Method for changing a transmission ratio of a gearing of a bicycle, computer program, controller, drive unit, and bicycle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12344349-B2
Application number	US-202218556724-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2022
Priority date	Apr 30, 2021
Publication date	Jul 1, 2025
Grant date	Jul 1, 2025

Abstract

A method for changing a transmission ratio of an electrically controllable gearing of a bicycle, in particular of an electric bicycle, includes (i) measuring a pedaling frequency of the bicycle rider on the pedal shaft, (ii) measuring a pedaling force of the bicycle rider, and (iii) determining a gear change operating state on the basis of the measured pedaling frequency and on the basis of the measured pedaling force if the measured pedaling frequency is less than or equal to a lower frequency threshold value or is greater than or equal to an upper frequency threshold value, and/or the measured pedaling force is less than or equal to a lower force threshold value or is greater than or equal to an upper force threshold value. After determining the gear change operating state, a control signal is generated for the gearing according to the determined gear change operating state.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for changing a transmission ratio of an electrically controllable gearing of a bicycle, comprising:
measuring a pedaling frequency of a bicycle rider of the bicycle on a pedal shaft of the bicycle,
measuring a pedaling force of the bicycle rider, and
determining a gear change operating state based on the measured pedaling frequency and based on the measured pedaling force if:
i. the measured pedaling frequency is:
a. less than or equal to a lower frequency threshold value, or
b. greater than or equal to an upper frequency threshold value, and/or

ii. the measured pedaling force is:
a. less than or equal to a lower force threshold value, or
b. greater than or equal to an upper force threshold value,

wherein, after the determining the gear change operating state, the method includes (i) generating a control signal for the gearing according to the determined gear change operating state, and (ii) determining a shift command for the gearing,
wherein the generating the control signal for the gearing is additionally performed based on the determined shift command,
wherein prior to the generating the control signal the method includes:
determining an expected rider torque and/or an expected pedaling frequency for a future transmission ratio based on the measured pedaling force of the bicycle rider and/or the measured pedaling frequency and based on a current motor torque and based on the current transmission ratio and the future transmission ratio, and
determining the shift command additionally based on the expected rider torque and/or the expected pedaling frequency, wherein, the shift command is determined only if the expected rider torque is between the lower and upper force threshold values, and/or the expected pedaling frequency is between the lower and upper frequency threshold values.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining the shift command is performed based on an expiration of a shift period following the determination of the gear change operating state.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the shift command is determined based on the measured pedaling frequency and/or the measured pedaling force.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
measuring a speed of the bicycle, and/or
measuring an acceleration of the bicycle, or determining the acceleration based on the measured speed, and/or
measuring a slope of a travel path of the bicycle,
wherein the determining the shift command is performed based on the measured speed of the bicycle, the measured or determined acceleration, and/or the measured slope.

5. The method according to claim 4 , further comprising:
determining an ideal transmission ratio based on the measured pedaling frequency, the measured pedaling force, the measured speed of the bicycle, the measured or determined acceleration of the bicycle, and/or the measured slope of the travel path,
wherein the gearing between the current transmission ratio and the ideal transmission ratio features at least one skipped transmission ratio of the gearing, and
wherein the generating the control signal for the gearing is additionally performed based on the determined ideal transmission ratio.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
after the determining the gear change operating state, displaying an acoustic, visual, and/or haptic item of information regarding a predicted automatic shift for the bicycle rider.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein generation of the control signal for the gearing occurs only if, after determination of the shift command:
the measured pedaling frequency of the bicycle rider is less than an activation frequency threshold value, and/or
the measured pedaling force of the bicycle rider is less than an activation force threshold value, and/or
a shift input of the bicycle rider is measured by way of an input means, wherein, after determining the shift command, an acoustic, visual, and/or haptic item of shift information regarding a semi-automatic shift is displayed to the bicycle rider.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a computer program comprises commands that, when the computer program is executed by a computer, prompt the computer to perform the method.

9. A controller, comprising:
a first signal input for providing a first signal representing the pedaling frequency of a bicycle rider,
a second signal input for providing a second signal representing the pedaling force of the bicycle rider,
a signal output for outputting a control signal for an electrically controllable gearing of a bicycle, and
a computing unit configured such that the method according to claim 1 is performed.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the shift command is determined based on a time change in the measured pedaling frequency, and/or based on a time change in the measured pedaling force.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein generation of the control signal for the gearing occurs only if, after determination of the shift command:
the measured pedaling frequency of the bicycle rider is zero, and/or
the measured pedaling force of the bicycle rider is zero, and/or
a shift input of the bicycle rider is measured by way of an input means, wherein, after determining the shift command, an acoustic, visual, and/or haptic item of shift information regarding a semi-automatic shift is displayed to the bicycle rider.

12. A drive unit for an electric bicycle, comprising:
a drive motor,
a rotational speed sensor, wherein the rotational speed sensor is configured to measure a pedaling frequency of a bicycle rider on the pedal shaft of a bicycle,
a pedaling force sensor, wherein the pedaling force sensor is configured to measure a pedaling force of a bicycle rider on the pedal shaft of a bicycle, and
a controller according to claim 9 .

13. A bicycle, comprising an electrically controllable gearing having a drive unit according to claim 12 .

14. A method for changing a transmission ratio of an electrically controllable gearing of a bicycle comprising:
measuring a pedaling frequency of a bicycle rider of the bicycle on a pedal shaft of the bicycle,
measuring a pedaling force of the bicycle rider, and
determining a gear change operating state based on the measured pedaling frequency and based on the measured pedaling force if:
i. the measured pedaling frequency is:
a. less than or equal to a lower frequency threshold value, or
b. greater than or equal to an upper frequency threshold value, and/or

ii. the measured pedaling force is:
a. less than or equal to a lower force threshold value, or
b. greater than or equal to an upper force threshold value,

wherein, after the determining the gear change operating state, the method includes (i) generating a control signal for the gearing according to the determined gear change operating state, and (ii) determining a shift command for the gearing,
wherein the generating the control signal for the gearing is additionally performed based on the determined shift command,
the method further comprising:
determining a predicted future motor torque and/or a predicted future motor power based on the measured pedaling force, and/or the measured pedaling frequency based on a current motor torque, and based on the basis of the current transmission ratio and a predicted future transmission ratio, and
determining the shift command additionally based on the determined future motor torque or the predicted future motor power.

15. A method for changing a transmission ratio of an electrically contr

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Reisige Christian
• Boege Marcus
• Mattes Thomas
• Manewald Merlin Martin
• Baumgaertner Daniel

Classifications

• B62J45/4151

  for sensing lateral inclination of the cycle · CPC title

• B62J45/411

  Torque sensors · CPC title

• B62J45/414

  Acceleration sensors · CPC title

• B62J45/413

  Rotation sensors · CPC title

• B62M9/122

  electrically or fluid actuated; Controls thereof · CPC title