NO20151781A1 - Battery for gear shifter as power source for tracking unit for human-powered vehicle - Google Patents

Description

BATTERY FOR GEAR SHIFTER AS POWER SOURCE FOR TRACKING UNIT FOR HUMAN-POWERED VEHICLE

The present invention relates to a tracking unit for a human-powered vehicle, wherein the human-powered vehicle comprises an electric gear shifter and a battery coupled to the electric gear shifter for supplying power thereto, wherein the tracking unit is configured for receiving power from the battery. The human-powered vehicle further comprises a frame. The tracking unit comprises a tracker, such as a GPS unit and/or a GSM unit, and an antenna. The invention also relates to a human-powered vehicle comprising the tracking unit. Said human-powered vehicle may be a bicycle.

Theft of human-powered vehicles, such as bicycles, is a large and increasing problem. Expensive bicycles have even been reported to be the aim of organized criminals. One possible countermeasure to the increasing problem is to install tracking units in said vehicles. Said tracking units need a power source.

Using a battery as a power source for a tracking unit is known. Prior art, such as WO2010092356 A1, includes a dedicated battery as part of a tracking unit.

The invention has for its object to remedy or to reduce at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art, or at least provide a useful alternative to prior art.

The object is achieved through features, which are specified in the description below and in the claims that follow.

In a first aspect, the invention relates to a tracking unit for a human-powered vehicle, wherein the human-powered vehicle comprises a frame and a battery coupled to an electric gear shifter for providing power thereto, wherein the tracking unit is configured for receiving power from the battery. The tracking unit comprises a tracker, such as a GPS unit and/or a GSM unit, and an antenna. The tracking unit is adapted to be placed inside the frame of the human-powered vehicle.

The tracking unit according to the present invention aims at offering a better power source solutton compared to prior art. Adding a dedicated battery for a tracking unit to a human-powered vehicle has drawbacks in that it adds cost, weight and it takes up space. Using an existing battery is thus advantageous, as it saves cost, weight and space by not requiring a dedicated battery exclusiveiy for the tracking unit to be added. Using an existing battery for an electric gear shifter is not disclosed in the prior art.

The tracking unit, when installed in a human-powered vehicle, may be protected from tampering by at least partly protecting parts of the tracking unit that are not enclosed by a frame. This may be done by a layer of protective material, or by using fastening means of protective material. The protective material may be a two-component epoxy material, a polyurethane, a polycarbonate, a nitrogen based thermoset polymer, a ceramic material, a thermoplastic two-component material or a mouldable bulletproof material. Protecting the tracking units external parts with protective material protects the tracking unifs ability to communicate from being disabled. By protecting the tracking unit it will become harder and more time-consuming for a criminal to disable the tracking unit.

The tracking unit may also comprise a backup battery for providing the tracking unit with power in situations wherein other power sources are disabled, not functioning or not present. A backup energy source will reduce the tracking unifs downtime; time during which the tracking unit is not working as intended. The tracking unit is working as intended if it is consistently monitoring and communicating the human-powered vehicle's position.

The tracking unit may also comprise a motion detection means, such as an accelerometer and/or a gyroscope, for detecting movement, wherein the tracking unit is configured for conditional deactivation of the tracking unit when no movement is detected. In an embodiment comprising motion detection means, the term working as intended will refer to a situatton where the tracking unit is consistently monitoring and communicating a human-powered vehicle's position unless the tracking unit is temporarily deactivated by the lack of movement registered by the motion detection means. A tracking unit comprising motion detection means is advantageous because deactivation of the tracking unit during standstill will reduce power consumption and thereby increase battery lifetime.

Furthermore, the tracking unit may also comprise an expansion device for securely fastening the tracking unit by expansion internally in a human-powered vehicle frame.

In a second aspect the invention relates to a human-powered vehicle comprising the tracking unit according to the first aspect of the invention. The human-powered vehicle further comprises an electric gear shifter and a battery coupled to the electric gear shifter for supplying power thereto.

In a second aspect the invention relates to a human-powered vehicle comprising the tracking unit according to the first aspect of the invention.

The term underside refers to the side of the human-powered vehicle facing the ground when the human-powered vehicle is in normal use, internal and internally refers to in a cavity on the inside of the frame of the human-powered vehicle, and external and externally refers to the outside of the frame of the human-powered vehicle.

In one embodiment the antenna may be mounted on the underside of the frame of the human-powered vehicle, where it may be mounted using two holes for holding a battery and a junction box. This embodiment requires that the human-powered vehicle comprises two holes as described.

A second possible embodiment of the invention has the antenna placed on the underside of the frame of the human-powered vehicle, where it may be mounted using a drainage hole under a crank. This embodiment requires that the human-powered vehicle comprises a drainage hole under a crank.

In a third embodiment, the antenna may be built into a plastic gear wire guide on the underside of the frame of the human-powered vehicle, where the gear wires extends from internally to externally on the frame.

In a fourth embodiment, the antenna may be placed on the upper side of a lower part of the frame of the human-powered vehicle. By upper side is meant the side facing away from the ground when the human-powered vehicle is in normal use. In this embodiment, mounting holes in the frame for mounting a battery may be used for mounting the antenna. This embodiment requires that the human-powered vehicle comprises such mounting holes, or other means for mounting the antenna to the frame in such a position.

In embodiments comprising an antenna mounted on the underside of the frame of a human-powered vehicle, the antenna is preferably mounted in such a way that it has a minimum angle relative to the ground. An angle is preferred for the antenna to send and/or receive signals of sufficient quality consistently enough for the tracking unit to work as intended.

It is further preferred, for all embodiments which comprises an antenna mounted on the exteriorof the frame, that the antenna protrudes from the frame to ensure that signals of sufficient quality can be sent from and/or received by the antenna consistently enough for the tracking unit to work as intended.

In a fifth embodiment, the antenna may be mounted on the exterior of the electric gear shifter. In a sixth embodiment, the antenna may be at least partially integrated in the electric gear shifter. The gear shifter may be an anterior or a posterior gear shifter.

In an embodiment, the human-powered vehicle may be a bicycle.

In the following is described an example of a preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 shows a bicycle frame provided with an embodiment of the tracking unit in accordance with the invention.

In said preferred embodiment, illustrated in figure 1, a tracking unit 10 is enclosed inside a bicycle frame 100, with an opening 101 in the top of the frame 100 and a further opening 109 in the bottom of the frame 100. The frame 100 comprises an electric gear shifter 20 and a battery 5, wherein the battery 5 is coupled to the electric gear shifter (20) for suppiying power thereto. The tracking unit 10 comprises a tracker 1 in the form of a GPS unit, an expansion mechanism 3, and a wire 4 extending from the tracker to an antenna 2 mounted on the exterior of the gear shifter 20. Said wire 4 extends from the tracker 1 in the frame 100 to the antenna 2 through a hole 6 in the frame 100.

The parts of the tracking unit 10 provided inside of the frame 100, can be inserted through the opening in the top of the frame 101 and/or inserted through the bottom of the frame 109. The tracker 1 can be positioned above or below the battery 5. By above is meant doser to the top hole 101 in the frame 100, by below is meant doser to the bottom hole 109 in the frame 100.

In the shown embodiment the expansion mechanism 3 is positioned at the top of the tracking unit 10, with the result that no wiring has to pass by the expansion mechanism 3. The tracker 1 is mounted close to or directly below the battery 5, meaning little to no wiring is needed between the tracker 1 and the battery 5. The tracker 1 is furthermore placed dose to the hole 6, meaning that wire 4 may be short, and that little work is needed to connect the tracker 1 to the antenna 2.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention, and that those skilled in the art will be able to design many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. Use of the verb "comprise" and its conjugations does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those stated in a claim. The article "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements.

The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

Claims (11)

1. Tracking unit (10) for a human-powered vehicle, comprising a frame (100), the human-powered vehicle further comprising an electric gear shifter (20) and a battery (5) for the electric gear shifter (20), the tracking unit (10) comprising a tracker (1), such as a GPS and/or GSM unit and an antenna (2) for allowing the tracker (1) to communicate with a receiver,characterised in thatthe tracking unit (10) is configured for receiving power from the battery (5) for the electric gear shifter (20).

2. Tracking unit (10) according to claim 1, wherein parts of the tracking unit (10) not enclosed by a frame (100) are at least partly protected by a tamper protection layer comprising a material, such as a thermoplastic two-component material or a ceramic material.

3. Tracking unit (10) according to any one of the previous claims, the tracking unit (10) comprising a backup battery for providing power for the tracking unit (10) when other power sources are disabled, not functtoning or unavailable.

4. Tracking unit (10) according to any one of the previous claims, the tracking unit (10) comprising a motion detection means, such as an accelerometer and/or a gyroscope, for detecting movement, wherein the tracking unit (10) is configured for conditional deactivation of the tracking unit (10) when no movement is detected.

5. Tracking unit (10) according to any one of the previous claims, the tracking unit (10) comprising an expansion device (3) for securely fastening the tracking unit (10) by expansion within a cavity in a vehicle frame (100).

6. Human-powered vehicle comprising the tracking unit (10) according to any one of the previous claims, the human-powered vehicle further comprising an electric gear shifter (20) and a battery (5), wherein the battery (5) is coupled to the electric gear shifter (20) for supplying power thereto.

7. Human-powered vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the antenna (2) is mounted on the frame of the human-powered vehicle.

8. Human-powered vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the antenna (2) is mounted on or at least partially integrated in the electric gear shifter.

9. Human-powered vehicle according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the antenna (2) has a minimum angle relative to the ground.

10. Human-powered vehicle according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the antenna (2) protrudes from the frame (100).

11. Human-powered vehicle according to any one of the previous claims 7-10, wherein the human-powered vehicle is a bicycle.