This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) on patent application No(s). 109107346 filed in Taiwan, R.O.C. on Mar. 6, 2020, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The disclosure relates to a measuring device and a method for measuring bicycle pedaling frequency, more particularly to a measuring device and a measuring method that can be applied to measure pedaling frequency through analysis of acceleration waveform.
Road bike racing is one of the most popular sports, wind, hills, and surface of the road are constantly changing, thus the cyclist is required to accordingly update the training programs. Maintaining an optimal pedaling frequency is one of the skills not only to improve the cycling performance but also to reduce the risk of foot injury. Thus, pedaling frequency training has always been an important course of training. For this matter, how to collect and analyze the pedaling frequency during training has become an important topic in this field.
The disclosure provides a measuring device and a measuring method that can be applied to analyze the acceleration waveform so as to timely obtain an accurate pedaling frequency of cycling.
One embodiment of the disclosure provides a measuring device. The measuring device includes an acceleration sensing module, a signal acquisition module, and a pedaling frequency. The acceleration sensing module is configured to produce an acceleration signal according to an acceleration of a bicycle. The acceleration signal is associated with an acceleration waveform information. The signal acquisition module is electrically connected to the acceleration sensing module. The signal acquisition module acquires the acceleration waveform information from the acceleration signal according to a predetermined parameter. The pedaling frequency calculation module is electrically connected to the signal acquisition module. The pedaling frequency calculation module calculates a pedaling frequency data according to the acceleration waveform information.
Another embodiment of the disclosure provides a measuring method. The measuring method includes producing an acceleration signal associated with an acceleration waveform information according to an acceleration of a bicycle by an acceleration sensing module, acquiring the acceleration waveform information from the acceleration signal according to a predetermined parameter by a signal acquisition module electrically connected to the acceleration sensing module, and calculating a pedaling frequency data of the bicycle according to the acceleration waveform information by a pedaling frequency calculation module electrically connected to the signal acquisition module.
Still another embodiment of the disclosure a measuring device. The measuring device includes a bicycle component, a control unit, a power supply unit, and an acceleration sensor. The bicycle component is configured to be mounted on a part of a bicycle that is not movable in a circular motion. The control unit is disposed in the bicycle component. The power supply unit is disposed in the bicycle component and electrically connected to the control unit for providing electricity to the control unit. The acceleration sensor is disposed in the bicycle component and electrically connected to the control unit. The acceleration sensor is configured to produce and provide an acceleration signal of the bicycle to the control unit to allow the control unit to calculate and produce a pedaling frequency signal according to the acceleration signal.
As the measuring devices and measuring method discussed in the above embodiments, the acceleration waveform information obtained by analyzing the acceleration of the bicycle can be used to accurately calculate the pedaling frequency data. As such, the cyclist can timely obtain an accurate pedaling frequency of cycling.
The present disclosure will become better understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only and thus are not intending to limit the present disclosure and wherein:
In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.
In addition, the terms used in the present disclosure, such as technical and scientific terms, have its own meanings and can be comprehended by those skilled in the art, unless the terms are additionally defined in the present disclosure. That is, the terms used in the following paragraphs should be read on the meaning commonly used in the related fields and will not be overly explained, unless the terms have a specific meaning in the present disclosure.
Referring to
The acceleration sensing module 10 is mounted on a bicycle (not shown). The acceleration sensing module 10 is configured to produce an acceleration signal S1 indicative of the acceleration of the bicycle. Specifically, the acceleration sensing module 10 can provide an acceleration signal S1 in response to the acceleration of the bicycle, where the acceleration signal S1 is associated with information of the acceleration waveform of the bicycle. The acceleration sensing module 10 then transmits the acceleration signal S1 to the signal processing module 12. In practice, the acceleration sensing module 10 can be implemented as an acceleration sensor of gravity (e.g., a G-sensor) or a Hall sensor, but the type of the acceleration sensing module 10 is exemplary and not intended to limit the disclosure.
The signal processing module 12 is able to perform a filtering step on the acceleration signal S1, including measurement error filtering and noise filtering. Specifically, the acceleration signal S1 from the acceleration sensing module 10 may contain a certain amount of measurement error or external noise. In order to prevent the measurement error or noise from affecting the analysis of the acceleration signal S1, the signal processing module 12 may be implemented as a noise filter to perform the filtering step to filter out the measurement error and the external noise. By doing so, a filtered acceleration signal S1′ for the later analysis is obtained.
The acceleration signal S1′ is transmitted to the signal acquisition module 14. The signal acquisition module 14 acquires an acceleration waveform from the acceleration signal S1′ according to one or more predetermined parameters. In detail, the acceleration signal S1′ includes an acceleration waveform information PS that is related to the pedaling, and the signal acquisition module 14 is able to acquire the acceleration waveform information PS from the acceleration signal S1′ according to one or more predetermined parameters. Then, the acceleration waveform information PS is transmitted to the pedaling frequency calculation module 16. Note that the signal processing module 12 is optional and is not intended to limit the disclosure. The measuring device of some other embodiments may not have the signal processing module 12; in such a case, the acceleration signal S1 is directly transmitted to the signal acquisition module 14.
In addition, the aforementioned predetermined parameters may include an acquisition frequency range, and the frequency of the acceleration waveform information falls within the acquisition frequency range. In practice, the signal acquisition module 14 may have a Band-Pass filter for filtering out unwanted frequency and remaining a specific range of frequency. The pedaling frequency generally falls within a range of 1 Hz to 3 Hz, thus the acquisition frequency range may be set to a range from 1 Hz to 3 Hz. As such, the signal acquisition module 14 can partially filter out the waveform of the acceleration signal S1′ so as to eliminate the frequencies outside the range of 1 Hz to 3 Hz. Note that the value of the acquisition frequency range can be modified as required and which is not intended to limit the disclosure.
In one embodiment that the acceleration sensing module 10 is a G-sensor, the acceleration sensing module 10 can be disposed on a non-rotatable part of the bicycle frame. In this arrangement, the acceleration sensing module 10 is able to obtain a forward acceleration signal in response to the acceleration of the bicycle frame, where the forward acceleration signal is employed as the acceleration signal S1. In more detail, in this embodiment, the acceleration of the bicycle frame is equivalent to the forward acceleration of the entire bicycle. The acceleration sensing module 10 (G-sensor) can detect the acceleration of the bicycle moving forwards so as to produce the forward acceleration signal that can be served as the acceleration signal S1.
Ideally, the non-rotatable part may be selected from a handlebar, a fork, a seat stay of the bicycle, or another portion of the bicycle that does not rotate while the bicycle is moving forwards, such a position ensures that the G-sensor can accurately obtain the value of the acceleration of the bicycle moving forwards. For the same reason, the signal processing module 12 (if exist), the signal acquisition module 14, the pedaling frequency calculation module 16, and other modules all can be integrally disposed on the non-rotatable part of the bicycle.
As the acceleration sensing module 10 receives the forward acceleration signal (being served as the acceleration signal S1), the acceleration signal S1 is then transmitted to the signal processing module 12, and the signal processing module 12 will filter out part of the acceleration signal S1 so as to turn it into the acceleration signal S1′. In detail, the signal processing module 12 is configured to remove the measurement error and/or noise existing in the acceleration signal S1, and the remaining is denoted as the acceleration signal S1′. Therefore, the acceleration signal S1′ is a forward acceleration signal that does not contain unwanted measurement error and noise.
Referring to
Note that the acceleration sensing module of another embodiment can be implemented to include a hall sensor. In this case, the acceleration sensing module detects the wheel speed using the hall sensor, then obtain the forward acceleration from the wheel speed, and then obtain the pedaling frequency data according to the forward acceleration. The details will be provided in the following paragraphs.
Referring to
As shown in
As shown in
Specifically, the hall sensing unit 201 includes, for example, a magnetic component, a hall sensor, and electronic circuits (not shown). The magnetic component is rotated with the wheel so as to cause the variation of the magnetic field near the hall sensor, such that the hall sensor provided with current can produce a corresponding hall voltage in response to the variation of the magnetic field. During the variation of the magnetic field, the hall voltage output from the hall sensor is in a sine waveform, and the hall voltage of the sine waveform can be transformed into a voltage of pulse form (i.e., a voltage signal V1) by the electronic circuits.
The calculation unit 202 can obtain the wheel speed information (e.g., the wheel speed information WS shown in
Then, the calculation unit 202 can further determine and calculate the forward acceleration of the bicycle according to the forward speed (e.g., derived from the wheel speed information WS of
Then, the acceleration waveform information PS (e.g., shown in
Referring to
Step S20 is to acquire the acceleration waveform information from the acceleration signal S1 according to the predetermined parameter by the signal acquisition module 14 electrically connected to the acceleration sensing module 10. In one embodiment, the predetermined parameter includes an acquisition frequency range, for example, ranging within 1 Hz to 3 Hz, where the frequency of the acceleration waveform information falls within the acquisition frequency range. Step S30 is to calculate a pedaling frequency data of the bicycle according to the acceleration waveform information by the pedaling frequency calculation module 16 electrically connected to the signal acquisition module 14. In one embodiment, before the signal acquisition module 14 acquires the acceleration waveform information from the acceleration signal S1 according to the predetermined parameter, the measuring method further includes performing the filtering step on the acceleration signal S1 by the signal processing module 12 electrically connected to the acceleration sensing module 10 and the signal acquisition module 14 to output the acceleration signal S1′, where the filtering step includes measurement error filtering and noise filtering.
In one embodiment, the acceleration sensing module 10 is an acceleration sensor of gravity. The acceleration sensing module 10 is disposed on a non-rotatable part of the bicycle frame. The step of producing the acceleration signal S1 according to the acceleration of the bicycle by the acceleration sensing module 10 includes obtaining the forward acceleration signal to serve as the acceleration signal S1 by the acceleration sensor of gravity in response to the acceleration of the bicycle. In practice, the non-rotatable part may be selected from the handlebar, the fork, the seat stay of the bicycle, or another portion of bicycle that does not rotate while the bicycle is moving forward; that is, the acceleration sensor of gravity (i.e., the acceleration sensing module 10) can be mounted on the handlebar, the fork, or the seat stay.
Referring to
Referring to
As shown in
In addition, the display module 37 may include a control unit 371 and a second communication unit 372. The control unit 31 disposed in the bicycle component A3 transmits the pedaling frequency signal to the second communication unit 372 of the display module 37 via the first communication unit 34. Furthermore, after the second communication unit 372 obtains the pedaling frequency signal, the control unit 371 of the display module 37 controls the display interface (not shown) of the display module 37 to display the pedaling information corresponding to the pedaling frequency signal to the rider. In practice, the first communication unit 34 and the second communication unit 372 may be in signal communication with each other via a wireless or wired manner. Note that the display module 37 is optional and is not intended to limit the disclosure; the measuring device of other embodiments may not include the display module 37.
As shown in
Referring to
In one embodiment, as shown in
As the measuring devices and measuring methods discussed in the above embodiments, the acceleration waveform information obtained by analyzing the acceleration of the bicycle can be used to accurately calculate the pedaling frequency data. As such, the cyclist can timely obtain an accurate pedaling frequency of cycling.
In addition, the measuring device may be integrated in a derailleur or an anti-lock brake device, generally reducing the complexity of the overall design of the bike.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present disclosure. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary embodiments only, with a scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
109107346 | Mar 2020 | TW | national |