JP2018505816A - Pedal drive vehicle crank - Google Patents

Abstract

A crank assembly for a pedal-driven vehicle includes a first member, a second member, and a rotation sensor. The first member rotates about the crankshaft of the pedal drive vehicle. The second member is rotationally coupled to the first member and is configured to pivot about the first member via a member pivot. The second member is configured to receive a pedal at a pedal interface. The rotation sensor is coupled to the first member and is configured to measure the rotation of the second member relative to the first member.

Description

(Refer to related applications)
This application claims priority to US Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 117,882, filed February 18, 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

  When operating pedal-driven vehicles, riders may desire feedback regarding their energy consumption and resulting vehicle performance. For example, pedaling information, such as power, torque, and angular velocity, informs riders of their fitness level and facilitates improved pedaling efficiency and / or techniques. Sometimes. To achieve this goal, power meters have been developed for use in bicycles and other pedal-driven vehicles that collect and report pedaling data.

  A crank assembly for a pedal drive vehicle includes a first member, a second member, and a rotation sensor. The first member rotates about the crankshaft of the pedal drive vehicle. The second member is rotationally coupled to the first member and is configured to pivot about the first member via a member pivot. The second member is also configured to receive a pedal at a pedal interface. The rotation sensor is coupled to the first member and is configured to measure the rotation of the second member relative to the first member.

1 illustrates an exemplary pedal-driven vehicle in the form of a bicycle.

1 shows one of one or more respective states of an exemplary crank assembly including a crank arm. 1 shows one of one or more respective states of an exemplary crank assembly including a crank arm. 1 shows one of one or more respective states of an exemplary crank assembly including a crank arm.

Each state of an exemplary gear assembly is shown. Each state of an exemplary gear assembly is shown.

An exemplary sensor assembly is schematically depicted.

2 illustrates an exemplary crank assembly that includes a hollow crank.

  As noted above, pedal-driven vehicle riders may desire information regarding their energy consumption and resulting vehicle performance. For example, pedaling information such as power output, pedal torque, and pedal speed informs riders their fitness level and optimizes pedaling efficiency and / or techniques. May be easy. To achieve this goal, a wattmeter may be used to collect pedaling data and report it to the rider.

  FIG. 1 shows an exemplary pedal-driven vehicle 100 in the form of a bicycle. However, the pedal-driven vehicle 100 may take any suitable form, including but not limited to forms such as unicycles, tricycles, four-wheelers, rickshaws, pedal-driven boats, pedal-driven aircraft, and the like.

  The pedal-driven vehicle 100 may facilitate converting pedaling motion provided by the rider into vehicle translation in a known manner. For example, the vehicle 100 may include a crank assembly 102 having a crank arm 104, and a pedal 106 may be coupled to the crank arm 104. A rider of the vehicle 100 may apply a force to the pedal 106, which results in the application of torque to the crank arm 104. The application of torque to the crank arm 104 may then cause the chain ring 108 to rotate, and the rotation of the chain ring 108 may be applied to the cog set 110 via the chain 112. The motion of the cog set 110 may be applied to the rear wheel 114 of the vehicle 100, thereby driving the vehicle and allowing translational motion.

  Various operational characteristics of the pedal-driven vehicle 100 may be measured and used to provide feedback to the vehicle rider. To achieve this goal, one or more sensors may be coupled to the crank arm. As described in more detail below, rotation sensors and / or torque sensors are used to determine the angular speed or speed of the pedal 106, the power generated by the crank arm 104, the torque applied to the pedal, and / or others. A measure of the amount may be provided to the rider. Moreover, as described in more detail below, a transceiver may be used to send such measurements to an appropriate output device, in which case the measurements or information derived from the measurements is It may be transmitted to the rider of the vehicle 100. The output device may be, for example, a display device, a speaker, a haptic feedback device, a smartphone, a head unit, or the like.

  Although a single crank arm is featured in FIG. 1, pedal-driven vehicle 100 also includes a second crank arm. The second crank arm may have similar functional features and geometric configuration as the crank arm 104. The second crank arm may be positioned, for example, 180 ° relative to the first crank arm 104, although other relative arrangements of the first and second crank arms are envisioned. Further, the crank arms may be disposed on opposite sides of the vehicle 100, and the crank arms may be referred to as left and right crank arms. Pedaling data may be provided separately for each crank arm, such as averaged between the crank arms.

  2A and 2B show the respective states of an exemplary crank assembly 200 that includes a crank arm 202. The crank arm 202 may be, for example, the second crank arm included in the crank arm 104 and / or the pedal drive vehicle 100 of FIG.

  The crank arm 202 may include a first member 204 that rotates about a crankshaft 206 (eg, of the pedal-driven vehicle 100 of FIG. 1). The crankshaft 206 may extend at least partially through the hollow crank axle 208 (shown in broken lines in FIGS. 2A and 2B, for example, in the direction within the page of FIGS. 2A and 2B). The crank axle 208 may advance to the second crank arm through a chain ring 210, also indicated by a broken line. In some embodiments, one or more of the crankshaft 206, crank axle 208, and chainring 210 may be substantially coaxial. As described in more detail with reference to FIG. 5, the crank axle 208 may provide a space through which electrical conductors carrying power and / or data are passed. In some embodiments, the bolt connecting the left and right crank arms may include a wiring path (eg, a hollow shaft) such that electrical components in the left and right crank arms are communicatively coupled. .

  The crank arm 202 may further include a second member 212 that is rotationally coupled to the first member 204 and configured to pivot about the first member via a member pivot 214. Member pivot 214 may include any suitable mechanism that allows pivoting movement of second member 212 with respect to first member 204. For example, the member pivot may include a bearing mechanism. The second member 212 may be configured to receive a pedal (e.g., the pedal 106 of FIG. 1) at the pedal interface 216, and the pedal interface has a variety of options that allow for a removable attachment of the pedal thereto. Any suitable mechanism (eg, a threaded bore) may be included.

  A spring or other mechanism may be used to bias the first member 204 and the second member 212 in a default orientation (eg, 0 °). The pedaling force may store energy in the spring over at least a portion of the pedal stroke by overcoming the bias of the spring. The stored energy may be released during other parts of the pedal stroke. Any suitable spring or other energy storage device may be used. Storing and releasing potential energy via a spring or other mechanism reduces (eg, substantially eliminates) dead spots during the crank stroke and makes it more uniform to the drive wheel It is thought that it provides a good torque. As a result, the onset of rider fatigue may be delayed and / or the power output and speed of the pedal driven vehicle may be increased. Furthermore, as the dead spot is attenuated, the traction of the drive wheel that is mechanically coupled to the crank arm may be increased.

  FIG. 2C shows a simplified form of the crank arm 202 that is rotated clockwise about the crankshaft 206, for example, via pedal input from the rider.

  In order to depict the path of the crank arm through the crank stroke, multiple positions of the crank arm 202 are shown simultaneously. The angle 230 of the various positions of the crank arm 202 in the crank stroke may be measured from a vertical axis 232 that extends from the crankshaft 206 to a line 234 that extends from the crankshaft to the member pivot 214. Thus, the angle 230 determines the rotation of the first member 204 relative to the vertical axis 232 (measures). It will be appreciated that the vertical axis may be parallel to the gravity axis.

  The crank stroke is conceptually divided into an upward crank stroke and a downward crank stroke. The downward crank stroke may correspond to the rotation range of the first member 204 from an angle of 0 ° to an angle of 180 ° in the clockwise direction. On the other hand, an upward crank stroke may correspond to a rotation range of the first member 204 from an angle of 180 ° to an angle of 360 ° in the clockwise direction.

  As described above, the spring or other mechanism may be configured to store and release energy during both the downward and upward crank strokes. For example, when the angle 230 is 90 °, the second member 212 is rotated away from the neutral rotational configuration and thus stores potential energy. At the bottom of the crank stroke when the angle 230 is 180 °, most or all of the energy stored in the spring assembly is released in the leading part of the stroke, so that the spring assembly does not produce potential energy at the bottom of the crank stroke. Do not store or store slightly. This elution of potential energy increases the amount of torque applied by the crank arm 202 near the bottom of the crank stroke. As a result, the magnitude of one of the troughs (eg, so-called “dead spots”) in the crank arm torque curve is reduced.

  Specifically, potential energy in the spring assembly is released when the angle 230 of the crank arm 202 is close to 180 ° and 360 ° (eg, 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock). When angle 230 is 180 °, any force on the pedal will be perpendicular to the direction of compression of the spring, allowing the spring to decompress. At this time, since the spring is oriented in the horizontal direction, the energy is released in the rotational direction, increasing the torque.

  Additionally, in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2C, the rider is applying an upward force against the pedal interface 216 during the upward crank stroke. Accordingly, a pedal coupled to the pedal interface 216 is configured to allow a user to apply an upward force against the second member 212 through an upward crank stroke, a toe clip, a clipless pedal, and / Or other suitable device may be included. However, in other embodiments, a downward force may be applied during an upward crank stroke. In this case, the detent prevents the spring assembly from storing counter-effect potential energy. When the angle 230 is 270 °, the second member 212 is again rotated away from the neutral rotational configuration to store energy. This energy is released through the subsequent part of the crank stroke, and when the angle 230 is 360 °, most or all of the energy has been released previously. In this way, the size of other troughs in the torque curve of the crank arm is reduced to provide a more uniform torque curve throughout the crank stroke. This type of torque curve increases the traction of a drive wheel mechanically connected to the crank arm, increases the power output and / or speed of the pedal-driven vehicle and / or delays the onset of rider fatigue. Conceivable.

  Further, in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2C, the distance between the crankshaft 206 and the member pivot 214 is less than the distance between the crankshaft and the pedal interface 216 throughout the downward and upward crank strokes. However, other rotational characteristics of the crank arm 202 are also envisioned.

  The path 236 of the member pivot 214 is also shown in FIG. 2C. The path is substantially circular. In addition, the path 238 of the pedal interface 216 is shown. When the second member 212 is in a non-neutral state, the path of the pedal interface 216 is not circular due to the reduced distance between the pedal interface 216 and the crankshaft 206.

  The operational attributes of the crank arm 202 may be measured to provide at least a portion of the pedal data described above in a pedal-driven vehicle that includes the crank arm. To accomplish this goal, the crank arm 202 may include a sensor gear 218. The sensor gear 218 may form part of a rotation sensor, for example. In the depicted example, the sensor gear 218 is configured such that the pivoting movement of the second member 212 relative to the first member 204 actuates the sensor gear, which may allow derivation of at least a portion of the pedaling data described above. is there.

  Unlike a conventional crank arm, the crank arm 202 includes a member pivot 214 and a rotation sensor. Numerous pivot configurations and numerous rotation sensor implementations are envisioned. For example, a potentiometer or a Hall effect sensor may be used. In some implementations, the rotation sensor may be concentric with the member pivot point, whereas in other implementations, such as those illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the rotation sensor and member pivot are eccentric. Good. The embodiments disclosed herein are not in any way limiting. Other types of rotation sensors and / or other pivot configurations can also smooth out dead spots while providing pedaling data.

  In the example illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the crank assembly 200 includes an arc gear 220 configured to cause rotation of the sensor gear 218 in response to a second member 212 that rotates relative to the first member 204. May include. The arc gear 220 may include a shield 222, shown in dashed lines in FIGS. 2A and 2B, that shields 222 covers the sensor gear 218, thereby protecting the sensor gear from debris and elements and retaining sensing functionality. To do. 2A and 2B show a shield coupled to the second member 212 via a screw 224, other connection mechanisms are envisioned. In some embodiments, the arc gear 220 may be an integral part of the second member 212.

  Another potential drawback of the envisaged wattmeter design is inaccuracy of detection due to the use of a limited range of sensors—for example, a limited angular range of rotation sensors. To address this drawback and increase the accuracy of crank arm 202 pedaling data collection, the rotation of sensor gear 218 may be mechanically amplified by arc gear 220. To illustrate this configuration, FIG. 2B shows the second member 212 rotated relative to the first member 204 by an angle θ (eg, 10 °). The angle θ may be, for example, an angle between the respective longitudinal axes of the first member 204 and the second member 212. FIG. 2B may represent a state of the crank arm 202 that causes the pedaling force provided by the user to pivot the second member 212 relative to the first member 204, for example. This state of the crank arm 202 may be in contrast to the state of the crank arm depicted in FIG. 2A, for example, the rider is not providing pedaling force and the second member 212 is the first member. Corresponds to a state that is substantially aligned with 204 (eg, θ is about 0 °).

  To further illustrate the potential mechanical amplification provided by arc gear 220, FIGS. 3A and 3B show somewhat schematically the respective states of an exemplary gear assembly 300 that includes sensor gear 218 and arc gear 220. ing. 3A and 3B depict, for example, the undersides of arc gear 220 and sensor gear 218, with the relative orientation of first member 204 and second member 212 shown in FIG. 2A and the relative orientation shown in FIG. 2B, respectively. A corresponding state of the gear assembly 300 is shown.

  In FIG. 3A, sensor gear 218 is not substantially rotated (eg, 0 °) relative to arc gear 220 because second member 212 is not substantially rotated relative to first member 204. It may be in the direction. Conversely, in FIG. 3B, sensor gear 218 may be rotated through angle β as a result of rotation of second member 212 through angle θ with respect to first member 204. Because of the mechanical amplification provided by the arc gear 220 when the arc gear teeth 303 engage the sensor gear 218, the angle β may be greater than the angle θ so that a larger range of sensor gears is utilized. As a non-limiting example, the angle θ may be 10 °, while the angle β may be 80 °, in which case the arc gear 220 has an 8 mechanical amplification factor. May provide. However, other suitable amplification constants may be utilized.

  Returning to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the arc gear 220 may engage the sensor gear 218 between the axle 226 and the crankshaft 206 around which the sensor gear rotates. For example, the teeth 302 (FIGS. 3A and 3B) of the arc gear 220 may engage the sensor gear 218 between these points. The sensor gear 218 may be positioned outside a housing 228 included in the first member 204, the housing 228 being substantially sealed to protect components positioned therein from debris and elements. May be. In such a configuration, the sensor gear 218 has a sensing element (inside the housing 228) such that actuation of the sensor gear causes actuation of the sensing element, thereby generating a reading that can be used to derive pedaling data. (Not shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B). In this manner, the housing 228 may allow the arc gear 220 to operate the sensor gear 218 while protecting the sensing element from degradation.

  The housing 228 may utilize a removable cover to allow access to components located therein. The removable cover may be attached and / or removed by bolts, screws, or other suitable mechanism and may utilize a suitable mechanism such as a gasket that prevents debris from entering the housing. As shown in FIG. 4, the sensor gear 218 may be physically coupled to a sensing element positioned within the housing 228 via an axle routed through an opening in the housing. The opening may be substantially sealed to allow the axle to pass through the opening while preventing debris from entering the housing 228 through the opening. Alternative configurations are envisioned in which the sensor gear 218 is communicatively coupled to the sensing element via an appropriate wireless connection (eg, via inductive or capacitive coupling).

  As described above, the crank arm 202 may be one of two crank arms provided in a pedal-driven vehicle (eg, the vehicle 100 of FIG. 1), and at least some sensing functionality is provided by the crank arm. It may be provided on the other side. In such an embodiment, although not shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the crank assembly 200 is rotationally coupled to a third member that rotates about the crankshaft 206 of the pedal-driven vehicle and the third member. And a fourth member configured to pivot about the third member via the member pivot, wherein the fourth member is configured to receive a pedal at a pedal interface. In addition, crank assembly 200 includes, in addition to sensor gear 218 and arc gear 220, a second (eg, rotation) sensor coupled to the third member and a second arc gear coupled to the fourth member. It's okay.

  FIG. 4 schematically depicts an exemplary sensor assembly 400. Sensor assembly 400 may be used, for example, to collect and report pedaling data in pedal-driven vehicle 100 of FIG. The assembly 400 may include a housing 228 incorporated in the crank arm 202 of FIGS. 2A and 2B. The assembly 400 may also include a sensor gear 218, depicting its operative connection to the sensing element 402. The sensing element 402 may take any suitable form, for example, in the form of a resistance sensor or potentiometer. Due to the rotational actuation of sensor gear 218, sensor gear and sensing element 402 may be designated as rotational sensor 4-4. However, alternative sensor configurations are possible, including sensor configurations that use torque sensors that may or may not be rotation sensors.

  The rotation of the sensor gear 218 may be used to derive various pedaling data amounts in any suitable manner. Such amounts may include, but are not limited to, crank arm angular velocity / acceleration, crank assembly torque, average or instantaneous output power, left-right torque or power balance. Since the rotation of the sensor gear 218 may be proportional to the movement of the corresponding crank arm (eg, via a physical joint connected thereto), knowledge of the physical characteristics of the crank arm (length, gear ratio of the arc gear) , Spring force, etc.) may allow an accurate calculation of the amount of pedaling data described herein.

  The sensor assembly 400 may include a controller 406 positioned inside the housing 228 and communicatively coupled to the rotation sensor 404. The controller 406 may be configured to provide an output derived from the rotation sensor output. Thus, FIG. 4 shows the sensor output from the sensing element 402 supplied to the controller 406. The sensor output may be processed by the controller 406 in various suitable ways to derive one or more amounts of pedaling data. In some embodiments, the controller 406 may receive sensor output for two or more crank arms, in which case pedaling data may be obtained for each crank arm, or two Or it may be averaged between more crank arms. As an example, the controller 406 may be communicatively coupled to the first and second sensors (eg, may be provided on the first and second crank arms, respectively), and the first and second sensors may be measured. The angular velocity of the first and second crank arms may be derived from the value. Alternatively or additionally, the controller 406 may be configured to output at least one torque of the first and second crank arms from torque measurements of one or both of the first and second sensors. As another example, the controller 406 derives the angular speed or speed of the crank assembly from the total torque of the two crank arms (eg, calculated by adding the individual torque readings of the first and second crank arms). It's okay. The total torque may have a frequency (eg, revolutions per minute) corresponding to twice the angular velocity, allowing easy calculation of the angular velocity. Such an approach may enable angular velocity sensing without the use of accelerometers and / or gyroscopes. As described in further detail below, the controller 406 may perform pedal data processing to varying degrees. For example, the controller 406 may provide precursor (e.g., raw) pedaling data to the computing device, which derives the amount of pedaling data from the precursor pedaling data, or itself determines the amount of pedaling data, For example, it may be reported to the rider.

  The sensor assembly 400 may include a transceiver 408 positioned inside the housing 228. As shown in FIG. 4, the transceiver 408 is communicatively coupled to the controller 406 to enable reporting of raw pedaling data and / or pedaling data derived by the controller. The transceiver 408 may transmit pedaling data to any suitable computing and / or output device (eg, a smartphone or cockpit computer, external or peripheral computing device). The transceiver 408 may be integrated with the controller 406 or may be separate from the controller 406. The transceiver 408 may utilize any suitable communication protocol (eg, low energy Bluetooth® and / or ANT +). By using a low energy antenna, power consumption in the computing system can be reduced, thereby improving system efficiency, for example.

  The controller 406 may be configured to perform on-controller calculations and / or transmit precursor information to an external computing device (eg, a computer installed in a smartphone or vehicle cockpit) for off-controller calculations. It may be constituted as follows. To achieve this goal, FIG. 4 shows a computing device 409 that may be operable to receive output from the transceiver 408. In both scenarios, the computing device (eg, controller, smart phone or other mobile device, head unit, or other external / peripheral computer) will calculate any appropriate pedaling parameters based on the particular crank arm implementation. May be programmed.

  For example, when a smartphone is used as the computing device 409, the cost of the system can be reduced due to the fact that the computing power of the rider's existing mobile device is utilized. However, many suitable computing devices have been considered, such as smart watches, tablets, laptops, dedicated pedal-driven computing devices, and the like. Thus, it will be appreciated that any data generation functionality may be provided in the form of a mobile application.

  The computing device 409 includes a memory and a processor. It will be appreciated that various functionality corresponding to the computing devices discussed herein may be stored as code in memory executable by the processor.

  The computing device 409 is configured to generate various pedal-driven vehicle data based on digital signals provided by the controller. Pedal-driven vehicle data includes cranks such as power (eg average power, instantaneous power), left / right power balance, left / right torque effectiveness, left / right pedal smoothness, left / right torque profile Contains data corresponding to the arm sensor. Additional data that can be generated by the computing device includes calories burned, speed, travel distance, elapsed time, climb gain, temperature, and cadence. Measuring power in such a manner allows riders to know how much power has been transferred from their legs to the power train of the pedal-driven vehicle. Moreover, the abundant data generated by the computing device from the sensor input allows the rider to track progress, training schedule and improve riding style. It will be appreciated that the foregoing data may be presented to the rider in the form of graphical plots.

  In implementations that store energy in the crank arm 202 using a spring or other mechanism (eg, in the configuration described above with reference to FIG. 2C), the energy stored in the spring due to rotation of the crank arm is given by the following equation: May be determined using.

  The torque (Nm) for the first member is given by (for torque normal to the second member) by:

  k is a torsion spring constant (Nm / radian), and θ is a deflection angle in radians.

  Power (watts) may be provided by:

  Here, ω is the angular speed (radians / second). Ρ, τ, and ω all vary with time, usually within one revolution and within a longer time frame. τ is the sum of the torques of the left and right crank arms.

  The angular speed ω is related to the rhythm (rmp) by:

  Torque effectiveness (TE) and pedaling smoothness (PS may be defined as follows).

P ⁺ is the power that pushes the pedal forward to generate a positive torque, and P ⁻ is the power in the opposite direction, either negative or zero.

P _ave is the average power applied to the pedal during a full stroke, and P _max is the maximum power applied to the pedal during the stroke.

  Furthermore, the angular speed and torque of the crank are usually time dependent from one rotation to the next and within one rotation. Thus, the following equation may be used to calculate crank power and torque.

  It will be appreciated that the computing device 409 may use equations relating to torque, energy output, and torque effectiveness to generate pedal-driven vehicle data. Measuring power in such a way allows riders to know how much power is transmitted from their feet to the pedal-driven vehicle powertrain to improve the ride.

  The spring constant of the spring in the spring assembly may change over time. Accordingly, factory calibration of the controller 406 and / or the computing device 409 may not provide long-term accuracy of data generated by the computing system. Thus, the controller and / or computing device may be configured for periodic calibration. System calibration is discussed for a vehicle with two crank arms arranged at 180 ° relative to each other. However, it will be appreciated that calibration of vehicles with alternative crank arm configurations is envisioned. In one example, the system may calibrate the system using the weight when the rider's weight is accurately known. Thus, the user may enter their weight into the computing device. Initially, riders can stand on the pedals of pedal-driven vehicles with their full weight. When the rider stands on the pedal in this way, the system is substantially balanced. The forward pedal sees a positive productive torque corresponding to about half the rider's weight. The reverse pedal sees a negative counter-effect torque corresponding to half of the rider's weight that counteracts the positive torque. Therefore, when the rider stands on the pedal without rotating the pedal, the angular velocity and the total torque of the crank arm are zero, and are expressed by the following equations.

τ _L is the torque in the left crank, and τ _R is the torque in the right crank, and thus:

k _L and k _R are the torsion spring constants for the left and right crank arms, respectively, and Θ _L and Θ _R are the left and right deflection angles under the weight of the cyclist, respectively. In other words, when the left foot is advanced, half of the rider's body weight provides positive torque (Θ _L positive) with respect to the left crank, and the other half has negative torque (Θ _R negative) with respect to the right crank. Bring and counter the total torque. The spring can rotate in both positive and negative directions. Next, while the rider stands on the pedal, the spring deflection of both crank arms is recorded. This procedure can be repeated after rotating the crank arm by 180 ° so that each crank arm sees substantially opposite torque. The computing device 409 may then be configured to determine the left and right crank effective spring constants from these measurements. In this way, if the spring constant changes over time, the spring constant can be updated while the computing system is in use. It will be appreciated that the accuracy of the calibration is proportional to the accuracy of the rider's weight at the time of calibration. In some implementations, data can be corrected for the temperature coefficient of resistance in a sensor (eg, a rotation sensor calibrated for different spring resistances at different temperatures). Thus, the temperature sensor may be used for real-time temperature calculation.

  The sensor assembly 400 may include a power source 410 that is positioned inside the housing 228. The power source 410 may be configured to provide power to one or more of the sensing element 402, the controller 406, and the wireless transceiver 408. For example, the power source 410 may take any suitable form, such as a coin battery.

  FIG. 5 schematically illustrates an exemplary crank assembly 500 that includes a hollow crank axle 502. The first crank arm 504 and the second crank arm 506 may be coupled to the crank axle 502, one of which may be, for example, the crank arm 202 of FIGS. 2A and 2B. FIG. 5 also shows a controller 508 (eg, controller 406 in FIG. 4) and a torque sensor 509 coupled to the first crank arm 504 in the housing 510, and the first conductor 511 includes a controller. The first torque sensor is communicatively coupled. Continuing with FIG. 5, the second torque sensor 512 may be coupled to the second crank arm 506 in the housing 513, and the second conductor 514 communicates the controller 508 to the second torque sensor. You may connect to. The second conductor 514 may be routed through other suitable paths such as a hollow crank axle 502 or hollow bolts connecting the left and right crank arms. A power supply 516 (eg, power supply 410 in FIG. 4) may be coupled to the first crank arm 504 in the housing 510 and provides power to the first and second torque sensors 509 and 512 and to the controller 508. It may be constituted as follows. A third conductor 518 may operably couple the power source 516 to the first torque sensor 509 and a fourth conductor 520 may operably couple the source of motion to the second torque sensor 512. Good. The fourth conductor 520 may be passed through a hollow crank axle 502 or other suitable path. In some implementations, the crankset metal can serve as a ground, and two crankwires can be passed between the left and right crank arms, one with a 3V connection to the variable resistor. One is for the connection of the resistor to the wiper.

  As shown in FIG. 5, overlapping components (eg, controllers and power supplies) may be eliminated. Specifically, by connecting the second torque sensor 512 to the controller 508 and the power source 506, the crank assembly 500 allows the controller 508 and the power source 516 that may otherwise be connected to the second torque sensor 512. Can be omitted. In this way, cost, complexity, and potential sources of degradation can be reduced. In some implementations, power and data transmission may be provided on a common conductor, in which case the first and third conductors 511 and 518 may be combined, and the second and fourth conductors. The bodies 514 and 520 may be combined.

  The crank arm introduced above is only an example within the scope of this disclosure.

  Finally, it will be appreciated that the articles and systems described above are non-limiting examples that envision many variations and extensions. Accordingly, this disclosure includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and subcombinations of articles and systems disclosed herein and any and all equivalents thereof.

The crank arm 202 is rotationally coupled to the first member 204 and includes a second member 212 configured to pivot clockwise and counterclockwise about the first member via a member pivot 214. Further, it may be included. Member pivot 214 may include any suitable mechanism that allows pivoting movement of second member 212 with respect to first member 204. For example, the member pivot may include a bearing mechanism. The second member 212 may be configured to receive a pedal (e.g., the pedal 106 of FIG. 1) at the pedal interface 216, and the pedal interface has a variety of options that allow for a removable attachment of the pedal thereto. Any suitable mechanism (eg, a threaded bore) may be included.

Claims (20)

A crank assembly for a pedal-driven vehicle,
A first member that rotates about a crankshaft of the pedal-driven vehicle;
A second member rotationally coupled to the first member and configured to pivot about the first member via a member pivot, the second member configured to receive a pedal at a pedal interface A second member;
A rotation sensor coupled to the first member, the rotation sensor configured to measure rotation of the second member relative to the first member;
Crank assembly.   The rotation sensor includes a sensor gear, and the crank assembly further includes an arc gear coupled to the second member, the arc gear responsive to the second member rotating relative to the first member. The crank assembly of claim 1, wherein the crank assembly is configured to cause rotation of the sensor gear.   The crank assembly of claim 2, wherein rotation of the sensor gear is mechanically amplified by the arc gear.   The crank assembly according to claim 2, wherein the sensor gear rotates about an axle, and the arc gear engages the sensor gear between the axle and the crankshaft.   The crank assembly according to claim 2, wherein the arc gear includes a shield that covers the sensor gear. The member pivot is a first member pivot;
The crank assembly is
A third member that rotates about the crankshaft of the pedal-driven vehicle;
A fourth member rotationally coupled to the third member and configured to pivot about the third member via a second member pivot for receiving a pedal at a pedal interface And further comprising a fourth member,
The crank assembly according to claim 1. The rotation sensor is a first rotation sensor;
The crank assembly is
A second rotation sensor coupled to the third member;
The crank assembly according to claim 6.   A controller coupled to the first member and communicatively coupled to the first rotation sensor, the controller including a wiring path between the first member and the third member; The crank assembly of claim 7, wherein the crank assembly is also communicatively coupled to the second rotation sensor.   The crank assembly of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to derive angular velocities of the first and second crank arms from torque measurements of the first and second rotation sensors.   A power source coupled to the first member and communicatively coupled to the first rotation sensor, the power source having a wiring path between the first member and the third member; The crank assembly of claim 7, wherein the crank assembly is also communicatively coupled to the second rotation sensor.   The crank assembly of claim 1, wherein the first member includes a substantially sealed housing and the rotation sensor includes a sensing element positioned inside the housing.   The controller of claim 11, further comprising a controller positioned inside the housing and communicatively coupled to the rotation sensor, wherein the controller is configured to provide an output derived from the rotation sensor output. Crank assembly.   The crank assembly of claim 11, further comprising a power source positioned inside the housing.   The crank assembly of claim 11, further comprising a wireless transceiver positioned inside the housing. A crank assembly for a pedal-driven vehicle,
A first crank arm;
A controller coupled to the first crank arm;
A first torque sensor coupled to the first crank arm;
A first conductor that communicatively couples the controller to the first torque sensor;
A second crank arm;
A second torque sensor coupled to the second crank arm;
A second conductor communicatively coupling the controller to the second torque sensor;
The second conductor is passed from the first crank arm to the second crank arm;
Crank assembly.   The crank assembly of claim 15, further comprising a power source coupled to the first crank arm, the power source configured to supply power to the first and second torque sensors and the controller. . A third conductor operatively connecting the power source to the first torque sensor;
A fourth conductor operatively connecting the power source to the second torque sensor;
The fourth conductor is passed from the first crank arm to the second crank arm;
The crank assembly according to claim 16.   The crank assembly according to claim 15, wherein the first and second torque sensors are rotation sensors. A crank assembly for a pedal-driven vehicle,
A crank axle,
A first crank arm coupled to the crank axle;
A first torque sensor coupled to the first crank arm;
A second crank arm coupled to the crank axle;
A second torque sensor coupled to the second crank arm;
A controller communicatively coupled to the first torque sensor and the second torque sensor;
The controller is configured to output torque measurements of the first and second torque sensors;
Crank assembly.   The crank assembly of claim 19, wherein the first and second torque sensors are rotation sensors.

Images