Handlebar lock system

• US 10,501,137 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2017
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Mori, Shunji, Onitsuka, Hiroyuki, Takeya, Hiroaki, Shimizu, Ryoji, Sato, Masashi, Kojima, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Curtis J
• Application Number:
  US15/755,576
• Publication Number:
  US 20180354570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B62H 5/04 acting on the handlebars or equivalent
• CPC Class Codes: B62H 5/06 acting on the front wheel fork or steering head tube
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 50/22 electronic, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 21/00 Steering devices steering devices specially adapted for one particular kind of cycle specified in groups B62K1/00 - B62K17/00, see the relevant group

Abstract

The present invention provides a handlebar lock system which (i) can be used for a moving body whose traveling direction is changed with a handlebar and (ii) includes a handlebar locking device which makes it difficult to unlock the handlebar by a forcible method such as breaking. The handlebar lock system includes: a handlebar locking device (20); and a user interface (8) which notifies a user of an operation state of the handlebar locking device (20), which operation state includes at least a lock state of the handlebar (5). The handlebar locking device (20) is provided in a frame of a bicycle so as to be not viewable from outside of the bicycle. The control section (100) identifies the operation state, and then outputs, via a communication section (101), information indicative of the operation state thus identified. A control section (8a) of the user interface (8) receives, from the handlebar locking device (20), the information indicative of the operation state. According to the information thus received, the control section (8a) notifies the user of operation information on the handlebar locking device (20).

Claims

1. A handlebar lock system comprising:

a handlebar locking device which locks a handlebar of a moving body whose traveling direction is changed by the handlebar; and

a state notification device which notifies a user of an operation state of the handlebar locking device, which the operation state includes at least a lock state of the handlebar,

the handlebar locking device including;

an operation state identifying section which (i) is provided in an exterior component of the moving body so as to be not viewable from outside of the moving body and (ii) identifies the operation state of the handlebar locking device by identifying a position of a lock pin and a position of a slider, which the lock pin and the slider are included in the handlebar locking device, and

a transmitting section which outputs information indicative of the operation state identified by the operation state identifying section, and the state notification device including;

a receiving section which receives the information indicative of the operation state of the handlebar locking device, and

a notifying section which notifies, according to the information received by the receiving section, said user of operation information on the handlebar locking device.

2. The handlebar lock system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the operation state identifying section identifies, as the operation state of the handlebar locking device, an incomplete lock state in which the handlebar is incompletely locked; and

in a case where the operation state identifying section has identified the incomplete lock state, the notifying section notifies the user of (i) the incomplete lock state and (ii) information regarding advice for completely locking the handlebar.

3. The handlebar lock system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the operation state identifying section identifies, as the operation state of the handlebar locking device, an incomplete unlock state in which the handlebar is incompletely unlocked; and

in a case where the operation state identifying section has identified the incomplete unlock state, the notifying section notifies the user of (i) the incomplete unlock state and (ii) information regarding advice for completely unlocking the handlebar.

4. The handlebar lock system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the operation state identifying section identifies, as the operation state of the handlebar locking device, a state in which a battery of the handlebar locking device is out.

5. The handlebar lock system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the operation state identifying section identifies, as the operation state of the handlebar locking device, a state in which the handlebar locking device is malfunctioning.

6. The handlebar lock system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the state notification device serves also as an instruction input section which receives an instruction for the handlebar locking device.

7. The handlebar lock system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the operation state identifying section identifies, as the operation state of the handlebar locking device:

the lock state, an unlock state, an incomplete lock state, or an incomplete unlock state.

8. A method for locking a handlebar, which method is carried out by a handlebar lock system including:

a handlebar locking device which locks a handlebar of a moving body whose traveling direction is changed by the handlebar; and

a state notification device which notifies a user of an operation state of the handlebar locking device, which the operation state includes at least a lock state of the handlebar,

the method comprising;

an operation state identifying step of identifying the operation state of the handlebar locking device by identifying a position of a lock pin and a position of a slider, which lock pin and slider are included in the handlebar locking device, the operation state identifying step being carried out by an operation state identifying section which is provided in an exterior component of the moving body so as to be not viewable from outside of the moving body;

a transmitting step of outputting information indicative of the operation state identified in the operation state identifying step;

a receiving step of receiving the information indicative of the operation state of the handlebar locking device; and

a notifying step of notifying, according to the information received in the receiving step, said user of operation information on the handlebar locking device.