Automatic Bicycle Shifter and User Interface

• US 20190263474A1
• Filed: 03/25/2019
• Published: 08/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2019
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hazem Nihad Hamed
• Original Assignee: Hazem Nihad Hamed
• Inventors: Hamed, Hazem Nihad
• Granted Patent: US 10,640,171 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 45/20 Cycle computers as cycle accessories
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 45/412 Speed sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 50/22 electronic, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 2025/003 with gear indicating means, e.g. a display
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 2025/006 with auxiliary shift assisting means
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 25/00 Actuators for gearing speed-change mechanisms specially adapted for cycles rider operated controls for cycles in general B62K23/00; gearing speed change mechanisms F16H
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 25/08 with electrical or fluid transmitting systems
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 9/122 electrically or fluid actuated; Controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 9/123 changing gears automatically
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 9/1242 characterised by the linkage mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 9/127 Mounting or guiding of cables
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 9/132 electrically or fluid actuated; Controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 9/133 changing gears automatically
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 9/1342 characterised by the linkage mechanisms

Abstract

An automatic bicycle drive train shifting apparatus comprising a bicycle drive chain derailer powered by a servo gearmotor slaved to an electronic control system and controlled through a highly adaptable user interface serving to automatically alternate drive chain position between available bicycle drive sprockets under user defined shifting criteria adaptable in real time to rider conditioning, comfort level and road conditions thereby alleviating manual shifting tasks and achieving optimal pedal rate and effort settings for the rider.

Claims

1. - An electrically powered bicycle drive chain derailer apparatus comprising:

a) a four bar linkage including a predominantly laterally stationary first member pivotally adjoining a second and a third bifurcating members of predominantly equal pitch with opposite ends thereof pivotally adjoining a fourth member of predominantly equal pitch to said first member,

b) said fourth member including a connection with a slaved bicycle drive chain caging assembly,

c) said first member including a fixed connection with a gearmotor housing with output shaft thereof including a fixed connection with pivoting center of said pivotally adjoining bifurcating second member at said first member, and

d) said bicycle drive chain in constant engagement with one of a plurality of concentric to a common axis power transmission bicycle drive sprockets,

Whereby rotation of said output shaft of said gearmotor results in pivotal motion of said second member about said first member thereby forcing sheer lateral translation of said fourth member with said third member controlling rotation thereof, and consequently sheer lateral translation of said bicycle drive chain caging assembly and said slaved drive chain thereby forcing alternation between said power transmission drive sprockets.

2. - The electrically powered bicycle drive chain derailer apparatus of claim 1 wherein opposite ends of said second member and said third member including connections with opposite hook ends of an extension spring.

3. - The electrically powered bicycle drive chain derailer apparatus of claim 1 including a fixed connection of said first member to frame of said bicycle.

4. - The electrically powered bicycle drive chain derailer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first member includes a rotatably operable connection with an affixing means to frame of said bicycle and is energized in the clockwise direction under the action of a first spring.

5. - The electrically powered bicycle drive chain derailer apparatus of claim 4 wherein said drive chain caging assembly includes two therein caged idler sprockets in constant engagement with said slaved drive chain.

6. - The electrically powered bicycle drive chain derailer apparatus of claim 5 wherein said connection between said drive chain caging assembly and said fourth member is rotatably operable with said drive chain caging assembly energized in the clockwise direction under the action of a second spring.

7. - The electrically powered bicycle drive chain derailer apparatus of claim 1 wherein housing of said gearmotor includes a fixed connection with housing of an electronic rotary encoder with rotating sensing element thereof including a fixed connection to free end of motor armature of said gearmotor.

8. - An automatic bicycle shifter and user interface apparatus comprising:

a) a bicycle drive chain derailer powered by an electrical gearmotor including a rotational position encoder,

b) said bicycle drive chain in constant engagement with one of a plurality of concentric to a common axis power transmission bicycle drive sprockets,

c) an electronic control system with a data connection to said rotational position encoder including a shaft angle resolver, a revolutions counter and a nonvolatile memory for storage of readings of said rotational position encoder corresponding to alignment positions between said bicycle drive chain derailer and said power transmission bicycle drive sprockets,

d) a bicycle speed sensing means producing an electric signal in a known relationship to road speed of said bicycle and including a hardwire connection to said electronic control system,

e) an electronic user interface for entering readings of said rotational position encoder corresponding to said derailer alignment positions and corresponding bicycle speed shifting thresholds of said bicycle drive chain derailer into said nonvolatile memory of said electronic control system, and

f) said electronic control system further including a servo motor controller with a power connection to said bicycle drive chain derailer gearmotor,

Whereby said electronic control system commands said gearmotor of said bicycle drive chain derailer through said servo motor controller to seek and hold said rotational position encoder readings satisfying said derailer alignment positions upon said bicycle speed sensing means relaying said corresponding bicycle speed derailer shifting thresholds are reached.

9. - The automatic bicycle drive chain alternating apparatus of claim 8 including a first bicycle drive chain derailer alternating said drive chain between a plurality of power transmission rear hub sprockets and a second bicycle drive chain derailer alternating said drive chain between a plurality of power transmission pedals sprockets.

10. - The automatic bicycle drive chain alternating apparatus of claim 8 including manual override shift up and shift down switches with a hardwire connection to said electronic control system.

11. - The automatic bicycle drive chain alternating apparatus of claim 8 including a motion sensor of said bicycle drive chain.

12. - The automatic bicycle drive chain alternating apparatus of claim 8 including a bicycle position inclinometer and a user interface serving to enter attenuation criteria for said bicycle speed derailer shifting thresholds.

13. - The automatic bicycle drive chain alternating apparatus of claim 8 including a user interface depicting derailer position and bicycle speed in user selected miles or kilometers per hour units.

14. - The automatic bicycle drive chain alternating apparatus of claim 8 wherein said electronic control system further includes a WIFI transceiver adapted for communication with a mobile phone running a compatible WIFI communication application and a touchscreen application serving as said user interface.

15. - A touchscreen display for programming and operation of an automatic bicycle shifter and user interface apparatus comprising:

a) an electrically powered bicycle drive chain derailer including a gearmotor with a rotational position encoder,

b) said bicycle drive chain in constant engagement with one of a plurality of concentric to a common axis power transmission drive sprockets,

c) said electrically powered touchscreen display including status windows, selection and command tactile buttons and a tactile sliding control bar for level adjustment thereof,

d) said electrically powered touchscreen display including a “

teach mode”

user interface and selection button, a “

programming mode”

user interface and selection button, and an “

operation mode”

user interface and selection button,

e) an electronic control system including a bidirectional data communication means to said electrically powered touchscreen display, a data connection to said rotational position encoder and a connection to a servo motor controller means for actuation of said electrically powered bicycle drive chain derailer,

f) a bicycle propelled power regeneration means with a hardwire connection to said electronic control system,

g) said “

teach mode”

user interface including a user prompt window for user guidance through “

teaching”

of said derailer, definition buttons and display windows for entry of number of said power transmission bicycle drive sprockets for said derailer, a “

teach position”

display window depicting sequential selection for “

teaching”

from amongst said entered number of said power transmission bicycle drive sprockets for said derailer, “

shift in” and

“

shift out”

buttons for positioning of said derailer into accurate alignment with said sequential “

teach position”

selection from amongst said power transmission bicycle drive sprockets for said derailer, a “

set”

button for saving taught position of said derailer for said “

teach position”

selection from amongst said power transmission bicycle drive sprockets, a bicycle speed display and speed units selection buttons,

h) said “

programming mode”

user interface including a user prompt window for user guidance through “

programming”

of said derailer, a “

shift speed”

position display window depicting selection to “

program”

from amongst said entered number of said power transmission bicycle drive sprockets for said derailer, “

shift up” and

“

shift down”

buttons for engagement of said derailer with desired selection from amongst said power transmission bicycle drive sprockets for programming of respective “

shift speed”

, “

set”

button for programming of shifting speed threshold for said “

shift speed”

selection from amongst said power transmission bicycle drive sprockets, a shifter position display, a bicycle speed display, speed units selection buttons, an active program display, a save program button, and a recall program button, and

i) said “

operation mode”

user interface available in real time including “

manual” and

“

automatic mode”

operation selection buttons for said derailer, position override “

shift up” and

“

shift down”

buttons for forcing an alternate selection for “

operation”

from amongst said power transmission bicycle drive sprockets for said derailer, a bicycle speed display, speed units selection buttons, an active program display, a save program button, a recall program button, a trip distance display, an odometer display, a time display, a date display, a temperature display, and a “

bias”

touchscreen sliding control bar for definition of attenuation level of defined speed shifting thresholds for said derailer,

Whereby a comprehensive touchscreen display for programming and operation of an automatic bicycle shifter and user interface including said user “

teach mode”

interface serving to define number of available positions and positional settings for said derailer, said user “

programming mode”

serving to define said shifting speed thresholds for said programmed positions for said derailer, said user “

operation mode”

serving to present the user with status of said bicycle and said derailer in real time, permits the user to select said mode of operation for said derailer, and enables the user to alter said programmed shifting speed thresholds for said derailer in real time, thereby offering the user a total solution permitting continually adaptable control of said bicycle facilitating safe control and ergonomic operation throughout riding experience.

16. - The touchscreen user interface of claim 15 wherein said control system is hardwired to an inclinometer affixed to frame of said bicycle and producing a voltage potential output in predefined relation to road inclination with said control system thereof serving to bias said shifting speed thresholds of said programmed positions for said derailer according to a predefined relation.

17. - The touchscreen “

operation mode”

user interface of claim 16 further including a touchscreen sliding control bar enabling attenuation of said bias of said programmed shifting speed thresholds of said programmed positions for said derailer.

18. - The touchscreen user interface of claim 17 and said control system adapted for operation with two bicycle drive chain derailers.

19. - The touchscreen user interface of claim 18 wherein said number of programmed shift position is the product of said power transmission bicycle drive sprockets.

20. - The touchscreen user interface of claim 15 and said control system adapted for operation with two bicycle drive chain derailers.

21. - The touchscreen user interface of claim 20 wherein said number of programmed shift position is the product of said power transmission bicycle drive sprockets.

22. - The touchscreen user interface of claim 15 adapted for operation on a mobile phone through a custom application program interfacing with said control system through a WIFI application communicating with said control system augmented with a WIFI transceiver.

23. - An electrically powered bicycle drive chain derailer apparatus comprising:

a) a four bar linkage including a predominantly laterally stationary first member pivotally adjoining a second and a third bifurcating members of predominantly equal pitch with opposite ends thereof pivotally adjoining a fourth member of predominantly equal pitch to said first member,

b) said fourth member including a connection with a slaved bicycle drive chain caging assembly,

c) opposite ends of said second member and said third member including connections with opposite hook ends of an extension spring,

d) said bicycle drive chain in constant engagement with one of a plurality of concentric to a common axis power transmission bicycle drive sprockets,

e) said second member including a midsection lateral extension including a connection with operational end of a sheathed drive cable,

f) said first member including a connection with sheathing of said sheathed drive cable,

g) a remote linear actuator means powered by a gearmotor with housing including a fixed connection with frame of said bicycle and a second fixed connection with opposite end of said sheathing of said sheathed drive cable, and

h) opposite operational end of said sheathed drive cable including a fixed connection with translating member of said remote electric linear actuator means,

Whereby actuation of said remote electric linear actuator results in actuation of said sheathed drive cable forcing pivotal motion of said second member forcing sheer lateral translation of said fourth member with said third member controlling rotation thereof, and consequently resulting in sheer lateral translation of said bicycle drive chain caging assembly and said slaved drive chain thereby forcing alternation between said power transmission bicycle drive sprockets.

24. - The electrically powered bicycle drive chain derailer apparatus of claim 23 including a fixed connection of said first member to frame of said bicycle.

25. - The electrically powered bicycle drive chain derailer apparatus of claim 23 wherein said first member includes a rotatably operable connection with an affixing means to frame of said bicycle and is energized in the clockwise direction under the action of a first spring.

26. - The electrically powered bicycle drive chain derailer apparatus of claim 25 wherein said drive chain caging assembly includes two therein caged idler sprockets in constant engagement with said slaved drive chain.

27. - The electrically powered bicycle drive chain derailer apparatus of claim 26 wherein said connection between said drive chain caging assembly and said fourth member is rotatably operable with said drive chain caging assembly energized in the clockwise direction under the action of a second spring.

28. - The electrically powered bicycle drive chain derailer apparatus of claim 23 wherein free end of motor armature of said gearmotor includes a fixed connection with an electronic rotary encoder.