Electrical adjustment device

• US 5,357,177 A
• Filed: 03/15/1993
• Issued: 10/18/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
• Original Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
• Inventors: Fey, Rainer, Thein, Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): IP, SHIK LUEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US08/031,523
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: 318/3, 318/280-293, 318/430-477, 318/4, 318/5, 474/80-87, 474/101-103, 474/70-80, 474/110, 474/116, 192/142 R, 198/807, 280/238, 280/206, 280/261, 364/426.04
• US Class Current: 318/3
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 25/08 with electrical or fluid transmitting systems

Abstract

An electrical adjustment device, in particular an electrical chain transfer device for bicycles is disclosed, comprising an adjusting element, a drive device for the adjusting element, a control unit for controlling the drive device and a presetting device connected with the control unit for presetting a plurality of set values, where each of these set values corresponds to an operational position of the adjusting element. In the adjustment device of the invention the adjusting element can be moved into respectively one set position corresponding to a desired operational position for fixing or, if required, correcting of the set values, and the resulting instantaneous value can be stored in the presetting device as the new set value.

Claims

1. An electrical derailleur device for a bicycle, comprising:

a chain actuating element carrying a derailleur chain wheel and being displaceable to effect gear switching by positioning a chain for engagement with a respective gear wheel of a plurality of gear wheels;

a drive means for displacing the chain actuating element;

a presetting means for presetting at least one target value of a parameter indicating a displacing position of said chain actuating element for each of the plurality of gear wheels, said target value corresponding to a displacing position in which said gear switching to a respective gear wheel is effected;

a control means for manually commanding gear switching to a desired gear wheel of said plurality of gear wheels, wherein said control means is connected to said presetting means for controlling said drive means in correspondence with a desired target value corresponding to said desired gear wheel;

a sensor means for detecting an actual displacing position of said chain actuating element and for providing a sensor signal corresponding to said actual displacing position, wherein said sensor means is arranged at or adjacent to said chain actuating element and connected to said control means;

a moving means for moving, in an adjustment mode, said chain actuating element to an adjusted displacing position for a respective one of said gear wheels, of which engagement with said chain is to be adjusted; and

a storing commanding means for commanding storage in said presetting means said sensor signal provided by said sensor means corresponding to said adjusted displacing position of said chain actuating element as an adjusted target value.

2. An electrical derailleur device according to claim 1, wherein said presetting means presets an upshift target value and a downshift target value for each of the plurality of gear wheels, said upshift target value being stored in said presetting means after said moving means has moved the chain actuating element in said adjustment mode to said adjusted displacing position in an upshift movement, and said downshift target value being stored in said presetting means after said moving means has moved said chain actuating element in said adjustment mode to said adjusted displacing position in a downshift movement.

3. An electrical derailleur device according to claim 1, wherein said presetting device is an erasable and reprogrammable read-only memory device.

4. An electrical derailleur device according to claim 3, wherein said control means further comprises a controlling microchip operatively connected to said read-only memory device.

5. An electrical derailleur device according to claim 3, wherein said control means further comprises a controlling microchip integrated with said read-only memory device.

6. An electrical derailleur device according to claim 1, wherein said control means further comprises a comparator means for comparing said actual displacing position with said desired target value corresponding to said desired gear wheel, wherein said control means controls the drive means such as to displace said chain actuating element when said comparator means determines that the actual displacing position is not equal to said desired target value, and wherein said control means controls said drive means to stop displacing said chain actuating element when said comparator means determines that said actual displacing position is equal to said desired target value.

7. An electrical derailleur device according to claim 1, wherein the control means further comprises a timer means for timing a predetermined time interval, wherein said timer means is reset and started by said control means when said control means controls said drive means to start displacing said chain actuating element, and, when said predetermined time interval has elapsed, said control means controls said drive means to stop displacing said chain actuating element.

8. An electrical gear shifting device for a bicycle having at least one electrical derailleur device comprising:

a chain actuating element carrying a derailleur chain wheel and being displaceable to effect gear switching by positioning a chain for engagement with a respective gear wheel of a plurality of gear wheels;

a drive means for displacing said chain actuating element;

a presetting means for presetting at least one target value of a parameter indicating a displacing position of said chain actuating element for each of said plurality of gear wheels, said target value corresponding to a displacing position in which said gear switching to a respective gear wheel is effected;

a control means for manually commanding gear switching to a desired gear wheel of said plurality of gear wheels, wherein said control means is connected to said presetting device for controlling said drive means in correspondence with a desired target value corresponding to said desired gear wheel;

a sensor means for detecting an actual displacing position of said chain actuating element and for providing a sensor signal corresponding to said actual displacing position, wherein said sensor means is arranged at or adjacent said chain actuating element and connected to said control means;

a moving means for moving, in an adjustment mode, said chain actuating element to an adjusted displacing position for a respective one of said gear wheels, of which the engagement with said chain is to be adjusted; and

a storing commanding means for commanding storage in said presetting means said sensor signal provided by said sensor means corresponding to said adjusted displacing position of said chain actuating element as an adjusted target value.