The object of the present invention is a device for determining the angular speed of a bicycle wheel and the pedaling cadence applied by a user to the pedals of said bicycle.
It is known that sensors are applied on bicycles for determining the angular speed of one of the wheels, in particular of the driving wheel, and for determining the pedaling cadence, i.e. the pedaling frequency applied to the bicycle pedals by the user. In general, the pedaling cadence and the driving wheel speed are proportional by a ratio, which depends on the gear ratio in use. If the ratio is fixed, knowing one of the two variables means knowing the other when the pedal is engaged (i.e. when a possible free-wheel mechanism, which makes the pedals and the wheel temporarily independent, does not operate). If, on the contrary, the gear ratio is variable, for determining one of the variables from the other, also the transmission ratio in use must be known.
In general, therefore, in order to measure both variables, it is necessary to provide separate detection sensors, respectively of the wheel speed and of the pedaling cadence. A separate installation of the two sensors on the bicycle is therefore necessary as well as their wiring to connect them with a common control unit. The presence of two sensors, besides making the bicycle heavier, is also costly in terms of configuration complexity and in terms of time. The cadence sensors, moreover, are very visible and therefore aesthetically unpleasant, since they are normally made of a first body (typically a magnet) associated to the pedal and of a second body associated to the bicycle frame.
Document WO 2015/128226 A1 describes a wearable device equipped with accelerometers. The pedaling cadence can be obtained, based on the measured filtered accelerations,
Document EP 2 433 097 A1 describes an acceleration sensor applied to a bicycle having accelerometers, which determine the bicycle speed and its pedaling cadence.
Document DE 10 2009 000919 A1 describes a pedal-assisted bicycle with a speed sensor, whose signal is filtered.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 5,789,658 A describes an algorithm for correcting the tolerances of a speed sensor.
Document R. Bitmead et al. “A Kalman Filtering approach to short-time Fourier analysis” describes a Kalman filter.
The technical problem, at the basis of the present invention, is therefore to make available a device for determining a cinematic quantity of a bicycle, in particular the angular speed of a bicycle wheel, and its pedaling cadence. Said device uses a single sensor, instead of two, and is consequently lightweight as a whole, easy to install, and of reduced visual impact.
This and other objects are achieved through a device for determining a cinematic quantity of a bicycle and the pedaling cadence applied by a user to the pedals of said bicycle according to claim 1.
The dependent claims define possible advantageous embodiments of the invention.
To better understand the invention and appreciate its advantages, some of its non-limiting exemplary embodiments will be described below, referring to the attached figures, wherein:
With reference to the schematic illustration of
Device 1 comprises an angular speed sensor 2 adapted to be associated to said bicycle wheel, in particular to the driving wheel, usually the rear wheel, connected to the pedals via a transmission, comprising, for example, a chain transmission and preferably provided with a free-wheel mechanism. The transmission is in particular with variable ratios, so that the rider can change the transmission ratio between the pedals and the driving wheel. The speed sensor 2 is suitable for detecting the angular speed w of the wheel, to which it is associated, and for generating a signal representative of said speed.
The speed sensor 2 can be variously configured. With reference to
ω=αnom/Δt (1)
wherein:
ω is the wheel angular speed expressed in rad/s;
αnom is the nominal angular distance, assumed constant, between consecutive permanent magnets. If the number of permanent magnets is equal to L (and if, according to the preferred embodiment previously described, they have alternating polarity and if the time interval Δt, as previously defined, is acquired when the digital signal is 1 as well as when the signal is 0), said nominal angular distance, expressed in radians, is given by:
The control module 6 of the speed sensor 2 provides, therefore, an output signal representative of the wheel angular speed ω, determined through the previously explained methods.
In accordance with a possible embodiment, the speed sensor 2 comprises an inductor 9 suitable for detecting the transit of one of the permanent magnets 4 and for generating an induced current consequent to the transit, as well as a switch-on module 10 configured for activating the speed sensor 2 as a result of the transit of a predetermined number of permanent magnets near the inductor 9.
In accordance with a possible embodiment, the angular speed sensor 2 comprises a battery 11 for supplying the sensor itself. Advantageously, the speed sensor 2 further comprises one or more auxiliary inductors 12 suitable for generating an induced current consequent to the transit of the permanent magnets 4 nearby, which can be exploited for recharging the battery 11 itself. The previously mentioned inductor 9 can be used itself as an auxiliary inductor for recharging the battery. Between the auxiliary inductors 12 and the battery 11, an appropriate electronic circuit 18 can be used for processing the electric current induced in the auxiliary inductors 12, so that this is suitable for supplying battery 11. Said electronic circuit may comprise, in particular, a rectifier and a power converter. The energy storage system described naturally causes a small resistant torque on the wheel itself, which, however, will be substantially irrelevant and almost imperceptible to the cyclist.
Note that, as an alternative to the phonic wheel speed sensor and to the Hall effect sensor, different speed sensors may be used generically comprising a moving part, fixed in rotation to the bicycle wheel and equipped with a set of reference elements linked with the moving part, and a fixed part associated to the bicycle frame, which in turn comprises elements for detecting the transits of such reference elements near the fixed part and for generating a signal representative of such transits, as well as a control module configured for determining the angular speed of the wheel and for generating the signal representative of the wheel angular speed based on said signal representative of such transits. For example, said type of speed sensor (not shown in the figures) may comprise an encoder, having a moving body equipped with a predefined number of notches, associated with the wheel, and an optical system for detecting and counting the notches that pass near the optical system.
Note also that, however, different kinds of speed sensors can be used, such as, for example, tachometric dynamos.
With reference again to
αi=αnom+ϑi (3)
wherein ϑi is the error with respect to the nominal angular distance αnom of the i-th pair of consecutive magnets. From (3) it follows that the effective speed of the wheel ωopt, determined from each pair of consecutive magnets, is given by:
wherein Δti is the time that elapses between the transit, for example, of the first and second permanent magnets of the i-th pair of consecutive magnets near the Hall effect sensor 7.
Therefore, in order to determine the effective angular speed of rotation, the error value ϑi should be estimated for each pair of consecutive magnets. Said function is performed by the filter 13.
The filter 13 operates in the following manner. For each pair i of consecutive magnets an average speed {circumflex over (ω)}i0 according to the revolution time Δtirev is estimated, i.e. according to the time that elapses between two consecutive transits near the Hall effect sensor:
Consequently, from the error êt between the estimated average speed {circumflex over (ω)}i0 and the rotation effective angular speed ωi detected by the speed sensor with reference to the i-th pair of magnets, it is possible to estimate an error {circumflex over (ϑ)}i with respect to the nominal angular distance αnom of the i-th pair of consecutive magnets, as follows:
from which it follows that:
{circumflex over (ϑ)}i=Δti·êi (7)
These steps are repeated for each pair of consecutive magnets (i=1, 2, . . . L). The geometric condition is that the sum of the estimated errors 19, of all pairs of consecutive magnets is null, considering the geometry of the sensor. By inserting the estimated error {circumflex over (ϑ)}i in (4), it is possible to determine the effective angular speed of the wheel ωopt.
Advantageously, in order to estimate the errors ϑi at further instants different from those, where the measurements of the revolution time Δtirev are taken, it is possible to use a recursive least square algorithm (known in the literature as “ReLS—Recursive Least Square”).
In particular, considering the most recent measurements of the errors {circumflex over (ϑ)}i, an estimating function ϑi*, is determined so that the square error between the measured quantities {circumflex over (ϑ)}i and the estimate ϑi* is minimized (recursive least square algorithm). Said estimate is then recursively updated every time a new measurement error {circumflex over (ϑ)}i is available (recursive least square algorithm). Preferably, it is possible to give less credit, for example by an appropriate coefficient, to the less recent measurements.
Note that, as the skilled person of this sector will understand clearly, the ReLS algorithm described above may have many variants or be replaced by alternative algorithms that substantially lead to the same result.
Note that the described algorithm is suitable for determining the angular errors ϑi even when they vary over time, for example due to the wear of the sensors themselves, as previously mentioned, thanks to the recursiveness and to the estimate adaptation made by the algorithm ReLS.
Removing said frequencies allows estimating in a quite reliable way the pedaling cadence from the optimized signal representing the speed ωopt. Still referring to
With reference again to
The extended Kalman filter is an extension to nonlinear systems of the Kalman filter. The Kalman filter is a filter, which implements a recursive algorithm that solves the problem of optimal state estimation for discrete-time linear systems with additive white Gaussian noise, which acts on the state and on the output values.
In general, the Kalman filter uses a linear state representation of the system:
x
(k+1)=Ax(k)+Bu(k)+w(k)
y
(k)=Cx(k)+Du(k)+v(k) (8)
wherein:
k is the considered discrete instant;
x is the system state;
u is the considered input;
y is the output of the system;
w is the state disturbance;
v is the measurement disturbance.
The Kalman filter is suitable for determining by means of a recursive algorithm the value assumed by the state x at the current instant k, based on the knowledge of the actual input u, of the actual output y and of the previous estimate of the state x. The outputs y are connected to inputs u by a descriptive mathematical model of the system. It is therefore possible to recursively perform an estimate of the quantities of interest x.
The extended Kalman filter is, as already stated, the extension of the Kalman filter to nonlinear systems, which, in general, requires a linearization of the system to bring it back to the conditions of unextended Kalman filter. In this case, it is possible to describe the system of interest, for example, as follows:
x
1(k+1)=x1(k)·cos(x3(k))−x2(k)·sin(x3(k))
x
2(k+1)=x1(k)·sin(x3(k))+x2(k)·cos(x3(k))
x
3(k+1)=(1−ε)x3(k)+w(k)
y(k)=x1(k)+v(k) (9)
wherein:
k is the considered instant;
x3 is the frequency to be determined, i.e. double the pedaling cadence C, recursively at every instant k, k+1 . . . ;
v(k) is the measurement noise, in this case the noise which acts on the optimized signal representing the angular speed ωopt of the bicycle wheel, which is assumed to be a zero-mean Gaussian noise with variance r, to be defined in the calibration phase of the filter;
w(k) is the noise which acts on the frequency x3(k) at the instant k, which is assumed to be a zero-mean Gaussian noise with variance q, to be defined in the calibration phase of the filter too;
ε is an additional filter parameter, to be defined in the calibration phase too, which can be set, for example, to 0.
The extended Kalman filter is suitable for determining, by means of a recursive algorithm, the value assumed by the state x, or x1, x2 and x3 starting from the output y.
As an alternative to said method, it is possible to define and describe the system as follows:
x
1(k+1)=x4(k)[x1(k)·cos(x3(k)u(k))−x2(k)·sin(x3 (k)u(k))]
x
2(k+1)=x4(k)[x1(k)·sin(x3(k)u(k))+x2(k)·cos(x3(k)u(k))]
x
3(k+1)=(1−εf)x3(k)+w(k)
x
4(k+1)=(1−εa)x4(k)+z(k)
y(k)=x1(k)+v(k) (10)
According to the model of (10), the frequency to be determined, linked to the pedaling cadence C, is no longer a state variable. In this case, in fact, the state x3 to be determined corresponds to double the transmission ratio of the bicycle gear, and the input u, missing in the system (9)—represents the angular speed of the wheel expressed in rad/s.
The frequency of interest is then determined as the product of the state x3 by the input u. Moreover, according to this model, a further state variable x4 is introduced, representing the signal amplitude whose frequency must be determined. z is the noise acting on said state variable, while εa and εe are calibration parameters of the filter. X1 and x2, as in the case of the model (9), represent the phase and quadrature components of the signal whose frequency must be estimated.
Certainly, there are further possible models to describe the system at the basis of the Kalman filter, with respect to the previously described models used by way of example.
Preferably, the module 15 for the frequency analysis further comprises a band-pass filter 16 suitable for filtering the optimized signal of the angular speed of the bicycle wheel in a predetermined frequency band dependent on the detected speed of the bicycle wheel. As shown in
Referring again to
In order to determine the free wheel condition, various methods can be used. According to a possible method, the pedaling cadence or the transmission ratio are determined as explained with reference to (9) and (10). They tend towards zero in a free wheel condition. Setting a predefined threshold value for said quantities (or for their variation), a borderline between the free wheel condition and the pedaling condition can be drawn.
From the above description the skilled person will appreciate that device according to the invention enables to determine the speed and pedaling cadence using only a single sensor, namely the speed sensor. This allows using lighter components and an easier assembly in comparison with known solutions, where two separate sensors are necessary.
Note that, although the operation of device 1 according to the invention has been described referring to a sensor for detecting the angular speed of the bicycle driving wheel, device 1 may alternatively comprise a sensor, adapted to be fixed to the bicycle itself, configured for detecting a kinematic quantity of the bicycle, different in nature with respect to the angular speed of the bicycle wheel, and for providing a signal representing the same. For example, device 1 may comprise a longitudinal or lateral acceleration sensor, suitable for generating a signal representing the same. Said signal can be processed in a filter 13, suitable for identifying possible errors, so that an optimized signal can be obtained. The latter can be used as input of the module 15, which carries out a frequency analysis leading to the estimation of the pedaling cadence, following the methods described with reference to the wheel angular speed.
The skilled person, in order to satisfy specific contingent requirements, may make several additions, modifications or replacements of elements with others functionally equivalent to the embodiments of the device described so far, without however departing from the scope of the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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UB2015A005838 | Nov 2015 | IT | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/IB2016/053847 | 6/28/2016 | WO | 00 |