Bicycle shifting control apparatus and method of controlling derailleur

• US 9,278,728 B1
• Filed: 10/29/2014
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shimano Inc
• Original Assignee: Shimano Inc
• Inventors: Fujii, Kazuhiro, Sato, Taketoshi, Tachibana, Hiroshi, Kuroda, Mao, Ooishi, Toshinari, Yamada, Naohiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Liu, Henry
• Application Number:
  US14/527,706
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• Field of Search: 474/78, 474/80
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 9/122 electrically or fluid actuated; Controls thereof

Abstract

A bicycle shifting control apparatus comprises a transmission controller configured to control a guide actuator of a derailleur to move a chain guide of the derailleur between a plurality of shift positions in response to an input shifting signal. The transmission controller is configured to control, in a shifting operation of the chain guide between adjacent two shift positions of the plurality of shift positions, the guide actuator to temporarily decelerate the chain guide at a deceleration position defined between the adjacent two shift positions so that the bicycle chain engages with and/or disengages from one of the sprockets having a shift assist structure prior to completion of the shifting operation of the chain guide.

Claims

1. A bicycle shifting control apparatus comprising:

a transmission controller configured to control a guide actuator of a derailleur to move a chain guide of the derailleur between a plurality of shift positions in response to an input shifting signal, the chain guide being configured to guide a bicycle chain configured to engage with a sprocket assembly including sprockets having a shift assist structure configured to assist a shifting motion of the bicycle chain,

the transmission controller being configured to control, in a shifting operation of the chain guide between adjacent two shift positions of the plurality of shift positions, the guide actuator to temporarily decelerate the chain guide at a deceleration position defined between the adjacent two shift positions so that the bicycle chain engages with and/or disengages from one of the sprockets having the shift assist structure prior to completion of the shifting operation of the chain guide.

2. The bicycle shifting control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the deceleration position is defined at a substantially middle position between adjacent two sprockets of the sprocket assembly corresponding to the adjacent two shift positions.

3. The bicycle shifting control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the transmission controller is configured to store the deceleration position.

4. The bicycle shifting control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the transmission controller is configured to store a latest deceleration position inputted from an input device as the deceleration position.

5. The bicycle shifting control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the transmission controller is configured to store a decelerating time for which the chain guide is temporarily decelerated at the deceleration position in the shifting operation of the chain guide.

6. The bicycle shifting control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the transmission controller is configured to store a latest decelerating time inputted from an input device as the decelerating time.

7. The bicycle shifting control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the transmission controller is configured to generate

a first moving signal to move the chain guide in a first shifting direction, and

a second moving signal to move the chain guide in a second shifting direction opposite to the first shifting direction, and

the transmission controller is configured to generate a temporarily decelerating signal to temporarily decelerate a movement of the chain guide in the first shifting direction and the second shifting direction.

8. The bicycle shifting control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the deceleration position includes a waiting position, and

the temporarily decelerating signal including a temporarily stopping signal to temporarily stop the chain guide at the waiting position.

9. The bicycle shifting control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the transmission controller is configured to generate one of the first moving signal and the second moving signal in response to one of a first input shifting signal and a second input shifting signal so that the chain guide is moved from one of the adjacent two shift positions to the waiting position,

the transmission controller is configured to generate the temporarily stopping signal so that the chain guide is stopped at the waiting position, and

the transmission controller is configured to generate the one of the first moving signal and the second moving signal so that the chain guide is moved from the waiting position to the other of the adjacent two shift positions.

10. The bicycle shifting control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the transmission controller is configured to generate one of the first moving signal and the second moving signal so that the movement of the chain guide between the waiting position and one of the adjacent two shift positions is equal to the movement of the chain guide between the waiting position and the other of the adjacent two shift positions.

11. The bicycle shifting control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the transmission controller is configured to generate one of the first moving signal and the second moving signal so that the movement of the chain guide between the waiting position and one of the adjacent two shift positions is different from the movement of the chain guide between the waiting position and the other of the adjacent two shift positions.

12. The bicycle shifting control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the temporarily stopping signal includes a braking signal to apply a braking force to the chain guide to stop the chain guide at the waiting position.

13. The bicycle shifting control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a distance between the deceleration position and a sprocket of the sprocket assembly corresponding to one of the adjacent two shift positions is shorter than or equal to a half of a distance between adjacent two sprockets of the sprocket assembly corresponding to the other of the adjacent two shift positions.

14. The bicycle shifting control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a distance between the deceleration position and a sprocket of the sprocket assembly corresponding to the one of the adjacent two positions is longer than a half of a distance between adjacent two sprockets of the sprocket assembly corresponding to the adjacent two shift positions.

15. The bicycle shifting control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a clearance between adjacent two sprockets of the sprocket assembly corresponding to the adjacent two shift positions is less than 2.3 mm.

16. The bicycle shifting control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the sprocket assembly includes at least eleven sprockets.

17. A bicycle shifting control apparatus comprising:

a transmission controller configured to control a guide actuator of a derailleur to move a chain guide of the derailleur between a plurality of shift positions in response to an input shifting signal, the chain guide being configured to guide a bicycle chain configured to engage with a sprocket assembly including sprockets having a shift assist structure configured to assist a shifting motion of the bicycle chain,

the transmission controller being configured to control, in a shifting operation of the chain guide between adjacent two shift positions of the plurality of shift positions, the guide actuator to temporarily stop the chain guide at a waiting position defined between the adjacent two shift positions so that the bicycle chain engages with and/or disengages from one of the sprockets having the shift assist structure prior to completion of the shifting operation of the chain guide.

18. The bicycle shifting control apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

the transmission controller is configured to generate

a first moving signal to move the chain guide in a first shifting direction, and

a second moving signal to move the chain guide in a second shifting direction opposite to the first shifting direction, and

the transmission controller is configured to generate a temporarily stopping signal to temporarily stop a movement of the chain guide in the first shifting direction and the second shifting direction.

19. The bicycle shifting control apparatus according to claim 18, wherein

the transmission controller is configured to generate one of the first moving signal and the second moving signal in response to one of a first input shifting signal and a second input shifting signal so that the chain guide is moved from one of the adjacent two shift positions to the waiting position,

the transmission controller is configured to generate the temporarily stopping signal so that the chain guide is stopped at the waiting position, and

the transmission controller is configured to generate the one of the first moving signal and the second moving signal so that the chain guide is moved from the waiting position to the other of the adjacent two shift positions.

20. The bicycle shifting control apparatus according to claim 19, wherein

the transmission controller is configured to generate one of the first moving signal and the second moving signal so that the movement of the chain guide between the waiting position and one of the adjacent two shift positions is equal to the movement of the chain guide between the waiting position and the other of the adjacent two shift positions.

21. The bicycle shifting control apparatus according to claim 19, wherein

the transmission controller is configured to generate one of the first moving signal and the second moving signal so that the movement of the chain guide between the waiting position and one of the adjacent two shift positions is different from the movement of the chain guide between the waiting position and the other of the adjacent two shift positions.

22. The bicycle shifting control apparatus according to claim 19, wherein

the temporarily stopping signal includes a braking signal to apply a braking force to the chain guide to stop the chain guide at the waiting position.

23. A method of controlling a derailleur, comprising:

moving a chain guide of the derailleur between a plurality of shift positions in response to an input shifting signal, the chain guide being configured to guide a bicycle chain configured to engage with a sprocket assembly including sprockets having a shift assist structure configured to assist a shifting motion of the bicycle chain; and

decelerating the chain guide temporarily, in a shifting operation of the chain guide between adjacent two shift positions of the plurality of shift positions, at a deceleration position defined between the adjacent two shift positions so that the bicycle chain engages with and/or disengages from one of the sprockets having the shift assist structure prior to completion of the shifting operation of the chain guide.

24. A method of controlling a derailleur, comprising:

moving a chain guide of the derailleur between a plurality of shift positions in response to an input shifting signal, the chain guide being configured to guide a bicycle chain configured to engage with a sprocket assembly including sprockets having a shift assist structure configured to assist a shifting motion of the bicycle chain; and

stopping the chain guide temporarily, in a shifting operation of the chain guide between adjacent two shift positions of the plurality of shift positions, at a waiting position defined between the adjacent two shift positions so that the bicycle chain engages with and/or disengages from one of the sprockets having the shift assist structure prior to completion of the shifting operation of the chain guide.