Mounting structure of centrifugal clutch

Abstract

The application relates to a mounting structure of a centrifugal clutch, which comprises a vehicle supporting mechanism, a wheel hub, a rear wheel shaft and a first clutch (a conventional clutch) assembled on the vehicle supporting mechanism; and a centrifugal clutch assembled on the wheel hub and the rear wheel shaft, wherein the centrifugal clutch comprises an outer ring and an inner ring, the outer ring is connected with the wheel hub through interference fit or a key groove, and the inner ring is connected with the rear wheel shaft through interference fit or a key groove. The centrifugal clutch is added to the existing vehicle wheel hub, so that the feeling of no force when the vehicle is accelerated and the pedals are stepped on is greatly eliminated, the overall structure of the application is simple, the cost is low, and the application has high performance price ratio.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of vehicle clutch technology, and in particular to a centrifugal clutch for use in bicycles or electric vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] Conventional bicycles or electric-assisted bicycles have a common ratchet wheel at the rear wheel. When you pedal, kinetic energy is transferred to the ratchet wheel via the sprocket, and then to the rear tire via the one-way ratchet wheel, thus achieving motion. However, because the transmission ratio between the pedals and the rear wheel is fixed, when the speed of the rear wheel is higher than the speed of the inner ring (axle) of the rear ratchet wheel, we usually experience a feeling of not being able to pedal (a feeling of pedaling in mid-air).

[0003] Therefore, a gear shifting mechanism is usually implemented at the rear wheel. This involves installing several clutches with different outer diameters on the rear axle to switch between them to transmit torque, achieving gear shifting and eliminating the risk of the pedal slipping.

[0004] This type of vehicle has some drawbacks in application: 1. It has a complex structure, high cost, and inconvenient maintenance, and is generally used in vehicles that emphasize sports performance or racing vehicles; 2. It requires manual gear shifting, which requires a certain level of skill from the rider and is not suitable for the general public. Its adoption in the field of ordinary vehicles is poor. For example, bicycles currently on the market for the daily travel of ordinary citizens (such as shared bicycles) can only adopt a structure that does not support gear shifting due to cost issues, resulting in a poor riding experience. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an improved installation structure for a centrifugal clutch in order to solve the problems existing in the background art.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve its technical problem is: a centrifugal clutch mounting structure, including a vehicle support mechanism, wherein a wheel hub, a rear wheel axle and a first clutch (conventional clutch) are mounted on the vehicle support mechanism;

[0007] The hub and rear axle are also equipped with a centrifugal clutch, which includes an outer ring and an inner ring. The outer ring is connected to the hub by an interference fit or a keyway, and the inner ring is connected to the rear axle by an interference fit or a keyway.

[0008] The inner ring has wedge slots evenly distributed around its circumference. A wedge is placed in each wedge slot, and a spring slot is placed between two adjacent wedge slots. A spring is placed in each spring slot. The spring presses the wedge at the lowest position of the wedge slot. When the inner ring rotates faster, the wedge generates centrifugal force. When the centrifugal force is greater than the pressure of the spring, the wedge moves towards the outer diameter of the circumference until it abuts against the outer ring and drives it to rotate together. When the inner ring rotates slower, it returns to its original position.

[0009] By adopting the above technical solution, when the speed is slow, the first clutch engages to transmit torque, and the centrifugal clutch does not work. When the speed reaches a certain speed, the centrifugal clutch starts to work and transmit torque (the outer diameter of the centrifugal clutch 12 is smaller than that of the conventional clutch). In this way, the feeling of no force will disappear when the front pedal is pressed.

[0010] Furthermore, in this invention, the outer ring and inner ring are separate, and the outer ring and inner ring can rotate freely;

[0011] Furthermore, the outer surface of the wedge of the present invention has a curvature, and the inner surface of the outer ring is uniformly provided with eccentric arcs corresponding to the surface shape of the wedge, forming an eccentric arc cavity.

[0012] By adopting the aforementioned background technology, when the wedge moves into the outer ring eccentric arc cavity, the wedge drives the outer ring to rotate together through the eccentric arc cavity of the outer ring; when the outer ring rotates faster than the inner ring rotates faster, because the eccentric arc of the outer ring is deeper on one side and shallower on the other, the eccentric arc of the outer ring presses against the wedge, moving the wedge towards the center, thus achieving a unidirectional function.

[0013] Furthermore, the wedge of the present invention is provided with bent connecting parts on the left and right sides, and the spring member presses the bent connecting parts with elastic force to press the wedge.

[0014] Furthermore, the spring component of the present invention includes a spring body fixed in the spring groove by elastic deformation, and spring pieces are provided on the left and right sides of the spring body. The spring pieces press the bent connecting part of the wedge with elastic force.

[0015] Furthermore, a sealing ring is provided between the outer ring and the inner ring of the present invention to provide dust protection.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this invention are: it solves the defects existing in the background technology; by adding a centrifugal clutch to the existing vehicle wheel hub, it greatly eliminates the feeling of no force when the foot pedal is not pressed during vehicle acceleration; moreover, the overall structure of this invention is simple, the cost is low, and it is highly cost-effective; at the same time, the clutch structure and installation of this invention are reasonable and have a long service life. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the centrifugal clutch in this invention;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the inner ring structure in this invention;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the wedge and the bent connector in this invention;

[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the spring component in this invention;

[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the installation position of the sealing ring in this invention;

[0023] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the outer and inner ring structures in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0024] In the diagram: 1. Support mechanism, 2. Hub, 3. Rear axle, 4. Outer ring, 5. Inner ring, 6. Wedge groove, 7. Wedge, 7-1 Bend connector, 8. Spring groove, 9. Eccentric arc, 10. Spring body, 10-1. Spring plate, 11. First clutch, 12. Centrifugal clutch, 13. Sealing ring. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments. These drawings are simplified schematic diagrams, illustrating only the basic structure of the invention, and therefore only show the components relevant to the invention.

[0026] Example 1, such as Figures 1-6 The invention illustrates an installation structure for a centrifugal clutch, comprising a vehicle support mechanism 1, on which a wheel hub 2, a rear axle 3, and a first clutch 11 are mounted. A centrifugal clutch 12 is also mounted on the wheel hub 2 and the rear axle 3. The centrifugal clutch 12 includes an outer ring 4 and an inner ring 5. The outer ring 4 is connected to the wheel hub 2 via an interference fit, and the inner ring 5 is connected to the rear axle 3 via an interference fit. The inner ring 5 has wedge slots 6 evenly distributed circumferentially. Wedges 7 are disposed within the wedge slots 6, and spring slots 8 are disposed between adjacent wedge slots 6. Spring members are disposed within the spring slots 8, pressing the wedges 7 to the lowest position of the wedge slots 6. When the rotational speed of the inner ring 5 increases, the wedges 7 generate centrifugal force. When the centrifugal force exceeds the pressure of the spring members, the wedges 7 move towards the outer diameter of the circumference to abut and drive the outer ring 4 to rotate together. When the rotational speed of the inner ring 5 decreases, it returns to its original position.

[0027] Among them, the outer ring 4 and the inner ring 5 are separate, and the outer ring 4 and the inner ring 5 can rotate freely;

[0028] The outer surface of the wedge 7 has an arc, and the inner surface of the outer ring 4 is uniformly provided with eccentric arcs 9 that correspond to the surface shape of the wedge 7, forming an eccentric arc cavity.

[0029] The wedge 7 is provided with bent connecting parts 7-1 on both sides. The spring component presses the bent connecting parts 7-1 with elastic force to press the wedge 7. The spring component includes a spring body 10 fixed in the spring groove 8 by elastic deformation. The spring body 10 is provided with spring pieces 10-1 on both sides. The spring pieces 10-1 press the bent connecting parts 7-1 of the wedge 7 with elastic force.

[0030] A sealing ring is also provided between the outer ring 4 and the inner ring 5 to provide dust protection.

[0031] Working principle: At low speeds, the first clutch 11 (conventional clutch) engages to transmit torque, while the centrifugal clutch 12 remains inactive. When the speed reaches a certain level (test: >150 rpm), the centrifugal clutch 12 begins to engage and transmit torque.

[0032] When wedge 7 moves into the eccentric arc cavity of outer ring 4 overcoming spring pressure, wedge 7 drives outer ring 4 to rotate together through the eccentric arc cavity of outer ring 4. Due to the small size (large transmission ratio) of centrifugal clutch 12, the feeling of stepping into the pedal will disappear.

[0033] When the outer ring 4 rotates at a higher speed than the inner ring 5, the eccentric arc 9 of the outer ring 4, which is deeper on one side and shallower on the other, presses against the wedge 7, moving the wedge 7 towards the center and achieving a one-way function.

[0034] Example 2, as follows Figure 7 As shown, the outer ring 4 and inner ring 5 of the centrifugal clutch 12 have spline / groove structures. The outer ring 4 and inner ring 5 are connected to the hub 2 and the rear wheel axle 3 respectively through keyways. The structure and working principle of other components are the same as those described in Embodiment 1.

[0035] The above description is only a specific embodiment of the present invention. Various examples and illustrations do not constitute a limitation on the substantive content of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make modifications or variations to the above-described specific embodiments after reading the specification without departing from the substance and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A mounting structure of centrifugal clutch, comprising a vehicle support mechanism (1), a wheel hub (2), a rear wheel axle (3) and a first clutch (11) are assembled on the vehicle support mechanism (1); a centrifugal clutch (12) is further assembled on the wheel hub (2) and the rear wheel axle (3), the centrifugal clutch (12) comprises an outer ring (4) and an inner ring (5), the outer ring (4) is connected with the wheel hub (2) by interference fit or keyway, and the inner ring (5) is connected with the rear wheel axle (3) by interference fit or keyway; wedge grooves (6) are formed on the inner ring (5) and are distributed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, wedges (7) are arranged in the wedge grooves (6), spring grooves (8) are arranged between two adjacent wedge grooves (6), spring members are arranged in the spring grooves (8), the spring members press the wedges (7) to the lowest position of the wedge grooves (6), when the rotating speed of the inner ring (5) increases, the wedges (7) generate centrifugal force, when the centrifugal force is greater than the pressure of the spring members, the wedges (7) move to the circumferential outer diameter direction to abut and drive the outer ring (4) to rotate together, and the wedges (7) return when the rotating speed of the inner ring (5) decreases. characterized in that Bent connecting pieces (7-1) are arranged on the left and right sides of the wedges (7), and the spring members press the bent connecting pieces (7-1) by elastic force to press the wedges (7). The spring members comprise a spring body (10) fixed in the spring grooves (8) by elastic deformation, and spring sheets (10-1) are arranged on the left and right sides of the spring body (10), the spring sheets (10-1) press the bent connecting pieces (7-1) of the wedges (7) by elastic force. The outer ring (4) and the inner ring (5) are separated, and the outer ring (4) and the inner ring (5) can rotate freely. The outer surface of the wedges (7) has an arc, the inner surface of the outer ring (4) is uniformly provided with eccentric circular arcs (9) corresponding to the surface shape of the wedges (7) in the circumferential direction, forming an eccentric circular arc cavity.

2. A mounting structure for a centrifugal clutch as defined in claim 1, wherein: A sealing ring (13) is further arranged between the outer ring (4) and the inner ring (5).

3. A mounting structure for a centrifugal clutch as defined in claim 1, wherein: ​ 4. A mounting structure for a centrifugal clutch as defined in claim 1, wherein: ​

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