Fishing reel

Abstract

Provided is a fishing reel in which a battery and a control unit can be disposed without increasing the size of the entire device. A fishing reel according to one embodiment of the present invention can be attached to a fishing rod, and includes: a spool capable of winding a fishing line; a rotor that is capable of rotating around the spool and that includes a guide part for guiding the fishing line to the spool; a drive gear that drives a pinion gear provided on the rotor; a reel state detection part that detects a state of the fishing reel; a control unit that includes a calculation part for processing signals from the reel state detection part; and a battery capable of supplying power to at least one of the control unit and the reel state detection part. At least one of the battery and the control unit is disposed so as to at least partially overlap with a projection surface in a rotation axis direction of the drive gear.

Description

Fishing reels

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-032162 (filed March 4, 2024), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The present invention relates to a fishing reel.

[0002] Fishing reels have been known that have detection means for detecting various device conditions, such as the reeling speed of the fishing line, the tension of the fishing line, etc. With such fishing reels, it is possible to more accurately calculate information such as the casting distance of the fishing line (the length of the released fishing line) when fishing, and to notify the angler of this information.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a fishing reel that includes a reel body having a handle that can rotate around the handle axis, and a sensor unit attached to the reel body, the sensor unit including a unit body that is arranged coaxially with the handle axis, a behavior sensor that is arranged within the unit body and detects the behavior of the reel body when in use, and a communication unit that is arranged within the unit body and transmits behavior data based on the behavior detected by the behavior sensor to an external device.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-132498

[0005] Generally, a control unit having a power source such as a battery and an electrical circuit is required to drive the detecting means for determining the state of the fishing reel and the calculating means (microcomputer) for calculating, storing, and outputting the detection results. Furthermore, since fishing reels are usually used near water, these electrical circuits must be waterproofed. Furthermore, the volume of the battery required to drive these electrical circuits during actual fishing requires a significant amount of battery power compared to the overall size of the fishing reel, which results in problems such as poor portability and operability during use of the fishing reel.

[0006] However, in any fishing reel, including the fishing reel disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is practically difficult to avoid increasing the size of the entire device while realizing a waterproof structure due to the layout of the battery and control unit, and this has not been realized.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a fishing reel in which a battery and a control unit can be installed without increasing the size of the entire device. Other objects of the present invention will become apparent by reading the entire specification.

[0008] A fishing reel according to one embodiment of the present invention is a fishing reel that can be attached to a fishing rod and includes a spool onto which fishing line can be wound, a rotor that has a guide portion that guides the fishing line onto the spool and that can rotate around the spool, a drive gear that drives a pinion gear provided on the rotor, a reel state detection portion that detects the state of the fishing reel, a control unit that has an arithmetic portion that processes signals from the reel state detection portion, and a power supply portion that can supply power to at least either the control unit or the reel state detection portion, or a power connection portion that can supply power from an external source, wherein at least one of the battery and the control unit is positioned so as to at least partially overlap with a projection plane in the direction of the rotational axis of the drive gear.

[0009] In a fishing reel according to one embodiment of the present invention, the battery is a rechargeable secondary battery.

[0010] In a fishing reel according to one embodiment of the present invention, the battery has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped or cylindrical shape, and the longitudinal direction of the battery is substantially parallel to the direction of the spool axis of the spool.

[0011] In a fishing reel according to one embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the battery and the control unit is disposed closer to the fishing rod than the rotational shaft of the drive gear, and the rotational shaft of the drive gear is disposed closer to the fishing rod than the spool shaft of the spool.

[0012] According to the above embodiment, it is possible to provide a fishing reel in which a battery and a control unit can be disposed without increasing the size of the entire device.

[0013] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, taken along a plane that passes through the spool shaft and is perpendicular to the handle shaft. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, taken along a plane that passes through the handle shaft and is perpendicular to the spool shaft. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the component configuration of a main body portion of a fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the component configuration of a main body portion of a fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of electrical components of a fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of a battery of a fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of a battery of a fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a fishing reel 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an assembled fishing reel 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention, taken along a plane that passes through the handle shaft and is perpendicular to the spool shaft.

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a fishing reel according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Components common to multiple drawings are designated by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings. Please note that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale for ease of explanation.

[0015] A fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, taken along a plane that passes through the spool shaft and is perpendicular to the handle shaft. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, taken along a plane that passes through the handle shaft and is perpendicular to the spool shaft. Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the component configuration of the main body of the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the component configuration of the main body of the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention is a spinning reel and has the following structure. The spool 110 in the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention is formed in a generally cylindrical shape and is configured so that fishing line can be wound around its outer periphery. The spool 110 is journaled on a main shaft 151. The spool 110 may be configured to be supported on the main shaft 151 via a drag device 111. As a result, when a torque greater than a predetermined value is applied to the spool 110, the spool 110 rotates relative to the main shaft 151, thereby preventing excessive tension from being applied to the fishing line, and as a result, it becomes possible to prevent the fishing line from breaking.

[0016] The rotor 120 is rotatably supported on the reel body 160, with the central axis of the spool 110 as its axis of rotation. A line guide 121 is provided at the tip (front end) of the rotor 120, and this line guide 121 rotates around (around) the spool 110 while guiding the fishing line, thereby winding the fishing line onto the spool 110. The line guide 110 is supported on the rotor body via a bail arm 122, and can be switched between an open and closed state by operating the bail arm 122. In the open state, the fishing line cannot be guided but can be released, and in the closed state, the fishing line can be guided (can be wound onto the spool) but cannot be released.

[0017] A user (operator) can rotate the handle 140 relative to the reel body 160 to rotate the rotor 120 and wind the fishing line onto the spool 110. The handle 140 can be attached to the reel body 160 integrally with the drive gear 141. The rotational motion of the drive gear 141 is multiplied at a predetermined speed-up ratio and transmitted to the rotor 120 via the pinion gear 130. The pinion gear 130 can be restricted to rotate only in the direction of winding (winding) the fishing line by a one-way clutch 131, a ratchet, or the like. In many cases, the rotational axis of the drive gear 141 and the rotational axis of the pinion gear 130 are in a non-intersecting gear relationship (not parallel, not intersecting). In this specification, the rotational axis of the drive gear will be referred to as the "handle axis" and the rotational axis of the pinion gear will be referred to as the "spool axis."

[0018] The fishing reel 100 may be configured with an oscillation mechanism. This allows the spool 110 to reciprocate in the spool axial direction in response to handle operation, thereby uniformly winding (reeling in) the fishing line in the spool axial direction. While various mechanisms can be used for the oscillation mechanism, this specification will describe an example in which a mechanism known as a cam system is used. Specifically, the main shaft 151 that supports the spool 110 is supported by the inner diameter portion of the pinion gear 130 and an oscillating post 154 so that it can move linearly in the spool axial direction. An oscillator cam 152 attached to the main shaft 151 is guided by a follower pin provided on an oscillating gear 153 that receives rotation from the handle shaft, causing the main shaft 151 to move linearly in response to rotation of the handle 140.

[0019] The frame that constitutes the reel body 160 supports the various movable parts described above. The reel body 160 can be attached to the fishing rod by a reel seat portion 161. Hereinafter, it will be described as the frame 160 as necessary. The drive gear 141 is rotatably supported on both sides by bearings 142 and is housed inside the reel by being sandwiched between a side plate 162 and the frame 160 in the handle axial direction. The pinion gear 130 is assembled in the spool axial direction from the front of the fishing reel 100 and housed inside the fishing reel 100 by being sandwiched between a front cap 163. The main shaft 151 is assembled in the spool axial direction from the rear of the fishing reel 100 and housed inside the fishing reel 100 by being sandwiched between a rear cap 164.

[0020] Next, with reference to FIG. 5 , the electrical components and their layout of the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in the figure, the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a reel status detection unit 181 for detecting the operations performed by the user (operator) on the fishing reel 100 and the status of the fishing reel 100. The detected information is transmitted to a calculation unit (calculation means) provided in the control unit 170, where it undergoes signal processing such as filtering and calculations such as integration, differentiation, and unit conversion as necessary. The detected information is then stored in a recording unit (recording means), or transmitted to an external device such as a mobile phone or PC via wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or wired communication via a USB terminal. Alternatively, the detection results may be communicated to the user (operator) via an output unit (output means) such as an LCD, LED, or buzzer. An output section (output means) such as an LCD, LED, or buzzer may be provided inside the fishing reel 100, or may be provided in an external device such as a fishing rod, a mobile phone, or a wearable device.

[0021] Next, the reel state detection unit 181 in the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. In the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the reel state detection unit 181 includes a rotor rotation detection unit 182, a spool rotation detection unit 183, a bail flip detection unit 184, a spool torque detection unit 185, and a motion detection unit 186, but the fishing reel 100 may be configured to include other reel state detection units, or may be configured to include some of these detection units. As other reel state detection units, various sensors may be used, such as an environmental sensor that detects the temperature, pressure, geomagnetism, etc., of the environment surrounding the fishing reel 100.

[0022] The rotor rotation detection unit 182 detects the rotational movement of the rotor 120 relative to the reel body 160. This allows the speed at which the user (operator) reels in (winds in) the fishing line and the cumulative amount of reeled (wound) fishing line to be calculated. In the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the rotational movement of the rotor 120 is detected by a detection unit (detection means) provided in the reel body 160 detecting a detection target portion provided in the rotor 120. A reflective photointerrupter can be used as the detection unit (detection means). The opposing portion of the reflective photointerrupter can be divided into n angular sections and painted alternately in black and white to form the detection target portion. The configuration of the rotor rotation detection unit 182 is not limited to this example, and other means, such as a magnetic detection unit, can be used.

[0023] The spool rotation detection unit 183 detects the rotational movement of the spool 110 relative to the reel body 160. This allows the drag device 111 or the like to detect the speed at which the spool 110 rotates relative to the reel body 160 and the cumulative amount of released fishing line. The fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention is provided with a spool rotation detection target 112 that rotates relative to the rotor 120 along with the rotation of the spool 110. A detection magnet is provided in the spool rotation detection target 112, and the rotation is detected by the spool rotation detection unit 183, which is composed of a magnetic sensor. The spool rotation detection target 112 is journaled by the rotor nut 124 that secures the rotor 110, making it immobile in the spool axial direction. This allows the spool rotation detection unit 183 to stably detect the spool 110 even when the spool 110 reciprocates in the spool axial direction due to the oscillator mechanism.

[0024] The bail flip detection unit 184 detects whether the bail arm 122 is in the open or closed position. In the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the bail flip detection target 123 moves in the spool axial direction in response to the opening or closing operation of the bail arm 122, and its position is detected by the bail flip detection unit 184. The bail flip detection target 123 is supported by the rotor 120 so as to be able to move linearly in the spool axial direction, and is configured to move in response to the operation of the bail arm 122 by a movement direction conversion mechanism such as a gear or cam. By painting the inner diameter portion in light and dark in the spool axial direction, the open / closed state of the bail arm 122 can be detected by a reflective photointerrupter provided in the reel body 160.

[0025] The spool torque detection unit 185 can detect the torque generated on the spool 110 due to the tension acting on the fishing line. In the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the torsional torque acting on the main shaft 151 is detected. By using a portion of the oscillator cam 152 as a cantilever-shaped strain body and attaching a strain gauge to that portion, the torque acting on the spool 110 can be detected.

[0026] The motion detection unit 186 can detect at least one of the acceleration, angular velocity, and attitude of the fishing reel 100. The translational acceleration of the fishing reel 100 can be realized by using an acceleration sensor that uses a piezo-resistance method or a capacitance detection method. The angular velocity of the fishing reel 100 can be realized by using a gyro sensor that detects the frequency change of a vibrating piezoelectric element. The orientation, acceleration, and angular velocity can be detected by using a sensor called a 9-axis motion sensor that detects the orientation, acceleration, and angular velocity of each of three orthogonal axes. The orientation of the reel and the user's operation can be obtained by calculating these detection results.

[0027] The various detection units in the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and other methods may be used. The signal detected by the reel state detection unit 181 is transmitted to the control unit 170, where it is processed, stored, communicated, etc. Power to the reel state detection unit 181 is supplied from the battery 180.

[0028] Here, a rechargeable secondary battery is preferably used as the power source for supplying power. This eliminates the need to replace the battery when the power runs out, eliminating the need for a mechanism such as a battery cover to allow the user (operator) to frequently replace the battery, and increasing the flexibility of battery placement. In the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, an output terminal 173 such as a USB (registered trademark) can be provided on the rear cap 164, allowing for external power supply for charging and wired communication of information stored in the control unit 170 to the outside.

[0029] To avoid battery failure during actual fishing, the battery 180 requires a certain amount of power, and the battery 180 requires a certain volume to ensure this power. The battery 180 is preferably roughly rectangular or cylindrical in shape to ensure the necessary power while avoiding an increase in the size of the fishing reel and to allow for the use of a battery in general. In the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, in order to arrange the battery without dead space, it is desirable for the battery to be an elongated rectangular or cylindrical shape with one side at least twice as long as the other sides. By roughly aligning the longitudinal direction of such a battery with the spool axial direction, it is possible to arrange the battery with minimal dead space while avoiding an increase in the size of the fishing reel. Here, the longitudinal direction of the battery refers to the direction of the longest side if the battery is roughly rectangular. If the battery is cylindrical and the height direction is at least twice as long as the diameter direction, the longitudinal direction is the height direction of the cylinder. Furthermore, if the battery is flat and disc-shaped and the diameter direction is longer than the height direction, the longitudinal direction is the diameter direction of the shape.

[0030] Some or all of the electrical components required for functions such as calculation, storage, and communication are arranged on a printed circuit board, constituting the control unit 170 of the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. These electrical components are powered by a battery 180. The control unit 170 may be configured to have a function for charging the battery 180 as needed, or a function for controlling power such as voltage. Furthermore, the electrical components required for the reel state detection unit 180 often need to be arranged in specific locations on the fishing reel.

[0031] In the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the rotor rotation detection unit 182, spool rotation detection unit 183, and bail flip detection unit 184 need to be located on the reel body 160 in positions facing the rotor 110. Furthermore, the spool torque detection unit 185 needs to be located on the oscillator cam 152. Therefore, these detection units and the control unit 170 are electrically connected to the control unit 170 via a first cable 171 and a second cable 172. The first cable 171 and the second cable 172 are made of a flexible cable (FCP), a lead wire, or the like, and can transmit and receive power and electrical signals between the reel state detection unit 180 and the control unit 170. In the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, components required for the charging voltage management function, calculation function, communication function, data storage function, output function, and motion detection function, excluding the above functions, are located on the control unit 170. In the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the first cable 171 and the second cable 172 are configured as flexible cables and are arranged so as to be attached to the surface inside the frame 160, thereby making it possible to electrically connect the reel state detection section 180 and the control unit 170 without interfering with the movement of the oscillation mechanism, etc.

[0032] A printed circuit board is usually constructed on a flat surface to reduce costs, but electrical components such as a CPU, sensors, and resistors are arranged on both sides. Therefore, a certain amount of area must be secured to realize each of the above functions. In the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the projected shapes of the control unit and the battery in the handle axis direction are roughly the same, and the battery and control unit are arranged so that they overlap in the handle axis direction, thereby reducing the occurrence of dead space and preventing the fishing reel from becoming larger.

[0033] Furthermore, since sliding friction between movable parts such as the handle needs to be prevented in order to improve operability, it is difficult to seal the entire fishing reel 100 with packing or the like. On the other hand, fishing reels 100 are often used near water, and waterproofing measures are required for the control unit 170 and the battery 180. In the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, this is achieved by providing a watertight structure for the space housing the control unit 170 and the battery 180. The watertight structure is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped space provided inside the fishing reel 100. Five of the six faces constituting the rectangular parallelepiped are provided on the frame 160, and the remaining face is provided on the rear cap 164. This allows electrical components such as the control unit 170 and the battery 180 to be housed inside the watertight structure, and then the rear cap 164 is closed, allowing the components to be effectively positioned within the sealed space. At this time, a sealed state can be achieved by placing a waterproofing material such as packing, adhesive, or double-sided tape between the rear cap 164 and the frame 160. In this way, by providing an independent watertight structure within the structure of the fishing reel 100, there is no need to waterproof the control unit 170 or the battery 180 themselves. Even if a rechargeable secondary battery is used as the battery 180, repeated charging may result in the battery's life being exhausted, but even in such cases, the battery can be replaced.

[0034] In this case, since the reel state detection unit 181 is disposed outside the watertight structure, it is necessary to provide appropriate waterproofing treatment to the electrical contact points. Possible waterproofing methods include solidifying the electrical contact points with a resin solution such as a hot melt adhesive or a UV curing agent. In this case, the first cable 171 and the second cable 172 connecting the reel state detection unit 181 and the control unit 170 connect the inside and outside of the watertight structure. To maintain the watertightness of the watertight structure, it is advisable to seal the penetration points of these cables with packing, adhesive, or the like.

[0035] On the other hand, it is also possible to waterproof the control unit 170, battery 180, reel status detection unit 181, etc. without providing a watertight structure inside the fishing reel 100. In this case, the control unit 170, battery 180, reel status detection unit 181, etc. are electrically connected, and then waterproofed by hardening them with a resin solution such as a hot melt adhesive or UV curing agent. This allows electrical functions to operate normally even if water penetrates the fishing reel 100. In this case, walls for forming a watertight structure are not required, which can help reduce the overall device size. However, this may restrict the assembly order and complicate battery replacement.

[0036] Next, the details of the arrangement and effects of the control unit 170 and the battery 180 in the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6(a) is a cross-sectional view similar to Figure 1, and Figure 6(b) is a cross-sectional view similar to Figure 2. In Figures 6(a) and 6(b), area A is a space where a user (operator) can place their hand and fingers to grip the fishing reel, area B is a movable area of ​​the main shaft 151 and the drive gear 141, and area C is a movable area of ​​the rotor 120. In the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, at least a portion of the battery 180 and the control unit 170 is arranged in the battery area surrounded by areas A, B, and C.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 6( a), in the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the battery 180 is positioned such that its longitudinal direction is aligned with the spool axis, with a portion of the battery 180 facing the drive gear 141. The battery 180 and control unit 170 are positioned on the opposite side of the main shaft 151 from the handle shaft. In other words, in FIG. 6( a), the battery 180, handle shaft, and main shaft 151 are aligned in this order from top to bottom. The battery 180 is positioned near the oscillator cam 152, but because the main shaft 151 and oscillator cam 152 move in the spool axis direction, aligning the longitudinal direction of the battery 180 parallel to this direction minimizes the occurrence of dead space. Furthermore, the battery 180 can be configured not to interfere with the movement of the main shaft 151 caused by the oscillation mechanism.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 6B , the battery 180 and the control unit 170 are disposed in an area surrounded by the movable area of ​​the face gear, the surface holding the bearing that supports the handle shaft, and the space for the user (operator) to grip the fishing reel. The space in which the battery 180 and the control unit 170 are disposed is necessary for supporting the entire fishing reel 100, and is therefore a necessary structural part even in fishing reels that do not have the battery 180 or the control unit 170. Furthermore, the outer shell of the space that holds the battery 180 and the control unit 170 can be used as a structural material that supports the entire fishing reel 100. Therefore, even if the battery 180 and the control unit 170 are disposed in this area, the fishing reel 100 is unlikely to become larger overall.

[0039] That is, the battery 180 and the control unit 170 cannot be placed in areas A, B, and C, but by placing them as in the fishing reel 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to ensure the volume of the battery 180 and the control unit 170 while avoiding the fishing reel 100 from becoming larger overall.

[0040] Furthermore, by arranging them in this manner, the battery 180 and the control unit 170 can be located close to the grip portion of the fishing reel 100. As a result, the weight increase due to the battery 180 and the control unit 170 is located near the grip portion of the fishing reel, which reduces the moment of inertia when swinging the fishing rod or fishing reel, resulting in a fishing reel with good operability. Also, since the electrical components can be located in a space separate from the gear drive parts such as the drive gear and pinion gear, the effects of splashing lubricants such as oil and grease can be avoided.

[0041] A fishing reel according to one embodiment of the present invention is a fishing reel that can be attached to a fishing rod and includes a spool for winding fishing line, a rotor that has a guide portion for guiding the fishing line onto the spool and that rotates around the spool, a drive gear that drives a pinion gear attached to the rotor, a reel state detector that detects the state of the fishing reel, a control unit having a calculation portion that processes signals from the reel state detector, and a power supply portion or an external power connection portion that can supply power to at least one of the control unit and the reel state detector, wherein at least one of the battery and the control unit is positioned so as to at least partially overlap with a projection plane of the drive gear in the direction of the rotation axis. In this way, it is possible to provide a fishing reel that allows the placement of a battery and a control unit without increasing the overall size of the device. Here, the power supply portion can be, for example, a battery, but is not limited to this. Although the present specification has been described based on an embodiment in which the battery is located inside the fishing reel, power may be supplied to the control unit and the fishing reel state detection unit from a power source located outside the fishing reel. In this case, for example, by using a power connector that can supply power from a battery located inside the fishing rod as the power connection unit and providing it on the fishing reel, power can be supplied from a battery located outside the fishing reel to the control unit. This allows the volume of the control unit to be secured while avoiding an increase in the size of the entire fishing reel.

[0042] In a fishing reel according to one embodiment of the present invention, the battery is a rechargeable secondary battery.

[0043] In a fishing reel according to one embodiment of the present invention, the battery has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped or cylindrical shape, and the longitudinal direction of the battery is substantially parallel to the direction of the spool axis of the spool.

[0044] In a fishing reel according to one embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the battery and the control unit is positioned closer to the fishing rod than the rotation shaft of the drive gear, and the rotation shaft of the drive gear is positioned closer to the fishing rod than the spool shaft of the spool.

[0045] Next, a fishing reel 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 shows an exploded perspective view of the fishing reel 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the fishing reel 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention after assembly, taken along a plane that passes through the handle shaft and is perpendicular to the spool shaft. Note that the same members and parts as those in the previously described embodiment will be assigned the same numbers and will not be described again.

[0046] 7 and 8 , in a fishing reel 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped space that opens in the handle axis direction is provided in the frame 260. After assembling the control unit 170 and battery 180 in this space from the handle axis direction, a set plate 266 is attached to the frame 260 from the handle axis direction to house the control unit 170 and battery 180 inside the fishing reel 200. The set plate 266 can be secured to the frame 260 by fastening it together with a bearing cover 266 that holds the bearing 142 to the frame 260. At this time, a waterproofing material such as packing or adhesive can be sandwiched between the frame 260 and the set plate 266 to form a watertight structure within this space.

[0047] Like the fishing reel 200 according to the other embodiments of the present invention, by configuring the control unit 170 and the battery 180 so that they can be assembled from the handle axis direction, electrical components can be assembled independently of mechanical components, which provides technical advantages such as increased flexibility in the assembly sequence, improved assembly efficiency, and easier realization of a watertight structure. Furthermore, the increased flexibility in the placement of the battery 180 can be expected to provide technical advantages such as making it easier to secure battery capacity while avoiding an increase in the size of the entire device.

[0048] The dimensions, materials, and arrangement of each component described in this specification are not limited to those explicitly described in the embodiments, and each component can be modified to have any dimensions, materials, and arrangement that can be included in the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, components not explicitly described in this specification can be added to the described embodiments, and some of the components described in each embodiment can be omitted.

[0049] 110 Spool 111 Drag device 112 Spool rotation detection part 120 Rotor 121 Line guide (guiding part) 122 Bail arm 123 Bail reversal detection part 124 Rotor nut 130 Pinion gear 131 One-way clutch 140 Handle 141 Drive gear 142 Bearing 151 Main shaft 152 Oscillator cam 153 Oscillating gear 154 Oscillating post 160 Reel body (frame) 161 Reel seat part 162 Side plate 163 Front cap 164 Rear cap 170 Control unit 171 First cable 172 Second cable 173 External terminal 180 Battery 181 Reel state detection part 182 Rotor rotation detection part 183 Spool rotation detection part 184 Bail reversal detection unit 185 Spool torque detection unit

Claims

1. A fishing reel attachable to a fishing rod comprising: a spool onto which fishing line can be wound; a rotor rotatable around the spool and having a guide section for guiding the fishing line onto the spool; a drive gear for driving a pinion gear provided on the rotor; a reel state detection section for detecting the state of the fishing reel; a control unit having an arithmetic section for processing signals from the reel state detection section; and a power supply section or a power connection section for supplying power from an external source to at least either the control unit or the reel state detection section, wherein at least one of the battery and the control unit is positioned so as to overlap at least a portion of a projection plane in the direction of the rotation axis of the drive gear.

2. The fishing reel according to claim 1, wherein the battery is a rechargeable secondary battery.

3. A fishing reel as set forth in claim 1, wherein the battery has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped or cylindrical shape, and the longitudinal direction of the battery is substantially parallel to the direction of the spool axis of the spool.

4. The fishing reel according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the battery and the control unit is disposed closer to the fishing rod than the rotational axis of the drive gear, and the rotational axis of the drive gear is disposed closer to the fishing rod than the spool axis of the spool.

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