Apparatus for wiring bicycle electrical components

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

The present invention is directed to bicycles and, more particularly, to an apparatus for wiring bicycle electrical components.

In recent years, bicycles have been equipped with a variety of electrical components. Such electrical components include gear shift devices, suspension devices, display devices, and the control devices used to control them. For example, an automatic gear shifting device may use the signal from a speed sensor to automatically change gears in a gear shifting device based on bicycle speed. In this case, power supply lines and/or control signal lines usually are connected between the control device, the gear shift device and the speed sensor.

One approach to reducing the number of wires connected between the components is to construct the control device integrally with the controlled device. For example, a gear shift control device may be constructed integrally with a gear shift unit, or a display control device may be constructed integrally with a display unit. Such an approach works satisfactorily when the number of electrical devices is relatively small. However, when the number of electrical devices to be controlled increases, the number of power and/or control lines increases dramatically. One approach to reducing the number of wires in this situation involves the use of distributed intelligent control units and integrated or composite signals to provide power and/or control signals to the components. Such signals sometimes take the form of pulsed signals, wherein the signal is repetitively turned on and off to provide both power and control information to the components. The resulting system uses fewer wires, and the length of wiring between the components decreases.

However, even in such systems, the distance between electrical components and the routing of the wires varies depending upon the bicycle model and the frame construction. As a result, the length of the wiring cannot be predetermined, so the placement of the components is limited according to the arbitrary wire lengths provided by the manufacturer.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention is directed to various features of an apparatus for wiring bicycle electrical components. In one embodiment, a bicycle electrical control apparatus comprises a first control unit that provides first electrical signals; a second control unit that provides second electrical signals; and an electrical connecting cord having a first end coupled to the first control unit and a second end coupled to the second control unit for communicating the first electrical signals from the first control unit to the second control unit. A first connecting terminal is fastened to one of the first and second ends of the electrical connecting cord, a second connecting terminal is disposed on one of the first and second control units, and the first connecting terminal is detachably connected to the second connecting terminal. Additional inventive features will become apparent from the description below, and such features alone or in combination with the above features may form the basis of further inventions as recited in the claims and their equivalents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1

is a side view of a bicycle including an apparatus for wiring electrical components;

FIG. 2

is an enlarged oblique view of the bicycle handlebar assembly;

FIG. 3

is a block diagram of a particular embodiment of a control circuit that controls a plurality of bicycle components;

FIG. 4

is an external perspective view of a first control unit;

FIG. 5

is a perspective view showing front surfaces of second and third control units; and

FIG. 6

is a perspective view showing back surfaces of the second and third control units.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1

is a side view of a bicycle including an apparatus for wiring electrical components. In this embodiment, the bicycle is a mountain bicycle comprising a frame

1

having a tubular frame body

2

; a front fork

3

mounted to the front of frame body

2

for rotation around an inclined axis; a front wheel

6

rotatably mounted to front fork

3

; a handlebar assembly

4

mounted to the upper portion of front fork

3

; a rear wheel

7

rotatably mounted to a hub dynamo

10

at the rear portion of frame body

2

, a driving portion

5

comprising front and rear gear-shift mechanisms

8

and

9

; and a controller

11

(

FIG. 3

) for controlling various electrical components including front and rear gear-shift mechanisms

8

and

9

. A front suspension

14

is mounted to front fork

3

, a rear suspension

13

is mounted to the rear of frame body

2

, and a saddle

18

is mounted to the middle of frame body

2

.

As shown in

FIG. 2

, handlebar assembly

4

comprises a handle stem

12

and a handlebar

15

, wherein handle stem

12

is fastened to the upper portion of the front fork

3

, and handlebar

15

is fastened to handle stem

12

. Brake levers

16

and grips

17

are mounted at opposite ends of the handlebar

15

. Gear-shift switches

20

a

and

20

b

are provided for carrying out manual gear-shift operations of the front and rear gear-shift mechanisms

8

and

9

. An operating switch

21

a

is provided for switching between an automatic mode and a manual mode of operation, and an operating switch

21

b

is provided for manually adjusting the stiffness of the front and rear suspensions

13

and

14

.

Front gear-shift mechanism

8

comprises a crank arm assembly

27

including right side crank arm

27

a

and a left side crank arm

27

b

mounted to a crankshaft (not shown) that is rotatably mounted within a bottom bracket portion of frame body

2

. A plurality of front sprockets (e.g., three sprockets) are mounted to crank arm

27

a

, and a front derailleur

26

is mounted to frame body

2

in close proximity to crank arm

27

a

for switching a chain

29

among the plurality of front sprockets. Rear gear-shift mechanism

9

comprises a plurality of rear sprockets (e.g., nine sprockets), and a rear derailleur

28

is mounted to the rear of frame body

2

for switching chain

29

among the plurality of rear sprockets

27

.

The hub dynamo

10

mounted to rear wheel

7

is adapted to mount a brake disc

60

and a freewheel to which the plurality of rear sprockets is mounted. An alternating current generator

19

(

FIG. 3

) is mounted inside the hub for generating power according to the rotation of the rear wheel

7

.

A rotation detector

22

operates in conjunction with the left crank arm

27

b

for detecting the rotation of the crank arm assembly

27

. Rotation detector

22

comprises a reed switch

23

(

FIG. 3

) mounted to frame body

2

and a plurality of (e.g., four) magnets mounted to left crank arm

27

b

and circumferentially spaced evenly with respect to the rotational axis of crank arm assembly

27

. Thus, reed switch

23

of rotation detector

22

outputs four pulses for each revolution of crank arm assembly

27

. In this embodiment, the rotation detector

22

is used to control the operation of the front and rear externally mounted gear-shift mechanisms

8

and

9

, since it is preferable that the gear-shift mechanisms be operated only when the crank arm assembly

27

is rotating. The signals from rotation detector

22

also may be used to calculate and display cadence.

Controller

11

manually controls the front and rear gear-shift mechanisms

8

and

9

and front and rear suspensions

13

and

14

in response to the operation of the gear-shift switches

20

a

and

20

b

and operating switches

21

a

and

21

b

. Controller

11

also may automatically control the front and rear gear-shift mechanisms

8

and

9

and front and rear suspensions

13

and

14

in response to the speed of the bicycle.

As shown in

FIG. 3

, controller

11

has a first control unit

30

, a second control unit

31

, and a third control unit

32

. First control unit

30

may be integrally assembled with front derailleur

26

at the bottom bracket portion of frame body

2

in close proximity to the left crank arm

27

b

. First control unit

30

is connected to and is powered by alternating current generator

19

through an electrical connecting cord

65

. First control unit

30

powers and controls the front derailleur

26

through internal wiring, it powers and controls the rear derailleur

28

through an electrical connecting cord

69

, and it powers and controls rear suspension

13

through an electrical connecting cord

68

. Since first control unit

30

is provided close to the alternating current generator

19

, a shorter connecting cord

65

may be used, thus increasing the efficiency of signal communication.

The first control unit

30

includes a first control portion

35

in the form of a microcomputer, reed switch

23

, a waveform-shaping circuit

36

for generating a speed signal derived from the output of the alternating current generator

19

, a charging control circuit

37

, a power storage device

38

, a front derailleur motor driver (FMD)

39

, a rear derailleur motor driver (RMD)

40

, a front derailleur

26

operating position sensor (FLS)

41

, a rear derailleur

28

operating position sensor (RLS)

42

, and a rear suspension motor driver (RSD)

43

. The charging control circuit

37

rectifies the power output from the alternating current generator

19

and produces direct current power. The power storage device

38

may comprise a large-capacity capacitor, for example, for storing the direct current power produced by charging control circuit

37

. If desired, the power storage device

38

may comprise a secondary storage battery such as a nickel cadmium battery, lithium ion battery, nickel hydride battery, etc. instead of a capacitor. The power stored in the power storage device

38

is communicated to the first control portion

35

and to the motor drivers

39

,

40

and

43

. The motor drivers

39

,

40

and

43

output driving signals for driving motors

44

f

and

44

r

used to control derailleurs

26

and

28

and a motor (not shown in the figure) used to control the rear suspension

13

in accordance with control signals from first control portion

35

.

The first control unit

30

controls the gear shift devices

8

and

9

and the rear suspension

13

in accordance with the riding mode. More specifically, in automatic mode, the first control unit

30

performs gear shift control of the gear shift devices

8

and

9

in response to the bicycle speed and adjusts the stiffness of the rear suspension

13

in response to the bicycle speed. In manual mode, the gear shift devices

8

and

9

and the rear suspension

13

are controlled in response to the operation of the gear shift switches

20

a

and

20

b

and the operation switches

21

a

and

21

b.

The first control unit

30

has a case

70

(

FIG. 4

) that houses the various electrical components discussed above. As shown in

FIG. 4

, case

70

includes a terminal board

71

used for mounting the connecting cords

65

and

68

and two chassis plugs

72

and

73

used for mounting the connecting cords

66

and

69

. A chassis socket

66

a

having a plurality of (e.g., four) female terminals mounted to one end of the connecting cord

66

is connected to a chassis plug

72

having a corresponding plurality of male terminals or pins, and the other end of the connecting cord

66

is connected to the second control unit

31

. A chassis socket

69

a

mounted to one end of the connecting cord

69

is connected to a chassis plug

73

, and the other end of the connecting cord

69

is connected to the rear derailleur

28

.

A pair of plate-shaped male FASTON terminals

71

a

and

71

b

and a pair of screw terminals

71

c

and

71

d

are disposed on the terminal board

71

. A pair of female FASTON terminals

65

a

that are crimped onto one end of the connecting cord

65

are connected to the male FASTON terminals

71

a

and

71

b

, and the alternator

19

is connected to the other end of the connecting cord

65

. A pair of Y-terminals

68

a

and

68

b

that are crimped to one end of the connecting cord

68

are connected to the screw terminals

71

c

and

71

d

, respectively, and the rear suspension

13

is connected to the other end of the connecting cord

68

. Because the terminal configurations of the connecting cord

65

connected to the alternator

19

and the connecting cord

68

connected to the rear suspension

13

are different, the connecting cords

65

and

68

cannot be mistakenly connected in place of each other. As a result, damage to the various circuits inside the first control unit

30

, which could easily take place if a mistaken connection were to occur, can be prevented.

The first control unit

30

also supplies power and control signals to the second control unit

31

and third control unit

32

through an electrical connection cord

66

. More specifically, the first control unit

30

provides composite power/control signals that are pulsed ON and OFF. The control signals may include the speed signals from waveform-shaping circuit

36

. The second control unit

31

and third control unit

32

derive power from the power signal components of the composite signals and are controlled according to control signal components of the composite signals.

The second control unit

31

is mounted via a bracket

50

(

FIGS. 2

,

5

and

6

) to the handlebar

15

of the handlebar assembly

4

. The second control unit

31

comprises gear-shift switches

20

a

and

20

b

, operating switches

21

a

and

21

b

, a second control portion

45

in the form of a microcomputer, and a front suspension motor driver (FSD)

46

. The second control unit

31

transfers the operating data of switches

20

a

,

20

b

,

21

a

and

21

b

to the first control unit

30

. In automatic mode, second control portion

45

adjusts the stiffness of the front suspension

14

through an electrical connecting cord

67

in accordance with a control signal sent from the first control unit

30

based on bicycle speed. In manual mode, second control portion

45

adjusts the stiffness of the front suspension

14

in accordance with the operation of the operating switch

21

b.

As shown in

FIGS. 5 and 6

, the second control unit

31

has a case

75

that houses the various electrical components described above. A terminal board

76

used for mounting the connecting cords

66

and

67

is disposed on the back surface of the case

75

, and six screw terminals

76

a

-

76

f

are disposed on the terminal board

76

.

The connecting cord

66

is a four-wire cord comprising four core wires

66

g

-

66

j

. Of these core wires, the core wire

66

g

may be a ground wire for the other three wires. The core wire

66

h

may be used to supply electric power and control signals (e.g., bicycle speed signals) to the second control unit

31

. The core wire

66

i

may provide signals from the gear shift switches

20

a

and

20

b

and the operation switches

21

a

and

21

b

, for example, to the first control unit

30

. In this embodiment, the current flowing through core wire

66

i

is an analog current having a different voltage for each switch by using a voltage divider. The core wire

66

j

may be used to supply electric power that drives the front suspension

14

.

As noted above, a chassis socket

66

a

is mounted to one end of the connecting cord

66

. Four Y-terminals

66

b

-

66

e

that are connected to screw terminals

76

a

-

76

d

are crimped onto the four core wires

66

g

-

66

j

at other end of the connecting cord

66

. These Y-terminals

66

b

-

66

e

are respectively crimped onto the four core wires

66

g

-

66

j

after the connecting cord

66

has been sized and cut in accordance with the bicycle model configuration and/or the size of the frame body

2

.

Two Y-terminals

67

a

and

67

b

that are connected to screw terminals

76

e

and

76

f

are crimped onto one end of the connecting cord

67

, and the other end of the connecting cord

67

is connected to the front suspension

14

. Connecting cords

77

and

78

extend from the case

75

, wherein connecting cord

77

is connected to the gear shift switch

20

a

and to the operation switch

21

a

, and connecting cord

78

is connected to the gear shift switch

20

b

and the operation switch

21

b

. These cords

77

and

78

terminate at the screw terminals

76

c

and

76

d.

As shown in

FIGS. 5 and 6

, a guiding cavity

75

a

having a pair of notches

75

c

is formed on the front surface of the case

75

. A locking piece

75

b

also is formed on the front surface of case

75

. Protrusions

80

a

disposed on the back of a case

80

that houses the electrical components of the third control unit

32

slidingly and detachably engage the notches

75

c

, and a concavity

80

b

disposed on the back of case

80

of third control unit

32

engages with the locking piece

75

b

. Locking piece

75

b

possesses a degree of pliability that enables it to detachably engage concavity

80

b

. Finally, a pair of contact points

75

e

formed on the front surface of case

75

electrically contact a corresponding pair of contact points

80

d

formed on the back of case

80

of third control unit

32

.

The third control unit

32

is a so-called cycle computer, and it is detachably mounted to the second control unit

31

as noted above. A battery

59

(e.g., a button battery) is mounted to the third control unit

32

so that the third control unit

32

can operate even if it is detached from the second control unit

32

. Consequently, various initial settings such as the wheel diameter setting may be performed, and various data such as the distance ridden and the time ridden can be stored therein. The third control unit

32

has a third control portion

55

in the form of a microcomputer, a liquid crystal display (LCD) unit

56

, and a backlight

58

. Backlight

58

is coupled to third control portion

55

through a power stabilizing circuit

57

. These electrical components are housed within case

80

. The LCD unit

56

is capable of displaying various data such as speed, cadence, travel distance, gear-shift location, suspension status and so forth through a display window

80

a

80

e disposed on the front of case

80

in response to control signals received from first control unit

30

, and it is illuminated by the backlight

58

. The power stabilization circuit

57

stabilizes the power by smoothing the power derived from the composite power/control signals. Consequently, even where intermittent control signals are sent together with the power signals, there is little flickering in the backlight

58

. The third control unit

32

also may function as a pedometer, GPS unit, compass or clock if it is detached from the second control unit

31

. Providing a dedicated third control unit allows the display to respond quickly to changing conditions, and the first and second control units need not be used to control the display.

In operation, the alternating current generator

19

of the dynamo hub

10

generates electric power when the bicycle is traveling, and the electric power is communicated to the first control unit

30

through the electrical connection cord

65

and stored in the power storage device

38

. Since the generator

19

is provided on the rear wheel

7

, the power storage device

38

also may be charged by putting the bicycle on its stand and rotating the pedals if the charge produced by normal travel is insufficient. This is particularly helpful when adjusting the gear-shift mechanisms and setting the operations of the LCD unit

56

. Also, deriving speed signals from the alternating current generator

19

eliminates the need for a separate speed sensor.

When the bicycle speed either exceeds a predetermined threshold value or falls below a predetermined threshold value in automatic mode, a gear-shift operation is carried out. In this embodiment, the gear-shift operation is carried out with priority given to the rear derailleur

28

. When the speed exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the stiffness of both suspensions

13

and

14

also may be made stiffer. In the meantime, various operating parameters are displayed on LCD unit

56

with the help of backlight

58

.

Because power signals and control signals are provided in the form of a composite signal, a single line may be used to communicate both signals. Also, since the control apparatus is divided into three separate units, the number and length of lines can be reduced, thus efficiently communicating power and control signals. Furthermore, because the Y-terminals and FASTON terminals can be crimped on the ends of the connecting cords after the lengths of the connecting cords is determined, the control units

30

and

31

can be placed freely on the bicycle. The FASTON terminals and plug/socket arrangements also allow easy connection and disconnection without tools.

While the above is a description of various embodiments of inventive features, further modifications may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the second control unit

31

and third control unit

32

in the described embodiment were constructed as separate units, but the control units

31

and

32

may be formed as a single unit. Y-terminals and FASTON terminals were provided as examples of crimped terminals, but many other types of terminals such as ring terminals and bullet connectors could be used as well. While the bicycle speed was detected using pulses from the hub dynamo

10

, the speed instead may be detected via pulses from a conventional rotation detector comprising magnets disposed on a wheel and a reed switch disposed on the frame.

The size, shape, location or orientation of the various components may be changed as desired. Components that are shown directly connected or contacting each other may have intermediate structures disposed between them. The functions of one element may be performed by two, and vice versa. The structures and functions of one embodiment may be adopted in another embodiment. It is not necessary for all advantages to be present in a particular embodiment at the same time. Every feature that is unique from the prior art, alone or in combination with other features, also should be considered a separate description of further inventions by the applicant, including the structural and/or functional concepts embodied by such feature(s). Thus, the scope of the invention should not be limited by the specific structures disclosed or the apparent initial focus or emphasis on a particular structure or feature.