GB2532341A

GB2532341A - Sensory feedback controller for battery assisted cycle

Info

Publication number: GB2532341A
Application number: GB1518090.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Crawley Andrew
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-10-16
Filing date: 2015-10-13
Publication date: 2016-05-18
Anticipated expiration: 2035-10-13
Also published as: GB201518090D0; GB2532341B

Abstract

A hand grip 1 for an electric bicycle comprising a first sensor 4 to monitor the physical state of the rider, a second sensor 8 to monitor atmospheric pressure, and a control unit 9, 10 to transmit a demand for battery powered assistance to pedal action when required in response to the output of both the first and second sensors. The first sensor is preferably a heart rate monitor, and the second sensor is preferably a barometric pressure sensor. The bicycle preferably has manually operated gears and a battery powered motor. Preferably the sensors and controller are all housed within a handlebar grip, or in another embodiment the control unit may be mounted to the bicycle frame independently of the hand grip. The handlebar grip preferably includes a user interface with sensor mode selection and visual feedback of pulse, has training levels and climb detection, and is preferably mounted within a waterproof housing.

Description

SENSORY FEEDBACK CONTROLLER FOR BATTERY-ASSISTED CYCLE

This invention relates to a sensory feedback controller for mounting on the frame of a pedal-driven multi-wheel cycle having rider-controlled adjustable gears and a battery powered motor drive to assist the pedal action of the rider when required.

The invention has been developed primarily, though not exclusively, with a view to provide an improved sensory feedback controller for mounting on the frame of a two-wheeled pedal cycle having an electric battery and a motor drive, and a set of rider-controlled adjustable gears driven by pedal action generated by the rider, in which the controller is able to sense whenever the rider is in need of additional power to drive the cycle and generate and transmit a demand signal to the motor drive. However, it should be understood that the invention has general application to multi-wheel cycles having more than two wheels e.g. tricycles and quadricycles.

People will often choose so-called electric or e-bikes to reduce the effort required during hill climbs and/or against headwinds, and which enable pedal action to be augmented by power derived from the battery and motor drive. This can be people who cycle regularly to work, have debilitating conditions, or are recovering from injury or surgery. Existing systems, based on pedal assist, have a user interface to select the required assistance level, which will in turn control the speed and power of the motor.

However, these known systems are not linked to body effort, but rather a decision based process on how much assistance the user would like to select. Often, people who own electric bikes only use assistance for going uphill, or when personal effort becomes uncomfortable.

Monitoring physiological factors, such as heart rate with a wrist or chest strap whilst jogging, or other exercise is commonplace, but can be uncomfortable for the user and usually relies upon a smart phone or external device to disseminate and make use of the information derived.

The invention seeks to provide a sensory feedback controller which is able, when activated to provide continuous monitoring of the instantaneous physical state of the rider, and also monitor upwardly sloping hills encountered, and to generate a demand for additional power to assist the pedal action when needed.

Existing attempts to date to provide such sensory feedback controllers have not gained commercial acceptance. Some have attempted to carry out automatic motor control by detecting the slope angle of a monitoring device mounted on the frame of the cycle, to correlate to the gradient of the road by using level sensors. However, inclination / tilt /slope detection is prone to error due to periodic changes in terrain e.g. on upward trending slopes that may have bumps or dips which transfer vibration to the sensor.

Accordingly, the invention seeks to provide improved monitoring of physical state of the rider, as well as more reliable monitoring of upwardly sloping terrain encountered.

The invention therefore provides a sensory feedback controller as defined in attached claim 1 Preferred features of the invention are set out in attached dependent claims 2 to 13.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, a heart rate monitor and a barometric pressure sensor are incorporated within a handgrip assembly, and which can monitor information in real time. Electric power assistance is provided as a consequence of increased heart rate and/or rate of hill climb. Also, user defined training trigger points may be set by monitoring BPM and rate of climb.

A particularly advantageous development of the barometric pressure sensor (which monitors prevailing atmospheric pressure representative of instantaneous altitude) provides sampling of sequences of measurements over time, in order to detect trending upward or downward slopes. Clearly, although the rider may be generally climbing overall, there may be instances when there are intermittent flat or even downhill stretches where the rider would not require pedal assistance, and this can be achieved by averaging the measured sequences. An averaging algorithm may take successive altitude readings over time average them, then monitor the average altitudes over time, to detect trending upward or downward slopes.

This enables the feedback controller to function reliably despite typical tolerances in barometric pressure measurements of plus or minus 0. 25m. This preferred embodiment therefore provides a sensory handgrip that can monitor heart rate and rate of climb and provide automatic motor control based on levels of personal effort and/or rate of climb. A programmable micro-controller may incorporate heart and barometric sensors. Preferably, a water resistant housing may contain the sensors.

Advantageously, the controller of the invention may be designed to be capable of being retro-fitted to existing cycles.

The controller may be personalised to training regimes based on user fitness and age, and may provide feedback of training mode selected, heart pulse and climb detection.

Examples of sensory feedback controllers according to the invention will now be described in detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig.1 shows diagrammatically a first embodiment which is incorporated within a handgrip adapted to be mounted in a handlebar of a pedal cycle < not shown > having rider adjustable gears and an electric battery and motor drive which can be activated in order to provide assistance to pedal action when needed; Fig.2 shows a second embodiment in which a control unit of the controller is adapted to be mounted on the frame of the cycle independently of the mounting of the handgrip shown in Fig.1; and Fig.3 shows optical sensor location, mode selection and user feedback provided on the handgrip shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring now to Fig. 1, all of the components of a sensory feedback controller, first and second sensors < 4,8 > and an electronic control unit < 9, 10 > are incorporated within a handgrip 1 which is adapted to be mounted on or in a handlebar 2 using grub screw 3. The handlebar 2 forms part of a frame < not shown > of a multi-wheel pedal cycle having battery powered motor drive.

The first sensor is incorporated within the handgrip 1 and takes the form of an optical heart rate pulse sensor 4 connected to a micro-controller 9 via integral wiring 5. Diagonal chamber 6 allows access for tightening the screw 3 and ensures non hermetic but water resistant air access for prevailing atmospheric air to the second sensor in form of a barometric pressure sensor S. A protective tube 7 slightly smaller in diameter than the handlebar tube 2 houses the pressure sensor 8 and micro-controller 9 to provides easy assembly and disassembly.The wiring 5 connects the controller 9, sensor 8, sensor 4 and user interface 10 to the electrical circuitry 11 < not shown in detail > of the electric cycle.

The optical heart rate pulse sensor 4 detects the instantaneous pulse rate of the rider from capillary tissue within the palm of the hand engaging the handgrip 1. The user can select the training zone required with the user interface 10. The controller 9 then calculates the BPM < beats per minute > at which the electric motor drive will be activated to provide power assistance to the pedal action of the rider. The pedal action will be applied to the driving wheel < s > of the cycle via manually adjustable gears. The controller controls the speed of the motor connected to the electrical system 11. When only the sensor 4 is activated, assistance is provided, when needed, solely as a consequence of monitoring the physical condition of the rider instantaneously.

The barometric pressure sensor 8 detects prevailing atmospheric pressure < which is indicative of altitude > , and utilises an averaging algorithm which, via the controller 9, uses the averaged values over time to detect uphill, flat or downhill trending. Thus, the rate of climb / fall can be determined. When the sensor 8 is activated, motor assistance is provided when needed, as a consequence of instantaneous altitude gain.

The user can select training zones based on hill gradient detected and the microprocessor will adjust motor output whilst hill climbing.

Fig.2 shows a variant which simplifies the construction of the handgrip 1, in which control components are mounted on the frame independently of the mounting of the handgrip 1. Sensor 8 and controller 9 are housed within an external enclosure 12.Miniaturisation of the sensor 8 and controller 9 may no longer be necessary if they are not required to fit within handgrip 1.

Fig.3 shows pulse sensor 4 position and user interface 10. This encompasses mode selection and visual display of heart pulse, training mode and climb detection.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A sensory feedback controller for mounting on the frame of a pedal driven multi-wheel cycle having rider controlled adjustable gears and a battery powered motor drive to assist the pedal action when required, and which comprises: a handgrip which incorporates a first sensor operative to carry out continuous monitoring of the physical state of the rider, and a second sensor which is operative to monitor instantaneous prevailing atmospheric pressure; and a control unit responsive to instantaneous signals generated by the first and second sensors and operative to transmit a demand for power assistance from the motor drive when required.
2. A controller according to claim 1, in which the handgrip is adapted to be fitted on the handlebar of a multi-wheel cycle.
3. A controller according to claim 1 or 2, in which the control unit is incorporated within the handgrip.
4. A controller according to claim 1 or 2, in which the control unit is adapted to be mounted on the frame of the cycle independently of the mounting of the handgrip.
S. A controller according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the first sensor is operative to monitor the pulse rate of the rider.
6. A controller according to any one of the preceding claims, in which each of the first and second sensors is adjustable between active and inactive modes according to the wishes of the rider.
7. A controller according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the second sensor is operative to carry out successive sequences of barometric pressure measurements, averaging each sequence, and deriving therefrom average altitudes and thereby determining trending upward or downward slopes and consequential signals with or without respectively demand for power assistance.
8. A controller according to claim 7, in which the second sensor is programmed with an averaging algorithm.
9. A controller according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the second sensor is mounted within a waterproof housing and having non hermetic access to ambient air.
10. A controller according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the control unit includes a programmable micro control device that can be personalised / configured for different heart rate training levels and rate of hill climbs.
11. A controller according to claim 10, in which the control unit has sensor mode selection and visual feedback of pulse rate, training levels and climb detection.
12. A controller according to any one of the preceding claims and mounted on the frame of a multi-wheel pedal cycle having battery powered motor drive assist and rider-controlled adjustable gears, in which the controller is arranged to be capable of being powered by the battery of the cycle.
13. A controller according to claim 12 and adapted to be retro-fitted to existing battery -assisted pedal driven cycles.