Electronically servo-assisted bicycle gearshift and related method
AssigneeCampagnolo S.r.l.
InventorsGianfranco Guderzo, Giuseppe Dal Pra'
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for electronically servo-assisting a bicycle gearshift, including the steps of: a) driving an actuator of a bicycle gearshift to displace a chain of the gearshift in an axial direction with respect to a gearshift group comprising at least two sprockets; b) receiving information on the desired alignment between the chain and a predetermined sprocket of the gearshift group; and c) setting a biunique correspondence between the physical position of the actuator at step b) and a logic value associated with the gear ratio relative to the predetermined sprocket.
Claims53
A method for controlling an electronically servo-assisted bicycle gearshift (8), comprising the steps of:
- a) driving (207, 211, 307, 311) an actuator (16, 17) of a bicycle gearshift (8) to displace a chain (13) of the gearshift in a chosen axial direction (A, B) with respect to a gearshift group (9, 10) having a plurality of sprockets (11, 12) including at least two adjacent sprockets,
- b) receiving information in a control unit on a desired alignment (205, 305) between the chain (13) and a predetermined sprocket (11, 12) of the gearshift group (9, 10), and
- c) setting (215, 315) a biunique correspondence, in a control unit, between the physical position of the actuator (16, 17) and a logic value associated with a gear ratio relative to the predetermined sprocket (11, 12).
A bicycle gearshift (8), comprising:
- a rear actuator (16) and a front actuator (17), each having a respective motor, to displace through a guide element (14, 15) a chain (13) in an axial direction (A, B) with respect to a respective gearshift group (9, 10) comprising at least two sprockets (11, 12) respectively associated with the hub of the rear wheel (4) and with the axle of the pedal cranks (7) of a bicycle (1), in a selected direction;
- manual input means (43-46, 60-63) comprising means (43-46) for entering a displacement request signal of a selected actuator (16, 17) in the selected direction;
- and
- an electronic control unit (40) connected to the input means (43-46, 60-63), to the rear actuator (16) and to the front actuator (17), operative, in a normal ride operating mode (102), to drive the selected actuator (16, 17), respectively, based upon the displacement request signal to displace the chain (13) from a first sprocket (11,12) to a second adjacent sprocket (11, 12) of the respective gearshift group (9, 10);
- wherein the manual input means (43-46, 60-63) comprises means (60-63) for selecting the operating mode at least between said normal ride operating mode and a setting operating mode;
- wherein the electronic control unit (40), in the normal ride operating mode, drives the selected actuator (16, 17) between a logic value associated with the first sprocket (11, 12) and a logic value associated with the second sprocket (11, 12);
- and
- wherein the electronic control unit (40) is operative, in the setting operating mode, to drive the selected actuator (16, 17) based upon the displacement request signal to displace the chain (13) in the selected direction, the electronic control unit (40) also having means (43-46) for inputting information on the desired alignment between the chain (13) and a predetermined sprocket (11, 12) of the gearshift group (9, 10), and means (215, 315), responsive to the means (43-46) for inputting information on the desired alignment, for setting a biunique correspondence between the physical position of the selected actuator (16, 17), respectively, and the logic value associated with the predetermined sprocket (11, 12).
A method for providing a control setting mode (114) of an electronic control unit (40) for a servo-assisted bicycle gearshift system (8) comprising:
- activating a gearshift setting mode (201, 205, 301, 305);
- determining whether a gearshift displacement request is received (206, 208, 210, 212, 306, 308, 310, 312);
- moving the gearshift to a desired physical gearshift position(207, 307, 211, 311);
- setting a gearshift setting mode flag (204, 304);
- resetting the gearshift setting mode flag (214, 314) at the desired physical gearshift position;
- and
- setting a biunique correspondence between the desired gearshift position and a logic value associated with a predetermined gear ratio.
A bicycle gearshift system comprising:
- at least one actuator (16,17) for displacing a transmission chain from a first to at least a second sprocket;
- at least a first input device (43, 44, 45, 46) for entering a displacement request signal and for selecting between operating modes (102,114);
- an electronic control unit (40), for driving the actuator in a first operating mode (102), in response to the displacement request signal, between a first logic value associated with the first sprocket and at least a second logic value associated with the second sprocket, and, in a second operating mode (114), for setting a biunique correspondence between a physical position of the actuator and a logic value associated with a predetermined sprocket.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.