TWI432360B - Bicycle brake lever and the use of its bicycle with kinetic energy recovery brake control device - Google Patents

Description

Bicycle brake lever and bicycle kinetic energy recovery brake control device using the same

The present invention relates to a bicycle brake lever that can be mounted on a handlebar of a bicycle, and a bicycle kinetic energy recovery brake control device using the same.

The brake lever of the bicycle is coupled to the brake device by a connecting member such as a cable, a connecting rod, and a hydraulic pipe, and brakes the brake device. The brake lever usually includes a mounting bracket that is mounted on the handlebar and an operating lever member that is swingably mounted to the mounting bracket. The mounting bracket has a mounting portion that is attached to the handlebar and a bracket portion that is coupled to the mounting portion. The mounting portion is formed in a tubular shape that can be held, for example, in a handlebar. The bracket portion is provided for swingably attaching the lever member. The lever member is, for example, coupled to the brake cable and urged in the brake release direction.

In the brake lever for assisting bicycles having the motor for assisting the assist, it is known to have a gauge for detecting the movement position of the lever member (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). In a bicycle using a conventional brake lever, the gauge is disposed at a position of a fulcrum of the lever member. The moving position of the lever member is detected by the gauge. Further, the motor is controlled such that the kinetic energy recovery braking time is lengthened in accordance with the movement position of the operation lever member from the initial position.

On the other hand, in the bicycle brake lever, an initial position adjustment unit that adjusts the initial position (wobble start position) of the operation lever member in accordance with the size of the person's hand is known (for example, refer to Patent Document 2). The initial position adjustment unit has, for example, an adjustment bolt that can be screwed into the operation lever member in the attachment bracket of the brake lever. When the adjustment bolt is rotated, the initial position of the lever member approaches and moves away from the handlebar.

[Advanced technical literature]

[Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 9-254861

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. SHO 57-90277

In the configuration of Patent Document 1, the stroke of the lever member is detected by a gauge placed on the fulcrum of the lever member. However, since the displacement in the swing fulcrum of the lever member is small, it is difficult to accurately detect the moving position of the lever member.

An object of the present invention is to accurately detect the moving position of the lever member of the bicycle brake lever.

When the initial position adjustment unit of the brake lever assembly patent document 2 of the patent document 1 changes, the movement position from the initial position cannot be accurately detected. Therefore, the control of the kinetic energy recovery brake cannot be performed accurately for the movement position.

Another object of the present invention is to accurately control the kinetic energy recovery braking even if the initial position of the brake lever changes.

The bicycle brake lever of the first aspect of the invention is a bicycle brake lever that can be coupled to a brake device that can be attached to a bicycle. The brake lever includes a mounting bracket, an operating lever member, a moving position detecting portion, and an initial position adjusting portion. The mounting bracket is a handlebar that can be mounted on a bicycle. The lever member is swingably mounted to the mounting bracket from the initial position. The moving position detecting portion is provided at a position away from the swing center of the operating lever member in the mounting bracket for detecting the moving position of the operating lever member from the initial position. The initial position adjustment unit is provided in the mounting bracket so that the initial position can be adjusted.

In the bicycle brake lever, when the lever member swings from the initial position, the movement position is detected by the movement position detecting portion. Here, the moving position detecting unit is disposed not at the swing center but at a position away from the swing center. Therefore, the change in the moving position becomes larger than the swing of the lever member, and the moving position can be detected with high precision.

The bicycle brake lever according to the second aspect of the invention is the operation lever of the first aspect of the invention, and the movement position detecting portion detects the distance from the magnet disposed on the operation lever member to the movement position detecting portion as the movement position. And has a linear Hall element that is disposed on the mounting bracket. In this case, the magnet is attached to the operating lever member, and the moving position is detected from the distance between the linear Hall element disposed on the mounting bracket and the magnet. Therefore, the moving position can be detected with high precision by a simple configuration.

The bicycle kinetic energy recovery brake control device according to the third aspect of the invention is a device for controlling the kinetic energy recovery braking of the motor in accordance with the operation of the brake lever of the invention 1 or 2 which can be mounted on an electric bicycle driven by a motor-assisted manpower. The kinetic energy recovery brake control device for bicycle includes a maximum adjustment position memory unit, an initial position memory unit, an initial position rewriting unit, and a kinetic energy recovery control unit. The maximum adjustment position memory unit is the maximum adjustment position of the memory initial position adjustment unit. The initial position memory unit is the initial position of memory. In the initial position rewriting unit, if the movement position detected by the movement position detecting unit is smaller than the maximum adjustment position stored in the maximum adjustment position storage unit, the detected movement position is stored in the initial position memory unit as the initial position. The initial position is rewritten. The kinetic energy recovery control unit controls the kinetic energy recovery brake of the motor in accordance with the movement position from the initial position stored in the initial position storage unit.

In this kinetic energy recovery brake control device, if the lever member is moved, the maximum adjustment position and the movement position are compared. The memory processing to the maximum adjustment position of the maximum adjustment position storage unit at this time may be performed by a vending shop or a rider after the bicycle is purchased, and may be performed by the factory when the factory is shipped. Further, the initial position adjustment unit adjusts the initial position of the operation lever member, and when the movement position at this time is smaller than the maximum adjustment position stored in the maximum adjustment position storage unit, the adjusted movement position is taken as the initial position. The memory is stored in the initial position memory unit to rewrite the initial position of the initial position memory unit. Further, for the subsequent kinetic energy recovery brake control, the kinetic energy recovery control unit controls the rotational braking of the motor in accordance with the rewritten movement position from the initial position.

Here, even if the initial position of the lever member is adjusted by the initial position adjusting unit, the adjusted initial position is often memorized in the initial position memory unit. Therefore, each time the initial position is adjusted, the initial position is rewrite. Therefore, even if the initial position of the operation lever member changes, the control of the kinetic energy recovery brake can be performed with high precision.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the kinetic energy recovery brake control device of the invention includes the adjustment position writing unit that detects the movement position when the operation position of the operation lever member is maximized by the initial position adjustment unit. The movement position detected by the outlet is written as the maximum adjustment position in the maximum adjustment position memory. In this case, the movement position when the initial position is maximized is stored in the maximum adjustment position storage unit. Therefore, even if the maximum adjustment position of the initial position adjustment unit is different by the brake lever, the maximum adjustment position can be accurately obtained, and the kinetic energy recovery braking operation can be performed with higher precision.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the kinetic energy recovery brake control device according to the fifth aspect of the invention is the first position rewriting unit that stores the detected movement position as an initial position in the initial position storage unit when a predetermined operation is performed. In this case, since the moved position detected when the predetermined operation is performed is stored as the initial position, the initial position can be easily memorized in the initial position storage unit.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, the kinetic energy recovery brake control device according to the sixth aspect of the invention, wherein the kinetic energy recovery control unit is stored between the initial position of the initial position memory unit and the braking device starting to brake. The kinetic energy recovery brake of the motor is controlled in such a manner that the detected kinetic energy recovery braking force gradually increases corresponding to the detected movement position. In this case, until the brake device starts to brake, since the braking force is gradually increased by the kinetic energy recovery brake, even if the brake device is braked, an abrupt change in the braking force is less likely to occur.

The kinetic energy recovery brake control device for a bicycle according to the seventh aspect of the invention is the kinetic energy recovery control unit that controls the kinetic energy recovery brake of the motor so as to obtain the maximum kinetic energy recovery braking force when the brake device starts braking. In this case, when the brake device starts to brake, the kinetic energy recovery braking force is maximized, so the large kinetic energy recovery braking force is the braking force applied to the brake device. Therefore, the braking force of the brake device can be small, and a strong braking force can be obtained by the light brake operating force.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention, the kinetic energy recovery brake control device of the invention includes the operation lever speed detecting unit that detects the operation lever member by the movement position detected by the movement position detecting unit. The moving speed, the kinetic energy recovery control unit is a moving position larger than the maximum adjustment position, and if the detected moving speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined speed, it is determined that the braking device starts braking. In this case, since the brake start of the brake device is detected by the movement speed of the movement position detecting portion, that is, the movement position time change, the clearance can be accurately checked even if the brake device is adjusted until the brake starts. The braking start time point of the brake device is released. Therefore, the rotational brake control can be performed with higher precision.

According to the bicycle brake lever of the present invention, the moving position detecting portion is disposed not at the swing center but at a position away from the swing center. Therefore, the change in the moving position becomes larger than the swing of the lever member, and the moving position can be detected with high precision.

According to the bicycle kinetic energy recovery brake control device of the present invention, even if the initial position of the operation lever member is adjusted by the initial position adjustment unit, the adjusted initial position is often memorized in the initial position storage unit, and the initial position is adjusted each time. In the first place, the initial position was rewritten. Therefore, even if the initial position of the operation lever member changes, the control of the kinetic energy recovery brake can be performed with high precision.

In Fig. 1, a bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention is a power-assisted bicycle that is assisted by a motor 10 to assist human power. The bicycle includes: a frame 101 having a double-loop-shaped frame body 102 and a front fork 103, a handle portion 104, a driving portion 105, a front wheel 106f, a rear wheel 106r, and a front brake device 108f and rear. Brake device 108r and headlight 116. The front fork 103 is swingably mounted on the front portion of the frame body 102 so as to be swingable about an inclined axis.

In the frame 101, each portion including the saddle 111 and the handle portion 104 is attached. The drive unit 105 includes a left crankshaft 118a and a gear crankshaft 118b provided in the hanger portion of the frame body 102, and a chain 119 that spans the gear crankshaft 118b. In the center of the front wheel 106f, a motor 10 for driving the front wheel 106f is mounted. An auxiliary device 12 on which a torque sensor for detecting the pedaling force of the rider is mounted is attached to the rear portion of the hanger portion of the frame body 102. In the rear portion of the seat cushion tube 102a of the frame body 102, the motor 10, the auxiliary device 12, and the battery 14 such as a nickel-hydrogen battery and a lithium ion battery that are the power source of the headlight 116 are detachably mounted.

The auxiliary device 12 can control the motor 10 so that the assisting force of twice the pedaling force of the maximum rider occurs. The auxiliary device 12 has an auxiliary control device 13 (an example of a kinetic energy recovery brake control device for bicycles). The auxiliary control device 13 will be described later. The action mode has a complex kinetic energy recovery brake mode and a plurality of auxiliary modes. Specifically, the assist mode of the assist device 12 includes a manual assist 1 mode supplemented by an assist force twice the pedal effort, a manual assist 2 mode supplemented by 1.5 times the assist force, and a manual assisted by an equal assist force. The auxiliary 3 mode, the four manual assist modes of the manual assist 4 mode supplemented by 0.5 times the assist force, and the automatic assist mode in which the assist amount is changed in accordance with the pedaling force. In addition, the kinetic energy recovery braking mode has two manual kinetic energy recovery modes: a manual kinetic energy recovery brake 1 mode in which the braking force is recovered by the maximum kinetic energy recovery braking force, and a manual kinetic energy recovery braking mode 2 in which the braking force is braked by half of the maximum braking force. The braking mode; and the braking force generated by the kinetic energy recovery braking when the braking position is started until the braking start is started, and the automatic kinetic energy recovery braking mode in which the kinetic energy recovery braking is performed by the maximum braking force when the braking is started is 3 A kinetic energy recovery brake mode. The automatic kinetic energy recovery braking mode is a braking force of the front wheel 106f generated by the motor 10 functioning as a generator in response to a movement position of the right brake lever 16f (a movement position of the operation lever member 31 to be described later). The kinetic energy recovery brake mode is to store the electric power generated from the motor 10 in the battery 14 while braking the front wheel 106f.

The handle portion 104 includes a handlebar riser 114 that is fixed to an upper portion of the front fork 103, and a handlebar type handlebar 115 that is fixed to the handlebar riser 114. In the both ends of the handlebar 115, as shown in Fig. 2, which is seen from above, the handlebar portion 104 of the bicycle is provided with a right brake lever 16f, a left brake lever 16r, and a grip portion 17. A display device 18 is fixed to the side of the center portion of the handlebar. The display device 18 has a liquid crystal display screen 18a. The liquid crystal display screen 18a is, for example, an auxiliary screen that can be switched to a screen for displaying the assist mode, and a kinetic energy recovery brake screen for displaying a screen of the kinetic energy recovery brake mode. Moreover, on the left and right sides of the bicycle, it is usually prescribed that when the bicycle is seen from the rear, the right side is the right side and the left side is the left side.

<Composition of brake lever>

The right brake lever 16f is connected to the front brake device 108f by the front brake cable 25f. The left brake lever 16r is connected to the rear brake device 108r by the rear brake cable 25r. The front brake cable 25f and the rear brake cable 25r are respectively provided with inner cables 25b that are movably mounted in the cylindrical outer casing 25a and the outer casing 25a.

The right brake lever 16f and the left brake lever 16r are provided with a mounting bracket 30 that is detachably mounted to the handlebar 115, and an operating lever member that is swingably mounted around the swing shaft 40 to the mounting bracket 30. 31.

<Configuration of mounting bracket>.

As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, the mounting bracket 30 has a mounting portion 41 that can be mounted on the handlebar 115 in the upper portion of the second drawing, and a mounting portion. 41 bracket bracket portion 42 and outer latch portion 43. As shown in Fig. 3, the mounting portion 41 is a tubular member having a slit 41a. The mounting bracket 30 can be fixed to the handlebar 115 by tightening the fixing bolts 45 that are disposed to intersect the slit 41a.

The bracket portion 42 is swingably attached to the lever member 31 by the swing shaft 40, and has an mounting surface 42a formed of, for example, a flat surface on the front surface thereof. In the mounting surface 42a of the right brake lever 16f, the light switch 44a and the screen change switch 44b of the plurality of operation switches are arranged side by side. The screen changeover switch 44b is a switch for switching the liquid crystal display screen 18a of the display device 18 to the auxiliary screen and the kinetic energy recovery brake screen. The light switch 44a and the screen change switch 44b, in this embodiment, are two diamond-shaped push button switches. Each time the light switch 44a is pressed, the headlight 116 is turned "ON/OFF". Further, each time the operation screen changeover switch 44b is pressed, the liquid crystal display screen 18a of the display device 18 is switched to the auxiliary screen and the kinetic energy recovery brake screen.

The first mode changeover switch 44c, the second mode changeover switch 44d, and the power switch 44e of the plurality of operation switches are disposed on the mounting surface 42a of the left brake lever 16r. The first mode changeover switch 44c and the second mode changeover switch 44d are push button switches of two diamond sizes, and are arranged side by side. The first mode changeover switch 44c is a switch that sequentially selects the complex kinetic energy recovery brake mode or the complex assist mode in the first direction. The second mode changeover switch 44d is a switch that sequentially selects the complex kinetic energy recovery brake mode or the complex assist mode in the second direction opposite to the first direction. The power switch 44e is a circular push button switch disposed below the second mode changeover switch 44d, and turns on/off the power of the auxiliary device 12. Each time the first mode changeover switch 44c is pressed, the cursor for selecting the kinetic energy recovery brake mode or the assist mode is sequentially moved in the first direction. This mode will be selected if the movement stops. Similarly, the second mode changeover switch 44d sequentially moves the cursor in the second direction. The power switch 44e turns the power of the auxiliary device 12 ON/OFF with each pressing operation.

The light switch 44a and the first mode changeover switch 44c are substantially the same size. The screen changeover switch 44b and the second mode changeover switch 44d are substantially the same size, and the light switch 44a and the first mode changeover switch 44c are similarly shaped and slightly smaller. Thereby, the light switch 44a and the screen changeover switch 44b, and the first mode changeover switch 44c and the second mode changeover switch 44d are easily recognized.

The outer peripheral portions of the light switch 44a, the screen changeover switch 44b, the first mode changeover switch 44c, and the second mode changeover switch 44d are formed by the edge portion 42b which is protruded from the mounting surface 42a and is recessed more than the switches 44a to 44d. Surrounded. Thereby, it is easy to prevent erroneous operation of each of the switches 44a to 44d.

Next, the structure of the inside of the bracket portion 42 will be described. Further, the internal structures of the right brake lever 16f and the left brake lever 16r are the same in the mirror image relationship. Therefore, in the following description, only the configuration of the left brake lever 16r will be described, and the configuration of the right brake lever 16f will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the inside of the bracket portion 42, an operation lever mounting space 42c for slidably attaching the operation lever member 31 is formed. The operation lever mounting space 42c has a shape in which the operation lever member 31 is swingable from an initial position shown by a solid line in FIG. 3 to a maximum swing position indicated by a two-point lock line. A swing shaft 40 is disposed at an upper portion of the operation lever mounting space 42c.

The left brake lever 16r further includes an initial position adjustment unit 50 disposed inside the bracket portion 42 and a movement position detecting unit 53. The initial position adjustment unit 50 is for adjusting the initial position of the operation lever member 31. The initial position adjustment unit 50 includes an adjustment bolt 51 and a bolt hole 52 formed in the bracket portion 42. The adjustment bolt 51 is, for example, a ball screw. The bolt hole 52 is formed such that the bracket portion 42 faces the operation lever mounting space 42c from the outer side surface so as to be in contact with the lever member 31 above the outer locking portion 43. By screwing the adjusting bolt 51 into the bolt hole 52 in the bolt tightening direction, the initial position of the lever member 31 is swung toward the maximum swing position side. Thereby, even if the rider with a small hand is easy to grip the lever member 31.

The moving position detecting unit 53 detects the swinging stroke of the operating lever member 31 from the initial position. The moving position detecting unit 53 is disposed above the initial position adjusting unit 50 of the bracket unit 42. The magnet 54 facing the moving position detecting portion 53 is embedded in the operating lever member 31. The moving position detecting unit 53 is, for example, a linear Hall element 55 having an analog current that can output a magnitude of a magnetic field corresponding to the magnet 54 and measuring the distance from the magnet 54. Therefore, the distance from the magnet 54 can be detected by the output from the linear Hall element 55, whereby the swinging stroke of the operating lever member 31 can be detected. Therefore, even if the initial position of the operation lever member 31 is adjusted by the initial position adjustment unit 50, the adjusted initial position is defined by the output from the linear Hall element 55, and the stroke from the initial position can be reliably detected. . The braking force generated by the motor 10 when the kinetic energy recovery brake mode is generated by the stroke of the operation lever member 31 thus detected is controlled.

In the boundary portion between the bracket portion 42 and the mounting portion 41, the electric wiring 60 for electrically connecting the switches 44a to 44e and the linear Hall element 55, the motor 10, and the auxiliary device 12 is taken out.

The outer locking portion 43 is a mounting bolt portion 42d that is screwed into an end portion of the bracket portion 42 that is opposite to the protruding side of the lever member 31. The outer locking portion 43 has a locking portion main body 47 that is screwed into the mounting bolt portion 42d, and a locking nut 48 that stops the locking portion main body 47. The locking portion body 47 can lock the outer casing 25a of the rear brake cable 25r and can change the locking position in the longitudinal direction. The play of the rear brake device 108r can be adjusted by the change of the locking position.

<Configuration of operating lever member>

The lever member 31 is swingably attached to the bracket portion 42 between the initial position shown by the solid line in FIG. 3 and the maximum swing position indicated by the two-point lock line. The operation lever member 31 has a shaft support portion 57 having an swing shaft 40 at one end and an inner locking portion 56 at the other end, and a curved portion extending outward from the other end of the shaft support portion 57 toward the outside of the rider handle 115 Brake operating portion 58. At the other end of the shaft support portion 57, the operation lever of the operation lever member 31 can be changed into two values to form an L-shaped change groove 57a. In the operation lever ratio changing groove 57a, the embedding member 59 is detachably embedded, and the locking portion is swung without swinging to either end of the operation lever than the both ends of the change groove 57a. The inner locking portion 56 is an end portion of the operating lever ratio changing groove 57a that is swingably coupled to the other end of the shaft branch portion 57. The drum-shaped member 25c fixed to the end of the inner cable 25b is locked to the inner locking portion 56. The lever member 31 is urged toward the initial position side by a pressing member (not shown).

In the left brake lever 16r and the right brake lever 16f configured as described above, the plurality of operation switches, that is, the switches 44a to 44e, are disposed on the mounting surface 42a of the bracket portion 42. Therefore, it is easy to operate the respective switches 44a to 44e by the index finger and the middle finger of the hand holding the lever member 31.

Further, since the movement from the initial position of the operation lever member 31 can be detected by the movement position detecting portion 53, the brake control can be performed in detail when the kinetic energy recovery brake mode is performed, and the sudden change in the braking force can be suppressed.

<Configuration of auxiliary control device>

The auxiliary control device 13 has a device control unit 32 using, for example, a microcomputer as shown in Fig. 5, and the microcomputer includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and an I/O interface. The device control unit 32 is connected to a light switch 44a, a screen change switch 44b, a first mode changeover switch 44c, a second mode changeover switch 44d, and a power switch 44e. Further, the device control unit 32 is connected to a torque sensor 33 for detecting the pedaling force provided in the assisting device 12, and two linear Hall elements 55 provided on the right brake lever 16f and the left brake lever 16r. . Further, the device control unit 32 is connected to the display device 18, the headlights 116, the motor drive unit 34, the kinetic energy recovery drive unit 35, and the memory unit 36. Further, in Fig. 5, the portion surrounded by the thin line constitutes the auxiliary control device 13, and is provided in the auxiliary device 12.

The motor drive unit 34 drives the motor 10PWM (pulse width modulation) in order to cause the motor 10 to generate an assist force corresponding to the selected assist mode. The kinetic energy recovery drive unit 35 opens and closes the electric power generated from the motor 10 by the opening and closing element in order to control the braking force at the time of kinetic energy recovery braking. At this time, the ON time of the switching element is controlled by PWM control. The memory unit 36 is composed of, for example, a non-volatile memory element such as an EEPROM or a flash memory, and has a maximum adjustment position storage unit 37 and an initial position storage unit 38 therein. In the maximum adjustment position storage unit 37, the movement position when the initial position is adjusted by the initial position adjustment unit 50 is stored. This memory processing may be performed at the time of shipment from the factory, and may be performed by a sales shop or a rider. In the initial position memory unit 38, when the initial position is changed by the kinetic energy recovery brake mode processing described later, the changed initial position is memorized. Moreover, the first initial position after the bicycle is purchased is, for example, the movement position "0" which is not adjusted by the initial position adjustment unit 50.

When the device control unit 32 is functionally divided, the auxiliary control unit 62 that performs the assist control and the kinetic energy recovery brake control unit 63 that performs the kinetic energy recovery brake control (an example of the kinetic energy recovery control unit). The assist control unit 62 controls the motor 10 by any one of the selected five assist modes by the first mode changeover switch 44c and the second mode changeover switch 44d. The kinetic energy recovery brake control unit 63 controls the kinetic energy recovery brake of the motor 10 by any one of the three kinetic energy recovery brake modes selected by the first mode changeover switch 44c and the second mode changeover switch 44d.

Further, the kinetic energy recovery brake control unit 63 includes an initial position rewriting unit 64, an adjustment position writing unit 65, a kinetic energy recovery control unit 66, and an operation lever speed detecting unit 67. When the initial position is changed by the initial position adjustment unit 50, the initial position rewriting unit 64 rewrites the memory content of the initial position storage unit 38 to the adjusted movement position. Specifically, when the linear Hall element 55 detects a moving position smaller than the maximum adjustment position, the moving position is stored in the initial position memory unit 38 as the initial position, and the initial position is rewritten. In the adjustment position writing unit 65, for example, when the initial position adjustment unit 50 adjusts the maximum initial position, each of the switches 44a to 44e is subjected to a long press operation of, for example, 2 seconds or more, and two or more simultaneous operations. An operation such as an operation stores the current movement position as the maximum adjustment position in the maximum adjustment position storage unit 37. The kinetic energy recovery control unit 66 controls the kinetic energy recovery braking of the motor 10 in accordance with the movement position from the initial position stored in the initial position storage unit 38. The operating lever speed detecting unit 67 determines the moving speed V of the operating lever member 31 from the change in the moving position detected by the moving position detecting unit 53.

<Control operation of device control unit>

Next, the control operation of the device control unit 32 will be described by taking the control flowcharts shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 as an example. Further, the control operation shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is only an example of the control operation of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. In the following description, an example in which the kinetic energy recovery brake is performed by the movement position of the right brake lever 16f by the brake operation of the front brake device 108f is performed.

When the electric power from the battery 14 is supplied to the device control unit 32, the device control unit 32 starts the control operation. In step S1 of Fig. 6, the initial setting is performed. In the initial settings, various variables and flags are reset. In step S2, the display processing of the display device 18 is performed. Here, the operation of the corresponding screen changeover switch 44b is switched to one of the auxiliary screen shown in FIG. 8 and the kinetic energy recovery brake screen shown in FIG. Further, various display processing is performed. In step S3, a switch input process is performed. The switch input process is a process of performing a switch corresponding to the operation. For example, in the auxiliary screen shown in Fig. 8, when the first mode changeover switch 44c is operated, the cursor displayed in any of the five auxiliary modes displayed on the right side of the screen is downwardly pressed for each pressing operation. Move one by one. Further, when the second mode changeover switch 44d is operated, each time the cursor is pressed, the movement is performed one by one upward. The selected assist mode is set after a predetermined time (for example, 2 seconds to 5 seconds) elapses after the cursor is moved. Similarly, in the kinetic energy recovery brake screen shown in Fig. 9, when the first mode changeover switch 44c is operated, the cursor displayed in any of the three kinetic energy recovery brake modes displayed on the right side of the screen is displayed each time. The pressing operation moves one by one downward. Further, when the second mode changeover switch 44d is operated, each time the cursor is pressed, the movement is performed one by one upward. The selected kinetic energy recovery brake mode is set after a predetermined time (for example, 2 seconds to 5 seconds) elapses after the movement of the cursor.

In step S5, the auxiliary processing is performed in accordance with the assist mode selected by the switch input processing. That is, the motor 10 is used to supplement the drive generated by the rider's manpower. In step S6, the kinetic energy recovery braking mode process shown in Fig. 7 is executed, and the process returns to step S2.

In the kinetic energy recovery brake mode processing of Fig. 7, it is determined in step S11 whether or not the operation lever member 31 has been adjusted to the maximum adjustment position by the initial position adjustment unit 50, and the maximum adjustment position is written. operating. This determination is made, for example, by the simultaneous operation of the light switch 44a and the screen change switch 44a. If the determination is "YES", the process proceeds to step S12. In the step S12, the maximum adjustment position storage unit 37 writes the movement position M of the operation lever member 31 detected by the linear Hall element 55 of the right right brake lever 16f as the maximum adjustment position MA to the maximum adjustment position storage unit 37. Go to step S13. In step S13, it is judged whether or not the operation lever member 31 is moved. If it is not moving, return to the main routine shown in Figure 6. In the case of moving, the process proceeds to step S14. In step S14, the moving position M is taken in from the linear Hall element 55. In step S15, the maximum adjustment position MA is read from the maximum adjustment position storage unit 37. In step S16, it is determined whether or not the taken-in movement position M is smaller than the maximum value adjustment position MA, that is, whether it is the adjustment operation of the initial position generated by the initial position adjustment unit 50 or the normal brake operation.

When it is determined that the movement position M is smaller than the maximum adjustment position MA and the adjustment operation is the initial position, the process proceeds from step S16 to step S17. In step S17, it is determined whether or not the light switch 44a is pressed for a predetermined time or longer (for example, 2 seconds or longer). This is a process for canceling the movement position during the adjustment. Until the lamp switch 44a is pressed, the process returns to the main example stroke mode, and if the lamp switch 44a is operated for a long press, the process proceeds to step S18, at which time the movement position M detected by the linear Hall element 55 is initially used. The position IM is stored in the initial position memory unit 38. Thereby, in the kinetic energy recovery braking, the initial position of the operation lever member 31 is changed.

When it is determined that the movement position M is larger than the maximum adjustment position MA and the normal brake operation is performed, the flow proceeds from step S16 to step S21. In step S21, it is determined whether or not the automatic kinetic energy recovery brake mode is reached. When it is determined that the manual kinetic energy recovery control mode is reached, the process proceeds to step S22, and the kinetic energy recovery brake of the motor 10 is controlled by the selected manual kinetic energy recovery brake mode, and the process returns to the main routine. For example, in the manual kinetic energy recovery brake 2 mode, the opening and closing element is controlled by 50% load operation, and the kinetic energy recovery braking force of half of the kinetic energy recovers the braking force of the front wheel 106f.

When it is determined that the automatic kinetic energy recovery braking mode is reached, the process proceeds from step S21 to step S23. In step S23, in order to determine whether or not the lever member 31 has reached the brake start position, the moving speed V is calculated. In step S24, it is determined whether or not the calculated moving speed V is slower than the predetermined speed VS. When the calculated moving speed V is slower than the predetermined speed VS, it is determined that the movement of the lever member 31 is almost stopped and the braking start position has been reached. Until the brake start position is reached, the process proceeds to step S25, and the proportional kinetic energy recovery brake is performed. Specifically, the kinetic energy recovery braking force proportional to the moving position of the lever member 31 from the initial position is given to the front wheel 106f. Specifically, the load operation of the opening and closing element of the kinetic energy recovery drive unit 35 is gradually increased larger than the corresponding movement position to increase the kinetic energy recovery braking force. Further, if the movement position of the brake start position is known by the speed change, it is not necessary to calculate the speed, and it is also possible to determine whether or not the brake start position is reached by the movement position. However, if it is determined by the change in the speed, the brake start position can be detected even if the play by the brake device side until the start of the brake changes the brake start position on the side of the lever member 31.

When it is determined that the calculated moving speed V is slower than the predetermined speed VS to reach the braking start position, the maximum kinetic energy recovery braking is performed. Here, the opening and closing element 100 is controlled to operate at a percentage load, and the maximum kinetic energy recovery braking force is given to the front wheel 106f.

<Features>

(A) The right brake lever 16f and the left brake lever 16r are bicycle brake levers that can be coupled to the front brake device 108f and the rear brake device 108r that can be attached to the bicycle. The right brake lever 16f and the left brake lever 16r include a mounting bracket 30, an operation lever member 31, a movement position detecting portion 53, and an initial position adjusting portion 50. The mounting bracket 30 is a handlebar 115 that can be mounted on a bicycle. The lever member 31 is swingably mounted to the mounting bracket 30 from the initial position. The moving position detecting portion 53 is provided at the mounting bracket 30 at a position away from the swing center of the operating lever member 31, and detects the moving position M from the initial position of the operating lever member 31. The initial position adjustment unit 50 is provided in the mounting bracket 30 so that the initial position IM can be adjusted.

In the right brake lever 16f and the left brake lever 16r, when the operation lever member 31 is swung from the initial position, the movement position is detected by the movement position detecting portion 53. Here, the moving position detecting unit 53 is disposed not at the swing center but at a position away from the swing center. Therefore, the change in the swing movement position of the operation lever member 31 becomes large, and the movement position can be detected with high precision.

(B) In the right brake lever 16f and the left brake lever 16r, the movement position detecting portion 53 is a movable position at which the distance from the magnet 54 disposed on the operation lever member 31 to the movement position detecting portion 53 can be used as the movement position. It is detected that there is a linear Hall element 55 disposed on the mounting bracket 30. In this case, the magnet 54 is attached to the operating lever member 31, and the moving position of the distance from the magnet 54 is detected by the linear Hall element 55 disposed in the mounting bracket 30. Therefore, the moving position can be detected with high precision by a simple configuration.

(C) The auxiliary control device 13 is a device that controls the kinetic energy recovery braking of the motor 10 in response to the operation of the right brake lever 16f and the left brake lever 16r that can be mounted on the auxiliary bicycle that is assisted by the motor 10 to assist the human power. The assist control device 13 includes a maximum adjustment position storage unit 37, an initial position storage unit 38, an initial position rewriting unit 64, and a kinetic energy recovery control unit 66. The maximum adjustment position storage unit 37 is the maximum adjustment position MA of the memory initial position adjustment unit 50. The initial position memory unit 38 is the memory initial position IM. When the movement position M detected by the movement position detecting unit 53 is smaller than the maximum adjustment position MA stored in the maximum adjustment position storage unit 37, the initial position rewriting unit 64 uses the detected movement position M as the initial position. The IM memory rewrites the initial position IM in the initial position memory unit 38. The kinetic energy recovery control unit 66 controls the kinetic energy recovery brake of the motor 10 in accordance with the movement position from the initial position IM stored in the initial position storage unit 38.

In the assist control device 13, when the lever member 31 is moved, the maximum adjustment position MA and the movement position M are compared. The memory processing of the maximum adjustment position MA of the maximum adjustment position storage unit 37 at this time may be performed by a vending shop or a rider after the bicycle is purchased, and may be performed by the factory at the time of factory shipment. Further, the initial position adjustment unit 50 adjusts the initial position IM of the operation lever member 31, and if the current movement position M is smaller than the maximum adjustment position MA stored in the maximum adjustment position storage unit 37, the adjusted position will be adjusted. The moving position M is stored in the initial position memory unit 38 as the initial position IM, and the initial position of the initial position memory unit 38 is rewritten. Further, for the subsequent kinetic energy recovery brake control, the kinetic energy recovery control unit 66 controls the rotational braking of the motor 10 by the moved movement position M from the initial position IM.

Here, even if the initial position IM of the operation lever member 31 is adjusted by the initial position adjustment unit 50, the adjusted initial position IM is often memorized in the initial position storage unit 38. Therefore, each time the initial position IM is adjusted, The initial position IM will be rewritten. Therefore, even if the initial position IM of the operation lever member 31 changes, the kinetic energy recovery brake control can be performed with high precision.

(D) The assist control device 13 further includes an adjustment position writing unit 65 that moves the position detecting unit 53 when the initial position adjusting unit 50 adjusts the initial position IM to the maximum extent by the initial position adjusting unit 50. The detected movement position M is written into the maximum adjustment position storage unit 37 as the maximum adjustment position MA.

In this case, the movement position M when the initial position IM is maximally adjusted is stored in the maximum adjustment position storage unit 37. Therefore, even if the maximum adjustment position MA of the brake lever initial position adjustment unit 50 is different, the maximum adjustment position MA can be accurately obtained, and the kinetic energy recovery braking operation can be performed with higher precision.

(E) In the assist control device 13, the initial position rewriting unit 64 is stored in the initial position memory unit as the initial position when the predetermined position of the light switch 44a is pressed for a predetermined time or longer. . In this case, since the moved position detected when the predetermined operation is performed is stored as the initial position, the initial position can be easily stored in the initial position storage unit 50.

(F) In the assist control device 13, the kinetic energy recovery control unit 66 is stored in the initial position memory unit 38 from the initial position IM until the front brake device 108f or the rear brake device 108r starts braking, and is detected correspondingly. The moving position M controls the kinetic energy recovery braking of the motor 10 in such a manner that the kinetic energy recovery braking force gradually becomes larger. In this case, until the front brake device 108f or the rear brake device 108r starts to brake, since the braking force is gradually increased by the kinetic energy recovery brake, the braking force is even if it is braked by the front brake device 108f or the rear brake device 108r. Sharp changes are also not easy to produce.

(G) In the assist control device 13, the kinetic energy recovery control unit 66 controls the kinetic energy recovery brake of the motor so that the maximum kinetic energy recovers the braking force when the front brake device 108f or the rear brake device 108r starts braking. In this case, if the front brake device 108f or the rear brake device 108r starts to brake, the kinetic energy recovery braking force is maximized, so the large kinetic energy recovery braking force is applied to the braking force of the front brake device 108f or the rear brake device 108r. Therefore, the braking force of the front brake device 108f or the rear brake device 108r can be small, and a strong braking force can be obtained by the light brake operating force.

(H) The assist control device 13 further includes an operation lever speed detecting unit 67 that detects the moving speed V of the operating lever member 31 by the moving position M detected by the moving position detecting unit 53. The kinetic energy recovery control unit 66 determines that the front brake device 108f or the rear brake device 108r has started to brake when the detected movement speed V is equal to or lower than the predetermined speed VS in the movement position M larger than the maximum adjustment position MA. . In this case, since the braking start of the front brake device 108f or the rear brake device 108r is detected by the moving speed V of the moving position detecting portion 53, that is, the time change of the moving position M, even the front brake device 108f or the rear brake is detected. The device 108r side adjusts the play until the start of braking, and the brake start time point of the front brake device 108f or the rear brake device 108r can be accurately detected. Therefore, the rotational brake control can be performed with higher precision.

<Other Embodiments>

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

(a) In the foregoing embodiment, the present invention will be described by taking the brake lever of the handlebar 115 of the handlebar 115 in the form of a handlebar. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is also applicable to a brake lever that is attached to a driver's handle of a down-bend type handlebar type.

(b) In the foregoing embodiment, the linear Hall element is used to detect the moving position of the lever member 31, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the moving position may be detected by another distance detecting element such as a photoelectric element.

(c) In the foregoing embodiment, although the memory maximum adjustment position is set by the switch operation, the present invention is not limited thereto. It is also possible to set the maximum memory adjustment position by the manufacturing plant of the brake lever or the manufacturing workshop or the sales shop of the bicycle. In this case, the ROM in the microcomputer may be written in advance to the ROM as the maximum adjustment position storage unit.

(d) In the foregoing embodiment, the kinetic energy recovery brake control is performed only on the movement position of the right brake lever 16f that brakes the front brake device 108f, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Only the kinetic energy recovery brake control may be performed depending on the moving position of the left brake lever 16r. Further, the kinetic energy recovery brake control may be performed in consideration of the moving position of the right brake lever 16f and the left brake lever 16r. In this case, the kinetic energy recovery brake control may be performed depending on the moving position of the larger one.

(e) In the foregoing embodiment, the brake lever for a bicycle that performs the brake operation is disclosed, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a brake lever having a shift operating portion can also be applied to the present invention.

(f) In the above embodiment, the brake lever for a bicycle connected to the brake device by the brake cable is disclosed, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a brake lever that is coupled to a brake device by a hydraulic pipe and a link mechanism.

(g) In the foregoing embodiment, the auxiliary bicycle having the motor in the front wheel 106f is exemplified, but the present invention can also be applied to the auxiliary bicycle in which the motor is disposed in the crank portion and the auxiliary bicycle in which the motor is disposed in the rear wheel. In the case where the auxiliary bicycle of the motor is disposed in the crankshaft arrangement portion, for example, the motor may be rotated in accordance with the rotation of the rear wheel in the direction in which the rear wheel hub is freely rotated. In this case, a one-way clutch may be provided between the crankshaft and the crankshaft.

(h) In the foregoing embodiment, the memory operation of the maximum adjustment position is performed by the simultaneous operation of the light switch 44a screen change switch 44b, and the rewriting operation of the initial position is performed by the long press operation of the light switch 44a, but the present invention It is not limited to this. The long-press operation of any one of the switches 44a to 44e or the simultaneous operation of any two of the switches 4a to 44e may be performed. Further, in the left brake lever 16r, when the maximum adjustment position and the initial position are memorized, the long-press operation of any one of the switches 44a to 44e or the simultaneous operation of any two of the switches 4a to 44e may be performed. However, these memory operations of the left brake lever 16r are preferably performed by the switches 44c to 44e disposed on the left brake lever 16r. Further, the determination of the assist mode and the kinetic energy recovery braking mode may be performed by long-pressing or simultaneous operation of any of the switches 44a to 44e.

10. . . motor

12. . . assisting equipments

13. . . Auxiliary control device

14. . . Battery

16f. . . Right brake lever

16r. . . Left brake lever

17. . . Grip

18. . . Display device

18a. . . LCD screen

25a. . . shell

25b. . . Nerazor

25c. . . Drum member

25f. . . Front brake cable

25r. . . Rear brake cable

30. . . Mounting bracket

31. . . Operating lever member

32. . . Device control unit

33. . . Torque sensor

34. . . Motor drive unit

35. . . Kinetic energy recovery drive

36. . . Memory department

37. . . Maximum adjustment position memory

38. . . Initial position memory

40. . . Swing axis

41. . . Installation department

41a. . . Slot

42. . . Bracket section

42a. . . Installation surface

42b. . . Edge

42c. . . Joystick mounting space

42d. . . Mounting bolts

43. . . Outer card

44a. . . light switch

44b. . . Screen switch

44c. . . 1st mode switch

44d. . . 2nd mode switch

44e. . . switch

45. . . Fixing bolts

47. . . Clamping body

48. . . Lock nut

50. . . Initial position adjustment unit

51. . . Adjustment bolt

52. . . Bolt hole

53. . . Moving position detection

54. . . magnet

55. . . Linear Hall element

56. . . Inner stop

57. . . Shaft branch

57a. . . Joystick ratio change groove

58. . . Brake operation unit

59. . . Buried member

60. . . Electrical wiring

62. . . Auxiliary control department

63. . . Kinetic energy recovery brake control unit

64. . . Initial position rewriting department

65. . . Adjustment position writing unit

66. . . Kinetic Energy Recovery Control

67. . . Joystick speed detection unit

101. . . Frame

102. . . Frame body

102a. . . Cushion tube

103. . . Fork

104. . . Hand handle

105. . . Drive department

106f. . . Front wheel

106r. . . rear wheel

108f. . . Front brake

108r. . . Rear brake

111. . . Saddle

114. . . Handlebar riser

115. . . Driver's handle

116. . . headlamp

118a. . . Left crankshaft

118b. . . Gear crankshaft

119. . . Chain

[Fig. 1] A right side view of a bicycle used in an embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 2] A plan view of the brake lever seen from above.

[Fig. 3] An exploded perspective view of the brake lever.

[Fig. 4] A cross-sectional view of the brake lever.

[Fig. 5] Control block diagram of the auxiliary device.

[Fig. 7] A flowchart of a control operation of the display device control unit.

[Fig. 6] A flowchart of a control operation of the display device control unit.

[Fig. 8] A diagram showing an example of display of an auxiliary screen of a liquid crystal display screen.

[Fig. 9] A diagram showing an example of display of a kinetic energy recovery brake screen on a liquid crystal display screen.

10. . . motor

13. . . Auxiliary control device

14. . . Battery

18. . . Display device

32. . . Device control unit

33. . . Torque sensor

34. . . Motor drive unit

35. . . Kinetic energy recovery drive

36. . . Memory department

37. . . Maximum adjustment position memory

38. . . Initial position memory

44a. . . light switch

44b. . . Screen switch

44c. . . 1st mode switch

44d. . . 2nd mode switch

44e. . . switch

55. . . Linear Hall element

62. . . Auxiliary control department

63. . . Kinetic energy recovery brake control unit

64. . . Initial position rewriting department

65. . . Adjustment position writing unit

66. . . Kinetic Energy Recovery Control

67. . . Joystick speed detection unit

116. . . headlamp

Claims (8)

A bicycle brake lever that can be coupled to a brake device that can be mounted on a bicycle, includes: a mounting bracket that is mounted on a bicycle handlebar; and an operating lever member that is swingably mounted from an initial position The mounting bracket and the moving position detecting portion are provided at the mounting bracket at a position away from the swing center of the operating lever member, and detect a moving position of the operating lever member from the initial position; and The initial position adjustment unit is provided in the mounting bracket so that the initial position can be adjusted. The bicycle brake lever according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the moving position detecting unit detects a distance from a magnet disposed on the operating lever member to the moving position detecting portion as the movement Position and has a linear Hall element disposed in the aforementioned mounting bracket. A kinetic energy recovery brake control device for a bicycle is an operation of a brake lever for a bicycle according to claim 1 or 2, which is mounted on an electric bicycle driven by a motor-assisted manpower, and controls the kinetic energy recovery brake of the motor. The maximum adjustment position storage unit is configured to memorize the maximum adjustment position of the initial position adjustment unit; the initial position storage unit stores the initial position; and the initial position rewriting unit is detected by the movement position detection unit. When the moving position is smaller than the maximum adjustment position stored in the maximum adjustment position storage unit, the detected initial movement position is stored in the initial position storage unit as the initial position, and the initial position is rewritten; and the kinetic energy recovery control is performed. The portion controls the kinetic energy recovery brake of the motor in response to the movement position from the initial position stored in the initial position storage unit. The kinetic energy recovery brake control device for a bicycle according to claim 3, further comprising: an adjustment position writing unit that is configured to maximize the initial position when the operation lever member is adjusted by the initial position adjustment unit; The movement position detected by the movement position detecting unit is written as the maximum adjustment position in the maximum adjustment position storage unit. The bicycle kinetic energy recovery brake control device according to claim 3, wherein the initial position rewriting unit stores the detected movement position as the initial position in the initial position memory when a predetermined operation is performed. unit. The kinetic energy recovery brake control device according to claim 3, wherein the kinetic energy recovery control unit is between the initial position stored in the initial position storage unit and the braking device starting to brake. The kinetic energy recovery brake of the motor is controlled in such a manner that the kinetic energy recovery braking force is gradually increased corresponding to the detected movement position. The kinetic energy recovery brake control device according to the sixth aspect of the invention, wherein the kinetic energy recovery control unit controls the kinetic energy recovery brake of the motor so as to obtain a maximum kinetic energy recovery braking force when the brake device starts braking. The bicycle kinetic energy recovery brake control device according to claim 7, further comprising an operation lever speed detecting unit that detects the operation lever member by a movement position detected by the movement position detecting unit The moving speed, the kinetic energy recovery control unit is a moving position larger than the maximum adjustment position, and if the detected moving speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined speed, it is determined that the braking device has started braking.