Air supply device

Abstract

The objective is to provide an air supply device that can be easily attached as an aftermarket addition to the wheels of existing bicycles and the like. [Solution] The air supply device 1 comprises a casing section 4 and a pump section 8 that rotate together with the hub body 1300, and a cam section 2 that is rotatably held relative to these and has a cam 20 that is kept stationary by a weight 30. Compressed air is generated by utilizing the relative rotation of the casing section 4 and pump section 8 and the cam section 2 when the hub body 1300 rotates. The air supply device 1 is formed as a first device section 1a and a second device section 1b that are divided circumferentially along the outer circumference of the hub body 1300, and the air supply device 1 is attached to the hub body 1300 by arranging these circumferentially along the outer circumference of the hub body 1300 and connecting them to each other.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an air supply device, and particularly to a technique for automatically supplying air to a rotating pneumatic tire.

Background Art

[0002] A device that generates compressed air as the wheel rotates and supplies it to the tire is known (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] This device includes a compression part provided on the hub body of a bicycle and a cam provided on the hub shaft (axle). By utilizing the relative rotation between the hub shaft and the hub body as the wheel rotates, compressed air is generated in the compression part, and the generated compressed air is configured to be supplied to the pneumatic tire via a connecting part (see Figs. 1 to 3 of Patent Document 1).

[0004] By using this device, just by riding a bicycle, air is automatically supplied to the tire, so the air pressure of the tire can always be kept constant. Therefore, even if one forgets to supply air to the tire with an air pump or the like, it is possible to prevent problems such as inability to run or a puncture due to a decrease in air pressure.

[0005] However, when trying to install this device on an existing bicycle already on the market, it is necessary to remove the wheel from the bicycle, further disassemble the removed wheel, replace the existing hub (including the hub body and the hub shaft) with a dedicated hub, and reassemble it. That is, after removing the tire, tube, rim, spokes, and hub from the wheel, procure a dedicated hub and spokes of a length that fits it, and perform the work of reassembling the wheel again.

[0006] Performing these tasks accurately and efficiently requires specialized equipment and tools, as well as expert knowledge. Therefore, it is difficult for ordinary users to retrofit the equipment themselves, and in practice, the installation of such equipment could only be done during the bicycle (new bicycle) assembly process at factories, etc. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] WO 2003 / 066354 publication [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] This invention aims to solve the problems of the prior art and provide an air supply device that can be easily retrofitted to the wheels of existing bicycles and the like. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The air supply device according to this invention comprises a hub body fixing part fixed to the hub body of a wheel equipped with a tire and rotating together with the hub body, and a rotatable part rotatably held relative to the hub body fixing part, wherein the axis of rotation of the rotatable part is configured to coincide with the axis of rotation of the hub body fixing part, and the center of gravity of the rotatable part is configured to be at a center of gravity offset position offset from the axis of rotation of the rotatable part, and the air supply device is configured to generate compressed air by utilizing the relative rotation of the hub body fixing part and the rotatable part when the wheel rotates, and to supply the generated compressed air to the tire, wherein the air supply device is formed as a plurality of device divisions divided in the circumferential direction along the outer circumference of the hub body, and the hub body fixing part and the rotatable part are constructed by arranging the plurality of device divisions in the circumferential direction along the outer circumference of the hub body and connecting them to each other.

[0010] While the features of the present invention can be broadly described above, its configuration and content, along with its purpose and features, will become even clearer through the following disclosure, taking into account the drawings. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The air supply device according to the first invention of the present application comprises a hub body fixing part fixed to the hub body of a wheel equipped with a tire and rotating together with the hub body, and a rotatable part rotatably held relative to the hub body fixing part, wherein the axis of rotation of the rotatable part is configured to coincide with the axis of rotation of the hub body fixing part, and the center of gravity of the rotatable part is configured to be at a center of gravity offset position offset from the axis of rotation of the rotatable part, and is configured to generate compressed air by utilizing the relative rotation of the hub body fixing part and the rotatable part when the wheel rotates, and to supply the generated compressed air to the tire, wherein the air supply device is formed as a plurality of device divisions divided in the circumferential direction along the outer circumference of the hub body, and is configured to construct the hub body fixing part and the rotatable part by arranging the plurality of device divisions in the circumferential direction along the outer circumference of the hub body and connecting them to each other.

[0012] Thus, the rotatable part is held rotatably relative to the hub body fixing part, its axis of rotation is configured to coincide with the axis of rotation of the hub body fixing part, and its center of gravity is configured to be offset from the axis of rotation of the rotatable part. Therefore, even if the hub body fixing part rotates together with the wheel, the rotatable part will try to remain stationary due to the action of gravity.

[0013] Therefore, by using a rotatable part provided on the outer circumference of the hub body instead of the hub shaft located inside the hub body, compressed air can be generated by utilizing the relative rotation between the rotatable part and the fixed part of the hub body. In other words, it becomes possible to generate compressed air without performing any processing such as drilling holes in the hub body, as is done with conventional air supply devices.

[0014] Furthermore, the air supply device is formed as a plurality of device segments divided circumferentially along the outer circumference of the hub body, and the plurality of device segments are arranged circumferentially along the outer circumference of the hub body and connected to each other to construct a hub body fixed portion and a rotatable portion.

[0015] Therefore, to attach this device to an existing bicycle, for example, multiple device segments can be placed around the outer circumference of the existing hub body, for example, through the gaps between the spokes, and then connected to each other.

[0016] In other words, unlike conventional air supply systems, there is no need to remove the wheels from the bicycle, or to further disassemble the removed wheels and replace the existing hubs with specialized hubs before reassembling them.

[0017] In other words, it is possible to create an air supply device that can be easily attached as an aftermarket addition to the wheels of existing bicycles and the like.

[0018] The air supply device according to the second invention of the present application comprises a hub body fixing part fixed to the hub body of a wheel equipped with a tire and rotating together with the hub body, and a rotatable part rotatably held relative to the hub body fixing part, wherein the axis of rotation of the rotatable part is configured to coincide with the axis of rotation of the hub body fixing part, and the center of gravity of the rotatable part is configured to be at a center of gravity offset position offset from the axis of rotation of the rotatable part, and is configured to generate compressed air by utilizing the relative rotation of the hub body fixing part and the rotatable part when the wheel rotates, and to supply the generated compressed air to the tire, wherein each part constituting the hub body fixing part and the rotatable part is divided into a plurality of parts along the outer circumference of the hub body, and the hub body fixing part and the rotatable part are constructed by arranging the corresponding parts along the outer circumference of the hub body in the circumferential direction and connecting them to each other.

[0019] Thus, the rotatable part is rotatably held with respect to the hub body fixing part, its rotation axis is configured to coincide with the rotation axis of the hub body fixing part, and its center of gravity is configured to be at a position offset from the rotation axis of the rotatable part. Therefore, even if the hub body fixing part rotates together with the wheel, the rotatable part tries to maintain a stationary state due to the action of gravity.

[0020] Therefore, by using the rotatable part provided on the outer periphery of the hub body instead of the hub shaft inside the hub body, compressed air can be generated by utilizing the relative rotation between the rotatable part and the hub body fixing part. That is, it becomes possible to generate compressed air without performing processing such as drilling on the hub body as in the conventional air supply device.

[0021] Furthermore, the air supply device includes part divided bodies in which each part constituting the hub body fixing part and the rotatable part is divided into a plurality in the circumferential direction along the outer periphery of the hub body, and the corresponding part divided bodies are arranged in the circumferential direction along the outer periphery of the hub body and coupled to each other to construct the hub body fixing part and the rotatable part.

[0022] For this reason, for example, even in the case where the spoke interval of the wheel is narrow like that of a children's bicycle and it is difficult to pass between the spokes in the above-mentioned device divided body unit, they can be respectively arranged on the outer periphery of the existing hub body in the state of part divided bodies that are easy to pass between the spokes, and then coupled to each other.

[0023] That is, even in the case where the spoke interval of the wheel is narrow like that of a children's bicycle, there is no need to remove the wheel from the bicycle or further disassemble the removed wheel and replace the existing hub with a dedicated hub and reassemble it as in the conventional air supply device.

[0024] That is, it is possible to realize an air supply device that can be easily retrofitted and attached to a wider variety of existing wheels of bicycles and the like.

[0025] The air supply device according to the third invention of the present application is a part interposed as a bearing member between the part constituting the hub body fixing part and the part constituting the rotatable part in the air supply device according to the second invention of the present application, and further includes an interposed part having as a component a part that does not belong to either the hub body fixing part or the rotatable part.

[0026] Thus, by providing an interposed part having as a component a part interposed as a bearing member, the rotational resistance of the rotatable part with respect to the hub body fixing part can be reduced, and the weight reduction and compactification of the rotatable part can be achieved.

[0027] The air supply device according to the fourth invention of the present application is the air supply device according to the third invention of the present application, wherein the part constituting the interposed part is formed as one flexible part, and the air supply device is configured to wind and interpose one part constituting the interposed part between the part constituting the hub body fixing part and the part constituting the rotatable part.

[0028] Thus, when the part constituting the interposed part is formed as one flexible part, it is easy to pass between the spokes, so that the part can be easily arranged at a predetermined position without being divided into a plurality in the circumferential direction along the outer periphery of the hub body.

[0029] Therefore, it becomes possible to more easily realize an air supply device that can be retrofitted and attached to the wheels of existing bicycles and the like.

[0030] The air supply device according to the fifth invention of the present application is the air supply device according to any one of the first to second inventions of the present application, wherein the part constituting the hub body fixing part and the part constituting the rotatable part are slid directly or via a sliding member so that the rotatable part is rotatably held with respect to the hub body fixing part.

[0031] In this way, by configuring both the parts constituting the hub body fixing section and the parts constituting the rotatable section to slide against each other, either directly or via sliding members, even if axial misalignment occurs between the divided parts constituting the hub body fixing section or between the divided parts constituting the rotatable section, there is no risk of rotational failure (sticking of the steel ball) or the generation of abnormal noise caused by axial misalignment of the guide groove, as would occur if the two were rolled via steel balls, for example. Therefore, the product defect rate can be kept low.

[0032] The air supply device according to the sixth invention of this application is an air supply device according to any one of the first to fifth inventions of this application, characterized in that the hub body fixing part comprises a reciprocating pump having a piston, the rotatable part comprises a cam having a rotation axis that coincides with the rotation axis of the rotatable part, and compressed air is generated by causing the piston to reciprocate as the cam rotates relative to the piston.

[0033] Therefore, compressed air can be generated with a simple configuration in which a reciprocating pump is driven by a cam. This makes it possible to realize a highly reliable, compact air supply device at a relatively low cost.

[0034] The air supply device according to the seventh invention of this application is characterized in that, in the air supply device according to the sixth invention of this application, the cam is composed of a cylindrical surface centered on a cylindrical displacement position that is offset from the rotation axis of the cam.

[0035] By constructing the cam using a cylindrical surface in this way, the finishing process of the cam becomes easier, making it possible to easily realize a highly accurate air supply device with a precisely defined cam surface.

[0036] The air supply device according to the eighth invention of this application is characterized in that, in the air supply device according to the sixth invention of this application, the cam is configured to cause the piston to reciprocate multiple times each time the cam rotates once.

[0037] In this way, by configuring the system so that the piston reciprocates multiple times for each rotation of the cam, it becomes possible to generate a predetermined amount of compressed air and supply it to the tire even when the wheel rotation speed is small, for example, when pushing a bicycle while walking.

[0038] Furthermore, by reducing the discharge volume per round trip, it becomes possible to miniaturize the reciprocating pump.

[0039] The air supply device according to the ninth invention of this application is characterized in that, in the air supply device according to any six to eighth invention of this application, the cam is a positive-acting cam.

[0040] Therefore, by using a positive-acting cam that restrains both the forward and reverse motion of the piston, it becomes unnecessary to use a return spring for the return motion, as is the case when using a plate cam that restrains only the forward motion. As a result, no force is needed to push back the return spring during the forward motion, and the driving force of the cam can be small.

[0041] Therefore, since there is no need to overcome the driving force of a large cam and keep the rotatable part stationary, there is no need to significantly shift the center of gravity of the rotatable part from the axis of rotation or increase its weight. In other words, it becomes possible to realize a compact and lightweight air supply device.

[0042] The tenth invention of this application is an air supply system comprising an air supply device according to any one of the first to ninth inventions of this application, wherein the air supply system further comprises an attachment having a substantially cylindrical spacer portion, and is configured to fix the air supply device to a hub body via the attachment, wherein the attachment is formed as a plurality of attachment divisions divided in the circumferential direction along the outer circumference of the hub body, and the attachment is constructed by arranging the plurality of attachment divisions in the circumferential direction along the outer circumference of the hub body and connecting them to each other.

[0043] Existing bicycle hub bodies (hub shells) come in various diameters, and sometimes the front and rear wheels of the same bicycle have different hub diameters. By providing attachments that are compatible with these hub diameters, one type of air supply device can be fitted to various bicycles.

[0044] Therefore, it is possible to create an air supply device that can be easily retrofitted to the wheels of various types of existing bicycles and the like.

[0045] The wheel according to the 11th invention of this application is characterized by being equipped with an air supply device according to any of the 1st to 9th inventions of this application or an air supply system according to the 10th invention of this application.

[0046] Therefore, the wheel according to the 11th invention of this application has the same effect as the air supply device or air supply system according to any of the 1st to 10th inventions of this application.

[0047] The vehicle according to the 12th invention of this application is characterized by being equipped with wheels according to the 11th invention of this application.

[0048] Therefore, the vehicle according to the 12th invention of this application has the same effect as the wheel according to the 11th invention of this application. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0049] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a right side view of bicycle BC, which is a vehicle equipped with wheels fitted with an air supply device 1. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the air supply device 1 mounted on the outer circumference of the hub body 1320 that constitutes the hub body 1300 of the rear wheel RW hub 1000. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in Figure 2. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Figure 2. [Figure 5]Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the cam portion 2 and casing portion 4 shown in Figure 2. [Figure 6] Figures 6A, 6B, and 6C are the left side view, longitudinal section view, and right side view, respectively, of the cam 20 that constitutes the cam section 2. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is an enlarged view of the pump section 8 shown in Figure 2. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a diagram showing the air supply device 1 in a state where the rear wheel RW of the bicycle BC has been rotated another 1 / 2 turn from the state shown in Figure 3. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a right side view of the first apparatus segment 1a. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a left side view of the first apparatus segment 1a. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a right side view of the second device segment 1b. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a left side view of the second device segment 1b. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of the air supply system 301. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV in Figure 13. [Figure 15] Figure 15A is a front view of the first attachment segment 130a, and Figure 15B is a left side view of the first attachment segment 130a. [Figure 16] Figure 16A is a front view of the second attachment segment 130b, and Figure 16B is a left side view of the second attachment segment 130b. [Figure 17] Figures 17A, 17B, and 17C are the left side view, longitudinal section view, and right side view, respectively, of cam 220, which is a two-cycle cam. [Figure 18] Figure 18 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the air supply device 501 mounted on the outer circumference of the hub body 1320 that constitutes the hub body 1300 of the rear wheel RW hub 1000. [Figure 19] Figure 19 is a right side view showing an example of cam 520. [Figure 20]Figure 20A is a plan view of the unfolded bearing member 570, Figure 20B is a front view of the unfolded bearing member 570, Figure 20C is a bottom view of the unfolded bearing member 570, Figure 20D is a cross-sectional view of the unfolded bearing member 570, and Figure 20E is a right side view of the unfolded bearing member 570. [Figure 21] Figure 21A is a conceptual front view of the bearing member 570 as it is mounted on the air supply device 501. Figure 21B is a drawing showing the XXIB-XXIB cross section in Figure 21A. [Figure 22] Figure 22 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the air supply device 701 mounted on the outer circumference of the hub body 1320 that constitutes the hub body 1300 of the rear wheel RW hub 1000. [Figure 23] Figure 23 is a magnified view of a portion of Figure 22. [Figure 24] Figure 24 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an air supply device 801 mounted on the outer circumference of the hub body 1320, which constitutes the hub body 1300 of the rear wheel RW hub 1000. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0050] First, an air supply device 1 according to one embodiment of this invention will be described.

[0051] Figure 1 is a right side view of bicycle BC, which is a vehicle equipped with a wheel (rear wheel RW) fitted with an air supply device 1.

[0052] The air supply device 1 is mounted on the outer circumference of the hub body (described later), which is located approximately in the center of the rear wheel RW. The compressed air generated by the air supply device 1 is supplied to the tire TR, which houses a tube (not shown), via the air supply hose HS and valve VL.

[0053] Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the air supply device 1 mounted on the outer circumference of the hub body 1320 that constitutes the hub body 1300 of the rear wheel RW hub 1000, and is a view (front cross-sectional view) of the bicycle BC from the rear.

[0054] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in Figure 2.

[0055] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Figure 2.

[0056] The configuration of the rear wheel RW hub to which the air supply device 1 is attached is not particularly limited, but we will explain using the hub 1000, which incorporates a three-speed transmission mechanism, as an example.

[0057] As shown in Figure 2, the hub 1000 comprises a hub shaft 1100, a gear 1200, and a hub body 1300.

[0058] The hub axle 1100 is fixed to the frame FR of the bicycle BC (see Figure 1).

[0059] The gear 1200 is rotatably held on the hub shaft 1100 and driven by a chain (not shown).

[0060] The hub body 1300 is rotatably held on the hub shaft 1100 and incorporates a three-speed transmission mechanism (not shown) equipped with, for example, planetary gears. The rotation of the gear 1200 is transmitted to the hub body 1300 in three stages by the three-speed transmission mechanism.

[0061] The hub body 1300 comprises a pair of substantially flange-shaped hub flanges 1310 on the left and right sides, and a substantially cylindrical hub body 1320 formed between the pair of hub flanges 1310.

[0062] Numerous spoke holes 1311 are formed near the outer circumference of the hub flange 1310. One end of a spoke SP, as shown in Figure 1, is locked into each spoke hole 1311, and the other end of the spoke SP is connected to the rim RM that holds the tire TR.

[0063] Returning to Figure 2, in this example, the outer circumference of the hub body 1320 is formed in a stepped cylindrical shape, comprising a small-diameter outer circumference 1321 located on the left side of the drawing, and a large-diameter outer circumference 1322 adjacent to it and located on the right side of the drawing.

[0064] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the air supply device 1 is arranged to surround the outer circumference of the hub body 1320 and is fixed to the hub body 1320 at the large-diameter outer circumference 1322 of the hub body 1320.

[0065] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the air supply device 1 comprises a cam section 2 which is a rotatable part, a casing section 4 which is a hub body fixing part, and a pump section 8.

[0066] The hub body fixing part and the rotatable part may be referred to as the two elemental parts that constitute the air supply device 1.

[0067] Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the cam section 2 and casing section 4 shown in Figure 2. Figures 6A, 6B, and 6C are the left side view, longitudinal section (front section) view, and right side view of the cam 20 constituting the cam section 2, respectively. Figure 7 is an enlarged view of the pump section 8 shown in Figure 2. Note that in Figures 5 and 7, the hub 1000 has been removed for ease of explanation.

[0068] As shown in Figure 5, the cam section 2 comprises a cam 20 and a weight 30.

[0069] As shown in Figures 6A to 6C, the cam 20 is equipped with a substantially cylindrical ball race portion 21. Guide grooves 22 for rolling steel balls 71 (see Figure 5) are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the ball race portion 21.

[0070] A roughly flange-shaped flange portion 23 is formed at one end of the ball race portion 21 (the right end in Figure 6B). The outer and inner circumferences of the rising portion formed on the outer edge of the flange portion 23 in the direction of the rotation axis CR (to the right in this example in Figure 6B) constitute a pair of cam surfaces 24 and 25.

[0071] In other words, the cam 20 has a cam surface 24 formed by an outer cylindrical surface centered on a cylindrical displacement position CC, which is a position offset from its rotation axis CR, and a cam surface 25 formed on the opposite side of the cam surface 24. The cam surface 25 is formed by an inner cylindrical surface centered on the cylindrical displacement position CC, and the distance between the cam surface 24 and the cam surface 25 is configured to be constant. The rotation axis CR is the rotation axis of the rotatable part including the cam 20, the rotation axis of the hub body fixing part, and the rotation axis (central axis) of the hub body 1320.

[0072] The end face 28 on one end of the cam 20 (the right end in Figure 6B) is the top surface of the rising portion of the flange portion 23 and is an annular plane perpendicular to the rotation axis CR. The back surface 29 of the flange portion 23 (the surface of the flange portion 23 opposite to the end face 28) is a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis CR.

[0073] The minimum distance from the rotating shaft CR to the outer circumferential surface of the flange portion 23 (which in this example coincides with the cam surface 24) is configured to exceed at least the maximum radius of the outer circumferential surface of the ball race portion 21.

[0074] At the other end of the ball race section 21 (the left end in Figure 6B), a roughly cylindrical weight attachment section 26 is extended in continuity with it. The ball race section 21 and the weight attachment section 26 together are referred to as the cam base section 10.

[0075] The inner circumferential surfaces of the weight mounting portion 26, the ball race portion 21, and the flange portion 23 form a continuous cylindrical inner surface. This is referred to as the inner circumferential surface 27 of the cam 20.

[0076] As shown in Figure 5, a weight 30 is attached to the weight mounting portion 26 of the cam 20 so as to be immovable in the rotational and axial directions, and the two together constitute a cam portion 2.

[0077] The weight 30 is positioned between the left and right hub flanges 1310 of the hub 1000 and the left and right spokes SP that are respectively engaged with them (see Figures 2 and 1), and is configured so that the weight 30, which is in a substantially non-rotating state when the rear wheel RW rotates, does not interfere with these left and right hub flanges 1310 or spokes SP. The specific configuration of the weight 30 is not particularly limited, but in this example it comprises a weight base portion 31 and a weight portion 37.

[0078] The weight base portion 31 has a substantially cylindrical outer surface 34, and its inner cylindrical portion is formed in a concentric, substantially stepped cylindrical shape. The cam mounting portion 32 provided near one end (the right end in Figure 5) corresponds to the portion with a larger inner diameter, followed by a portion with a smaller inner diameter. The cylindrical inner surface of this portion with a smaller inner diameter is called the inner surface 33 of the weight 30.

[0079] The end face 36 at one end (the right end in Figure 5) of the weight base portion 31 is a hollow, disc-shaped plane perpendicular to the rotation axis CR.

[0080] As described later, the air supply device 1, along with its component parts, is manufactured by dividing it into two parts along a planar PL that includes the rotating shaft CR (as shown in Figures 2 to 5): a first device division 1a and a second device division 1b.

[0081] Therefore, for the sake of convenience in explanation, each part or section of the air supply device 1 may be referred to as the "first part" or "second part" of the part or section, respectively.

[0082] As shown in Figure 12, a roughly fan-shaped weight portion 37 is fixed to a part of the outer circumferential surface 34 of the second portion of the weight base portion 31 using fasteners such as bolts 38. This configuration ensures that the center of gravity of the cam portion 2 is located at the center of gravity displacement position CG, which is a position shifted downward from the rotation axis CR in the drawing.

[0083] Returning to Figure 5, the annular grooves and protrusions provided on the outer circumferential surface of the weight mounting portion 26 of the cam 20 and the annular grooves and grooves provided on the substantially cylindrical inner circumferential surface of the cam mounting portion 32 of the weight base portion 31 constituting the weight 30 are fitted together by interference fit, thereby connecting the cam 20 and the weight 30 so that they cannot move relative to each other in the rotational and axial directions, respectively, in both their first and second portions.

[0084] The inner circumferential surface 27 of the cam 20 and the inner circumferential surface 33 of the weight 30 are configured to be adjacent cylindrical inner surfaces of the same diameter and on the same central axis. The inner circumferential surfaces 27 and 33 together are referred to as the inner circumferential surface 35 of the cam portion 2.

[0085] As shown in Figure 2, when the rear wheel RW (see Figure 1) is rotated with the air supply device 1 attached to the hub body 1320, the configuration is such that the outer circumferential surface of the hub body 1320 (in this example, the outer circumferential surface of the small diameter outer portion 1321) and the inner circumferential surface 35 of the cam portion 2 do not come into contact.

[0086] As shown in Figure 5, the casing portion 4 comprises a substantially cylindrical case body 40, a flanged cylindrical case lid 50, and a substantially cylindrical ball race outer ring 60.

[0087] The case lid 50 is positioned concentrically with the case body 40 on one end (the right end in Figure 5), that is, on the side opposite to the axial direction CR from the side where the cam holding portion 13 (described later) is located (the end face 59 (described later) of the case body 40), with the cam housing portion CS (described later) of the casing portion 4 in between. These are connected to each other at both their first and second portions using fasteners such as bolts 54 (see Figures 9 and 11).

[0088] The end face 51 on one end (the right end in Figure 5) and the end face 52 on the other end (the left end in Figure 5) of the case cover 50 are both concentric, hollow, disc-shaped planes with the rotation axis CR as the central axis. The substantially cylindrical inner circumferential surface 53 of the case cover 50 is sized to come into close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the hub body 1320 (in this example, the outer circumferential surface of the large-diameter outer circumferential portion 1322) when the air supply device 1 is attached to the hub body 1320. This allows the casing portion 4 to be fixed to the hub body 1320 without slipping. In other words, the case cover 50 functions as a hub body contact portion.

[0089] The case body 40 has a substantially cylindrical outer surface 47, and its inner cylindrical portion is formed in a stepped cylindrical shape with multiple concentric cylindrical inner surfaces of different diameters adjacent in the axial direction (the rotation axis CR direction in Figure 5). That is, the inner cylindrical portion of the case body 40 has a large diameter cylindrical inner surface 41, an adjacent medium diameter cylindrical inner surface 42, and an adjacent small diameter cylindrical inner surface 43.

[0090] Concentric hollow disc-shaped large-diameter stepped portion 44 and medium-diameter stepped portion 45 are formed to connect the large-diameter inner surface 41, the medium-diameter inner surface 42, and the small-diameter inner surface 43 of the cylinder, respectively.

[0091] A substantially cylindrical ball race outer ring 60 is positioned so as to contact the inner surface 42 and the stepped portion 45 of the medium diameter cylinder of the case body 40, and is fixed to the case body 40. A guide groove 62 for rolling the steel balls 71 is formed approximately in the center of the inner circumferential surface 61 of the ball race outer ring 60.

[0092] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, multiple through holes 66 are provided in directions perpendicular to the end faces 64 and 65 of the ball race outer ring 60, penetrating from one end face 64 (the right end in Figure 5) to the opposite end face 65 (in this example, there are two through holes in the first part and two in the second part of the ball race outer ring 60, for a total of four holes).

[0093] Two projections 46 are formed in the first and second portions of the middle diameter stepped portion 45 of the case body 40, at positions opposite to each of the through holes 66, and are capable of fitting into the through holes 66. The ball race outer ring 60 is positioned relative to the case body 40 by fitting the projections 46 into the through holes 66.

[0094] Furthermore, multiple screw holes 67 (in this example, two in the first part and two in the second part of the ball race outer ring 60, for a total of four) are formed from the outer circumferential surface 63 of the ball race outer ring 60 toward the rotation axis CR. Opposite each of the screw holes 67, two stepped holes 48 are provided in the first part and two parts of the case body 40, each penetrating from their outer circumferential surface 47 to the inner surface 42 of the medium-diameter cylinder, and having the same axis as the screw holes 67. The first and second parts of the ball race outer ring 60 are fixed to the first and second parts of the case body 40, respectively, by tightening bolts 68 into the screw holes 67 through the counterbore holes 48.

[0095] A substantially cylindrical retainer 70 is positioned to be substantially in contact with the inner circumferential surface 61 of the outer ring 60 of the ball race, and a plurality of steel balls 71 are held at predetermined intervals so as to be rotatable. The ball race portion 21 of the cam 20 described above is positioned to be substantially in contact with the retainer 70.

[0096] Each steel ball 71 held in the retainer 70 is configured to fit into both the guide groove 62 of the ball race outer ring 60 fixed to the case body 40 and the guide groove 22 provided in the ball race portion 21 of the cam 20.

[0097] As a result, the cam 20 (i.e., the cam portion 2) is held relative to the case body 40 (i.e., the casing portion 4) so ​​that it can rotate freely around the rotation axis CR, but cannot move in the axial direction of the rotation axis CR.

[0098] In other words, one axial side of the casing portion 4 (the left side in Figure 5) is provided with a portion that rotatably holds the ball race portion 21, which is part of the cam base portion 10 of the cam 20, via a ball race outer ring 60 having a substantially cylindrical inner circumferential surface. This portion is called the cam holding portion 13 of the casing portion 4.

[0099] Furthermore, the retainer 70, which holds the steel ball 71, is interposed between the inner circumferential surface 61 of the outer ring 60 of the ball race and the ball race portion 21 of the cam 20, and is a part that does not belong to either the hub body fixing portion or the rotatable portion described above. Therefore, an element portion that has such a part as a component will be referred to as an interposing portion, and the parts that constitute the interposing portion will be referred to as interposing portion component parts.

[0100] As shown in Figures 2 and 5, the flange portion 23 of the cam 20 is housed in a cam housing portion CS formed inside the casing portion 4. The cam housing portion CS is a substantially cylindrical (annular) and substantially closed space formed between the large-diameter cylindrical inner surface 41 of the case body 40 and the outer circumference of the hub body 1320 that faces it.

[0101] More specifically, the flange portion 23 of the cam 20 is positioned within the cam housing portion CS, the ball race portion 21 of the cam 20 is rotatably held on the inner circumferential surface 61 of the outer ring 60 of the ball race that constitutes the cam holding portion 13 of the casing portion 4 via a retainer 70 that holds steel balls 71, and the weight mounting portion 26 of the cam 20 is configured to extend beyond the small-diameter cylindrical inner surface 43 of the case body 40 and be exposed on the outside of the end face 59 of the case body 40 (to the left in Figure 5). A substantially cylindrical weight base portion 31 that constitutes the weight 30 is attached to the weight mounting portion 26 of the cam 20 that is exposed from the case body 40.

[0102] The outer diameter of the outer surface 34 of the weight base portion 31 is configured to be larger than the inner diameter of the small-diameter cylindrical inner surface 43 of the case body 40 that constitutes the cam holding portion 13, and the gaps in the axial CR direction between the weight base portion 31, the cam holding portion 13, and the flange portion 23 are configured to be the minimum gaps necessary so that they do not come into contact with each other.

[0103] As shown in Figures 7 and 3, the pump unit 8 is fixedly attached to the first part of the case body 40 that constitutes the casing unit 4.

[0104] Note that when the air supply device 1 is attached to the bicycle BC, it rotates around the rotation axis CR as its central axis, and therefore does not inherently have an up or down concept. However, for the sake of explanation, the top, upper part, upper end, etc. in the drawings may be simply expressed as "up," "upper part," "upper end," etc. The same applies to "down," "lower part," "lower end," etc.

[0105] The pump section 8 includes a cylinder section 80, a substantially cylindrical piston 90 enclosed within the cylinder section 80, a piston joint 100 connected near the lower end of the piston 90, a cylinder bracket section 110 positioned at the lower part of the cylinder section 80, and a relief valve 120 positioned between the upper end of the cylinder section 80 and the air supply hose HS.

[0106] The cylinder section 80 comprises a substantially cylindrical cylinder body 81. The inner cylinder portion of the cylinder body 81 comprises a lower inner cylinder section 82 and an upper inner cylinder section 83 connected by a small-diameter ventilation passage 84.

[0107] A piston 90 is positioned in the lower inner cylinder portion 82. An intake hole 85 for drawing in outside air is provided in a suitable part of the lower inner cylinder portion 82, and a bearing 86 is positioned near the lower end of the lower inner cylinder portion 82 and fixed by a retaining ring.

[0108] A check valve 87 is sealed in the upper inner cylinder portion 83. The configuration of the check valve 87 is not particularly limited, but in this example, an O-ring, a steel ball, and a compressed coil spring are stacked in that order at the top of the ventilation passage 84.

[0109] The lower end of the outer cylinder portion of the cylinder body 81 has a male threaded portion 88 formed therein.

[0110] The piston 90 comprises a large-diameter, substantially cylindrical piston head portion 91 and a smaller-diameter, cylindrical portion 93 that follows it. A piston ring 92 is fitted into an annular groove formed in a suitable part of the piston head portion 91. A connecting pin 94 for connecting the piston joint 100 is provided on the lower end side of the cylindrical portion 93.

[0111] The piston joint 100 includes a joint body 101, and both ends of a connecting pin 94 are fitted into a pin hole 102 provided near the upper end of the joint body 101. In this way, the piston joint 100 is configured to be rotatably connected to the piston 90 around the connecting pin 94.

[0112] The joint body 101 is equipped with a pair of rollers 103 and 105 that are rotatably held below the connecting pin 94. The rollers 103 and 105 are spaced a predetermined distance apart from each other and are configured to have axes of rotation parallel to the connecting pin 94. The rollers 103 and 105 are rotatably held by the joint body 101 by roller pins 104 and 106, respectively.

[0113] The rollers 103 and 105 are positioned to sandwich the rising portion of the flange portion 23 of the cam 20, which is equipped with cam surfaces 24 and 25. During compression of the pump section 8, the cam surface 24 contacts the roller 103, causing the roller 103 to roll and pushing the piston 90 upward. During intake, the cam surface 25 contacts the roller 105, causing the roller 105 to roll and pulling the piston 90 downward.

[0114] In other words, a positive-acting cam is formed by the cam surfaces 24 and 25 of the cam 20 and the rollers 103 and 105 of the piston joint 100 provided on the lower end side of the piston 90. This restricts the relative movement between the cam 20 and the piston 90 in the axial direction AX of the pump section 8.

[0115] The cylinder bracket section 110 comprises a bracket body 111, a lock nut 116, and a cylinder cover 117.

[0116] The bracket body 111 comprises a substantially cylindrical cylindrical portion 112 having a vertically penetrating female screw hole 113 in the inner cylindrical portion, and a flange portion 114 extending from near the lower end of the cylindrical portion 112 in a substantially left-right direction in Figure 3, and having two through holes 115.

[0117] The bracket body 111 can be fixedly attached to the case body 40 by passing a bolt 118 through each through hole 115 and screwing it into the screw hole located on the upper part of the case body 40 at a position corresponding to the through hole 115 and tightening it.

[0118] Furthermore, a relief portion 49 is provided in the upper part of the case body 40, in the portion facing the female screw hole 113 of the bracket body 111, to avoid interference with the piston joint 100. In this example, the relief portion 49 is a through hole in the upper part of the case body 40, extending from the outer peripheral surface 47 toward the rotating shaft CR. A similar relief portion 69 is also provided in the corresponding portion of the ball race outer ring 60 fitted into the case body 40. The relief portion 49 and the relief portion 69 together are referred to as the piston communication hole 14.

[0119] The position of the cylinder body 81 relative to the bracket body 111, i.e., the case body 40, can be determined by screwing the male threaded portion 88 of the cylinder body 81 into the female threaded hole 113 of the bracket body 111 via the lock nut 116 and tightening the lock nut 116 at an appropriate position. In this way, the position of the pump portion 8 relative to the casing portion 4 in the axial direction AX can be determined.

[0120] The cylinder cover 117 is positioned to cover the lower part of the cylinder body 81, including the intake port 85, and the lock nut 116. Outside air passes through the gap between the cylinder cover 117 and the outer surface of the cylinder body 81 and the lock nut 116, and is drawn into the lower inner cylinder portion 82 through the intake port 85.

[0121] The relief valve 120 has a male threaded portion 121 at its lower end, and is attached to the cylinder body 81 by screwing the male threaded portion 121 into a female threaded portion 89 provided at the upper end of the upper inner cylinder portion 83 of the cylinder body 81. The lower end of the male threaded portion 121 presses against the upper end of the coil spring of the check valve 87, compressing the coil spring.

[0122] The upper end of the relief valve 120 is connected to the end of the air supply hose HS by a screw or the like, and the upper inner cylinder portion 83 and the air passage HS1 of the air supply hose HS are in communication with each other by an air passage 122 that runs vertically through the inside of the relief valve 120.

[0123] The structure of the relief valve 120 is not particularly limited, but for example, it can be realized by providing an exhaust passage (exhaust passage, not shown) that branches off from the middle of the ventilation passage 122, and providing a structure similar to the check valve 87 in the exhaust passage. A hollow adjustment bolt 123 is used, and after adjusting the relief pressure by the amount the adjustment bolt 123 is screwed in, the adjustment bolt 123 is fixed with a lock nut 125. When the compressed air exceeds the relief pressure, it is exhausted into the atmosphere from the exhaust port 124 of the adjustment bolt 123.

[0124] By adjusting the relief pressure of the relief valve 120, the upper limit of the air pressure supplied from the air supply device 1 to the tire TR can be set.

[0125] Next, the operation of the air supply device 1 will be explained.

[0126] Figure 8 is a diagram showing the state of the air supply device 1 when the rear wheel RW of the bicycle BC is rotated another 1 / 2 turn from the state shown in Figure 3. As shown in Figure 8, the pump unit 8, which is fixedly mounted on the casing unit 4 fixedly attached to the hub body 1320 fixedly mounted on the rear wheel RW, rotates together with the hub body 1320 around the rotation axis CR.

[0127] On the other hand, the cam 20 is rotatably held in the casing 4 and configured not to come into contact with the hub body 1320. However, due to the action of the weight 30 fixedly attached to the cam 20, relative rotation occurs between the pump section 8 and the cam 20 in an attempt to maintain the state shown in Figure 3.

[0128] As a result, the downward action of the cam surface 25 of the cam 20 causes the piston 90 to move in the return direction (the direction in which outside air is drawn into the cylinder body 81) within the cylinder body 81 that constitutes the pump section 8, moving from the top dead center state shown in Figure 3 to the bottom dead center state shown in Figure 8.

[0129] When the rear wheel RW is rotated another 1 / 2 turn, the upward action of the cam surface 24 causes the piston 90 to move in the forward direction (the direction in which air is compressed within the cylinder body 81) inside the cylinder body 81, returning it to the state shown in Figure 3.

[0130] As this condition is repeated while the bicycle BC is in motion, compressed air is automatically supplied to the tire TR of the bicycle BC while it is moving.

[0131] As explained above, this air supply device 1 is equipped with a hub body fixing part and a rotatable part.

[0132] As shown in Figures 2 and 7, the hub body fixing section is fixed to the substantially cylindrical hub body 1320 of the hub body 1300 and comprises a casing section 4 (including a case body 40, a case lid 50, and a ball race outer ring 60) formed to cover the outer circumference of the hub body 1320, and a pump section 8 equipped with a reciprocating pump fixedly coupled to the casing section 4 and having a piston 90 and a cylinder section 80 that slidably holds the piston 90.

[0133] As shown in Figure 5, the rotatable part includes a cam section 2 which comprises a cam 20 and a weight 30.

[0134] As shown in Figure 6, the cam 20 has an inner circumferential surface 27 that faces the outer circumferential surface of the hub body 1320 (see Figure 2) separated by a predetermined gap. The cam 20 comprises a substantially cylindrical cam base portion 10 (i.e., a combination of a ball race portion 21 and a weight mounting portion 26) whose inner circumferential surface is a part of the inner circumferential surface 27, and a substantially flange-shaped flange portion 23 provided adjacent to the cam base portion 10, whose inner circumferential surface is another part of the inner circumferential surface 27 and which has cam surfaces 24 and 25 formed on its outer circumference.

[0135] As shown in Figure 5, the weight 30 comprises a substantially cylindrical weight base portion 31 having an inner circumferential surface 33 that faces the outer circumferential surface of the hub body 1320 (see Figure 2) separated by a predetermined gap, and a weight portion 37 fixedly connected to the weight base portion 31, thereby causing the center of gravity of the cam portion 2 to be at a predetermined center of gravity displacement position CG.

[0136] The casing portion 4 is provided on one side of the casing portion 4 in the axial CR direction (the left side in Figure 5) and includes a cam holding portion 13 having a substantially cylindrical inner circumferential surface (in this embodiment, the inner circumferential surface 61 of the outer ring 60 of the ball race) that rotatably holds the ball race portion 21, which is part of the cam base portion 10 of the cam 20; a cam housing portion CS, which is a substantially closed space provided inside the casing portion 4 adjacent to the cam holding portion 13 and accommodating the flange portion 23 of the cam 20; and a piston communication hole 14 (relief portion 49 and relief portion 69; see Figure 7) formed to connect the inside of the pump portion 8 and the cam housing portion CS in order to engage the piston joint 100 (see Figure 7) that constitutes one end of the piston 90 (the lower end in Figure 5) with the cam surfaces 24 and 25 of the cam 20.

[0137] Furthermore, the weight 30 is positioned outward in the axial CR direction (to the left in Figure 5) of the cam holding portion 13 of the casing portion 4.

[0138] The weight base portion 31 and the cam base portion 10 of the cam 20, which protrudes outward in the axial direction CR from the cam holding portion 13, i.e., the weight mounting portion 26, are configured to be fixedly connected.

[0139] Furthermore, the weight base portion 31 and flange portion 23, which together constitute the cam portion 2, are arranged to sandwich the cam holding portion 13, which constitutes the casing portion 4, from both sides in the axial CR direction so that they do not come into contact with each other.

[0140] In this manner, the flange portion 23 of the cam 20 is housed in the cam housing portion CS of the casing portion 4, which is a nearly closed space, and one end of the piston 90 engages with the cam surfaces 24 and 25 of the cam 20 through a piston communication hole 14 formed to connect the inside of the pump portion 8 with the cam housing portion CS. Therefore, the cam surfaces 24 and 25, and the end of the piston 90 that engages with them, are not exposed to the outside of the casing portion 4.

[0141] Therefore, even if foreign objects such as pebbles fly in while the vehicle is in motion, the cam 20 and piston 90, which are in operation, will not be damaged by the flying objects.

[0142] Furthermore, the gaps in the axial CR direction between the weight base portion 31, the cam holding portion 13, and the flange portion 23 are all configured to be the minimum possible gaps so that they do not come into contact with each other.

[0143] Furthermore, when the hub body 1320 is rotated, the system is configured to maintain a minimum gap between the inner circumferential surface 27 of the cam 20 and the outer circumferential surface of the hub body 1320 so that they do not come into contact with each other.

[0144] Furthermore, the casing portion 4 is provided with a case cover 50 as a hub body contact portion, which is located on the other side of the casing portion 4 in the axial CR direction (to the right in Figure 5), that is, on the side opposite to the side of the casing portion 4 in the axial CR direction from the side where the cam holding portion 13 is located, sandwiching the cam housing portion CS of the casing portion 4, and has an inner circumferential surface 53 that abuts in a substantially close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the hub body 1320.

[0145] This configuration effectively prevents fine foreign matter such as mud from entering the casing section 4, especially from the sides (the rotation axis CR direction in Figure 5), where it is most likely to enter. For example, even if mud splashes from the side during rainy weather driving, its entry can be effectively prevented.

[0146] As a result, it is possible to prevent problems such as foreign matter like mud adhering to the cam surfaces 24 and 25, which could cause the pump unit 8 to suddenly malfunction or accelerate wear and tear, shortening the lifespan of the pump unit 8 more than expected.

[0147] In other words, while it is an add-on air supply device that is attached to the outside of the existing hub body 1300 without any modification to the hub body 1300, it can be used for a long period of time, just like conventional air supply devices that house the cam inside the hub body (hub shell), by protecting the cam from foreign matter such as mud.

[0148] Furthermore, the cam 20 of the cam section 2 is housed within the casing section 4, while the weight 30 is exposed outside the casing section 4.

[0149] In the case of an add-on air supply device like air supply device 1, the cam 20 must be kept in a non-rotating state while the wheel is rotating in order to drive the pump unit 8 properly. A weight 30 is used for this purpose, but in order to keep the cam 20 in a non-rotating state, the dimensions of the weight unit 37 may have to be increased.

[0150] However, even in such cases, if the weight 30 is exposed outside the casing 4, the casing 4 can remain compact. Furthermore, since the weight 30 is not as susceptible to adverse effects from foreign matter such as mud as the cam 20 or piston 90, there are fewer disadvantages to exposing it outside the casing 4, which is also advantageous.

[0151] In other words, while being an add-on air supply device, it can achieve the same pump driving force and long-term reliability as conventional air supply devices that fix the cam with a fixed hub shaft and house the cam inside the hub body, all in a compact device.

[0152] Now, the air supply device according to the present invention is formed as a plurality of device segments divided circumferentially along the outer circumference of a hub body, and each element (hub body fixing part, rotatable part, and interposing part) is constructed by arranging the plurality of device segments circumferentially along the outer circumference of the hub body and connecting them to each other.

[0153] In other words, the air supply device is divided into multiple parts, including each element and the components that make up each element (element component parts).

[0154] The resulting divisions are referred to as "~divided parts," for example, element divisions (i.e., hub body fixed part divisions, rotatable part divisions, interfacing part divisions), or part divisions (for example, cam divisions). To simplify the expression, hub body fixed part divisions are sometimes referred to as fixed part divisions, and rotatable part divisions as rotatable part divisions.

[0155] The parts that make up the elemental section division (i.e., the fixed section division, the flexible section division, and the interposing section division) are called elemental section division component parts (i.e., fixed section division component parts, flexible section division component parts, and interposing section division component parts).

[0156] In this embodiment, the air supply device is divided into two parts and formed as two separate device parts. One of the divided device parts is called the first device part, and the other device part is called the second device part.

[0157] The components included in the first device segment are referred to as the "first segment," and the components included in the second device segment are referred to as the "second segment."

[0158] For example, the elemental parts included in the first device division (i.e., the fixed part division, the flexible part division, and the interposing part division) are called the first elemental parts division (i.e., the first fixed part division, the first flexible part division, and the first interposing part division), and the elemental parts included in the second device division are called the second elemental parts division (i.e., the second fixed part division, the second flexible part division, and the second interposing part division).

[0159] Furthermore, a part segment included in the first device segment (for example, a cam segment) is referred to as the first part segment (for example, the first cam segment), and a part segment included in the second device segment is referred to as the second part segment (for example, the second cam segment).

[0160] Furthermore, the elemental part of the divided body included in the first device divided body (i.e., the fixed part divided body component, the flexible part divided body component, and the intervening part divided body component) are referred to as the first elemental part divided body component (i.e., the first fixed part divided body component, the first flexible part divided body component, and the first intervening part divided body component), and the elemental part divided body component included in the second device divided body are referred to as the second elemental part divided body component (i.e., the second fixed part divided body component, the second flexible part divided body component, and the second intervening part divided body component).

[0161] The method of dividing the air supply device into two parts circumferentially along the outer circumference of the hub body is not particularly limited, but as will be described later, it is preferable to divide it so that the pump section 8 belongs to one of the first device division and the second device division, and the weight section 37 belongs to the other.

[0162] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 to 5, the air supply device 1 is manufactured by dividing it into a first device segment 1a and a second device segment 1b, which are divided in the circumferential direction along the outer circumference of the hub body 1320.

[0163] Furthermore, the pump section 8 and the piston communication hole 14 belong to the first device segment 1a, while the weight section 37 (see Figure 12) belongs to the second device segment 1b.

[0164] The specific method for dividing the air supply device into two parts is not particularly limited, but examples include dividing it by a plane (including a stepped plane) or by a curved surface (including a stepped curved surface). The generatrixes of these planes and curved surfaces may or may not be parallel to the rotation axis CR of the hub body 1300 (hub shell 1320).

[0165] In this example, the air supply device 1 is divided into two parts by a plane PL that includes the rotation axis CR of the hub body 1320. In each drawing, the plane PL is represented as a straight line that includes the rotation axis CR.

[0166] The first device segment 1a and the second device segment 1b are arranged to surround the outer circumference of the hub body 1320, and by connecting them to each other, the air supply device 1 can be attached to the existing hub 1000 (see Figure 2).

[0167] In other words, of the parts that make up the air supply device 1, the parts that are configured to straddle the planar PL are all manufactured separately from the planar PL, except for parts and sections that are solely for connecting them to each other, into a first part division and a second part division (i.e., the "first part" and "second part" mentioned above), with the first device division 1a containing all of the first part division and the second device division 1b containing all of the second part division.

[0168] For example, the cam 20 shown in Figures 6A to 6C is one of the parts configured to straddle the planar PL. The cam 20 is manufactured in two parts: a first cam segment 20a as a first part segment divided by the planar PL, and a second cam segment 20b as a second part segment. These are then incorporated into the first device segment 1a and the second device segment 1b, respectively. Other parts configured to straddle the planar PL are constructed similarly.

[0169] The plane PL that divides the air supply device 1 is not particularly limited, but with regard to ease of manufacturing and mounting to the hub body 1320, the plane PL is defined as a plane that includes the rotation axis CR of the hub body 1320 and is substantially perpendicular to the axis AX of the cylinder portion 80 (i.e., the axis of the lower inner cylinder portion 82 of the cylinder body 81 shown in Figure 7).

[0170] Figure 9 is a right side view of the first device segment 1a configured in this way. Figure 10 is a left side view of the first device segment 1a. Figure 11 is a right side view of the second device segment 1b. Figure 12 is a left side view of the second device segment 1b.

[0171] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the first device segment 1a shown in Figures 9 and 10, together with the pump section 8, comprises a first cam segment 20a, a first weight segment 30a, a first case body segment 40a, a first case lid segment 50a, a first ball race outer ring segment 60a, and a first retainer segment 70a.

[0172] The first cam section 20a and the first weight section 30a, which constitute the first device section 1a, are parts that constitute the first movable section section 201a, which is an element section section with a rotatable section as its element section; therefore, they are components of the first movable section section as component parts of the element section section.

[0173] As described above, the first cam section 20a and the first weight section 30a, which are components of the first movable section section, are formed as a group of parts that are fixed or engaged with each other (see Figure 5). The first movable section section 201a is sometimes referred to as the first cam section section 2a.

[0174] The first case body segment 40a, the first case lid segment 50a, the first ball race outer ring segment 60a, and the pump section 8, which constitute the first device segment 1a, are parts that constitute the first fixed section segment 202a, which is an element segment segment with the hub body fixing section as the element part; therefore, they are components of the first fixed section segment as component parts of the element segment segment. The first fixed section segment 202a with the pump section 8 removed is sometimes referred to as the first casing segment 4a.

[0175] The first fixed section segment components, namely the first case body segment 40a, the first case lid segment 50a, the first ball race outer ring segment 60a, and the pump section 8, are formed as a group of parts that are fixed or engaged with each other, as described above (see Figures 4 and 9).

[0176] The first retainer segment 70a, which holds the steel ball 71 and constitutes the first device segment 1a, is a part that constitutes the first interfacing segment 203a, which is an element segment segment with the interfacing segment as an element segment; therefore, it is a component of the first interfacing segment as an element segment component.

[0177] The first retainer segment 70a, which holds the steel ball 71 and is a component of the first interfacing segment, constitutes the first interfacing segment 203a by itself (see Figure 4).

[0178] Furthermore, as described later, the first device segment 1a is configured such that all the element segment bodies, namely the first flexible segment body 201a, the first fixed segment body 202a, and the first interfacing segment body 203a, can be engaged with each other and integrated (see Figures 4 and 5).

[0179] Next, as shown in Figures 3 to 5, the second device segment 1b shown in Figures 11 and 12 comprises a second cam segment 20b, a second double weight segment 30b, a second case body segment 40b, a second case lid segment 50b, a second ball race outer ring segment 60b, and a second retainer segment 70b.

[0180] The second cam segment 20b and the second double weight segment 30b, which constitute the second device segment 1b, are parts that constitute the second flexible segment segment 201b, which is an element segment segment with a rotatable part as its element. Therefore, they are components of the second flexible segment segment as component parts of an element segment segment.

[0181] As described above, the second cam section 20b and the second double weight section 30b, which are components of the second flexible section section, are formed as a group of parts that are fixed or engaged with each other (see Figure 5). The second flexible section section 201b is sometimes referred to as the second cam section section 2b.

[0182] The second case body segment 40b, the second case lid segment 50b, and the second ball race outer ring segment 60b, which constitute the second device segment 1b, are parts that constitute the second fixing segment 202b, which is an element segment segment with the hub body fixing part as the element part; therefore, they are second fixing segment segment parts that are element segment segment parts.

[0183] The second case body segment 40b, the second case lid segment 50b, and the second ball race outer ring segment 60b, which are components of the second fixed part segment, are formed as a group of parts that are fixed or engaged with each other, as described above (see Figures 4 and 11). The second fixed part segment 202b is sometimes referred to as the second casing segment 4b.

[0184] The second retainer segment 70b, which holds the steel ball 71 and constitutes the second device segment 1b, is a part that constitutes the second interfacing segment 203b, which is an element segment segment with the interfacing segment as an element segment; therefore, it is a component of the second interfacing segment as an element segment component.

[0185] The second retainer segment 70b, which holds the steel ball 71 and is a component of the second interfacing segment, constitutes the second interfacing segment 203b by itself (see Figure 4).

[0186] Furthermore, as described later, the second device segment 1b is configured such that all element segment bodies, namely the second flexible segment body 201b, the second fixed segment body 202b, and the second interfacing segment body 203b, can be engaged with each other and integrated (see Figures 4 and 5).

[0187] Furthermore, among the element divisions constituting the first device division 1a and the second device division 1b, which are adjacent when assembled as the air supply device 1, the first flexible part division 201a and the first fixed part division 202a, and the second flexible part division 201b and the second fixed part division 202b adjacent to them, each are equipped with a positioning structure for relative positioning.

[0188] In other words, as shown in Figure 6C, the first cam segment 20a constituting the first flexible part segment 201a is provided with a pair of pin holes 150a and 151a at substantially symmetrical positions on the dividing surface with the second cam segment 20b constituting the second flexible part segment 201b, straddling the axis of symmetry of the first cam segment 20a (AX in the drawing). The second cam segment 20b constituting the second flexible part segment 201b is provided with pin holes 150b and 151b, respectively, at positions opposite to the pin holes 150a and 151a.

[0189] Pin 152 is pre-inserted into either pin hole 150a or pin hole 150b (in this example, pin hole 150b), and pin 153 is pre-inserted into either pin hole 151a or pin hole 151b (in this example, pin hole 151b).

[0190] Therefore, by inserting the pins 152 and 153, which are pre-inserted in the second cam segment 20b, into the pin holes 150a and 151a provided in the first cam segment 20a, respectively, the first cam segment 20a and the second cam segment 20b can be positioned relative to each other.

[0191] As described above, the first cam segment 20a and the first weight segment 30a, which are components of the first flexible section segment, are formed as a group of parts that are fixed or engaged with each other, and the second cam segment 20b and the second weight segment 30b, which are components of the second flexible section segment, are formed as a group of parts that are fixed or engaged with each other (see Figure 5). Therefore, by positioning the first cam segment 20a and the second cam segment 20b relative to each other, the first flexible section segment 201a and the second flexible section segment 201b relative to each other can be achieved.

[0192] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10, the first case body segment 40a constituting the first fixed part segment 202a is provided with a dowel 146a and a dowel hole 147a at substantially symmetrical positions on the dividing surfaces 140a and 141a of the second case body segment 40b constituting the second fixed part segment 202b, straddling the axis of symmetry of the first case body segment 40a (AX in the drawing). As shown in Figure 12, the second case body segment 40b constituting the second fixed part segment 202b is provided with a dowel hole 146b and a dowel 147b at positions opposite to the dowel 146a and dowel hole 147a, respectively.

[0193] Therefore, by pressing the dowels 146a and dowel holes 147a provided on the first case body segment 40a and the dowel holes 146b and dowels 147b provided on the second case body segment 40b together so that they interlock, the first case body segment 40a and the second case body segment 40b can be positioned relative to each other.

[0194] As described above, the first fixed section segment components, namely the first case body segment 40a, the first case lid segment 50a, and the first ball race outer ring segment 60a, as well as the pump section 8, are formed as a group of parts that are fixed or engaged with each other (see Figures 4 and 9). Similarly, the second fixed section segment components, namely the second case body segment 40b, the second case lid segment 50b, and the second ball race outer ring segment 60b, are formed as a group of parts that are fixed or engaged with each other (see Figures 4 and 11). Therefore, by positioning the first case body segment 40a and the second case body segment 40b relative to each other, the first fixed section segment 202a and the second fixed section segment 202b relative to each other can be achieved.

[0195] As described above, the first retainer segment 70a, which holds the steel ball 71 that is the sole component of the first interfacing segment 203a, and the second retainer segment 70b, which holds the steel ball 71 that is the sole component of the second interfacing segment 203b, do not have a unique positioning structure for positioning each other.

[0196] However, as shown in Figure 4, the first retainer segment 70a holding the steel ball 71 is positioned in a substantially clamped state between the ball race portion 21 (see Figure 6b) of the first cam segment 20a, which is a component of the first movable segment, and the inner circumferential surface 61 of the first ball race outer ring segment 60a, which is a component of the first fixed segment. The second retainer segment 70b holding the steel ball 71 is positioned in a substantially clamped state between the ball race portion 21 (see Figure 6b) of the second cam segment 20b, which is a component of the second movable segment, and the inner circumferential surface 61 of the second ball race outer ring segment 60b, which is a component of the second fixed segment.

[0197] As described above, the first flexible part segment 201a and the first fixed part segment 202a, and the adjacent second flexible part segment 201b and the second fixed part segment 202b, are each equipped with a positioning structure for positioning each other. Therefore, when attaching the first device segment 1a and the second device segment 1b to the hub body 1320, positioning the first flexible part segment 201a and the first fixed part segment 202a of the first device segment 1a, and the adjacent second flexible part segment 201b and the second fixed part segment 202b of the second device segment 1b, respectively, will automatically position the first interfacing part segment 203a and the second interfacing part segment 203b relative to each other.

[0198] Therefore, all elemental divisions constituting the first device division 1a and all elemental divisions constituting the second device division 1b can be positioned relative to each other.

[0199] As described later, the first device segment 1a is configured to be integrated by engaging all its elemental segments with each other, and the second device segment 1b is configured to be integrated by engaging all its elemental segments with each other (see Figures 4 and 5). Considering this, when attaching the first device segment 1a and the second device segment 1b to the hub body 1320, it becomes possible to handle them and position them relative to each other accurately and easily.

[0200] Thus, this air supply device 1 makes it possible to accurately and easily install aftermarket air supply devices, which typically require installation in limited workspaces, such as by attaching them to the existing hub body through the gaps between the spokes of the wheel.

[0201] Next, with reference to Figures 6C and 9 to 12, the procedure for connecting the first device segment 1a and the second device segment 1b to each other and attaching them to the hub body 1320 will be described.

[0202] While there are no particular limitations on the arrangement of the first device segment 1a and the second device segment 1b relative to the hub body 1320 when attaching them to the hub body 1320, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3 (assuming the top of the drawing is vertically upward), the first device segment 1a is assumed to be positioned vertically upward on the hub body 1320, and the second device segment 1b is assumed to be positioned vertically downward on the hub body 1320. The reason for this will be explained later.

[0203] As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the first device segment 1a has pairs of counterbore holes 142a and screw holes 143a, counterbore holes 144a and 145a, and counterbore holes 148a and screw holes 149a for connecting with the second device segment 1b. These pairs have axial directions that are substantially perpendicular to the segment surfaces 140a and 141a and are formed to open to the segment surfaces 140a and 141a.

[0204] The pairs of counterbore holes 142a and screw holes 143a are formed in the first case lid section 50a, the pairs of counterbore holes 144a and 145a are formed in the first weight section 30a, and the pairs of counterbore holes 148a and screw holes 149a are formed in the first case body section 40a. Each pair is provided in a substantially symmetrical position straddling the axis of symmetry (AX in the drawing) of the first device section 1a.

[0205] As shown in Figures 11 and 12, the second device segment 1b has pairs of screw holes 142b and counterbore holes 143b, pairs of screw holes 144b and 145b, and pairs of screw holes 148b and counterbore holes 149b for connection with the first device segment 1a, all of which have axial directions substantially perpendicular to the segment surfaces 140b and 141b and are formed to open to the segment surfaces 140b and 141b.

[0206] The pair of screw holes 142b and counterbore hole 143b is formed in the second case lid section 50b, the pair of screw holes 144b and screw holes 145b is formed in the second double weight section 30b, and the pair of screw holes 148b and counterbore hole 149b is formed in the second case body section 40b. Each pair is located in a substantially symmetrical position across the axis of symmetry (AX in the drawing) of the second device section 1b, and is positioned opposite to the corresponding pair described above provided on the first device section 1a.

[0207] To attach the first device segment 1a and the second device segment 1b to the hub body 1320, first, the first device segment 1a and the second device segment 1b are positioned opposite each other on either side of the hub body 1320, and then pressed against each other.

[0208] As a result, as described above, the positioning structures provided at opposing positions on the first device segment 1a and the second device segment 1b interlock with each other, thereby positioning the first device segment 1a and the second device segment 1b relative to each other.

[0209] In this state, the multiple connecting counterbore holes and screw holes provided in the first device segment 1a should be in positions opposite to the corresponding connecting screw holes and counterbore holes provided in the second device segment 1b. In this state, it is sufficient to simply insert the predetermined fastening bolts (not shown) into the multiple connecting counterbore holes provided in the first device segment 1a and the second device segment 1b and tighten them to the predetermined torque.

[0210] By following this procedure, the air supply device 1, which is composed of the first device segment 1a and the second device segment 1b, can be attached to the hub body 1320.

[0211] Thus, in this example, a method of attaching the air supply device 1 to the hub body 1320 was demonstrated by preparing a first device segment 1a and a second device segment 1b, arranging them circumferentially along the outer circumference of the hub body 1320, and connecting them to each other. However, the method of attaching the air supply device 1 to the hub body 1320 (hub body 1300) is not limited to this.

[0212] For example, the following mounting method can be considered. First, prepare the first device segment 1a before the pump unit 8 is attached, that is, the first device segment 1a with the pump unit removed. This is called the sub-first device segment 1as (see Figure 3). Furthermore, prepare the second device segment 1b and the pump unit 8.

[0213] Next, the first sub-device segment 1as and the second sub-device segment 1b are arranged circumferentially along the outer circumference of the hub body 1320 of the hub body 1300 and connected to each other in the manner described above. The unit thus mounted on the hub body 1320 is called the sub-air supply device 1s (see Figure 3).

[0214] Finally, by attaching the pump unit 8 to the sub-air supply device 1s, the air supply device 1 is mounted on the hub body 1300.

[0215] As described above, the air supply device 1 is configured to be formed as a first device segment 1a and a second device segment 1b, which are divided in the circumferential direction along the outer circumference of the hub body 1320, for example, as shown in Figures 3 and 5.

[0216] The pump section 8 and piston communication hole 14 belong to the first device segment 1a (see Figure 7), and the weight section 37 belongs to the second device segment 1b (see Figure 12).

[0217] Furthermore, the cam surfaces 24 and 25 of the cam 20 and one end of the piston 90 (i.e., the rollers 103 and 105 provided on the piston joint 100 connected near the lower end of the piston 90) are configured to form a positive-acting cam.

[0218] In this way, by providing the pump section 8 and the piston communication hole 14 in the first device segment 1a, and connecting the piston 90 of the pump section 8 and the first cam segment 20a with a positive-acting cam structure, even when the open segment surfaces 140a and 141a of the first device segment 1a are facing vertically downward (see Figure 10), the first flexible section segment 201a including the first cam segment 20a and the first retainer segment 70a, which is placed so as to cover the first flexible section segment 201a vertically above, will not fall vertically downward.

[0219] Furthermore, by providing the weight portion 37 on the second device segment 1b, when the open segment surfaces 140b and 141b of the second device segment 1b face vertically upward (see Figure 12), the second flexible part segment 201b, including the second cam segment 20b, is biased vertically downward by the gravitational force of the weight portion 37, together with the second retainer segment 70b located vertically below it, and is pressed against the inner circumferential surface of the second ball race outer ring segment 60b. As a result, the second flexible part segment 201b and the second retainer segment 70b will not unintentionally fly out from the open segment surfaces 140b and 141b of the second device segment 1b.

[0220] Therefore, by configuring the first device segment 1a and the second device segment 1b in this manner, and by arranging them relative to the hub body 1320 as shown in Figure 3 (assuming the top of the drawing is vertically upward), that is, by positioning the first device segment 1a on the vertically upward side of the hub body 1320 and the second device segment 1b on the vertically downward side of the hub body 1320, it becomes possible to engage and integrate all the element segments constituting the first device segment 1a and all the element segments constituting the second device segment 1b.

[0221] As a result, when attaching the first device segment 1a and the second device segment 1b to the hub body 1320, their respective components do not separate, making it easier to attach the first device segment 1a and the second device segment 1b to the hub body 1320.

[0222] Now, in this air supply device 1, when the hub body fixing part and the rotatable part are considered as two element parts constituting the air supply device 1, each element part comprises multiple element part divisions corresponding to the first device division 1a and the second device division 1b, which are multiple device divisions, namely, the first fixed part division 202a and the second fixed part division 202b as element part divisions with the hub body fixing part as an element part, and the first rotatable part division 201a and the second rotatable part division 201b as element part divisions with the rotatable part as an element part.

[0223] Furthermore, each element division is configured to be formed as a group of parts in which the element division component parts that constitute the element division are fixed or engaged with one another.

[0224] This configuration prevents the elemental parts from falling apart when, for example, attaching the air supply device 1 to the hub body 1320, thus making the attachment process easier.

[0225] In this embodiment, each of the element divisions described above, namely the first fixed part division 202a and the second fixed part division 202b, and the first flexible part division 201a and the second flexible part division 201b, is configured to be formed as a group of parts in which the element division component parts, which constitute the element division, are fixed or engaged with each other.

[0226] Furthermore, the air supply device 1 includes an intervening part as a further element, which is interposed between the ball race outer ring 60 (and its inner circumferential surface 61), a part that constitutes the hub body fixing part, and the cam 20 (and its ball race portion 21), a part that constitutes the rotatable part, and which is a part that does not belong to either the hub body fixing part or the rotatable part, for example, a retainer 70 that holds steel balls 71.

[0227] Furthermore, in the air supply device 1, at least one of the multiple device segments, the first device segment 1a and the second device segment 1b, is configured such that, when at least that device segment is attached to the hub body 1320, all the element segments corresponding to that device segment are engaged with each other to form an integrated device segment.

[0228] In this embodiment, both the first device segment 1a and the second device segment 1b are configured such that, when mounted on the hub body 1320, all element segments corresponding to the device segment are engaged with each other to form an integrated device segment.

[0229] In other words, as described above, when attaching the first device segment 1a and the second device segment 1b to the hub body 1320, by arranging the two device segments relative to the hub body 1320 as shown in Figure 3 (assuming the top of the drawing is vertically upward), it becomes possible to configure either the first device segment 1a or the second device segment 1b as an integrated device segment by engaging all the corresponding element segments with each other when attaching them to the hub body 1320.

[0230] Furthermore, the air supply device 1 is configured such that any one of two adjacent elemental divisions corresponding to the two adjacent device divisions, the first device division 1a and the second device division 1b, namely the adjacent first fixed division 202a and the second fixed division 202b, the adjacent first flexible division 201a and the second flexible division 201b, or the adjacent first interfacing division 203a and the second interfacing division 203b, is equipped with a positioning structure for positioning each other.

[0231] This configuration allows for accurate and easy positioning of two adjacent elemental divisions. As a result, the air supply device 1 can be attached to the hub body 1300 accurately and easily.

[0232] In this embodiment, two sets of adjacent element divisions, namely the adjacent first fixed division 202a and the second fixed division 202b, and the adjacent first flexible division 201a and the second flexible division 201b, are each configured to include a positioning structure for positioning each other.

[0233] In this example, the adjacent first interfacing section division 203a and second interfacing section division 203b, that is, the first retainer division 70a holding the steel ball 71 and the second retainer division 70b holding the steel ball 71, do not have their own unique positioning structures for positioning each other. However, as described above, since the other two sets of adjacent device divisions both have positioning structures, the first interfacing section division 203a and the second interfacing section division 203b, which are positioned in a substantially clamped state relative to these, are automatically positioned relative to each other.

[0234] Two methods for attaching the air supply device 1 to the hub body 1300 are then illustrated. One method involves first preparing a first device segment 1a and a second device segment 1b, and then arranging these two segments circumferentially along the outer circumference of the hub body 1320 of the hub body 1300 and connecting them to each other. This allows the air supply device 1 to be attached to the hub body 1300.

[0235] Another method for attaching the air supply device 1 to the hub body 1300 is to first prepare a sub-first device segment 1as configured by removing the pump section 8 from the first device segment 1a, a second device segment 1b, and the pump section 8. Next, the sub-first device segment 1as and the second device segment 1b are arranged circumferentially along the outer circumference of the hub body 1320 of the hub body 1300 and connected to each other to form a sub-air supply device 1s, and then the pump section 8 is attached to this sub-air supply device 1s. The air supply device 1 can also be attached to the hub body 1300 by this method.

[0236] Using the latter mounting method, for example, even in cases where the spoke spacing of the wheel is narrow, such as on a child's bicycle, making it difficult for the first device segment 1a to pass between the spokes, the sub-first device segment 1as and the second device segment 1b, which can easily pass between the spokes, are first attached to the hub body 1300, and then the pump unit 8 is attached to them. As a result, the air supply device 1 can be attached to the hub body 1300.

[0237] Next, an air supply system 301 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0238] Figure 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of the air supply system 301. This diagram is a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the air supply system 301 mounted on the outer circumference of the hub body 2320 that constitutes the hub body 2300 of the hub 2000 of the front wheel FW, and is a view (front cross-sectional view) of the bicycle BC as seen from the rear.

[0239] Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV in Figure 13.

[0240] The configuration of the hub of the front wheel FW to which the air supply system 301 is attached is not particularly limited.

[0241] As shown in Figure 13, the hub 2000 comprises a hub axle 2100 and a hub body 2300. The hub axle 2100 is fixed to the front fork FK of the bicycle BC (see Figure 1).

[0242] The hub body 2300 is rotatably held on the hub shaft 2100. The hub body 2300 comprises a pair of substantially flange-shaped hub flanges 2310 on the left and right sides, and a substantially cylindrical hub body 2320 formed between the pair of hub flanges 2310.

[0243] Numerous spoke holes 2311 are formed near the outer circumference of the hub flange 2310. One end of a spoke SP, as shown in Figure 1, is locked into each spoke hole 2311, and the other end of the spoke SP is connected to the rim RM that holds the tire TR. In this example, the hub body 2320 is formed in a simple cylindrical shape with the same outer diameter throughout.

[0244] As shown in Figures 13 to 14, the air supply system 301 comprises the air supply device 1 described above and the attachment 130.

[0245] The configuration and operation of air supply device 1 have already been explained, so they will be omitted here.

[0246] The attachment 130 is equipped with a substantially cylindrical spacer portion 131 and is configured to fix the air supply device 1 to the hub body 2320 via the spacer portion 131.

[0247] The attachment 130 further includes a substantially cylindrical auxiliary cylindrical portion 132, which is not an essential component but is formed adjacent to the spacer portion 131.

[0248] The inner diameter of the auxiliary cylinder portion 132 is not particularly limited as long as it does not interfere with the hub body 2320 to which it is mounted, but in this example, it has the same inner diameter as the spacer portion 131. With this configuration, when mounted on a hub body 2320 having the same outer diameter as the whole, Since the contact area between the attachment 130 and the outer surface of the hub body 2320 is increased, the bonding force between them can be increased, which is advantageous.

[0249] The outer diameter of the auxiliary cylinder portion 132 is not particularly limited as long as it does not come into contact with the inner circumferential surface 35 of the cam portion 2 of the air supply device 1. In this example, however, when the hub body 2320 is rotated, a minimum gap is maintained between the inner circumferential surface 35 of the cam portion 2 and the outer circumferential surface of the auxiliary cylinder portion 132 so that they do not come into contact with each other. This configuration prevents foreign matter such as pebbles and mud from entering the inside of the air supply device 1 through the gap between the inner circumferential surface 35 of the cam portion 2 and the outer circumferential surface of the auxiliary cylinder portion 132.

[0250] The overall width of the attachment 130 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that it be configured to be larger than or approximately equal to the overall width of the air supply device 1. In this example, the overall width of the attachment 130 is configured to be approximately equal to the overall width of the air supply device 1.

[0251] The attachment 130 is formed as a plurality of attachment segments divided circumferentially along the outer circumference of the hub body 2320 that constitutes the hub body 2300. The attachment 130 is constructed by arranging the plurality of attachment segments circumferentially along the outer circumference of the hub body 2320 and connecting them to each other.

[0252] The manner of division is not particularly limited, but in this example, the hub body 2320 is divided into a first attachment division 130a and a second attachment division 130b, which are formed by dividing the hub body 2320 along a plane PL that includes the rotation axis CR. In each drawing, the plane PL is represented as a straight line including the rotation axis CR.

[0253] The first attachment segment 130a and the second attachment segment 130b are positioned to surround the outer circumference of the hub body 1320, and by connecting these segments together, the attachment 130 can be mounted on the hub body 1320 (see Figure 13).

[0254] Figure 15A is a front view of the first attachment segment 130a, and Figure 15B is a left side view of the first attachment segment 130a.

[0255] Figure 16A is a front view of the second attachment segment 130b, and Figure 16B is a left side view of the second attachment segment 130b.

[0256] As shown in Figures 15A and 15B, the first attachment segment 130a has screw holes 135a and counterbore holes 136a for connecting with the second attachment segment 130b, both of which have axial directions substantially perpendicular to the segment surfaces 133a and 134a and are formed to open to the segment surfaces 133a and 134a.

[0257] The screw hole 135a and the counterbore hole 136a are both located in substantially symmetrical positions on either side of the axis of symmetry of the first attachment segment 130a (a straight line passing through the rotation axis CR and perpendicular to the plane PL in Figure 15B), and are situated approximately in the center of the first attachment segment 130a in the width direction (the X direction in Figure 15A).

[0258] As shown in Figures 16A and 16B, the second attachment segment 130b has counterbore holes 135b and screw holes 136b for connecting with the first attachment segment 130a, both of which have axial directions substantially perpendicular to the segment surfaces 133b and 134b and are formed to open to the segment surfaces 133b and 134b.

[0259] The counterbore hole 135b and the screw hole 136b are located opposite to the screw hole 135a and the counterbore hole 136a provided in the first attachment segment 130a, respectively.

[0260] To attach the first attachment segment 130a and the second attachment segment 130b to the hub body 2320, the first attachment segment 130a and the second attachment segment 130b are positioned opposite each other on either side of the hub body 2320, and the predetermined fastening bolts 137 (see Figure 14) are inserted into the counterbore holes 136a and 135b provided in the first attachment segment 130a and the second attachment segment 130b, respectively, and then tightened to a predetermined torque.

[0261] By following this procedure, the attachment 130, which is composed of the first attachment segment 130a and the second attachment segment 130b, can be attached to the hub body 2320.

[0262] Finally, the air supply device 1 can be attached to the attachment 130 already mounted on the hub body 2320 using the same procedure as the procedure for attaching the air supply device 1 to the hub body 1320 of the rear wheel RW (described above).

[0263] At this time, as shown in Figure 13, it is necessary to determine the position of the air supply device 1 in the rotation axis CR direction such that the outer peripheral surface of the spacer portion 131 of the attachment 130 abuts against the inner peripheral surface 53 of the case lid 50 of the air supply device 1, and the auxiliary cylindrical portion 132 of the attachment 130 faces the inner peripheral surface 35 of the cam portion 2 of the air supply device 1.

[0264] In this case, it is preferable to set the dimensions of the attachment 130 in the width direction such that the positioning of the air supply device 1 in the rotation axis CR direction is automatically performed by substantially aligning one of the two end faces of the attachment 130 in the width direction (X direction in Figure 13) (i.e., the end face 138 on the spacer portion 131 side and the end face 139 on the auxiliary cylinder portion 132 side) with the corresponding end face of the air supply device 1 in the width direction (X direction in Figure 13) (i.e., the end face 51 of the case lid 50 of the air supply device 1 or the end face 39 of the cam portion 2 of the air supply device 1).

[0265] In this embodiment, the overall width dimension of the attachment 130 is configured to be approximately equal to the overall width dimension of the air supply device 1, and the dimensions in the width direction of the attachment 130 (i.e., the overall width dimension of the attachment 130 and the boundary position in the width direction between the spacer portion 131 and the auxiliary cylinder portion 132) are set so that the positioning of the air supply device 1 in the rotation axis CR direction is automatically performed even if either end face in the width direction of the attachment 130 is approximately aligned with the corresponding end face in the width direction of the air supply device 1.

[0266] In the embodiments described above, the air supply device was explained using a single-cycle cam (a cam configured to move the piston back and forth once for each rotation of the cam) as an example. However, the cams that make up the air supply device are not limited to this. A multi-cycle cam (a cam configured to move the piston back and forth multiple times for each rotation of the cam) can also be used as the cams that make up the air supply device.

[0267] This section describes a two-cycle cam (a cam configured to cause the piston to reciprocate twice for every rotation of the cam) as an example of a multi-cycle cam used in an air supply system.

[0268] Figures 17A, 17B, and 17C are the left side view, longitudinal section view, and right side view, respectively, of cam 220, which is a two-cycle cam.

[0269] As shown in Figures 17A to 17C, the cam surface 224 of the cam 220 is composed of a racetrack-like (approximately oval-shaped) outer surface, which consists of a half-circle arc-shaped outer cylindrical surface centered on a cylindrical displacement position CC1, which is a position offset from the rotation axis CR of the cam 220, a half-circle arc-shaped outer cylindrical surface centered on a cylindrical displacement position CC2, which is in a position symmetrical to the cylindrical displacement position CC1 when the plane PL is the plane of symmetry, and a pair of planes connecting these.

[0270] The cam surface 225 is a cam surface formed on the opposite side (inside) of the cam surface 224, and the distance between the cam surface 224 and the cam surface 225 is configured to be constant.

[0271] The remaining configuration of cam 220 is the same as that of cam 20 shown in Figures 6A to 6C, so its explanation is omitted.

[0272] By using a cam 220 instead of the cam 20 that constitutes the air supply device 1 in each of the embodiments described above, an air supply device can be realized that can supply compressed air to the tire TR twice for each rotation of the wheel.

[0273] Now, in each of the above-described embodiments, the air supply device is formed as a plurality of device divided bodies that are circumferentially divided into a plurality along the outer periphery of the hub body, and the plurality of device divided bodies are arranged circumferentially along the outer periphery of the hub body and coupled to each other to construct the hub body fixing portion and the rotatable portion. However, the air supply device according to the present invention is not limited to this.

[0274] The air supply device according to the present invention includes part divided bodies in which each part constituting the hub body fixing portion and the rotatable portion is circumferentially divided into a plurality along the outer periphery of the hub body, and by arranging the corresponding part divided bodies circumferentially along the outer periphery of the hub body and coupling them to each other, it can also be applied when configured to construct the hub body fixing portion and the rotatable portion.

[0275] Hereinafter, an air supply device 501 according to still another embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration will be described.

[0276] FIG. 18 is a longitudinal sectional view for explaining the configuration of an air supply device 501 mounted on the outer periphery of a hub barrel 1320 constituting a hub body 1300 of a hub 1000 of a rear wheel RW, and is a drawing corresponding to FIG. 2 in the above-described air supply device 1.

[0277] The air supply device 501 includes a cam portion 502 that is a part constituting the rotatable portion, a casing portion 504 and a pump portion 508 that are parts constituting the hub body fixing portion, and a bearing member 570 that is a part constituting the interposed portion.

[0278] The cam portion 502 includes a cam 520 and a weight 530. The weight 530 includes a weight base portion 531 and a weight portion 537. Therefore, the cam 520, the weight base portion 531, and the weight portion 537 also correspond to parts constituting the rotatable portion.

[0279] In the air supply device 501, the cam 520, the weight base 531, and the casing 504, which constitute the rotatable part and hub body fixing part, are each divided into two parts and formed as separate parts. For example, the cam 520 is divided into two parts and formed as a first cam separate part 520a and a second cam separate part 520b (see Figure 19).

[0280] The method for dividing each part constituting the hub body fixing portion and the rotatable portion into two in the circumferential direction along the outer circumference of the hub body is not particularly limited, but for example, one of the methods for dividing the air supply device 1 described above into two can be used.

[0281] However, in the air supply device 501, the parts constituting the hub body fixing part and the rotatable part do not necessarily have to be divided into two using the same method. It is also possible to configure one or more of the parts to be divided into two using a different method (for example, a different dividing surface) than the other parts.

[0282] This is because, unlike the case of air supply device 1, air supply device 501 allows each part to be attached to the hub body individually. This configuration is advantageous because it makes it possible to adopt the optimal division method according to the attributes of each part (manufacturing method, assembly method, etc.) and the method of joining the parts together.

[0283] Furthermore, as will be described later, in the air supply device 501, the bearing member, which is a part that constitutes the interposing section, is formed as a single flexible part without being divided into two sections. This is also because it allows each part to be attached to the hub body individually.

[0284] Figure 19 is a right side view showing an example of cam 520. As shown in Figure 19, cam 520 differs from cam 20 (see Figure 6C), which is formed in two parts by a plane PL, which is a plane containing the rotation axis CR and substantially perpendicular to the axis AX, in that cam 520 is formed in two parts by a plane containing its rotation axis CR and symmetry axis (axis) AX. In other words, cam 520 is formed as two parts consisting of a plane-symmetric first cam division 520a and a second cam division 520b.

[0285] If the parts are formed as two mutually symmetrical components in this way, even if distortion occurs during the manufacturing process (for example, the sintering process for sintered metals, the heat treatment process, etc.), the distortion itself is likely to be symmetrical. Therefore, it is advantageous that the misalignment between the two parts when joining them can be kept to a minimum.

[0286] As shown in Figure 19, the first cam segment 520a and the second cam segment 520b are also equipped with a positioning structure for relative positioning, similar to the first cam segment 20a and the second cam segment 20b described above (see Figure 6C). However, the positioning structures of the first cam segment 520a and the second cam segment 520b are positioned approximately 90 degrees around the rotation axis CR compared to those of the first cam segment 20a and the second cam segment 20b.

[0287] Specifically, as shown in Figure 19, the first cam segment 520a is provided with a pair of pin holes 650a and 651a at substantially symmetrical positions on the dividing surface with the second cam segment 520b, straddling an axis (BX in the drawing) perpendicular to the rotation axis CR and the symmetry axis AX, and the second cam segment 520b is provided with pin holes 650b and 651b at positions opposite to the pin holes 650a and 651a, respectively.

[0288] Pin 652 is pre-inserted into either pin hole 650a or pin hole 650b (for example, pin hole 650b), and pin 653 is pre-inserted into either pin hole 651a or pin hole 651b (for example, pin hole 651b).

[0289] Therefore, by inserting the pins 652 and 653, which are pre-inserted in the second cam segment 520b, into the pin holes 650a and 651a provided in the first cam segment 520a, the first cam segment 520a and the second cam segment 520b can be positioned relative to each other.

[0290] The remaining configuration of cam 520 is substantially the same as that of cam 20 (see Figures 6A to 6C) described above.

[0291] Returning to Figure 18, the configuration of the weight 530, which is another part that constitutes the rotatable section, is not particularly limited, but for example, it can have a configuration that is substantially the same as the weight 30 (see Figure 5) described above. In this example, the weight 530 differs from the weight 30 in that it is provided with a positioning structure for positioning the weight base 531 and the weight section 537 relative to each other.

[0292] The specific configuration of the positioning structure for the weight 530 is not particularly limited, but for example, the weight base 531 and the weight 537 can be positioned relative to each other by inserting a pin PN into a pin hole provided at corresponding positions on the weight base 531 and the weight 537. This configuration allows for accurate and easy coupling of the weight base 531 and the weight 537.

[0293] Furthermore, in the case of the weight 530, the weight base portion 531 alone is divided into two parts in the same manner as the weight base portion 31 described above (see Figure 5), and formed as a first weight base portion divided body 531a and a second double weight base portion divided body 531b (see Figure 18). This differs from the weight 30, in that the weight base portion 31 to which the weight portion 37 is attached in advance is divided into two parts to form a first weight portion divided body 30a and a second double weight portion divided body 30b.

[0294] The remaining components of the weight 530 are substantially the same as those of the weight 30 (see Figure 5) described above.

[0295] Note that the weight portion 537 is directly attached to one of the part-divided bodies of the weight base portion 531 (in this example, the second weight base partial divided body 531b), and thus is not divided into two parts. This is the same as the weight portion 37 described above.

[0296] Next, the casing portion 504, which is a part constituting the hub body fixing portion, will be described. The configuration of the casing portion 504 is not particularly limited. For example, it can have substantially the same configuration as the above-described casing portion 4 (see FIG. 5). However, in this example, a different configuration is adopted.

[0297] That is, in this example, the casing portion 504 is configured as one part. In the above-described air supply device 1 (see FIG. 5), the substantially cylindrical case main body 40, the cylindrical case lid 50 with a flange, and the substantially cylindrical ball race outer ring 60 are formed as separate parts, and a plurality of bolts 54 (see FIGS. 9 and 11) and bolts 68 (see FIG. 4) are used to couple them to each other to form the casing portion 4. However, in the air supply device 501 shown in FIG. 18, from the beginning, these are formed together as a single part, the casing portion 504.

[0298] Note that a ball race outer ring 560 (corresponding to the ball race outer ring 60 in FIG. 5) is formed in the casing portion 504 in advance by a method such as insert molding. As the main material of the casing portion 504, synthetic resins such as engineering plastics (e.g., polyamide resin) with excellent strength and moldability are often used. However, since a higher hardness material (e.g., sintered metal) is required for the ball race outer ring 560, such a method is adopted to form the casing portion 504.

[0299] Thus, by forming the casing portion 504 as one part, it is possible to reduce the time and cost for manufacturing and assembly compared to the above-described casing portion 4, which is formed by combining a plurality of parts.

[0300] One end of the casing portion 504 (the right end in Figure 18), that is, the wall-like portion 550 that abuts against the large-diameter outer circumference 1322 of the hub body 1320, is provided with a female screw hole formed to reach the large-diameter outer circumference 1322, and a bolt 555 is screwed into it.

[0301] When attaching the casing section 504 (the first casing section division 504a and the second casing section division 504b described later) to the hub body 1320, two pairs of bolts (not shown) are used, similar to the case of the casing section 4 described above. However, by further tightening the bolts 555 after attaching the casing section 504 to the hub body 1320, the positioning of the hub body 1320 and the casing section 504 can be made more reliable, and the connection between the two can be made stronger.

[0302] The remaining configuration of the casing section 504 is substantially the same as that of the casing section 4 (see Figure 5) described above.

[0303] The casing portion 504 is divided into two parts in the same manner as the casing portion 4 described above (see Figure 5), and formed as a first casing portion divided part 504a and a second casing portion divided part 504b (see Figure 18).

[0304] As shown in Figure 18, the configuration of the pump section 508, which is another part that constitutes the hub body fixing section, is not particularly limited, but for example, it can have a configuration that is substantially the same as the pump section 8 (see Figure 8) described above. However, in this example, a different configuration is used.

[0305] In other words, in the pump section 8 (see Figure 7) that constitutes the air supply device 1 described above, the cylinder section 80 and the cylinder bracket section 110 were prepared separately and configured to be used by combining them. However, in the pump section 508 (see Figure 18) that constitutes the air supply device 501, instead of the cylinder section 80 and the cylinder bracket section 110 (excluding the cylinder cover 117) shown in Figure 7, a single cylinder section 580 that combines these functions is used.

[0306] This configuration is advantageous because it eliminates the need for the coupling and adjustment process between the cylinder section 80 and the cylinder bracket section 110, as seen in the pump section 8 (see Figure 7).

[0307] The material of the cylinder portion 580 is not particularly limited, but for example, the same material as the main material of the casing portion 504 can be used. In this case, a check valve holder 589 made of a different material (for example, brass) is provided with a female threaded portion for attaching the relief valve 120. It is preferable to form these in advance using methods such as insert molding.

[0308] The remaining components of the pump unit 508 are substantially the same as those of the pump unit 8 (see Figure 7) described above.

[0309] The pump section 508, as with the pump section 8 described above, is attached directly to one of the divided parts of the casing section 504 (in this example, the first casing section divided part 504a), and is therefore not divided into two parts.

[0310] Next, we will describe the bearing member 570, which is a component of the interposing part.

[0311] In the air supply device 1 described above, the retainer 70 that holds the steel ball 71 constituting the interposing part is formed by dividing it into a first retainer split body 70a and a second retainer split body 70b (see Figure 4), but the bearing member 570 is different.

[0312] The bearing member 570 is configured to be formed as a single flexible part without being divided into two sections.

[0313] Figure 20A is a plan view of the unfolded bearing member 570, Figure 20B is a front view of the unfolded bearing member 570, Figure 20C is a bottom view of the unfolded bearing member 570, Figure 20D is a cross-sectional view of the unfolded bearing member 570, and Figure 20E is a right side view of the unfolded bearing member 570.

[0314] Figure 21A is a conceptual front view of the bearing member 570 as it is mounted on the air supply device 501. Figure 21B is a drawing showing the XXIB-XXIB cross section in Figure 21A.

[0315] The type of bearing member 570 is not particularly limited; for example, it may be a sliding bearing or a rolling bearing. However, here, as with the case of the air supply device 1 described above, we will explain using the example where the bearing member 570 is a retainer holding steel balls.

[0316] As shown in Figure 20A and other figures, a steel ball is rotatably held in each of the numerous (for example, 12) steel ball holding holes 571 provided in the bearing member 570. However, for the sake of clarity, the steel balls are omitted from Figures 20A to 21E. Also, in Figures 20A to 20D, the middle portion of the bearing member 570 is omitted from the depiction.

[0317] The specific configuration of the bearing member 570 is not particularly limited, but in this example, it is configured as a single flexible part, for example, a retainer formed from a synthetic resin such as nylon in a roughly strip shape, with a large number of steel balls held within it.

[0318] As shown in Figure 20A and other figures, in this example, the substantially flat, strip-shaped bearing member 570 is provided with hook portions 572a and 572b at both ends, which have a hook shape as a means of connecting the ends together.

[0319] As shown in Figure 21B, the bearing member 570 can be bent into an arc shape, and the hook portion 572a and hook portion 572b can be engaged and locked together, thereby connecting both ends of the bearing member 570 to each other.

[0320] Furthermore, the shapes of the hook portions 572a and 572b are not limited to those shown in the drawings. Also, the coupling means for connecting the ends are not limited to those having a hook shape. Moreover, a bearing member 570 without coupling means at both ends also falls under the category of the bearing member of the present invention.

[0321] As shown in Figure 20A and other figures, the bearing member 570 comprises a number of substantially rectangular steel ball holding portions 573 arranged at regular intervals, and a number of substantially rectangular connecting portions 574 that connect adjacent steel ball holding portions 573 to each other. A steel ball holding hole 571 is provided approximately in the center of each steel ball holding portion 573. The dimensions of the steel ball holding portion 573 are formed to ensure the necessary thickness and width for holding the steel balls.

[0322] In this embodiment, the bending rigidity of the connecting portion 574 is configured to be equal to or less than that of the steel ball holding portion 573. Specifically, the thickness and / or width of the connecting portion 574 is configured to be smaller than that of the steel ball holding portion 573.

[0323] By configuring it in this way, it is possible to realize a roughly strip-shaped bearing member 570 that has the necessary thickness and width to hold the steel ball while being easily flexible.

[0324] In this example, the thickness of the connecting portion 574 is configured to be smaller than that of the steel ball holding portion 573, and the inner surface 575 (the lower surface in Figure 20B) of the bearing member 570 is made flush, while the outer surface 576 (the upper surface in Figure 20B) is configured to be uneven. With this configuration, as shown in Figure 21A, it becomes easy to bend the inner surface 575 toward the concave side (and the outer surface 576 toward the convex side), thus facilitating the process of winding the bearing member 570 around the ball race portion of the cam 520.

[0325] In this embodiment, a substantially flat, strip-shaped bearing member 570 is prepared as the bearing member, and it is configured to be wound around the substantially cylindrical ball race portion of the cam 520 (see ball race portion 21 of cam 20 in Figure 6B) while being bent in an arc shape. However, the bearing member is not limited to this.

[0326] As a bearing member, for example, a substantially strip-shaped bearing member formed in a substantially arc shape with a slit can be prepared, and the bearing member can be fitted into the substantially cylindrical ball race portion of the cam 520 while widening the slit against the restoring force of the bearing member. In this case, the bearing member may or may not be provided with the aforementioned coupling means at both ends (the slit portions).

[0327] Furthermore, among the parts that constitute the hub body fixing part, rotatable part, and interfacing part of the air supply device, parts that are formed by dividing them into separate parts are sometimes called parts to be divided, and parts that are formed without dividing them into separate parts are sometimes called undivided parts.

[0328] In the air supply device 501, the cam 520, the weight base section 531, and the casing section 504 are parts that can be separated, while the weight section 537, the pump section 508, and the bearing member 570 are parts that cannot be separated.

[0329] Among the non-divisible parts, those that are fixedly connected to other parts (for example, the divided parts of the parts to be divided) in the air supply device 501, such as the weight section 537 and the pump section 508, are called connectable non-divisible parts, while those that are used in the air supply device 501 without being fixedly connected to other parts, such as the bearing member 570, are called non-connectable non-divisible parts.

[0330] Next, the procedure for attaching the air supply device 501 to the hub body 1320 of a ready-made bicycle will be described. In the case of the air supply device 1 described above, a first device segment 1a and a second device segment 1b were prepared along with a ready-made bicycle, and these pair of device segments were arranged around the hub body 1320 of the ready-made bicycle and then connected to each other using bolts or the like. However, the air supply device 501 is different.

[0331] In other words, the air supply device 501 is configured to be assembled (arranged or arranged and joined) in a predetermined order so that it is in a predetermined positional relationship with the pre-fabricated bicycle, along with the divided parts of the parts to be divided and the non-divided parts.

[0332] The specific order in which the divided parts and non-divided parts of the various parts to be divided are assembled is not particularly limited, but due to constraints in the configuration of the air supply device 501, the assembly order of at least the cam 520, bearing member 570, and casing portion 504 to the hub body 1320 must be carried out in this order.

[0333] Furthermore, due to similar constraints, the assembly order of the two parts, the cam 520 and the weight base portion 531, to the hub body 1320 must be performed in this order.

[0334] Under these constraints, the assembly order of each part to the hub body 1320 can be appropriately selected depending on the characteristics of the bicycle to which the air supply device 501 is to be attached (for example, the spoke spacing of the wheels, the size of the wheel diameter, etc.) and the working environment (the presence or absence of a bicycle fixing device, the size of the working space, etc.). Therefore, it becomes possible to retrofit the air supply device to a wider variety of commercially available bicycles, etc., under various working environments.

[0335] For example, in situations where the spoke spacing of the wheels is large, the wheel diameter is large, and the working environment is favorable, the system can be configured to permanently attach a corresponding non-separable connectable part to one of the separate parts before joining the separate parts together.

[0336] Specifically, the system can be configured such that the weight section 537 is attached to the second double-weight base section section 531b before the first double-weight base section section 531a is joined together, or the pump section 508 is attached to the first casing section section 504a before the first casing section section 504a is joined together.

[0337] Conversely, if, for example, the spoke spacing or diameter of the wheel is small, or if the working environment is not ideal, the system can be configured to permanently connect non-separable parts at any time after the divided parts have been joined together.

[0338] Specifically, the first weight base section division 531a and the second weight base section division 531b are joined to construct the weight base section 531, and then the weight section 537 can be joined to the weight base section 531 at any time, for example, in the final stages of assembling the air supply device 501. Alternatively, the first casing section division 504a and the second casing section division 504b are joined to construct the casing section 504, and then the pump section 508 can be joined to the casing section 504 at any time, for example, in the final stages of assembling the air supply device 501.

[0339] In this case, an example of the assembly order to the hub body 1320 is the cam 520, weight base portion 531, bearing member 570, casing portion 504, weight portion 537, and pump portion 508.

[0340] As described above, the bearing member 570, which is formed as a flexible, roughly strip-shaped part, can be attached to the roughly cylindrical ball race portion of the cam 520, which is previously mounted on the hub body 1320, by winding the bearing member 570 around it.

[0341] Furthermore, each part other than the bearing member 570 (cam 520, weight base 531, weight 537, casing 504, and pump 508) can be attached to the hub body 1320 in generally the same manner as the cam 20, weight base 31, weight 37, casing 50, and pump 8 in the air supply device 1 described above.

[0342] In the air supply device 501, the dividing surface of the cam 520 (see Figure 19) and the dividing surface of the weight base portion 531 (similar to the dividing surface of the weight base portion 31 shown in Figures 10 and 12) are not identical, but are offset by a predetermined angle (approximately 90 degrees around the rotation axis CR in this example; see Figure 18). The device is configured to connect the two while maintaining this relationship. This is for the following reasons.

[0343] In other words, in the air supply device 501, after constructing the cam 520 by joining the first cam segment 520a and the second cam segment 520b (see Figure 19), the first weight base segment 531a and the second double weight base segment 531b are joined by fitting together the annular grooves and protrusions provided on the substantially cylindrical outer surface of the weight mounting portion 26 of the cam 520 with the annular grooves and grooves provided on the substantially cylindrical inner surface of the cam mounting portion 32 of the first weight base segment 531a and the second double weight base segment 531b (see Figure 5).

[0344] However, in the air supply device 501, relative rotation between the first weight base section division 531a and the second weight base section division 531b and the cam 520 is not prohibited before they are joined together, so the fitting of the convex and concave grooves is not limited to a press-fit.

[0345] Now, when joining the cam 520 and the weight base portion 531, the first cam segment 520a and the second cam segment 520b are joined only by pins 652 and 653, while the first weight base portion segment 531a and the second double weight base portion segment 531b are joined by inserting predetermined fastening bolts (not shown) into counterbore holes 144a and 145a (see Figure 10) provided in the first weight base portion segment 531a, and then tightening them into screw holes 144b and 145b (see Figure 12) provided in the second double weight base portion segment 531b.

[0346] Therefore, if the dividing surface of the cam 520 (see Figure 19) and the dividing surface of the weight base portion 531 (similar to the dividing surface of the weight base portion 31 shown in Figures 10 and 12) are aligned, there is a risk of misalignment occurring at the joint between the first cam segment 520a and the second cam segment 520b, which are only positioned by pins 652 and 653.

[0347] If misalignment occurs at the joint between the first cam segment 520a and the second cam segment 520b, misalignment will occur between the guide grooves 22 that roll the steel balls 71 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the ball race section 21 shown in Figure 6B, which may cause the air supply device 501 to malfunction.

[0348] To prevent such a situation from occurring, the air supply device 501 is configured to connect the dividing surface of the cam 520 and the dividing surface of the weight base portion 531 at a predetermined angle offset (not aligned). In this case, the angle at which the offset can occur is not particularly limited.

[0349] However, by setting the angle of shift to approximately 90 degrees, a different effect occurs, as described below.

[0350] In the air supply device 1 described above, when connecting the cam 20 and the weight base portion 31, they are configured to align their dividing surfaces. This ensures that, with the weight portion 37 attached, the cam portion 2, under the influence of gravity, is positioned as shown in Figures 3 and 5, that is, the apex of the cam 20 (cam nose) is closest to the upper end (open end) of the piston communication hole 14 of the casing portion 4.

[0351] Since the dividing surface of the cam 520 in the air supply device 501 is displaced by approximately 90 degrees relative to the dividing surface of the cam 20 in the air supply device 1, when connecting the cam 520 and the weight base portion 531, the same state as the air supply device 1 can be achieved by shifting their dividing surfaces by approximately 90 degrees.

[0352] In other words, in the air supply device 501, if the cam 520 and the weight base portion 531 are coupled with the dividing surface of the cam 520 and the dividing surface of the weight base portion 531 offset by approximately 90 degrees around the rotation axis CR, then the apex (cam nose) CN (see Figure 19) of the cam 520 with the weight portion 537 attached will be closest to the upper end (open end) of the piston communication hole 14 of the casing portion 504 due to gravity acting on the cam portion 502 including the weight portion 537, similar to the case of the cam 20 shown in Figure 5.

[0353] Therefore, when attaching the pump section 508 to the casing section 504 afterward, it becomes easier to engage the rollers 103 and 105 of the piston joint 100, which constitute one end (lower end) of the piston 90 of the pump section 508, with the cam surfaces 24 and 25 of the cam 20 located inside the casing section 504, via the piston communication hole 14 (see Figure 3).

[0354] All of the various variations of the air supply device 1 described above can be applied to the air supply device 501, except for technologies that are not applicable to the air supply device 501. Furthermore, all of the various variations of the air supply device 501 can be applied to the air supply device 1, except for technologies that are not applicable to the air supply device 1 described above.

[0355] Now, in the embodiments described above, we have described a case in which the air supply device includes a part that constitutes an intervening part (for example, a retainer 70 holding the steel ball 71 in the air supply device 1 shown in Figure 4, or a bearing member 570 in the air supply device 501 shown in Figure 18) which is interposed between the part that constitutes the hub body fixing part and the part that constitutes the rotatable part, and is configured to rotatably hold the rotatable part with respect to the hub body fixing part via the part that constitutes the intervening part. However, the air supply device according to the present invention is not limited to this.

[0356] The air supply device according to the present invention can also be applied when the rotatable part is rotatably held relative to the hub body fixing part by sliding the parts constituting the hub body fixing part and the parts constituting the rotatable part, either directly or via a sliding member.

[0357] In other words, this invention can also be applied to an air supply device configured to rotatably hold a rotatable part relative to a hub body fixing part by sliding the cylindrical surface of a part constituting a hub body fixing part having a cylindrical surface concentric with the cylindrical surface of the hub body fixing part, either directly or via a sliding member.

[0358] The following describes an air supply device 701 according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, which has the above configuration. The air supply device 701 is an example in which the parts constituting the hub body fixing part and the parts constituting the rotatable part are configured to slide directly (including in the case of using a lubricant).

[0359] Figure 22 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of an air supply device 701 mounted on the outer circumference of the hub body 1320 that constitutes the hub body 1300 of the rear wheel RW hub 1000, and corresponds to Figure 18 in the air supply device 501 described above. Figure 23 is a partially enlarged view of Figure 22.

[0360] As shown in Figure 22, the air supply device 701 is configured by removing the bearing member 570 from the air supply device 501 shown in Figure 18, replacing the ball race portion of the cam 520 in the air supply device 501 (corresponding to the ball race portion 21 of the cam 20 in Figure 6B) with an inner ring 721 of the cam 520, and further replacing the outer ring 560 of the ball race in the air supply device 501 with an outer ring 760.

[0361] The outer ring 760 can be formed in the casing portion 504 using a method similar to that used for the ball race outer ring 560 in the air supply device 501. In other words, in this example, the outer ring 760 is pre-formed in the casing portion 504 by a method such as insert molding. The material of the outer ring 760 is not particularly limited, but for example, quenched sintered metal can be used.

[0362] The inner ring 721 of cam 520 can have a configuration similar to, for example, the ball race portion of cam 520 in the air supply device 501 (corresponding to the ball race portion 21 of cam 20 in Figure 6B). The material of the inner ring 721 of cam 520 is not particularly limited, but for example, hardened sintered metal can be used.

[0363] As shown in Figure 23, the outer circumferential surface 723 of the inner ring 721 of the cam 520 is cylindrical, and a roughly annular grease reservoir 722 with a concave cross-section is formed on the outer circumferential surface 723. The grease reservoir 722 can have a configuration similar to, for example, the guide groove provided in the ball race portion of the cam 520 in the air supply device 501 (corresponding to the guide groove 22 of the cam 20 in Figure 6B).

[0364] The inner circumferential surface 761 of the outer ring 760 is configured to be a cylindrical surface concentric with the outer circumferential surface 723 of the inner ring 721 of the cam 520. The inner circumferential surface 761 is configured to face the outer circumferential surface 723 of the inner ring 721 of the cam 520, separated by a predetermined gap (for example, about 0.1 mm) required for a sliding bearing.

[0365] The grease reservoir 722 is filled with grease (not shown) as a lubricant, and the grease is supplied from the grease reservoir 722 to the gap between the inner circumferential surface 761 of the outer ring 760 and the outer circumferential surface 723 of the inner ring 721.

[0366] In this embodiment, a single, substantially annular grease reservoir 722 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the inner ring 721 of the cam 520. However, the position and shape of the grease reservoir are not limited to this. For example, multiple independent, spot-shaped grease reservoirs can be provided on the outer circumferential surface 723 of the inner ring 721 of the cam 520, a grease reservoir can be provided on the inner circumferential surface 761 of the outer ring 760, or grease reservoirs can be provided on both the outer circumferential surface 723 of the inner ring 721 and the inner circumferential surface 761 of the outer ring 760. Conversely, it is also possible to configure the cam 520 without providing any grease reservoirs.

[0367] Furthermore, while the example given uses grease as a lubricant, the lubricant is not limited to grease. Other semi-solid lubricants, liquid lubricants (e.g., lubricating oil), solid lubricants (e.g., molybdenum disulfide), etc., can also be used as lubricants. Moreover, the inner circumferential surface 761 of the outer ring 760 and the outer circumferential surface 723 of the inner ring 721 can be configured to slide against each other without the need for a lubricant.

[0368] The remaining configuration of the air supply device 701 is substantially the same as that of the air supply device 501 (see Figure 18) described above.

[0369] In this way, by configuring the outer ring 760 and the inner ring 721 of the cam 520 to slide directly (including when lubricant is used), the rotatable part can be rotatably held relative to the hub body fixing part without using the bearing member 570 or other members in the air supply device 501 shown in Figure 18. As a result, the product defect rate can be kept low, and by reducing the number of parts, an air supply device that is easy for users to assemble on bicycles and the like can be realized.

[0370] Next, an air supply device 801 according to yet another embodiment of the present invention will be described. The air supply device 801 is an example in which a part constituting the hub body fixing part and a part constituting the rotatable part are slid via a sliding member (including the case where a lubricant is also used).

[0371] Figure 24 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an air supply device 801 mounted on the outer circumference of the hub body 1320 that constitutes the hub body 1300 of the rear wheel RW hub 1000, and is a diagram corresponding to Figure 23 of the air supply device 701 described above.

[0372] As shown in Figure 24, the air supply device 801 is configured in the same way as the air supply device 701 shown in Figure 23, but with an outer ring 860 and a sliding member 870 instead of the outer ring 760.

[0373] In this embodiment, the configuration of the inner ring 721 of the cam 520 of the air supply device 801 is the same as that of the air supply device 701, so a description will be omitted.

[0374] The outer ring 860 can have a configuration similar to, for example, the ball race outer ring 560 in the air supply device 501. The material of the outer ring 860 is not particularly limited, but for example, hardened sintered metal can be used.

[0375] As shown in Figure 24, the inner circumferential surface 861 of the outer ring 860 is configured to be a cylindrical surface concentric with the outer circumferential surface 723 of the inner ring 721 of the cam 520. A substantially annular grease reservoir 862 with a concave cross-section is formed on the inner circumferential surface 861 of the outer ring 860. The grease reservoir 862 can be configured similarly to, for example, the guide groove provided on the ball race outer ring 560 in the air supply device 501 (corresponding to the guide groove 62 on the ball race outer ring 60 in Figure 5).

[0376] The shape of the sliding member 870 is not particularly limited, but in this example, it is configured to have an annular or strip-shaped form with a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape (see Figure 21B) similar to that of the bearing member 570 in the air supply device 501.

[0377] The thickness of the sliding member 870 is not particularly limited, but in this example, it is the dimension obtained by subtracting a predetermined gap (for example, about 0.1 mm) required for a sliding bearing from the distance between the inner circumferential surface 861 of the outer ring 860 and the outer circumferential surface 723 of the inner ring 721 of the cam 520, and is set such that when the inner ring 721 and the outer ring 860 rotate relative to each other, the outer circumferential surface 723 of the inner ring 721 and the inner surface 843 of the small diameter cylinder of the outer ring 860 (corresponding to the inner surface 43 of the small diameter cylinder of the case body 40 in Figure 5) do not come into direct contact.

[0378] The sliding member 870 is formed as a single flexible part without being divided in the circumferential direction, and can be configured to be wound and interposed between the part constituting the hub body fixing part (for example, the casing part 504) and the part constituting the rotatable part (for example, the cam 520) in the same manner as the bearing member 570 in the air supply device 501.

[0379] The sliding member 870 can also be divided into multiple parts (two in this example) in the circumferential direction and configured to be mounted and held in place by two part divisions constituting the hub body fixing portion (for example, the first casing part division 504a and the second casing part division 504b shown in Figure 18) or two part divisions constituting the rotatable portion (for example, the first cam division 520a and the second cam division 520b shown in Figure 19), in the same manner as the first retainer division 70a and the second retainer division 70b in the air supply device 1.

[0380] In this case, if grease is applied in advance to the sliding surfaces of the two parts to which the two divided parts of the sliding member 870 are attached, it becomes easier to hold the two divided parts of the sliding member 870 in place, thus simplifying the assembly process.

[0381] The material of the sliding member 870 is not particularly limited; for example, synthetic resins such as polyacetal, copper-based or iron-based metals, or ceramics can be used.

[0382] The grease reservoirs 722 and 862 are filled with grease (not shown) as a lubricant, and the grease is supplied from the grease reservoirs 722 and 862 to the inner circumferential surface 861 of the outer ring 860, the sliding member 870, and the gap between the outer circumferential surface 723 of the inner ring 721.

[0383] As with the air supply device 701, the position and shape of each grease reservoir are not limited to the example in Figure 24. Furthermore, the cam 520 can be configured without grease reservoirs on either the inner ring 721 or the outer ring 860, or it can be configured with grease reservoirs on the sliding member 870.

[0384] Furthermore, although the example given uses grease as a lubricant, the lubricant is not limited to grease. Other semi-solid lubricants, liquid lubricants (e.g., lubricating oil), solid lubricants (e.g., molybdenum disulfide), etc., can also be used as lubricants. Moreover, it is possible to configure the system so that either or both of the inner circumferential surface 861 of the outer ring 860, the sliding member 870, and the outer circumferential surface 723 of the inner ring 721 slide against each other without the use of a lubricant.

[0385] The remaining components of the air supply device 701 are substantially the same as those of the air supply device 701 described above (see Figure 22).

[0386] In this way, by configuring the outer ring 860 and the inner ring 721 of the cam 520 to slide against each other via the sliding member 870 (including cases where a lubricant is also used), the defect rate of the product can be kept low, and the sliding resistance can be reduced compared to the case where the outer ring 860 and the inner ring 721 of the cam 520 slide against each other directly. This is expected to reduce noise generation and wear associated with the relative rotation between the hub body fixed part and the rotatable part.

[0387] The technologies and their variations relating to the above-mentioned air supply devices 1, 501, 701, or 801 are all interchangeable, except for technologies that are not applicable to each respective air supply device.

[0388] In the embodiments described above, the example of attaching the air supply device to the wheel of a bicycle (with or without an auxiliary power unit) was used, but the wheel to which the air supply device is attached is not limited to this.

[0389] For example, regardless of whether or not there is a power unit or auxiliary power unit, or the type of load (people or goods), these can be attached to the wheels of vehicles other than bicycles, such as two-wheeled, three-wheeled, and four-wheeled vehicles. Furthermore, they can be attached to devices other than vehicles, such as guide wheels for elevators, and wheels in general.

[0390] In the foregoing, the present invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments. However, each term is used for illustrative purposes only, not for limitation, and can be modified within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Furthermore, although only a few typical embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that many modifications are possible in these typical embodiments without departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the present invention. Accordingly, all such modifications fall within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0391] 1: Air supply device 1a: First device division body 1b:Second device division body 2: Cam section 4: Casing section 8: Pump section 20: Cam 30: Weight 1300: Hub body

Claims

1. A hub fixing part that is fixed to the hub body of a wheel equipped with a tire and rotates together with the hub body, A rotatable part that is rotatably held with respect to the hub body fixing part, wherein its axis of rotation is configured to coincide with the axis of rotation of the hub body fixing part, and its center of gravity is configured to be at a center of gravity offset position that is offset from the axis of rotation of the rotatable part, Equipped with, An air supply device configured to generate compressed air by utilizing the relative rotation between the hub body fixing portion and the rotatable portion when the wheel rotates, and to supply the generated compressed air to the tire, The air supply device is formed as a plurality of device segments divided circumferentially along the outer circumference of the hub body, and the plurality of device segments are arranged circumferentially along the outer circumference of the hub body and connected to each other to construct the hub body fixing portion and the rotatable portion. An air supply device characterized by the following.

2. A hub fixing part that is fixed to the hub body of a wheel equipped with a tire and rotates together with the hub body, A rotatable part that is rotatably held with respect to the hub body fixing part, wherein its axis of rotation is configured to coincide with the axis of rotation of the hub body fixing part, and its center of gravity is configured to be at a center of gravity offset position that is offset from the axis of rotation of the rotatable part, Equipped with, An air supply device configured to generate compressed air by utilizing the relative rotation between the hub body fixing portion and the rotatable portion when the wheel rotates, and to supply the generated compressed air to the tire, The hub body fixing portion and the rotatable portion are configured to be constructed by dividing each part that constitutes the hub body fixing portion and the rotatable portion into multiple parts in the circumferential direction along the outer circumference of the hub body, arranging the corresponding parts in the circumferential direction along the outer circumference of the hub body and connecting them to each other. An air supply device characterized by the following.

3. In the air supply device according to claim 2, The air supply device further comprises an interposing part which is interposed as a bearing member between the part constituting the hub body fixing part and the part constituting the rotatable part, and which is a component of a part that does not belong to either the hub body fixing part or the rotatable part. An air supply device characterized by the following.

4. In the air supply device according to claim 3, The parts constituting the interfacing portion are formed as a single flexible part. The air supply device is configured such that one of the parts constituting the intervening part is wound around and interposed between the part constituting the hub body fixing part and the part constituting the rotatable part. An air supply device characterized by the following.

5. In the air supply device according to claim 2, The air supply device is configured to hold the rotatable part rotatably relative to the hub body fixing part by sliding the parts constituting the hub body fixing part and the parts constituting the rotatable part either directly or via a sliding member. An air supply device characterized by the following.

6. In an air supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The hub body fixing portion is equipped with a reciprocating pump having a piston, The rotatable portion includes a cam having a rotation axis that coincides with the rotation axis of the rotatable portion. The compressed air is generated by causing the piston to reciprocate in accordance with the relative rotation of the cam with respect to the piston. An air supply device characterized by the following.

7. In the air supply device of claim 6, The cam is formed by a cylindrical surface centered on a cylindrical displacement position offset from the rotation axis of the cam. An air supply device characterized by the following.

8. In the air supply device of claim 6, The cam is configured to cause the piston to reciprocate multiple times each time the cam rotates once. An air supply device characterized by the following.

9. In the air supply device of claim 6, The aforementioned cam is a positive-acting cam. An air supply device characterized by the following.

10. An air supply system comprising an air supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The air supply system is Furthermore, it includes an attachment having a roughly cylindrical spacer portion, The air supply device is configured to be fixed to the hub body via the aforementioned attachment. The attachment is formed as a plurality of attachment segments divided circumferentially along the outer circumference of the hub body, and the attachment is constructed by arranging the plurality of attachment segments circumferentially along the outer circumference of the hub body and connecting them to each other. An air supply system characterized by the following.

11. The air supply device is provided according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A wheel characterized by the following:

12. The wheel is provided according to claim 11. A vehicle characterized by the following.

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