to mounting portion 104 is shown in FIGS. 5-6 and described above, the present teachings contemplate more general attachment mechanisms.
- any number of attachment protrusions may be used, rather than exactly two for engaging the rack and one for providing manual input from a user.
- the size and shape of these protrusions, and of the mechanism that allows a user to move the protrusions may be varied.
- the protrusions themselves may be located on either the mounting portion of the frame (as shown in FIGS. 5-6 ) or on the rack itself (not shown), in which case the complementary slots will be disposed on the mounting portion of the frame.
- any number, size or shape of mounting protrusions may be used and disposed either on the rack itself or the mounting portion of the frame, in conjunction with complementary slots or apertures of suitable design.
- different, sizes, shapes and numbers of brace members may be used, and in some cases no brace members at all may be used, in which case another set of mounting protrusions and complementary apertures may be used instead.
- the mounting protrusions need not be spring biased, but in some cases instead may be biased toward or otherwise securable in a mounting position by some other suitable mechanism.
- the attachment mechanism used to engage rack 102 with frame mounting portion 104 may be used to attach things other than rack 102 to the bicycle.
- the attachment mechanism may be used to attach racks of other sizes and/or styles, bags such as panniers, baskets, platforms, child-carrying seats or the like.
- frame mounting portion 104 may be configured with a universal interface that allows the secure attachment of a plethora of interchangeable accessories to the bicycle frame.
Abstract
Description
- This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/538,118, filed Sep. 22, 2011, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
- Conventional electric bicycles typically rely on a battery pack and electronics incorporated into one or more housings that are attached by various means to the outside of the bicycle frame. External batteries and electronics have drawbacks including, but not limited to, adding extra weight, consuming storage space on the bike, negatively affecting the distribution of weight on the bike, and hurting the aesthetics of the bicycle design.
- In addition, existing electrical assist algorithms for electrical bicycles typically do not take into account the continuity of the bicycle's speed and acceleration, resulting in bursts of power from the electric motor that may be unexpected and/or excessively forceful and that may compromise the rider's safety or enjoyment when riding the bicycle. Accordingly, improvements to electric bicycles are needed, including improved battery and electronics configurations and improved electrical assist algorithms.
- The present teachings disclose aspects of an electric bicycle and electric bicycle frame including batteries stored in a pair of substantially parallel top tubes. In some cases, the top tubes extend rearward of the bicycle seat tube, and an electronics housing may be disposed between the rearward extending top tube portions.
-
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an electric bicycle, according to aspects of the present teachings. -
FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the electric bicycle ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a rear portion of the frame of the electric bicycle ofFIGS. 1-2 , showing further details of an electronics housing disposed between rearward extending portions of the bicycle top tubes. -
FIG. 4 is a semi-transparent side elevational view of the electronics housing ofFIG. 3 , showing details of battery end caps disposed within the housing and facilitating electrical connection between the bicycle batteries and the electronics housing. -
FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a front portion of the frame of the electric bicycle ofFIGS. 1-2 , showing further details of a front rack and a mounting portion of the bicycle frame that facilitates attachment of the front rack. -
FIG. 6 is a partially exploded view similar to the view ofFIG. 5 , depicting the front rack disengaged from the bicycle frame. - The present teachings generally relate to electric bicycles having batteries integrated into a bicycle frame and configured to be electrically connected to an electronics housing in a particular manner. The present teachings also relate to other aspects of an electric bicycle, including a novel front rack and accessory mounting system.
-
FIGS. 1-2 schematically depict an electric bicycle, generally indicated at 10, according to aspects of the present teachings. Bicycle 10 includes a frame, generally indicated at 12, having various tubes that are joined together by any of a number of standard methods known in the art, such as welding, brazing, molding and/or the like. The particular method of joining the tubes depends to a large degree on the chosen frame material. Typical materials used to construct a bicycle frame include steel, aluminum, titanium and carbon fiber, although other materials may be used. -
Frame 12 includes adown tube 14, aseat tube 16 intersecting a lower portion of the down tube at abottom bracket region 18, a pair of chain stays 20 each extending backward from the bottom bracket region to arear wheel dropout 22, and a pair of seat stays 24 each extending generally upward and forward from a corresponding one of the rear wheel dropouts to intersect the seat tube. The frame further includes ahead tube 26 having alower portion 28 that intersects anupper portion 30 of the down tube and which is configured to receive a steerer tube of abicycle fork 32, and anupper portion 34 which is configured to receive a stem of abicycle handlebar 36. In other words, downtube 14 extends generally downward and rearward from the lower portion of the head tube. - In addition,
frame 12 includes a first orlower top tube 38 extending between either the lower portion of the head tube or an upper portion of the down tube and the seat tube, and a second orupper top tube 40 extending between the upper portion of the head tube and the seat tube. More generally, the upper top tube extends generally rearward from an upper portion of the head tube, and the lower top tube extends rearward from a portion of the frame below the upper top tube. Whether this portion of the frame is the lower portion of the head tube or an upper portion of the down tube is a matter of design choice that typically depends on the overall frame size. As depicted inFIG. 1 ,seat tube 16 intersects each ofupper top tube 40,lower top tube 38 anddown tube 14. - As also depicted, for example, in
FIG. 1 ,top tubes batteries - Also as depicted in
FIG. 1 ,top tubes seat tube 16 to some extent, i.e. beyond its intersection with the seat tube. This allows anelectronics housing 50 to be disposed rearward of the seat tube, between the first and second (i.e., upper and lower) top tubes. In other cases, the electronics housing may be disposed in front of the seat tube, but still between the top tubes. In still other cases, the controlling electronics may be disposed elsewhere than in a housing between the top tubes, such as in a bag that may be removably attached to a portion of the bicycle frame or to a rack. Whenelectronics housing 50 is disposed at the rear of the frame as inFIG. 1 , a rearward portion of the housing may include one or more lights, such as integratedsafety lights 51 configured to receive power from the batteries stored within the frame. -
Electronics housing 50 is configured to be electrically connected tobatteries FIGS. 1-4 , upper and lower battery end caps 52, 54 are provided and configured to fit aroundseat tube 16 and each to provide an electrical conduit, generally indicated at 56, 58 inFIG. 4 , between a respective one of the batteries andelectronics housing 50. Conduits 56, 58 each include a pair of detents indicated at 60, 62 formed in opposing lateral sides of the respective battery end cap and configured to allow passage of wires from the battery to the electronics housing. For example, substantially flat wires 64, 66 are shown passing through detents 60, 62 inFIG. 4 . Another similar wire (not shown) passes through a similar detent on the opposing lateral side of each battery end cap and carries the opposite electrical polarity. - In other cases, an electrical conduit between each battery and the electronics housing may be formed in some other manner, such as by passing a wire through or around the seat tube, with or without the use of a battery end cap of the type shown in
FIG. 4 . Furthermore, according to the present teachings, conduits provided by battery end caps need not be configured to accommodate flat wires, but instead may have any other shape configured to accommodate electrical connectors of any desired type, such as cylindrical wires. - Electronics housing typically includes upper and lower “male”
electrical plugs 70, 72, which are configured to form an electrical connection with a respective one of the battery end caps by interfacing with a corresponding “female” connector in each end cap. Other forms of electrical connection between the electronics housing and the battery end caps are possible, including reversing the disposition of the “male” and “female” connectors, or eliminating those connectors entirely and instead using some other form of electrical connection, such as banana plugs, or simply wiring the batteries directly to the electronics housing. However, the plug configuration depicted inFIG. 4 allows convenient installation and removal of the electronics housing from the electric bicycle. Similarly, the electronics housing itself may include a removable rear portion 74, within which one or more lights such aslight 51 may be disposed. - In addition to the various tubes described previously, bicycle 10 also will typically include various other parts of a working electric bicycle, such as a
front fork 32 extending generally downward from the lower portion of the head tube and providing a pair offront wheel dropouts 82, afront wheel 84, and arear wheel 86. Furthermore, the electric bicycle will include an electric motor (not shown) attached to some portion of the bicycle drive train, such as to the front wheel hub, rear wheel hub, or bottom bracket, although other attachments are also possible. - The batteries stored in the top tubes are generally configured to provide locomotive power to the electric bicycle, typically through a power controller, generally indicated at 90, which is disposed in the electronics housing. Controller 90 is configured to provide power from the batteries to the motor of the bicycle according to a control algorithm. This can be accomplished through an electrical connection between the controller and the motor. This electrical connection may include wires disposed entirely within the bicycle frame, although in some cases one or more segments of wire may be disposed outside the frame.
-
FIGS. 5-6 depict close-up views of a rack system, generally indicated at 100, suitable for mounting a rack on the front portion of a bicycle such as electric bicycle 10.Rack system 100 includes arack 102 that is configured to connect with an integratedmounting portion 104 ofbicycle frame 12. InFIGS. 5-6 ,mounting portion 104 takes the form of a pair of substantiallyhorizontal mounting tubes tube 14 on opposing lateral sides of the down tube. Anangled bridge portion 110 connects the horizontal mounting tubes tohead tube 26 via aconnecting tube 112 that passes between a central portion of the head tube andbridge portion 110. Threetransverse tubes portion 104 and provide an attachment mechanism forrack 102, as described in more detail below. - More specifically, as can be seen in
FIG. 6 ,transverse tube 114 includes a plurality ofmovable protrusions transverse tube 114. As indicated by the arrows inFIG. 6 , these three protrusions may be slid from left to right in order to engage therear protrusions complementary slots connection member 130 ofrack 102. This is typically done by a user by manually moving front protrusion 122, which causes the spring-biased member and thus the rear protrusions also to move. In addition,rack 102 includes L-shaped brace members transverse tube 118 ofmounting portion 104. - To engage the rack with the mounting portion, a user angles the rack slightly downward, fits
brace members transverse tube 118, lowers the rack toward the horizontal, slides protrusion 122 to theright causing protrusions protrusions complementary slots connection member 130, lowers the rack to a completely horizontal position, and then releases protrusion 122, allowing spring-biasedprotrusions slots rack 102 will be securely engaged with mountingportion 104 by the combination ofbrace members transverse tube 118, andprotrusions slots - Although a specific attachment mechanism for mounting
rack 102 to mountingportion 104 is shown inFIGS. 5-6 and described above, the present teachings contemplate more general attachment mechanisms. For example, any number of attachment protrusions may be used, rather than exactly two for engaging the rack and one for providing manual input from a user. Furthermore, the size and shape of these protrusions, and of the mechanism that allows a user to move the protrusions, may be varied. In addition, the protrusions themselves may be located on either the mounting portion of the frame (as shown inFIGS. 5-6 ) or on the rack itself (not shown), in which case the complementary slots will be disposed on the mounting portion of the frame. - Generally speaking, any number, size or shape of mounting protrusions may be used and disposed either on the rack itself or the mounting portion of the frame, in conjunction with complementary slots or apertures of suitable design. Similarly, different, sizes, shapes and numbers of brace members may be used, and in some cases no brace members at all may be used, in which case another set of mounting protrusions and complementary apertures may be used instead. The mounting protrusions need not be spring biased, but in some cases instead may be biased toward or otherwise securable in a mounting position by some other suitable mechanism.
- The present teachings also contemplate that the attachment mechanism used to engage
rack 102 withframe mounting portion 104 may be used to attach things other thanrack 102 to the bicycle. For example, the attachment mechanism may be used to attach racks of other sizes and/or styles, bags such as panniers, baskets, platforms, child-carrying seats or the like. In other words,frame mounting portion 104 may be configured with a universal interface that allows the secure attachment of a plethora of interchangeable accessories to the bicycle frame.
Claims (23)
Priority Applications (5)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US13/625,666 US8408349B1 (en) | 2011-09-22 | 2012-09-24 | Electric bicycle |
US13/854,771 US8960702B2 (en) | 2011-09-22 | 2013-04-01 | Electric bicycle |
DE202013012134.3U DE202013012134U1 (en) | 2012-09-24 | 2013-09-24 | Electric bike |
TW102134337A TW201418106A (en) | 2012-09-24 | 2013-09-24 | Electric bicycle |
PCT/US2013/061413 WO2014047629A1 (en) | 2012-09-24 | 2013-09-24 | Electric bicycle |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US201161538118P | 2011-09-22 | 2011-09-22 | |
US13/625,666 US8408349B1 (en) | 2011-09-22 | 2012-09-24 | Electric bicycle |
Related Child Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US13/854,771 Continuation-In-Part US8960702B2 (en) | 2011-09-22 | 2013-04-01 | Electric bicycle |
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US20130075175A1 true US20130075175A1 (en) | 2013-03-28 |
US8408349B1 US8408349B1 (en) | 2013-04-02 |
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US13/625,666 Expired - Fee Related US8408349B1 (en) | 2011-09-22 | 2012-09-24 | Electric bicycle |
US13/854,771 Expired - Fee Related US8960702B2 (en) | 2011-09-22 | 2013-04-01 | Electric bicycle |
Family Applications After (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US13/854,771 Expired - Fee Related US8960702B2 (en) | 2011-09-22 | 2013-04-01 | Electric bicycle |
Country Status (4)
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US (2) | US8408349B1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE202013012134U1 (en) |
TW (1) | TW201418106A (en) |
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NL2022970A (en) * | 2018-04-17 | 2019-10-22 | Vanmoof Bv | Bicycle with connector function, bicycle connector and bicycle cassette |
USD964218S1 (en) * | 2020-03-14 | 2022-09-20 | Thomas Martin Piszkin | Electric-assist adult strider |
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US20140049022A1 (en) * | 2012-08-14 | 2014-02-20 | Brazen Bikes Ltd. | Adjustable and extensible bicycle frame |
DE102014203643A1 (en) * | 2014-02-28 | 2015-09-03 | Robert Bosch Gmbh | Battery and vehicle, in particular electric bicycle |
WO2016065203A1 (en) * | 2014-10-23 | 2016-04-28 | Pensa Llc | Bicycle frame with integrated accessories |
US10184522B2 (en) * | 2015-01-30 | 2019-01-22 | Specialized Bicycle Components, Inc. | Bottom bracket assembly and bicycle |
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-
2013
- 2013-04-01 US US13/854,771 patent/US8960702B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2013-09-24 TW TW102134337A patent/TW201418106A/en unknown
- 2013-09-24 WO PCT/US2013/061413 patent/WO2014047629A1/en active Application Filing
- 2013-09-24 DE DE202013012134.3U patent/DE202013012134U1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
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NL2022970A (en) * | 2018-04-17 | 2019-10-22 | Vanmoof Bv | Bicycle with connector function, bicycle connector and bicycle cassette |
WO2019209104A3 (en) * | 2018-04-17 | 2020-04-23 | Vanmoof B.V. | Bicycle with connector function, bicycle connector and bicycle cassette |
CN112292313A (en) * | 2018-04-17 | 2021-01-29 | 万莫夫私人有限责任公司 | Bicycle with connector function, bicycle connector and bicycle storage box |
USD964218S1 (en) * | 2020-03-14 | 2022-09-20 | Thomas Martin Piszkin | Electric-assist adult strider |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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WO2014047629A1 (en) | 2014-03-27 |
DE202013012134U1 (en) | 2015-07-14 |
US20130214506A1 (en) | 2013-08-22 |
TW201418106A (en) | 2014-05-16 |
WO2014047629A8 (en) | 2015-09-11 |
US8960702B2 (en) | 2015-02-24 |
US8408349B1 (en) | 2013-04-02 |
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