JP6408787B2 - Vehicle speed information recording device for bicycles - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle speed information recording apparatus that detects and records bicycle speed information.

In recent years, an increasing number of people who refrain from using cars and use bicycles due to carbon dioxide emission problems that can cause global warming and increased health awareness. On the other hand, accidents caused by bicycles have begun to stand out, and the scale has gradually increased.
Bicycle accidents are mainly caused by unconfirmed safety, non-compliance with traffic rules such as temporary stoppages and neglect of traffic lights.In addition to this, too much speed can lead to a large-scale accident. It is a cause. Therefore, it is very important to know the speed of the bicycle when the accident occurs in the verification after the accident.

  A vehicle speed sensor for detecting the speed of a bicycle has been widely used in general. For example, a conventional vehicle speed sensor includes a magnet attached to a spoke of a wheel, a magnetic sensor attached to a front fork, and a display unit attached to the vicinity of a handle, etc., and the magnetic sensor detects a magnet per unit time. There is a technique that obtains the speed of a bicycle from the number of times (that is, the number of revolutions) and displays the speed on a display unit (see Patent Document 1 below).

JP 2008-55930 A

  Although a conventional speed sensor can detect the speed of a running bicycle, the speed of the bicycle when the above-mentioned accident occurs cannot be grasped afterwards. In addition, a battery is required to supply power to the magnetic sensor, and the user himself / herself must manage the remaining amount of the battery. Therefore, the management tends to be insufficient, and the battery runs out when necessary. It is possible that the speed sensor is not functioning.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and provides a vehicle speed information recording device for a bicycle capable of grasping the speed of the bicycle afterwards when an accident or the like occurs. Objective.

(1) A vehicle speed information recording apparatus for a bicycle according to the present invention includes:
A generator that generates AC power by rotating the wheel of the bicycle;
A shaping unit that operates by power supplied from the generator, shapes and outputs a voltage signal output by the generator, and
A storage unit in which vehicle speed information including an output signal of the shaping unit is recorded by electric power supplied from the generator;
It is characterized by having.

In the vehicle speed information recording device having the above configuration, the shaping unit shapes and outputs the voltage signal output from the generator, and the vehicle speed information including the output signal is recorded in the storage unit. The vehicle speed can be ascertained afterwards from the vehicle speed information recorded in the storage unit. Also, since the operation of the shaping unit and the recording of the vehicle speed information to the storage unit are performed by the power of the generator, it is not necessary to provide a separate battery for these operations, and the vehicle speed information necessary for running out of the battery is recorded. It is possible to avoid the inconvenience of not being performed. That is, the vehicle speed information recording device of the present invention is used for operating the shaping unit and the storage unit, and for obtaining the vehicle speed information from the voltage signal, while the electric power generated by the generator is used. By using one generator for two purposes, the structure can be simplified as compared with a case where a generator (signal generator) is provided separately.
The “vehicle speed information” in the present invention refers to information related to the vehicle speed such as the output signal of the shaping unit that can be used to determine the vehicle speed of the bicycle and the information of the vehicle speed itself determined from the output signal.

(2) It is preferable that the vehicle speed information recording apparatus further includes a control unit that controls whether or not the vehicle speed information can be recorded in the storage unit.

(3) Moreover, when the deceleration of the bicycle calculated | required from the output signal of the said shaping part is more than predetermined, it is preferable that the said control part interrupts the recording of the said vehicle speed information after it.
When a bicycle accident occurs, the bicycle usually stops with rapid deceleration. Therefore, when the deceleration (negative acceleration) of the bicycle is large enough to estimate that an accident has occurred, the vehicle speed information at the time of the accident is finalized by interrupting the subsequent recording of the vehicle speed information. Data can be stored in the storage unit.

(4) In the configuration of (3) above, when the control unit stops the recording of the vehicle speed information, a new speed is obtained when the bicycle speed obtained from the output signal of the shaping unit becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined value. It is preferable to allow recording of vehicle speed information.
When the bicycle is simply stopped suddenly instead of a bicycle accident, the control unit estimates that this is an accident and interrupts the recording of the vehicle speed information. However, since this is not caused by an accident, if the recording is interrupted, the vehicle speed information cannot be recorded when an accident actually occurs thereafter. Therefore, even if the recording of the vehicle speed information is temporarily interrupted, if the speed of the bicycle subsequently exceeds a predetermined value, it is estimated that no accident has occurred, and the recording of the new vehicle speed information is allowed. Even if an accident occurs, vehicle speed information can be left.

(5) In the configuration of (4), it is preferable that the control unit erases the previous vehicle speed information from the recording unit before recording new vehicle speed information.
When new vehicle speed information is recorded, the previous vehicle speed information is no longer necessary, and it is possible to leave only the necessary vehicle speed information by deleting it.

(6) The generator may supply power to a lighting device for a bicycle.

(7) The generator may be built in a wheel hub.

  According to the present invention, the speed of the bicycle can be grasped afterwards when an accident or the like occurs.

It is a block diagram of the vehicle speed information recording device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of a bicycle provided with a vehicle speed information recording device. It is a graph which shows the waveform of the voltage signal of the generator input into the shaping part, and the waveform of the output signal after the shaping which a shaping part outputs. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of recording control of the output signal to the memory | storage part by a control part. It is a block diagram of the speed information transmission apparatus of the rotation toy concerning other indications. It is front explanatory drawing of a yoyo provided with the speed information transmission apparatus. It is side surface explanatory drawing of the same yoyo. It is a graph which compares and shows the rotation speed of a yoyo and a weight. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the maximum rotational frequency of a yo-yo, and a relative rotational frequency. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the cycle of alternating current which a generator produces | generates, generated electric power, and the rotational frequency of a generator. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the input voltage to a shaping part from a generator, the output voltage (modulation voltage) of a shaping part, and the received signal of a receiving part. It is a figure which shows the radiation pattern of the antenna for transmission. It is explanatory drawing which shows how a radiation pattern changes when the antenna for transmission rotates. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the period of the pulse received by the receiving part, and the number of pulses.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.
[Overall configuration of vehicle speed information recording device]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle speed information recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The vehicle speed information recording apparatus according to the present embodiment operates with a power generator 10 that generates power by rotating a wheel of a bicycle, an AC-DC converter 11 that converts the output of the power generator 10 from alternating current to direct current, and the power of the generator 10. A shaping unit 12, a control unit 13, and a storage unit 14 are provided. As shown in FIG. 2, the generator 10 is also used for generating electricity to turn on the lighting device 21 of the bicycle 20, and is built in the hub 23 of the front wheel 22. Further, other configurations of the vehicle speed information recording device may be built in the hub 23 of the front wheel 22.

  The generator 10 includes a coil and a magnet (not shown), and the AC power generation generates an induced electromotive force by rotating the coil 22 and the magnet relative to each other as the wheel 22 rotates, and changing the magnetic flux passing through the coil. It is supposed to be a machine. Therefore, there is a proportional relationship between the frequency of the voltage signal output from the generator 10 and the rotation speed of the wheel 22. As shown in FIG. 1, the power generated by the generator 10 is branched and output to the power supply system A and the signal acquisition system B.

  The AC-DC converter 11 converts the AC voltage output from the generator 10 via the power supply system A into a stabilized DC voltage. Specifically, the AC-DC converter 11 includes a rectifier circuit such as a diode bridge that rectifies alternating current into direct current, and a stabilization circuit that includes a regulator that stabilizes direct current voltage. And the electric power stabilized with the predetermined voltage by the AC-DC converter 11 is each supplied to the shaping part 12, the control part 13, and the memory | storage part 14, and these are operated.

  The shaping unit 12 is supplied with the AC signal of the power generated by the generator 10 through the signal acquisition system B, and the AC is half-wave rectified into a direct current by a rectifying element such as a diode, and further half-wave rectified. It is constituted by a pulse converter that converts direct current into an alternating digital signal by an inverter circuit such as a Schmitt trigger inverter. Then, the shaping unit 12 outputs a digital signal converted from the analog signal of the generator 10 to the control unit 13.

  FIG. 3 shows the waveform of the voltage signal of the generator 10 input to the shaping unit 12 and the waveform of the output signal after shaping output from the shaping unit 12. From FIG. 3, it can be seen that the output signal of the shaping unit 12 is synchronized with the voltage signal of the generator 10 in a state that is 180 ° out of phase.

The control unit 13 determines whether to record the output signal of the shaping unit 12 in the storage unit 14 based on a predetermined condition, and controls whether or not recording is possible. The recording control by the control unit 13 will be described later.
The storage unit 14 is configured by a nonvolatile memory. Accordingly, when information is recorded, it is necessary to supply power, but the recorded information can be held even when power is not supplied. The storage unit 14 is configured to record an output signal that is a digital signal shaped by the shaping unit 12. Note that a portable medium such as an SD card can be used as the storage unit 14. In this case, the storage unit 14 may be configured to be removable from the bicycle 20. Further, the storage unit 14 may be provided in the frame of the bicycle 20 or in the saddle so that no one can easily grasp the installation location and remove it.

  As described above, the output signal of the shaping unit 12 is synchronized with the voltage signal output from the generator 10, and the frequency of the voltage signal of the generator 10 is proportional to the rotational speed of the wheel 22. Therefore, the rotation speed of the wheel 22 can be obtained from the output signal of the shaping unit 12 recorded in the storage unit 14. Further, the speed of the bicycle 20 can be obtained from the rotation speed of the wheel 22 and the diameter of the wheel 22. The storage unit 14 has a limited recordable capacity, but when there is a recording request exceeding the capacity, the control unit 13 deletes old information and records (overwrites) new information. Recording is controlled.

  Since the vehicle speed information recording device of the present embodiment records information (vehicle speed information) that can determine the speed of the bicycle 20, that is, the output signal of the shaping unit 12, in the storage unit 14, when an accident occurs, The speed of the bicycle 20 can be grasped afterwards from the vehicle speed information recorded in the storage unit 14. Further, in the vehicle speed information recording apparatus of the present embodiment, the electric power generated by the generator 10 is used as a power source for operating the shaping unit 12, the control unit 13, and the storage unit 14, and from the voltage signal. It is also used for obtaining vehicle speed information of the bicycle 20, and by using one generator 10 for two purposes, the structure is simplified as compared with the case where a generator (signal generator) is provided separately. Can be achieved.

Hereinafter, recording control of information in the storage unit 14 by the control unit 13 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for controlling the recording of the output signal to the storage unit 14 by the control unit 13.
The control unit 13 writes a signal input from the shaping unit 12 as the bicycle 20 travels into the sequential storage unit 14 (step S1). Since the bicycle 20 is considered to stop suddenly when an accident occurs, the control unit 13 determines whether or not the bicycle 20 has suddenly decelerated from the change in the frequency of the output signal input from the shaping unit 12 (step S2). If it is determined that deceleration has occurred, writing of the output signal to the storage unit 14 is interrupted (step S3). Whether or not there is a sudden deceleration can be determined by whether or not the deceleration of the bicycle 20 obtained from the output signal of the shaping unit 12 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

  On the other hand, a similar change occurs in the frequency of the output signal of the shaping unit 12 even when the bicycle 20 simply stops suddenly instead of an accident. Therefore, the control unit 13 interrupts the recording of the output signal. However, in the case of a sudden stop other than an accident, the bicycle 20 then travels at a normal speed. Therefore, when there is an input of an output signal from the shaping unit 12 after the writing to the storage unit 14 is interrupted, the control unit 13 determines that the speed of the bicycle 20 obtained from the output signal is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. Whether or not (step S4). When it is determined that the speed of the bicycle 20 is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold, the output signal recorded in the storage unit 14 at that time is reset (erased) (step S5), and writing of a new output signal is resumed. (Step S1).

  As described above, when the bicycle 20 suddenly stops (rapidly decelerates), the recording of the output signal of the shaping unit 12 is interrupted, and thereafter, new information is written to overwrite the information at the time of the accident. Can be prevented. In the case of a bicycle 20 accident, it is rare that the bicycle 20 can be moved at all, and it can be moved manually even at a low speed. Even with such low speed movement, the output signal of the shaping unit 12 may be input to the control unit 13, but if the speed is below a predetermined threshold, it can be estimated that an accident has occurred. By not writing the output signal to the storage unit 14 anew, it is possible to reliably hold the output signal recorded so far.

  On the other hand, if the bicycle 20 travels again at a speed higher than a predetermined speed after the recording is interrupted, it can be estimated that there was no accident, so the output signal information recorded so far becomes unnecessary. Therefore, by erasing the information so far, it is possible to record only a new output signal that is necessary from now on.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified within the scope of the invention described in the claims.
For example, the information recorded in the storage unit is not limited to the output signal of the shaping unit, but may be any information related to the vehicle speed obtained from the output signal and the vehicle speed.
The generator may be provided at a place other than the front wheel hub. Further, the generator does not have to turn on the lighting fixture.

The storage unit may record not only the vehicle speed information but also other information related to driving the bicycle. For example, information on the presence or absence of lighting of a bicycle lighting fixture can be recorded together with vehicle speed information. In this case, it is possible to grasp whether or not the bicycle lighting device was turned on when the accident occurred, which can be used for investigating the cause of the accident.
In order to record the lighting on / off of the lighting fixture in the storage unit, for example, a component (element) that generates electricity with the light of the lighting fixture is installed in the vicinity of the bicycle lighting fixture, and the output voltage is written in the storage unit. Good. As a component for generating power, a small area solar cell (for example, a spherical solar cell) or a light emitting diode (for example, a red LED) can be used.

[Other disclosures]
Next, a rotational toy speed information transmission device having a configuration similar to the above-described bicycle vehicle speed information recording device will be described.
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a speed information transmission device for a rotating toy according to another disclosure.
This speed information transmission device includes, for example, a generator 110 that generates electric power using rotation of a rotating toy 120 (see FIG. 6) exemplified by a yo-yo, an AC-DC converter 111, a shaping unit 112, and an oscillation circuit (RF (Oscillator) 115, a transmission unit (RF switch) 116, and a reception unit 117. Among these configurations, the generator 110, the AC-DC converter 111, the shaping unit 112, the oscillation circuit 115, and the transmission unit 116 are provided in the yo-yo 120.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory front view of the yo-yo 120 including the speed information transmission device, and FIG. 7 is an explanatory side view of the yo-yo 120.
The yo-yo 120 is integrally provided with a generator 110. Therefore, the generator 110 rotates with the yo-yo 120. The generator 110 generates power by relative movement between the coil 121 and the magnet 122. The magnet 122 is formed in a gear shape, and rotates itself to change the magnetic flux passing through the coil 121 to generate an induced electromotive force.

A disk-shaped weight 123 is connected to the yo-yo 120 via a shaft 125 so as to be relatively rotatable. The weight 123 is provided with a large gear 124 that meshes with the magnet 122 so as to be integrally rotatable.
When the yo-yo 120 is rotated, the weight 123 rotates more slowly than the yo-yo 120 due to inertia. Therefore, the yo-yo 120 and the weight 123 rotate relative to each other. Due to this relative rotation, the magnet 122 revolves while rotating on the outer periphery of the large gear 124, and the magnetic flux passing through the coil 121 changes due to the rotation of the magnet 122, and the generator 110 generates power.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing the rotational speeds of the yo-yo 120 and the weight 123 in comparison.
When the yo-yo 120 is rotated, the rotation frequency becomes maximum at the initial stage, and then the rotation frequency gradually decreases. In contrast, the weight 123 starts to rotate at a rotational frequency lower than that of the yo-yo 120, but the rotational frequency gradually increases and gradually rotates at the same rotational frequency as the yo-yo 120.

  FIG. 8 also shows the relative rotational frequency that is the difference between the rotational frequency of the yo-yo 120 and the rotational frequency of the weight 123. As described above, since the power generation by the generator 110 is performed by the rotation of the magnet 122 accompanying the relative rotation of the yo-yo 120 and the weight 123, the amount of power generation is proportional to the relative rotational frequency of the yo-yo 120 and the weight 123. become. In this example, the maximum rotation frequency of the yo-yo 120 is about 1.7 times the maximum relative rotation frequency.

FIG. 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the maximum rotation frequency of the yo-yo 120 and the relative rotation frequency.
From FIG. 9, it can be seen that when the maximum rotation frequency of the yo-yo 120 is 1000 rpm or more, it is proportional to the relative rotation frequency. Since this relative rotational frequency has a correlation with the rotational frequency of the generator 110, it can be obtained from the period of the voltage signal output by the generator 110. Further, since the relative rotational frequency and the maximum rotational speed of the yo-yo 120 are in a proportional relationship, the maximum rotational frequency of the yo-yo 120 can be obtained from the period of the voltage signal of the generator 110.

  FIG. 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the AC cycle and power generated by the generator 110 and the rotational frequency of the generator 110. From FIG. 10, the cycle of the AC signal generated by the generator 110 is almost inversely proportional to the rotational frequency of the generator 110, and there is a relationship of cycle = 650 / R (R: rotational frequency). Moreover, when the rotation frequency exceeds 500 rpm, it turns out that the generator 110 is outputting the electric power of 20 mW.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the AC-DC converter 111 converts the AC voltage output from the generator 110 via the power supply system A into a stabilized DC voltage. Specifically, the AC-DC converter 111 includes a rectifier circuit such as a diode bridge that rectifies alternating current into direct current, and a stabilization circuit that includes a regulator that stabilizes the direct current voltage. Then, the power stabilized at a predetermined voltage by the AC-DC converter 111 is supplied to the shaping unit 112, the oscillation circuit 115, and the transmission unit 116, respectively, to operate them.

  The shaping unit 112 performs half-wave rectification on the AC signal (analog signal) of the generator 110 by a rectifying element such as a diode, and further converts the half-wave rectified analog signal into an AC digital signal by an inverter circuit such as a Schmitt trigger inverter. It consists of a pulse converter for conversion. Then, the shaping unit 112 outputs a digital signal converted from the analog signal of the generator 110 to the transmission unit 116.

  The oscillation circuit 115 generates a high-frequency signal that becomes a carrier wave. The high-frequency signal is modulated by the output signal from the shaping unit 112 in the transmission unit 116 and transmitted as a radio signal. The transmitted radio signal is received by the receiving unit 117 and demodulated.

FIG. 11 is a graph showing the relationship between the input voltage from the generator 110 to the shaping unit 112, the output voltage (modulation voltage) of the shaping unit 112, and the received signal of the receiving unit 117 when the weight 123 is rotated at a constant speed. It is.
From FIG. 11, the shaping unit 112 outputs an output voltage synchronized with the input voltage from the generator 110, and the receiving unit 117 can obtain a demodulated signal corresponding to the output signal of the shaping unit 112. Therefore, the rotational frequency of the generator 110 can be obtained from the signal received and demodulated by the reception unit 117, and further the rotational frequency of the yo-yo 120 can be obtained.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the transmission unit 116 includes an antenna 116a. The antenna 116 a functions as a rotationally polarized antenna by rotating together with the yo-yo 120. Therefore, even if the antenna 116 a has directivity, the reception unit 117 can receive signals transmitted from the antenna 116 a at any position around the yo-yo 120.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a radiation pattern of the transmitting antenna 116a. FIG. 12 shows a radiation pattern of a directional antenna having a maximum gain of −22.85 dBi and a minimum gain of −47.62 dBi.
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing how the radiation pattern changes when the transmitting antenna 116a rotates. As shown in FIG. 13 (a), when the feeding point of the transmitting antenna 116a is on the lower side, the radiated power is maximum at the top and minimum at the side. Therefore, it is difficult to receive a transmission signal when the reception antenna 117a is on the side of the transmission antenna 116a. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13B, when the feeding point of the transmitting antenna 116a is rotated by 90 °, the radiated power becomes maximum at the side portion. Therefore, the receiving antenna 117a can easily receive the transmission signal. As described above, the transmission antenna 116a that rotates together with the yo-yo 120 has its polarization matched with the polarization of the reception antenna 117a for each rotation of the yo-yo 120, and the transmission signal is transmitted while the transmission antenna 116a rotates once. Is received.

  FIG. 14 is a graph showing the relationship between the period of pulses received by the receiving unit 117 and the number of pulses. From FIG. 14, the minimum cycle is 0.29 ms, and the maximum rotation frequency at that time is the relationship between the maximum rotation frequency of the above-mentioned yo-yo 120 and the relative rotation frequency (a relationship of about 1.7 times), and the generator. When calculated from the relationship between the period of 110 and the rotation frequency, 3778 rpm is obtained. That is, the maximum number of rotations of the yo-yo 120 can be obtained from the reception signal at the reception unit 117.

The rotational toy speed information transmission apparatus described above has the following characteristics.
That is, the speed information transmission device for a rotating toy is operated by a generator 110 that generates power by the rotation of the rotating toy 120 and the electric power supplied from the generator 110, and the analog voltage signal output from the generator 110 is converted into a digital signal. A shaping unit 112 that shapes and outputs a voltage signal, an oscillation circuit 115 that generates a carrier wave by power supplied from the generator 110, and an output signal of the shaping unit 112 by power supplied from the generator 110. A transmitter 116 that modulates the carrier wave and wirelessly transmits the signal and a receiver 117 that receives a wireless signal transmitted by the transmitter 116 are provided.

  Further, the speed information transmission device for a rotating toy includes a transmitting antenna 116a that rotates integrally with the rotating toy 120.

  As described above, the speed information transmission device for a rotating toy can receive information on the rotational speed of the rotating toy 120 at a position away from the rotating toy 120 and easily acquire the rotational speed. The use method (how to play) of the rotating toy 120 can be expanded using the information on the number of rotations. For example, a signal transmitted from the rotating toy 120 can be received by a game terminal, and a new game in which the virtual world and the reality are fused can be constructed at the game terminal. The rotating toy 120 is not limited to yo-yo, but may be another toy such as a top.

10: Generator 12: Shaping unit 13: Control unit 14: Storage unit 20: Bicycle 21: Lighting fixture 22: Wheel 23: Hub

Claims (6)

A generator that generates AC power by rotating the wheel of the bicycle;
A shaping unit that operates by power supplied from the generator, shapes and outputs a voltage signal output by the generator, and
A storage unit in which vehicle speed information including an output signal of the shaping unit is recorded by electric power supplied from the generator;
A control unit that controls whether or not the vehicle speed information can be recorded in the storage unit;
Equipped with a,
The vehicle speed information recording apparatus for a bicycle , wherein when the deceleration of the bicycle obtained from the output signal of the shaping unit is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the control unit interrupts the recording of the vehicle speed information thereafter . Wherein, after interrupting the recording of the vehicle information, if the speed of the bicycle obtained from the output signal of the shaping section becomes a predetermined or higher, to allow recording of the new vehicle speed information, according to claim 1 Vehicle speed information recording apparatus for bicycles as described in 1. The bicycle speed information recording apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the control section deletes the previous speed information from the recording section before recording new speed information.   A generator that generates AC power by rotating the wheel of the bicycle;
  A shaping unit that operates by power supplied from the generator, shapes and outputs a voltage signal output by the generator, and
  A storage unit in which vehicle speed information including an output signal of the shaping unit is recorded by electric power supplied from the generator;
  A control unit that receives an output signal of the shaping unit and controls whether or not to record the vehicle speed information in the storage unit;
  With
  The control unit controls whether or not the vehicle speed information can be recorded in the storage unit based on a bicycle speed obtained from the output signal of the shaping unit when the output signal of the shaping unit is input.
  Vehicle speed information recording device for bicycles. The bicycle generator according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the generator supplies electric power to a bicycle lighting fixture. The bicycle generator according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the generator is built in a hub of a wheel.