A bicycle, an electronic derailleur and a low battery gear control method thereof

Abstract

This invention discloses a bicycle, an electronic gearbox, and a low-battery gear control method thereof. The method includes: responding to a user's gear shift command, determining whether the current state of the electronic gearbox is a low-battery state; if the current state of the electronic gearbox is not a low-battery state, performing a gear shift operation according to the gear shift command; if the current state of the electronic gearbox is a low-battery state, obtaining the target gear of the gear shift command and determining whether the target gear is within a preset gear shift limit range; when the target gear is within the preset gear shift limit range, performing a gear shift operation according to the target gear; when the target gear exceeds the preset gear shift limit range, maintaining the current gear of the electronic gearbox. This invention enables low-battery gear control of the electronic gearbox, reducing the probability of gear shifting failure under low battery conditions and avoiding waste of battery power, while also protecting the stability of the battery and the system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of bicycle technology, and in particular to a bicycle, an electronic gearbox, and a method for controlling low battery levels. Background Technology

[0002] Current low-battery shift control schemes typically lack gear restriction and protection when the gearbox battery is insufficient. Therefore, when low battery causes shifting failure, the gearbox may be engaged in a high or low gear ratio, impacting the user experience. On steep inclines, the gear ratio may even result in excessive resistance or slow riding speed, preventing users from meeting their needs for sprinting or climbing, thus affecting normal riding. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention provides a bicycle, an electronic gearbox, and a method for controlling gear shifting when the battery is low. The aim is to achieve low-battery gear shifting control of the electronic gearbox, thereby improving the success rate of gear shifting when the battery is low and meeting the user's riding needs.

[0004] This invention provides a low-battery gear control method for a bicycle electronic gearbox, comprising:

[0005] In response to the user's gear shift command, determine whether the current state of the electronic transmission is a low battery state;

[0006] If the current state of the electronic transmission is not low battery, then a gear shift operation is performed according to the gear shift command.

[0007] If the current state of the electronic transmission is a low battery state, then the target gear of the gear shift command is obtained, and it is determined whether the target gear is within the preset gear shift limit range.

[0008] When the target gear is within the preset gear shifting limit range, a gear shifting operation is performed according to the target gear; when the target gear exceeds the preset gear shifting limit range, the current gear of the electronic transmission is maintained.

[0009] Furthermore, the step of determining whether the current state of the electronic transmission is low battery in response to the user's gear shift command includes:

[0010] The battery voltage of the electronic transmission is detected, and the battery voltage is converted into battery charge.

[0011] When the battery charge is lower than a first preset charge threshold, the electronic transmission is set to a low charge state.

[0012] Furthermore, the step of detecting the battery voltage of the electronic transmission and converting the battery voltage into battery charge includes:

[0013] The battery power of the electronic transmission is delivered to the controller of the electronic transmission through a low-dropout linear regulator;

[0014] The battery voltage is input to the main control chip of the controller through a voltage divider circuit;

[0015] The main control chip filters the battery voltage and converts the filtered battery voltage into battery power.

[0016] Furthermore, the voltage divider circuit includes a first voltage divider resistor and a second voltage divider resistor. The ADC interface pin of the main control chip is connected to one end of the first voltage divider resistor and one end of the second voltage divider resistor, respectively. The power supply pin of the main control chip is connected to the output pin of the battery management chip. The other end of the first voltage divider resistor is connected to the positive terminal of the battery, and the other end of the second voltage divider resistor is grounded.

[0017] Furthermore, if the current state of the electronic transmission is a low battery state, then obtaining the target gear of the shift command includes:

[0018] Obtain the gear position of the shift command and determine whether the shift position is within the preset shift allowable range;

[0019] If the commanded gear position is within the preset gear shifting range, then the commanded gear position is set to the target gear position;

[0020] If the commanded gear position is not within the preset gear shift range, the commanded gear position is updated according to the preset gear shift range to obtain the target gear position.

[0021] Furthermore, the preset gear shift range is one gear up or one gear down from the current gear.

[0022] Furthermore, the preset gear shifting limit range is the gear range between the maximum n1 gear and the minimum n2 gear, wherein both n1 and n2 are greater than 1, and n1 and n2 may be equal or unequal.

[0023] The low battery level control method also includes:

[0024] In response to a user's remote control command for a preset gear shifting limit range, the preset gear shifting limit range is adjusted according to the remote control command.

[0025] Furthermore, the step of determining whether the current state of the electronic transmission is low battery in response to the user's gear shift command also includes:

[0026] If the current state of the electronic transmission is a low battery state, then it is determined whether the battery power is lower than a second preset power threshold; wherein the second preset power threshold is less than a first preset power threshold.

[0027] When the battery charge is lower than the second preset charge threshold, the low charge state of the electronic transmission is converted to an ultra-low charge state.

[0028] Based on the extremely low battery status, the gear shift command is disabled, and the current gear is maintained.

[0029] This invention also provides a bicycle electronic gearbox, employing the low-battery gear control method of the bicycle electronic gearbox as described in any of the preceding embodiments.

[0030] This invention also provides a bicycle, characterized in that it includes the bicycle electronic gearbox as described above.

[0031] This invention provides a bicycle, an electronic gearbox, and a low-battery gear control method. This method uses a low-battery-limited gear shifting method to achieve low-battery gear shifting control, which simultaneously meets the user's basic riding needs and greatly reduces the probability of gear shifting failure under low battery conditions, avoiding waste of battery power. It also protects the stability of the battery and the system, thus improving the user experience and extending the service life of the device. Attached Figure Description

[0032] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the following description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0033] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a low-battery gear control method for a bicycle electronic gearbox provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 A hardware connection diagram of a bicycle electronic gearbox provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit relationship of an electronic bicycle gearbox provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0036] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] It should be understood that, when used in this specification and the appended claims, the terms "comprising" and "including" indicate the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components and / or collections thereof.

[0038] It should also be understood that the terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0039] It should also be further understood that the term "and / or" as used in this specification and the appended claims refers to any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, and includes such combinations.

[0040] Please see below. Figure 1 , Figure 1 The flowchart of a low-battery gear control method for a bicycle electronic gearbox provided in this embodiment of the invention specifically includes steps S101 to S104.

[0041] S101. In response to the user's gear shifting command, determine whether the current state of the electronic transmission is a low battery state;

[0042] S102. If the current state of the electronic transmission is not low battery, then perform a gear shifting operation according to the gear shifting command.

[0043] S103. If the current state of the electronic transmission is a low battery state, then obtain the target gear of the gear shift command and determine whether the target gear is within the preset gear shift limit range.

[0044] S104. When the target gear is within the preset gear shifting limit range, a gear shifting operation is performed according to the target gear; when the target gear exceeds the preset gear shifting limit range, the current gear of the electronic transmission is maintained.

[0045] In this embodiment, upon receiving a shift command from a user requesting to adjust the current gear, the system first checks if the electronic transmission is in a low-battery state. If the electronic transmission is not in a low-battery state, a normal shift operation can be performed according to the shift command. However, if the electronic transmission is in a low-battery state, the system needs to obtain a target gear that allows for shifting based on the shift command, and then further determine whether the target gear is within a preset shift limit range. In other words, it needs to be determined whether the target gear is within the permissible shift range. If the target gear is confirmed to be within the permissible shift range, the gear cannot be adjusted according to the target gear, and the current gear must be maintained. If the target gear is confirmed to be within the permissible shift range, the shift operation can be performed according to the target gear.

[0046] Considering that the motor resistance is greater when shifting gears at higher gear ratios, and low battery levels can lead to shifting failures, this embodiment provides a low-battery protection method that limits gear shifting. This prevents users from entering extreme gear ratios and failing to shift, ensuring normal riding and meeting basic user needs. This embodiment avoids situations where the device fails to shift gears due to extreme gear ratios, or where repeated shifting attempts by the user cause the motor to stall repeatedly, wasting a large amount of power and leading to battery wear. This improves the overall battery life and extends the device's overall range. Furthermore, this embodiment also prevents the motor from generating heat due to repeated stalling, which can damage the motor and cause mechanical wear, thus extending the overall lifespan of the device.

[0047] In one embodiment, determining whether the current state of the electronic transmission is low battery in response to a user's gear shift command includes:

[0048] The battery voltage of the electronic transmission is detected, and the battery voltage is converted into battery charge.

[0049] When the battery charge is lower than a first preset charge threshold, the electronic transmission is set to a low charge state.

[0050] In this embodiment, the battery level of the electronic transmission is obtained by detecting the battery voltage, and the current state of the electronic transmission is determined based on the battery level to determine whether it is in a low-battery state. For example, a first preset battery threshold is set to 20% of the total battery level. When the battery level is detected to be below 20%, the system automatically enters a low-battery protection mode.

[0051] In another embodiment, the step of determining whether the current state of the electronic transmission is a low battery state in response to the user's gear shift command further includes:

[0052] If the current state of the electronic transmission is a low battery state, then it is determined whether the battery power is lower than a second preset power threshold; wherein the second preset power threshold is less than a first preset power threshold.

[0053] When the battery charge is lower than the second preset charge threshold, the low charge state of the electronic transmission is converted to an ultra-low charge state.

[0054] Based on the extremely low battery status, the gear shift command is disabled, and the current gear is maintained.

[0055] This embodiment, based on the low battery state, further establishes an ultra-low battery state, a level below low battery. In this ultra-low battery state, regardless of whether the user's shift command meets the preset shift limit, the shift command will not be executed; the current gear will simply be maintained. Specifically, the second preset battery threshold can be 10% or 5% of the total battery, etc. Of course, in other embodiments, the current gear and the ultra-low battery state can be combined. For example, when the electronic gearbox is in an ultra-low battery state, it can determine whether the power consumption of the current gear is minimum. If the current gear is the minimum power consumption gear, it will continue to maintain the current gear; if the current gear is not the minimum power consumption gear, it will automatically adjust to the minimum power consumption gear, thereby ensuring that the bicycle's riding time and distance can be increased.

[0056] In one embodiment, detecting the battery voltage of the electronic transmission and converting the battery voltage into battery charge includes:

[0057] The battery power of the electronic transmission is delivered to the controller of the electronic transmission through a low-dropout linear regulator;

[0058] The battery voltage is input to the main control chip of the controller through a voltage divider circuit;

[0059] The main control chip filters the battery voltage and converts the filtered battery voltage into battery power.

[0060] Combination Figure 2As shown, in an electronic transmission, the battery supplies power to the controller via a low-dropout linear regulator (LDO). Simultaneously, a voltage divider circuit detects the battery voltage, inputting it to the controller's main control chip. The main control chip then filters the battery voltage to obtain the battery charge level. In practical applications, the battery voltage value can be sampled every 100 milliseconds and filtered to obtain a stable battery voltage value. Specifically, during the filtering process, the battery voltage ADC value (AC voltage value) can be sampled every 100 ms. After obtaining 10 voltage ADC values, the average of these 10 values ​​is taken, and this average value is used as the filtered battery voltage ADC value.

[0061] In a specific embodiment, the battery includes a battery management chip, and the voltage divider circuit includes a first voltage divider resistor and a second voltage divider resistor;

[0062] The ADC interface pins of the main control chip are connected to one end of the first voltage divider resistor and one end of the second voltage divider resistor, respectively. The power pin of the main control chip is connected to the output pin of the battery management chip. The other end of the first voltage divider resistor is connected to the positive terminal of the battery, and the other end of the second voltage divider resistor is grounded.

[0063] Combination Figure 3 As shown, in the circuit design, the ADC interface pin of the main control chip (in this embodiment, the nrf52832 is used as the main control chip) is connected to the first voltage divider resistor R1 and the second voltage divider resistor R2 respectively; the 3.3V power supply pin of the main control chip is connected to the 3.3V output pin of the battery management chip CN86L033, and the first voltage divider resistor R1 is connected to the positive terminal BAT+ of the battery. Furthermore, the resistance value of the first voltage divider resistor R1 is 560kΩ, and the resistance value of the second voltage divider resistor R2 is 300kΩ.

[0064] This embodiment takes into account that shifting gears when the battery is low can easily cause a large voltage drop in the battery voltage, affecting the stability of the circuit function. Therefore, the circuit design adopts a low-battery gear protection control scheme, which limits the gears of the electronic transmission to a certain range when the battery power is low, and does not exceed the extreme gear ratio range, thereby protecting the circuit function and preventing the transmission from getting stuck in an extreme gear ratio and being unable to shift gears, ensuring that the user has a better user experience.

[0065] In one embodiment, if the current state of the electronic transmission is a low battery state, then obtaining the target gear of the shift command includes:

[0066] Obtain the gear position of the shift command and determine whether the shift position is within the preset shift allowable range;

[0067] If the commanded gear position is within the preset gear shifting range, then the commanded gear position is set to the target gear position;

[0068] If the commanded gear position is not within the preset gear shift range, the commanded gear position is updated according to the preset gear shift range to obtain the target gear position.

[0069] In this embodiment, when the electronic transmission is in a low-battery state, it is necessary to confirm whether the gear specified in the user's gear shift command falls within the current variable gear range, i.e., within the preset allowable gear shift range. If the specified gear falls within the current variable gear range, the gear shift command can be executed directly to adjust the current gear. If the specified gear does not fall within the current variable gear range, gear shifting according to the specified gear is prohibited. In this case, the specified gear needs to be updated to the target gear, and then gear shifting can be performed according to the target gear. It is understood that the target gear must be within the preset allowable gear shift range for gear shifting to be possible.

[0070] In an optional embodiment, the preset gear shifting range is one gear up or one gear down from the current gear. That is, gear adjustment can only be performed directly according to the commanded gear, which is one gear up or one gear down from the current gear. Otherwise, gear adjustment must be performed according to the target gear, which is one gear up or one gear down from the current gear, and the shifting direction is consistent with the commanded gear. For example, if the commanded gear is two gears up, exceeding the preset gear shifting range of one gear up from the current gear, the commanded gear is updated to one gear up, and then the current gear is adjusted accordingly. Similarly, if the commanded gear is two gears down, exceeding the preset gear shifting range of one gear down from the current gear, the command is updated to one gear down, and then the current gear is adjusted accordingly. In other optional embodiments, the user can also adjust the preset gear shifting range, for example, by setting the preset gear shifting range to two gears up or two gears down from the current gear.

[0071] Preferably, in some embodiments, a preset gear shifting range can be dynamically set according to the current gear position. For example, if the gears are sorted from largest to smallest, and the current gear is the 2nd gear, the preset gear shifting range can be set to only allow decreasing the gear. Alternatively, if the gears are sorted from smallest to largest, and the current gear is the 2nd gear, the preset gear shifting range can be set to only allow increasing the gear.

[0072] In one embodiment, the preset gear shifting limit range is the gear range between the maximum n1 gear and the minimum n2 gear, wherein n1 and n2 are both greater than 1, and n1 and n2 may be equal or unequal;

[0073] The low battery level control method also includes:

[0074] In response to a user's remote control command for a preset gear shifting limit range, the preset gear shifting limit range is adjusted according to the remote control command.

[0075] In this embodiment, the gear shifting restriction range is preset. For example, the gear range between the maximum n1 gear and the minimum n2 gear is specifically set to the gear range between the maximum 2 gear and the minimum 2 gear. That is, shifting to the maximum 2 gear and the minimum 2 gear is prohibited when the battery is low. Alternatively, it can be set to the gear range between the maximum 1 gear and the minimum 2 gear, which also prohibits shifting to the maximum 1 gear and the minimum 2 gear when the battery is low. Of course, to improve the user's riding experience, the user can make corresponding adjustments according to their own riding habits and actual riding conditions. For example, the user can connect to the rear derailleur via a Bluetooth APP to adjust the allowed gear shifting range when the battery is low. Specifically, the minimum and maximum allowed gear shifting levels are adjusted in the Bluetooth APP, and the Bluetooth APP automatically sends the adjusted data to the rear derailleur to complete the gear protection range setting, thereby achieving better control and protection.

[0076] This invention also provides a bicycle electronic gearbox, employing the low-battery gear control method described above.

[0077] This invention also provides a bicycle, including the bicycle electronic gearbox described above.

[0078] Since the embodiments of the apparatus and the embodiments of the method correspond to each other, please refer to the description of the embodiments of the method for the embodiments of the apparatus, which will not be repeated here.

[0079] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on its differences from other embodiments. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. For the systems disclosed in the embodiments, since they correspond to the methods disclosed in the embodiments, the descriptions are relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to in the method section. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications to this application without departing from the principles of this application, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the claims of this application.

[0080] It should also be noted that, in this specification, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

Claims

1. A low battery gear control method for a bicycle electronic derailleur, characterized by, The method comprises the following steps: in response to a gear shifting instruction of a user, determining whether a current state of the electronic transmission is a low power state; if the current state of the electronic transmission is not the low power state, performing a gear shifting operation according to the gear shifting instruction; if the current state of the electronic transmission is the low power state, obtaining a target gear of the gear shifting instruction, and determining whether the target gear is within a preset gear shifting limit range; when the target gear is within the preset gear shifting limit range, performing a gear shifting operation according to the target gear; and when the target gear is out of the preset gear shifting limit range, maintaining a current gear of the electronic transmission; if the current state of the electronic transmission is the low power state, obtaining the target gear of the gear shifting instruction comprises the following steps: obtaining an instruction gear of the gear shifting instruction, and determining whether the instruction gear is within a preset gear shifting allowable range; if the instruction gear is within the preset gear shifting allowable range, setting the instruction gear as the target gear; if the instruction gear is not within the preset gear shifting allowable range, updating the instruction gear according to the preset gear shifting allowable range to obtain the target gear.

2. The low battery gear control method for a bicycle electronic derailleur according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining whether the current state of the electronic transmission is the low power state in response to the gear shifting instruction of the user comprises the following steps: detecting a battery voltage of the electronic transmission, and converting the battery voltage to obtain a battery power; when the battery power is lower than a first preset power threshold, setting the electronic transmission as the low power state.

3. The low battery gear control method for a bicycle electronic derailleur according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of detecting the battery voltage of the electronic transmission and converting the battery voltage to obtain the battery power comprises the following steps: delivering the battery power of the electronic transmission to a controller of the electronic transmission through a low dropout linear regulator; inputting the battery voltage to a main control chip of the controller through a voltage dividing circuit; filtering the battery voltage by the main control chip, and converting the filtered battery voltage to the battery power.

4. The low battery gear control method for a bicycle electronic derailleur according to claim 3, characterized in that, The battery comprises a battery management chip, and the voltage dividing circuit comprises a first voltage dividing resistor and a second voltage dividing resistor; an ADC interface pin of the main control chip is connected with one end of the first voltage dividing resistor and one end of the second voltage dividing resistor respectively, a power supply pin of the main control chip is connected with an output pin of the battery management chip, the other end of the first voltage dividing resistor is connected with a positive electrode of the battery, and the other end of the second voltage dividing resistor is grounded.

5. The low battery gear control method for a bicycle electronic derailleur according to claim 1, characterized in that, The preset gear shifting allowable range is a gear which is one gear higher or one gear lower than a current gear.

6. The low battery gear control method for a bicycle electronic derailleur according to claim 1, characterized in that, The preset gear shifting limit range is a gear range between a maximum n1 gear and a minimum n2 gear, wherein n1 and n2 are both greater than 1, and n1 and n2 are equal or not equal; The low power gear control method further comprises the following steps: in response to a remote control instruction of a user for the preset gear shifting limit range, adjusting the preset gear shifting limit range according to the remote control instruction.

7. The low battery gear control method for a bicycle electronic derailleur according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of determining whether the current state of the electronic transmission is the low power state in response to the gear shifting instruction of the user further comprises the following steps: if the current state of the electronic transmission is the low power state, determining whether the battery power is lower than a second preset power threshold; wherein the second preset power threshold is lower than the first preset power threshold. when the battery power is lower than a second preset power threshold, converting the low power state of the electronic derailleur into an ultra-low power state; based on the ultra-low power state, shielding the gear shifting instruction and maintaining the current gear.

8. A bicycle electronic derailleur, characterized by, The low power gear control method of the electronic derailleur of the bicycle according to any one of claims 1-7.

9. A bicycle characterized in that, The electronic derailleur of the bicycle according to claim 8. The electronic derailleur of the bicycle according to claim 8.

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