Spokeless hollow wheel hub
The spokeless hollow wheel hub addresses friction and stability issues in electric bicycles by making the wheel hub the fixed part and rim/tire the rotating parts, improving rotation speed, load-bearing capacity, and safety while reducing production costs and maintenance complexity.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2025002522U
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Utility models
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-07-25
- Publication Date
- 2025-09-24
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-07-25
AI Technical Summary
Conventional hollow wheel hubs in electric bicycles suffer from high friction, wear, imbalance, and safety issues due to bearing eccentricity, leading to wobbling and reduced riding safety, with simple design principles failing to address these problems effectively.
A spokeless hollow wheel hub design where the wheel hub is the fixed part and the rim and tire are the rotating parts, connected via bearings, reducing friction and enhancing stability, load-bearing capacity, and aerodynamics, while preventing spoke-related injuries.
The spokeless design improves rotation speed, load-bearing capacity, reduces energy loss, and enhances safety by minimizing wear, deformation, and wind resistance, with lower production costs and easier maintenance.
Smart Images

Figure 0003252950000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of electric bicycles, and more particularly to a spokeless hollow wheel hub and an electric bicycle using the spokeless hollow wheel hub. [Background technology]
[0002] A conventional electric bicycle typically includes a frame, a front wheel, a rear wheel, and a large flywheel with a footboard. The front wheel is made up of a wheel hub with a hub and spokes and a tire, while the rear wheel is made up of a wheel hub with a hub, spokes and crankset and a tire. The wheel rim is connected to the hub via the spokes to form a wheelset. The large flywheel drives the electric bicycle by connecting with the crankset on the center axle of the rear wheel via a chain, and most of the power consumed in the process of the vehicle going from stationary to moving is the power to overcome the stationary state.
[0003] Currently, there are research and design studies on hollow wheel hubs in the prior art, and electric bicycles using hollow wheel hubs exist. However, conventional hollow wheel hubs and electric bicycles using hollow wheel hubs are merely designed to create a cool appearance for the hollow wheel hub, and their design principles are simple and crude, resulting in numerous problems and irrationalities. Whether two sets of bearings or one set of bearings are used, the frictional contact surface between the bearing and the wheelset is large, and there is a high possibility of sliding friction. Wear between the outer wall of the bearing and the inner wall of the wheelset quickly generates noise, and linear depressions are easily formed when an impact is encountered, affecting the smoothness of rotation. Because the weight of the vehicle body is primarily concentrated on the center axis of the bearing, the bearing and wheelset contact at only one point, resulting in an imbalance of forces on the bearing. This easily leads to bearing eccentricity during long-term operation, causing the wheelset to wobble, increasing wear, and reducing riding safety. Summary of the Invention
[0004] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a spokeless hollow wheel hub.
[0005] a spokeless hollow wheel hub vehicle comprising a front wheel set assembly and a rear wheel set assembly, each of the front wheel set assembly and the rear wheel set assembly comprising a tire, a rim assembly and a wheel hub assembly, the rim assembly comprising a rim with the tire fitted on its outer edge, the wheel hub assembly comprising a left wheel hub component including a matching left wheel hub and a left bearing, and a right wheel hub component including a matching right wheel hub and a right bearing, the left wheel hub and the right wheel hub adopt a spokeless hollow ring structure, the left wheel hub and the right wheel hub are fitted together and spliced opposite each other, and are fitted and fixed to the inner edge of the rim via the left bearing and the right bearing respectively, and the left bearing and the right bearing are supported and connected so that the left wheel hub and the right wheel hub become the fixed part of the wheel, and the tire and the rim assembly become the rotating part of the wheel.
[0006] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: By adopting a wheel hub with a spokeless hollow ring structure, the wheel hub is the fixed part, and the rim and tire are both the rotating parts. The wheel hub is fitted and connected to the rim via bearings, which reduces the friction coefficient, enables high rotation speeds and high load-bearing capacity, lowers the center of gravity of the entire vehicle, reduces unspring weight, reduces the probability of axial and radial deformation and out-of-roundness of the wheel set, reduces the impact of lateral wind, enhances aerodynamic flow, reduces energy loss, improves driving performance and power transmission, and prevents people or objects from getting caught in the spokes and causing injury or damage to the vehicle. The components have a more intuitive structure, low post-production costs, high assembly efficiency, and convenient inspection and repair. [Brief explanation of the drawings]
[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front structural schematic diagram of the front wheel set assembly. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a three-stage exploded view of the front wheelset assembly. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a front structural schematic diagram of the rear wheel assembly. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a single-stage exploded view of the rear wheel assembly. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a three-stage exploded view of the rear wheel assembly. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an electric bicycle. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an electric bicycle without a wheelset attached. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the central power module. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a perspective structural schematic diagram of a combination of a central power module and a rear motor-driven component. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0008] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention will be described in more detail below based on the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.
[0009] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, in accordance with the spokeless hollow wheel hub of the present invention, the spokeless hollow wheel hub is divided into a front wheel set assembly 12 and a rear wheel set assembly 32. Each of the front wheel set assembly 12 and the rear wheel set assembly 32 includes a tire, a rim assembly, and a wheel hub assembly. The rim assembly includes a rim with a tire fitted around its outer edge. The wheel hub assembly includes a left wheel hub component including a matching left wheel hub and a left bearing, and a right wheel hub component including a matching right wheel hub and a right bearing. The left wheel hub and the right wheel hub adopt a spokeless hollow ring structure. The left wheel hub and the right wheel hub are fitted together and spliced opposite each other, and are fitted and fixed to the inner edges of the rims via the left bearing and the right bearing, respectively. Due to the supporting connection of the left bearing and the right bearing, the left wheel hub and the right wheel hub become the fixed part of the wheel, and the tire and rim assembly become the rotating part of the wheel.
[0010] In this embodiment, a wheel hub with a spokeless hollow ring structure is used, making the wheel hub the fixed part and the rim and tire both the rotating parts. The wheel hub is fitted and connected to the rim via bearings, resulting in a smaller friction coefficient, high rotation speed and high load-bearing capacity, lowering the center of gravity of the entire vehicle, reducing unspring weight, reducing the probability of axial and radial deformation and poor roundness of the wheel set, reducing the impact of lateral wind (crosswind), enhancing aerodynamic fluidity, reducing energy loss, improving driving performance and power transmission, and preventing people or objects from getting caught in the spokes and causing injury or damage to the vehicle.
[0011] The components have a more intuitive structure, lower post-production costs, higher assembly efficiency, and easier inspection and repair.
[0012] Furthermore, the wheel hub is connected to the vehicle body as the fixed part (stationary part) of the wheel, and the rim and tire are both the rotating parts of the wheel, with the fixed part and the rotating part being fitted and connected via bearings, which are provided between the wheel hub and the rim.
[0013] Specifically, the bearing is an angular contact bearing, which is composed of an outer ring, an inner ring, steel balls between them, and a retaining frame. The inner ring of the angular contact bearing is part of the fixed part, and the outer ring, steel balls, and retaining frame of the angular contact bearing are part of the rotating part.
[0014] In the above embodiment, preferably, the rim assembly further includes brake pads fixed to the inner edge of the rim, and the wheel hub assembly further includes a brake caliper attached to the left or right wheel hub and fitted over the brake pads. Preferably, the brake pads are fixed to the center of the inner edge of the rim, and the brake caliper engages with the edges of the brake pads and applies the brakes by clamping them.
[0015] The brake pads are fixed to the inner edge of the rim, which can improve the braking effect on the wheel during braking and shorten the braking distance for the same braking force.
[0016] In the above embodiment, the wheel hub assembly is preferably attached to the left or right wheel hub together with the brake caliper, and further includes a position adjustment block that is fitted and connected to the brake caliper to adjust the braking degree of the brake caliper.
[0017] In the above embodiment, the rim preferably has a hollow annular structure with a ferrule on each side of the outer edge, the tire being fixed to the rim via the ferrule, and a valve hole compatible with the tire being formed through the annular structure of the rim, allowing the tire to be filled with air through the valve hole.
[0018] In the above embodiment, the inner edge of the annular structure of the rim is preferably provided with a fixed reinforcing rib, which is provided at the center of the inner edge of the rim by welding, caulking or integral molding.
[0019] In the above embodiment, preferably, the left wheel hub component further includes a left sealing ring, and the right wheel hub component further includes a right sealing ring, and the gap between the left wheel hub and the rim is sealed by the left sealing ring via a fitting and fixing point of the left bearing, and the gap between the right wheel hub and the rim is sealed by the right sealing ring via a fitting and fixing point of the right bearing.
[0020] In the above embodiment, preferably, the left wheel hub component further includes a left illuminating strip, and the right wheel hub component further includes a right illuminating strip, and the left illuminating strip and the right illuminating strip are respectively provided on the outside of the left wheel hub and the right wheel hub.
[0021] Specifically, this spokeless hollow wheel hub wheel is divided into a front wheel and a rear wheel, in this invention, the front wheel is a driven wheel and the rear wheel is a driving wheel, the front wheel set assembly has the structure of the above embodiment, and the rear wheel set assembly, in addition to the structure of the above embodiment, its rim assembly further includes a ring gear fixed to the inner edge of the rim, the circular structures of the left wheel hub and the right wheel hub are respectively provided with notches, and after the left wheel hub and the right wheel hub are fixedly connected, the ring gear is exposed through the notches, so that the driving structure can drive the ring gear to realize the rotation of the driving wheels.
[0022] In the spokeless hollow wheel hub wheel disclosed in the above embodiment, the front wheel set assembly 12 includes a tire 121, a rim assembly 122, and a wheel hub assembly 123, the tire 121 includes an outer tire 1211 and an inner tire 1212, the rim assembly 122 includes a rim 1221 on whose outer edge the tire 121 is fitted, the wheel hub assembly 123 includes a left wheel hub component 1232 and a right wheel hub component 1231, and the tire 121 and rim assembly 122 form the rotating parts of the wheel.
[0023] The rear wheel set assembly 32 includes a tire 321, a rim assembly 322, and a wheel hub assembly 323, where the tire 321 includes an outer tire 3211 and an inner tire 3212, the rim assembly 322 includes a rim 3221 on whose outer edge the tire 321 is fitted, and the wheel hub assembly 323 includes a left wheel hub component 3231 and a right wheel hub component 3232, where the tire 321 and rim assembly 322 form the rotating part of the wheel.
[0024] As shown in Figures 6 to 9, the present invention further proposes an electric bicycle adopting a spokeless hollow wheel hub wheel, the electric bicycle including a front wheel assembly 1, a main frame assembly 2, and a rear wheel assembly 3, the front wheel assembly 1 including a steering assembly 11 and a front wheel set assembly 12 disclosed in any one of the above embodiments, the rear wheel assembly 3 including a rear frame transmission assembly 31 and a rear wheel set assembly 32 disclosed in the above embodiment, the steering assembly 11 including a main frame assembly 2 The front wheel set assembly 12 is fixed to the front end, and is fitted and attached to the steering assembly 11, and the steering assembly 11 rotates the front wheel set assembly 12 synchronously left and right with respect to the main frame assembly 2. The rear frame transmission assembly 31 includes a rear frame 311, a transmission assembly 314, and a hybrid drive system. The rear frame is fitted and attached to the rear side of the main frame assembly 2. The hybrid drive system includes a center power module 312 and a rear power module 313. The central power module 312 and the rear power module 313 are mounted on opposite front and rear sides of the rear frame 311, respectively, and the power between the central power module 312 and the rear power module 313 is transmitted through a transmission assembly 314. The central power module 312 includes a central module case 3121, a central drive assembly 3122, and a pedal and crank 3123. The central drive assembly 3122 is coaxially mounted within the central module case 3121, and the pedal and crank 3123 is mounted on the central module case 3121. The central drive assembly 3122 is coaxially connected to the central drive assembly 3122 through the end cap of the central module case 3121, and the central drive assembly 3122 is a human-powered type or a hybrid human-powered and electric-powered type, and the human-powered type central drive assembly 3122 receives power from the force applied to the pedals by a human, and the hybrid human-powered and electric-powered type central drive assembly 3122 receives power from the force applied to the pedals by a human, or the power input is provided by a central motor drive component mounted within the central module case 3121, and the rear power module 313 isThe rear drive assembly includes a rear module case 3131 and a rear drive assembly, which is coaxially mounted within the rear module case 3131. The central power output end of the central drive assembly 3122 is connected to the rear drive assembly via a transmission assembly 314. The rear drive assembly includes a rear motor drive component or transmission assembly, which has a driven state and a driving state. In the driven state, the rear motor drive component passively rotates according to the power of the central drive assembly 3122. In the driving state, the rear motor drive component actively rotates. The transmission assembly changes the gear ratio according to the power of the central drive component. The rear motor drive component or transmission assembly and the rear wheel set assembly 32 are in an inscribed circle relationship. The output power is transmitted and connected to the rear wheel set assembly 32 via the rear power output end, driving the rear wheel set assembly 32 to rotate.
[0025] In this embodiment, the central power module 312 adopts a hybrid drive system that combines human power and motor drive, and together with the rear motor drive component or transmission assembly installed on the drive wheel, it provides multiple drive combination modes suitable for different application scenarios. Moreover, the central motor drive component and the human-powered transmission component adopt a coaxial mounting method, which greatly reduces the volume of the entire drive unit, stabilizes the structure, increases transmission efficiency, and has good modular versatility, improving the overall cycling experience of the vehicle. It provides an entirely new concept for the design and development of electric bicycles and effectively solves the problems caused by previous technologies on the market.
[0026] In addition, this electric bicycle uses a spokeless hollow ring-shaped wheel hub to minimize lateral wind resistance and prevent rollovers, reducing the impact force of lateral water currents on the wheel and preventing rollovers, thereby reducing injuries to animals and people crossing the road. Furthermore, the lower center of gravity increases instantaneous cycling acceleration while avoiding the risk of the vehicle tipping over.
[0027] According to the electric bicycle using the spokeless hollow wheel hub wheel disclosed in the above embodiment, the central power module 312 uses manual drive and motor drive to provide hybrid drive, and the rear power module 313 provides motor drive or transmission-based speed change. Thus, by combining the central drive and rear drive, multiple drive combination methods suitable for different application scenarios can be realized.
[0028] The human-powered pedals and cranks 3123 and the motor-driven central motor-driven component are mounted coaxially. When driven by human power, the coaxial motor can rotate synchronously to generate electricity, which can then be used as a power generating component to recharge the battery pack or supply power to other loads. If the central power module 312 is designed to be driven solely by human power, the rear power module 313 must use a rear motor-driven component instead of a transmission assembly; otherwise, the electric bicycle cannot be driven electrically. If the central power module 312 is designed to be driven by a motor, the central motor-driven component outputs power to the rear power module 313 via the central power output end, which is coaxial with the human drive, and the rear power module 313 transmits the power to the driving wheels, thereby driving the vehicle.
[0029] According to the electric bicycle using the spokeless hollow wheel hub wheel disclosed in the above embodiment, if the rear drive assembly of the rear power module 313 is a rear motor drive component, it can form a combined drive system together with the central power module 312, and if the rear drive assembly is a transmission assembly, it can perform pre-set gear settings for the power of the central power module 312 to meet different driving scenarios.
[0030] Specifically, when the rear motor drive component is in an active drive state, the rear motor drive component and the center drive assembly 3122 are clutched, and only the rear motor drive component supplies power to the drive wheels of the electric bicycle. To improve the riding power of the electric bicycle, both the center drive assembly 3122 and the rear motor drive component may supply power to the drive wheels of the electric bicycle.
[0031] Specifically, the steering assembly includes a steering component including a handlebar and a handlebar, and a front fork component including a front fork and an anti-sway component, the handlebar being fixedly attached to the front end of the main frame assembly, the handlebar being fixed laterally to the handlebar, the front fork being fixedly attached to the lower end of the handlebar, the anti-sway component being provided on the front fork, the wheel hub of the front wheel set assembly being fixed to engage with the front fork, and the tire and rim of the front wheel set assembly rotating relative to the wheel hub.
[0032] Specifically, the main frame assembly includes a main frame assembly, a lift-up seat assembly, and a bracket assembly. The lift-up seat assembly is attached above the main frame assembly and extends to raise and lower the seat. The bracket assembly is attached to the lower side of the main frame assembly as a support bracket for the electric bicycle. The main frame assembly is provided with a rear frame mounting hole position, a charging module, and a main frame chamber module. The rear frame transmission assembly is attached to the rear frame mounting hole position. The main frame chamber module is used to mount a battery module and a control module, and the charging module is a charging port for the battery module.
[0033] Specifically, the power transmission assembly includes a chain transmission component, a belt transmission component, a gear transmission component, and a shaft transmission component.
[0034] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and changes to the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A spokeless hollow wheel hub wheel, a front wheel set assembly and a rear wheel set assembly, each of the front wheel set assembly and the rear wheel set assembly including a tire, a rim assembly, and a wheel hub assembly; the rim assembly includes a rim around an outer edge of which the tire is fitted; The wheel hub assembly includes a left wheel hub component including a matching left wheel hub and a left bearing, and a right wheel hub component including a matching right wheel hub and a right bearing, wherein the left wheel hub and the right wheel hub adopt a spokeless hollow ring structure, and the left wheel hub and the right wheel hub are fitted together and spliced opposite to each other, and are fitted and fixed to the inner edge of the rim via the left bearing and the right bearing, respectively; 1. A spokeless hollow wheel hub vehicle, characterized in that the supporting connection of the left bearing and the right bearing makes the left wheel hub and the right wheel hub a fixed part of the wheel and the tire and rim assembly a rotating part of the wheel.
2. 2. The spokeless hollow wheel hub vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the rim assembly further includes brake pads secured to an inner edge of the rim, and the wheel hub assembly further includes a brake caliper attached to the left wheel hub or the right wheel hub and fitted to the brake pads.
3. 3. The spokeless hollow wheel hub vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the rim has a hollow annular structure with a ferrule on each side of the outer edge, the tire is fixed to the rim via the ferrule, and a valve hole compatible with the tire is provided through the annular structure of the rim.
4. 4. The spokeless hollow wheel hub vehicle according to claim 3, wherein a fixed reinforcing rib is provided on the inner edge of the annular structure of the rim, and the fixed reinforcing rib is provided at the center of the inner edge of the rim by welding, caulking, or integral molding.
5. 2. The spokeless hollow wheel hub vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the left wheel hub component further includes a left sealing ring, and the right wheel hub component further includes a right sealing ring, wherein the left wheel hub and the rim are sealed by the left sealing ring via a fitting and fixing portion of the left bearing, and the right wheel hub and the rim are sealed by the right sealing ring via a fitting and fixing portion of the right bearing.
6. 6. The spokeless hollow wheel hub vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the left wheel hub component further includes a left illuminating strip, and the right wheel hub component further includes a right illuminating strip, the left illuminating strip and the right illuminating strip being respectively provided on the outside of the left wheel hub and the right wheel hub.
7. 3. The spokeless hollow wheel hub vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the wheel hub assembly is attached to the left wheel hub or the right wheel hub together with the brake caliper, and further includes a position adjustment block that is fitted and connected to the brake caliper to adjust the braking degree of the brake caliper.
8. 2. The spokeless hollow wheel hub vehicle of claim 1, wherein in the rear wheel set assembly, the rim assembly further includes a ring gear fixed to an inner edge of the rim, and the circular structures of the left and right wheel hubs are respectively provided with notches, and the ring gear is exposed through the notches after the left and right wheel hubs are fixedly connected, so that a drive structure can drive the ring gear to realize the rotation of the drive wheel.