JP5665226B2 - Bicycle headlight device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a bicycle headlamp device, and in particular, an auditory signal device attached to a bicycle is integrated so that a pedestrian or the like can recognize the approach of the bicycle by sound, thereby reducing the size and the number of parts. The present invention relates to a bicycle headlamp device suitable for use in a bicycle.

  Conventionally, it has been known to provide a sounding body for preventing theft of a bicycle. Patent Document 1 discloses a buzzer as an alarm device that generates an alarm sound according to a detection signal from a vibration sensor provided in a bicycle lamp having an automatic lighting function.

JP 2000-16363 A

  The headlight case provided with the buzzer described in Patent Document 1 has a structure in which a buzzer sound is diffused from a sound emission hole opened on a side surface. This prior art is intended for a burglar alarm, and a pedestrian or the like ahead of the traveling bicycle cannot recognize the approach of the bicycle. It is desirable that sounding bodies such as buzzers and speakers are directly attached to the substrate from the viewpoint of ease of assembly. However, if the sounding body is simply attached to the board and the sounding body is oriented forward, the headlight will be larger in the vertical direction and the number of parts will increase, resulting in an increase in weight and cost. It will also become.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a bicycle headlamp device that can reduce the number of parts and reduce the number of parts while directing sound from a sounding body, which is an auditory signal, to the front in response to the above-described problems of the prior art. There is.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a light source having a light source and a light reflecting portion for reflecting light from the light source forward, a sounding portion having a sounding body, and a case for housing the light source and the sounding body. In a bicycle headlamp device, the wall member that divides the case up and down in a bicycle headlight device that includes a lens that houses the light source and the light reflecting portion and is joined to the case The substrate is disposed along one of the upper and lower spaces separated by the wall member along the wall member, the light source is attached to one surface of the substrate, and the other surface is The sounding body is attached, the light reflecting portion is arranged in one space where the substrate is arranged, the one space is sealed by the lens, and the other space is on the substrate. Said sound generator Said wall member is faced by penetrating the, in the case around the sounding body has a first feature that is provided with a sound reflecting part for reflecting the sound from the sounding body forward.

  In the present invention, the one space in which the substrate is disposed is located below the wall member, and the other space where the sounding body faces is located above the wall member. A second feature is that a reflecting portion is formed as a parabolic curved surface on the inner surface of the space located below the wall member, and the flat curved surface formed by the wall member is adjacent to the parabolic curved surface. There is.

  In addition, the present invention has a third feature in that the light source is a light emitting diode, and the light emitting diode is disposed so that a maximum luminance direction faces a parabolic curved surface portion.

  Further, in the present invention, the circuit board is attached to the wall member on the light emitting portion side, and the sounding body is formed by being separated by the wall member through a through hole formed in the wall member. There is a fourth feature in that a seal member is disposed between the sounding body and the through hole.

  Further, the present invention has a fifth feature in that a directing member, such as a louver or a rib, for directing the sound from the sounding body forward is provided in the upper space partitioned by the wall member. .

  The present invention also includes an optical sensor that detects ambient brightness, and a light emission control unit that controls turning on and off of the light source based on ambient brightness detected by the optical sensor, and the optical sensor A sixth feature is that the light emission control unit is attached to the circuit board.

  In the present invention, the optical sensor is provided on the substrate in a back space of the wall portion having the sound reflecting portion, and the case portion and / or the case covering the back space is provided. There is a seventh feature in that a cover member coupled to the back of the optical sensor is formed with a transmission portion through which the optical sensor can be seen.

  In addition, the present invention has an eighth feature in that the wall member has an upper surface that is inclined downward toward the front.

  Further, according to the present invention, the case includes two case portions, and a convex portion formed on one of the two case portions engages with an engagement hole provided in the other case portion. There is a ninth feature in that they are combined.

  According to the present invention having the first feature, since the substrate is provided along the wall member that vertically divides the case, it is possible to prevent the headlamp from being enlarged in the vertical direction, and as such It is possible to reduce the size of the substrate by arranging the sounding body and the light source on the front and back of the provided substrate. Furthermore, one side of the two spaces formed with the wall member in between is a sealed space that houses the light source, and a light emitting part is housed on the other side, and the sound of the sounding body is reflected by sound. The sound generation part that can be reflected forward by the part can maintain the waterproofing of the light emitting part, and can effectively project the sound of the sounding body placed on the board forward, for pedestrians etc. ahead Effectively recognize the approach of a bicycle. Thereby, the sound generation performance of the integrated buzzer can be ensured while maintaining waterproofness as a headlamp.

  According to the present invention having the second feature, since the light reflecting portion is a parabolic curved surface and the flat one surface is adjacent, the diffused light that illuminates the lower part necessary for traveling is ensured and is relatively high from the bicycle. The ineffective luminous flux that irradiates the eyes of a pedestrian or the like can be reduced. In particular, by providing the sound generation unit on the top and the light emission unit on the bottom, it is possible to reduce the upward light that enters the human eye and to easily transmit the sound generated by the sound generation unit to the human ear. Directed in the direction.

  According to the present invention having the third feature, the maximum luminous flux of the light emitting diode can be reflected, so that the illuminance of the spot light in front of the lens can be further increased.

  According to the present invention having the fourth feature, the circuit board is disposed in the sealed space, and the through hole and the sounding body for allowing the sounding body to face the one space formed by the wall member. Since the space is sealed with a sealing member, water or the like can be prevented from entering the sealed space having the light source.

  According to the present invention having the fifth feature, it is possible to finely set and manage the directing direction of the sound from the sounding body. In particular, in a device having a louver, the direction of sound can be changed depending on the direction of the louver.

  According to the present invention having the sixth feature, by attaching the light sensor and the light emission control unit to the circuit board, control of turning on and off the light from the light source can be performed independently in the headlamp device. Can do.

  According to the present invention having the seventh feature, since the transmission part is located above the optical sensor, the ambient brightness is reliably determined, and the headlamp is turned on and off according to the brightness. can do.

  According to the present invention having the eighth feature, it is easy to discharge water or the like that has entered the upper space partitioned by the wall member from the upper space.

  According to the present invention having the ninth feature, since the convex portion provided in one of the two case portions is engaged with the engaging hole provided in the other case portion, Workability at the time of assembling the case parts to form the case can be improved.

1 is a left side view of a battery-assisted bicycle including a sounding body control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of the headlamp which integrated the sounding body contained in the control apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line of the treading force detection apparatus 15 of FIG. It is a left view of a headlamp. It is a top view of a headlamp. It is the III-III sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is an exploded view of the case of a headlamp. It is IV-IV sectional view taken on the line which shows the connection part of the case of a headlamp. It is a figure which shows the irradiation range of the assembled headlamp, and the discharge | release range of a speaker sound. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of 1st Embodiment which concerns on the process of a sound generation control circuit. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part function of the sound generation control circuit which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which concerns on the process of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of 2nd Embodiment which concerns on the process of a sound generation control circuit. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part function of the sound generation control circuit which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart concerning the process of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a vehicle speed / sound pressure map. It is a figure which shows an example of a vehicle speed / sound pressure correction amount map. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the sound generation control circuit which concerns on the modification of 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the process which concerns on the modification of 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a left side view of a battery-assisted bicycle as an example of a bicycle provided with a headlight device integrally including an audio signal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. A battery-assisted bicycle (hereinafter referred to as “assist bicycle”) 1 includes a head pipe 2 positioned at the front of the vehicle body, a down frame 3 having a front end joined to the head pipe 2 and extending downward and rearward, and a rear end of the down frame 3. A seat pipe 4 that rises upward, and a top frame 5 that extends backward from above the down frame 3 joined to the head pipe 2 and is connected to the seat pipe 4 are provided.

  A steering shaft 6 that is rotatably supported by the head pipe 2 is connected to a handle 7 at an upper portion, and a front fork 8 that rotatably supports a front wheel WF is connected to a lower end portion. A motor unit 10 is built in the hub 9 of the front wheel WF, and a plurality of spokes 11 are attached to the outer periphery of the hub 9.

  A pair of left and right plates 12 is provided behind the seat pipe 4 with respect to the vehicle body, and a pair of left and right rear forks 13 extending rearward is connected to each plate 12. The WR is rotatably supported. A pair of left and right stays 14 are provided below the top frame 5 so as to extend rearward and rearward from the seat pipe 4 and have rear ends joined to the rear forks 13.

  The down frame 3 and the seat pipe 4 support the pedaling force detection device 15. A seat post 17 having a seat 16 at the upper end is mounted on the seat pipe 4 so that the vertical position of the seat 16 can be adjusted. A battery 18 for supplying power to the motor unit 10 is provided inside the top frame 5. The battery 18 is preferably provided inside the top frame 5 so that it cannot be easily detached from the assist bicycle 1, but is not limited thereto. The battery 18 is configured to be able to be charged by the line power generated in the motor unit 10, but may be configured to be charged by a charger.

  A crankshaft 20 extending in the width direction of the vehicle body is provided through the pedaling force detection device 15 and the drive side sprocket 19, and a crank 22 having pedals 21 is connected to both sides of the crankshaft 20. When the driver strokes the pedal 21, pedaling torque (power) is applied to the crankshaft 20. The driving side sprocket 19 is rotated by the pedaling force torque applied to the crankshaft 20, and the rotation of the sprocket 19 is transmitted to the driven side sprocket 24 on the rear wheel WR side via the chain 23, so that the rear wheel WR rotates. The driving side sprocket 19, the chain 23, and the driven side sprocket 24 function as a driving system mechanism.

  The pair of front forks 8 is provided with a front wheel cantilever brake 25 for stopping the rotation of the front wheel WF, and the stay 14 is provided with a rear wheel cantilever brake 26 for stopping the rotation of the rear wheel WR. ing. A grip 27 and a brake lever 28 are respectively provided on the left and right sides of the handle 7. The front wheel cantilever brake 25 is activated by operating the right brake lever 28, and the rear by operating the left brake lever 28. The wheel side cantilever brake 26 operates.

  The rear fork is provided with a vehicle speed sensor 50 that detects the vehicle speed from the rotational speed of the rear wheel WR. A speedometer (not shown) for displaying the vehicle speed of the assist bicycle 1 based on the detection output of the vehicle speed sensor 50 and a display unit 51 are provided on the top of the handle 7. A headlamp 29 is provided in front of the handle 7. The vehicle speed sensor 50 may be provided, for example, in the front fork 8 so that the vehicle speed can be detected from the rotational speed of the front wheel WR.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of the pedaling force detection device 15 of FIG. The treading force detection device 15 rotates the drive-side sprocket 19 when the pedal 21 is stroked in the forward direction (forward direction) of the assist bicycle 1, and the drive side when the pedal 21 is stroked in the opposite direction to the forward direction. It has a mechanism that does not rotate the sprocket 19. Specifically, the treading force detection device 15 includes a hollow torque transmission member 31 inserted into the casing 30 on the outer periphery of the crankshaft 20, and one side portion of the crankshaft 20 and the hollow torque transmission member 31 (in FIG. 2). A one-way clutch means 32 provided between the left side of the vehicle body), a driver 33 for driving a brushless motor provided in the motor unit 10, and a control unit 34 for performing PWM control of the driver 33.

  The one-way clutch means 32 transmits the pedaling torque of the crankshaft 20 to the hollow torque transmission member 31 when the pedal 21 is turned in the forward direction, and when the pedal 21 is turned in the direction opposite to the forward direction. The rotation of the crankshaft 20 is not transmitted to the hollow torque transmission member 31. A spline is formed on the other side of the hollow torque transmission member 31 (the side on the right side of the vehicle body in FIG. 2), and the drive side sprocket 19 is connected in a state of being fitted to the spline.

  When the pedal 21 is turned in the forward direction, the crankshaft 20 rotates and the one-way clutch means 32 rotates the hollow torque transmission member 31. Thereby, the drive side sprocket 19 rotates. On the other hand, when the pedal 21 is turned in the reverse direction to the forward direction, the crankshaft 20 rotates, but the power transmission is interrupted by the one-way clutch means 32 and the hollow torque transmission member 31 does not rotate. Does not rotate.

A pedaling force sensor (magnetostrictive sensor) 35 for detecting the pedaling force torque applied to the crankshaft 20 is disposed opposite the outer periphery of the hollow torque transmitting member 31. The pedal force sensor 35 has two detection coils 36 and 37, and a magnetic film 38 is provided on the outer periphery of the hollow torque transmission member 31 so as to face the detection coils 36 and 37. The pedal force sensor 35 converts the inductance change of the detection coils 36 and 37 caused by the twist generated by the rotation of the hollow torque transmission member 31 into a voltage and outputs the voltage to the control unit 34.

  The hollow torque transmission member 31 rotates by receiving the pedaling force torque from the crankshaft 20 on the left side of the vehicle body, and includes a first hollow member 39 provided with a pedaling force sensor 35 on the outer periphery thereof, and other than the first hollow member 39. The first hollow member 39 is fitted on the end side (right side of the vehicle body), and the second hollow member 40 is connected to the drive side sprocket 19 on the side opposite to the fitting portion.

  The first hollow member 39 and the second hollow member 40 are abutted and fitted to each other. Since the hollow torque transmission member 31 includes the first hollow member 39 and the second hollow member 40, the force that pushes the crankshaft 20 forward and downward and the drive-side sprocket 19 at the mating portions are generated. The twisting force due to the relationship with the force of the chain 23 can be reduced. Therefore, the influence of the twist generated in the pedal force sensor 35 can be suppressed, and the detection accuracy of the pedal force sensor 35 can be improved.

  The first hollow member 39 includes a first engagement portion 41 that engages with the crankshaft 20 on the side where the one-way clutch means 32 is provided. The second hollow member 40 is engaged with the crankshaft 20 at a connection portion between the second engagement portion 42 that engages with the crankshaft 20 at the fitting portion with the first hollow member 39 and the drive side sprocket 19. 3 engaging portions 43. Since the crankshaft 20 is supported at the three positions of the first engaging portion 41, the second engaging portion 42, and the third engaging portion 43, the force that pushes the crankshaft 20 forward and downward and the drive side sprocket 19 are applied. The twist generated in the hollow torque transmission member 31 due to the relationship with the force of the chain 23 can be suppressed, and the detection accuracy of the pedaling force sensor 35 can be improved.

  A bearing (first bearing) 44 that supports the crankshaft 20 so as to be rotatable with respect to the housing 30, a second engaging portion 42, and a third engaging portion 43 on the outer side of the vehicle body of the one-way clutch means 32. A hollow torque transmitting member 31 and a bearing (second bearing) 45 that supports the crankshaft 20 are provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the housing 30 at a position therebetween. Since the bearing 45 is provided between the second engaging portion 42 and the third engaging portion 43, the bearing 45 can satisfactorily receive the force applied to the crankshaft 20 through the second hollow member 40, The detection accuracy of the pedal force sensor 35 can be improved.

  The crankshaft 20 is provided with a thrust stop convex portion 46 that abuts the second engaging portion 42 of the second hollow member 40 in the thrust direction of the crankshaft 20. The movement of the hollow torque transmission member 31 in the thrust direction can be prohibited by the second engagement portion 42 and the thrust stop projection 46. Thereby, the thrust displacement of the hollow torque transmitting member 31 can be prevented, and the detection accuracy of the pedal force sensor 35 can be improved.

  The first hollow member 39 further includes a third hollow member 47 provided with an outer of the one-way clutch means 32 on one end side, and a fourth hollow fitted to the third hollow member 47 on the other end side of the third hollow member 47. Member 48. The second hollow member 40 is fitted to the fourth hollow member 48 on the opposite side of the fourth hollow member 48 from the portion to be fitted with the third hollow member 47, and a pedal force sensor is provided on the outer periphery of the fourth hollow member 48. 35 is provided. Since the first hollow member 39 includes the third hollow member 47 and the fourth hollow member 48, the portion where the third hollow member 47 and the fourth hollow member 48 are fitted, the fourth hollow member 48 and the second hollow member 48. Further mitigating the influence of torsional force due to the relationship between the force that pushes the crankshaft 20 forward and downward and the force of the chain 32 applied to the drive side sprocket 19 at the site where the hollow member 40 is fitted. Can do. Therefore, the influence of the twist generated in the pedal force sensor 35 can be suppressed, and the detection accuracy of the pedal force sensor 35 can be improved.

  Next, the headlamp 29 will be described in detail. 2 is a front view of the headlamp 29, FIG. 4 is a left side view, FIG. 5 is a top view, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2 and 4 to 6, the headlamp 29 is divided into a lower chamber 58 and an upper chamber 60 by vertically dividing a space formed by combining the upper case 55 and the lower case 56, and the upper case 55 and the lower case 56. And a wall member 57 which forms A front surface of the lower chamber 58 formed by being partitioned by the wall member 57 is covered with a lens 59, and a louver 61 is provided on the front surface of the upper chamber 60. A cover 62 is placed on the rear portions of the upper case 55 and the lower case 56.

  The upper surface 571 of the wall member 57 has a downward slope toward the front direction of the headlamp 29. By providing the gradient, it becomes easy to discharge water entering the upper chamber 60 to the front of the headlamp 29. The wall member 57 has an upper surface 571 that is a sloped surface and four peripheral surfaces 572 that are suspended from four sides of the upper surface 571, and is used to lock the edge 591 of the lens 59 inside the upper surface 571. Ribs 573 are provided. A circuit board 63 is provided below the wall member 57 along the lower edge of the wall member 57. On the circuit board 63, a speaker 64 and a light emitting diode (LED) 67 as a light source, a sound generation control circuit 65 that controls sound generation of the speaker 64, and a light emitting circuit 66 are provided. The light emitting circuit 66 includes an optical sensor control circuit that controls turning on and off of the LED 67 in accordance with ambient brightness. On the circuit board 63, a power amplifier circuit and the like (not shown) are also attached. The speaker 64 is mounted upward and the LED 67 is mounted downward. The LED 67 is mounted with the maximum luminance direction (maximum irradiation direction) facing downward.

  The speaker 64 is disposed on the upper side of the circuit board 63, and the upper portion of the speaker 64 passes through a hole 574 formed in the wall member 57. A sealing member 68 is disposed around the columnar speaker 64 to seal between the hole 574 and the speaker 64.

  An optical sensor 69 that detects ambient brightness and supplies a detection signal to the optical sensor control circuit is provided on the upper rear portion of the circuit board 63. The circuit on the circuit board 63 is connected to an external power supply source by a connector 70 and a harness 71 connected to the connector 70.

  The inner surface of the lower case 56 constitutes a reflection surface 561 that directs the light output from the LED 67 toward the front of the headlamp 29. The lens 59 diffuses the light reflected by the reflecting surface 561. The edge 591 of the lens 59 engages with the rib 573 of the wall member 57 and is held by the lower case 56 and the wall member 57 via a packing 72 disposed between the rib 573 and the vicinity of the front portion of the lower case 56. Is done.

  The louver 61 provided in the upper chamber 60 has three slats 73. The wing plate 73 has a pin 731 for rotatably supporting the spring plate 73 on the inner surface of the upper case 55. Each slat 73 is linked by a link member 732 and the slats 73 whose ends are adjacent to each other are connected to each other. A hook portion 733 is formed at the end of the lowermost slat 73 (the end opposite to the side to which the link member is connected), and the hook 733 is hooked with a finger. Each of the 61 slats 73 can be rotated to an open position (in FIG. 6, it is set slightly upward from the horizontal). In addition, the structure of the louver 61 is not limited to this, A well-known thing can be applied.

  The inner surface 552 of the wall portion 551 provided inside the upper case 55 forms a reflection surface that reflects the sound output from the speaker 64 and directs it to the front of the headlamp 29. By changing the direction of the slats 73 of the louver 61, the direction of sound passing between the slats 73 can be finely adjusted. Instead of the louver 61, a rib 74 may be provided on the inner surface of the upper chamber 55 to set the direction of speaker sound.

  The cover 62 covers the rear of the circuit board 63 and the connector 70, and has a transmission part 75 that takes in external light from above into the cover 62. The transmission unit 75 is preferably provided above the sensing unit 691 of the optical sensor 69 so that the optical sensor 69 can detect external light, and a light transmission film is preferably provided to transmit light but prevent dust and water from entering. The transmitting portion 75 is formed on the front end surface of the cover 62 (the boundary surface with the upper case 55). However, the transmitting portion 75 is not limited to this position, and is within a range where the optical sensor 69 can be seen, for example, a chain line 621 in FIG. Or the upper case 55 or a region extending from the cover 62 to the upper case 55.

  A bracket 76 for attaching the headlamp 29 to the assist bicycle 1 is provided on the side of the lower case 56 of the headlamp 29 (the left side in this example). The bracket 76 is for connecting with, for example, the head pipe 2 on the vehicle body side, and a bush 77 having a hole through which a mounting bolt can pass is embedded. A stopper 761 is provided on the side surface of the bracket 76 so as to abut a locking portion provided on the vehicle body side and prohibit the headlamp 29 from rotating in the vertical direction.

  7 is an exploded view of the case of the headlamp 29, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV showing the connecting portion of the case. In FIG. 7, a plurality (two in this case) of engagement holes 553 are respectively formed on the left and right sides of the lower edge of the upper case 55 having a parabolic curved reflecting surface 552 and having an upward convex appearance. . The wall member 57 is provided with a convex portion 575 that fits into the engagement hole 553 of the upper case 55. Further, the lower case 56 having the reflection surface 561 is also provided with a convex portion 562 that fits into the engagement hole 553 of the upper case 55.

  When assembling the headlamp 29, the louver 61 is assembled to the upper case 55 in advance, and components such as a speaker 64 and an LED 67 are previously attached to the circuit board 63 and connected to the lower portion of the wall member 57. deep. Thus, the wall member 57 on which the circuit board 63 is assembled is aligned on the lower case 56. In this state, the lower surface of the convex portion 575 and the upper surface of the convex portion 562 are combined. Next, the upper case 55 to which the louver 61 is attached is covered with the wall member 57 from above. When the upper case 55 is pressed against the wall member 57 side with its lower edge widened, the projections 575 of the wall member 57 and the projections 562 of the lower case 56 fit into the engagement holes 553 of the upper case 55, respectively. Engage. By forming chamfers C1 and C2 on the upper surface of the convex portion 575 of the wall member 57 and the lower edge of the upper case 55, the chamfers C1 and C2 are formed when the upper case 55 is covered with the wall member 57. Since the formed portion first comes into contact, the upper case 55 can ride on the convex portion 575 of the wall member 57 with a relatively small force to facilitate engagement.

  When the lens 59 is fitted into the front surface of the assembled case with the packing 72 interposed, the connector 70 is connected to the circuit board 63 and the cover 62 is attached to the rear portion, the headlamp 29 is assembled. The headlamp 29 is attached to the assist bicycle 1 using the bracket 76 for use.

  The circuit board 63 is not limited to be disposed on the lower surface of the wall member 57, and may be provided on the upper surface of the wall member 57. As described above, the inner surface of the lower chamber 58 formed of the flat surface such as the circuit board 63 or the wall member 57 and the reflecting surface 561 which is a parabolic curved surface excludes light reflected upward from the LED 67 and is a pedestrian. This reduces the amount of ineffective light flux entering the eyes and the like, and does not reduce the diffused light toward the road surface necessary for traveling.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the headlamp 29 has a configuration in which the sound generation unit is arranged in the upper chamber 60 and the light emitting unit is arranged in the lower chamber 58. For example, the sound generation unit may be arranged on the left side and the light emitting unit may be arranged on the right side.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an irradiation range by the assembled headlamp 29 and a speaker sound emission range. As described above, since the light emitting portion provided with the LED 67 of the headlamp 29 is located below the headlamp 29, the output light of the LED 67 irradiates the regions A1 and A2 relatively below. Accordingly, the LED 67 eliminates the ineffective light beam directed upward, and the driver can easily recognize the state of the front ground where the assist bicycle 1 travels and the feet of the pedestrian PD. On the other hand, since the speaker 64 is located above the headlamp 29, the output speaker sound is emitted toward a relatively upper region A3. Thereby, since the speaker sound is emitted toward the upper body of the pedestrian PD, in particular, the height close to the ear, the pedestrian PD can easily recognize the speaker sound and recognize the approach of the assist bicycle 1. .

  Next, the configuration of the sound generation control circuit 65 that controls the sound generation by the speaker 64 will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of the first embodiment relating to the processing of the sound generation control circuit 65. The pedaling force applied to the pedal of the assist bicycle 1 repeatedly increases and decreases as time passes as shown in FIG. 10A, the actual vehicle speed V tends to increase and the pedaling force decreases while the pedaling force increases, corresponding to the increase or decrease of the pedaling force. While the vehicle is on, the increasing tendency of the actual vehicle speed V is small and is almost flat. If the output of the speaker 64 is made to follow such fluctuations in the vehicle speed V, the speaker volume (or sound pressure) will become unstable, and the listener will feel uncomfortable. Therefore, in the first embodiment of the sound generation process, the moving average of the vehicle speed is calculated, the increasing tendency of the vehicle speed is detected, and the speaker 64 generates a sound when the vehicle speed shows an increasing tendency.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the main functions of the first embodiment relating to the processing of the sound generation control circuit 65. These functions are realized by a microcomputer. In FIG. 11, a moving average calculation unit 80 takes in a detection signal of the vehicle speed sensor 50 and calculates a moving average of the vehicle speed. The calculated moving average is stored in the vehicle speed storage unit 81. The change determination unit 82 determines the direction of change of the vehicle speed Vmav based on the difference between the moving average Vmav-0 of the vehicle speed V detected this time and the previously detected moving average Vmav-1 of the vehicle speed V stored in the vehicle speed storage unit 81. To do.

  When the vehicle speed Vmav is increasing, the sound pressure determination unit 83 determines a sound pressure value corresponding to the moving average Vmav-0 calculated this time, and inputs the determined sound pressure value to the speaker drive unit 84. The speaker driving unit 84 drives the speaker 64 to generate an approach notification sound from the speaker 64 based on the input sound pressure value and a preset tone color.

  The change amount decrease / continuation determination unit 85 determines whether the moving direction of the vehicle speed V is hardly changed or is in a decreasing direction, and determines whether the decreasing direction has been maintained for a preset time T1, and is in the decreasing direction. When the state has been maintained for the time T1, an instruction is given to the speaker drive unit 84 to cause the speaker 64 to input a sound generation stop instruction. The speaker 64 stops the sound generation in response to the sound generation stop instruction. When not sounding, the sound generation stop is maintained until the increasing tendency of the moving average Vmav is detected as it is. The change amount decrease duration determination unit 85 can be configured by a timer that measures the time T1.

  The sound pressure determination unit 83 can be configured by a vehicle speed / sound pressure map that stores the relationship between the vehicle speed and the sound pressure. Note that the vehicle speed V input to the sound pressure determination unit 83 may be the vehicle speed V at the time of sound pressure determination (indicated by a dotted line in the figure) instead of the moving average value Vmav.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart according to the process of the first embodiment. In FIG. 12, in step S <b> 1, the moving average calculation unit 80 calculates the moving average Vmav of the vehicle speed from the output of the vehicle speed sensor 50 and stores it in the vehicle speed storage unit 81. In step S2, the difference between the previous moving average Vmav-1 and the current moving average Vmav-0, that is, the vehicle speed change amount ΔVmav is calculated. In step S3, the change determination unit 82 determines whether the vehicle speed change amount ΔVmav is greater than or equal to zero (positive). If the vehicle speed change amount Δmav is positive, the process proceeds to step S4. If the vehicle speed change amount Δmav is less than or equal to zero (negative or zero), the process proceeds to step S6.

  First, in step S4, the sound pressure Sa is determined by searching the vehicle speed / sound pressure map of the sound pressure determining unit 83. The vehicle speed / sound pressure map is set so that, for example, a larger sound pressure Sa is selected as the moving average Vmav of the vehicle speed increases. In step S5, a sound generation instruction for generating the searched sound pressure Sa is input to the driver (speaker drive unit 84) of the speaker 64 that is the sound source.

  In step S6, it is determined whether or not the timer flag F1 is on (= 1). If the timer flag F1 is on, the process proceeds to step S7, and if the timer flag F1 is not on (off = 0), the process proceeds to step S7 to start the timer of the variation decrease decrease determining unit 85 and then proceeds to step S8. In step S8, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time T1 has elapsed by the timer. If the predetermined time T1 has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S9 to stop the timer 85 with zero, and then proceeds to step S10 to input a sound generation stop instruction to the speaker drive unit 84. If step S7 is negative, that is, if the timer has not finished counting the predetermined time T1, steps S8 and S9 are skipped and the process returns to the start.

  When the vehicle speed Vmav for which the moving average is calculated as described above tends to increase, the speaker 64 produces sound. On the other hand, when the vehicle speed Vmav is not changed or is decreasing, the sound generation by the speaker 64 is stopped on condition that the decreasing tendency or the like continues for a predetermined time T1 measured by a timer. When the vehicle speed V is calculated as a moving average, the change in the vehicle speed V becomes smooth, and even if the sound is sounded with the sound pressure determined according to the vehicle speed, a continuous change in the sound pressure results, so that a sound with no sense of incongruity can be obtained.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an outline of the second embodiment relating to the processing of the sound generation control circuit 65. In FIG. 13, among the pedal force changes shown in FIG. 13B, while the pedal force is increasing (section indicated by a thick line), the vehicle speed V increases as shown in FIG. It is determined that the vehicle speed V is not increasing while the vehicle speed is decreasing (section indicated by a thin line). Therefore, in the second embodiment, it is determined that the vehicle speed V is increasing in a section where the change amount ΔPs of the pedal effort is equal to or greater than zero, and a speaker sound is generated based on this determination.

  FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the main functions of the second embodiment relating to the processing of the sound generation control circuit 65. These functions are realized by a microcomputer. In FIG. 14, the pedaling force storage unit 90 stores the detected pedaling force Ps of the pedaling force sensor 35 and inputs the detected pedaling force Ps to the change amount determination unit 91 as the previous detection value Ps−1. The change determination unit 91 determines the change direction of the pedaling force Ps based on the difference (change amount ΔPs) between the previous detection value Ps-1 and the current detection value Ps-0 of the pedaling force Ps.

  The sound pressure determining unit 83 determines the sound pressure Sa corresponding to the vehicle speed V when the pedaling force Ps is increasing, and inputs the determined sound pressure Sa to the speaker driving unit 84. If the direction of change in the pedaling force Ps is a decreasing direction, the speaker driving unit 84 is driven to output a sound generation stop instruction to the speaker 64 to stop sound generation by the speaker 64. When the sound is not being generated, the sound generation is stopped until the pedaling force Ps starts to increase.

  The change amount duration determination unit 92 determines whether or not the pedal force invariant state has continued for a preset time T2 when there is almost no change in the pedal force Ps, and the correction amount when the pedal force invariant state has continued for the time T2. The calculation unit 93 is energized to calculate the sound pressure correction amount Sb corresponding to the vehicle speed. The sound pressure correction amount Sb is added to the sound pressure Sa by the adding unit 94 and input to the speaker driving unit 84. The change amount duration determination unit 92 can be configured by a timer that measures the time T2. The correction amount calculation unit 93 can be configured by a vehicle speed / sound pressure correction amount map.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart according to the process of the second embodiment. In FIG. 15, in step S <b> 11, the pedaling force Ps detected by the pedaling force sensor 35 is read and stored in the pedaling force storage unit 90. In step S12, a difference between the pedaling force Ps-1 read last time and the pedaling force Ps-0 read this time, that is, a pedaling force change amount ΔPs is calculated. In step S13, the change determination unit 91 determines whether or not the pedal force change amount ΔPs is equal to or greater than zero (positive). If the pedaling force change amount ΔPs is positive, the process proceeds to step S14. If the pedaling force change amount ΔPs is equal to or less than zero (negative or zero), the process proceeds to step S19.

  In step S14, the inertial sound generation flag F2 is turned off (= 0). In step S15, the timer is reset to zero (timer flag is turned off = 0). In step S16, the vehicle speed is detected from the output of the vehicle speed sensor 50. In step S17, the sound pressure Sa corresponding to the search vehicle speed V is determined from the vehicle speed / sound pressure map. In step S18, a sound generation instruction for generating the searched sound pressure Sa is input to the driver (speaker drive unit 84) of the speaker 64 that is the sound source.

  In step S19, it is determined whether or not the pedaling force Ps is zero (zero includes a minute range centered on zero). If the pedaling force Ps is zero, the process proceeds from step S19 to step S20, and it is determined whether or not the inertial sound generation flag F2 is on (= 1). If the inertia sound generation flag F2 is not on, the process proceeds to step S21. In step S21, it is determined whether or not the timer flag is on (= 1). If the timer flag is on, the process proceeds to step S23, and it is determined whether or not the predetermined time T2 has passed by the timer of the variation duration determination unit 92. If the predetermined time T2 has elapsed, the routine proceeds to step S24, where the vehicle speed V is detected. If step S21 is negative, the process proceeds to step S22 to start the timer and then proceeds to step S23.

  In step S25, the sound pressure Sa corresponding to the search vehicle speed V is determined from the vehicle speed / sound pressure map. In step S26, the sound pressure correction amount Sb is determined from the sound pressure correction map (vehicle speed / sound pressure correction amount map). In step S27, the addition unit 94 adds the sound pressure correction amount Sb to the sound pressure Sa. In step S28, the inertia sound generation flag F2 is turned on (= 1). The process proceeds from step S28 to step S18.

  If step S19 is negative, that is, if the pedaling force Ps is negative (or further deviates in a negative direction from a small range centered on zero), the routine proceeds to step S29, where the inertia sound generation flag F2 is turned off (= 0). To. In step S30, the timer is reset (= 0). In step S31, a sound generation stop instruction is input to the driver, and the process returns to the start.

  If step S20 is positive, steps S21 to S23 are skipped and the process proceeds to step S24. If step S23 is negative, that is, if the predetermined time T2 has not elapsed, steps S24 to S28 are skipped and the process proceeds to step SS18.

  As described above, while the pedaling force Ps is determined to be the positive side, the speaker 64 produces sound with a sound pressure corresponding to the vehicle speed V. On the other hand, if the pedaling force is maintained at zero or near zero until the time T2 elapses, the sound pressure is determined according to the vehicle speed V, and if the pedaling force Ps is negative, the sound generation by the speaker 64 is stopped.

  If the stepping Ps force is maintained at or near zero, the sound pressure Sa is increased and corrected by the sound pressure correction amount Sb. When the pedaling force Ps is maintained at zero or near zero to some extent, it is determined that the vehicle is coasting. Since coasting is often performed on downhills or corners, the assist bicycle 1 can be approached to pedestrians at an early stage by increasing the loudspeaker sound on downhills or corners where coasting is likely to occur. I can inform you.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle speed / sound pressure map, and FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle speed / sound pressure correction amount map. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, it is desirable that the sound pressure Sa and the sound pressure correction amount Sb are set so as to increase exponentially according to the vehicle speed V.

  The second embodiment can be modified as follows. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an outline of a sound generation control circuit according to a modification of the second embodiment. In FIG. 18, among the pedal effort changes shown in FIG. 18 (b), while the pedal effort is decreasing (section indicated by a thick line), the vehicle speed V is substantially constant as shown in FIG. 18 (a). It is judged that Therefore, if the pedaling force change amount ΔPs is negative, it is determined that the vehicle speed V is substantially constant or tends to decrease, and based on this determination, the sound pressure of the speaker sound is determined according to the vehicle speed V and sounded. This is because when the change amount of the vehicle speed V is small, even if the sound pressure is determined according to the vehicle speed V, sound can be produced with a stable sound volume.

  FIG. 19 is a flowchart of processing according to a modification of the second embodiment. Steps S41, S42, S44 to S48, and steps S50 to S61 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 19 are the same as the processes of steps S11, S12, S14 to S18, and steps S20 to S31 shown in FIG. Steps S43 and S49 are replaced with steps S13 and S19 shown in FIG.

  That is, in step S43, it is determined whether or not the pedal effort change amount ΔPs is less than zero (negative). If the pedaling force change amount ΔPs is negative, the process proceeds to step S44, and if the pedaling force change amount ΔPs is not less than zero (positive or zero), the process proceeds to step S49. In steps S44 to S48, when the pedaling force change amount ΔPs is negative, a process of generating sound by the speaker is performed.

  On the other hand, the process proceeds to step S49. If it is determined in step S49 that the pedaling force Ps is zero, the process proceeds to step S50 to perform processing including sound pressure correction. On the other hand, if it is determined that the pedaling force Ps is positive, the process starts from step S49. The process proceeds to steps S59 to S61 to stop the sound generation.

  The sound generation control circuit for executing the flowchart of FIG. 19 can be realized by modifying the discrimination algorithm in the change discrimination unit 91 in the configuration shown in FIG. That is, the change determination unit 91 causes the sound pressure determination unit 83 to output the sound pressure Sa according to the vehicle speed V when determining that the pedal effort Ps is changing in the decreasing direction. Further, the change amount duration determination unit 92 instructs the volume correction amount calculation unit 93 to calculate the volume correction amount Sb corresponding to the vehicle speed V if the pedaling force Ps is zero and the scheduled time T2 is maintained, while the pedaling force Ps. If is a positive value, the speaker driving unit 84 is operated so as to stop the sound generation of the speaker 64.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the thing of the above-mentioned embodiment, It can deform | transform based on a well-known technique etc. in the range described in the claim. For example, although a speaker has been described as an example of a sounding body, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a buzzer may be used as a sounding body. In addition, any change in the tone color or pitch of the sound generator can be set in advance and selected from the stored ones for sound generation.

  Further, the configuration of the battery-assisted bicycle is not limited to that shown in FIGS. For example, the configuration and arrangement position of the pedal force detection device and the motor unit may be well known, and the speaker 64 as a sounding body is preferably provided at the front part of the vehicle body, but is integrated with the headlamp 29 together with the LED 67. Instead of being incorporated into the case, the headlamp 29 may be provided independently. For example, you may attach to the front fork 8 with the headlamp 29 or independently.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Assist bicycle, 8 ... Front fork, 10 ... Motor part, 35 ... Treading force sensor (stepping force detection means), 21 ... Pedal, 29 ... Headlight, 55 ... Upper case, 56 ... Lower case, 50 ... Vehicle speed sensor ( Vehicle speed detection means), 63 ... circuit board, 64 ... speaker (sounding body), 65 ... sounding control circuit (sounding control unit), 67 ... LED (light source)

Claims (11)

A light emitting unit having a light source (67) and a light reflecting unit (561) for reflecting light from the light source (67) forward, a sounding unit having a sounding body (64), the light source (67) and the sounding body (64), a light source (67) and the light reflecting portion (561), a lens (59) joined to the case, the light source (67) and the sounding body (64). In a bicycle headlamp device having a board (63) to be mounted,
A wall member (57) for partitioning the case vertically;
The substrate (63) is disposed along one of the upper and lower spaces separated by the wall member (57) along the wall member (57), and the light source is disposed on one surface of the substrate (63). (67) is attached, and the sounding body (64) is attached to the other surface,
The light reflecting portion (561) is disposed in one space where the substrate (63) is disposed, the one space is sealed by the lens (59), and the substrate (63) is disposed in the other space. ) The sounding body (64) above is caused to pass through the wall member (57),
The bicycle headlamp device according to claim 1, wherein the case around the sounding body (64) is provided with a sound reflecting portion (552) that reflects sound from the sounding body (64) forward. The one space where the substrate (63) is arranged is located below the wall member (57), and the other space where the sounding body (64) faces is located above the wall member (57). And
The light reflecting portion ( 561 ) is formed as a parabolic curved surface on the inner surface of the space located below the wall member (57), and the flat single surface formed by the wall member (57) is formed on the parabolic curved surface. The bicycle headlamp device according to claim 1, wherein the two are adjacent to each other.   The bicycle headlamp device according to claim 1, wherein the light source (67) is a light-emitting diode, and the light-emitting diode is disposed so that a maximum luminance direction faces a parabolic curved surface portion. . The circuit board (63) is attached to the wall member (57) on the light emitting part side,
The sounding body (64) passes through a through hole (574) formed in the wall member (57) and faces one space formed by partitioning with the wall member (57), and
The bicycle headlamp device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a seal member (68) is disposed between the sounding body (64) and the through hole (574). .   The directing member (61, 74) for directing the sound from the sounding body (64) forward is provided in an upper space partitioned by the wall member (57). The bicycle headlamp device according to any one of?   The bicycle headlamp device according to claim 5, wherein the directing member is a louver (61) provided in a front portion of an upper space partitioned by the wall member (57).   The bicycle headlamp device according to claim 5, wherein the directivity member is a rib (74) formed on an inner surface of an upper space partitioned by the wall member (57). An optical sensor (69) for detecting ambient brightness, and a light emission control unit (66) for controlling turning on and off of the light source (67) based on the ambient brightness detected by the optical sensor (69). Provided,
The bicycle headlamp device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the light sensor (69) and the light emission controller (66) are attached to the circuit board (63). The optical sensor (69) is provided in the back space of the wall (51) having the sound reflection part (552) on the substrate (63),
A transmissive part (75) through which the optical sensor (69) can be seen is formed in a part of the case covering the back space and / or a cover member (62) coupled to the back of the case. The bicycle headlamp device according to claim 8.   The bicycle headlamp device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the wall member (57) has an upper surface (571) that is inclined downward toward the front. The case includes two case portions (56, 55), and a protrusion (562) formed on one of the two case portions (56, 55) is provided on the other case portion (55). The bicycle headlamp device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the bicycle headlamp device is integrally combined by engaging with the joint hole ( 553 ).

Images