Derailleur Position Setting via External Mobile Device Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing electronic derailleur systems for bicycles lack scalability and flexibility in gear position settings, as they rely on pre-programmed position tables that cannot be easily updated and occupy valuable computing resources in the microcontroller, limiting user convenience and computing power.
Innovation Solution
A derailleur position setting system and method that stores position tables or functions in an external mobile device, allowing users to easily update parameters and reducing the computational load on the microcontroller by only sending encoded values, thereby enhancing scalability and reducing power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If position tables are stored in the derailleur's microcontroller, then the derailleur can recognize gear positions, but the computing resources of the microcontroller are occupied and the system lacks flexibility for updates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the position table storage function from the derailleur's microcontroller and relocates it to an external mobile device. The microcontroller only retains the function of sending and receiving encoded position values, while the computationally intensive tasks of storing multiple position tables and performing calculations are moved to the mobile device, thereby reducing the microcontroller's computational burden and freeing up its resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a mobile device as an intermediary between the user and the derailleur system. This intermediary handles the storage of position tables, receives encoded position values from the microcontroller, performs the necessary calculations, and sends back control instructions. This mediator approach allows the system to benefit from the mobile device's greater computational capabilities while keeping the derailleur's microcontroller simple and resource-efficient.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple position tables are pre-programmed in the derailleur, then various gear settings can be covered, but the data cannot be adjusted and updating is inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static, pre-programmed position tables into dynamic, updatable data stored in a mobile device. Instead of fixed data that cannot be changed, the system allows users to add, modify, or update position tables through the mobile device's interface. This dynamic approach enables the system to adapt to different gear configurations and user preferences while maintaining ease of operation through user-friendly update mechanisms.
3Speed
If the microcontroller calculates position tables locally, then real-time gear positioning is achieved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the power-intensive calculation operations from the microcontroller and relocates them to the mobile device. The microcontroller's role is reduced to sending encoded position values and receiving control instructions, eliminating the need for it to perform complex calculations. This extraction of computational tasks significantly reduces the microcontroller's power consumption while maintaining real-time positioning capabilities through the mobile device's processing power.
Data Source
AI summary
A derailleur position setting method is adaptable to a bicycle. The method comprises sending an adjustment instruction to a driver by the controller, setting the derailleur to a gear position according to the adjustment instruction by the driver, sending an encoded value corresponding to the gear position to a mobile device by the controller, and sending a position table to the controller according to the encoded value by the mobile device, wherein the position table comprises a plurality of position parameters, each position parameter indicates a designated gear position to which the derailleur is allowable to be set.