JP2002137775A - Lighting system for bicycle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To keep the tail lamp of a bicycle on even while the bicycle is temporarily stopped during the night, the bicycle having a head lamp and a tail lamp lighted by a generator. SOLUTION: This system includes electric double layer capacitors 10 and 11 charged by the generator 4. If no external light ray is detected by a light detector 21 and the rotation of wheels is no longer detected by a travel detector 22, a switching element 15 for discharging the capacitors 10 and 11 and a switching element 14 for lighting the tail lamp 3 are closed in response to a control signal fed from a control circuit 19, so that the tail lamp 3 is lighted by the discharge of the capacitors.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bicycle light, and more particularly, to a device for controlling blinking of a tail light thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A bicycle headlamp illuminates the front during night driving so that a driver can grasp the state of a course and let a vehicle or a pedestrian in front or around recognize a bicycle. Therefore, it is important to ensure night driving safety. On the other hand, tail lights are mainly used to make a following vehicle recognize the presence of a bicycle to prevent a rear-end collision or the like. In some cases, a reflector is used instead of a taillight, but the opposite light can be recognized by the following vehicle when there is sufficient inter-vehicle distance,
There is a drawback that if the inter-vehicle distance is reduced, it cannot be recognized. Therefore, in Europe, tail lights are used instead of reflectors.

[0003] A headlight or taillight of a bicycle normally uses a generator driven in contact with a tire or a generator built in a hub of a front wheel and rotating as a power source. Since these generators do not generate power unless the bicycle is running, it is impossible to make the surroundings and following vehicles recognize the presence of the bicycle during a pause at an intersection or the like.

[0004]

For this purpose, it has been proposed to accumulate a current generated by a generator during traveling, thereby turning on a headlight and a taillight even during a temporary stop. For example, in a device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-223570, a current generated during running is stored in a capacitor,
At the time of a temporary stop at an intersection, etc., the illuminating lamp is turned on by the discharge of the accumulated charge.However, if the stopping time is prolonged, the capacitor is exhausted and turns off. And become difficult to attach to a bicycle.

[0005] For example, in the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-142351, a secondary battery is used and charged during daytime running. During the night, the lighting is turned on using a generator and a secondary battery at night, but the output of the generator fluctuates greatly due to a large change in the vehicle speed of the bicycle, resulting in frequent charging and discharging. Second, the life of the secondary battery is shortened.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A bicycle lighting device according to the present invention comprises a generator driven by the rotation of wheels, a headlight and a taillight which are turned on by the output of the generator.
An electric double-layer capacitor, a traveling detector for detecting the presence or absence of rotation of the wheel, a photodetector for detecting ambient brightness, and a charging circuit for charging the electric double-layer capacitor with an output of the generator. A discharge circuit for supplying the stored current of the electric double layer capacitor to the taillight when the traveling detector does not detect the rotation of the wheel and the photodetector does not detect light.

In the above apparatus, the electric double-layer capacitor is charged by the output of the generator while the bicycle is running, day or night. At the time of suspension during daytime running, even if the running detector does not detect the rotation of the wheels, the light detector continues to detect external light, so discharge via the taillight of the electric double layer capacitor will not Does not happen. However, during night driving, when the traveling detector stops detecting the rotation of the wheels due to a temporary stop, the taillight is turned on by the discharge of the electric double layer capacitor because there is no incident light on the photodetector, and the following vehicle Etc. recognize the existence of a bicycle. When the bicycle resumes running, the taillight is turned on by the output of the generator, and the discharge of the electric double-layer capacitor is stopped.

The electric double-layer capacitor and its charging / discharging circuit in the above-described device are desirably combined into a single unit and housed in a bicycle frame, thereby protecting these electric circuit parts from rainwater and the like. In addition, the outer shape of the bicycle can be simplified.

[0009]

1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a bicycle, 2 denotes a headlight, 3 denotes a taillight, 4 denotes a generator provided on a front wheel hub of the bicycle, and 5 denotes a bicycle frame. 2 shows a housed circuit unit. After the output of the generator 4 is rectified by the rectifier 7, the electric double layer capacitors 10 and 11 are charged through the switching element 8 and the charging resistor 9, and at the same time, the electric power is supplied to the headlight 2 through the switch 12 and the switching element 13. It is supplied to the taillight 3 via the switch 12 and the switching element 14. The electric charges accumulated in the electric double-layer capacitors 10 and 11 are supplied to the headlight 2 and the taillight 3 via the switching element 15, the protection diode 16 and the switch 12, and then via the switching elements 13 and 14, respectively. 17 and 18
Are equalizing resistors respectively connected in parallel to the electric double layer capacitors.

Switching elements 8, 13, 14 and 15
IGBTs, transistors, MOSFETs, and the like are used, and opening and closing are controlled by control signals sent from the control circuit 19. The control circuit 19 has a CPU 20,
The calculation based on the signals from the photodetector 21 and the travel detector 22 is performed to create control signals for the respective switching elements. Note that an output signal of the generator 4 may be used instead of the detection signal of the traveling detector 22. Table 1 shows the detection signals of the photodetector 21 and the traveling detector 22 provided to the control circuit 19, and the states in which the switching elements 8, 13, 14 and 15 are controlled by the control signals generated based on the detection signals.
Shown in

[0011]

[Table 1]

During traveling in the daytime, the photodetector 21 detects light and the traveling detector 22 detects that the vehicle is traveling, so that the switching element 8 is closed, and the electric double layer The capacitors 10 and 11 are charged. Since the remaining switching elements 13, 14, 15 are open, the headlight 2 and the taillight 3 are not turned on, and the electric double-layer capacitors 10, 11 are not discharged. When the vehicle stops, the traveling detector 22 stops detecting traveling, so that the switching element 8 in addition to the switching elements 13, 14, and 15 is opened, and charging of the electric double-layer capacitor is stopped.

During traveling at night, the traveling detector 22 detects that the vehicle is traveling, but the light detector 21 does not detect light. As a result, the switching element 8 is closed and the electric double-layer capacitors 10 and 11 are charged, and the discharge circuit thereof is cut off by the opening of the switching element 15,
When the switching elements 13 and 14 are closed, the headlight 2 and the taillight 3 are turned on by the output of the generator 4.

When the vehicle stops during night driving, the photodetector 21
Does not detect light, and the travel detector 22 also does not detect travel. As a result, the switching element 8 is opened, the charging of the electric double-layer capacitors 10, 11 is stopped, the switching element 13 is opened, the lighting circuit of the headlight 2 is cut off, and the switching elements 14 and 15 are closed. The tail lamp 3 is turned on by the discharge current of the electric double-layer capacitors 10 and 11 to clearly indicate the presence of a bicycle that is temporarily stopped for a following vehicle or the like.

If the stop time after running at night becomes longer than the temporary stop time due to bicycle parking, the tail lamp 3 naturally goes out when the electric double-layer capacitors 10 and 11 are completely discharged. However, a timer circuit 23 is provided in the control circuit 19, which is activated when both the photodetector 21 and the traveling detector 22 stop producing an output, and opens the switching element 15 of the discharge circuit after a predetermined time. For example, the tail lamp 3 is automatically turned off, and useless discharge of the electric double-layer capacitors 10 and 11 can be prevented. Also, a switch 12 is provided between the electric double-layer capacitors 10 and 11 and the headlights 2 and the taillights 3 so that the switches 12 are manually closed during night driving, and are manually opened during daytime and bicycle parking. You may.

In the case where the vehicle must be stopped frequently during nighttime driving, the next primary charge cannot be sufficiently made up for the discharge amount of the electric double layer capacitor consumed during the previous stop. Stopping may be required. Therefore, it is desirable to increase the charging speed of the electric double-layer capacitor when re-running after the primary stop. FIG.
Shows an embodiment for that purpose, the charging resistor 9 is divided into 91 and 92, and at the time of re-running after the primary stop, the control circuit 19
The switching element 24 is turned on by a signal from the switch, and a part 91 of the charging resistor is short-circuited. Thereby, the charging speed of the electric double-layer capacitors 10 and 11 can be increased by decreasing the resistance value of the charging resistor.

[0017]

As described above, in the present invention, the taillight is turned on when the vehicle is temporarily stopped, and the presence of a bicycle can be clearly indicated to a vehicle or the like, so that an accident such as a rear-end collision can be prevented.
Since the electric double-layer capacitor is used as the power source for the taillight during a pause, it can continue to be lit even if the pause is prolonged for a long period of time. Since it does not come, it is very effective as a safety measure when riding a bicycle at night.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a bicycle to which the device of the present invention is attached.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of another embodiment of a charging circuit for an electric double layer capacitor according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Headlight 3 Rear light 4 Generator 5 Circuit unit 6 Frame 7 Rectifier 8 Switching element 9 Charging resistor 10, 11 Electric double layer capacitor 12 Switch 13, 14, 15 Switching element 19 Control circuit 20 CPU 21 Photodetector 22 Running detection vessel

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A generator driven by rotation of wheels, a headlight and a taillight turned on by an output of the generator, an electric double-layer capacitor, and a photodetector for detecting ambient brightness. A traveling detector for detecting the presence or absence of rotation of the wheel; a charging circuit for charging the electric double-layer capacitor with the output of the generator; and a light detector for detecting that the traveling detector does not detect the rotation of the wheel. And a discharge circuit for supplying the stored current of the electric double-layer capacitor to the taillight when the state is not detected. 2. The timer according to claim 1, wherein the timer is started when the photodetector does not detect light and the traveling detector does not detect rotation of the wheel, and a timer that shuts off the discharge circuit after a predetermined time has elapsed. A lighting device for a bicycle, comprising: 3. The bicycle lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the electric double-layer capacitor, the charging circuit, and the discharging circuit are housed in a bicycle frame.