Gear shift notification apparatus having a preselected notification pattern

• US 8,878,658 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2012
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shimano Inc
• Original Assignee: Shimano Inc
• Inventors: Hara, Nobukatsu
• Primary Examiner(s): HOFSASS, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US13/611,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20140070930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 783 Days
• Field of Search: 340/432, 340/438, 340/439, 340/456, 745/005, 474/70
• US Class Current: 340/432
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 3/14 indicating functioning of other devices, e.g. acoustic warnings indicating that lights are switched on
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 45/20 Cycle computers as cycle accessories
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 50/21 intended to provide information to rider or passenger
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 6/24 warning or informing the rider, e.g. low fuel warning lights
• 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

Abstract

A bicycle shift notification apparatus is provided with a transmission state determining component, a bicycle shift notification device and a controller. The transmission state determining component determines a current operating state of a bicycle transmission having a plurality of speed stages. The bicycle shift notification device produces a notification based on a determination of the current operating state by the transmission state determining component. The controller is operatively coupled to the bicycle shift notification device. The controller activates the bicycle shift notification device to produce the notification in accordance with a preselected notification pattern based on determining that a predetermined condition exists. The controller does not activate the bicycle shift notification device to produce the notification while determining that the predetermined condition does not exist.

Claims

1. A bicycle shift notification apparatus comprising:

a transmission state determining component that determines a current operating state of a bicycle transmission having a plurality of speed stages;

a bicycle shift notification device that produces a notification based on a determination of the current operating state by the transmission state determining component; and

a controller operatively coupled to the bicycle shift notification device, the controller activating the bicycle shift notification device to produce the notification in accordance with a preselected notification pattern based on determining that a predetermined condition exists, and not activating the bicycle shift notification device to produce the notification while determining that the predetermined condition does not exist.

2. The shift notification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the controller determines the predetermined condition as including at least one of a speed stage before a speed stage of the synchro-shift speed point, a speed stage after a speed stage of the synchro-shift speed point, and an endmost speed stage.

3. The shift notification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the bicycle shift notification device produces a sound as the notification.

4. The shift notification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the bicycle shift notification device produces a visual indication as the notification.

5. The shift notification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the controller activates the bicycle shift notification device after a start of a gear shifting operation to the synchro-shift speed point from an adjacent speed stage immediately adjacent to the synchro-shift speed point.

6. The shift notification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the controller activates the bicycle shift notification device at an adjacent speed stage immediately adjacent to the synchro-shift speed point.

7. The shift notification apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the controller further activates the bicycle shift notification device at a preceding speed stage immediately adjacent to the adjacent speed stage.

8. The shift notification apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the bicycle shift notification device produces the notification differently for each of the preceding speed stage and the adjacent speed stage.

9. The shift notification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the controller activates the bicycle shift notification device at the endmost speed stage that corresponds to a lowest speed stage of the speed stages.

10. The shift notification apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the controller further activates the bicycle shift notification device at a preceding speed stage immediately adjacent to the lowest speed stage.

11. The shift notification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the controller activates the bicycle shift notification device at the endmost speed stage that corresponds to a highest speed stage of the speed stages.

12. The shift notification apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the controller further activates the bicycle shift notification device at a preceding speed stage immediately adjacent to the highest speed stage.

13. The shift notification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the controller activates the bicycle shift notification device at an adjacent speed stage immediately adjacent to each side of the synchro-shift speed point;

and

the controller further activates the bicycle shift notification device at the endmost speed stage that corresponds to a highest speed stage of the speed stages and an endmost speed stage that corresponds to a lowest speed stage of the speed stages.

14. The shift notification apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a user input device operatively coupled to the controller, the controller including a predetermined condition selection component to select the predetermined condition among a plurality of user settable predetermined conditions.

15. The shift notification apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the predetermined condition selection component includes at least one of before a speed stage of the synchro-shift speed point, after a speed stage of the synchro-shift speed point and an endmost speed stage among the plurality of user settable predetermined conditions for selection by the user input device.

16. The shift notification apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a user input device operatively coupled to the controller, the controller including a notification output selection component that includes a plurality of user settable parameters for selection by the user input device.

17. The shift notification apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

the notification output selection component includes at least one of a sound setting parameter and a visual setting parameter among the plurality of user settable parameters for selection by the user input device.

18. The shift notification apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a user input device operatively coupled to the controller, the controller including a notification pattern selection component that includes a plurality of user settable notification patterns for selection by user input device as the preselected notification pattern.