TWI903891B - Gear shift control device, gear shift control method and bicycle gear shift system - Google Patents

Abstract

A gear shift control device is used in a bicycle gear shift system. The gear shift control device includes an environment sensing unit configured to detect an environmental state and generate a first detection result; a pedaling sensing unit configured to detect a pedaling state and generate a second detection result; and a processor, coupled to the environment sensing unit and the pedaling sensing unit, configured to generate an adjustment signal according to the first detection result and the second detection result to adjust a transmission gear of the bicycle transmission system.

Description

Gear shifting control device, gear shifting control method and bicycle gear shifting system

This invention relates to a gear shifting control device, a gear shifting control method, and a bicycle gear shifting system, and more particularly to a gear shifting control device, a gear shifting control method, and a bicycle gear shifting system with automatic gear shifting function.

When cycling, the rhythm of pedaling and the timing of gear shifts vary from rider to rider. Some riders may not be able to manually control gear shifts with the appropriate force, timing, or direction. Therefore, improper gear ratios can reduce the rider's pedaling efficiency. Today, automatic gear control systems on bicycles have been developed to simplify gear shifting and increase pedaling efficiency. For example, automatic gear control systems typically adjust gear shifting timing based on information such as speed, pedaling frequency, pedaling torque, or pedaling force. However, this information is all outdated and cannot be used to determine the real-time nature of the rider's shifting needs. Therefore, determining the real-time nature of shifting needs or predicting future shifting needs has become one of the industry's goals.

One of the main objectives of this invention is to provide a gear shifting control device, gear shifting control method, and bicycle gear shifting system to solve the above-mentioned problems.

The present invention provides a gear control device for a bicycle gear system, comprising: an ambient sensing unit for detecting an environmental state and generating a first detection result; a pedaling sensing unit for detecting a pedaling state and generating a second detection result; and a processor coupled to the ambient sensing unit and the pedaling sensing unit for generating an adjustment signal based on the first detection result and the second detection result to adjust a gear of the bicycle gear system.

The present invention provides a bicycle gear shifting system, comprising: a shifting device; and a shifting control device coupled to the shifting device, comprising: an environmental sensing unit for detecting an environmental state and generating a first detection result; a pedaling sensing unit for detecting a pedaling state and generating a second detection result; and a processor coupled to the environmental sensing unit and the pedaling sensing unit for generating an adjustment signal based on the first detection result and the second detection result to adjust a shift gear of the shifting device.

The present invention provides a gear shifting control method for a bicycle gear shifting system, comprising: detecting an environmental state and generating a first detection result; detecting a pedaling state and generating a second detection result; and generating an adjustment signal based on the first detection result and the second detection result to adjust a gear of the bicycle gear shifting system.

Certain terms are used in this specification and the subsequent claims to refer to specific components. Those skilled in the art will understand that hardware manufacturers may use different names to refer to the same component. This specification and the subsequent claims do not distinguish components by name, but by functional differences. The term "comprising" throughout this specification and the subsequent claims is an open-ended term and should be interpreted as "comprising but not limited to". Furthermore, the term "coupled" here includes any direct and indirect electrical connection. Therefore, if the text describes a first device coupled to a second device, it means that the first device can be directly electrically connected to the second device, or indirectly electrically connected to the second device through other devices or connection means.

Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of a bicycle gear system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The bicycle gear system 1 includes a gear control device 10 and a gear shifting device 20 coupled to each other. The gear control device 10 can automatically adjust a gear of the gear shifting device 20 to simplify the rider's gear shifting control and increase the rider's pedaling efficiency.

In detail, the gear shift control device 10 includes an ambient sensing unit 101, a pedal sensing unit 102, and a processor 103. The ambient sensing unit 101 detects an environmental state and generates a first detection result. The pedal sensing unit 102 detects a pedaling state and generates a second detection result. The processor 103 is coupled to the ambient sensing unit 101 and the pedal sensing unit 102, and the processor 103 can generate an adjustment signal based on the first and second detection results to adjust the gear position of the gear shift device 20. The operation of the processor 103 can be summarized as a gear shift control method 2, as shown in Figure 2. The gear shift control method 2 includes the following steps:

Step S200: Begin.

Step S202: The environmental sensing unit 101 detects the environmental status and generates the first detection result.

Step S204: The pedaling state is detected by the pedaling sensing unit 102, and a second detection result is generated.

Step S206: Generate an adjustment signal based on the first and second detection results to adjust the gears of the bicycle's transmission system.

Step S208: End.

In short, according to gear control method 2, processor 103 can adjust the gear position of gearbox 20 based on environmental conditions and pedaling status. It should be noted that in steps S202 and S204, environmental conditions may include an environmental terrain or a cycling speed, and pedaling status may include a pedaling speed, a pedaling torque, or a pedaling force, and is not limited to these. Furthermore, the environmental sensing unit 101 and the pedaling sensing unit 102 merely represent the necessary components required for detecting environmental and pedaling conditions. Their basic structure is well-known in the art and will not be described in detail. Those skilled in the art can appropriately add other sensing units as needed, such as slope sensing units, cadence sensing units, acceleration sensing units, Hall effect sensing units, gyroscopes, etc., and are not limited to these. For example, please refer to Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram of the bicycle derailleur system 3 of Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The bicycle derailleur system 3 is derived from the bicycle derailleur system 1, so the same components are represented by the same symbols. The bicycle drivetrain 3 may include a gradient sensing unit 301, a speed sensing unit 302, a cadence sensing unit 303, and a pedaling torque sensing unit 304. The processor 103 can generate adjustment signals to adjust the gear positions of the drivetrain 20 based on the detection results of the gradient sensing unit 301, speed sensing unit 302, cadence sensing unit 303, and pedaling torque sensing unit 304. It should be noted that the gradient sensing unit 301 and speed sensing unit 302 correspond to or are similar to the ambient sensing unit 101 of the bicycle drivetrain 1, while the cadence sensing unit 303 and pedaling torque sensing unit 304 correspond to or are similar to the pedaling sensing unit 102 of the bicycle drivetrain 1. For ease of explanation, the following description uses the environmental sensing unit 101 of the bicycle gear system 1 as the slope sensing unit 301 and the pedaling sensing unit 102 as the cadence sensing unit 303.

In step S206, to ensure that the bicycle is ridden in a comfortable range, the processor 103 can process the first detection result and the second detection result using various algorithms and generate an adjustment signal. In this way, the processor 103 can adjust the gears of the bicycle's transmission system according to the adjustment signal. For example, please refer to Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram of Algorithm 4 of Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In Algorithm 4, the processor 103 can perform the following steps: subtracting the first detection result from a first preset value to generate a first difference; subtracting the second detection result from a second preset value to generate a second difference; and generating an adjustment signal based on the first and second differences. The first and second preset values correspond to the rider's environmental and pedaling states within the comfort zone, respectively. For example, when the environmental sensing unit 101 is a slope sensing unit 301 and the pedaling sensing unit 102 is a cadence sensing unit 303, the first preset value is the rider's comfortable slope value, while the second preset value is the rider's comfortable cadence value. In this way, the processor 103 can determine the difference between the rider's current riding state and the comfort zone and generate an adjustment signal to shift up or down the gear. For example, when the first difference indicates that the rider is facing a more challenging road condition with a steeper incline, the processor 103 can generate an adjustment signal to downshift the gear. Conversely, when the first difference indicates that the rider is facing a more relaxed road condition with a gentler incline, the processor 103 can generate an adjustment signal to upshift the gear. Alternatively, when the second difference indicates that the bicycle's kinetic energy is continuously increasing, the rider's cadence exceeds the comfort zone, or the rider's pedaling force demand is increasing, the processor 103 can generate an adjustment signal to shift up a gear. Conversely, when the second difference indicates that the bicycle's kinetic energy is continuously decreasing, the rider's cadence is below the comfort zone, or the rider's pedaling force demand is decreasing, the processor 103 can generate an adjustment signal to shift down a gear.

In another embodiment, the invention assigns a first weight K1 and a second weight K2 to the first difference and the second difference, respectively. This allows the processor 103 to generate adjustment signals more accurately to shift up or down the gear. It should be noted that the first weight K1 and the second weight K2 can be positive or negative. For example, the change in environmental gradient (first difference) is negatively correlated with the gear position, therefore the first weight K1 corresponding to the change in environmental gradient is negative. The change in rider cadence (second difference) is positively correlated with the gear position, therefore the second weight K2 corresponding to the rider cadence is positive. The calculation method for the weight addition should be well known in the art and will not be described in detail.

It should be noted that, in another embodiment, to ensure the real-time nature of gear shifting, the processor 103 can perform pre-processing calculations on either the first or second detection result. For example, if the environmental sensing unit 101 is a slope sensing unit 301, the processor 103 can sample multiple environmental slope values during the rider's cycling in the current time interval and average these multiple environmental slope values to obtain the average slope value as the first detection result. In this way, the processor 103 can reflect changes in environmental slope in real time and generate adjustment signals more accurately to shift up or down the gear.

In another embodiment, processor 103 can use other algorithms to process the first detection result and the second detection result and generate an adjustment signal. Please refer to Figure 5, which is a schematic diagram of algorithm 5 of embodiment 1 of the present invention. In algorithm 5, processor 103 can perform the following steps: perform differentiation on the first detection result to generate a first rate of change; perform differentiation on the second detection result to generate a second rate of change; and generate an adjustment signal based on the first rate of change and the second rate of change. The first rate of change and the second rate of change correspond to the environmental rate of change in the environmental state and the trampling rate of change in the trampling state, respectively. For example, when the environmental sensing unit 101 is a slope sensing unit 301 and the pedaling sensing unit 102 is a cadence sensing unit 303, the first rate of change is the slope rate of change, and the second rate of change is the cadence rate of change. A larger slope rate of change or cadence rate of change indicates a greater demand for gear shifting by the rider, and vice versa. In this way, the processor 103 can determine the rider's current gear shifting demand based on the first and second rates of change and generate adjustment signals to shift up or down the gears accordingly.

Furthermore, the bicycle gear shifting system of this invention can also cater to the rider's shifting preferences. Referring to Figure 1, the gear shifting control device 10 may further include a shifting indication unit 104 coupled to the processor 103, which receives a shifting command input by the rider. The processor 103 can adjust the gears more precisely according to the shifting preferences based on the adjustment signal and the shifting command. For example, referring to Figure 6, which is a schematic diagram of Algorithm 6 of Embodiment 1 of this invention. In Algorithm 6, processor 103 can perform the following steps: adjust a first weight corresponding to the first detection result based on the first detection result and the shift command; adjust a second weight corresponding to the second detection result based on the second detection result and the shift command; and generate an adjustment signal based on the adjusted first weight, the adjusted second weight, the first detection result, and the second detection result. For example, when the environmental sensing unit 101 is a slope sensing unit 301 and the pedaling sensing unit 102 is a cadence sensing unit 303, the first preset value is the slope comfort value for a rider riding a bicycle, and the second preset value is the cadence comfort value for a rider riding a bicycle. In this way, the processor 103 can determine the difference between the rider's current riding state and the comfortable range, and compare this difference with the shift command to perform a weight adjustment operation on the first weight K1 and the second weight K2 to obtain the adjusted first weight K1' and the adjusted second weight K2'. In this way, the processor 103 can more accurately generate adjustment signals to shift up or down the gear while taking into account the rider's shifting preferences. It should be noted that the weight adjustment operation can utilize a deep learning method or a reinforcement learning method to determine the adjusted first weight K1' and the adjusted second weight K2' while considering the rider's shifting preferences. It should be noted that the operating principles of deep neural networks are well known in this field, and therefore will not be elaborated upon. In addition, deep learning methods or reinforcement learning methods can also adopt the architecture of a deep belief network (DBN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), and a convolutional deep belief network (CDBN), but are not limited to this.

It should be noted that Algorithms 4, 5, and 6 are merely embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can make appropriate adjustments according to the needs of the system. For example, Algorithm 6 adds a weight adjustment operation to Algorithm 4; therefore, the algorithm of the present invention can also be Algorithm 5 with a weight adjustment operation added. Alternatively, the algorithm of the present invention can also combine the subtraction operation of Algorithm 4 and the differentiation operation of Algorithm 5, and assign different weights to the first difference, the second difference, the first rate of change, and the second rate of change, respectively, but this is not a limitation.

It should be noted that the bicycle gear system 1 is an embodiment of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can combine, modify, or change the above-described embodiments in accordance with the spirit of the present invention, and are not limited thereto. All the above descriptions, steps, and/or processes (including suggested steps) can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware (i.e., a combination of hardware devices and computer instructions, where the data in the hardware device is read-only software data), electronic systems, or combinations of the above devices. Hardware may include analog, digital, and mixed-signal circuits (i.e., microcircuits, microchips, or silicon wafers). Electronic systems may include system-on-chip (SoC), system-in-package (SiP), computer-on-module (CoM), and computer systems. The process steps and embodiments of this invention can exist in the form of program code or instructions and be stored in memory. Memory can be a computer-readable recording medium, and memory 104 may include read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, random-access memory (RAM), a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), or read-only memory on a hard disk or optical disc (CD-ROM/DVD-ROM/BD-ROM), but is not limited thereto. The above processes and embodiments can be compiled into program code or instructions and stored in memory. Processor 103 can be used to read and execute the program code or instructions stored in memory to implement all the aforementioned steps and functions.

In summary, the bicycle gear shifting system of this invention detects environmental conditions and pedaling status, and automatically adjusts the gears of the gear shifting device 20 based on the detection results, thereby simplifying the rider's gear shifting control and increasing the rider's pedaling efficiency. Therefore, compared to prior art, the bicycle gear shifting system of this invention can meet the immediate need for gear shifting or the future need for predicting gear shifting requirements. The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this invention, and all equivalent variations and modifications made within the scope of the claims of this invention should be considered within the scope of this invention.

1, 3: Bicycle shifting system; 2: Process; 4, 5, 6: Algorithm; 10: Shifting control device; 20: Shifting device; 101: Environmental sensing unit; 102: Pedaling sensing unit; 103: Processor; 104: Shifting indicator unit; 301: Incline sensing unit; 302: Speed sensing unit; 303: Chorbit sensing unit; 304: Pedaling torque sensing unit; S200, S202, S204, S206, S208: Steps

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a bicycle gear shifting system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figure 2 is a flowchart of a gear shifting control method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a bicycle gear shifting system according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an algorithm according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an algorithm according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an algorithm according to another embodiment of the present invention.

1: Bicycle derailleur system; 10: Derailleur control device; 20: Derailleur device; 101: Ambient sensing unit; 102: Pedal sensing unit; 103: Processor; 104: Derailleur indication unit.

Claims (18)

A gear control device for a bicycle gear system includes: an ambient sensing unit for detecting an environmental state and generating a first detection result; a pedaling sensing unit for detecting a pedaling state and generating a second detection result; and a processor coupled to the ambient sensing unit and the pedaling sensing unit for generating an adjustment signal based on the first detection result and the second detection result to adjust a gear of the bicycle gear system; wherein the step of the processor generating the adjustment signal based on the first detection result and the second detection result includes: performing a subtraction operation on the first detection result and a first preset value to generate a first difference; The second detection result and a second preset value are subtracted to produce a second difference; and the adjustment signal is generated based on the first difference and the second difference. The transmission control device as described in claim 1, wherein the step of the processor generating the adjustment signal based on the first detection result and the second detection result includes: generating the adjustment signal based on a first weight corresponding to the first detection result, a second weight corresponding to the second detection result, the first detection result, and the second detection result. The transmission control device as described in claim 1, wherein the step of the processor generating the adjustment signal based on the first detection result and the second detection result includes: performing a differential operation on the first detection result to generate a first rate of change; performing a differential operation on the second detection result to generate a second rate of change; and generating the adjustment signal based on the first rate of change and the second rate of change. The gear control device as described in claim 1 further includes: a gear indication unit for receiving a gear shift command input by a user; and wherein the processor is further coupled to the gear indication unit for adjusting the gear position according to the adjustment signal and the gear shift command. The transmission control device as described in claim 4, wherein the step of the processor adjusting the transmission gear according to the adjustment signal and the transmission command includes: adjusting a first weight corresponding to the first detection result according to the first detection result and the transmission command; adjusting a second weight corresponding to the second detection result according to the second detection result and the transmission command; and generating the adjustment signal according to the adjusted first weight, the adjusted second weight, the first detection result, and the second detection result. The transmission control device as described in claim 1, wherein the environmental state includes an environmental terrain or a vehicle speed, and the pedaling state includes a pedaling speed, a pedaling torque, or a pedaling force. A bicycle gear shifting system includes: a shifting device; and a shifting control device coupled to the shifting device, comprising: an ambient sensing unit for detecting an environmental state and generating a first detection result; a pedaling sensing unit for detecting a pedaling state and generating a second detection result; and a processor coupled to the ambient sensing unit and the pedaling sensing unit, for generating an adjustment signal based on the first detection result and the second detection result to adjust a gear of the shifting device; wherein the step of the processor generating the adjustment signal based on the first detection result and the second detection result includes: The first detection result and a first preset value are subtracted to generate a first difference; the second detection result and a second preset value are subtracted to generate a second difference; and the adjustment signal is generated based on the first difference and the second difference. The bicycle gear system as described in claim 7, wherein the step of the processor generating the adjustment signal based on the first detection result and the second detection result includes: generating the adjustment signal based on a first weight corresponding to the first detection result, a second weight corresponding to the second detection result, the first detection result, and the second detection result. The bicycle gear system as described in claim 7, wherein the step of the processor generating the adjustment signal based on the first detection result and the second detection result includes: performing a differential operation on the first detection result to generate a first rate of change; performing a differential operation on the second detection result to generate a second rate of change; and generating the adjustment signal based on the first rate of change and the second rate of change. The bicycle gear system as described in claim 7 further includes: a gear indicator unit for receiving a gear shifting command input by a user; and wherein the processor is further coupled to the gear indicator unit for adjusting the gear according to the adjustment signal and the gear shifting command. The bicycle gear system as described in claim 10, wherein the step of the processor adjusting the gear according to the adjustment signal and the shifting command includes: adjusting a first weight corresponding to the first detection result according to the first detection result and the shifting command; adjusting a second weight corresponding to the second detection result according to the second detection result and the shifting command; and generating the adjustment signal according to the adjusted first weight, the adjusted second weight, the first detection result, and the second detection result. The bicycle gear system as described in claim 7, wherein the environmental state includes an environmental terrain or a cycling speed, and the pedaling state includes a pedaling speed, a pedaling torque, or a pedaling force. A gear shifting control method for a bicycle gear system includes: detecting an environmental state and generating a first detection result; detecting a pedaling state and generating a second detection result; and generating an adjustment signal based on the first detection result and the second detection result to adjust a gear of the bicycle gear system; wherein the step of generating the adjustment signal based on the first detection result and the second detection result includes: performing a subtraction operation on the first detection result and the first preset value to generate a first difference; performing a subtraction operation on the second detection result and the second preset value to generate a second difference; and generating the adjustment signal based on the first difference and the second difference. The transmission control method as described in claim 13, wherein the step of generating the adjustment signal based on the first detection result and the second detection result includes: generating the adjustment signal based on a first weight corresponding to the first detection result, a second weight corresponding to the second detection result, the first detection result, and the second detection result. The transmission control method as described in claim 13, wherein the step of generating the adjustment signal based on the first detection result and the second detection result comprises: performing a differential operation on the first detection result to generate a first rate of change; performing a differential operation on the second detection result to generate a second rate of change; and generating the adjustment signal based on the first rate of change and the second rate of change. The gear shifting control method as described in claim 13 further includes: receiving a gear shifting command from a user; and adjusting the gear shifting position according to the adjustment signal and the gear shifting command. The gear shifting control method as described in claim 16, wherein the step of adjusting the gear shift according to the adjustment signal and the gear shifting command includes: adjusting a first weight corresponding to the first detection result according to the first detection result and the gear shifting command; adjusting a second weight corresponding to the second detection result according to the second detection result and the gear shifting command; and generating the adjustment signal according to the adjusted first weight, the adjusted second weight, the first detection result, and the second detection result. The transmission control method as described in claim 13, wherein the environmental state includes an environmental terrain or a vehicle speed, and the pedaling state includes a pedaling speed, a pedaling torque, or a pedaling force.