CN118046990A

CN118046990A - Operating device for a manually operated vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN118046990A
Application number: CN202311473317.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈纪盛
Original assignee: Shimano Inc
Current assignee: Shimano Inc
Priority date: 2022-11-17
Filing date: 2023-11-06
Publication date: 2024-05-17
Also published as: DE102022130414A1

Abstract

The operating device includes a positioning ratchet, a positioning pawl, a first user operating member, a second user operating member, and a release member. The positioning pawl selectively engages the positioning ratchet to selectively establish a predetermined position of the positioning ratchet. The first user operating member pivots about a first pivot axis. The second user operating member includes a first component pivotable about a first pivot axis and a second component pivotable about a second pivot axis. The release member disengages the positioning pawl from the positioning ratchet. During a pulling operation, the first user operating member moves the first component to pivot about the first pivot axis and causes the second component to pivot about the second pivot axis. The first and second members pivot about a first pivot axis during a release operation. The second user operating member moves the release member during the release operation.

Description

Operating device for a manually operated vehicle

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to an operating device for a human powered vehicle.

Background

Manually driven vehicles, such as bicycles, are typically provided with one or more operating devices for operating one or more components. In the case of a bicycle, some examples of these components include a gear shifting device (e.g., a derailleur or an internal hub), a suspension, and a seat post. The operating device is typically provided on a manually driven vehicle at a position (e.g., on a handlebar) that facilitates operation of the operating device by a rider. The operating device is typically connected to the component with a control cable, such as a bowden cable, for example. The control cable is pulled or released by the operating device to remotely operate the component.

Disclosure of Invention

In general, the present disclosure relates to various features of an operating device for operating a component of a human powered vehicle. The term "human-powered vehicle" as used herein refers to a vehicle that can be driven at least by human power, but does not include a vehicle that uses only driving force other than human power. In particular, a vehicle using only an internal combustion engine as a driving force is not included in a manually driven vehicle. Human powered vehicles are generally considered to be compact, lightweight vehicles, sometimes without the need for a license to drive on public roads. The number of wheels of a human powered vehicle is not limited. Human powered vehicles include, for example, wheelbarrows and vehicles having three or more wheels. Human powered vehicles include, for example, various types of bicycles, such as mountain bikes, road bikes, city bikes, freight bikes, and recumbent bikes, and electric assist bikes (E-bike).

In view of the state of the known technology and according to a first aspect of the present disclosure, an operating device for a human powered vehicle is provided. The operating device basically comprises a support structure, a positioning ratchet, a winding member, a positioning pawl, a first user operating member, a second user operating member and a release member. The positioning ratchet is pivotally disposed relative to the support structure between a plurality of predetermined positions. The positioning ratchet is configured to move in a first direction and a second direction. The second direction is opposite to the first direction. The take-up member is arranged to rotate with the positioning ratchet as the positioning ratchet rotates relative to the support structure. The positioning pawl is movably disposed relative to the support structure between a ratchet holding position and a ratchet release position. The positioning pawl selectively engages the positioning ratchet to selectively establish the predetermined position. The first user operating member is pivotally disposed about a first pivot axis relative to the support structure. The second user operating member includes a first component and a second component. The first member is pivotally disposed about a first pivot axis relative to the support structure. The second member is pivotally disposed about a second pivot axis relative to the first member. The second pivot axis is different from the first pivot axis. The release member is movably disposed relative to the support structure between a first position and a second position. The release member disengages the positioning pawl from the positioning ratchet during movement from the first position to the second position. The first user operating member is configured to move the first part of the second user operating member to pivot about the first pivot axis and cause the second part of the second user operating member to pivot about the second pivot axis during a pulling operation such that the winding member moves in the first direction. The first and second parts are configured to pivot about the first pivot axis during a release operation such that the winding member moves in the second direction. The second user operated member is configured to move the release member from the first position to the second position during a release operation.

With the operating device according to the first aspect, the releasing operation can be reliably achieved by constructing the operating device relatively simple.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to the first aspect is configured such that the release member is configured to contact the second component to pivot the first component and the release member about the first pivot axis during a release operation.

With the operating device according to the second aspect, the movement of the release member can be reliably controlled during the release operation.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to the first or second aspect is configured such that the release member is configured to contact the second component to pivot the second component about the second pivot axis during a pulling operation.

With the operating device according to the third aspect, unintentional movement of the release member by the second component during the pulling operation can be avoided.

According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to any one of the first to third aspects further comprises a pivot shaft defining a second pivot axis. The pivot shaft is configured to pivot with the first member about a first pivot axis.

With the operating device according to the fourth aspect, the second member can be reliably and smoothly pivoted on the pivot shaft during the pulling operation.

According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects is configured such that the second part is configured to pivot about the second pivot axis between the first rotational position and the second rotational position with respect to the first part. The second member is configured to pivot from the first rotational position to the second rotational position during a pulling operation. The second member is configured to remain in the first rotational position during a release operation.

With the operating device according to the fifth aspect, it is possible to avoid the second part from unintentionally moving the release member during the pulling operation, while also reliably controlling the movement of the release member during the releasing operation.

According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to the fifth aspect is configured such that the release member comprises a first cam surface and the second component comprises a second cam surface configured to contact the first cam surface during a pulling operation in order to move the second component from the first rotational position to the second rotational position.

With the operating device according to the sixth aspect, the second component can be reliably moved with respect to the first component by the release member during the pulling operation.

According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to the fifth or sixth aspect is configured such that the release member comprises a first contact surface and the second component comprises a second contact surface configured to contact the first contact surface in the second rotational position.

With the operating device according to the seventh aspect, the second part can reliably move the release member during the release operation.

According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to any one of the fifth to seventh aspects is configured such that the second part includes a third contact surface configured not to contact the release member when the second part is in the second rotational position. The third contact surface is configured to contact the first contact surface of the release member when the second component is in the first rotational position.

With the operating device according to the eighth aspect, the second part can be stably held in the first rotational position by the release member, and the second part does not interfere with the release member when the second part is located in the second rotational position.

According to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects is configured such that the first and second members are configured to pivot about the first pivot axis during a release operation while maintaining the relative position of the second member with respect to the first member.

With the operating device according to the ninth aspect, the second user operating member can reliably and smoothly pivot the release member about the first pivot axis during the release operation.

According to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to any one of the first to ninth aspects further comprises a first biasing member biasing the second component towards the release member.

With the operating device according to the tenth aspect, the second component can be quickly and reliably engaged with the release member during the release operation.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to the tenth aspect is configured such that the first biasing member includes a first portion coupled to the first component and a second portion coupled to the second component.

With the operating device according to the eleventh aspect, the first biasing member can reliably bias the second component toward the release member.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects is configured such that the first user operating member is configured to remain stationary during the release operation.

With the operating device according to the twelfth aspect, the releasing operation can be smoothly achieved by applying a relatively small operating force to the second user operating member.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects is configured such that the first pivot axis is parallel to and offset from the second pivot axis.

With the operating device according to the thirteenth aspect, the operating device can be made relatively simple and relatively compact, while still making the operating device robust.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to any one of the first to thirteenth aspects is configured such that the first user operating member is biased by the second biasing member about the first pivot axis relative to the support structure towards the first rest position.

With the operation device according to the fourteenth aspect, the first user operation member can be returned to the preparation position after the pulling operation.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to any one of the first to fourteenth aspects is configured such that the second user operating member is biased by the third biasing member about the first pivot axis relative to the support structure towards the second rest position.

With the operating device according to the fifteenth aspect, the second user operating member can return to the ready position after the release operation.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to any one of the fifteenth to seventeenth aspects is configured such that the second user operating member is biased by the third biasing member about the first pivot axis relative to the support structure towards the second rest position. The operating device further includes a stopper that urges the second component against the release member such that the second component is held at the first rotational position in a state where the second user operating member is disposed at the second rest position.

With the operating device according to the sixteenth aspect, in a state where the second user operating member is provided at the second rest position, the click sound of the second part can be reduced.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to any one of the first to sixteenth aspects is configured such that the first and second user operating members are biased in the second direction about the first pivot axis.

With the operation device according to the seventeenth aspect, the operation of the first user operation member and the second user operation member can be easily achieved by moving the first user operation member and the second user operation member in the same direction.

According to an eighteenth aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to any one of the first to seventeenth aspects further includes a pulling pawl configured to pivot the positioning ratchet in response to movement of the first user operating member during a pulling operation.

With the operation device according to the eighteenth aspect, the pulling operation can be easily performed using the first user operation member.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to the eighteenth aspect is configured such that the positioning pawl is configured to disengage the pulling pawl from the positioning ratchet during a releasing operation.

With the operating device according to the nineteenth aspect, the releasing operation can be reliably performed without interfering with the pulling pawl.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to any one of the first to nineteenth aspects is configured such that the positioning pawl is biased toward engagement with the positioning ratchet by the fourth biasing member.

With the operating device according to the twentieth aspect, the positioning pawl can be reliably engaged with the positioning ratchet to establish the current position of the positioning ratchet in a plurality of predetermined positions.

According to a twenty-first aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to any one of the first to twentieth aspects further comprises a stopping pawl movably arranged with respect to the support structure between a non-stopping position and a stopping position. The stopping pawl is configured to be spaced apart from the positioning ratchet in a non-stopping position. The stopping pawl is configured to be disposed in the path of the positioning ratchet in a stopping position.

With the operating device according to the twenty-first aspect, the release movement of the positioning ratchet can be restricted to release only one ratchet position during the release operation.

According to a twenty-second aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to the twenty-first aspect is configured such that the stopping pawl and the positioning pawl are integrally formed.

With the operating device according to the twenty-second aspect, the construction of the positioning pawl and the stopping pawl can be simplified.

According to a twenty-third aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to any one of the first to twenty-second aspects is configured such that the winding member includes a cable attachment structure configured to attach a cable to the winding member. The winding member is configured to move relative to the support structure to selectively move the cable in a pulling direction and a releasing direction opposite to the pulling direction.

With the operating device according to the twenty-third aspect, the operating device may be used for operating the device using a cable.

According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to the twenty-third aspect further comprises a fifth biasing member biasing the winding member towards the releasing direction.

With the operating device according to the twenty-fourth aspect, the bicycle operating device is configured such that a smooth release operation can be reliably achieved.

According to a twenty-fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the operating device according to any one of the first to twenty-fourth aspects further comprises a handlebar attachment coupled to the support structure.

With the operating device according to the twenty-fifth aspect, the operating device can be attached to the handlebar to improve operability of the operating device.

Furthermore, other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the disclosed operating device will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment of the operating device.

Drawings

Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of this original disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a handlebar of a human powered vehicle (e.g., a bicycle) equipped with an operating device according to one exemplary embodiment with first and second user operating members in their rest positions.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the operating device coupled to the handlebar as shown in FIG. 1, with the first user operating member having been moved in a first operating direction from a rest position toward a first operating position to perform a cable pulling operation.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the operating device coupled to the handlebar as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, with the first user operating member having been further moved in a first operating direction from the position shown in FIG. 2 to a first operating position to perform a cable pulling operation.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the operating device coupled to the handlebar as seen in FIGS. 1-3, with the second user operating member having been moved in a second operating direction from the rest position toward a second operating position to perform a cable releasing operation.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the operating device shown in fig. 1 to 4.

Fig. 6 is a partially exploded perspective view of the operating device shown in fig. 1 to 5, the fig. 6 showing an inner portion.

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of selected portions of the operating device shown in fig. 1-6 with the first and second user operating members in their rest positions.

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of selected internal portions of the operating device illustrated in FIG. 7 with the first and second user operating members in their rest positions.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged side elevational view of selected interior portions of the operating device illustrated in fig. 7 and 8.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged top plan view of selected portions of the operating device shown in fig. 7-9.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged bottom plan view of selected portions of the operating device shown in fig. 7-10.

Fig. 12 is a partially exploded perspective view of selected portions of the operating device shown in fig. 7-11.

Fig. 13 is a further partially exploded perspective view of selected portions of the operating device shown in fig. 7-11.

Fig. 14 is a further partially exploded perspective view of selected portions of the operating device shown in fig. 7-11.

Fig. 15 is a further partially exploded perspective view of selected portions of the operating device shown in fig. 7-11.

Fig. 16 is a top view of the positioning mechanism of the operating device shown in fig. 1-5 and the first and second user operating members in their rest positions.

Fig. 17 is a top view of the positioning mechanism and first and second user operating members shown in fig. 16, wherein the first user operating member has been moved slightly toward the first operating position.

Fig. 18 is a top view of the positioning mechanism and first and second user operating members shown in fig. 16 and 17, with the first user operating member having been moved further from the position shown in fig. 17 toward the first operating position, which causes the second user operating member to pivot toward the first user operating member.

Fig. 19 is a top view of the positioning mechanism and first and second user operating members shown in fig. 16-18, wherein the first user operating member has been moved further from the position shown in fig. 18 toward the first operating position, which causes the second user operating member to pivot toward the first user operating member.

Fig. 20 is a top view of the positioning mechanism and first and second user operating members shown in fig. 16-19, with the first user operating member having been released after reaching the first operating position.

FIG. 21 is a top view of the positioning mechanism and the first and second user operating members similar to FIG. 20 except that the positioning ratchet is omitted.

Fig. 22 is a top view of the positioning mechanism and first and second user operating members shown in fig. 16-21, with the second user operating member having been moved slightly from the rest position of fig. 16 toward the second operating position.

FIG. 23 is a top view of the positioning mechanism and the first and second user operating members similar to FIG. 22 except that the positioning ratchet is omitted.

Fig. 24 is a top view of the positioning mechanism and the first and second user operating members shown in fig. 16-23, with the second user operating member having been moved slightly from the position shown in fig. 22 and 23 toward the second operating position.

FIG. 25 is a top view of the positioning mechanism and the first and second user operating members similar to FIG. 24 except that the positioning ratchet is omitted.

Fig. 26 is a top view of the positioning mechanism and first and second user operating members shown in fig. 16-25, with the second user operating member having been released after reaching the second operating position.

FIG. 27 is a top view of the positioning mechanism and the first and second user operating members similar to FIG. 26 except that the positioning ratchet is omitted.

Fig. 28 is a top view of the positioning mechanism and first and second user operating members shown in fig. 16-27, with the second user operating member having been moved further toward a rest position.

FIG. 29 is a top view of the positioning mechanism and the first and second user operating members similar to FIG. 28 except that the positioning ratchet is omitted.

Fig. 30 is a top view of the positioning mechanism and first and second user operating members shown in fig. 16-29, with the second user operating member having been returned to a rest position.

FIG. 31 is a top view of the positioning mechanism and the first and second user operating members similar to FIG. 30 except that the positioning ratchet is omitted.

Fig. 32 is a perspective view of an operating device according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 33 is a bottom plan view of the operating device shown in fig. 32, with selected portions omitted to illustrate the second user operating member in the second rest position.

Fig. 34 is a bottom plan view of the operating device shown in fig. 32 and 33 with the second user operating member in a second rest position.

Fig. 35 is a perspective view of the operating device according to the third embodiment, wherein the housing has been removed, and wherein the first and second user operating members are in their rest positions.

Fig. 36 is a first side elevational view of the operating device illustrated in fig. 35, with additional parts omitted.

Fig. 37 is a second side elevational view of the operating device shown in fig. 36, from the opposite side.

Fig. 38 is a top view of selected portions of the operating device shown in fig. 35-37 with the first and second user operating members in their rest positions.

Fig. 39 is a top view of selected portions of the operating device shown in fig. 35-38 with the first and second user operating members in their rest positions.

Fig. 40 is another top view of selected portions of the operating device shown in fig. 35-39 with the first and second user operating members in their rest positions.

Fig. 41 is yet another top view of selected portions of the operating device shown in fig. 35-40 with the first and second user operating members in their rest positions.

Fig. 42 is yet another top view of selected portions of the operating device shown in fig. 35-41 with the first and second user operating members in their rest positions.

Fig. 43 is a top view of selected portions of the operating device shown in fig. 35-42, but wherein the second user operating member has been moved to an operating position while the first user operating member remains in its rest position.

Fig. 44 is a top view of selected portions of the operating device shown in fig. 35-42, similar to fig. 43, with the second user operating member having been moved to the operating position, while the first user operating member remains in its rest position.

Detailed Description

Selected embodiments will now be explained with reference to the drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art of manually driven vehicles (e.g., in the bicycle art) from this disclosure that the following description of the embodiments is provided for illustration only and is not intended to limit the invention defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Referring first to fig. 1-6, an operator 10 is provided to a human powered vehicle V for operating vehicle components VC. Specifically, a portion of the handlebar H of the human powered vehicle V is shown, which is equipped with the operating device 10 according to one exemplary embodiment. Here, the human powered vehicle V is a bicycle, and the operating device 10 is a bicycle operating device specifically configured for a rear derailleur. However, the operating device 10 can be used to position other types of vehicles or bicycle components other than a rear derailleur of a bicycle.

In the illustrated embodiment, the operating device 10 is configured as a shifter for controlling the gear of a gear changing device (such as a derailleur or a bicycle component of an internal hub or the like). However, the operating device 10 can be used as a bicycle control device for operating other types of bicycle components (e.g., suspensions, adjustable seatpost, etc.) as needed and/or desired. In the illustrated embodiment, the operating device 10 has a plurality of predetermined steps or positions, as explained below. When the vehicle component VC is a rear derailleur, the predetermined step or position of the operating device 10 corresponds to a gear of the rear derailleur.

Here, as seen in fig. 1 to 6, the operating device 10 includes a handlebar attachment member 12. The operating device 10 is disposed on the right side of the handlebar H, for example, by the handlebar attachment 12, for operation by the rider's right hand. Alternatively, the operating device 10 may be configured as a mirror image and disposed on the left side of the handlebar H. Although in the illustrated embodiment the handlebar H is a straight handlebar (mountain bike handlebar), the operating device 10 can be configured to be mounted to other types of handlebars, such as a drop down handlebar (road handlebar). The handlebar attachment member 12 is configured to be mounted to the handlebar H in a conventional manner. The handlebar attachment 12 is preferably made of a strong rigid material such as a metallic material or a reinforced resin material.

As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the handlebar attachment member 12 has a handlebar clamp 12a and a fastening bolt 12b for fastening the handlebar clamp 12a around the handlebar H. While the handlebar clamp 12a is illustrated as an integral unitary member (i.e., a non-hinged clamp), the handlebar clamp 12a may have a hinged clamp with a pair of curved jaws pivotally connected at one end and adjustably coupled at the other end by a fastening bolt 12 b.

In the illustrated embodiment, as seen in fig. 1-4, the operating device 10 is configured to be operatively coupled to a vehicle (bicycle) component VC via a control cable C. Preferably, as seen in FIG. 1, the control cable C is a conventional bicycle operating cable that has an outer casing C1 that covers an inner wire C2. In other words, the control cable C is a bowden cable, wherein the inner wire C2 is slidably received in the housing C1. The inner wire C2 has a cable joint or attachment barrel C3 (see fig. 6 and 9) for attaching the inner wire C2 to the operation device 10, as described below. Operating device 10 operates vehicle component VC by selectively pulling and releasing inner wire C2. Thus, the operating device 10 constitutes a bicycle cable operating device.

Here, the operating device 10 includes a housing 14, and the inner wire C2 of the control cable C is pulled into the housing 14 and released from the housing 14. The housing 14 is preferably made of two or more parts that are fastened together for receiving and protecting the internal parts of the operating device 10. As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the housing 14 includes a first or upper housing portion 14A, a second or intermediate housing portion 14B, and a third or lower housing portion 14C. The first housing portion 14A and the second housing portion 14B are fixedly coupled together by a plurality of screws. The lower housing portion 14C is movable relative to the first and second housing portions 14A, 14B, as described below. The first housing portion 14A, the second housing portion 14B, and the lower housing portion 14C are hard rigid members constructed of a suitable material such as hard plastic or a lightweight metal such as aluminum. However, the housing 14 is not limited to the illustrated configuration, but may have a variety of configurations as needed and/or desired. Since the shape, size, and material of the housing 14 may be virtually any suitable shape, size, and material, the construction of the housing 14 will not be discussed in further detail herein.

Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the operating device 10 is further provided with a barrel adjuster 16 protruding from the housing 14 for receiving the control cable C. The cartridge adjuster 16 is configured to adjust a contact point of one end of the casing C1 with respect to the housing 14 of the operating device 10. The cartridge adjustor 16 is a conventional component well known in the art of manually driven vehicles and will not be discussed in further detail herein.

Referring to fig. 6 to 11, basically, the operating device 10 includes a support structure 20, a first user operating member 21 and a second user operating member 22. The first user operating member 21 is movably supported on the support structure 20 for selectively operating the inner wire C2 that selectively pulls the control cable C. Thus, the first user operating member 21 may be referred to as a wire pulling member. On the other hand, a second user operating member 22 is movably supported on the support structure 20 for selectively operating the inner wire C2 of the selectively released control cable C. Thus, the second user operating member 22 may be referred to as a wire releasing member.

The support structure 20 is a stationary component relative to the handlebar H. Here, the support structure 20 includes a first or upper support 24 and a second or lower support 26. Here, the first support 24 and the second support 26 are rigid plates made of a suitable material such as a metal material or a reinforced composite material. Here, the first support 24 and the second support 26 are stamped metal plates that are bent into the illustrated shape. Alternatively, the first support 24 and the second support 26 may be formed in other ways from other types of rigid materials. The support structure 20 supports the internal components of the operating device 10. The first support 24 and the second support 26 are disposed entirely within the housing 14. The first and second supports 24, 26 are secured to the housing 14 by fasteners coupling the first and second housing portions 14A, 14B together.

Referring to fig. 10 and 11, the support structure 20 further includes a fastening bolt 28 and a fastening nut 30 that fixedly couple the first support 24 and the second support 26 together as a unit. Specifically, the fastening bolts 28 pivotally support the first user operating member 21 and the second user operating member 22 to the support structure 20. Here, as shown in fig. 11, the support structure 20 further includes a fixed plate 32 and an anti-rotation clip 34 that may be configured to prevent rotation of the fastening bolt 28 relative to the fastening nut 30. In the illustrated embodiment, the fastening bolt 28 has a head portion 28a and a shaft portion 28b. The shaft portion 28b is provided with external threads 28c. The fastening nut 30 is screwed onto the external thread 28c of the shaft portion 28b. Alternatively, as shown in fig. 9 and 11, a fixed plate 32 and anti-rotation clips 34 may be provided to the support structure 20 to prevent rotation of the fastening bolts 28 relative to the support structure 20.

As shown in fig. 8, the cartridge adjuster 16 is threadably coupled to the second support 26 and protrudes from the housing 14. Thereby, the position of the cartridge adjuster 16 may be adjusted relative to the support structure 20. In this way, the contact point of one end of the casing C1 can be adjusted with respect to the housing 14 of the operating device 10.

As shown in FIG. 5, the handlebar attachment 12 is coupled to the support structure 20. More specifically, the handlebar attachment 12 is removably attached to the support structure 20. Specifically, as seen in FIG. 6, the handlebar clamp 12a of the handlebar attachment member 12 has a first attachment hole 12a1 and a second attachment hole 12a2. The handlebar attachment member 12 is fixedly coupled to the first support member 24 by a first bolt 36, the first bolt 36 passing through the first attachment opening 20a in the first support member 24 of the support structure 20 and being threaded into the first attachment hole 12a 1. The handlebar attachment member 12 is fixedly coupled to the second support member 26 by a second bolt 38, the second bolt 38 passing through the second attachment opening 20b in the second support member 26 of the support structure 20 and being threaded into the second attachment hole 12a2. Thereby, in the assembled state of the operating device 10, the handlebar attachment 12 is fixed to the support structure 20. Alternatively, however, the handlebar attachment 12 may be directly attached to the housing 14, with the housing 14 in turn being attached to the support structure 20. Thus, the handlebar attachment member 12 can be considered to be part of the support structure 20 of the operating device 10, i.e., the handlebar attachment member 12 is a stationary support component that is integral with the support structure 20. In other words, the support structure 20 includes the handlebar attachment 12.

The first user operating member 21 is pivotally arranged relative to the support structure 20 from a first rest position (fig. 1) to an operating position (fig. 3) to perform a wire pulling operation. The second user operating member 22 is pivotally arranged relative to the support structure 20 from a second rest position (fig. 1) to an operating position (fig. 4) to perform a wire releasing operation. As described above, the fastening bolts 28 pivotally support the first user operating member 21 and the second user operating member 22 to the support structure 20.

The term "rest position" as used herein refers to a state in which: the component (e.g., the first user operating member 21) remains stationary without the user having to hold the state of the component in that state. On the other hand, the terms "operating position" and "actuated position" as used herein refer to such temporary states: the component (for example, the first user operation member 21) is temporarily held at a certain position due to an external force externally input to the operation device 10.

When the first user operation member 21 is operated by a user to perform a pulling operation, the second user operation member 22 is configured to move together with the first user operation member 21, as shown in fig. 2 and 3. As described below, as shown in fig. 2, a portion of the second user operation member 22 pivots toward the first user operation member 21 during an initial portion of the operation of the first user operation member 21. Then, further movement of the first user operating member 21 toward the operating position (fig. 3) by the user moves the first user operating member 21 and the second user operating member 22 together. On the other hand, when the second user operation member 22 is operated by the user to perform the wire releasing operation, the first user operation member 21 remains stationary in its rest position.

Referring to fig. 15, the first user operating member 21 will now be discussed in more detail. Basically, the first user operating member 21 includes an attachment portion 21a disposed inside the housing 14 and a lever portion 21b extending from the attachment portion 21a to the outside of the housing 14. The attachment portion 21a further includes a first flange 21a1 forming a first abutment and a second flange 21a2 forming a second abutment. The first flange 21a1 and the second flange 21a2 selectively contact the downwardly extending flange 26a of the second support 26. In the first rest position of the first user operating member 21, the first flange 21a1 contacts the downwardly extending flange 26a of the second support 26 to establish the first rest position. When the first user operating member 21 is fully operated, the second flange 21a2 contacts the downwardly extending flange 26a of the second support 26 to prevent further movement of the first user operating member 21.

Referring to fig. 10 and 11, the first user operating member 21 is pivotally arranged about a first pivot axis P1 relative to the support structure 20. Specifically, the attachment portion 21a is pivotally mounted to a fastening bolt 28 defining a first pivot axis P1. The lever portion 21b is arranged such that a user moves the lever portion 21b to pivot the first user operating member 21 relative to the support structure 20. The attachment portion 21a and the lever portion 21b are formed, for example, from a single piece of metal, wherein the lever portion 21b has a plastic user contact portion 21c molded onto the free end of the lever portion 21 b. Thus, the first user operating member 21 may be referred to as a first user operating lever. When the pulling operation is performed, the first user operating member 21 pivots together about the first pivot axis P1 in the first direction D1. As shown in fig. 7, in a top view of the operation device 10, the first direction D1 corresponds to a counterclockwise direction.

As shown in fig. 15, the operation device 10 includes a rod spacer 39 provided on the fastening bolt 28. The rod spacer 39 has a T shape. Specifically, the rod spacer 39 has a spacer portion 39a and a cylindrical bushing portion 39b. The spacer portion 39a is provided between the first user operating member 21 and the second user operating member 22 to axially space the first user operating member 21 and the second user operating member 22 along the first pivot axis P1 of the fastening bolt 28. The bushing portion 39b extends through a fastening bolt receiving hole in the second user operating member 22 such that the second user operating member 22 pivots on the bushing portion 39b. Alternatively, the spacer portion 39a may be a portion separate from the bushing portion 39b.

The operation device 10 further includes a cylindrical bushing 40A and a spacer 40B. The bushing 40A and the spacer 40B are provided on the fastening bolt 28. The bushing 40A extends through the fastening bolt receiving hole in the spacer 40B and the fastening bolt receiving hole in the first user operating member 21 such that the first user operating member 21 pivots on the bushing 40A. The spacer 40B is disposed between the first user operating member 21 and the fixed plate 32 to axially space the first user operating member 21 and the fixed plate 32 along the first pivot axis P1 of the fastening bolt 28. Alternatively, the bushing 40A may be integrally formed with the bushing portion 39 b.

In the illustrated embodiment, the lower housing portion 14C is fixed to the attachment portion 21a of the first user operating member 21. In this way, the third (lower) housing portion 14C covers the attachment portion 21a of the first user operating member 21 and moves together with the first user operating member 21 relative to the first and second housing portions 14A and 14B. Alternatively, the third (lower) housing portion 14C may be fixed to the support structure 20 so as to be stationary.

Referring to fig. 14 and 16, the second user operating member 22 will now be discussed in more detail. Basically, the second user operating member 22 includes a first part 41 and a second part 42. The first part 41 is pivotably arranged about a first pivot axis P1 relative to the support structure 20. Specifically, the first member 41 is pivotally mounted to the fastening bolt 28 defining the first pivot axis P1. The second part 42 is pivotably arranged relative to the first part 41 about a second pivot axis P2. The second pivot axis P2 is different from the first pivot axis P1. In particular, the first pivot axis P1 is parallel to the second pivot axis P2 and offset from the second pivot axis P2. When the release operation is performed, the first member 41 and the second member 42 pivot together about the first pivot axis P1 in the first direction D1. However, when a pulling operation is performed, the second part 42 is configured to pivot relative to the first part 41 about the second pivot axis P2 for at least a portion of the operating movement of the first user operating member 21.

The first member 41 is formed, for example, from a single metal piece such as a stamped metal plate. The second part 42 is for example formed from a single piece of metal, such as a stamped sheet metal, wherein a plastic user contact portion 43 is molded onto the free end of the second part 42. The first component 41 includes an abutment flange 41a (fig. 11), which abutment flange 41a abuts against an edge of the attachment portion 21a of the first user operating member 21 to establish the second rest position of the second user operating member 22. The fully operational position of the second user operating member 22 will be explained below.

In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in fig. 15 and 16, the operating device 10 further includes a pivot shaft 44 defining a second pivot axis P2. In other words, the pivot shaft 44 pivotably couples the second member 42 to the first member 41. In other words, the pivot shaft 44 may be a fastener, such as a rivet, to pivotally attach the second component 42 to the first component 41. The pivot shaft 44 is configured to pivot with the first member 41 about the first pivot axis P1. In other words, when the first member 41 pivots about the first pivot axis P1, the pivot shaft 44 pivots about the first pivot axis P1 together with the first member 41. The first part 41 constitutes an attachment portion of the second user operating member 22, and the second part 42 constitutes a lever portion of the second user operating member 22. The first member 41 is disposed inside the housing 14. The second member 42 extends from the first member 41 to the outside of the housing 14.

In the illustrated embodiment, as seen in fig. 10 and 15, the bicycle operating device 10 further includes a first biasing member 48. The first biasing member 48 is operatively disposed between the first and second components 41, 42. Basically, the first biasing member 48 includes a first portion 48a coupled to the first part 41 and a second portion 48b coupled to the second part 42. The first portion 48a and the second portion 48b are connected by a coiled portion 48 c. Here, for example, the first biasing member 48 is a torsion spring operatively disposed between the first and second components 41, 42. In this way, the second part 42 is biased about the second pivot axis P2 towards the rest position with respect to the first part 41, as will be described below.

Here, the first user operating member 21 and the second user operating member 22 are biased about the first pivot axis P1 in the second direction D2 to their rest positions relative to the support structure 20. In this way, the first user operating member 21 and the second user operating member 22 are configured to have a trigger action such that each of the first user operating member 21 and the second user operating member 22 automatically returns to the rest position when moved from the rest position to the operating position and released. The second direction D2 is opposite to the first direction D1. Here, the first direction D1 is a pulling direction, and the second direction D2 is a releasing direction. As shown in fig. 7, in a top view of the operation device 10, the first direction D1 corresponds to a counterclockwise direction, and the second direction D2 corresponds to a clockwise direction.

In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in fig. 9 and 15, the first user operating member 21 is biased by the second biasing member 50 about the first pivot axis P1 toward the first rest position relative to the support structure 20. Here, the second biasing member 50 is operatively disposed between the first user operating member 21 and the second support 26. The spacer 40B provides axial space for the second biasing member 50 to be disposed between the first user operating member 21 and the second support 26. In the illustrated embodiment, the second biasing member 50 biases the first user operating member 21 in the second direction D2 about the first pivot axis P1. The first end of the second biasing member 50 is hooked on the first user operating member 21. The second end of the second biasing member 50 is hooked over the downwardly extending flange 26a of the second support 26 as shown in fig. 9, 13 and 14. The second biasing member 50 exerts a biasing force on the first user operating member 21 such that the first flange 21a1 of the first user operating member 21 is biased against the flange 26a to establish a rest position of the first user operating member 21. Here, for example, the second biasing member 50 is a flat wound torsion spring mounted on the fastening bolt 28. As described above, the first user operation member 21 is used to perform a pulling operation.

In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in fig. 9 and 15, the second user operating member 22 is biased toward the second rest position relative to the support structure 20 about the first pivot axis P1 by a third biasing member 52. Here, the third biasing member 52 is operatively disposed between the second user operating member 22 and the second support 26. The spacer portion 39a provides axial space for the third biasing member 52 to be disposed between the second support 26 and the second user operating member 22. In the illustrated embodiment, the third biasing member 52 biases the second user operating member 22 in the second direction D2 about the first pivot axis P1. The first end of the third biasing member 52 is hooked to the second user operating member 22. The second end of the third biasing member 52 is hooked on the flange 26a of the second support 26, as shown in fig. 8 and 9. The third biasing member 52 exerts a biasing force on the second user operating member 22 such that the abutment flange 41a (fig. 11) of the first part 41 of the second user operating member 22 is biased against the edge of the attachment portion 21a of the first user operating member 21 to establish a rest position of the second user operating member 22. Here, for example, the third biasing member 52 is a flat wound torsion spring mounted on the fastening bolt 28. As described above, the second user operation member 22 is used to perform the release operation.

Referring now to fig. 16, the operating device 10 further includes a positioning ratchet 54 and a positioning pawl 56. Basically, the positioning ratchet 54 and the positioning pawl 56 form a positioning mechanism of the operating device 10. The positioning ratchet 54 is pivotally disposed relative to the support structure 20 between a plurality of predetermined positions. The positioning pawl 56 selectively engages the positioning ratchet 54 to selectively establish a predetermined position.

The positioning ratchet 54 is configured to move in a first direction D1 and a second direction D2. Here, as described above, the first user operating member 21 and the second user operating member 22 are biased in the second direction D2 about the first pivot axis P1.

Here, the positioning ratchet 54 is pivotally mounted on the fastening bolt 28 to pivot about a first pivot axis P1. Thus, the positioning ratchet 54 is configured to pivot about the first pivot axis P1. Here, the positioning ratchet 54 includes a plurality of positioning ratchet teeth 54a.

The positioning pawl 56 is movably supported relative to the support structure 20 for selectively engaging the positioning ratchet teeth 54a to establish a plurality of predetermined positions. More specifically, the positioning pawl 56 is movably disposed relative to the support structure 20 between a ratchet holding position and a ratchet release position. Here, the positioning pawl 56 is configured to pivot about a third pivot axis P3 that is offset from and parallel to the first pivot axis P1 and the second pivot axis P2. Specifically, the positioning pawl 56 is pivotally mounted on a pivot pin 58, with the pivot pin 58 being supported between the first and second supports 24 and 26. The third pivot axis P3 is defined by the central longitudinal axis of the pivot pin 58. The positioning pawl 56 is biased toward a ratchet holding position as described below.

The positioning pawl 56 has positioning teeth 56a and an abutment 56b. With the positioning pawl 56 in the ratchet holding position, the positioning teeth 56a and the positioning ratchet 54 engage to selectively establish a predetermined position of the positioning ratchet 54 relative to the support structure 20. That is, with the positioning pawl 56 in the ratchet-holding position, the positioning teeth 56a of the positioning pawl 56 engage one of the positioning ratchet teeth 54 a. The positioning pawl 56 disengages from the positioning ratchet 54 to allow the positioning ratchet 54 to move relative to the support structure 20. The abutment 56b is configured to contact the second support 26 to establish a rest (neutral) position of the positioning pawl 56. Here, the rest (neutral) position of the positioning pawl 56 corresponds to the ratchet holding position.

In the first embodiment, the operation device 10 further includes the switching member 57. The switching member 57 is configured to be contacted during a release operation to pivot the positioning pawl 56 from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet release position. The positioning pawl 56 is positioned on the upper or first side of the second support 26 and the switching member 57 is positioned on the lower or second side of the second support 26. Here, the switching member 57 is integrally formed as a part of the positioning pawl 56.

During a pulling operation, as described below, the first user operating member 21 is operated to rotate the positioning ratchet 54 in the first direction D1 such that the positioning teeth 56a of the positioning pawl 56 slide (ratchet over) over one or more of the positioning ratchet teeth 54a to change the position of the positioning ratchet 54 relative to a predetermined position of the positioning ratchet 54. During a release operation, as described below, the positioning teeth 56a of the positioning pawl 56 are disengaged from the positioning ratchet 54 to allow the positioning ratchet 54 to rotate in the second direction D2 relative to the support structure 20 while the positioning pawl 56 is in the ratchet release position. Thus, as described above, the positioning ratchet 54 and the positioning pawl 56 define a positioning mechanism of the operating device 10 that is operated in response to operation of the first and second user operating members 21 and 22.

In this embodiment, the operating device 10 further includes a stopping pawl 60. Basically, the stopping pawl 60 is movably arranged relative to the support structure 20 between a non-stopping position and a stopping position. More specifically, the stopping pawl 60 pivots relative to the support structure 20 between a non-stopping position and a stopping position. In the non-stop position, the stopping pawl 60 allows for release movement of the positioning ratchet 54. In other words, the stopping pawl 60 is configured to be spaced apart from the positioning ratchet 54 in the non-stopping position. In the stop position, the stopping pawl 60 stops the releasing movement of the positioning ratchet 54. In other words, the stopping pawl 60 is configured to be disposed in the path of the positioning ratchet 54 in the stopping position. The stopping pawl 60 is arranged to ensure that the positioning ratchet 54 moves only one of the predetermined positions within a certain range of movement of the second user operating member 22. In the illustrated embodiment, the operating device 10 is moved only one of the predetermined positions at a time for a single progressive movement of the second user operating member 22. Here, the stopping pawl 60 and the positioning pawl 56 are integrally formed. More preferably, as in the illustrated embodiment, the stop pawl 60 and the positioning pawl 56 are one-piece members. Thus, in this embodiment, the positioning pawl 56 and the stopping pawl 60 are pivotally mounted to the support structure 20 as a single unit. Thus, the stopping pawl 60 pivots on the third pivot axis P3 as the stopping pawl 60 moves between the non-stopping position (fig. 16) and the stopping position (fig. 19). Alternatively, the positioning pawl 56 and the stopping pawl 60 may be separate components that move independently of each other. In such a configuration, the positioning pawl 56 and the stopping pawl 60 may pivot on the same pivot axis or be separate components that pivot on different pivot axes.

As shown in fig. 16 to 20, the stopping pawl 60 moves from the non-stopping position (fig. 16) to the stopping position (fig. 19) in response to the release operation of the second user operating member 22. In the non-stop position (fig. 16), the stop pawl 60 is positioned out of the path of travel of the positioning ratchet teeth 54a such that the stop pawl 60 does not contact the positioning ratchet teeth 54a. In the stop position (fig. 19), the stop pawl 60 is moved into the path of movement of the positioning ratchet teeth 54a such that the stop pawl 60 contacts one of the positioning ratchet teeth 54a to temporarily stop movement of the take-up member 64 and the positioning ratchet 54. Here, the stopping pawl 60 is biased toward the non-stopping position.

The positioning pawl 56 is biased toward engagement with the positioning ratchet 54 by a fourth biasing member 62. A fourth biasing member 62 is supported on the pivot pin 58 for biasing the positioning pawl 56 toward engagement with the positioning ratchet 54. The fourth biasing member 62 also biases the stopping pawl 60 away from engagement with the positioning ratchet 54. Here, the fourth biasing member 62 is a spring that has a coiled section disposed on the pivot pin 58. The fourth biasing member 62 has a first free end 62a that contacts the positioning pawl 56 and a second end 62b that contacts a portion of the support structure 20.

As shown in fig. 9, 10 and 12, the operating device 10 further includes a winding member 64. The take-up member 64 is provided to the positioning ratchet 54. Specifically, the take-up member 64 is configured to rotate with the positioning ratchet 54 as the positioning ratchet 54 rotates relative to the support structure 20. Basically, the positioning ratchet 54 is non-movably coupled to the take-up member 64 such that the take-up member 64 and the positioning ratchet 54 move as a unit relative to the support structure 20. Thereby, the take-up member 64 is fixed relative to the positioning ratchet 54 in the first and second directions D1 and D2. Thus, the position of the take-up member 64 relative to the support structure 20 is selectively established by the positioning ratchet teeth 54a selectively engaging and disengaging the positioning pawl 56. Here, the take-up member 64 and the positioning ratchet 54 are separate components that are coupled together for movement as a unit. Alternatively, the positioning ratchet 54 can be integrally formed as part of the take-up member 64 so as to be a unitary member.

The take-up member 64 includes a cable attachment structure 64a that is configured to attach the cable C to the take-up member 64. Specifically, the inner wire C2 is attached to the cable attachment structure 64a of the take-up member 64 through the cable attachment barrel C3. The winding member 64 is pivotally mounted to the support structure 20 by the fastening bolt 28. The winding member 64 is pivoted relative to the support structure 20 in a first direction D1 corresponding to the pulling direction and pivoted relative to the support structure 20 in a second direction D2 corresponding to the releasing direction. In other words, the winding member 64 is configured to move relative to the support structure 20 to selectively move the cable C in a pulling direction and a releasing direction opposite to the pulling direction.

Referring to FIG. 10, the take-up member 64 and the positioning ratchet 54 are preferably biased in a release direction (second direction D2) relative to the support structure 20. Here, as seen in fig. 10, 12 and 13, the bicycle operating device 10 further includes a fifth biasing member 66 that biases the winding member 64 toward the releasing direction. The fifth biasing member 66 is arranged between the first support 24 of the support structure 20 and the winding member 64 to bias the winding member 64 in the second direction D2. Here, the fifth biasing member 66 is a coiled torsion spring that has a first free end that is engaged in the notch of the winding member 64 and a second free end that is engaged in the notch of the first support 24 of the support structure 20. As shown in fig. 9, the fifth biasing member 66 is preferably preloaded to bias the winding member 64 against the abutment 24a of the first support 24 of the support structure 20 in the second direction D2.

Referring back to fig. 6-8, in the illustrated embodiment, the operating device 10 is also provided with a position indicator 68 to indicate the current position of the operating device 10, as described below. The position indicator 68 is optional and may be omitted if needed and/or desired. The position indicator 68 indicates the current position among the predetermined positions of the positioning ratchet 54 and the take-up member 64. Here, the position indicator 68 is pivotally mounted between the first support 24 and the first housing portion 14A.

The position indicator 68 is operatively coupled to the winding member 64 such that the position indicator 68 pivots in response to rotation of the winding member 64. Specifically, the winding member 64 also includes a cam surface 64b that is operatively coupled to the position indicator 68. The cam surface 64b is eccentric with respect to the first pivot axis P1. Specifically, as shown in fig. 6 and 7, the position indicator 68 has an indicating arm 68a, a control arm 68b, and a pivot hub 68c. The indicator arm 68a and the control arm 68b extend in opposite directions from the pivot hub 68c. The pivot hub 68c is pivotally disposed between the first support 24 and the first housing portion 14A. A biasing element 70 is provided to the pivot hub 68c for biasing the control arm 68b of the position indicator 68 into contact with the cam surface 64b. The indicator arm 68a extends from the pivot hub 68c such that the tip of the free end of the indicator arm 68a is visible in the window of the housing 14. The control arm 68b contacts an edge of the cam surface 64b such that the position indicator 68 pivots as the cam surface 64b rotates about the first pivot axis P1. This pivotal movement of the position indicator 68 causes the indicating arm 68a to move within the window of the housing 14 to indicate the current position of the positioning ratchet 54 and the take-up member 64.

In the illustrated embodiment, the operating device 10 further includes a release member 72 in order to effect a release operation of the winding member 64. As shown in fig. 15, the release member 72 is a plate-like member movably disposed about the first pivot axis P1. The release member 72 is a rigid member that engages the positioning pawl 56 to release the positioning ratchet 54 as described below. Here, the release member 72 is preferably a plate made of a suitable material such as a metallic material. However, the release member 72 is not limited to the illustrated plate.

The release operation is illustrated in fig. 20 to 31. Basically, the release member 72 is movably disposed relative to the support structure 20 between a first position (fig. 21 and 31) and a second position (fig. 25). Specifically, release member 72 is pivotably coupled to support structure 20 by fastening bolt 28. The bushing portion 39b is provided on the fastening bolt 28 and extends through a fastening bolt receiving hole in the release member 72. In this way, the release member 72 pivots on the bushing portion 39 b. Here, the release member 72 is pivotably disposed about the first pivot axis P1 relative to the support structure 20 between the first position (fig. 21 and 31) and the second position (fig. 25) in response to movement of the second user operating member 22 in the first operating direction D1 from the rest position to the operating position. Thus, the second user operating member 22 is configured to move the release member 72 from the first position to the second position during a release operation. The release member 72 disengages the positioning pawl 56 from the positioning ratchet 54 during movement from the first position to the second position. In this manner, the release member 72 is operatively coupled to the positioning pawl 56 to move the positioning pawl 56 from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet release position in response to the release member 72 moving from the first position to the second position.

Here, as shown in fig. 10, 11 and 15, the release member 72 is biased toward the first position by the first biasing member 48. Specifically, the first biasing member 48 biases the second component 42 toward the release member 72. The biasing force of the first biasing member 48 is then transferred from the second part 42 to the release member 72. Thus, the biasing force of the first biasing member 48 causes the release member 72 to rotate about the first pivot axis P1 in the second direction D2 such that the release member 72 abuts the abutment 26b of the second support 26.

With the illustrated construction, the release member 72 is configured to contact the second component 42 during a pulling operation to pivot the second component 42 about the second pivot axis P2. More specifically, the second member 42 is configured to pivot about the second pivot axis P2 relative to the first member 41 between the first rotational position and the second rotational position. The first rotational position corresponds to a neutral position of the second component 42 where neither the first user operating member 21 nor the second user operating member 22 is operated. On the other hand, the second rotation position corresponds to an operation position where the first user operation member 21 has been operated to perform a pulling operation. Thus, the second member 42 is configured to pivot from the first rotational position to the second rotational position during a pulling operation.

To achieve these interactions between the second component 42 and the release member 72, as shown in fig. 16-20, the release member 72 includes a first cam surface 72a and the second component 42 includes a second cam surface 42a. The second cam surface 42a is configured to contact the first cam surface 72a during a pulling operation to move the second member 42 from the first rotational position to the second rotational position. Further, the release member 72 includes a first contact surface 72b and the second component 42 includes a second contact surface 42b. The second contact surface 42b is configured to contact the first contact surface 72b in the second rotational position. In this way, the second part 42 pivots on the pivot shaft 44 from the first rotational position to the second rotational position during the pulling operation of the first user operating member 21.

On the other hand, for the release operation as shown in fig. 23 to 31, the second member 42 includes a third contact surface 42c. The third contact surface 42c is configured to contact the first contact surface 72b when the second member 42 is in the first rotational position. The third contact surface 42c is configured not to contact the release member 72 when the second component 42 is in the second rotational position. The release member 72 includes a fourth contact surface 72c. The first cam surface 72a extends between the first contact surface 72b and the fourth contact surface 72c. The second cam surface 42a is configured to partially contact the fourth contact surface 72c when the second member 42 is in the first rotational position. Further, the second cam surface 42a is configured to partially contact the first cam surface 72a when the second member 42 is in the first rotational position. The first contact surface 72b is spaced apart from the first pivot axis P1 by a first distance L1. The fourth contact surface 72c is spaced apart from the first pivot axis P1 by a second distance L2. The first distance L1 is greater than the second distance L2. In this way, the first and second parts 41, 42 are configured to pivot about the first pivot axis P1 during a release operation, while maintaining the relative position of the second part 42 with respect to the first part 41. Thus, the release member 72 is configured to contact the second component 42 to pivot the first component 41 and the release member 72 about the first pivot axis P1 during a release operation. The second member 42 is configured to remain in the first rotational position during a release operation.

Referring to fig. 14, 21, 23 and 25, the release member 72 further includes a first abutment 72d, a second abutment 72e and a third abutment 72f. As shown in fig. 21, with the release member 72 in the first position (fig. 21) and the second user operating member 22 in the second rest position, the first abutment 72d abuts the downwardly extending flange 26b of the second support 26. Thereby, the contact between the abutment 72d of the release member 72 and the flange 26b of the second support 26 establishes the first position. Since the biasing force of the first biasing member 48 is transferred to the release member 72 via the second part 42 contacting the release member 72, the abutment 72d of the release member 72 is biased against the flange 26b of the second support 26. As shown in fig. 25, with the release member 72 in the second position (fig. 25) and the second user operating member 22 having been moved to the operating position, the second abutment 72e abuts against the downwardly extending flange 26a of the second support 26. As shown in fig. 23 and 25, the third abutting portion 72f contacts the switching member 57 of the positioning pawl 56 to rotate the positioning pawl 56 and the stopping pawl 60 in the clockwise direction about the third pivot axis P3. Thereby, the positioning pawl 56 disengages from the positioning ratchet 54 to allow the positioning ratchet 54 to move relative to the support structure 20. Further, the stopping pawl 60 is moved to a stopping position and is disposed in the path of the positioning ratchet 54 to limit rotation of the positioning ratchet 54.

As shown in fig. 16 to 21, the operating device 10 is configured to perform a pulling operation of the take-up member 64 and the positioning ratchet 54 using the first user operating member 21. To effect a pulling operation of the take-up member 64 and the positioning ratchet 54, the operating device 10 further includes a pulling pawl 80. The pulling pawl 80 is configured to pivot the positioning ratchet 54 in response to movement of the first user operating member 21 during a pulling operation. Here, the pulling pawl 80 is movably mounted with respect to the first user operating member 21. The pulling pawl 80 is arranged to engage the positioning ratchet 54 when the first user operating member 21 moves from the first rest position toward the operating position. More specifically, the pulling pawl 80 is pivotally provided on a pivot pin 82 that is fixed to the first user operating member 21. In this way, the pulling pawl 80 moves with the movement of the first user operating member 21 and pivots on the first user operating member 21 to selectively engage and disengage the ratchet teeth 54a of the positioning ratchet 54.

As described above, during the pulling operation, the first user operating member 21 pivots about the first pivot axis P1 in the first direction D1 (counterclockwise in fig. 16 to 21). The second user operation member 22 is moved by the first user operation member 21 while the first user operation member 21 is moved to perform a pulling operation. Specifically, the first user operating member 21 is configured to move the first part 41 of the second user operating member 22 to pivot about the first pivot axis P1 and cause the second part 42 of the second user operating member 22 to pivot about the second pivot axis P2 during a pulling operation such that the winding member 64 moves in the first direction D1. More specifically, the edge of the attachment portion 21a of the first user operating member 21 contacts the abutment flange 41a (fig. 11) of the first part 41 of the second user operating member 22 such that the first user operating member 21 and the first part 41 of the second user operating member 22 pivot together about the first pivot axis P1 in the first direction D1. However, when the first user operating member 21 is pivoted about the first pivot axis P1 in the first direction D1, the second cam surface 42a of the second component 42 slides along the first cam surface 72a of the release member 72 as shown in fig. 18. This interaction between the second cam surface 42a and the first cam surface 72a causes the second member 42 to pivot about the second pivot axis P2 during the pulling operation, as shown in fig. 18. After the second cam surface 42a of the second component 42 slides off the first cam surface 72a of the release member 72, the second contact surface 42b of the second component 42 slides along the first contact surface 72b of the release member 72, as shown in fig. 19. Once the first user operating member 21 is released, the first user operating member 21 returns to the first rest position and the second user operating member 22 returns to the second rest position, as shown in fig. 20.

As a result of the pulling operation, the positioning ratchet 54 moves from one of the predetermined positions to a different one of the predetermined positions in response to the first user operating member 21 moving from the first rest position to the operating position. More specifically, as seen in FIG. 18, the pulling pawl 80 selectively engages one of the positioning ratchet teeth 54a of the positioning ratchet 54 to move the take-up member 64 in the first direction D1 during a pulling operation. When the positioning ratchet 54 moves in the first direction D1 during a pulling operation, the take-up member 64 pivots relative to the support structure 20 in the first direction D1, which first direction D1 corresponds to the cable pulling direction. Thereby, the positioning ratchet 54 moves from one of the predetermined positions to a different one of the predetermined positions in response to the first user operating member 21 moving from the first rest position to the operating position.

Preferably, as in the illustrated embodiment, the pulling pawl 80 is biased toward engagement with the positioning ratchet 54. Here, a biasing member 84 is provided between the first user operating member 21 and the pulling pawl 80 for biasing the pulling pawl 80 toward engagement with the positioning ratchet 54. For example, as in the illustrated embodiment, the biasing member 84 may be a torsion spring having a coiled portion mounted on the pivot pin 82 and having opposite free ends engaged with the first user operating member 21 and the pulling pawl 80, respectively.

Since the biasing member 84 biases the pulling pawl 80 toward engagement with the positioning ratchet 54 in the illustrated embodiment, the pulling pawl 80 preferably moves out of the path of the ratchet teeth 54a of the positioning ratchet 54 during a release operation. In the illustrated embodiment, the positioning pawl 56 is configured to disengage the pulling pawl 80 from the positioning ratchet 54 during a release operation. Specifically, the positioning pawl 56 is configured to disengage the pulling pawl 80 from the positioning ratchet 54 in response to movement of the positioning pawl 56 from the ratchet holding position toward the ratchet release position. In this way, the pulling pawl 80 does not interfere with movement of the positioning ratchet 54 in the second direction D2 during the releasing operation.

As described above, during the release operation, the second user operating member 22 pivots about the first pivot axis P1 in the first direction D1 (counterclockwise in fig. 23 to 31). In the illustrated embodiment, the first user operated member 21 is configured to remain stationary during a release operation. Specifically, the first and second parts 41 and 42 are configured to pivot about the first pivot axis P1 during a release operation such that the winding member 64 moves in the second direction D2. In other words, during the release operation, the second member 42 does not pivot about the second axis P2, and the first member 41 and the second member 42 move together as a single unit (i.e., there is no relative movement between the first member 41 and the second member 42 during the release operation). Further, during the release operation, the second cam surface 42a of the second component 42 contacts the first cam surface 72a of the release member 72, and the third contact surface 42c contacts the first contact surface 72b. Thus, this interaction of the second component 42 and the release member 72 results in the second component 42 and the release member 72 moving together as a single unit (i.e., there is no relative movement between the second component 42 and the release member 72 during the release operation).

Referring now to fig. 32 to 34, the operation device 110 according to the second embodiment will now be explained. Here, the operating device 110 is identical to the operating device 10 of the first embodiment, except that the first biasing member 48 has been omitted and the second housing portion 14B has been replaced by a second housing portion 114B. In view of the similarity between the first and second embodiments, the parts of the second embodiment that are identical to the parts of the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals as the parts of the first embodiment. Further, the descriptions of the parts of the second embodiment that are identical to the parts of the first embodiment may be omitted for the sake of brevity.

In the operating device 110, the second housing portion 114B is provided with a stopper 145 for contacting the second part 42 of the second user operating member 22 when the second user operating member 22 is located at the second rest (neutral) position, as shown in fig. 32 and 33. Specifically, as shown in fig. 33, the third biasing member 52 biases the second user operating member 22 in a counterclockwise direction about the first pivot axis P1 toward the second rest position. Thus, the second member 42 is biased against the stop surface 145a of the stop 145. In the second rest (neutral) position, the second part 42 is prevented from pivoting about the second pivot axis P2 due to the second part 42 contacting the edge of the release member 72. That is, the stopper 145 urges the second component 42 against the release member 72 so that the second component 42 is held at the first rotational position in a state where the second user operating member 22 is disposed at the second rest position. Although the stopper 145 is provided to the second housing portion 114B in the second embodiment, the stopper 145 is not limited to being provided to the second housing portion 114B. For example, the stopper 145 may be provided to the second support 26.

During the release operation as shown in fig. 34, the user will push the second part 42 of the second user operating member 22 such that the second user operating member 22 is pivoted in the first direction D1 toward the operating position. Movement of the second user operating member 22 in the first direction D1 will cause the release member 72 to also pivot about the first pivot axis P1 in the first direction D1. In other words, during the release operation, the first part 41, the second part 42 and the release member 72 move together without any relative movement between the first part 41, the second part 42 and the release member 72.

In the operating device 110, the pulling operation is performed in the same manner as in the operating device 10 discussed above, except that the second component 42 is no longer biased into contact with the release member 72. Thereby, as described above, during the pulling operation, the abutment flange 41a of the first part 41 is pushed by the first user operating member 21, so that the first part 41 moves in the first direction D1 about the first pivot axis P1 together with the first user operating member 21.

Referring now to fig. 35 to 44, an operation device 210 according to a third embodiment will now be explained. Here, the operating device 210 is the same as the operating device 10 of the first embodiment except that (1) the first biasing member 48 has been omitted, (2) the first user operating member 21 has been replaced by the first user operating member 221, (3) the second user operating member 22 has been replaced by the second user operating member 222, (4) the second support 26 has been replaced by the second support 226, (5) the fixed plate 32 has been replaced by the fixed plate 232, (6) the positioning pawl 56 has been replaced by the positioning pawl 256, and (7) the switching member 57 has been replaced by the switching member 257. In view of the similarity between the first and third embodiments, the parts of the third embodiment that are identical to the parts of the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals as the parts of the first embodiment. Further, the descriptions of the parts of the third embodiment that are identical to the parts of the first embodiment may be omitted for the sake of brevity.

In the third embodiment, the first user operating member 221 and the second user operating member 222 are slightly modified in that the first biasing member 48 has been omitted in the operating device 210. In any case, the operation and function of the first user operation member 221 and the second user operation member 222 are the same as those of the first user operation member 21 and the second user operation member 22 as discussed above. For example, the first user operating member 221 and the second user operating member 222 are pivotally mounted on the fastening bolt 28 to pivot about the first pivot axis P1 in the same manner as the first embodiment. Further, the fastening bolt 28 of the operating device 210 is provided with the bushing 40A and the lever spacer 39 to provide a smooth pivotal movement of the first user operating member 221 and the second user operating member 222 on the fastening bolt 28.

Basically, similar to the first embodiment, the first user operating member 221 is pivotally mounted to the fastening bolt 28 to pivot about the first pivot axis P1. In addition, similar to the first embodiment, the first user operation member 221 basically includes an attachment portion 221a and a lever portion 221b. The stem portion 221b has a plastic user contact portion 221c molded onto the free end of the stem portion 221b. The attachment portion 221a further includes a first flange 221a1 forming a first abutment and a second flange 221a2 forming a second abutment. The first and second flanges 221a1 and 221a2 selectively contact a downwardly extending flange or abutment 226a of the second support 226. In the first rest position of the first user operating member 221, the first flange 221a1 contacts the abutment 226a of the second support 226 to establish the first rest position. When the first user operating member 221 is fully operated, the second flange 221a2 contacts the abutment 226a of the second support 226 to prevent further movement of the first user operating member 221. When the pulling operation is performed, the first user operating member 221 pivots together about the first pivot axis P1 in the first direction D1, which corresponds to the counterclockwise direction in fig. 38 to 44.

Basically, the second user operating member 222 includes a first part 241 and a second part 242. Similar to the first embodiment, the first member 241 is pivotally mounted to the fastening bolt 28 to pivot about the first pivot axis P1. Similar to the first embodiment, the second part 242 is pivotably coupled to the first part 241 by a pivot shaft 244 such that the second part 242 can pivot relative to the first part 241 about a second pivot axis P2. When the release operation is performed, the first member 241 and the second member 242 pivot together about the first pivot axis P1 in the first direction D1, similarly to the first embodiment. However, when a pulling operation is performed, the second part 242 is configured to pivot relative to the first part 241 about the second pivot axis P2 for at least a portion of the operating movement of the first user operating member 221, similar to the first embodiment.

Similar to the first embodiment, the second member 242 includes a second cam surface 242a, a second contact surface 242b, and a third contact surface 242c. The second cam surface 242a, the second contact surface 242b and the third contact surface 242c cooperate with the release member 72 in the same manner as the first embodiment. When the second user operating member 222 is in the second rest (neutral) position, the second cam surface 242a contacts the first cam surface 72a. In this way, when the second user operating member 222 is in the second rest (neutral) position, the second component 242 is prevented from pivoting in a counterclockwise direction on the pivot shaft 244, as shown in fig. 39. In the third embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the second part 242 includes a fourth contact surface 242d that contacts the second support 226 when the second user operating member 222 is in the second rest (neutral) position, as shown in fig. 39. In this way, when the second user operating member 222 is in the second rest (neutral) position, the second component 242 is prevented from pivoting in a clockwise direction on the pivot shaft 244, as shown in fig. 39.

In the third embodiment, the second support 226 of the operating device 210 is identical to the second support 26 of the operating device 10, except that the second support 226 is configured to contact the second user operating member 222 to establish a second rest position of the second user operating member 222. As described above, the second support 226 includes the abutment 226a, which abutment 226a selectively contacts the first flange 221a1 and the second flange 221a2 of the first user operating member 221 to establish the first rest (neutral) position of the first user operating member 221 and the end of the operating range. The second user operating member 222 is biased about the first pivot axis P1 towards the second rest position by the third biasing member 52 relative to the support structure. Specifically, the abutment flange 241a (fig. 37) of the first part 241 of the second user operating member 222 is biased against the edge of the attachment portion 221a of the first user operating member 221 by the third biasing member 52. The second support 226 also includes a downwardly extending flange or abutment 226b that contacts the abutment 72D of the release member 72 to limit the pivotal movement of the release member 72 in the second direction D2 and establish the first position of the release member 72. The third abutment 72f of the release member 72 contacts the switching member 257, which limits the pivotal movement of the release member 72 in the first direction D1. The second support 226 also includes a downwardly extending flange or abutment 226c that contacts the second part 242 of the second user operating member 222 to establish a second rest (neutral) position of the second user operating member 222. The abutment 226c contacts the fourth contact surface 242d of the second part 242 to prevent the second part 242 from pivoting in a clockwise direction on the pivot axis 244 when the second user operating member 222 is in the second rest (neutral) position, as shown in fig. 39. That is, the abutment 226c forms a stopper that urges the second part 242 against the release member 72 so that the second part 242 is held at the first rotational position in a state where the second user operating member 222 is disposed at the second rest position. In this way, the second part 242 is prevented from pivoting about the second pivot axis P2 due to the second part 242 contacting the edge of the release member 72 and the abutment 226c (i.e., the stop) in the second rest position.

During the release operation as shown in fig. 43 and 44, the user will push the second part 242 of the second user operating member 222 such that the second user operating member 222 pivots about the first pivot axis P1 in the first direction D1 towards the operating position. Movement of the second user operating member 222 in the first direction D1 will cause the release member 72 to also pivot about the first pivot axis P1 in the first direction D1. In other words, during the release operation, the first part 241, the second part 242 and the release member 72 move together without any relative movement between the first part 241, the second part 242 and the release member 72.

In the third embodiment, the fixing plate 232 includes a protrusion 232a for attaching one of the ends of the second biasing member 50 to the fixing plate 232. Similar to the first embodiment, the other end of the second biasing member 50 is coupled to the first user operating member 221 to bias the first user operating member 221 about the first pivot axis P1 in the second direction D2 on the fastening bolt 28. Of course, the downwardly extending flange or abutment 226a of the second support 226 may be made longer such that the second biasing member 50 is hooked over the abutment 226a similar to the first embodiment.

In the third embodiment, the positioning pawl 256 and the switching member 257 are separate components that are independently and pivotally mounted on a pivot pin 58 defining the third pivot axis P3. However, as described below, the pivotal movement of the switching member 257 is transferred to the positioning pawl 256. The positioning pawl 256 is positioned on an upper or first side of the second support 226 and the switching member 257 is positioned on a lower or second side of the second support 226.

Similar to the first embodiment, the positioning pawl 256 has positioning teeth 256a and an abutment 256b. With the positioning pawl 256 in the ratchet holding position, the positioning teeth 256a engage the positioning ratchet 54 to selectively establish a predetermined position of the positioning ratchet 54. That is, with the positioning pawl 256 in the ratchet-holding position, the positioning tooth 256a of the positioning pawl 256 engages one of the positioning ratchet teeth 54 a. The positioning pawl 256 disengages from the positioning ratchet 54 to allow the positioning ratchet 254 to rotate about the first pivot axis P1. The abutment 256b is configured to contact the second support 226 to establish a rest (neutral) position of the positioning pawl 256. Here, the rest (neutral) position of the positioning pawl 256 corresponds to the ratchet holding position. In the third embodiment, the positioning pawl 256 further includes an abutment 256c. In response to a release operation of the second user operating member 222 in the first direction D1 (counterclockwise in fig. 38 to 44), the switching member 257 contacts the abutment 256c to pivot the positioning pawl 256 from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet release position. Similar to the first embodiment, the positioning pawl 256 is biased toward engagement with the positioning ratchet 54 by the fourth biasing member 62. Similar to the first embodiment, the fourth biasing member 62 also biases the stopping pawl 260 away from engagement with the positioning ratchet 54 because the stopping pawl 260 is integral with the positioning pawl 256.

More specifically, during a release operation, the second user operating member 222 pivots about the first pivot axis P1 in the first direction D1, which causes the release member 72 to also pivot about the first pivot axis P1 in the first direction D1. This movement of the release member 72 causes the third abutment 72f of the release member 72 to contact the switch member 257 and pivot the switch member 257. The pivoting of the switching member 257 causes the switching member 257 to contact the abutment 256c of the positioning pawl 256 and pivot the positioning pawl 256 from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet release position. Thereby, the positioning ratchet 54 is released in the second direction D2. The stopping pawl 260 is integrally formed with the positioning pawl 256 such that pivoting of the positioning pawl 256 from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet release position causes the stopping pawl 260 to move into the path of the positioning ratchet 254. Thus, one of the positioning ratchet teeth 54a will contact the stopping pawl 260 to limit movement of the positioning ratchet 54 in the second direction D2. Once the second user operating member 222 is released by the user, the second user operating member 222 will pivot in the second direction D2 due to the biasing force of the third biasing member 52. Movement of the second user operating member 222 in the second direction D2 will cause the release member 72 to also move in the second direction D2. This movement of the release member 72, which also moves in the second direction D2, will release the switching member 257 such that the positioning pawl 256, the switching member 257 and the stopping pawl 260 will pivot counterclockwise about the third pivot axis P3. Thus, the positioning teeth 256a of the positioning pawl 256 will engage one of the positioning ratchet teeth 54a to establish a new predetermined position of the positioning ratchet 54.

In the third embodiment, in a state where the second user operating member 222 is located at the second rest position, the switching member 257 is kept stationary at the rest or neutral position by the release member 72 and the positioning pawl 256. Specifically, the switching member 257 includes a first contact portion 257a and a second contact portion 257b. The first contact portion 257a contacts the third abutment 72f of the release member 72 and the second contact portion 257b contacts the abutment 256c of the positioning pawl 256. When the release member 72 pivots in the first direction D1 in response to a release operation due to an operation of the second user operating member 222 in the first direction D1, the third abutment 72f of the release member 72 pivots the switching member 257 clockwise about the third pivot axis P3. Thus, the second contact portion 257b pushes the abutment 256c of the positioning pawl 256 such that the positioning pawl 256 pivots clockwise about the third pivot axis P3. Thus, during a release operation, the positioning pawl 256 moves from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet release position.

In the third embodiment, the pulling operation of the operation device 210 is performed using the first user operation member 221 in the same manner as the pulling operation of the operation device 10 using the first user operation member 21. Thereby, the pulling pawl 80 is pivotally mounted to the first user operating member 221. The pulling pawl 80 is configured to pivot the positioning ratchet 54 in response to movement of the first user operating member 221 during a pulling operation. In other words, the pulling pawl 80 is arranged to engage the positioning ratchet 54 as the first user operating member 221 moves from the first rest position toward the operating position. Since the pulling operation is discussed in detail above, the pulling operation of the operation device 210 will not be further explained. In contrast, the pulling operation of the operation device 210 can be understood from the above description of the pulling operation of the operation device 10.

In understanding the scope of the present application, the term "comprising" and its derivatives, as used herein, are intended to be open ended terms that specify the presence of the stated features, elements, components, groups, integers, and/or steps, but do not exclude the presence of other unstated features, elements, components, groups, integers and/or steps. The foregoing also applies to words having similar meanings such as the terms, "including", "having" and their derivatives. In addition, unless otherwise indicated, the terms "component," "section," "portion," "member" or "element" when used in the singular can have the dual meaning of a single component or a plurality of components.

As used herein, the following directional terms "frame-facing side", "non-frame-facing side", "forward", "rearward", "front", "rear", "upper", "lower", "above", "below", "upward", "downward", "top", "bottom", "side", "vertical", "horizontal", "vertical" and "transverse" as well as any other similar directional terms refer to those directions of a human-powered vehicle (e.g., a bicycle) in an upright riding posture and equipped with an operating device. Accordingly, these directional terms used to describe the operation device should be interpreted relative to a human-powered vehicle (e.g., a bicycle) that is in an upright riding posture on a horizontal surface and that is equipped with the operation device. The terms "left" and "right" are used to refer to "right" when viewed from the right side when viewed from the rear of a human-powered vehicle (e.g., a bicycle), and "left" when viewed from the left side when viewed from the rear of a human-powered vehicle (e.g., a bicycle).

The phrase "at least one" as used in this disclosure refers to "one or more" that is desired to be selected. For one example, the phrase "at least one" as used in this disclosure means "only one single choice" or "both choices" if the number of choices is two. For another example, the phrase "at least one" as used in this disclosure means "only one single choice" or "any combination of two or more choices" if the number of choices is equal to or greater than three. In addition, the term "and/or" as used in this disclosure means "one or both of. For example, the phrase "at least one of a and B" includes (1) a alone, (2) B alone, and (3) both a and B. The phrase "at least one of A, B and C" includes (1) a alone, (2) B alone, (3) C alone, (4) both a and B, (5) both B and C, (6) both a and C, and (7) all of A, B and C. In other words, in the present disclosure, the phrase "at least one of a and B" does not mean "at least one a and at least one B".

In addition, it will be understood that, although the terms "first" and "second" may be used herein to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. Thus, for example, a first element discussed above could be termed a second element, and vice versa, without departing from the teachings of the present invention.

As used herein, the term "attached" or "attached" encompasses the following configurations: a construction in which an element is directly secured to another element by adhering the element directly to the other element; a configuration in which an element is indirectly secured to another element by adhering the element to intermediate member(s) which in turn are adhered to the other element; and configurations in which one element is integral with another element (i.e., one element is essentially a portion of another element). The definition also applies to words having similar meanings such as the terms, "connected," "coupled," "mounted," "adhered," "secured" and their derivatives. Finally, terms of degree such as "substantially", "about" and "approximately" as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed.

While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, unless specifically indicated otherwise, the size, shape, position or orientation of the various components may be changed as needed and/or desired, provided that such changes do not materially affect their intended function. Unless specifically stated otherwise, components shown as directly connected or contacting each other may have intermediate structures disposed therebetween, so long as such changes do not substantially affect their intended function. The functions of one element may be performed by two, and vice versa, unless otherwise specified. The structures and functions of one embodiment may be employed in another embodiment. It is not necessary for all advantages to be present in a particular embodiment at the same time. Each feature, alone or in combination with other features, unique to the prior art, should also be considered a separate description of the applicant's further invention, including the structural and/or functional concepts embodied by such feature(s). Thus, the foregoing descriptions of the embodiments according to the present invention are provided for illustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Reference numerals:

10/110/210: operating device

V: manually driven vehicle

20: Supporting structure

54: Positioning ratchet

64: Winding member

56/256: Positioning pawl

21/221: First user operation member

P1: first pivot axis

22/222: Second user operation member

41/241: First part

42/242: Second part

P2: second pivot axis

72: Release member

44/244: Pivot shaft (defining a second pivot axis) 72a: first cam surface

42A/242a: second cam surface

72B: a first contact surface

42B/242b: a second contact surface

42C/242c: third contact surface

48: First biasing member

48A: first part

48B: second part

50: Second biasing member

52: Third biasing member

145: Stop piece

80: Pulling pawl

62: Fourth biasing member

60: Stop pawl

64A: cable attachment structure

66: Fifth biasing member 12: handlebar attachment

Claims

1. An operating device for a human powered vehicle, the operating device comprising:

a support structure;

A positioning ratchet pivotably disposed relative to the support structure between a plurality of predetermined positions, the positioning ratchet configured to move in a first direction and a second direction, the second direction being opposite the first direction;

a take-up member arranged to rotate with the positioning ratchet as the positioning ratchet rotates relative to the support structure;

A positioning pawl movably disposed relative to the support structure between a ratchet holding position and a ratchet release position, the positioning pawl selectively engaged with the positioning ratchet to selectively establish the predetermined position;

A first user operating member pivotally disposed about a first pivot axis relative to the support structure;

a second user operating member comprising a first part and a second part, the first part being pivotably arranged about the first pivot axis relative to the support structure, the second part being pivotably arranged about a second pivot axis relative to the first part, the second pivot axis being different from the first pivot axis; and

A release member movably disposed relative to the support structure between a first position and a second position, the release member disengaging the positioning pawl from the positioning ratchet during movement from the first position to the second position, wherein

The first user operated member is configured to move the first part of the second user operated member to pivot about the first pivot axis and cause the second part of the second user operated member to pivot about the second pivot axis during a pulling operation, such that the winding member moves in the first direction,

The first and second parts are configured to pivot about the first pivot axis during a release operation such that the winding member moves in the second direction, and

The second user operated member is configured to move the release member from the first position to the second position during the release operation.

2. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein,

The release member is configured to contact the second component to pivot the first component and the release member about the first pivot axis during the release operation.

3. The operating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

The release member is configured to contact the second component to pivot the second component about the second pivot axis during the pulling operation.

4. The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

A pivot shaft defining the second pivot axis, the pivot shaft configured to pivot with the first member about the first pivot axis.

5. The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein,

The second member is configured to pivot relative to the first member about the second pivot axis between a first rotational position and a second rotational position,

The second member is configured to pivot from the first rotational position to the second rotational position during the pulling operation, and

The second member is configured to remain in the first rotational position during the release operation.

6. The operating device according to claim 5, wherein,

The release member includes a first cam surface, and

The second member includes a second cam surface configured to contact the first cam surface during the pulling operation to move the second member from the first rotational position to the second rotational position.

7. The operating device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein,

The release member includes a first contact surface, and

The second component includes a second contact surface configured to contact the first contact surface in the second rotational position.

8. The operating device according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein,

The second part comprises a third contact surface configured to not contact the release member when the second part is in the second rotational position, and

The third contact surface is configured to contact the first contact surface of the release member when the second component is in the first rotational position.

9. The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein,

The first and second members are configured to pivot about the first pivot axis during the release operation while maintaining the relative position of the second member with respect to the first member.

10. The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising:

A first biasing member biasing the second component toward the release member.

11. The operating device according to claim 10, wherein,

The first biasing member includes a first portion coupled to the first component and a second portion coupled to the second component.

12. The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein,

The first user operated member is configured to remain stationary during the release operation.

13. The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein,

The first pivot axis is parallel to and offset from the second pivot axis.

14. The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein,

The first user operating member is biased about the first pivot axis toward a first rest position by a second biasing member relative to the support structure.

15. The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein,

The second user operating member is biased about the first pivot axis toward a second rest position relative to the support structure by a third biasing member.

16. The operating device according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein,

The second user operating member is biased about the first pivot axis towards a second rest position by a third biasing member relative to the support structure, and

The operating device further includes a stopper that urges the second component against the release member such that the second component is held at the first rotational position in a state where the second user operating member is disposed at the second rest position.

17. The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein,

The first and second user operating members are biased in the second direction about the first pivot axis.

18. The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 17, further comprising:

A pulling pawl configured to pivot the positioning ratchet in response to movement of the first user operating member during the pulling operation.

19. The operating device according to claim 18, wherein,

The positioning pawl is configured to disengage the pulling pawl from the positioning ratchet during the release operation.

20. The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein,

The positioning pawl is biased toward engagement with the positioning ratchet by a fourth biasing member.

21. The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 20, further comprising:

A stopping pawl movably disposed relative to the support structure between a non-stopping position and a stopping position, the stopping pawl configured to be spaced apart from the positioning ratchet in the non-stopping position, the stopping pawl configured to be disposed in the path of the positioning ratchet in the stopping position.

22. The operating device according to claim 21, wherein,

The stopping pawl and the positioning pawl are integrally formed.

23. The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein,

The take-up member includes a cable attachment structure configured to attach a cable to the take-up member, and

The take-up member is configured to move relative to the support structure to selectively move the cable in a pulling direction and a releasing direction opposite the pulling direction.

24. The operation device according to claim 23, further comprising:

a fifth biasing member biasing the winding member toward the releasing direction.

25. The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 24, further comprising:

a handle bar attachment coupled to the support structure.