JPH08175460A - Transmission for bicycle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To operate a cable for speed change for carrying out a speed change operation by a small amount of force by providing a generator as the electric source of a motor for a drive part. CONSTITUTION: A generator 1 with a built-in hub is provided on the front wheel of a bicycle. An electric power generated by the generator 1 is rectified to a pulse current by a rectifier 7a constituted by the bridge connection of silicon diode and its output is used for the charge of a battery 7. The battery 7 is connected to a controller 5 and the output from the controller 5 drives a motor 62 through an electric power controller 5a consisting of a power transistor. The motor 62 is composed of a ultrasonic motor and is not operated by an operation force from a cable direction for speed change, but operated rotatably only in a drive order time from the controller 5. Thereby, the cable for speed change for carrying out speed change operation can be operated by a small amount of force.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a transmission for a bicycle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, some bicycle transmissions are provided with a plurality of shift gears, a derailleur for changing the chain to the plurality of shift gears, and a shift cable connected to the derailleur. . In this device, a gear lever attached to the tip of the speed change cable is manually operated to operate the speed change cable in the longitudinal direction to select a gear position.

However, such a transmission has a drawback in that the deceleration and the gear shifting cannot be performed simultaneously because the brake lever is gripped during deceleration. Therefore, a device for automatically performing a shift operation has also been devised. For example, the actual Kaihei 2-1339
There is one described in No. 91. The automatic transmission of a bicycle is a device that pulls a transmission cable in its length direction by a thrust of a solenoid generated according to the number of rotations of a bicycle tire to shift gears.

[0004]

In such a device, since the speed change cable is pulled in the lengthwise direction at the time of deceleration, a large pulling force is required. Therefore, a motor for driving the same inevitably needs a large amount of electric power. This will consume the battery, and the battery and the entire device will increase in size. In addition, the cost increases, which is not suitable for practical use.

The present invention has been made in view of the above matters, and it is a technical object of the present invention to provide a speed change device capable of operating a speed change cable for a speed change operation with a small amount of force.
Further, it is a technical object to provide a device that allows a transmission device that can operate a transmission cable with a small amount of force to be easily retrofitted to an existing bicycle.

Further, it is a technical subject to provide an apparatus for performing electric shifting with a simple structure and at low cost. Moreover, it is a technical object to provide a transmission that consumes less power.

Further, it is a technical object to provide a transmission device which requires no maintenance to the power source. Further, it is a technical object to provide a transmission capable of downsizing a power source such as a battery.

[0008]

The present invention adopts the following means in order to solve the above problems. <Summary of the Invention> A bicycle transmission using an electric motor as a drive unit includes a generator as a power source of the drive unit.

Further, a speed change mechanism connected to one end of the speed change cable and controlled by the operation of the speed change cable, and an intermediate portion of the speed change cable are moved in a direction intersecting the cables for speed change. And a shifting cable operating means for operating the cable. The gear shift cable operating means is driven by the drive section.

The drive power source of the drive unit is a generator provided on a bicycle, and this generator can be exemplified by a tire drive type generator or a hub built-in type generator. [Components] The shifting cable operating means moves (displaces) an intermediate portion of the shifting cable in the crossing direction of the cables.
Then, the shifting cable is operated.

The speed change cable operating means includes:
It is preferable that an intermediate portion of the speed change cable is configured to move in a direction perpendicular to the cable (orthogonal direction). Further, the speed change cable operating means includes a connecting tool connected to an intermediate portion of the speed change cable and an operating cable connected to the connecting tool, and the operating cable is formed so as to be connected to the drive unit. can do.

Further, the speed change cable and the connecting member are slidably connected to each other, and the other end of the speed change cable is
Manual operating means for actuating the shifting cable may be provided.

Further, the shift cable operating means is
It may be configured to include a biasing unit that biases the operation cable in the direction of the shift cable. The biasing means can be exemplified by an elastic body, preferably a spring.

The drive unit includes a motor that pulls or loosens the operation cable, a control unit (ECU) that outputs an instruction signal to the motor according to the running condition of the vehicle, and a power supply that is connected to the motor and the control unit. Can be connected.
A generator is provided as a power source for these. It is desirable to use a hub built-in type as this generator.

The control unit is, for example, a central processing unit (C
A PU), a read / write memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), an input / output device (I / O), and a bus connecting these may be used.
The traveling condition when the control unit outputs a signal to the motor is, for example, the speed of the vehicle, the inclination of the road surface on which the vehicle travels, or the like.

The control unit and the power source may be attached to the vehicle separately from the drive unit. Further, a battery may be used as a power source, and the floating charging may be performed by the generator. When charging, it is desirable to insert a regulator, a constant voltage (constant current) circuit, or a switch between the generator and the battery.

[0017]

The driving unit drives the shifting cable operating means and operates the shifting cable to control the shifting mechanism.

When the drive unit includes a motor and a control unit,
The control unit controls the motor according to the traveling condition, and the force of the motor actuates the speed change cable via the speed change cable operating means to control the speed change mechanism.

The power source of the drive unit uses the electric power generated by the generator, but if a small battery is used together, more stable operation can be expected. Further, when the generator is of a hub built-in type, the resistance of the driver is about half that of a general tire drive type, so that the burden on the driver is small.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. <First Embodiment> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The bicycle transmission according to the present embodiment has a plurality of speed change gears 32, and the plurality of speed change gears 32 has a chain 8 attached thereto.
The rear derailleur 34, the speed change cable 4 connected to the rear derailleur 34, the speed change cable operating means 10 for displacing (moving) the speed change cable 4, the manual operation means 9, and the speed change cable operating means 10. The drive unit 60, the speed sensor 20, and the control unit (ECU) 5 for inputting the signal from the speed sensor 20 and outputting the signal to the speed change cable operating means 10.
A crank rotation detection sensor 47 for detecting the rotation of the crank 43, and a generator 1 for generating electric power supplied to each device.
It consists of and.

One end of the shifting cable 4 is connected to the rear derailleur 34. The other end of the speed change cable 4 has a gear lever 9 which is a manual operation means.
Connected with. By moving the rear derailleur 34 in the axial direction of the wheels, the chain 8 is switched between the plurality of speed change gears 32 mounted on the rear wheel shaft 31, and the speed is changed. The rear derailleur 34 has a tension pulley 34a and a jockey pulley 34b for adjusting the tension of the chain 8.

A case 15 is attached to the down tube 6 of the vehicle.
The speed change cable operating means 10 housed in is fixed. The case 15 has the speed change cable 4 extending along the down tube 6 penetrated therethrough. Then, in the case 15, as shown in FIG.
Also, the speed change cable 4 is supported by the second hole 17b. A bracket pulley 18 for guiding the operation cable 12 is provided at the center of the bracket 17. The actuating cable 12 is connected to the speed change cable 4 via the connecting tool 11 so that the speed change cable 4 can be pulled or loosened in the direction perpendicular to the speed change cable 4. The connecting tool 11 has a ring shape and is slidably connected to the speed change cable 4. A coil spring 19 is attached between the connecting tool 11 and the bracket pulley 18 to urge the operation cable 12 in the direction of the speed change cable 4. The actuating cable 12 is configured as one end of a drive cable 70 that connects the shift cable operating means 10 and the drive unit 60.

On the other hand, the drive unit 60 is housed in a saddle bag 61 attached to the lower portion of the saddle.
The driving unit 60 includes a motor 62, a cable gear 64 that pulls or loosens the driving cable 70 by the driving force of the motor 62, a control unit 5 that controls the driving of the motor 62, and the motor 62 and the control unit 5. And a battery 7 for supplying electric power.

The front wheel of the bicycle is provided with a hub-embedded generator 1. This is a hub with a cylindrical shape and a coil and a magnet built in the hub. A coil is provided on the spindle side fixed to the fork, and a magnet is provided on the rotating hub side.

The control unit 5 includes a central processing unit (CP
U), read / write memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), input / output device (I / O),
These are connected by a bus. The speed sensor 20, the motor 62, and the crank rotation detection sensor 47 are connected to the I / O.

The electric power generated by the generator 1 is rectified into a pulsating flow by a rectifying section 7a constructed by bridge-connecting silicon diodes, and its output charges the battery 7 (FIG. 5). reference).

It should be noted that the circuit may be configured so that the battery 7 is not charged except when the proper voltage is applied. In this case, a voltage comparison circuit may be provided and the relay may be turned off for voltages other than the preset voltage.

The battery 7 is connected to the control unit 5, and the output from the control unit 5 drives the motor 62 via the power control unit 5a composed of power transistors. The battery 7 is preferably a lead storage battery because of its charge / discharge characteristics.
It is also possible to use nickel-cadmium batteries or nickel-hydrogen batteries.

The RAM of the controller 5 stores set values for each gear position shown in FIG. It should be noted that this set value can be changed / adjusted according to the specifications of the bicycle to be used and the shift speed range desired by the driver. Alternatively, in addition to the reference set value, a new set value may be read into the RAM. Note that FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the gear position and the wheel speed.

Further, the ROM of the control unit 5 stores an execution program described later. The driving force of the motor 62 is transmitted to the cable gear 64 in the gear box 63. Further, the electric power from the battery 7 to the motor 62 is supplied through the electric wire 66 for the motor. Further, the motor 62 is composed of an ultrasonic motor, and is not rotated by an operating force from the direction of the speed change cable 4 but is rotated only when a drive command is issued from the control section 5.

The speed sensor 20 is composed of a magnetic detector 21 attached to the seat stay 25 and a magnetic body 22 attached to the spokes on the rear wheel side. The magnetic detection unit 21 transmits a pulse signal every time the magnetic body 22 approaches the magnetic detection unit 21 as the rear wheel 3 rotates (that is, every time the wheel makes one rotation).

The crank rotation detecting sensor 47 detects the rotation of the crank 43 which supports the pedal 44 and outputs a signal to the control unit 5. Further, the drive cable 70 between the speed change cable operating means 10 and the drive portion 60 is an inner cable inside the outer cable 71.

Next, the operation process in the control section 5 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flow of the execution program in the control unit 5. When the power is turned on by the driver's operation, initial settings are made in step 101, and then, in step 102, it is determined from the signal from the crank rotation detection sensor 47 whether or not the crank 43 is rotating.
If the crank 43 is rotating and the chain 8 is rotating, the process proceeds to step 103, the motor 62 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the cable gear 64 is rotated in the reverse direction (clockwise in FIG. 3).
Then, by loosening the drive cable 70, the actuation cable 12, which is one end of the drive cable 70, actuates (relaxes) the speed change cable 4 to lower the gear.
At this time, the operation cable 12 smoothly operates the speed change cable 4 by the biasing force of the coil spring 19.
When the crank 47 does not rotate and the chain 8 is stopped, the circulation routine of step 102 is performed.

At step 104, it is judged if the reverse rotation of the motor 62 is less than 2 seconds. When the reverse rotation of the motor 62 does not reach 2 seconds, the circulation routine of step 103 is performed. When the reverse rotation of the motor 62 is continued for 2 seconds or more, the routine proceeds to step 105, and it is stored that the gear position (PG) is the first speed. It In the present embodiment, when the motor 62 reverses for 2 seconds, the gear position is lowered from the top position to the first speed position.

Next, at step 106, each set value corresponding to the gear position (first gear in this case) is called. That is, when the gear position PG is the first speed, the gear-up threshold value (VUP) is 5 km / h and the gear-down threshold value (VDOWN) is 0 km / h. The gear-up motor drive time set value (TUP) is 0.3 sec, and the gear-down motor drive time set value (TDOWN) is 0 sec (see FIG. 7).

Then, in step 107, the speed (V) of the bicycle is 1 based on the information from the speed sensor 20.
It is determined whether the speed is faster than the threshold value for gear up of 5 km / h. If the speed of the bicycle is faster than 5 km / h, the process proceeds to step 108, and if it is slower than 5 km / h, the process proceeds to step 112. In step 108, it is determined whether or not the crank 43 is rotating. If the crank 43 is not rotating, the circulation routine of step 108 is performed. If the crank 43 is rotating, the process proceeds to step 109 and the motor 62 is rotated normally. To increase the gear position. Then, in step 110, the drive time of the motor 62 (TM)
Is smaller than the gear-up motor drive time setting value of 0.3 sec. If the drive time (TM) of the motor 62 is less than 0.3 sec, step 1
The routine goes to a circulation routine of 09, and when the time reaches 0.3 sec, the driving of the motor 62 is stopped, and it is memorized in step 111 that it is the second gear position of the new gear position obtained by adding 1 to the original gear position of the first gear. To be done.

In step 112, the speed (V) of the bicycle is 0 km / h, which is the threshold value for gear down of the first speed.
Is determined later. Since the speed cannot be slower than 0 km / h, in the case of the first speed, the process proceeds from step 112 to step 117. In step 117, it is determined whether or not the speed (V) is 0 km / h. If the speed is 0 and the bicycle is stopped, the process proceeds to step 118, and if the bicycle is stopped for more than 3 minutes, the automatic operation is performed. Then the entire device is powered off. The negative branch of steps 117 and 118 is the circulation routine of step 107.

From step 111 to step 106
In step 106, each set value corresponding to the second speed is called, and the operation of each step is performed in the same manner as described above.

When the step 112 is reached at the gear position of the second speed or higher, if the speed (V) of the bicycle is slower than the gear down threshold value (VDOWN), the step 11 is executed.
In step 3, it is determined whether the crank 43 is rotating. When the crank 43 is not rotating, the circulation routine of step 113 is performed. When the crank 43 is rotating and the chain 8 is rotating, the motor 13 is rotated in the reverse direction at step 114, and then the motor drive time (TM) Is less than the gear-down motor drive time setting value of 0.5 sec. Then, the affirmative branch of step 115 becomes the circulation routine of step 114, and the negative branch proceeds to step 116 to store the new gear position (PG) obtained by subtracting 1 from the original gear position, and the circulation routine of step 106. Become.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the displacement of the shifting cable 4 by the shifting cable operating means 10 is
It can be done with less force (about half) than pulling the cable along its length.

That is, as shown in FIG. 9 showing a state in which the speed-changing cable 4 is pulled at a right angle, the force for pulling the speed-changing cable 4 in the axial direction is P, and the angle formed by the deformation of the speed-changing cable 4 is θ. And the force pulling the shifting cable 4 in the right angle direction is F, the relationship between these forces is F = 2
It is represented by P · COS (θ / 2). From this, θ is 1
It can be seen that the force F pulled in the perpendicular direction at 51 degrees or more is half or less of the force P pulled in the axial direction. The force F for pulling the speed change cable 4 in the intersecting direction is the force P for pulling in the axial direction.
Further, by pulling the speed-changing cable 4 in the direction perpendicular thereto, it is possible to prevent the generation of unnecessary component force and to further reduce the pulling force F.

Since the force F applied in the right-angled direction is small, the current consumption of the motor 62 is small, the device can be downsized, and the capacity of the battery 7 can be reduced.

By connecting the speed change cable operating means 10 for directly pulling the speed change cable 4 and the drive unit 60 equipped with the motor 62 and the battery 7 with the drive cable 70, the drive unit 60 and the speed change cable are operated. Means 1
0 can be attached to the vehicle at positions separated from each other. Therefore, the gearshift-related device attached to the down tube 6 can be downsized, and the pedal operation of the driver can be favorably performed. Further, since the reaction force when operating the speed change cable 4 is distributed to the speed change cable operation means 10 and the drive unit 60, it is necessary to firmly attach the speed change cable operation means 10 and the drive section 60 to the vehicle. Without, simplification can be achieved.

Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain an automatic transmission which can select an appropriate gear position corresponding to an accurate speed with a simple structure. Further, the automatic transmission can be easily attached to the bicycle without changing the normal transmission mechanism. Then, when the speed change cable operating means 10 is stopped to set the gear position to the first speed (LOW gear) and the speed change cable 4 is returned, the gear lever 9 as the manual operation means is manually operated to change the speed. You can also do

Further, in the case of a bicycle having a front derailleur on the crankshaft side in addition to the rear derailleur, a device similar to the speed change cable operating means 10 can be connected to the speed change cable connected to the front derailleur. .

In this embodiment, the generator 1 has a hub built-in type, but a tire drive type generator may be used. Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which the speed change cable is moved in the crossing direction of the cables to operate the speed change mechanism, but the speed change cable is used as a speed change cable operating means for directly pulling or loosening the speed change cable in the length direction of the cable. The shift cable operating means may be driven by a drive section that is operated by electric power from the generator.

Further, although the speed change device for automatically performing the speed change control is shown in the present embodiment, the bicycle speed change device of the present invention may be applied to an electric speed change device for effecting a speed change by a switch operation of a driver.

<Second Embodiment> A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG.
It will be explained based on. In this embodiment, the control unit 5 and the motor 62 are
The driving power of 1 is directly supplied from the generator 1 without interposing a battery. The same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. The configuration other than that shown in FIG. 10 is the same as that of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 10, the electric power generated by the generator 1 is rectified into a pulsating flow by a rectifying section 7a constituted by bridge-connecting silicon diodes, and its output is input to a voltage control section 7b. . The voltage control unit 7b is a regulator, which controls the voltage to a constant width regardless of the output of the generator 1 and then outputs the voltage to the control unit 5.

Specifically, when the bicycle is run at an extremely slow speed, the output from the generator 1 is not input to the control unit 5, and when the bicycle is run at a high speed, the output voltage is suppressed. It is designed to prevent overvoltage. Some circuits use zener diodes, some use relays, and some control with power transistors.

[0052]

According to the present invention, since the operating power of the automatic transmission is obtained by the generator, the battery as a power source can be omitted, and the size and weight of the device can be greatly reduced. In addition, since battery replacement work is unnecessary, maintenance of the device can be simplified.

Further, in a device having a battery, since the battery can be charged by the generator, the battery can be significantly reduced in size and weight. In particular, by using a generator with a built-in hub, the labor for power generation can be reduced.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a speed change device capable of operating a speed change cable for performing a speed change operation with a small amount of force. In addition, it becomes possible to easily retrofit a transmission that can operate the transmission cable with a small amount of force to an existing bicycle. Further, it can be provided at a low cost with a simple structure.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a transmission according to a first embodiment of the present invention is attached to a bicycle.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the shifting cable operating means according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a front view with a partial cross section of a motor and a gear box portion according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side view with a partial cross section of a motor and a gear box portion according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration in the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an execution program in the control unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing set values for each transmission gear in the control unit of the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the ascent of each transmission gear in the control unit of the first embodiment.
Diagram showing the relationship of descent

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing acting force in the speed change cable operating portion according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration in a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Generator 3 ... Rear wheel 4 ... Gear shifting cable 5 ... Control unit (ECU) 5a ... Power control unit 6 ... Down tube 7 ... Battery 7a ... Rectification unit 7b ... Voltage control unit 8 ... Chain 9 ... Manual operating means (gear lever) 10 ... Gear shifting cable operating means 11 ... Connecting tool 12 ... Operating cable 15 ... Case 17 ... Bracket 17a ... First hole 17b ... 2 holes 18 ・ ・ Bracket pulley 19 ・ ・ Coil spring 20 ・ ・ Speed sensor 21 ・ ・ Magnetic detector 22 ・ ・ Magnetic body 25 ・ ・ Seat stay 31 ・ ・ Rear wheel shaft 32 ・ ・ Shift gear 34 ・ ・ Rear derailleur 34a ・ ・Tension pulley 34b ... Jockey pulley 43 .. Crank 44 .. Pedal 47 .. Crank rotation detection sensor 60 .. Drive unit 62 .. Motor 64 ..・ Cable gear 70 ・ ・ Cable for driving

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Toshifumi Maehara 19-5 Niamibashi Koamimachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Akebono Break Industry Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A bicycle transmission using an electric motor as a drive unit, comprising a generator as a power source of the drive. 2. A speed change mechanism connected to one end of a speed change cable and controlled by the operation of the speed change cable, and a speed change mechanism by moving an intermediate portion of the speed change cable in a cable crossing direction. The bicycle gear shifting device according to claim 1, further comprising: a shifting cable operating means for activating a cable, wherein the shifting cable operating means is driven by the driving unit. 3. The bicycle transmission according to claim 1, wherein the generator is a hub built-in type. 4. The bicycle according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit includes a battery, and the generator is connected to charge the battery. Gearbox.