Lighting unit and bicycle

Abstract

The present disclosure aims to provide a light unit that is easy to operate and in which the illumination of one of the headlights or taillights causes the other to illuminate as well. [Solution] A light unit according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a headlight, a taillight, and a first wiring that electrically connects the headlight and the taillight.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a light unit and a bicycle.

Background Art

[0002] Bicycles are widespread as a convenient means of transportation. For safe nighttime riding, bicycles are required to be equipped with a headlight and a taillight or a reflector that reflects light from behind (for example, Article 52 and Article 63-9 of the Road Traffic Act). Headlights and taillights attached to bicycles are known (Registered Utility Model Publication Nos. 3205109 and 3166874).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When the headlight described in Patent Document 1 and the taillight described in Patent Document 2 are attached to a bicycle, the user needs to operate two lighting devices (the headlight and the taillight), and there is a risk that the preparation for nighttime riding will become complicated. In addition, since each of the two lighting devices requires a power source such as a battery, the cost may increase. If the power supply by one of the power sources becomes impossible, one of the lighting devices cannot be lit, so even if the other lighting device can be lit, it is impossible to ride the bicycle.

[0005] In view of such circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a light unit that can be easily operated and in which one of a headlight and a taillight can be lit to cause the other to also be lit.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A light unit according to one aspect of the present disclosure, made to solve the above problems, is a light unit for a bicycle, comprising a headlight, a taillight, and a first wiring that electrically connects the headlight and the taillight. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] A light unit according to one aspect of this disclosure is easily operable, and when one of the headlights or taillights is illuminated, the other can also be illuminated. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic side view showing a bicycle equipped with a light unit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic enlarged perspective view showing the headlights of the light unit in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic enlarged perspective view showing the taillights of the light unit in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a schematic enlarged perspective view showing the first wiring of the light unit in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] [Description of Embodiments in this Disclosure] First, the embodiments of this disclosure will be listed and described.

[0010] (1) A light unit according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a headlight, a taillight, and a first wiring that electrically connects the headlight and the taillight.

[0011] The light unit includes the first wiring that electrically connects the headlight and the taillight, so that turning one light (the headlight or taillight) on or off will turn the other light (the taillight or headlight) on or off. This makes it easy to operate both the headlight and taillight. Furthermore, since power is supplied to both lights by supplying power to one light from a single power source, both lights can be reliably illuminated.

[0012] (2) In the above (1), the light unit may further include a second wiring that electrically connects the generator to the headlight or taillight. Providing the second wiring improves the reliability of lighting the two lights.

[0013] (3) In (1) or (2) above, either the headlight or the taillight may have a battery. Having either the headlight or the taillight have a battery can further improve the reliability of lighting the two lights.

[0014] (4) In any of (1) to (3) above, one of the headlights and the taillights may have a brightness sensor, and the headlights and taillights may be turned on or flashed and turned off by this brightness sensor. Having the headlights and taillights have a brightness sensor improves the ease of operating the light unit.

[0015] (5) In the light unit described in (2) above, the light unit may further include a third illuminator connected to at least one of the first wiring and the second wiring. By further including the third illuminator, the visibility of the bicycle to which the light unit is attached during nighttime riding can be improved.

[0016] (6) A bicycle according to one aspect of the present disclosure is equipped with any of the light units described in (1) to (5) above.

[0017] Since the bicycle has the light unit, the safety during night riding can be improved.

[0018] [Details of the Mode for Carrying Out the Invention] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, "front and rear" and "up and down" indicate directions based on a user (driver) riding on the bicycle.

[0019] [Bicycle] As shown in FIG. 1, the bicycle 1 includes the light unit 10. Other configurations of the bicycle 1 are not particularly limited and may be known configurations.

[0020] [Light Unit] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the light unit 10 includes a headlight 11, a tail light 12, and a first wiring 13 that electrically connects the headlight 11 and the tail light 12.

[0021] The location where the headlight 11 is attached is not particularly limited and may be, for example, the front part of the bicycle 1, such as a front fender (not shown), a handle 101, a stem (handle post) 102, a head tube 103, a front fork 104, etc., or if the bicycle 1 has a carrier (not shown) or a basket (not shown) at the front part, the carrier or the basket may also be used. The means for attaching the headlight 11 is not particularly limited and may be a means using a known stay 11a. The headlight 11 of the present embodiment is attached to the head tube 103 using a stay 11a.

[0022] The headlight 11 has a headlight wiring 11b and a headlight connector 11c disposed at the tip of the headlight wiring 11b. The headlight connector 11c is connected to a first connector 131 of the first wiring 13.

[0023] The location where the taillight 12 is attached is not particularly limited and may be at the rear of the bicycle 1, for example, below the rear fender 105, seat stay 106, chain tube 107, seat post 108, seat tube 109, or seat (saddle) 110. If the bicycle 1 has a carrier (not shown) or basket (not shown) at the rear, it may be attached to the carrier or basket. The means of attaching the taillight 12 is not particularly limited and may be a known means using a stay (not shown). In this embodiment, the taillight 12 is attached to the rear fender 105 with bolts (not shown).

[0024] The taillight 12 has a taillight wiring 12b and a taillight connector 12c located at the end of the taillight wiring 12b. The taillight connector 12c is connected to a second connector 132 on the first wiring 13.

[0025] The first wiring 13, which electrically connects the headlight 11 and the taillight 12, may be arranged along the frame 111 of the bicycle 1, for example, the down tube 112 and the chain tube 107. In this embodiment, where the taillight 12 is located on the rear fender 105, a portion of the first wiring 13 is arranged along the underside of the rear fender 105 (the surface on the rear wheel 113 side). The headlight 11 and the taillight 12 are electrically connected by connecting the first connector 131 and the second connector 132 of the first wiring 13 to the headlight connector 113 and the taillight connector 122.

[0026] The headlights 11 and taillights 12 are electrically connected by the first wiring 13, so that when one is turned on, the other can also be turned on. Conversely, when one is turned off, the other can also be turned off.

[0027] The light unit 10 may further include a second wiring 14 that electrically connects the generator to the headlight 11 or taillight 12. The generator is not particularly limited as long as it functions as a power source, and may be, for example, a hub dynamo 115 included in the front wheel 114. In this embodiment, the hub dynamo 115 included in the front wheel 114 of the bicycle 1 and the headlight 12 are connected by the second wiring 14. By including the second wiring 14 in the light unit 10, the light unit 10 can be lit or flashed by running the bicycle 1 without having a power source such as a battery.

[0028] One of the headlights 11 and taillight 12 may have a battery. In this case, since the light unit 10 is equipped with the first wiring 13, the other of the headlights 11 and taillight 12 does not need to have a battery. By having at least one of the headlights 11 and taillight 12 have a battery, the light unit 10 can be lit using the battery as a power source even if the bicycle 1 does not have the generator.

[0029] Both the headlight 11 and the taillight 12 may have batteries. Either one or both of the headlight 11 and the taillight 12 may have batteries, and the light unit 10 may also include a second wiring 14. In this case, the batteries may be rechargeable batteries, and a portion of the power supplied by the generator may be used to charge the rechargeable batteries.

[0030] If either the headlight 11 or the taillight 12 has a rechargeable battery, it may also have a charging component for the rechargeable battery, such as a solar panel.

[0031] It is preferable that either the headlight 11 or the taillight 12 has a selection switch (not shown) that allows the user to choose between turning it on or off. Having the above selection switch on either the headlight 11 or the taillight 12 allows the user to arbitrarily choose between turning it on or off. It is preferable that the above selection switch is configured to allow the user to choose between turning the headlight 11 and the taillight 12 on and off, as well as flashing them.

[0032] Preferably, one of the headlights 11 and taillights 12 has a brightness sensor (not shown), and this brightness sensor controls the turning on or flashing and turning off of the headlights 11 and taillights 12. That is, the brightness sensor detects the brightness of the surroundings, and when it determines that the surroundings are dark, it turns on or flashes the headlights 11 and taillights 12, and when it determines that the surroundings are bright, it turns off the headlights 11 and taillights 12. By having either the headlights 11 or taillights 12 have the brightness sensor, simultaneous turning on or flashing and turning off of the headlights 11 and taillights 12 can be performed automatically, improving the operability of the light unit 10.

[0033] One of the headlights 11 and taillights 12 may have both the selection switch and the brightness sensor. Alternatively, one of the headlights 11 and taillights 12 may have the selection switch, and the other headlight 11 and taillights 12 may have the brightness sensor.

[0034] The light unit 10 may further include a third illuminator (not shown) connected to at least one of the first wiring 13 and the second wiring. The third illuminator may be, for example, a side light, a side light, a downward (ground) light, a second headlight, a second taillight, etc. The presence of the third illuminator in the light unit 10 improves the visibility of the bicycle 1 when riding at night, thereby improving safety. Multiple third illuminators may be connected to one or both of the first wiring 13 and the second wiring.

[0035] Since the third illuminator is connected to at least one of the first wiring 13 and the second wiring, the third illuminator can be turned on or off by turning the headlights 11 and taillights 12 on or off. In other words, by connecting the third illuminator to the first wiring 13, the power supply, the selection switch, and the brightness sensor can be shared with the headlights 11 and taillights 12. The third illuminator may have the power supply, the selection switch, and the brightness sensor.

[0036] [Other embodiments] The above embodiments do not limit the configuration of the present invention. Accordingly, the above embodiments allow for the omission, substitution, or addition of components of each part of the above embodiments based on the description herein and common technical knowledge, and all such omissions, substitutions, or additions should be interpreted as falling within the scope of the present invention.

[0037] The light unit is not limited to bicycles; it may also be attached to tricycles, strollers, wheelchairs, mobility scooters, kick scooters, and other similar vehicles. Furthermore, the light unit may be used as an auxiliary or backup light for vehicles that already have headlights and taillights, such as motorcycles and automobiles. [Industrial applicability]

[0038] The light unit of this disclosure is easy to operate, and when one of the headlights or taillights is turned on, the other can also be turned on, making it suitable for use in bicycles and the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1 Bicycle 10 Light Units 11 Headlights 11a Stay 11b Headlight wiring 11c Headlight Connector 12 tail lights 12b Tail light wiring 12c taillight connector 13 First Wiring 14. Second wiring 131 First Connector 132 Second connector 101 Handle 102 Stem 103 Head tube 104 Front Fork 105 Rear Fender 106 Seat Stay 107 Chain Tube 108 Seatpost 109 seat tube 110 Seat (Saddle) 111 frames 112 Downtube 113 Rear wheel 114 Front Wheel 115 Hub Dynamo

Claims

1. A light unit comprising a headlight, a taillight, and a first wiring that electrically connects the headlight and the taillight.

2. The light unit according to claim 1, further comprising a second wiring for electrically connecting the generator to the headlight or taillight.

3. The light unit according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein one of the headlight and the taillight has a battery.

4. The light unit according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein one of the headlight and the taillight has a brightness sensor, and the headlight and taillight are turned on or flashed and turned off by this brightness sensor.

5. The light unit according to claim 2, further comprising a third illuminator connected to at least one of the first wiring and the second wiring.

6. A bicycle comprising the light unit according to claim 1 or claim 2.

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