IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,964,729
Granted Patent B2
US 11,964,729 · App. 17/091,245 · Granted Apr 23, 2024

Operated component and communication system for human-powered vehicle

Inventors: Akihiro Nozaki (Sakai, JP); Tomohiro Takimoto (Sakai, JP); Hirofumi Fukui (Sakai, JP)
Assignee: SHIMANO INC.
B62M25/08B62J43/30B62K23/06H04W4/40
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,964,729
App. No.
17/091,245
Granted
Apr 23, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

An operated component for a human-powered vehicle comprises a first wired communicator and a first wireless communicator. The first wired communicator has a first wired communication state in which the first wired communicator is configured to recognize a wired signal transmitted via a wired communication channel. The first wireless communicator has a first wireless communication state in which the first wireless communicator is configured to recognize a wireless signal transmitted via a wireless communication channel. The first wireless communicator is configured to be in the first wireless communication state while the first wired communicator is in the first wired communication state.

Claims (108)

1. An operated component for a human-powered vehicle, comprising:

a first wired communicator having a first wired communication state in which the first wired communicator is configured to recognize a wired signal transmitted via a wired communication channel;

a first wireless communicator having a first wireless communication state in which the first wireless communicator is configured to recognize a wireless signal transmitted via a wireless communication channe; and

an electric component including

a base member,

a movable member movably coupled to the base member, and

an electric actuator configured to move the movable member relative to the base member,

the first wired communicator and the first wireless communicator are electrically mounted on a circuit board,

the circuit board is mounted to the base member of the electric component, and

the first wireless communicator being configured to be in the first wireless communication state while the first wired communicator is in the first wired communication state.

2. An operated component for a human-powered vehicle, comprising:

a first wired communicator having a first wired communication state in which the first wired communicator is configured to recognize a wired signal transmitted via a wired communication channel; and

a first wireless communicator having a first wireless communication state in which the first wireless communicator is configured to recognize a wireless signal transmitted via a wireless communication channel,

the first wireless communicator being configured to be in the first wireless communication state in response to disconnection of the wired communication channel.

3. The operated component according to claim 2 , wherein

the first wireless communicator has

a listen condition in which the first wireless communicator is configured to recognize the wireless signal, and

a non-listen condition in which the first wireless communicator is configured not to recognize the wireless signal,

the first wireless communication state includes at least one of

a continuous listen state in which the listen condition is continuously maintained without the non-listen condition, and

an intermittent listen state in which the listen condition and the non-listen condition are alternately repeated, and

the first wireless communicator is configured to be in at least one of the continuous listen state and the intermittent listen state while the first wired communicator is in the first wired communication state.

4. The operated component according to claim 3 , wherein

the first wireless communicator is configured to be in the intermittent listen state if the first wired communicator starts the first wired communication state.

5. The operated component according to claim 3 , wherein

the first wireless communicator is configured to change the first wireless communication state from the intermittent listen state to the continuous listen state if the first wireless communicator recognizes the wireless signal in the intermittent listen state.

6. The operated component according to claim 3 , wherein

the first wireless communicator is configured to change the first wireless communication state from the continuous listen state to the intermittent listen state if the first wireless communicator does not recognize a wireless signal during a determination time in the continuous listen state.

7. The operated component according to claim 2 , further comprising

an additional wired communicator configured to communicate with the first wired communicator via the wired communication channel.

8. The operated component according to claim 7 , wherein

the additional wired communicator is configured to receive a control signal transmitted from the second wired communicator via the wired communication channel, and

the additional wired communicator is configured to transmit the wired signal to the first wired communicator via the wired communication channel based on the control signal.

9. The operated component according to claim 7 , wherein

the first wired communicator and the first wireless communicator are configured to be integrally provided with a single unit and configured to be provided as a separate unit from the additional wired communicator.

10. The operated component according to claim 7 , wherein

the additional wired communicator includes an additional connection port to which an electric cable is to be connected.

11. The operated component according to claim 2 , wherein

the first wired communicator includes a first connection port to which an electric cable is to be connected.

12. The operated component according to claim 2 , wherein

the first wireless communicator is configured to be electrically connected to the first wired communicator without an electric cable.

13. The operated component according to claim 2 , further comprising

an electric component including

a base member,

a movable member movably coupled to the base member, and

an electric actuator configured to move the movable member relative to the base member; and

a component controller configured to control the electric actuator to move the movable member relative to the base member.

14. A communication system comprising:

the operated component according to claim 2 ; and

an input component including

a second wired communicator having a second wired communication state in which the second wired communicator is configured to transmit and/or recognize the wired signal via the wired communication channel, and

a second wireless communicator having a second wireless communication state in which the second wireless communicator is configured to transmit the wireless signal via the wireless communication channel, and

the second wireless communicator being configured to be in the second wireless communication state while the second wired communicator is in a non-wired communication state different from the second wired communication state.

15. The communication system according to claim 14 , wherein

the operated component further comprises an additional wired communicator configured to communicate with the second wired communicator via the wired communication channel.

16. The communication system according to claim 15 , wherein

the first wired communicator is configured to communicate with at least one of the second wired communicator and the additional wired communicator via the wired communication channel.

17. The communication system according to claim 15 , wherein

the second wireless communicator is configured to communicate with the first wireless communicator via the wireless communication channel, and

the first wired communicator is configured to communicate with the additional wired communicator via the wired communication channel.

18. The communication system according to claim 14 , wherein

the second wired communicator includes a second connection port to which an electric cable is to be connected.

19. The communication system according to claim 14 , wherein

the second wireless communicator is configured to receive electric power supply from a first electric power source, and

the second wireless communicator is configured to be in the second wireless communication state in response to the electric power supply from the first electric power source.

20. The communication system according to claim 14 , wherein

the second wired communicator is configured to receive electric power supply from an additional electric power source different from the first electric power source, and

the second wired communicator is configured to be in the second wired communication state in response to the electric power supply from the additional electric power source.

21. The communication system according to claim 20 , wherein

the first wired communicator is configured to receive electric power supply from the additional electric power source, and

the first wireless communicator is configured to receive electric power supply from the additional electric power source.

22. The communication system according to claim 15 , wherein

the operated component comprises

an electric component including

a base member,

a movable member movably coupled to the base member, and

an electric actuator configured to move the movable member relative to the base member, and

a component controller configured to control the electric actuator to move the movable member relative to the base member,

the second wired communicator is configured to transmit, to the additional wired communicator, first control information included in the wired signal transmitted via the wired communication channel,

the additional wired communicator is configured to transmit, to the first wired communicator, the first control information included in the wired signal transmitted via the wired communication channel, and

the component controller is configured to control the electric actuator to move the movable member relative to the base member based on the first control information.

23. The communication system according to claim 22 , wherein

the second wireless communicator is configured to transmit, to the first wireless communicator, second control information included in the wireless signal transmitted via the wireless communication channel, and

the component controller is configured to control the electric actuator to move the movable member relative to the base member based on the second control information.

24. The communication system according to claim 23 , wherein

the first wireless communicator is configured to transmit, to the first wired communicator, second control information included in the wireless signal transmitted via the wireless communication channel.

25. The communication system according to claim 24 , wherein

the operated component further comprises an additional wired communicator configured to communicate with the first wired communicator via the wired communication channel, and

the first wired communicator is configured to transmit the second control information to the additional wired communicator via the wired communication channel.

26. The operated component according to claim 24 , wherein

the disconnection of the wired communication channel involves cable disconnection.

27. The operated component according to claim 24 , wherein

the operated component is automatically changed to the first wireless communication state in response to the disconnection of the wired communication channel.

28. An operated component for a human-powered vehicle, comprising:

a first wired communicator having a first wired communication state in which the first wired communicator is configured to recognize a wired signal transmitted via a wired communication channel; and

a first wireless communicator having a first wireless communication state in which the first wireless communicator is configured to recognize a wireless signal transmitted via a wireless communication channel, the first wireless communicator being configured to be in the first wireless communication state while the first wired communicator is in the first wired communication state, the first wireless communicator has

a listen condition in which the first wireless communicator is configured to recognize the wireless signal, and

a non-listen condition in which the first wireless communicator is configured not to recognize the wireless signal,

the first wireless communication state includes at least one of

a continuous listen state in which the listen condition is continuously maintained without the non-listen condition, and

an intermittent listen state in which the listen condition and the non-listen condition are alternately repeated, and

the first wireless communicator is configured to be in at least one of the continuous listen state and the intermittent listen state while the first wired communicator is in the first wired communication state.

29. The operated component according to claim 28 , wherein

the first wireless communicator is configured to be in the intermittent listen state if the first wired communicator starts the first wired communication state.

30. The operated component according to claim 28 , wherein

the first wireless communicator is configured to change the first wireless communication state from the intermittent listen state to the continuous listen state if the first wireless communicator recognizes the wireless signal in the intermittent listen state.

31. The operated component according to claim 28 , wherein

the first wireless communicator is configured to change the first wireless communication state from the continuous listen state to the intermittent listen state if the first wireless communicator does not recognize a wireless signal during a determination time in the continuous listen state.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 25, 2020
From: NOZAKI, AKIHIRO; TAKIMOTO, TOMOHIRO; FUKUI, HIROFUMI
To: SHIMANO INC.
Reel/Frame 054464/0857 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation In Part 17017697 · Sep 11, 2020
Related Publication 20220081068A1 · Mar 17, 2022