JP4272217B2 - Bicycle shift support device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a support device, and more particularly to a bicycle shift support device that supports a rider's shift operation during a bicycle shift operation.

  When traveling with a bicycle having a transmission, traveling with high energy efficiency is possible if the crank rotation speed, that is, cadence is constant. If the driving load increases, such as uphill, headwinds, or bad roads, the transmission will be downshifted to reduce speed and keep cadence unchanged. In other words, it is an efficient way to run at different speeds with the transmission so that the cadence is constant. However, a beginner may not be familiar with the technique of traveling with a certain cadence, and therefore may travel with a different cadence for each gear position.

Therefore, conventionally, practice is made to shift at a fixed timing using a cadence display device (an example of a bicycle shift support device) that displays cadence. A conventional cadence display device can numerically display cadence on a display device called a cycle computer computer that displays the speed of a bicycle (for example, see Patent Document 1). The cadence and speed can be detected by a combination of two sensors provided on the bicycle chain stay and magnets mounted on the crank and rear wheel spokes.
JP 2005-67354 A

  In the conventional configuration, an efficient driving method can be mastered by confirming the numerically displayed cadence and performing a shifting operation with a certain cadence. However, since a certain cadence varies depending on the physical ability of each rider, the rider must remember the cadence according to his / her physical ability, etc., and read that the cadence is the value and change the speed. . However, since it is difficult to read the numerical value instantaneously during traveling, recognition of the cadence numerical value is delayed, and it is difficult to perform a gear shifting operation at an optimal timing according to the rider.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to make it possible to change gears at an optimal timing according to a rider in a bicycle shift assist device.

The bicycle shift assist device according to the first aspect includes a case member, a stage display unit, and a pointer unit. The case member includes a flat bottomed cylindrical case main body and a bezel portion that is rotatably attached to the upper surface of the case main body. The stage display unit is arranged inside the case body and displays the number of crank rotations of the bicycle in stages. The pointer portion is formed in the bezel portion , and can be moved stepwise along the step display portion, and is used for referring to the shift timing by the display step of the displayed crank rotation speed.

In this speed change assisting device, the bezel part is rotated and the pointer part is moved so that the display part of the crank rotational speed corresponding to the rider's physical ability is set to indicate the pointer part. The rider can perform a shifting operation at a constant crank rotational speed by performing a shifting operation when the step display unit displays a display step pointed to by the pointer during traveling. Here, the crank rotational speed is displayed step by step, and the pointer portion can be moved along the display step. Therefore, by indicating the crank rotational speed display step according to the rider with the pointer portion, The optimum crank rotation speed can be recognized instantly simply by comparing with the pointer section. For this reason, the shifting operation can be instantaneously performed at the time when the display speed level of the crank increases to the pointer portion, and the shifting can be performed at an optimum timing according to the rider.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the bicycle shift assist device according to the first aspect, wherein the stage display unit can display the number of crank rotations in a plurality of display colors and detects a position indicated by the pointer unit; And a display control unit that changes the display color from the first color to the second color when the level of the crank rotation number displayed on the step display unit approaches the detected position. In this case, since the display color changes when the display stage of the stage display section approaches the position of the pointer section, it is possible to more reliably and quickly recognize that the crank rotation speed has approached the pointer section.

  In the bicycle shift assist device according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the device according to the second aspect, the display control unit changes the display color to the third color when the display step of the crank rotational speed exceeds the pointer portion. In this case, since the crank rotation speed further exceeds the pointer portion and is displayed in a different color, it can be instantly recognized that the optimum shift timing has passed.

  A bicycle shift support apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, further comprising a numerical value display unit that numerically displays the crank rotation speed. In this case, the crank rotation speed is displayed as a numerical value, so that the accurate crank rotation speed can be recognized.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the bicycle shift support apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the step display unit displays the crank rotational speed in a stepwise manner for each of a plurality of rotational speeds. In this case, since the display on the stage display unit changes every time the crank rotation speed changes by a plurality of rotation speeds, the rough crank rotation speed can be instantly recognized.

  According to the present invention, the crank rotational speed is displayed step by step, and the pointer portion can be moved along the display step. Therefore, by indicating the crank rotational speed display step according to the rider by the pointer portion, The optimum crank rotation speed can be instantly recognized by simply comparing the display stage with the pointer section. For this reason, the shifting operation can be instantaneously performed at the time when the display speed level of the crank increases to the pointer portion, and the shifting can be performed at an optimum timing according to the rider.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 shows a bicycle equipped with the first embodiment of the present invention. The bicycle includes a frame 1 having a frame body 2 and a front fork 3, a handle 4, a front wheel 5f and a rear wheel 5r, a drive unit 7 for transmitting rotation of a pedal 6 to the rear wheel 5r, and front and rear brake devices. 8f and 8r.

  The frame body 2 includes a front triangular portion having a head pipe 15, an upper tube 16, a lower tube 17, and a seat tube 18 on which a front fork 3 is pivotally attached to a front portion so as to be inclined obliquely forward. This is a known diamond-shaped frame having a rear triangular portion having a sheet stay 19 and a chain stay 20.

  A seat post 9a to which a saddle 9 is attached is attached to the seat tube 18 so that the vertical position can be adjusted. A front wheel 5 f is attached to the lower end of the front fork 3. The drive unit 7 is provided at the lower end of the seat tube 18, and the rear wheel 5 r is attached to the rear end of the chain stay 20. Further, a speed sensor 35 and a crank sensor 36 are attached to an intermediate portion of the chain stay 20. Both sensors 35 and 36 use, for example, reed switches that detect magnetic force and turn on and off. The speed sensor 35 generates a speed pulse corresponding to the rotational speed of the rear wheel 5r by a speed detection magnet 37 fixed to the spoke of the rear wheel 5r and wirelessly transmits the pulse. The crank sensor 36 wirelessly transmits a cadence pulse corresponding to the rotation speed of the right crank 25a by a crank rotation speed (cadence) detection magnet 38 fixed to the right crank 25a of the gear crank 25 of the bicycle.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the handle portion 4 includes a handle stem 21a and a handle bar 21b fitted and fixed at the upper end of the handle stem 21a. In FIG. 3, the handle stem 21a shows only the mounting portion of the handle bar 21b. The handle stem 21 a is fitted and fixed to the upper part of the front fork 3. The handle bar 21 b includes a pair of left and right grips 22, a pair of left and right shifting operation units 23, and a pair of left and right brake operation units 24. A bar bracket 30 for mounting various display devices is mounted on the center portion of the handle bar 21b. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the bar bracket 30 has a pair of bracket portions 30a whose base ends are attached to the handle bar 21b, and a rod-shaped mounting bar 30b fixed to the distal end of the bracket portion 30a. is doing.

  In this embodiment, a cycle computer 31 that displays the cadence and the speed of the bicycle, which is a bicycle shift support device according to an embodiment of the present invention, is attached to the center of the bar bracket 30, and front and rear exterior gear shifts described later are provided on both sides thereof. Shift position display devices 32 and 33 for displaying the shift positions of the devices 11 and 12 are attached. The shift position display devices 32 and 33 are connected to the left and right shift operation sections 23 by connection cables 32a and 33a.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the drive unit 7 includes a chain 10 and front and rear exterior transmissions 11 and 12 around which the chain 10 is bridged. The front exterior transmission 11 includes a gear crank 25 provided at a lower portion (hanger portion) of the seat tube 18 and having, for example, three sprockets having different numbers of teeth and a pedal 6 attached to the tip, and a front derailleur 26. And have. The front derailleur 26 is provided on the gear crank 25 and hangs the chain 10 on one of the three sprockets according to the operation of the speed change operation unit 23.

  The rear exterior transmission 12 includes a rear derailleur 27 and a multi-stage gear 28 having, for example, eight sprockets G1 to G8 that are mounted on the rear hub of the rear wheel 5r and have different numbers of teeth. The rear derailleur 27 hangs the chain 10 on one of the sprockets G <b> 1 to G <b> 8 according to the operation of the speed change operation unit 23 connected by the speed change cable 13.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the cycle computer 31 includes a mounting bracket 40 that can be mounted on the mounting bar 30 b and a case member 41 that is fixed to the mounting bracket 40. The case member 41 includes a flat bottomed cylindrical case body 42 and a bezel portion 43 that is rotatably mounted on the upper surface of the case body 42. The case main body 42 has a transparent window 42a on the upper surface, and a liquid crystal display unit 44 is disposed inside the case main body 42 so as to face the transparent window 42a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a display control unit 45 composed of, for example, a microcomputer is provided inside the case main body 42. These parts are operated by a battery (not shown) mounted on the case main body 42. The display control unit 45 is connected to a mode switch 46 for switching the display mode between the speed mode and the cadence mode, and a set switch 47 for setting the display mode. Further, the display control unit 45 receives the speed pulse and the cadence pulse from the speed sensor 35 and the crank sensor 36, respectively. The display control unit 45 calculates the vehicle speed of the bicycle from the speed pulse and the diameter of the rear wheel 5r, and displays a numerical value and a step display on the liquid crystal display unit 44 in the speed mode. Also, cadence (the number of revolutions of the right crank 25a per minute (rpm)) is calculated from the cadence pulse, and in the cadence mode, it is numerically displayed and displayed in stages on the liquid crystal display unit 44.

  The liquid crystal display unit 44 is capable of segment display in color, for example. The liquid crystal display unit 44 is provided in the center and has a numeric display unit 50 that displays a two-digit numeric value in seven segments, and a numeric display unit 50 so as to surround three sides. And a stage display unit 52 composed of 20 segments arranged in a letter shape. The numerical value display 50 displays the vehicle speed numerically in the speed display mode, and numerically displays the cadence in the cadence display mode. The stage display unit 52 can display each segment in blue, for example, and the display is turned on in blue every 5 km / h for speed and every 5 rpm for cadence. That is, in the speed display mode, the vehicle speed is displayed in steps of 5 km / h from 0 to 99 km / h, and in the cadence display mode, the cadence is displayed in steps of 5 rpm from 0 and 99 rpm. Providing such a stage display unit 52 changes the display every time the cadence changes by a plurality of revolutions, so that a rough cadence can be recognized instantly.

  The bezel portion 43 is attached to the case body 42 so as to be positioned at each display stage. In the bezel portion 43, a pointer portion 43a for instructing an optimal cadence according to the rider is formed, for example, in a concave shape in an arc shape. The circumferential length of the pointer portion 43a is substantially the length of two display segments, and specifically has a length in the range of about 10 rpm. In this embodiment, the bezel portion 43 can be positioned one step at a time in a range of 25 rpm to 79 rpm curved in an arc shape, that is, 11 steps from the 6th step to the 16th step, instead of all the steps of the step display unit 52. It is designed to rotate. When the rider rotates the bezel 43 in accordance with the cadence according to his / her physical strength, etc., only the gear shifts when the indication on the stage display unit 52 reaches the pointer unit 43a during traveling, and the optimal timing according to the rider is achieved. It becomes possible to shift with.

  Next, the control operation of the display control unit 45 will be described.

  When a battery is attached to the cycle computer 31, initialization is performed in step S1 of FIG. In this initial setting, the display mode is set to the speed mode. In step S2, it is determined whether or not the speed mode has been set by the mode switch 46 and the set switch 47. In the speed mode, the process proceeds to step S3, the display mode is set to the speed mode, and the vehicle speed is calculated from the pulse received from the speed sensor 35 in the numerical value display unit 50 and the step display unit 52 of the liquid crystal display unit 44 and the diameter of the rear wheel 5r. Display, and the process returns to step S2.

  When the cadence mode is selected instead of the speed mode, the process proceeds from step S2 to step S4, the pulse from the crank sensor 36 is read, and the cadence CR is calculated. In step S5, the segment of the stage display part 52 below the calculated cadence CR is displayed in blue. In step S6, the cadence CR is numerically displayed on the numerical value display unit 50, and the process returns to step S2. This state is shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B. In FIG. 7A, the cadence is 48 rpm, and the pointer portion 43a of the bezel portion 43 is set to 40 to 49 rpm. In FIG. 7B, the cadence is 57 rpm, and the pointer portion 43a of the bezel portion 43 is set to 55 to 64 rpm. In this case, since cadence has reached the shift timing in both cases, shifting can be performed at an optimal timing according to the rider by performing a shift operation at these timings.

  Here, the cadence is displayed step by step, and the pointer portion 43a can be moved along the display step. Therefore, by indicating the cadence display step corresponding to the rider by the pointer portion 43a, the display step and the pointer portion are displayed. It is possible to instantly recognize the optimum cadence for shifting by simply comparing with 43a. For this reason, when the cadence display level rises up to the pointer portion 43a, the gear shifting operation can be performed instantaneously, and the gear shifting can be performed at the optimum timing according to the rider.

Second Embodiment
In the second embodiment, the display color of the stage display unit 52 of the liquid crystal display unit 44 is changed to make it easier to recognize that the optimal cadence has been reached. In FIG. 8, in the second embodiment, a bezel sensor 48 is connected to the display control unit 145 in addition to the first embodiment. The bezel sensor 48 is provided inside the case main body 42 and detects the rotation position indicated by the pointer portion 43a of the bezel portion 43, for example, in 11 steps. As the bezel sensor 48, for example, an appropriate rotational phase detection sensor such as a rotary encoder that rotates in conjunction with the bezel portion 43 is used. Further, the stage display unit 51 can display each segment in, for example, blue (an example of the first color) and red (an example of the second color).

  Next, the control operation of the display control unit 145 of the second embodiment will be described.

  When a battery is attached to the cycle computer 31, initialization is performed in step S11 of FIG. In this initial setting, the display mode is set to the speed mode. In step S12, it is determined whether or not the speed mode has been set by the mode switch 46 and the set switch 47. In the speed mode, the process proceeds to step S13, the display mode is changed to the speed mode, and the vehicle speed is calculated from the pulse received from the speed sensor 35 in the numerical value display unit 50 and the step display unit 52 of the liquid crystal display unit 44 and the diameter of the rear wheel 5r. Display, and the process returns to step S12.

  When the cadence mode is selected instead of the speed mode, the process proceeds from step S12 to step S14, and the rotation position BL of the bezel portion 43 is read from the bezel sensor 48. Step S15: The pulse from the crank sensor 36 is read and the cadence CR is calculated. In step S16, it is determined whether or not the calculated cadence CR is less than the rotation position BL, that is, whether or not the cadence CR has yet reached the pointer portion 43a. When the cadence CR has not reached, the process proceeds to step S17, and the segment of the stage display unit 52 below the calculated cadence CR is displayed in blue. This state is shown in FIG. 10B. In FIG. 10B, the cadence is 54 rpm, and the pointer portion 43a of the bezel portion 43 is set to 55 to 64 rpm. Therefore, if 1 rpm cadence further increases, the determination in step S17 becomes NO.

  If it is determined in step S16 that the cadence CR is not less than the bezel position BL, the process proceeds from step S16 to step S18. In step S18, it is determined whether or not the cadence CR approaches and matches the bezel position BL indicating the phase of the pointer portion 43a. As described above, the pointer portion 43 a has a circumferential length corresponding to two adjacent segments of the stage display portion 52. Therefore, if the cadence CR is within the two adjacent segment ranges indicated by the pointer portion 43a, this determination is YES. When the cadence CR matches the bezel position BL, the process proceeds to step S19. In step S19, a segment indicating a cadence coincident with the bezel position BL is displayed in red, and a segment indicating a cadence less than the bezel position BL is displayed in blue. This state is shown in FIG. 10A. The case where the cadence CR does not coincide with the bezel position BL is a case where the cadence exceeds the bezel position BL. In this case, the process proceeds from step S19 to step S20. In step S20, only the segment that matches the bezel position BL is displayed in red, and the segment that is less than or greater than that is displayed in blue. Thereby, it can be recognized that the shift timing has passed.

  When the process of step S17, step S19 or step S20 ends, the process proceeds to step S21. In step S21, the cadence CR is numerically displayed on the numerical value display unit 50, and the process returns to step S12.

  In FIG. 10A, the cadence CR is 46 rpm, and the pointer portion 43a of the bezel portion 43 is set to 40 to 49 rpm. In this case, a segment indicating 0 to 39 rpm indicated by horizontal line hatching is displayed in blue, and a segment of 40 to 44 rpm indicated by vertical line hatching matching the bezel position BL and a segment of 45 to 49 rpm are displayed in red. In FIG. 10A, the fact that the cadence is approaching the shift timing is displayed in red, which is easy to call attention, so that the shift timing can be recognized quickly, and by performing the shift operation at this timing, the optimum according to the rider It will be possible to shift at the timing. Further, in FIG. 10B, since only the blue display is provided, it can be quickly determined that the shift timing is not yet reached.

<Third Embodiment>
In the second embodiment, when the cadence CR exceeds the bezel position, the segment exceeding the blue color is displayed. However, in the third embodiment, when the cadence CR exceeds the bezel position, yellow (the first color is not blue). The segment that exceeded in one example of three colors is displayed.

  In 3rd Embodiment, since the structure of the control system containing the display control part 45 is the same as that of 2nd Embodiment, description is abbreviate | omitted. However, the stage display unit 52 can display the third color (yellow) in addition to the first color (blue) and the second color (red).

  Next, the control operation of the display control unit 145 will be described.

  11, step S31 to step S39 and step S41 are the same as step S11 to step S19 and step S21 of FIG. In step S40, only segments that match the bezel position BL are displayed in red, and segments less than that are displayed in blue. Further, a segment exceeding the bezel position BL indicated by vertical and horizontal hatching in FIG. 12A is displayed in yellow.

  12A to 12C, the cadence CR is 59 rpm, and the pointer portion 43a of the bezel portion 43 is 40 to 49 rpm in FIG. 12A, 50 to 59 rpm in FIG. 12B, and 60 to 69 rpm in FIG. 12C. , Each set. In FIG. 12A, segments indicating 0 to 39 rpm indicated by horizontal line hatching are displayed in blue, and segments of 40 to 44 rpm and segments of 45 to 49 rpm indicated by vertical line hatching matching the bezel position BL are displayed in red. Further, segments of 50 to 59 rpm indicated by vertical and horizontal hatching are displayed in yellow. Here, the cadence approaching the shift timing is displayed in red, which is different from the first color blue, which is easy to call attention, and the segment exceeding the shift timing is displayed in yellow, which is different from the second color red. Therefore, it can be recognized more instantly that the shift timing has passed.

  In FIG. 12B, a segment indicating 0 to 49 rpm indicated by horizontal line hatching is displayed in blue, and a segment of 50 to 54 rpm indicated by vertical line hatching matching the bezel position BL and a segment of 55 to 59 rpm are displayed in red. As a result, the fact that the cadence is approaching the shift timing is displayed in red, which is easy to call attention. For this reason, the shift timing can be recognized quickly, and by performing the shift operation at this timing, the shift can be performed at an optimal timing according to the rider. Further, in FIG. 12C, since only the blue display is provided, it can be quickly determined that the shift timing is not yet reached. Even if the cadence is the same as described above, different bezel positions are displayed. The same applies to the second embodiment.

<Other embodiments>
(A) In the above-described embodiment, the rotation position of the bezel portion 43 is limited to 11 stages, but it may not be limited. In this case, an annular shape in which the display of the stage display unit is divided into a plurality of segments is preferable.

  (B) In the second and third embodiments, the display color is changed when the cadence coincides with the bezel position. For example, the display color is changed to include the preceding and / or subsequent segments that coincide. Also good.

  (C) In the first and third embodiments, the first display color is blue, the second color is red, and the third color is yellow. However, the display color is not limited to these colors.

  (D) In the above embodiment, the display unit is a segment type liquid crystal display unit. However, the display unit is not limited to the segment type liquid crystal display unit, and a dot matrix type liquid crystal display unit, an EL element, or a light emitting diode is used. Any display device that can be electrically controlled can be used, such as a conventional display device.

  (E) In the above-described embodiment, the stage display unit is displayed even when the speed is displayed. However, the vehicle speed may not be displayed on the stage display unit during the speed display. In addition, the cadence may not be displayed on the numerical value display unit when the cadence is displayed. In this case, the vehicle speed may be displayed on the numerical display unit and the cadence may be displayed on the stage display unit.

1 is a side view of a bicycle adopting a first embodiment of the present invention. The top view around the handle. The perspective partial view of a handlebar center part. The perspective view of a cycle computer. The block diagram of the control system of a cycle computer. The control flowchart of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the display of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows another example of the display of 1st Embodiment. The figure equivalent to FIG. 5 of 2nd Embodiment. The figure equivalent to FIG. 6 of 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the display of 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows another example of the display of 2nd Embodiment. The figure equivalent to FIG. 6 of 3rd Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the display of 3rd Embodiment. The figure which shows another example of the display of 3rd Embodiment. The figure which shows another example of the display of 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

31 cycle computer (an example of a bicycle shift assist device)
43 Bezel part 43a Pointer part 44 Liquid crystal display part 45,145 Display control part 48 Bezel sensor 50 Numerical display part 52 Step display part

Claims (5)

A bicycle shift assist device,
A case member having a flat bottomed cylindrical case body, and a bezel portion rotatably attached to the upper surface of the case body;
A stage display unit arranged inside the case body and displaying the crank rotation speed of the bicycle in a plurality of segments in stages;
A pointer portion that is formed in the bezel portion and is capable of moving stepwise along the step display portion, and for referring to a shift timing according to the display step of the displayed crank rotation speed;
A shift support device for a bicycle, comprising: The stage display unit can display the crank rotation speed in a plurality of display colors,
A position detector for detecting a position indicated by the pointer part;
The display control part which changes the display color from the 1st color to the 2nd color when the stage of the crank rotation number displayed on the stage display part approaches the detected position further. The bicycle shift assist device according to claim 1.   3. The bicycle shift support device according to claim 2, wherein the display control unit changes the display color to a third color when the display step of the crank rotation speed exceeds the pointer part.   The bicycle shift support apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a numerical value display unit that numerically displays the crank rotation speed.   The bicycle shift assist device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the step display unit displays the crank rotational speed in a stepwise manner for each of a plurality of rotational speeds.

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