Patent Publication Number: US-2017349234-A1

Title: Bicycle control device

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a control device, and more particularly to a bicycle control device. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Basic structures of a bicycle generally include a frame system, a drivetrain system, a brake system, and other accessories and components. Bicycles are assemblies of more than two thousand bicycle components, and have been utilized as a tool of transportation. Designed based on ergonomic, air dynamical, physical and mechanical principles, bicycles are driven by human pedaling without fuels, and are thus environmental friendly, convenient, and useful for fitness training and transportation. Therefore, bicycles have become an indispensible product for people&#39;s leisure lives nowadays. 
     Typically, control device of a bicycle is adopted for controlling the brake or gearshift devices of the bicycle, and is installed on the handlebar of the bicycle with control cables extending therefrom. To facilitate gripping and maneuvering, the distance between the control device and the handlebar is designed based on the average palm size of the population and is typically made constant. However, as palm sizes vary from person to person, stiffness or discomfort of the muscles often occurs when gripping and maneuvering the control device during a long-distance bicycle ride. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, the present invention provides a bicycle control device to solve the aforementioned issue. 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, the bicycle control device includes a housing member and a lever. The housing member is disposed at a handlebar. The lever includes a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion. The first portion is pivotally connected to the housing member, and has a first end and a second end; the shortest straight line between the first end and the second end forms a first long side, and a projection of the first long side on a first plane is parallel to a first extension direction. The second portion is connected to the first portion, and has a third end and a fourth end; the shortest straight line between the third end and the fourth end forms a second long side, and a projection of the second long side on the first plane is parallel to a second extension direction. The third portion is connected to the second portion, and has a fifth end and a sixth end; the shortest straight line between the fifth end and the sixth end forms a third long side, a projection of the third long side on the first plane is parallel to a third extension direction. The angle formed on the first plane between the first extension direction and the second extension direction falls within a range of 8° to 15°. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, a shortest distance between a projection of the first end on the first plane and a projection of the sixth end on the first plane falls within a range of 149 mm to 155 mm. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, a shortest distance between a projection of the first end on the first plane and a projection of the second end on the first plane falls within a range of 53 mm to 55 mm. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, a shortest distance between a projection of the third end on the first plane and a projection of the fourth end on the first plane falls within a range of 39 mm to 44 mm. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, a shortest distance between a projection of the fifth end on the first plane and a projection of the sixth end on the first plane falls within a range of 56 mm to 57 mm. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, a shortest distance between a projection of the first end on the first plane and a projection of the second end on the first plane is D 1 , a shortest distance between a projection of the third end on the first plane and a projection of the fourth end on the first plane is D 2 , and 5/6&gt;D 2 /D 1 &gt;2/3. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, a shortest distance between a projection of the first end on the first plane and a projection of the second end on the first plane is D 1 , a shortest distance between a projection of the first end on the first plane and a projection of the sixth end on the first plane is D, and 3&gt;D/D 1 &gt;2.5. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, the angle between the first extension direction and the second extension direction falls within a range of 11° to 12°. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, a sidewall of the lever or more particularly of the third portion comprises a control component for controlling a gearshift of the bicycle. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, a brake of the bicycle is activated by the lever when the first portion pivots about the housing member and the third portion is close to the housing member. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, the angle is formed to the right when the housing member is disposed at a right end of the handlebar, and the angle is formed to the left when the housing member is disposed at a left end of the handlebar. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, the first plane faces the handlebar and is perpendicular to a horizon when the housing member is disposed at the handlebar. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, the first extension direction is parallel to the third extension direction. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, the first portion concaves toward the handlebar. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, the second portion convexes away from the handlebar. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, the third portion concaves toward the handlebar. 
     In sum, users of a bicycle with the bicycle control device according to the embodiments of the present invention can stably and comfortably grip the control device while riding and maneuvering the bicycle. Meanwhile, as the users can stably and naturally place their fingers on the lever without having to apply extra strength thereon, stiffness or discomfort of the hand muscles during prolonged bicycle rides is avoided, therefore providing improved comfort of riding to the bicycle users. 
     For making the above and other purposes, features and benefits become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art, the preferred embodiments and the detailed descriptions with accompanying drawings will be put forward in the following descriptions. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic three-dimensional view of a bicycle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic perspective view of the bicycle control device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic side view of the bicycle control device of  FIG. 1  when gripped by a user; and 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic side view of the bicycle control device of  FIG. 1  when gripped by another user. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for purpose of illustration and description only. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 . As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a bicycle control device  100  of the present embodiment includes a housing member  110  and a lever  120 . 
     The housing member  110  is disposed at a handlebar  200  of a bicycle. For example, the housing member  110  may include a connector  112  securable to the handlebar  200  for the bicycle control device  100  to be secured onto the handlebar  200 . In the present embodiment, the connector  112  is an annular component disposed on a surface  110   a  of the housing member  110  away from the lever  120 , and may sleeve through and be secured onto the handlebar  200 . More specifically, after the connector  112  is secured onto the handlebar  200 , a screw (not shown in figures) may be adopted to further fasten the connector  112  so that the connector  112  would tightly sleeve the handlebar  200 . Additionally, the handlebar  200  may be a curved handlebar; for example, if a user is riding the bicycle with the housing member  110  disposed at the handlebar  200 , the housing member  110  may extend outward and away from the user. If a curved handlebar  200  with its two opposite ends extending and bending away from the user is adopted, the housing member  110  of the bicycle control device  100  may be disposed at the bent portion of the handlebar  200 . 
     It is to be understood that the bicycle control device  100  of the present embodiment is disposed at the right end of the handlebar  200  for the user to grip and maneuver with his/her right hand. It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to mirror-image the bicycle control device  100  of the present embodiment to obtain a bicycle control device to be disposed at the left end of the handlebar  200  for the user to grip and maneuver with his/her left hand. Therefore, features of a left-end bicycle control device are not to be repeated in this specification. 
     It is to be understood that the terms “left” and “right” mentioned herein are the positions of the handlebar  200  on which “left hand” and “right hand” of the user grip when the user rides the bicycle in a regular posture without crossing his/her arms. 
     The lever  120  includes a first portion  122 , a second portion  124 , and a third portion  126 . The first portion  122  is pivotally connected to the housing member  110 . The second portion  124  is connected to the first portion  122 , and the third portion  126  is connected to the second portion  124 . When the bicycle control device  100  is disposed at the handlebar  200 , the first portion  122  concaves toward the handlebar  200  with a first radius of curvature of about 76 mm, the second portion  124  convexes away from the handlebar  200  with a second radius of curvature of about 525 mm, and the third portion  126  concaves toward the handlebar  200  with a third radius of curvature of about 80 mm. However, it is to be understood that the first, second and third radiuses of curvature are not limited thereto. Furthermore, the housing member  110  includes a pivot connector  114  pivotally connected to the first portion  122 , so that the first portion  122  may pivot about the axis I in respect to the pivot connector  114  of the housing member  110 . In the present embodiment, the first portion  122  may connect to a brake device (not shown in figures) of the bicycle; the lever  120  activate the brake device when the first portion  122  pivots about the housing member  110  and the third portion  126  moves toward the housing member  110 . However, the present invention is not limited thereto. 
     The first portion  122  includes a first end  122   a  and a second end  122   b  opposite to the first end  122   a . The second portion  124  includes a third end  124   a  and a fourth end  124   b  opposite to the third end  124   a . The third portion  126  includes a fifth end  126   a  and a sixth end  126   b  opposite to the fifth end  126   a . The first end  122   a  of the first portion  122  is partially disposed within the housing member  110 . The third end  124   a  of the second portion  124  is connected to the second end  122   b  of the first portion  122 , and the fifth end  126   a  of the third portion  126  is connected to the fourth end  124   b  of the second portion  124 , therefore resulting in the lever  120  being in a substantially linear structure. The first portion  122 , the second portion  124  and the third portion  126  may be, but are not limited to, formed into one integrated piece. 
     In the present embodiment, a sidewall of the lever  120  includes a control component  130  for controlling a gearshift device (not shown in figures) of the bicycle. More specifically, a sidewall  126   c  of the third portion  126  of the lever  120  includes the control component  130  for controlling gear shifting of the bicycle, and thus the engagement of a bicycle chain (not shown in figures) to a specific gear (not shown in figures). The control component  130  may be of a keystroke configuration, allowing the user to press the keys thereon to activate gear shifting. The sidewall  126   c  of the third portion  126  for disposing the control component  130  may be a surface of the outer wall of the third portion  126 . It is to be understood that the outer wall mentioned herein refers to one of two opposite sidewalls of the third portion  126  facing away from the center of the handlebar  200  when the bicycle control device  100  is disposed at the handlebar  200 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2  with  FIG. 1 . The viewing angle illustrated in  FIG. 2  is a front view of the third portion  126  toward the housing member  110 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the first portion  122  has a first end  122   a  and a second end  122   b ; the shortest straight line between the first end  122   a  and the second end  122   b  forms a first long side  123 , and the projection of the first long side  123  on a first plane is parallel to a first extension direction T 1 . The second portion  124  has a third end  124   a  and a fourth end  124   b ; the shortest straight line between the third end  124   a  and the fourth end  124   b  forms a second long side  125 , and the projection of the second long side  125  on the first plane is parallel to a second extension direction T 2 . Similarly, the third portion  126  has a fifth end  126   a  and a sixth end  126   b ; the shortest straight line between the fifth end  126   a  and the sixth end  126   b  forms a third long side  127 , and the projection of the third long side  127  on the first plane is parallel to a third extension direction T 3 . The first long side  123  is connected to the second long side  125 , and the third long side  127  is connected to the second long side  125 . However, it is to be understood that the configuration of the three portions of the lever of the present invention is not limited thereto. 
     In the present embodiment, the first extension direction T 1  and the second extension direction T 2  form a first angle θ 1  on the first plane, and the first angle θ 1  falls within the range of 8° to 15°. For example, the first angle θ 1  may vary within 8°-15° by an increment or decrement of 0.5° to form a plurality of embodiments. In some embodiments, the first angle θ 1  may fall within the range of 11° to 12°, with an increment or decrement of 0.5° to form another plurality of embodiments. 
     Additionally, the first extension direction T 1  may be, but is not limited to, parallel to the third extension direction T 3 . In other words, in the present embodiment, the second extension direction T 2  and the third extension direction T 3  form a second angle θ 2  on the first plane when the first extension direction T 1  is parallel to the third extension direction T 3 . The second angle θ 2  falls within the range of 8° to 15°. For example, the second angle θ 2  may vary within 8°-15° by an increment or decrement of 0.5° to form a plurality of embodiments. In some embodiments, the second angle θ 2  may fall within the range of 11° to 12°, with an increment or decrement of 0.5° to form another plurality of embodiments. 
     In the present embodiment, the first portion  122  concaves toward the handlebar  200 , the second portion  124  convexes away from the handlebar  200 , and the third portion  126  concaves toward the handlebar  200 . 
     Furthermore, the shortest distance D between the projection of the two opposite ends of the lever  120  (that is, the first end  122   a  of the first portion  122  and the sixth end  126   b  of the third portion  126 ) on the first plane falls within a range of 149 mm to 155 mm. The shortest distance D may vary within 149-155 mm by an increment or decrement of 0.5 mm to form a plurality of embodiments. In other words, the shortest distance D may be, but is not limited to, defined as the shortest distance between two parallel tangents to the first end  122   a  and the sixth end  126   b.    
     The shortest distance D 1  between the projection of two opposite ends of the first portion  122  (that is, the first end  122   a  and the second end  122   b ) on the first plane falls within the range of 53 mm to 55 mm. The shortest distance D 1  may vary within 53-55 mm by an increment or decrement of 0.5 mm to form a plurality of embodiments. In other words, the shortest distance D 1  may be, but is not limited to, defined as the shortest distance between two parallel tangents to the first end  122   a  and the second end  122   b.    
     The shortest distance D 2  between the projection of two opposite ends of the second portion  124  (that is, the third end  124   a  and the fourth end  124   b ) on the first plane falls within the range of 39 mm to 44 mm. The shortest distance D 2  may vary within 39-44 mm by an increment or decrement of 0.5 mm to form a plurality of embodiments. In other words, the shortest distance D 2  may be, but is not limited to, defined as the shortest distance between two parallel tangents to the third end  124   a  and the fourth end  124   b.    
     The shortest distance D 3  between the projection of two opposite ends of the third portion  126  (that is, the fifth end  126   a  and the sixth end  126   b ) on the first plane falls within the range of 56 mm to 57 mm. The shortest distance D 3  may vary within 56-57 mm by an increment or decrement of 0.5 mm to form a plurality of embodiments. In other words, the shortest distance D 3  may be, but is not limited to, defined as the shortest distance between two parallel tangents to the fifth end  126   a  and the sixth end  126   b.    
     In some embodiments, the shortest distance D 1  on the first portion  122  and the shortest distance on the second portion  124  satisfy the equation: 5/6&gt;D 2 /D 1 &gt;2/3, wherein D 1  refers to the shortest distance between the projection of the two opposite ends of the first portion  122  (that is, the first end  122   a  and the second end  122   b ) on the first plane, and D 2  refers to the shortest distance between the projection of the two opposite ends of the lever (that is, the first end  122   a  and the sixth end  126   b ) on the first plane. 
     It is to be understood that the aforementioned first plane may be a plane facing the handlebar  200  and perpendicular to the horizon when the housing member  110  is disposed at the handlebar  200 . For example, the first plane may be a plane that is perpendicular to the horizon and includes the straight line between two symmetrical sixth ends  126   b  of two bicycle control devices  100  disposing on the left and right ends of the handlebar  200  (in other embodiments, the sixth ends  126   b  may be replaced by two symmetrical first ends  122   a , two symmetrical second ends  122   b , two symmetrical third ends  124   a , two symmetrical fourth ends  124   b , or two symmetrical fifth ends  126   a ). In the present embodiment, the first angle θ 1  is formed to the right when the housing member  110  is disposed at the right end of the handlebar  200 . Similarly, in other embodiments, the angle is formed to the left when the housing member  110  is disposed at the left end of the handlebar  200 . It is to be understood that the terms “to the left” and “to the right” are referred to as based on the viewing angle of the user during riding in respect to the first plane. That is, the terms “left” and “right” are defined by viewing angles of the user and the positions of left and right hands of the user when riding the bicycle without crossing his/her arms. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 . As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the user may place his/her palm on the handlebar  200  and wrap around the handlebar  200  with his/her thumb and four other fingers  300  when riding the bicycle. To prepare for braking, the user may place at least one of the four fingers  300  around the third portion  126  of the lever  120 , and press against the third portion  126  to drive the first portion  122  to pivotally rotate so as to activate the brake device of the bicycle. As the third portion  126  and the second portion  124  are unaligned (refer to  FIG. 2 ), the size configuration of the third portion  126  and the second portion  124  allows better maneuverability when the user presses against the third portion  126  to activate braking. Meanwhile, as the user may stably and naturally place his/her fingers  300  on the third portion  126  without having to apply extra strength thereon, stiffness of the hands during riding may be avoided. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 . As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the user may grip the handlebar  200  in another manner. More specifically, the user may grip the housing member  110  and place his/her palm on a bearing end  116  with his/her thumb placed at the inner side of the housing member  110 . The four fingers  300  other than the thumb, or at least the ringer finger or the little finger, may substantially wrap around the housing member  110  during riding. To prepare for braking, the user may partially wrap around the first portion  122  and the second portion  124  with one or more of his/her four fingers  300  other than the thumb. As the first portion  122  and the second portion  124  are unaligned at a first angle θ 1  (refer to  FIG. 2 ), the bicycle control device  100  provides better maneuverability when the user presses against a portion of the first portion  122  and the second portion  124  to activate braking. Meanwhile, as the user may stably and naturally place his/her fingers  300  on the first portion  122  and the second portion  124  without having to apply extra strength thereon, stiffness of the hands during riding may be avoided. 
     According to the aforementioned embodiments, users of a bicycle with the bicycle control device of the present invention can stably and comfortably grip the control device while riding and maneuvering the bicycle. More specifically, configurations of the first, second and third portions of the lever allow the users to grip and press against the lever with less finger strength and better maneuverability. Additionally, as the users can stably and naturally place their fingers on the lever without having to apply extra strength thereon, stiffness or discomfort of the hand muscles during prolonged bicycle rides is avoided, therefore providing improved comfort of riding to the bicycle users. 
     While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.