Patent Publication Number: US-2013238238-A1

Title: Bicycle frame of carbon fiber and bicycle including the same

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a bicycle frame and bicycle, and more particularly to a bicycle frame of carbon fiber and a bicycle including the same. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     A bicycle frame, which is made of carbon fiber composite materials, has advantages of light weight, high strength, etc.; therefore it has been widely applied to the field of industry. In recent years, a bicycle is not only a kind of vehicle for transportation but also a tool for exercise and leisure activities. By the trends of riding safety, sport leisure, and infortainment, many small-sized electronic products are developed, such as smart handheld device, power/cadence/speed sensor, trace recorder, multimedia player device, etc. A wireless electronic product has no limitation of exiting cable, but it is more expensive and consumes more power. Besides, the wireless electronic product only transmits wireless signals, and cannot transmit power, such as required power of lighting equipment. A wired electronic product needs to be considered the allocation of cables. An exposed cable on bicycle frame not only affects good appearance but also results in concerns about the safety. Accordingly, it highly desirable to integrate the bicycle frame of carbon fiber with related electronic products and simplify its operation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a bicycle frame of carbon fiber and a bicycle. A lead and even electronic devices are integrated within the bicycle frame of carbon fiber during manufacturing process of carbon fiber tube to avoid damaging the structure of the bicycle frame when installing electronic devices, which is different from the way the lead has to been installed on the bicycle during assembling process of the bicycle in the field. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, the proposed bicycle frame of carbon fiber comprises a main frame and a lead. The main frame includes a plurality of carbon fiber tubes interconnected together. The lead is arranged in a tube wall of at least one of the carbon fiber tubes, and one end of the lead passes through the carbon fiber tube. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, the proposed bicycle comprises a bicycle frame of carbon fiber, a front wheel, a rear wheel, a steering element, and a transmission element. The bicycle frame of carbon fiber comprises a main frame and a lead. The main frame includes a plurality of carbon fiber tube interconnected together. The lead is arranged in a tube wall of at least one of the carbon fiber tubes, and one end of the lead passes through the carbon fiber tube. The front wheel and the rear wheel are respectively arranged in front and rear of the bicycle frame of carbon fiber. The steering element is connected to the front wheel for controlling the moving direction of the front wheel. The transmission element is connected to the rear wheel for transmitting pedal force of a user to drive the rear wheel. 
     The objective, technologies, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein certain embodiments of the present invention are set forth by way of illustration and example. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing conceptions and their accompanying advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated after being better understood by referring to the following detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional diagram schematically illustrating a bicycle frame of carbon fiber according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional diagram schematically illustrating a carbon fiber tube with a conduit according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional diagram schematically illustrating a bicycle frame of carbon fiber according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram schematically illustrating an electronic device integrated within a bicycle frame of carbon fiber according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram schematically illustrating a bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The detailed explanation of the present invention is described as follows. The described preferred embodiments are presented for purposes of illustrations and description, and they are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , a bicycle frame of carbon fiber according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a main frame  10  and a lead  12 . The main frame  10  includes a plurality of carbon fiber tubes  11   a ˜ 11   e  interconnected together. It should be noted that besides the structure of the bicycle frame shown in  FIG. 1 , the term “bicycle frame” also includes handle, front fork, seatpost, etc. under certain circumstance. The lead  12  is arranged in a tube wall of at least one of the carbon fiber tubes  11   a ˜ 11   e , and one end of the lead  12  passes through one of the carbon fiber tubes  11   a ˜ 11   e . For example, at least one of the carbon fiber tubes  11   a ˜ 11   e  has a conduit  111 . In the embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the conduit  111  is arranged in a tube wall of the carbon fiber tube  11   a , and one end of the conduit  111  is connected to the exterior of the carbon fiber tube  11   a  to form a first opening  112   a  on the exterior surface of the carbon fiber tube  11   a . But not limited to the embodiment, the conduit  111  can be arranged in the carbon fiber tubes  11   b ,  11   c ,  11   d , or  11   e  according to need. The lead  12  is arranged in the conduit  111  and one end of the lead  12  passes through the carbon fiber tube  11   a  via the first opening  112   a , so that the lead  12  can be arranged in a tube wall of the carbon fiber tube  11   a ˜ 11   e.    
     In one embodiment, the other end of the conduit  111  can be also connected to the exterior of carbon fiber tube  11   a  and forms a second opening  112   b  on the exterior surface of carbon fiber tube  11   a . The other end of the lead  12  may pass through carbon fiber tube  11   a  via the second opening  112   b . The lead  12  can be used for transmitting power and/or a signal. For example, during the manufacturing process of the bicycle frame of carbon fiber, a core material can be arranged in predetermined position of the conduit  111 . The core material is removed after hot forming of the bicycle frame or carbon fiber tube to form the conduit  111 . But it is not limited to the embodiment, the lead  12  can be also bonded in a tube wall of the carbon fiber tube by lamination during manufacturing process, and the lead  12  is electrically independent from the carbon fiber tube. For example, the lead  12  wrapped by insulating material can be arranged between laminated layers of carbon fiber materials during manufacturing process of the carbon fiber tube, so that the lead is wrapped in a tube wall of the carbon fiber tube after the following hot-press process. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, the position of the first opening  112   a  can be close to the handle end of the bicycle, and the second opening  112   b  can be close to the seat end of the bicycle. According to the structure of the bicycle, an electronic device (such as multimedia player device, navigation, driving recorder, communication device, touch panel, etc.) arranged in the handle end can be electrically connected to the electronic device (such as a battery module) arranged in the seat end of the bicycle frame via the lead  12  arranged in the conduit  111 . 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, the bicycle frame of carbon fiber further comprises an antenna (not shown), which is arranged in one of the carbon fiber tubes  11   a ˜ 11   e  (e.g., interior surface or a tube wall of the carbon fiber tubes  11   a ˜ 11   e ). The antenna is electrically connected to the carbon fiber tube; the antenna can be electrically connected to an external electronic device via the lead  12 . For example, the antenna in the carbon fiber tube can be close to the handle end of the bicycle, and electrically connected to a smart handheld device via the lead  12  which passes through the carbon fiber tube. According to the structure of the bicycle, the carbon fiber tube can be an antenna extension of the smart handheld device for improving speech quality, connecting social network, or receiving GPS satellite signal. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, the bicycle frame of carbon fiber further comprises a connection port (not shown) which is electrically connected to the lead  12  and arranged at the side of first opening  112   a  or at the side of the second opening  112   b . The connection port has at least one conductive contact so that an external electronic device can be electrically connected to the lead  12  easily. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , in one embodiment of the present invention, the bicycle frame of carbon fiber further comprises a radio frequency identification tag (RFID tag) 13   a . The RFID tag  13   a  can be covered with a glass fiber material  11   f  and the RFID tag  13   a  is attached to the exterior surface of one of the carbon fiber tubes  11   a ˜ 11   e  to avoid affecting communication quality of RFID tag  13   a  due to carbon fiber materials of the carbon fiber tubes  11   a ˜ 11   e . The RFID tag  13   a  may store the owner information of the bicycle, manufacturing record, sales history or simple maintenance records. Alternately, the RFID tag  13   a  may store specific location stamps to prove the bicycle has been to those specific locations. The owner of the bicycle and related records can be known by reading information stored in the RFID tag  13   a  by a RFID reader. Therefore, bicycles obtained through irregular channels are not easily sold to any third person, thereby achieving the effect of deterring thieves from disposing of stolen bicycles. In addition, because the RFID tag  13   a  is covered with the glass fiber material  11   f  and attached to the carbon fiber tubes  11   a ˜ 11   e . Once the glass fiber material  11   f  on the outer layer of the RFID tag  13   a  has been damaged, it will be also damage the bicycle frame or degrade its strength of structure so as to prevent thieves from taking the RFID tag  13   a.    
     In one embodiment of the present invention, the bicycle frame of carbon fiber comprises an electronic device  13   b  which is arranged in the inner side of at least one of the carbon fiber tubes  11   a ˜ 11   e  and electrically connected to the other end of the lead  12 . Hence, the electronic device  13   b  arranged in the carbon fiber tubes  11   a  can be electrically connected to the outside via the lead  12 . For example, the electronic device  13   b  can be electrically connected to the external electronic device for exchanging information. Alternately, the electronic device  13   b  can be electrically connected to the external power supply for charging or supplying electrical power in operation. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , for example, the electronic device  13   b  can be a trace recorder which comprises a storage unit  131 , global positioning system (GPS) module  132 , and a processing unit  133 . The GPS module  132  is used for generating a location coordinate. The processing unit  133  is electrically connected to the GPS module  132  and the storage unit  131 . The processing unit  133  is used for storing the location coordinate generated by the GPS module  132  and a corresponding time stamp in the storage unit  131  to record the route of the bicycle. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device  13   b  further comprises a communication module  134  and an acceleration sensor  137 , which are electrically connected to the processing unit  133  respectively. The communication module  134  can transmit the location coordinate generated by the GPS module  132  to a remote electronic device. For example, the communication module  134  may be a wireless local area network (WLAN) module or a mobile communication module (such as GSM, GPRS, CDMA, WCDMA, WIMAX, LTE, etc.). According to the above-mentioned architecture, when the bicycle is touched by a thief, the acceleration sensor  137  can detect abnormal vibration or movement, the process unit  133  can send a message or dial the assigned number via the communication module  134  to inform the user at the same time. Besides, the user can find the current location of the stolen bicycle, i.e. the location coordinate generated by the GPS module  132 , thereby helping the owner of the bicycle recover the bicycle. It can be understood that the antenna can be built-in with the electronic device  13   b , or the above-mentioned antenna arranged in a tube wall of the carbon fiber tube can be also served as the antenna of the electronic device  13   b.    
     In one embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device  13   b  can acquire the external power supply (such as mobile battery) via the lead  12  for providing electrical power in operation. Therefore, a battery module is not additionally arranged in the electronic device  13   b , but it is not limited to the embodiment, the electronic device  13   b  also comprises the battery module  135  for supplying electrical power to the electronic device  13   b  in operation. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device  13   b  further comprises a charging circuit  136  which is electrically connected to the battery module  135 . As described above, the charging circuit  136  can be electrically connected to the external power supply via the lead  12 . Therefore, when the electronic device  13   b  is electrically connected to the external power supply via the lead  12 , the charging circuit  136  can charge the battery module  135 . According to the above-mentioned architecture, even the electronic device  13   b  is not electrically connected to the external power supply, the electronic device  13   b  still can provide information about the related location or the route of the bicycle before electrical power of the battery module  135  is exhausted. 
     Referring  FIG. 5 , a bicycle according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a bicycle frame of carbon fiber  10 , a front wheel  20 , a rear wheel  30 , a steering element  40 , and a transmission unit  50 . The detailed structure of the bicycle frame of carbon fiber  10  has been described above, not repeat it again here. The front wheel  20  and the rear wheel  30  are respectively arranged in front and rear side of the bicycle frame of carbon fiber  10 . The steering element  40  is connected to the front wheel  20  for controlling the moving direction of the front wheel  20 . For example, the steering element  40  comprises bicycle elements of prior art, such as a handle, a front fork, etc. The transmission unit  50  is connected to the rear wheel  30  for transmitting pedal force of a user to drive the rear wheel. For example, the transmission unit  50  comprises bicycle elements of prior art, such as a crank, a pair of left and right foot pedals, gears, a chain, etc., so that the rear wheel  30  is driven to rotate by the pedal force of the user for driving the bicycle moving forward. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, the bicycle comprises a sensor for sensing a user&#39;s electrocardiogram and/or heart rate signal. For example, the sensor includes two sensing contacts  13   c  which are respectively arranged in holding positions at two ends of the handle of the steering element  40 . According to the structure of the bicycle, the user holds two ends of the handle when riding a bicycle, the user&#39;s exercise electrocardiogram and heart rate signal can be detected by touching the sensing contacts  13   c  arranged in the handle via the user&#39; finger or hand. Alternatively, the sensing contact can be respectively arranged in the seat of the bicycle. According to the structure of the bicycle, two sides of the user&#39; hip respectively contact with two sensing contact arranged in two side of the seat when riding a bicycle, the user&#39;s exercise electrocardiogram and heart rate signal can be also detected. 
     When an anomaly occurs in the user&#39;s exercise electrocardiogram or heart rate index, a monitoring system equipped with the bicycle or a remote monitoring system can send a warning signal to remind the user to slow down or take a break. Beside, the electrocardiogram/heart rate sensing system can also detect user&#39;s mental fatigue level for monitoring user&#39;s mental fatigue status. For example, mental fatigue of the user when riding is detected by the electrocardiogram/heart rate sensing system, a warning signal is sent to remind the user to take a break or it&#39;s not suitable for riding continuously. As mentioned above, the sensing contact  13   c  can be also electrically connected to the sensor via the lead  12  arranged in the carbon fiber tube. In one embodiment, the electrocardiogram and/or heart rate signal sensed by the sensor can be used for identifying the user, which can be achieved by capturing and comparing characteristics of the electrocardiogram and/or heart rate signal. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, the bicycle comprises a mobile battery module  13   d  which is arranged in outer side of carbon fiber tube (e.g., suspended to outer side of the main frame  10 ). The mobile battery module  13   d  is electrically connected to the lead  12  so that mobile battery module  13   d  can supply electrical power to an electronic device such as multimedia player, handheld device, sensor, built-in touch panel or buttons on surface of the handle, etc. The built-in touch panel or buttons on surface of the handle can be served as an interface of various electrical functions for quick operation. 
     In conclusion, in the bicycle frame of carbon fiber and the bicycle of the present invention, the lead is integrated into the bicycle frame of carbon fiber during manufacturing process; therefore there is no need of drilling holes on the bicycle frame so as to avoid damaging the structure of the bicycle when installing electronic devices. In addition, the opening of the conduit of the main frame can be sealed by a sealing element in advance; then make the conduit open when the lead needs to be installed in the conduit, therefore it can avoid the lead is hard to be installed because of accumulated dust in the conduit of the carbon fiber tube. Besides, it can integrate electronic devices, such as the RFID tag, the GPS module, etc., within the bicycle frame of carbon fiber, thereby achieving the effect of deterring thieves and decreasing the rate of bike theft. The user&#39;s of physiology status, riding, surrounding environment can be real-time monitored by various kind of sensors (such as electrocardiogram and/or heart rate sensor, power/cadence/speed sensor, temperature/humidity/air quality/ultraviolet/san dust/ozone/probability of precipitation sensor). 
     While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, a specific example thereof has been shown in the drawings and is herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not to be limited to the particular form disclosed, but to the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.