Gear stage estimation method, gear stage estimation device, gear stage estimation program, and storage medium

Abstract

This gear stage estimation method estimates the gear stage of a switchable transmission device (30) of an electric-assisted bicycle (10) that comprises a motor (M) and the switchable transmission device (30), the switchable transmission device (30) being provided in a power transmission path between the motor (M) and a rear wheel (78) and is capable of switching n gear stages. The gear stage estimation method comprises: a step for acquiring, at a first time, a detected gear ratio Rd that is the gear ratio in a transmission section constituting the entirety or a part of the power transmission path including the switchable transmission device (30); and a step for comparing the acquired detected gear ratio Rd with n preset gear ratios Ri that are set within the range of gear ratios that the n gear stages may take, and estimating that the gear stage of the switchable transmission device (30) is an m-th stage if the detected gear ratio Rd matches an m-th preset gear ratio Ri.

Description

Gear position estimation method, gear position estimation device, gear position estimation program, and storage medium

[0001] The present invention relates to a gear position estimation method, a gear position estimation device, a gear position estimation program, and a storage medium for estimating the gear position of a shift transmission device in a vehicle.

[0002] Electrically assisted bicycles are known that use the power of a motor to assist the pedaling force of the crank pedals. There are also electric assist units that can be retrofitted to existing bicycle frames. For example, Patent Document 1 (JP-A-2005-102626) discloses an electric assist bicycle in which an electric assist unit, consisting of a motor and a crankshaft, can be retrofitted to the bicycle frame.

[0003] International Publication No. 2021 / 049646

[0004] However, with the electrically assisted bicycle of Patent Document 1, in order for the user to check the selected gear, the user needs to actually visually check the gear number display and position of the switch that the user operates to change the gear, leaving room for improvement in visibility.

[0005] The present invention provides a gear stage estimation method, a gear stage estimation device, a gear stage estimation program, and a storage medium that are capable of estimating at any time which gear stage of a shift transmission device is selected by a user.

[0006] The present invention provides a gear stage estimation method for estimating the gear stage of a switching transmission for a vehicle having: a power source; and a switching transmission provided in a power transmission path between the power source and wheels and capable of switching between n gear stages (n is a natural number of 2 or more), the method comprising the steps of: acquiring, at a first time, a first gear ratio which is the gear ratio of a transmission section which is all or part of the power transmission path including the switching transmission; comparing the acquired first gear ratio with n reference values ​​which are set within a range of gear ratios which the n gear stages can take; and estimating that the gear stage of the switching transmission is m (m is a natural number of 1 or more and n or less) of the n reference values.

[0007] The present invention also provides a gear stage estimation program for estimating the gear stage of a switching transmission for a vehicle having a power source and a switching transmission provided in a power transmission path between the power source and wheels and capable of switching between n gear stages (n is a natural number of 2 or more), the program causing a processor to execute the following steps: acquiring a first gear ratio, which is the gear ratio of a transmission section that is the whole or part of the power transmission path including the switching transmission, at a first time; comparing the acquired first gear ratio with n reference values ​​set within a range of gear ratios that the n gear stages can take; and estimating that the gear stage of the switching transmission is m (m is a natural number of 1 or more and n or less) of the n reference values.

[0008] The present invention also provides a storage medium storing the above-described gear position estimation program.

[0009] The present invention also provides a gear stage estimation device for a vehicle having: a power source; and a changeover transmission that is provided in a power transmission path between the power source and wheels and is capable of changing between n gear stages (n is a natural number of 2 or more), and that estimates the gear stage of the changeover transmission, the device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires, at a first time, a first gear ratio that is the gear ratio of a transmission section that is all or part of the power transmission path including the changeover transmission; and an estimation unit that compares the first gear ratio acquired by the acquisition unit with n reference values ​​that are set within a range of gear ratios that the n gear stages can take, and that estimates the gear stage of the changeover transmission to be m (m is a natural number of 1 or more and n or less) of the n reference values.

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to estimate at any time which gear position of the shift transmission device the user has selected.

[0011] 1 is a side view of an electrically assisted bicycle 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a mechanism for transmitting power in the vicinity of the power unit 20, crankshaft 83, and rear wheel 78. FIG. 3 is a diagram explaining electrical paths and communication paths of the power unit 20, battery 2, and control device 40 in the electrically assisted bicycle 10. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the control device 40 in the electrically assisted bicycle 10. FIG. 5 is a flowchart (part 1) of a gear position estimation process in the electrically assisted bicycle 10. FIG. 6 is a flowchart (part 2) of a gear position estimation process in the electrically assisted bicycle 10. FIG. 7 is a flowchart (part 3) of a gear position estimation process in the electrically assisted bicycle 10. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a violation gear detection process in the electrically assisted bicycle 10. FIG. 9 is a time series change graph showing a first example of a case where a gear position estimation process is executed in the electrically assisted bicycle 10. FIG. 10 is a time series change graph showing a second example of a case where a gear position estimation process is executed in the electrically assisted bicycle 10.

[0012] [Vehicle Structure] An electrically assisted bicycle will be exemplified below as one embodiment of the vehicle of the present invention.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the electrically assisted bicycle 10 is an electrically assisted bicycle that includes a front wheel 73, a rear wheel 78, a bicycle frame 67, a power unit 20 that drives the rear wheel 78, and a battery unit 4 that is electrically connected to the power unit 20, and is configured to be able to output the assist force generated by the power unit 20.

[0014] The bicycle frame 67 comprises a head pipe 68 at the front end, a down pipe 69 extending downward from the head pipe 68 from the front to the rear of the vehicle body, a support pipe 66 (see Figure 2) fixed to the rear end of the down pipe 69 and extending to the left and right, a seat post 71 extending upward from the support pipe 66, and a pair of left and right rear forks 70 extending rearward from the support pipe 66.

[0015] A front fork 72 is steerably supported on the head pipe 68, and a front wheel 73 is journaled at the lower end of the front fork 72. A steering handlebar 74 is provided at the upper end of the front fork 72. A mobile terminal holder 6 is provided on the steering handlebar 74 to hold a mobile terminal 8 (see FIG. 3) carried by a passenger (e.g., a driver). Note that the mobile terminal holder 6 is not necessarily required, and the mobile terminal 8 may be attached (stored) to the passenger or on the passenger's belongings (clothing, bag). A rear wheel 78 serving as a drive wheel is journaled between the rear ends of a pair of left and right rear forks 70 extending rearward from a seat post 71. A support shaft 75 with a seat 76 at its upper end is attached to the seat post 71 so that the vertical position of the seat 76 can be adjusted.

[0016] A battery unit 4 that supplies power to the power unit 20 is detachably fixed to the down pipe 69. More specifically, the battery unit 4 includes a base 3 that is attached to the upper surface of the down pipe 69, and a battery 2 that is detachably provided on the base 3 and has a plurality of cells therein.

[0017] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the electrical paths and communication paths of the power unit 20, battery 2, and control device 40 in the electrically assisted bicycle 10.

[0018] The control device 40 includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) 40a capable of performing various calculations, a random access memory (RAM) 40b used as a work area for the CPU 40a, and a storage medium such as a read-only memory (ROM) 40c for storing various information. The control device 40 calculates the torque (also simply referred to as power) to be generated by the motor M of the power unit 20 so as to generate an assist force determined by the pedaling force (described below) and an assist ratio corresponding to the vehicle speed V [km / h] of the electrically assisted bicycle 10. As a result, the motor M operates in accordance with the CPU 22 of the power unit 20 that receives the calculation result (drive request) from the control device 40. The DC / DC converter reduces the supplied DC voltage while keeping it DC and generates power supply voltages for the control device 40, an inertial measurement unit (IMU in the figure) 41, a memory 42, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) 43, and a Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark) communication device 44.

[0019] The inertial measurement unit 41 is, for example, a nine-axis sensor that combines the functions of a three-axis acceleration sensor, a three-axis angular velocity sensor, and a three-axis direction sensor, and detects the mounting orientation of the control device 40. The GNSS 43 acquires position information of the electrically assisted bicycle 10. The memory 42 is, for example, an SD card, and temporarily or permanently stores information, riding data, etc. of the electrically assisted bicycle 10. The BLE communication device 44 is a communication device for BT connection (Bluetooth communication) with a mobile terminal 8, etc.

[0020] In the electrical system and communication system configured as described above, power from the battery 2 is supplied to the motor M of the power unit 20 via power lines 51 and 55, and power stepped down from the power unit 20 via a DC / DC converter is supplied to the control device 40, inertial measurement unit 41, GNSS 43, memory 42, and BLE communication device 44 via power lines 56 and 52. When a request to start the power unit 20 is made via the mobile terminal 8 while power is being supplied to the control device 40, a power-on signal is sent to the power unit 20 via signal lines 53 and 57, and the CPU 22 of the power unit 20 is started. This enables the electric assist function, which allows the power unit 20 to output an assist force. When the power unit 20 is started, information is exchanged between the power unit 20 and the control device 40 via signal lines 54 and 58, and information can also be exchanged between the control device 40 and the mobile terminal 8, etc. via the BLE communication device.

[0021] 1 and 2, a pair of crank pedals 79 are connected to the left and right ends of a crank shaft 83 that coaxially passes through the support pipe 66 of the bicycle frame 67. The pedaling force applied to the crank pedals 79 by the rider (hereinafter referred to as pedal force) is transmitted to the crank shaft 83 and input to an endless chain 82 via a drive sprocket 80. The chain 82 is wound around the drive sprocket 80 and a driven sprocket 81 attached to the axle of the rear wheel 78.

[0022] In the power unit 20, the output shaft 21 of the motor M and the crankshaft 83 are arranged in parallel. The crankshaft 83 is rotatably supported inside a cylindrical sleeve 26 via a first one-way clutch 28, and a driven gear 26a that meshes with a motor output gear 21a provided on the output shaft 21 of the motor M and a drive sprocket 80 are fixed to the outer periphery of the sleeve 26. Therefore, the torque of the motor M is transmitted to the drive sprocket 80 via the motor output gear 21a, the driven gear 26a, and the sleeve 26. In other words, the motor M is arranged in parallel with the crank pedal 79.

[0023] In addition, a second one-way clutch 32 is provided between the driven sprocket 81 and the rear wheel 78 .

[0024] In the electrically assisted bicycle 10 configured in this manner, when the crank pedal 79 is pedaled forward (also referred to as the forward rotation direction), the first one-way clutch 28 engages, and the forward rotational power of the crankshaft 83 is transmitted to the drive sprocket 80 via the sleeve 26, and then to the driven sprocket 81 via the chain 82. At this time, the second one-way clutch 32 also engages, and the forward rotational power transmitted to the driven sprocket 81 is transmitted to the rear wheel 78.

[0025] On the other hand, when the crank pedal 79 is pedaled in the reverse direction (also called the reverse rotation direction or reverse direction), the first one-way clutch 28 does not engage, the reverse rotational power of the crankshaft 83 is not transmitted to the sleeve 26, and the crankshaft 83 rotates freely.

[0026] Furthermore, when forward rotational power in the forward direction (forward rotation direction) is input from the rear wheel 78, such as when pushing the electrically assisted bicycle 10 forward, the second one-way clutch 32 does not engage, and the forward rotational power of the rear wheel 78 is not transmitted to the driven sprocket 81. As a result, the rear wheel 78 rotates relative to the driven sprocket 81. On the other hand, when reverse rotational power in the backward direction (reverse rotational direction) is input from the rear wheel 78, such as when pushing the electrically assisted bicycle 10 backward, the second one-way clutch 32 engages, and the reverse rotational power of the rear wheel 78 is transmitted to the driven sprocket 81 and then to the drive sprocket 80 via the chain 82. At this time, the first one-way clutch 28 is also engaged, and therefore the reverse rotational power transmitted to the drive sprocket 80 is transmitted to the crankshaft 83 and the crank pedal 79, causing the crankshaft 83 and the crank pedal 79 to rotate in the reverse direction.

[0027] The power unit 20 is provided with a motor rotation speed sensor SE1 that detects the rotation speed of the motor M. The motor rotation speed sensor SE1 is composed of a magnet and a Hall IC provided on the outer periphery of the output shaft 21 of the motor M.

[0028] A torque sensor SE2 that detects a pedal torque value Tq generated by a pedal depression force is provided on the sleeve 26. The torque sensor SE2 is a magnetic displacement torque sensor disposed on the outer periphery of the sleeve 26.

[0029] The control device 40 that controls the power unit 20 calculates the pedal force from the pedal torque value Tq, which is the output value of the torque sensor SE2, and controls the motor M using PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) to generate an assist force determined by this pedal force and an assist ratio that corresponds to the travel distance of the electrically assisted bicycle 10 per unit time (hereinafter also referred to as the vehicle speed).

[0030] The rear fork 70 is provided with a rear wheel rotation speed sensor SE3. The rear wheel rotation speed sensor SE3 is, for example, a magnetic detection sensor that detects magnetic pulses when a magnet attached to the spokes of the rear wheel 78 passes by the sensor. The rear wheel rotation speed sensor SE3 transmits the detected magnetic pulses as vehicle speed pulses to the control device 40, and the control device 40 calculates the vehicle speed from the pulse intervals. Generally, a single magnet is attached to the rear wheel 78, so a magnetic pulse is detected once per rotation of the rear wheel 78. Therefore, if the vehicle speed is V [km / h] and the circumference of the rear wheel 78 is Ct [m], the vehicle speed V [km / h] can be expressed by the following equation (1):

[0031] V [km / h] = {Ct [m] / magnetic pulse interval (s)} × 3600 / 1000 (1)

[0032] A cadence sensor SE4 is attached to the periphery of the drive sprocket 80. Because the drive sprocket 80 rotates integrally with the crank pedal 79 when the first one-way clutch 28 is engaged, the rotation of the drive sprocket 80 can be considered as the rotation of the crank pedal 79. The cadence sensor SE4 is, for example, a magnetic detection sensor. The drive sprocket 80 has eight magnets evenly spaced around its circumference, and the cadence sensor SE4 detects magnetic pulses generated when the magnets pass the sensor. The cadence sensor SE4 transmits the detected magnetic pulses as cadence pulses (cadence-related information) to the control device 40 (described later). The control device 40 calculates the cadence, which indicates the rotation (movement) speed of the crank pedal 79, from the pulse intervals. The cadence pulses are detected eight times per rotation of the crank pedal 79. Therefore, the cadence C [rpm] is expressed by the following equation (2):

[0033] C [rpm] = {1 / (8 × magnetic pulse interval (s))} × 60 (2)

[0034] [Switching Transmission Device] The electrically assisted bicycle 10 is provided with a switching transmission device 30 capable of switching between eight gear stages in the power transmission path between the rear wheel 78 and the power unit 20 including the motor M. In this embodiment, the switching transmission device 30 has eight front gears, each with a different number of teeth, provided on the drive sprocket 80, and one of the eight front gears is selected by operation by the user. The gear ratio of the electrically assisted bicycle 10 is determined by dividing the number of teeth on the selected front gear by the number of teeth on the driven sprocket 81.

[0035] [Legal Regulations Regarding Assist Ratio] Japanese regulations stipulate that the upper limit of the assist ratio is 2 up to a vehicle speed of 10 km / h, and that the assist ratio must be gradually reduced from 2 to 0 as the vehicle speed increases from 10 km / h to 24 km / h. Therefore, when the electric assist function is on, the control device 40 must set the assist ratio so as not to exceed Japanese legal regulations.

[0036] 4 to 8, the gear position estimation process for estimating the gear position applied by the gear change device 30 in the electrically assisted bicycle 10 will be described. The gear position estimation process is performed by having the CPU 40a execute a gear position estimation program stored in the storage medium ROM 40c in the control device 40. The gear position estimation program can be provided via communication means, stored on a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, or stored in a dedicated terminal and provided as a gear position estimation device.

[0037] As shown in Figure 4, the control device 40 includes a vehicle state acquisition unit 401 that receives signals output from the motor rotation speed sensor SE1, torque sensor SE2, rear wheel rotation speed sensor SE3, cadence sensor SE4, inertial measurement unit 41, and GNSS 43 and acquires the state of the electrically assisted bicycle 10, including the vehicle speed V [km / h], cadence C [rpm], and pedal torque value Tq [W]; a gear ratio acquisition unit 402 that acquires the detected gear ratio Rd, which will be described later; and a gear stage estimation unit 403 that estimates the gear stage selected by the switching gear device 30.

[0038] As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the gear position estimation process starts when the power-assisted bicycle 10 is turned on.

[0039] The gear position estimation process first proceeds to step S110. In step S110, the preset gear ratios Ri (i = natural numbers from 1 to 8) of the gear positions of the shift transmission device 30, in this embodiment, the first to eighth gear positions, are acquired.

[0040] In this embodiment, in step S110, the preset speed ratio Ri (i=a natural number from 1 to 8) is calculated for each gear using the following equation (3), thereby obtaining the preset speed ratios Ri for the first to eighth gears: Preset speed ratio Ri=number of teeth of front gear / number of teeth of driven sprocket (3) (i=a natural number from 1 to 8)

[0041] Next, the process proceeds to step S120. In step S120, the timer that measures the elapsed time t [ms] is reset to elapsed time t [ms]=0.

[0042] Next, the process proceeds to step S130. In step S130, a timer for measuring the elapsed time t [ms] is started to start measuring the elapsed time t [ms].

[0043] Next, the process proceeds to step S140. In step S140, based on the state of the electrically assisted bicycle 10 acquired by the vehicle state acquisition unit 401, including the vehicle speed V [km / h], cadence C [rpm], and pedal torque value Tq [W], it is determined whether at least one of the following three conditions is met: vehicle speed V [km / h] = 0.0 [km / h], cadence C [rpm] ≤ 20 [rpm], and pedal torque value Tq [W] ≤ 50.0 [W]. If at least one of these three conditions is met (step S140: YES), the process proceeds to step S151. If none of these three conditions is met (step S140: NO), the process proceeds to step S152.

[0044] In step S151, the detected gear ratio Rd is calculated as Rd=0.0 in the gear ratio acquisition unit 402. Then, the process proceeds to step S160.

[0045] In step S152, the gear ratio acquisition unit 402 calculates the detected gear ratio Rd using the following equation (4). Then, the process proceeds to step S160. Detected gear ratio Rd = vehicle speed V [km / h] x (1000 / 60) / (circumference Ct [m] of rear wheel 78 / cadence C [rpm]) (4)

[0046] In step S160, the detected gear ratio Rd calculated in step S151 or step S152 and the preset gear ratio Ri (i = natural number from 1 to 8) for each gear position acquired in step S110 are acquired, and then the process proceeds to step S170.

[0047] In step S170, it is determined whether there is an i value = m such that ΔRi (= |Rd - Ri|) ≦ the match determination tolerance value. In this embodiment, the match determination tolerance value differs for each gear position and is calculated as Ri × 0.05 (i = a natural number from 1 to 8). Therefore, in this embodiment, it is determined in step S170 whether there is a preset gear ratio Ri (i = a natural number from 1 to 8) whose error with the detected gear ratio Rd is within 5%.

[0048] In step S170, if there is an i value=m such that ΔRi (=|Rd−Ri|)≦the coincidence determination tolerance value (step S170: YES), the process proceeds to step S191, where the directly read gear position value D=m is stored in the storage medium RAM 40b, and the process proceeds to step S200.

[0049] This allows the detected gear ratio Rd to be calculated based on the vehicle speed V and cadence C, and makes it possible to estimate at any time which gear position of the shift transmission device 30 the user has selected from the detected gear ratio Rd.

[0050] In step S170, if there is no i value=m such that ΔRi(=|Rd−Ri|)≦match determination tolerance value (step S170: NO), the process proceeds to step S180.

[0051] In step S180, it is determined whether the detected gear ratio Rd satisfies the following formula (5). In this embodiment, the match determination tolerance is a value calculated by multiplying the preset gear ratio R8 of the fastest gear (eighth gear in this embodiment) by 0.05: detected gear ratio Rd / preset gear ratio R8 of fastest gear (eighth gear in this embodiment)>1.0+match determination tolerance (5)

[0052] In step S180, if the detected gear ratio Rd satisfies the above formula (5) (step S180: YES), the process proceeds to step S192, where the gear position direct read value D=9 is stored in the storage medium RAM 40b. Then, the process proceeds to step S200. In this embodiment, the gear positions provided in the shifting transmission 30 are 1st to 8th, and the shifting transmission 30 does not have a 9th position. The gear position direct read value D=9 indicates that the detected gear ratio Rd is an illegal value.

[0053] In this way, when the detected gear ratio Rd is an illegal value, the gear stage direct read value D is set to 9, and one of the gear stage direct read values ​​D is used as an indicator that the detected gear ratio Rd is an illegal value, thereby facilitating data processing, data management, display, etc. in processes including the gear stage estimation process and the illegal gear detection process described below.

[0054] In step S180, if the detected gear ratio Rd does not satisfy the above formula (5) (step S180: NO), the process proceeds to step S193, where the gear ratio direct read value D = 0 is stored in the storage medium RAM 40b. Note that the gear ratio direct read value D = 0 indicates that the gear ratio corresponding to the detected gear ratio Rd cannot be read and the gear ratio is unknown.

[0055] In this way, when the gear stage is unknown, the gear stage direct read value D is set to 0, and one of the gear stage direct read values ​​D is used as an indicator that the gear stage is unknown, which makes it easier to process, manage, and display data in processes including the gear stage estimation process and the violation gear detection process described below.

[0056] In step S200, it is determined whether or not the data of the immediately preceding 20 directly read gear position value D is stored in the storage medium RAM 40b.

[0057] In step S200, if the data of the most recent 20 directly read gear position value D is not stored in the storage medium RAM 40b (step S200: NO), the process returns to step S120.

[0058] In step S200, if the data of the most recent 20 directly read gear position values ​​D is stored in the storage medium RAM 40b (step S200: YES), the process proceeds to step S210, where the most recent 20 directly read gear position values ​​D are obtained, and then the process proceeds to step S220.

[0059] In step S220, the most recent 20 directly read gear stage values ​​D are referenced, and the directly read gear stage value Dm that appears most frequently is estimated to be the currently selected gear stage, and the estimated gear stage G is set as Dm. Then, the process proceeds to step S230.

[0060] In this way, by referencing multiple gear ratio direct read values ​​D and estimating the gear ratio direct read value Dm that appears most frequently as the currently selected gear ratio, the frequency of erroneous estimation can be reduced. In particular, erroneous estimation due to an error in the detected gear ratio Rd during a gear ratio transition can be avoided. This makes it possible to more accurately estimate which gear ratio of the shift transmission 30 the user has selected.

[0061] In step S230, it is determined whether the estimated gear position G estimated in step S220 is 9, that is, whether the estimated gear position G=9.

[0062] In step S230, if it is determined that the estimated gear G estimated in step S220 is 9, i.e., the estimated gear G=9 (step S230: YES), the process proceeds to step S300, where a violation gear detection process is executed. Details of the violation gear detection process in step S300 will be described later.

[0063] In step S230, if it is determined that the estimated gear position G estimated in step S220 is not 9, i.e., the estimated gear position G is not 9 (step S230: NO), the process proceeds to step S240, where a violation value duration te [s] (described later) is reset to violation value duration te [s] = 0. Then, the process proceeds to step S250.

[0064] In step S250, it is determined whether the estimated gear position G estimated in step S220 is 0, that is, whether the estimated gear position G=0.

[0065] In step S250, if it is determined that the estimated gear G estimated in step S220 is 0, i.e., the estimated gear G=0 (step S250: YES), the process proceeds to step S261. In step S261, the estimated gear G most recently stored in the storage medium ROM 40c is output to the mobile terminal 8. The display unit 8a of the mobile terminal 8 then displays the estimated gear G as the selected gear. The process then proceeds to step S270.

[0066] In this way, when the estimated gear stage G estimated in step S220 is 0, i.e., the gear stage is unknown, the estimated gear stage G estimated immediately before is estimated as the estimated gear stage G. Therefore, even if the electrically assisted bicycle 10 temporarily enters a free-riding state, the estimated gear stage G estimated immediately before is estimated as the estimated gear stage G, thereby reducing the user's discomfort with the estimated gear stage result.

[0067] In step S250, if it is determined that the estimated gear G estimated in step S220 is not 0, i.e., the estimated gear G is not 0, or in other words, the estimated gear G is 1 to 8, taking into account step S230 (step S250: NO), the process proceeds to step S262. In step S262, the estimated gear G estimated in step S220 is output to the mobile terminal 8. The estimated gear G is then displayed as the selected gear on the display unit 8a of the mobile terminal 8. The process then proceeds to step S263. In step S263, the estimated gear G estimated in step S220 is stored in the storage medium ROM 40c. The process then proceeds to step S270.

[0068] This makes it possible to provide a shift indicator function simply and retrofitted even for an electrically assisted bicycle 10 that does not have a shift indicator function by outputting the estimated gear position G to the mobile terminal 8.

[0069] In step S270, it is determined whether the elapsed time t (ms) since the timing in step S130 is equal to or greater than 50 ms. In step S270, the process waits until the elapsed time t (ms) is equal to or greater than 50 ms (step S270: NO loop). If the elapsed time t (ms) is equal to or greater than 50 ms, the process proceeds to step S280.

[0070] In step S280, it is determined whether or not the power of the electrically assisted bicycle 10 is OFF. In step S280, if the power of the electrically assisted bicycle 10 is not OFF (step S280: NO), the process returns to step S120, and if the power of the electrically assisted bicycle 10 is OFF (step S280: YES), the process proceeds to step S290.

[0071] The processes of steps S170 to S280 described above are performed by the gear position estimation unit 403, for example.

[0072] In step S290, the violation state detection count En [times] is reset to En [times]=0 [times], and the series of processes ends.

[0073] In this way, the gear stage direct reading value D is obtained every predetermined time (50 ms in this embodiment) until the power of the electrically assisted bicycle 10 is turned off, and the gear stage that the user has selected in the switching transmission device 30 is estimated at any time.

[0074] Incidentally, when a user stops the electrically assisted bicycle 10 after free-riding for a predetermined time, the user often changes gears. In the gear estimation process, as described above, if any of the following three conditions is met in steps S140 and S151: vehicle speed V [km / h] = 0.0 [km / h], cadence C [rpm] ≦ 20 [rpm], and pedal torque value Tq [W] ≦ 50.0 [W], the detected gear ratio Rd is calculated as 0.0. Therefore, when the user stops the electrically assisted bicycle 10 after free-riding for a predetermined time, the estimated gear G is set to 0. This allows the detected gear ratio Rd and the estimated gear G to be reset by calculating the detected gear ratio Rd as 0.0 and estimating the estimated gear G as 0 when the user stops the electrically assisted bicycle 10 after free-riding for a predetermined time.

[0075] [Improper Gear Detection Processing] Next, the illegal gear detection processing in step S300 described above will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 8. The illegal gear detection processing is performed by the gear position estimation unit 403, for example.

[0076] In the illegal gear detection process, the process first proceeds to step S310, where it is determined whether the illegal value duration te [s]=0.

[0077] If the violation value duration te [s] is 0 (YES in step S310), the process proceeds to step S311. In step S311, the process starts counting the violation value duration te [s]. The process then proceeds to step S320.

[0078] In step S310, if the violation value duration te [s] is not 0 (step S310: NO), the process proceeds to step S320.

[0079] In step S320, it is determined whether the violation value duration te [s] in step S310 is greater than or equal to 5 [s], that is, whether the violation value duration te [s] has exceeded 5 seconds.

[0080] In step S320, if the violation value duration te [s] is greater than or equal to 5 [s] (step S310: YES), the process proceeds to step S321. In step S321, the violation state detection count En [times] is set to En+1 [times]. That is, the violation state detection count En [times] is incremented by 1 [time]. The process then proceeds to step S330.

[0081] In step S320, if the violation value duration te [s] is not equal to or greater than 5 [s] (step S310: NO), the process proceeds to step S330.

[0082] In step S330, it is determined whether the violation state detection count En [times] is 3 [times] or more, that is, whether the violation state detection count En [times] is 3 [times] or more.

[0083] In step S330, if the violation state detection count En is greater than or equal to 3, that is, if the violation state detection count En is 3 or greater (step S330: YES), the process proceeds to step S340.

[0084] In step S340, a violation determination process is executed. The violation determination process executes at least one of the following steps (i) to (iii). In this embodiment, the following steps (i) to (iii) are executed in order. Then, the process proceeds to step S341. (i) It is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the power transmission mechanism T. In this embodiment, it is determined that a non-compliant gear is installed in the power transmission mechanism T. (ii) Information is generated to suppress or prohibit driving using the power transmission mechanism T. In this embodiment, information is generated to prohibit driving of the motor M. (iii) Information is generated to notify at least one of the rider (user) of the electrically power assisted bicycle 10, the person who installed the vehicle body and the power unit 20, the manufacturer of the electrically power assisted bicycle 10, the manufacturer of the power unit 20, the administrator of the electrically power assisted bicycle 10, the administrator of the power unit 20, the authorizer of the electrically power assisted bicycle 10, or the inspector of the electrically power assisted bicycle 10. In this embodiment, information is generated to notify the rider (user) of the power-assisted bicycle 10 that an illegal gear is installed in the power transmission mechanism T.

[0085] In step S341, a signal containing information prohibiting the driving of motor M, which was generated in the process of (ii) in step S340, is output. When a signal containing information prohibiting the driving of motor M is output in step S341, assist by motor M is prohibited in the electrically assisted bicycle 10. Note that the user cannot cancel this assist prohibited state. For example, the user cannot cancel this assist prohibited state unless the user takes the bicycle to a shop or the like and operates a dedicated device. Then, the process proceeds to step S342.

[0086] In step S342, a signal including information for notifying that a non-compliant gear is installed in the power transmission mechanism T, which was generated in the process of (iii) in step S340, is output to the mobile terminal 8. Then, the display unit 8a of the mobile terminal 8 displays a message that a non-compliant gear is installed in the power transmission mechanism T. For example, on the display unit 8a of the mobile terminal 8, "Error" is displayed in the area showing the selected gear position.

[0087] In this way, processing (i) in step S340 makes it possible to detect a state in which the electric assist bicycle 10 does not comply with regulations, processing (ii) makes it possible to prevent the electric assist bicycle 10 from being used in a state in which it does not comply with regulations, and processing (iii) makes it possible for the user to recognize that modifications or alterations have been made to the electric assist bicycle 10 that make it non-compliant with regulations.

[0088] On the other hand, in step S330, if the violation state detection count En [times] is not greater than or equal to 3 [times], that is, if the violation state detection count En [times] is 2 [times] or less (step S330: NO), the process proceeds to step S360.

[0089] In step S360, the estimated gear G stored in the storage medium ROM 40c as the previous gear in the immediately preceding step S263 is output to the mobile terminal 8. The estimated gear G is then displayed as the selected gear on the display unit 8a of the mobile terminal 8. Then, the process proceeds to step S370.

[0090] In step S370, the violation value duration te [s] is reset to 0. Then, the process proceeds to step S380.

[0091] In step S380, the counting of the violation value duration te [s] is restarted. Then, the violation gear detection process ends, and the process proceeds to step S270 of the gear position estimation process.

[0092] FIG. 9 is a time-series change graph showing a first example of the case where the above-described gear position estimation process is executed on the electrically assisted bicycle 10. In FIG.

[0093] In Fig. 9, the top graph is a graph showing the time series of vehicle speed V [km / h]. The second graph from the top is a graph showing the time series of cadence C [rpm]. The third graph from the top is a graph showing the time series of detected gear ratio Rd calculated in step S151 or step S152 of the gear stage estimation process. The fourth graph from the top is a graph showing the time series of estimated gear stage G estimated in the gear stage estimation process.

[0094] Furthermore, in Fig. 9, the fifth graph from the top is a graph showing the time series of the number of times that the gear stage direct read value D = 0 appears in the most recent 20 gear stage direct read values ​​D in step S220 of the gear stage estimation process. The sixth graph is a graph showing the time series of the number of times that the gear stage direct read value D = 1 appears in the most recent 20 gear stage direct read values ​​D in step S220 of the gear stage estimation process. The seventh graph from the top is a graph showing the time series of the number of times that the gear stage direct read value D = 2 appears in the most recent 20 gear stage direct read values ​​D in step S220 of the gear stage estimation process. The eighth graph from the top is a graph showing the time series of the number of times that the gear stage direct read value D = 3 appears in the most recent 20 gear stage direct read values ​​D in step S220 of the gear stage estimation process. The ninth graph from the top is a graph showing the time series of the number of times the gear stage direct read value D=4 appears in the most recent 20 gear stage direct read values ​​D in step S220 of the gear stage estimation process. The tenth graph from the top is a graph showing the time series of the number of times the gear stage direct read value D=5 appears in the most recent 20 gear stage direct read values ​​D in step S220 of the gear stage estimation process. The eleventh graph from the top is a graph showing the time series of the number of times the gear stage direct read value D=6 appears in the most recent 20 gear stage direct read values ​​D in step S220 of the gear stage estimation process. The twelfth graph from the top is a graph showing the time series of the number of times the gear stage direct read value D=7 appears in the most recent 20 gear stage direct read values ​​D in step S220 of the gear stage estimation process. The thirteenth graph from the top is a graph showing the time series of the number of times that the gear stage direct read value D=8 appears in the most recent 20 gear stage direct read values ​​D in step S220 of the gear stage estimation process. The fourteenth graph from the top is a graph showing the time series of the number of times that the gear stage direct read value D=9 appears in the most recent 20 gear stage direct read values ​​D in step S220 of the gear stage estimation process.

[0095] Therefore, the fourth graph from the top shows the gear directly read value Dm that appears most frequently as the estimated gear G=Dm based on the fifth to fourteenth graphs from the top.

[0096] 9, for example, at time T0, the cadence C [rpm] begins to increase, followed by an increase in the vehicle speed V [km / h]. At time T1, the number of occurrences of the gear stage direct read value D=1 is the highest among the previous 20 gear stage direct read values ​​D, and the estimated gear stage G is estimated to be 1.

[0097] At time T2, of the most recent 20 direct gear read values ​​D, the direct gear read value D=2 appears most frequently, and the estimated gear G is estimated to be 2. Similarly, at time T3, the direct gear read value D=3 appears most frequently, and the estimated gear G is estimated to be 3, at time T4, the direct gear read value D=4 appears most frequently, and the estimated gear G is estimated to be 4, and at time T5, the direct gear read value D=5 appears most frequently, and the estimated gear G is estimated to be 5.

[0098] After time T6, cadence C [rpm] drops sharply. Between time T6 and time T7, cadence C [rpm] temporarily increases, but for most of the time, cadence C [rpm] remains near zero. This indicates that the user has stopped pedaling the electrically assisted bicycle 10 and the electrically assisted bicycle 10 is freewheeling. When the electrically assisted bicycle 10 is freewheeling, the bicycle speed V [km / h] and cadence C [rpm] are no longer correlated with each other. Therefore, for most of the time between time T6 and time T7, the frequency of occurrence of the direct gear readout value D = 0 is the highest, and it is estimated that the estimated gear G = 0, i.e., the gear is unknown. At this time, as described above, in step S261, the previously saved estimated gear G = 5 is output to the mobile terminal 8 as the selected gear.

[0099] After time T7, cadence C [rpm] rises sharply, and subsequently, vehicle speed V [km / h] also begins to rise. Immediately after time T7, of the previous 20 direct gear readouts D, the number of times that the direct gear readout D = 0 appears is the highest, and estimated gear G remains at 0. However, after a predetermined time has passed, at time T8, the number of times that the direct gear readout D = 4 appears becomes the highest, and estimated gear G transitions to 4. This is thought to be because the correlation between vehicle speed V [km / h] and cadence C [rpm] is still low, as this is immediately after the power-assisted bicycle 10 transitions from free-riding to pedal-powered riding, and because the user shifted the gear from 5th to 4th between time T7 and time T8.

[0100] Then, at time T9, of the most recent 20 direct gear read values ​​D, the direct gear read value D=5 appears the most frequently, and the estimated gear G is estimated to be 5. Similarly, at time T10, the direct gear read value D=6 appears the most frequently, and the estimated gear G is estimated to be 6, at time T11, the direct gear read value D=7 appears the most frequently, and the estimated gear G is estimated to be 7, and at time T12, the direct gear read value D=8 appears the most frequently, and the estimated gear G is estimated to be 8.

[0101] After time T13, both the vehicle speed V [km / h] and the cadence C [rpm] decrease. From time T13 to time T14, the pedal torque value Tq [W] decreases, and it is considered that the pedals are almost spinning freely. Therefore, from time T13 to time T14, the vehicle speed V [km / h] and the cadence C [rpm] are not correlated with each other. For the majority of the time from time T6 to time T7, the number of occurrences of the direct gear readout value D = 0 is the highest, and it is estimated that the estimated gear G = 0, i.e., the gear is unknown.

[0102] After time T14, the cadence C [rpm] rises sharply, the vehicle speed V [km / h] also begins to rise, and of the previous 20 direct gear read values ​​D, the number of times that the direct gear read value D = 1 appears becomes the most frequent, and the estimated gear G = 1 is estimated. Then, at time T15, of the previous 20 direct gear read values ​​D, the number of times that the direct gear read value D = 2 appears becomes the most frequent, and the estimated gear G = 2 is estimated.

[0103] 10 is a time-series change graph showing a second example of the case where the above-described gear position estimation process is executed on the electrically assisted bicycle 10. Here, only the differences from the above-described first example will be described in detail, and explanations of aspects that are the same as those in the first example will be omitted or simplified.

[0104] In this example, the number of times that the gear position direct read value D=9 appears most frequently between time T12 and time T13, and the estimated gear position G=9 is estimated. In this case, the violation gear detection process described above is executed, and if the time from time T12 to time T13 is 5 seconds or longer, the number of violation state detections En [times] is counted as 1 [time] in step S321 described above. At this point, as described above, in step S360, the most recently saved estimated gear position G=7 is output to the mobile device 8 as the selected gear position. Then, if the number of violation state detections En [times] reaches 3 [times] or more before the power of the electrically assisted bicycle 10 is turned off, steps S340 to S342 described above are executed, assist by the motor M of the electrically assisted bicycle 10 is prohibited, and the word "error" is displayed in the area indicating the selected gear position on the display 8a of the mobile device 8.

[0105] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the components of the above embodiment may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0106] For example, in this embodiment, the vehicle is exemplified as an electrically assisted bicycle 10, but the vehicle is not limited to this and may be a two-wheeled vehicle without input from the crank pedal 79, a three-wheeled vehicle other than a two-wheeled vehicle, or a four-wheeled vehicle.

[0107] Furthermore, for example, in this embodiment, the case where an assist device is retrofitted to a non-electrically assisted bicycle after it has been sold has been described, but this is not necessarily limited to non-electrically assisted bicycles after it has been sold, and the present invention can also be applied to completed bicycles to which an assist device has been attached at a new non-electrically assisted bicycle dealer, etc. It can also be applied to completed bicycles manufactured at a factory where an assist device is attached (i.e., a factory for completed electric assist bicycles) on the same premises as the bicycle body is manufactured.

[0108] Also, for example, in this embodiment, the gear position estimation process is executed continuously from when the power of the electrically assisted bicycle 10 is turned on until when the power is turned off. However, for example, if the pedal torque value Tq [W] is equal to or less than a predetermined value, for example, if the pedal torque value Tq [W] is equal to or less than 50.0 [W], the gear position estimation process may not be executed and the system may enter a standby state. Also, for example, in this embodiment, if step S140 is YES in the gear position estimation process, the system proceeds to step S151. However, if step S140 is YES, the system may return to step S140 and wait until step S140 becomes NO. In this case, until step S140 becomes NO, the selected gear position may be the most recently estimated estimated gear position G, and the display 8a of the mobile device 8 may display the most recently estimated estimated gear position G as the selected gear position.

[0109] Also, for example, in this embodiment, when the power of the electrically assisted bicycle 10 is turned on, the gear position estimation process begins, and in step S110, the preset gear ratio Ri (i = a natural number from 1 to 8) is calculated for each gear position using the aforementioned equation (3), thereby obtaining the preset gear ratios Ri for the first to eighth gear positions. However, the preset gear ratios Ri (i = a natural number from 1 to 8) for each gear position may be stored in advance in the storage medium ROM 40c at a dealer of the electrically assisted bicycle 10, etc.

[0110] Furthermore, for example, in the present embodiment, when the estimated gear G=0 in the gear position estimation process (step S250: YES), the estimated gear G that was saved immediately before is output to the mobile terminal 8 as the selected gear position (step S261), but step S261 may output to the mobile terminal 8 that the estimated gear G=0. In this case, nothing may be displayed in the area indicating the selected gear position on the display unit 8a of the mobile terminal 8.

[0111] Furthermore, for example, in the gear position estimation process, if estimated gear position G=0 in step S250 (step S250: YES), the system may further include a step of executing at least one of the following (i) to (iii) either before or after step S261: (i) determining an abnormality in the power transmission path; (ii) generating information for suppressing or prohibiting driving using the power transmission path; or (iii) generating information for notifying at least one of the rider (user) of the power-assisted bicycle 10, the manufacturer of the power-assisted bicycle 10, the administrator of the power-assisted bicycle 10, the authorizer of the power-assisted bicycle 10, or the regulator of the power-assisted bicycle 10.

[0112] Furthermore, for example, in this embodiment, when the user stops the power-assisted bicycle 10 after free-riding for a predetermined time, the estimated gear ratio G is estimated to be 0, but when the vehicle speed V of the power-assisted bicycle 10 falls below a predetermined threshold, the estimated gear ratio G may be estimated to a preset initial value rather than being limited to 0. In this way, when the user stops the power-assisted bicycle 10 after free-riding for a predetermined time, the detected gear ratio Rd and the estimated gear ratio G can be reset by estimating the estimated gear ratio G to be the initial value.

[0113] Also, for example, in this embodiment, the violation gear detection processing is performed, for example, by the gear stage estimation unit 403, but the control device 40 may also be provided with a violation gear detection unit that performs the violation gear detection processing separate from the gear stage estimation unit 403.

[0114] This specification describes at least the following: In parentheses, components corresponding to those in the above-described embodiments are shown as examples, but the present invention is not limited to these.

[0115] (1) A gear stage estimation method for estimating a gear stage of a switching transmission (switching transmission 30) of a vehicle (electrically assisted bicycle 10) having a power source (motor M), and the switching transmission is provided in a power transmission path between the power source and a wheel (rear wheel 78) and is capable of switching between n gear stages (n is a natural number of 2 or more), the method comprising the steps of: acquiring, at a first time, a first gear ratio (detected gear ratio Rd) that is the gear ratio of a transmission section that is the whole or part of the power transmission path including the switching transmission; comparing the acquired first gear ratio with n reference values ​​(preset gear ratios Ri) set within a range of gear ratios that the n gear stages can take; and estimating that the gear stage of the switching transmission is m when the first gear ratio matches the smallest m-th reference value (m is a natural number of 1 or more and n or less) of the n reference values; A gear stage estimation method including:

[0116] According to (1), it is possible to estimate at any time which gear position of the shift-changing transmission is selected by the user. Furthermore, even in a vehicle that does not have a shift indicator function, the shift indicator function can be easily provided by retrofitting. Note that the reference value may be a single value or a range of values ​​having an upper limit and a lower limit.

[0117] (2A) The gear stage estimation method according to (1), further comprising the steps of: acquiring a second gear ratio (detected gear ratio Rd), which is the gear ratio of the transmission section, at a second time that is later than the first time; comparing the n reference values ​​with the acquired second gear ratio; and estimating the gear stage to be p-th gear if the second gear ratio matches the p-th smallest reference value (p is a natural number greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to n) among the n reference values; and estimating the gear stage of the switching transmission to be m-th gear or p-th gear based on the m-th gear estimated at the first time and the p-th gear estimated at the second time.

[0118] (2B) The gear stage estimation method according to (1), further comprising the steps of: acquiring a second gear ratio (detected gear ratio Rd), which is the gear ratio of the transmission section, at a second time that is later than the first time; comparing the n reference values ​​with the acquired second gear ratio; and estimating the gear stage to be p if the second gear ratio matches the pth smallest reference value (p is a natural number that is 1 or greater and is less than n) among the n reference values; and estimating the gear stage of the switching transmission device to be m or p based on the m gear estimated at the first time and the p gear estimated at the second time.

[0119] According to (2A) and (2B), the frequency of erroneous estimation can be reduced by estimating the gear stage of the switching transmission device to be gear stage m or gear stage p based on the gear stage m estimated at the first time and the gear stage p estimated at the second time.

[0120] (3A) The gear ratio estimation method according to (2A) or (2B), further comprising the steps of: acquiring a third gear ratio (detected gear ratio Rd), which is the gear ratio of the transmission section, at a third time that is later than the second time; comparing the n reference values ​​with the acquired third gear ratio, and estimating the gear ratio to be gear q if the third gear ratio matches the qth smallest reference value (q is a natural number greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to n) among the n reference values; and estimating the gear ratio of the switching transmission device to be the gear ratio that appears most frequently among the m-th, p-th, and q-th gears, based on the m-th estimated gear ratio at the first time, the p-th estimated gear ratio at the second time, and the q-th estimated gear ratio at the third time.

[0121] (3B) The gear ratio estimation method according to (2A) or (2B), further comprising the steps of: acquiring a third gear ratio (detected gear ratio Rd), which is the gear ratio of the transmission section, at a third time that is later than the second time; comparing the n reference values ​​with the acquired third gear ratio, and estimating the gear ratio to be gear q if the third gear ratio matches the qth smallest reference value (q is a natural number greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to n) among the n reference values; and estimating the gear ratio of the switching transmission device to be the mth, pth, or qth gear that appears the most frequently, based on the mth estimated at the first time, the pth estimated at the second time, and the qth estimated at the third time, as the gear ratio for the third time, a current time after the third time, or any time between the third time and the current time.

[0122] According to (3A) and (3B), the gear ratio of the shifting transmission device is estimated to be the one that appears most frequently among m, p, and q based on the m-th gear estimated at the first time, the p-th gear estimated at the second time, and the q-th gear estimated at the third time, thereby reducing the frequency of erroneous estimation. In particular, erroneous estimation due to an error in the detected gear ratio during a gear transition can be avoided.

[0123] (4) The gear stage estimation method according to (3A) or (3B), further comprising the step of estimating the gear stage of the switching transmission to be the gear stage previously estimated as the gear stage of the switching transmission when the gear stage with the highest number of occurrences does not exist.

[0124] According to (4), when there is no item with the highest number of occurrences, the gear stage of the switching transmission device is estimated to be the gear stage that was estimated as the gear stage of the switching transmission device immediately before, thereby reducing the user's discomfort with the estimated gear stage.

[0125] (5) The gear stage estimation method according to (1), further comprising the step of: if, at a fourth time, the gear stage has been estimated multiple times in a predetermined period prior to the fourth time, estimating the gear stage of the switching transmission that has appeared most frequently as the gear stage.

[0126] According to (5), by estimating the gear ratio that appears most frequently, it is possible to reduce the frequency of erroneous estimation. In particular, it is possible to avoid erroneous estimation due to an error in the detected value of the detected gear ratio during a gear transition.

[0127] (6) The gear stage estimation method according to any one of (1) to (5), further comprising the steps of: (i) determining an abnormality in the power transmission path; (ii) generating information for suppressing or prohibiting driving using the power transmission path; or (iii) generating information for notifying at least one of an occupant of the vehicle, a manufacturer of the vehicle, a manager of the vehicle, an authorizer of the vehicle, or an inspector of the vehicle, when, upon comparing the first gear ratio with the n reference values, the first gear ratio is smaller than the reference value of the smallest gear stage among the n reference values, or is larger than the reference value of the largest gear stage among the n reference values.

[0128] According to (6), the process (i) can detect abnormalities in the power transmission path, the process (ii) can prevent continued use of driving using the power transmission path when an abnormality has occurred in the power transmission path, and the process (iii) can allow the user, etc., to recognize that an abnormality has occurred in the power transmission path.

[0129] (7) The gear stage estimation method according to any one of (1) to (6), further comprising the step of estimating the gear stage to be n+1 when, when the first gear ratio is compared with the n reference values, the first gear ratio is greater than the reference value of the maximum gear stage among the n reference values.

[0130] According to (7), if the first gear ratio is greater than the reference value of the largest gear among the n reference values, the gear is estimated to be n+1 and treated as one of the gears, thereby facilitating data processing, data management, display, etc. in processes including the gear estimation process and the violation gear detection process described below.

[0131] (8) The gear stage estimation method according to any one of (1) to (7), further comprising the step of estimating the gear stage to be 0 when the gear ratio of the transmission section cannot be acquired or the gear stage cannot be estimated when the first gear ratio is compared with the n reference values.

[0132] According to (8), if the gear ratio of the transmission section cannot be obtained or the gear cannot be estimated, the gear is estimated to be gear 0 and treated as one of the gears, thereby facilitating data processing, data management, display, etc. in processes including the gear estimation process and the violation gear detection process described below.

[0133] (9) The gear stage estimation method according to any one of (1) to (8), further comprising the step of estimating the gear stage to be an initial value when the travel distance of the vehicle per unit time (vehicle speed V) becomes equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value at a fifth time after the first time.

[0134] According to (9), when the vehicle speed becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold, the gear stage is estimated to be the initial value, and when the user stops the vehicle, the estimated result of the gear stage selected by the switching transmission device can be reset.

[0135] (10) A gear position estimation method according to any one of (1) to (9), wherein the power source has an electric motor and a pedal force input unit, and the vehicle is an electrically assisted bicycle capable of generating an assisting force by the electric motor based on an input value (pedal torque value Tq) applied by a user to the pedal force input unit and a travel distance (vehicle speed V) of the vehicle per unit time.

[0136] According to (10), it is possible to estimate at any time which gear position the user has selected in the gear change device of an electrically assisted bicycle. Furthermore, even for electrically assisted bicycles that do not have a shift indicator function, a shift indicator function can be easily provided as a retrofit.

[0137] (11) A gear position estimation program for estimating a gear position of a switching transmission (switching transmission 30) of a vehicle (electrically assisted bicycle 10) having a power source (motor M), and the switching transmission is provided in a power transmission path between the power source and a wheel (rear wheel 78) and is capable of switching between n gear positions (n ​​is a natural number of 2 or more). The program includes the steps of: acquiring, at a first time, a first gear ratio (detected gear ratio Rd) that is the gear ratio of a transmission section that is the whole or part of the power transmission path including the switching transmission; comparing the acquired first gear ratio with n reference values ​​(preset gear ratios Ri) set within a range of gear ratios that the n gear positions can take; and estimating that the gear position of the switching transmission is m when the first gear ratio matches the smallest m-th reference value (m is a natural number of 1 or more and n or less) of the n reference values; A gear position estimation program that causes a processor (CPU 40a) to execute the above.

[0138] According to (11), it is possible to estimate at any time which gear position the user has selected in the transmission changeover device. Also, even in a vehicle that does not have a shift indicator function, the shift indicator function can be easily provided as a retrofit.

[0139] (12) A storage medium (ROM 40c) storing the gear position estimation program described in (11).

[0140] According to (12), the gear position estimation program according to (11) can be executed by a processor mounted on the vehicle.

[0141] (13) A gear estimating device (controller 40) for estimating a gear of a switching transmission (switching transmission 30) of a vehicle (electrically assisted bicycle 10) having a power source (motor M), and the switching transmission is provided in a power transmission path between the power source and a wheel (rear wheel 78) and is capable of switching between n gears (n is a natural number of 2 or more), the device comprising: an acquisition unit (gear ratio acquisition unit 402) that acquires, at a first time, a first gear ratio (detected gear ratio Rd) that is the gear ratio of a transmission section that is the whole or part of the power transmission path including the switching transmission; and a comparison unit (controller 40) that compares the first gear ratio acquired by the acquisition unit with n reference values ​​(preset gear ratios Ri) that are set within a range of gear ratios that the n gears can take, an estimation unit (gear stage estimation unit 403) that estimates the gear stage of the switching transmission device to be the mth gear when it is determined that the first gear ratio matches the mth smallest reference value (m is a natural number greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to n) among the n reference values.

[0142] According to (13), it is possible to estimate at any time which gear position of the shifting transmission device the user has selected. Furthermore, even for vehicles that do not have a shift indicator function, the shift indicator function can be easily provided as a retrofit. The gear position estimation device may be an on-board computer or a computer on a remote server. When the gear position estimation device is a computer on a remote server, the acquisition unit corresponds to a receiving unit that acquires gear ratio data sent from the vehicle.

[0143] This application is based on a Japanese patent application (Patent Application No. 2022-111449) filed on July 11, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0144] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Electrically assisted bicycle (vehicle, electrically assisted bicycle) 30 Gear changeover device 40 Control device (gear stage estimation device) 40a CPU (processor) 40c ROM (storage medium) 402 Gear ratio acquisition unit (acquisition unit) 403 Gear stage estimation unit (estimation unit) 78 Rear wheel (wheel) 79 Crank pedal (power source) M Motor (power source) Rd Detected gear ratio (first gear ratio) Rd Detected gear ratio (second gear ratio) Rd Detected gear ratio (third gear ratio) Ri Preset gear ratio (reference value) Tq Pedal torque value (input value) V Vehicle speed (vehicle travel distance per unit time)

Claims

1. Power source and A changeover transmission device is provided in the power transmission path between the power source and the wheel, and is capable of switching between n gear stages (where n is a natural number of 2 or more). A method for estimating the gear shift of a vehicle having the gear shifting device, The first step is to obtain a first gear ratio, which is the gear ratio of the transmission section that is the whole or a part of the power transmission path including the gear changer, The n reference values ​​set within the range of gear ratios that the n gears can take are compared with the obtained first gear ratio. The step of estimating the gear shift of the gear changer to the mth gear when the first gear ratio matches the mth smallest of the n reference values ​​(where m is a natural number between 1 and n), A method for estimating the gear position, including the gear position.

2. A method for estimating the gear position according to claim 1, The steps include obtaining a second gear ratio, which is the gear ratio of the transmission section, at a second time that occurs after the first time, The n reference values ​​are compared with the obtained second gear ratio. The step of estimating the gear stage as the p-th gear when the second gear ratio matches the p-th smallest of the n reference values ​​(where p is a natural number between 1 and n), A step of estimating the gear shift of the gear changer to the m gear or the p gear based on the m gear estimated in the first time and the p gear estimated in the second time, A method for estimating the gear position, further including the above.

3. A method for estimating the gear position according to claim 2, The steps include obtaining a third gear ratio, which is the gear ratio of the transmission section, in a third time period that is after the second time period, The n reference values ​​are compared with the obtained third gear ratio. The step of estimating the gear stage as the qth gear when the third gear ratio matches the q-th smallest of the n reference values ​​(where q is a natural number between 1 and n), Based on the m stage estimated in the first time, the p stage estimated in the second time, and the q stage estimated in the third time, The steps include: estimating the gear shift of the gear changer to the gear shift of the gear changer, which of the m, p, and q gears appears most frequently; A method for estimating the gear position, further including the above.

4. A method for estimating the gear position according to claim 3, If there is no instance with the highest number of occurrences, the step of estimating the gear shift of the gear changer to the gear shift that was previously estimated as the gear shift of the gear changer, A method for estimating the gear position, further including the above.

5. A method for estimating the gear position according to claim 1, In the fourth hour, if multiple estimations of the gear position have been made during a predetermined period prior to the fourth hour, A step of estimating the gear shift of the gear changer as the gear shift that appears most frequently, A method for estimating the gear position, further including the above.

6. A method for estimating the gear position according to any one of claims 1 to 5, When comparing the first gear ratio with the n reference values, If the first gear ratio is smaller than the reference value of the smallest gear among the n reference values, or larger than the reference value of the largest gear among the n reference values, The further step includes performing at least one of (i) to (iii), (i) Determining abnormalities in the power transmission path (ii) Generate information to suppress or prohibit driving using the power transmission path. (iii) Generate information to be notified to at least one of the occupants of the vehicle, the manufacturer of the vehicle, the manager of the vehicle, the authorizer of the vehicle, or the enforcer of the vehicle. A method for estimating the gear position.

7. A method for estimating the gear position according to any one of claims 1 to 5, When comparing the first gear ratio with the n reference values, If the first gear ratio is greater than the reference value of the largest gear among the n reference values, the step of estimating the gear to be n+1 gears, A method for estimating the gear position, further including the above.

8. A method for estimating the gear position according to any one of claims 1 to 5, When comparing the first gear ratio with the n reference values, If the gear ratio for the transmission section cannot be obtained, or if the gear position cannot be estimated, the step of estimating the gear position as 0th gear, A method for estimating the gear position, further including the above.

9. A method for estimating the gear position according to any one of claims 1 to 5, When, in the fifth hour after the first hour, the distance traveled by the vehicle per unit time falls below a predetermined threshold, Steps to estimate the gear position as the initial value, A method for estimating the gear position, further including the above.

10. A method for estimating the gear position according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The aforementioned power source includes an electric motor and a pedal force input unit. The gear shift estimation method is a method for estimating a gear shift, wherein the vehicle is an electric assist bicycle capable of generating assisting force from the electric motor based on an input value applied by the user to the pedal force input unit and the distance traveled by the vehicle per unit time.

11. Power source and A changeover transmission device is provided in the power transmission path between the power source and the wheel, and is capable of switching between n gear stages (where n is a natural number of 2 or more). A gear shift estimation program for estimating the gear shift of the gear changer of a vehicle having the following: In the first hour, a process is performed to acquire a first gear ratio, which is the gear ratio of the transmission section that is the whole or a part of the power transmission path including the gear changer. The n reference values ​​set within the range of gear ratios that the n gears can take are compared with the obtained first gear ratio. A process to estimate the gear position of the gear changer to the mth gear when the first gear ratio matches the mth smallest of the n reference values ​​(where m is a natural number between 1 and n), A gear shift estimation program that instructs the processor to execute.

12. A storage medium storing the gear shift estimation program described in claim 11.

13. Power source and A changeover transmission device is provided in the power transmission path between the power source and the wheel, and is capable of switching between n gear stages (where n is a natural number of 2 or more). A gear shift estimation device for estimating the gear shift of the gear changer of a vehicle having the following: An acquisition unit acquires a first gear ratio, which is the gear ratio of the transmission section that is the whole or a part of the power transmission path including the gear changer, in the first hour. The n reference values ​​set within the range of gear ratios that the n gears can take are compared with the first gear ratio acquired by the acquisition unit. An estimation unit that estimates the gear shift of the gear shifting device to be the mth gear when the first gear ratio matches the mth smallest of the n reference values ​​(where m is a natural number between 1 and n), A gear shift estimation device equipped with the following features.