Bicycle provided with an on-board control system and automatic rental system comprising said bicycles

• US 20070158949A1
• Filed: 02/10/2005
• Published: 07/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JCDecaux SA (JCDecaux Group)
• Original Assignee: JCDecaux SA (JCDecaux Group)
• Inventors: Tavernier, Patrick, Darras, Jacques, Le Gars, Jacques, Lamy, Jean-Claude
• Granted Patent: US 7,729,822 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 290/7
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 11/002 Emergency driving lights in the event of failure of the principal lighting circuit
• CPC Class Codes: B62H 2003/005 Supports or holders associated with means for bike rental
• CPC Class Codes: B62H 5/20 indicating unauthorised use, e.g. acting on signalling devices alarm locks in general E05B45/00, e.g. alarm cable or chain lock E05B45/005
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 6/028 specially adapted for rider-propelled cycles with or without additional source of power
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/005 Testing of electric installations on transport means
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/44 Testing lamps
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0833 using audio means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A bicycle fitted with an on-board control system which is adapted in such a way that it can control the state of a functional element of the bicycle, in order to detect an error in the operation of said functional element and in order to signal said error.

Claims

1. A bicycle comprising an on-board control system, a first communication interface electrically linked to the control system and at least one functional element,

wherein said control system is designed to control the state of the functional element, and communicate to a fixed infrastructure, via the first communication interface, status information concerning the state of said functional element.

2. The bicycle as claimed in claim 1, in which said first communication interface comprises a transceiver.

3. The bicycle as claimed in claim 2, in which said first communication interface is a short-range, contactless communication interface.

4. The bicycle as claimed in claim 1, in which the control system is designed to:

detect a fault in the operation of said functional element, and

generate status information characteristic of said fault and communicate this status information to the first communication interface for transmission to said infrastructure.

5. The bicycle as claimed in claim 1, comprising a main rear lighting circuit comprising a first rear lamp, the control system being designed to:

control said main rear lighting circuit, and

detect a failure in said main rear lighting circuit.

6. The bicycle as claimed in claim 5, in which the main rear lighting circuit comprises, in series, a current amplifier, a light-emitting diode, and a current detector.

7. The bicycle as claimed in claim 5, comprising a secondary rear lighting circuit independent of the main rear lighting circuit, said secondary rear lighting circuit comprising a second rear lamp, and in which the control system is designed to control the secondary rear lighting circuit by making it operate when a failure has been detected in the main rear lighting circuit.

8. The bicycle as claimed in claim 5, comprising at least one brake and a secondary rear lighting circuit independent of the main rear lighting circuit, said secondary rear lighting circuit comprising a second rear lamp, the control system being designed to:

detect the actuation of the brake, and

control the secondary rear lighting circuit by making it operate when the actuation of the brake has been detected.

9. The bicycle as claimed in claim 7, in which the secondary rear lighting circuit comprises, in series, a current amplifier, a light-emitting diode, and a current detector.

10. The bicycle as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least one brake and a dynamo, and in which the control system comprises a memory and is designed to:

detect an actuation of the brake,

measure an electrical intensity of a current generated by the dynamo,

write to the memory status information characteristic of a failure of the brake when the control system detects the actuation of said brake without detecting a reduction in said electrical intensity,

transmit said status information characteristic of a failure of the brake to the first communication interface.

11. The bicycle as claimed in in claim 1, comprising two independent front lighting circuits, each comprising at least one front lamp, and in which the control system is designed to:

supply current, at mid-power, to each front lighting circuit,

detect a failure in any one of the front lighting circuits, and

supply one of the front lighting circuits with current, at full power, when a failure has been detected in the other circuit.

12. The bicycle as claimed in claim 11, in which each front lighting circuit comprises, in series, a current amplifier, at least one light-emitting diode, and a current detector.

13. The bicycle as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

at least one front lighting circuit comprising at least one front lamp,

at least one rear lighting circuit comprising a first rear lamp,

a dynamo,

a battery electrically linked to the dynamo to be recharged by said dynamo and at least partly supplying the front and rear lighting circuits,

in which the control system is designed to;

control the front and rear lighting circuits,

measure the battery charge,

reduce an electrical intensity supplying the front lighting circuits when the measured charge is less than a predetermined minimum value.

14. The bicycle as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

at least one front lighting circuit comprising at least one front lamp,

at least one rear lighting circuit comprising a first rear lamp,

a dynamo,

a battery electrically linked to the dynamo to be recharged by said dynamo and at least partly supplying the front and rear lighting circuits,

in which the control system comprises a clock and is designed to;

control the front and rear lighting circuits,

detect the operation of the dynamo,

cut said front and rear lighting circuits when a time interval of predetermined duration has elapsed after the dynamo has stopped operating.

15. The bicycle as claimed in claim 1, in which the control system comprises a memory and is designed to:

receive an identification code via the first communication interface,

write said identification code into the memory,

detect an operation of the bicycle,

if the bicycle is operating, compare the value of the identification code with at least one predetermined value,

and, depending on this comparison, initiate or not initiate an alarm reaction.

16. The bicycle as claimed in claim 15, in which the control system is designed to initiate the alarm reaction when the value of the identification code corresponds to said predetermined value.

17. The bicycle as claimed in claim 1, in which the control system comprises a clock and is designed to:

detect an operation of the bicycle,

after a predetermined period of operation of the bicycle, initiate an alarm reaction.

18. The bicycle as claimed in claim 15, comprising at least one lighting circuit which comprises at least one lamp, in which the control system is designed to intermittently control the lighting circuit as an alarm reaction.

19. The bicycle as claimed in claim 15, comprising a speaker controlled by the control system, and in which the control system is designed to have a sound signal sent to this speaker as an alarm reaction.

20. The bicycle as claimed in claim 15, in which the control system is designed to detect a movement of the bicycle and to determine that the bicycle is operating when a movement is detected.

21. The bicycle as claimed in claim 1, which can be locked on a fixed terminal, in which the control system is designed to:

detect locking of the bicycle on the fixed terminal,

have an acknowledgement signal sent when the locking of the bicycle on the terminal has been detected.

22. The bicycle as claimed in claim 21, comprising at least one lighting circuit controlled by the control system, and said control system is designed to have said lighting circuit operate intermittently for a limited period as an acknowledgement signal.

23. An automatic bicycle rental system comprising at least one bicycle comprising an on-board control system, a first communication interface electrically linked to the control system, and at least one functional element,

wherein said control system is designed to control the state of the functional element, and communicate to a fixed infrastructure via the first communication interface, status information concerning the state of said functional element;

and an infrastructure designed to receive said status information.

24. The automatic system as claimed in claim 23, comprising a plurality of bicycles and in which said infrastructure comprises:

a plurality of storage stations designed to receive on each at least one bicycle for storage purposes,

and a plurality of short-range second communication interfaces designed to communicate with said first communication interfaces of the bicycles, each second communication interface of the infrastructure being associated with at least one storage station and disposed in the immediate vicinity of said storage station.

25. The automatic system as claimed in claim 24, in which each storage station comprises a fixed terminal.

26. The automatic system as claimed in claim 25, in which the fixed terminal comprises one of said second communication interfaces.

27. The automatic system as claimed in claim 24, in which said second communication interface is a contactless communication interface comprising a transceiver.

28. The automatic system as claimed in claim 23, in which the infrastructure also comprises at least one central station, centralizing said status information received by all the second communication interfaces.