JP7312960B2 - electric assist bicycle - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a power-assisted bicycle, a control system for a power-assisted bicycle, and a control method for a power-assisted bicycle.

In recent years, the health-enhancing effects of bicycles have attracted attention, and bicycles that can control the driving force of the motor according to the target heart rate and the measured heart rate are desired in order to achieve the desired exercise intensity while riding. Patent Literature 1 discloses a bicycle with an electric motor that detects the degree of fatigue of the driver using at least one of the heart rate and the number of breaths as an index, and increases or decreases the driving force of the motor according to the increase or decrease in the degree of fatigue.

Japanese Patent No. 3276420

However, the power-assisted bicycle disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot control the driving force of the motor according to the target heart rate and the measured heart rate.

The present invention provides a power-assisted bicycle, a power-assisted bicycle control system, and a power-assisted bicycle control method that can control the driving force of a motor in accordance with a target heart rate and a measured heart rate.

A power-assisted bicycle according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a first acquisition unit that acquires a heart rate from a heart rate monitor; a second acquisition unit that acquires the age of the driver and the resting heart rate of the driver from an input terminal; a target determination unit that determines a target heart rate range from the age and the resting heart rate acquired by the second acquisition unit; and an assist rate determination unit that determines an assist rate, which is a ratio of torque generated by a person pedaling the pedal.

A control system for a power-assisted bicycle according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a heart rate monitor for measuring a driver's heart rate; an input terminal for inputting the age of the driver and the resting heart rate of the driver; a target determination unit; and an assist rate determination unit that determines an assist rate, which is a ratio of a torque of a motor that rotates a pedal and a torque that is generated when the driver pedals, from the heart rate acquired by the first acquisition unit and the target heart rate range determined by the target determination unit.

A method for controlling a power-assisted bicycle according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a first acquiring step of acquiring a heart rate from a heart rate meter that measures a driver's heart rate; a second acquiring step of acquiring age and a resting heart rate from an input terminal; a target determining step of determining a target heart rate range from the age and the resting heart rate acquired in the second acquiring step; an assist rate determining step of determining an assist rate, which is a ratio of the torque of the rotating motor and the torque generated by pedaling by the driver.

A power-assisted bicycle or the like according to one aspect of the present invention can control the driving force of the motor according to the target heart rate and the measured heart rate.

FIG. 1 is an external view of a power-assisted bicycle according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the power-assisted bicycle according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the control method of the power-assisted bicycle according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the assist rate of the electrically assisted bicycle according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the heart rate when controlling the assist rate of the electrically assisted bicycle according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is another graph showing the heart rate when controlling the assist rate of the electrically assisted bicycle according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is another flow chart showing the control method of the power-assisted bicycle according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a power-assisted bicycle according to Modification 1 of the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing a control method for a power-assisted bicycle according to Modification 1 of the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an electrically assisted bicycle according to Modification 2 of the embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, embodiments will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or show specific examples. Numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement positions and connection forms of components, steps, order of steps, and the like shown in the following embodiments are examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Further, among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, constituent elements not described in independent claims will be described as optional constituent elements.

Each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily strictly illustrated. Moreover, in each figure, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected with respect to substantially the same structure, and the overlapping description may be abbreviate|omitted or simplified.

[Outline of electric assist bicycle]
FIG. 1 is an external view of a power-assisted bicycle according to an embodiment. A body 8 of the electrically assisted bicycle 1 includes an operation section 2, a handle 3, a front wheel 4, a frame 5, a saddle 6, a battery 7 and pedals 9. The power-assisted bicycle 1 has a first mode and a second mode. The first mode is, for example, an assist mode, in which forward movement of the vehicle body 8 is assisted based on the force applied to the pedal 9 . Assisting the forward movement of the vehicle body 8 is also referred to as being assisted. The second mode includes, for example, a push-walking mode or a free-running mode. In the push-walking mode, the forward movement of the vehicle body 8 is assisted based on the force pushing the vehicle body 8 forward when walking while pushing the power-assisted bicycle 1 . In the self-propelled mode, the forward movement of the vehicle body 8 is assisted while the electrically assisted bicycle 1 is being supported.

[Configuration of control system for electrically assisted bicycle]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the power-assisted bicycle according to the embodiment. The electrically assisted bicycle 1 includes a first acquisition section 11 , a second acquisition section 12 , a target determination section 13 , an assist rate determination section 14 , a motor control section 15 , a motor 16 , a torque measurement section 17 and a cadence measurement section 18 . The power-assisted bicycle 1 may also be connected to a heart rate monitor 20 and an input terminal 30 .

The first acquisition unit 11 acquires the heart rate of the driver of the electrically assisted bicycle 1 from the heart rate meter 20 . The first acquisition unit 11 transmits the acquired heart rate to the assist rate determination unit 14 .

The second acquiring unit 12 acquires the age of the driver and the resting heart rate of the driver from the input terminal 30 . The second acquisition unit 12 transmits the acquired heart rate to the target determination unit 13 .

The first acquisition unit 11 and the second acquisition unit 12 may be communication circuits that perform wireless communication, or may be communication circuits that perform wired communication.

The target determining unit 13 determines the target heart rate from the age of the driver and the resting heart rate of the driver acquired by the second acquiring unit 12 . The target heart rate may be calculated using the following formula using the Karvonen method based on the driver's age and the driver's resting heart rate. Note that the exercise intensity in the following formula may be, for example, a predetermined value, or may be determined according to an exercise target value input by the user as described later. In other words, the user's desired exercise intensity may be used as the exercise intensity in the following formula.

Target heart rate = exercise intensity x (maximum heart rate - resting heart rate) + resting heart rate

The assist rate determining unit 14 compares the heart rate of the driver acquired by the first acquiring unit 11 and the target heart rate determined by the target determining unit 13, thereby determining the assist rate, which is the ratio of the torque of the motor 16 that rotates the pedals 9 and the torque generated by the driver pedaling the pedals 9. The assist rate determination unit 14 may detect the torque of the motor 16 and the torque generated by the driver pedaling by the torque measurement unit 17, and determine the assist rate using the detected torque value.

The motor control section 15 controls the motor 16 based on the assist rate determined by the assist rate determining section 14 . The motor control unit 15 may transmit a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) signal to the motor 16 to achieve the assist rate determined by the assist rate determining unit 14 .

The assist rate determination unit 14 and the motor control unit 15 are implemented by a processor that executes programs and a memory that stores the programs to be executed. Further, for example, the assist rate determination unit 14 is realized by a microcomputer (microcontroller) or the like, and includes a nonvolatile memory in which a program is stored, a volatile memory that is a temporary storage area for executing the program, an input/output port, a processor that executes the program, and the like. Alternatively, controller 22 may be implemented with dedicated electronic circuitry.

A motor 16 drives the pedals 9 and the front and/or rear wheels. The motor 16 is composed of a rotor, bearings, a stator, brackets, lead wires, and the like.

The torque measurement unit 17 detects the torque of the motor 16 and the torque generated by the driver pedaling, and transmits the detected values to the assist rate determination unit 14 . The torque measurement unit 17 may be configured by a torque sensor or the like.

The cadence measuring unit 18 measures the number of crank revolutions per minute. The cadence measuring section 18 may be configured with a crank rotation sensor or the like. The crank rotation sensor has a gear-shaped rotating body and a photodetector. The rotating body is provided so as to rotate integrally with the intermediate cylinder. The photodetector has a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion that are arranged to face each other. The photodetector is provided at a position where the teeth of the rotating body block the path of light from the light emitting portion to the light receiving portion. Since the teeth block the light according to the rotation of the rotating body, the number of rotations of the rotating body is detected according to the number of times the light received by the light receiving part is blocked (or the number of times the light can be received) and the number of teeth of the rotating body. Since the rotating body, the intermediate cylindrical body and the crank rotate integrally, the rotation speed of the rotating body matches the rotation speed of the crank. In this way, the crank rotation sensor can detect the rotation speed of the crank. Note that the crank rotation sensor may have any configuration as long as it can detect the rotation speed of the crank.

In addition, the power-assisted bicycle 1 may include a motor rotation sensor. The motor rotation sensor has a magnet that rotates integrally with the rotating shaft of the motor 16, and a Hall IC. The Hall IC detects the number of rotations of the magnet, that is, the number of rotations of the electric motor, by detecting changes in the magnetic field that changes according to the rotation of the magnet. Note that the motor rotation sensor may have any configuration as long as it can detect the rotation speed of the motor 16 .

Moreover, the power-assisted bicycle 1 may include a pedaling force sensor. The pedal force sensor is a magnetostrictive torque sensor, and has a coil arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the human power transmission body with a gap therebetween, and a magnetostriction generating section provided between the coil and the human power transmission body. The pedaling force sensor detects the human power driving force generated by the rotation of the crankshaft based on the pedaling force applied to the pedal.

For example, when a pedaling force is applied to the pedal 9 to generate a human power driving force, distortion occurs in the magnetostriction generating portion, and the magnetostriction generating portion has a portion where the magnetic permeability increases and a portion where the magnetic permeability decreases. Therefore, by detecting the inductance difference between the coils, it is possible to detect the human power driving force. Note that the configuration of the pedal force sensor is not particularly limited, and any configuration may be used as long as the pedal force (or human drive force) to the pedal 9 can be detected.

A heart rate monitor 20 measures the driver's heart rate. The heart rate meter 20 measures the heart rate of the bicycle rider over time. The heart rate meter 20 may measure the driver's heart rate every few seconds or every few minutes. The heart rate monitor 20 may irradiate the living body with infrared light, red light, or light with a green wavelength around 550 nm, and measure the light reflected inside the living body using a photodiode or phototransistor.

The input terminal 30 is a terminal that receives the age of the driver and the resting heart rate of the driver. The input terminal may be a tablet terminal, a touch panel type dedicated terminal, a dedicated terminal having an input unit and a display unit, a smartphone, or a personal computer. The input unit may be realized by an input button or the like.

[Method of controlling electric assist bicycle]
FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the control method of the electrically assisted bicycle according to the embodiment.

First, the second acquiring unit 12 acquires the resting heart rate of the driver input to the input terminal 30 (step S100). At this time, the second acquisition unit 12 may also acquire the age of the driver input to the input terminal 30 .

Next, the target determining unit 13 determines the target heart rate range (step S101).

Subsequently, the first acquisition unit 11 acquires the driver's heart rate measured by the heart rate meter 20 (step S102).

Then, the assist rate determining unit 14 compares the target heart rate range and the measured heart rate acquired by the first acquiring unit 11 (step S103).

Next, the assist rate determining unit 14 determines whether or not the measured heart rate is above the upper limit of the target heart rate range (step S104).

When the assist rate determining unit 14 determines that the measured heart rate is above the upper limit of the target heart rate range (Yes in step S104), the assist rate determining unit 14 increases the assist rate (step S105). Specifically, the assist rate determination unit 14 may increase the assist rate from the current assist rate by a predetermined percentage (for example, 50%) of the difference between the current assist rate and the legally stipulated assist rate (indicated by solid line 100 in FIG. 4). Then, the motor control section 15 controls the motor 16 so as to achieve the assist rate determined by the assist rate determining section 14 .

When the assist rate determining unit 14 determines that the measured heart rate is below the upper limit of the target heart rate range (No in step S104), the assist rate determining unit 14 determines whether the measured heart rate is below the lower limit of the target heart rate range (step S106).

When the assist rate determining unit 14 determines that the measured heart rate is below the lower limit of the target heart rate range (Yes in step S106), the assist rate determining unit 14 decreases the assist rate (step S108). Specifically, the assist rate determination unit 14 may decrease the assist rate by a predetermined percentage (for example, 50%) of the current assist rate. Then, the motor control section 15 controls the motor 16 so as to achieve the assist rate determined by the assist rate determining section 14 .

When the assist rate determining unit 14 determines that the measured heart rate is above the lower limit of the target heart rate range (No in step S106), the assist rate determining unit 14 maintains the current assist rate (step S107). Then, the motor control section 15 controls the motor 16 so as to achieve the assist rate determined by the assist rate determining section 14 .

In step S<b>100 or after step S<b>100 , the second acquiring unit 12 may acquire from the input terminal 30 an exercise target value, which is a target exercise intensity value of the driver. Then, in step S<b>101 , the target determination unit 13 may determine the target heart rate from the age of the driver, the resting heart rate of the driver, and the exercise target value acquired by the second acquisition unit 12 .

As a result, by measuring the heart rate of the driver, the electrically assisted bicycle 1 can determine the assist rate and control the motor 16 so that the heart rate of the driver falls within a desired range.

[Assist rate of electric assist bicycle]
The power-assisted bicycle 1 of the present invention controls the power-assisted bicycle 1 of the present invention within the range of the legal assist rate. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the assist rate of the electrically assisted bicycle according to the embodiment. A solid line 100 indicates the legal assist rate. The legal assist ratio is 1:2 between the torque of the motor 16 that rotates the pedals 9 and the torque generated by the driver pedaling the pedals 9 up to a speed of 10 km/h. When the speed of the electrically assisted bicycle 1 exceeds 10 km/h and reaches 24 km/h, the statutory assist rate gradually decreases. When the speed of the electrically assisted bicycle 1 is 24 km/h, the legal assist rate is 0. The assist rate determination unit 14 determines the assist rate within a range not exceeding the legal assist rate. A solid line 200 shown in FIG. 4 is an example of an assist rate that is determined by a conventional method and does not take into account the driver's heart rate. The assist rate determined by the assist rate determining unit 14 of the electrically power-assisted bicycle 1 of the present invention is different from the assist rate indicated by the solid line 200, and is adjusted according to the driver's heart rate acquired by the first acquiring unit 11 so that the driver's heart rate falls within the legal assist rate range and within the desired range. The assist rate determined by the assist rate determining unit 14 may be adjusted every few seconds, or may be adjusted every one to several minutes.

[Example of control of an electrically assisted bicycle]
FIG. 5 is a graph showing the heart rate when controlling the assist rate of the electrically assisted bicycle according to the embodiment. A solid line 300 in FIG. 5 indicates the driver's heart rate when the control of the assist rate determining unit 14 is not performed. The heart rate axis shown in FIG. 5 is based on the resting heart rate. A solid line 400 in FIG. 5 indicates the driver's heart rate when the assist rate determining unit 14 is controlled. A solid line 300 indicates that the driver's heart rate gradually increases over time. In contrast, the solid line 400 indicates that the driver's heart rate increases and then decreases to a constant heart rate. In other words, the solid line 400 shows how the driver's heart rate falls within a desired range under the control of the assist rate determining unit 14 when the driver's heart rate increases due to the load caused by pedaling the electrically power-assisted bicycle 1.

FIG. 6 is another graph showing the heart rate when controlling the assist rate of the power assisted bicycle according to the embodiment. A solid line 600 in FIG. 6 indicates the driver's heart rate when the control of the assist rate determining unit 14 is not performed. The heart rate axis shown in FIG. 6 is based on the resting heart rate. A solid line 500 in FIG. 6 indicates the driver's heart rate when the assist rate determining unit 14 is controlled. A solid line 600 indicates that the driver's heart rate remains constant at a low value. On the other hand, the solid line 500 indicates that the driver's heart rate remains constant after rising above the solid line 600 . In other words, the solid line 500 indicates how the driver's heart rate falls within the desired range under the control of the assist rate determining unit 14 when the driver's heart rate is lower than the desired value.

(Embodiment 2)
The assist rate determination unit 14 of the electrically assisted bicycle 1 may determine the assist rate based on the increase rate or decrease rate of the driver's heart rate instead of the driver's heart rate itself. For example, even if the measured driver's heart rate is within the target heart rate range, the assist rate may be controlled so that the driver's heart rate does not fall outside the target heart rate range when the rate of increase or decrease of the heart rate is large. FIG. 7 is another flow chart showing the control method of the power-assisted bicycle according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 shows control when the driver's heart rate is within the range of the target heart rate (for example, No in step S106 shown in FIG. 3).

First, the second acquiring unit 12 acquires the resting heart rate of the driver input to the input terminal 30 (step S200). At this time, the second acquisition unit 12 may also acquire the age of the driver input to the input terminal 30 .

Subsequently, the first acquisition unit 11 acquires the driver's heart rate measured by the heart rate monitor 20 (step S201).

Next, the assist rate determination unit 14 determines whether or not the measured increase in heart rate is greater than or equal to a predetermined amount (step S202).

When the assist rate determining unit 14 determines that the measured increase in heart rate is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount (Yes in step S202), the assist rate determining unit 14 increases the assist rate (step S203). Specifically, the assist rate determination unit 14 may increase the assist rate from the current assist rate by a predetermined percentage (for example, 50%) of the difference between the current assist rate and the legally stipulated assist rate (indicated by solid line 100 in FIG. 4). Then, the motor control section 15 controls the motor 16 so as to achieve the assist rate determined by the assist rate determining section 14 .

When the assist rate determining unit 14 determines that the measured increase in heart rate is equal to or less than a predetermined amount (No in step S202), the assist rate determining unit 14 determines whether the measured decrease in heart rate is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount (step S204).

When the assist rate determining unit 14 determines that the measured decrease in heart rate is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount (Yes in step S204), the assist rate determining unit 14 decreases the assist rate (step S206). Specifically, the assist rate determination unit 14 may decrease the assist rate by a predetermined percentage (for example, 50%) of the current assist rate. Then, the motor control section 15 controls the motor 16 so as to achieve the assist rate determined by the assist rate determining section 14 .

When the assist rate determining unit 14 determines that the measured decrease in heart rate is equal to or less than the predetermined amount (No in step S204), the assist rate determining unit 14 maintains the current assist rate (step S205). Then, the motor control section 15 controls the motor 16 so as to achieve the assist rate determined by the assist rate determining section 14 .

In step S<b>200 or after step S<b>200 , the second acquisition unit 12 may acquire from the input terminal 30 an exercise target value, which is a target exercise intensity value of the driver. Then, in step S<b>201 , the target determination unit 13 may determine the target heart rate from the age of the driver, the resting heart rate of the driver, and the exercise target value acquired by the second acquisition unit 12 .

Also, the target determining unit 13 may determine the target heart rate after step S200. Then, the assist rate determination unit 14 may determine the assist rate based on the increase rate or decrease rate of the driver's heart rate according to the target heart rate.

As a result, the power-assisted bicycle 1 can determine the assist rate and control the motor 16 so that the heart rate of the driver falls within a desired range by measuring the rate of increase and decrease of the heart rate of the driver.

In the process shown in FIG. 7, the assist rate is determined based on the heart rate increase or decrease rate when the driver's heart rate is within the target heart rate range. However, the assist rate may be determined based on the heart rate increase or decrease rate when the driver's heart rate is outside the target heart rate range.

For example, when the driver's heart rate is below the lower limit of the target heart rate, the assist rate may be decreased when the amount of decrease in the driver's heart rate is greater than a predetermined value, and the assist rate may be increased or maintained when the amount of decrease in the driver's heart rate is equal to or less than the predetermined value. Similarly, when the driver's heart rate is above the upper limit of the target heart rate, the assist rate may be increased when the driver's heart rate increase is greater than a predetermined value, and the assist rate may be decreased or maintained when the driver's heart rate increase is less than or equal to the predetermined value.

(Modification 1)
The electrically assisted bicycle 1a may determine the target heart rate based on the age and resting heart rate of the driver, and determine the assist force, which is the torque of the motor that rotates the pedals, based on the heart rate of the driver.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a power-assisted bicycle according to Modification 1 of the embodiment. The electrically assisted bicycle 1a includes an assist force determining section 14a instead of the assist rate determining section 14 included in the electrically assisting bicycle 1. As shown in FIG. Descriptions of components common to the power-assisted bicycle 1a and the power-assisted bicycle 1 are omitted.

The assist force determination unit 14a compares the heart rate of the driver acquired by the first acquisition unit 11 and the target heart rate determined by the target determination unit 13, thereby determining the assist force, which is the torque of the motor 16 that rotates the pedals 9. The assist force determination unit 14a may detect the torque of the motor 16 and the torque generated by the driver pedaling by the torque measurement unit 17, and determine the assist force using the detected torque value.

The assist force determination unit 14a is implemented by a processor that executes a program and a memory that stores the program to be executed. Further, for example, the assist force determination unit 14a is implemented by a microcomputer (microcontroller) or the like, and includes a nonvolatile memory storing a program, a volatile memory serving as a temporary storage area for executing the program, an input/output port, a processor executing the program, and the like. Alternatively, controller 22 may be implemented with dedicated electronic circuitry.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing a control method for a power-assisted bicycle according to Modification 1 of the embodiment.

First, the second acquiring unit 12 acquires the resting heart rate of the driver input to the input terminal 30 (step S300). At this time, the second acquisition unit 12 may also acquire the age of the driver input to the input terminal 30 .

Next, the target determining unit 13 determines the target heart rate range (step S301).

Subsequently, the first acquisition unit 11 acquires the driver's heart rate measured by the heart rate meter 20 (step S302).

Then, the assist rate determining unit 14 compares the target heart rate range and the measured heart rate acquired by the first acquiring unit 11 (step S303).

Next, the assist rate determining unit 14 determines whether or not the measured heart rate is above the upper limit of the target heart rate range (step S304).

When the assist rate determining unit 14 determines that the measured heart rate is above the upper limit of the target heart rate range (Yes in step S304), the assist force determining unit 14a increases the assist force (step S305). Specifically, the assist rate determination unit 14 may increase the assist rate from the current assist rate by a predetermined percentage (for example, 50%) of the difference between the current assist rate and the legally stipulated assist rate (indicated by solid line 100 in FIG. 4). Then, the motor control unit 15 controls the motor 16 so as to achieve the assist force determined by the assist force determination unit 14a.

When the assist rate determining unit 14 determines that the measured heart rate is below the upper limit of the target heart rate range (No in step S304), the assist force determining unit 14a determines whether the measured heart rate is below the lower limit of the target heart rate range (step S306).

When the assist force determination unit 14a determines that the measured heart rate is below the lower limit of the target heart rate range (Yes in step S306), the assist force determination unit 14a reduces the assist force (step S308). Specifically, the assist rate determination unit 14 may decrease the assist rate by a predetermined percentage (for example, 50%) of the current assist rate. Then, the motor control unit 15 controls the motor 16 so as to achieve the assist force determined by the assist force determination unit 14a.

When the assist force determination unit 14a determines that the measured heart rate is above the lower limit of the target heart rate range (No in step S306), the assist force determination unit 14a maintains the current assist force (step S307). Then, the motor control unit 15 controls the motor 16 so as to achieve the assist force determined by the assist force determination unit 14a.

In step S<b>300 or after step S<b>300 , the second acquisition unit 12 may acquire from the input terminal 30 the exercise target value, which is the target value of the exercise intensity of the driver. Then, in step S<b>301 , the target determination unit 13 may determine the target heart rate from the age of the driver, the resting heart rate of the driver, and the exercise target value acquired by the second acquisition unit 12 .

Thus, by measuring the heart rate of the driver, the electrically assisted bicycle 1a can determine the assist force and control the motor 16 so that the heart rate of the driver falls within a desired range.

Also, the assist force determination unit 14a of the electrically assisted bicycle 1a may determine the assist force based on the increase rate or decrease rate of the driver's heart rate instead of the driver's heart rate itself. The control performed when the assist force determination unit 14a determines the assist force based on the increase rate or decrease rate of the driver's heart rate is the same as that described with reference to FIG.

(Modification 2)
FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an electrically assisted bicycle according to Modification 2 of the embodiment. The power-assisted bicycle 1b may be equipped with a heart rate monitor 20b and an input terminal 30b. As a result, the power-assisted bicycle 1b can directly obtain the driver's heart rate, age, and resting heart rate. The electrically assisted bicycle 1b may be provided with an assist force determining section 14a instead of the assist rate determining section 14.

Descriptions of the configuration and control method of the electrically power-assisted bicycle 1b in Modification 2 that are the same as those in Embodiments 1 and 2 will be omitted.

[Effects, etc.]
The power-assisted bicycle 1 includes a first acquisition unit 11 that acquires the heart rate from a heart rate meter 20 that measures the heart rate of the driver, a second acquisition unit 12 that acquires the age and resting heart rate from an input terminal 30 that inputs the age of the driver and the resting heart rate of the driver, a target determination unit 13 that determines a target heart rate range from the age and the resting heart rate acquired by the second acquisition unit 12, and a heart rate acquired by the first acquisition unit 11 and determined by the target determination unit 13. An assist rate determination unit 14 that determines an assist rate, which is a ratio of the torque of the motor that rotates the pedals and the torque generated by the pedaling by the driver, by comparing the target heart rate range.

As a result, the electrically assisted bicycle 1 determines the target heart rate based on the age and resting heart rate of the driver, and based on the heart rate of the driver, determines the assist ratio, which is the ratio between the torque of the motor that rotates the pedals and the torque generated by the driver pedaling the pedals, thereby keeping the heart rate of the driver within a desired range.

Further, for example, the second acquiring unit 12 may further acquire the exercise target value from the input terminal 30 to which the exercise target value, which is the exercise intensity target value of the driver, is input, and the target determining unit 13 may determine the target heart rate from the age and resting heart rate, and the exercise target value acquired by the second acquiring unit 12.

As a result, the power-assisted bicycle 1 can keep the driver's heart rate within the desired range by determining the assist rate so that the driver can achieve the desired exercise target value.

Further, for example, the assist rate determination unit 14 may increase the assist rate when the heart rate measured by the first acquisition unit 11 exceeds the upper limit of the target heart rate range determined by the target determination unit 13.

As a result, when the driver's heart rate exceeds the upper limit of the desired heart rate range, the power-assisted bicycle 1 can suppress an increase in the driver's heart rate or lower the driver's heart rate.

Further, for example, the assist rate determination unit 14 may decrease the assist rate when the heart rate measured by the first acquisition unit 11 is below the lower limit of the target heart rate range determined by the target determination unit 13.

As a result, when the driver's heart rate falls below the lower limit of the desired heart rate range, the power-assisted bicycle 1 can suppress a drop in the driver's heart rate or increase the driver's heart rate.

Further, for example, the assist rate determining unit 14 may increase the assist rate when the increase in heart rate acquired by the first acquiring unit 11 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount.

As a result, when the amount of increase in the driver's heart rate is greater than a predetermined value, the electrically power-assisted bicycle 1 can suppress an increase in the driver's heart rate or lower the driver's heart rate.

Further, for example, the assist rate determining unit 14 may decrease the assist rate when the heart rate decrease amount acquired by the first acquiring unit 11 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount.

As a result, when the amount of decrease in the driver's heart rate is greater than a predetermined value, the power-assisted bicycle 1 can suppress the decrease in the driver's heart rate or increase the driver's heart rate. Also, for example, the power-assisted bicycle 1 b may further include at least one of the input terminal 30 and the heart rate monitor 20 .

As a result, the power-assisted bicycle 1b can directly acquire the heart rate of the driver, the age of the driver, and the exercise target value.

The power-assisted bicycle 1a also includes a first acquisition unit 11 that acquires the heart rate from a heart rate meter 20 that measures the heart rate of the driver, a second acquisition unit 12 that acquires the age and resting heart rate from an input terminal 30 that inputs the age of the driver and the resting heart rate of the driver, a target determination unit 13 that determines a target heart rate range from the age and the resting heart rate acquired by the second acquisition unit 12, and the heart rate acquired by the first acquisition unit 11 and the target determination unit 13. An assist force determination unit 14a may be provided that determines the assist force, which is the torque of the motor that rotates the pedals, by comparing the determined target heart rate range.

As a result, the electrically power-assisted bicycle 1a can keep the driver's heart rate within a desired range by determining the target heart rate based on the driver's age and resting heart rate, and determining the assist force, which is the torque of the motor that rotates the pedals, based on the driver's heart rate.

The control system of the power-assisted bicycle 1 includes a heart rate meter 20 for measuring the heart rate of the driver, an input terminal 30 for inputting the age of the driver and the resting heart rate of the driver, and the power-assisted bicycle 1. The power-assisted bicycle 1 includes a first acquiring section for acquiring the heart rate from the heart rate meter 20, a second acquiring section 12 for acquiring the age and the resting heart rate from the input terminal 30, and a target heart rate range determined from the age and the resting heart rate acquired by the second acquiring section 12. and an assist rate determining unit 14 that determines an assist rate, which is the ratio of the torque of the motor that rotates the pedals and the torque generated by the driver pedaling, based on the heart rate acquired by the first acquiring unit 11 and the target heart rate range determined by the target determining unit 13.

As a result, the control system of the power-assisted bicycle 1 determines the target heart rate based on the age and resting heart rate of the driver, and based on the heart rate of the driver, determines the assist rate, which is the ratio between the torque of the motor that rotates the pedals and the torque generated by the driver pedaling, thereby keeping the heart rate of the driver within a desired range.

The method of controlling the electrically power-assisted bicycle 1 includes a first acquisition step of acquiring the heart rate from a heart rate meter 20 that measures the driver's heart rate, a second acquisition step of acquiring the age and resting heart rate of the driver from the input terminal 30 to which the age of the driver and the resting heart rate of the driver are input, a target determination step of determining a target heart rate range from the age and the resting heart rate acquired in the second acquisition step, a heart rate acquired in the first acquisition step, and a target heart rate range determined in the target determination step. and an assist rate determination step of determining an assist rate, which is a ratio of the torque of the motor that rotates the pedal and the torque generated by the driver's pedaling, by comparing the .

As a result, the control method of the power-assisted bicycle 1 can achieve the same effects as the control system of the power-assisted bicycle 1 described above.

[others]
Also, in the embodiments, all or part of the units, devices, members or parts, or all or part of the functional blocks in the block diagram shown in FIG. The IC or LSI may be integrated into one chip (system LSI), or may be configured into one system (chipset) by combining a plurality of chips. For example, functional blocks other than screen display processing may be integrated into one chip. Here, they are called ICs or LSIs, but they may be called VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) or ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration) depending on the degree of integration. A system LSI equipped with an electronic fuse (eFuse) that is programmed after the LSI is manufactured, or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a reconfigurable device that can reconfigure the connection relationship inside the LSI or dynamically reconfigure the logic circuit inside the LSI can also be used for the same purpose.

Further, all or some functions or operations of units, devices, members or sections may be performed by software processing. In this case, the software is recorded in one or more non-transitory storage media such as ROMs, optical discs, hard disk drives, etc. When the software is executed by a processor such as a microcontroller (MCU) or a microprocessor (MPU), the functions specified in the software are performed by the processor and peripheral devices. A system or apparatus may comprise one or more non-transitory storage media on which software is recorded, a processing unit and required hardware devices such as a digital interface.

Further, the control device 22 in each of the above embodiments has a processor and a memory, and the memory may store a program for executing each step of the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 7, or FIG. In this case, the processor executes programs stored in its memory.

1, 1a, 1b electrically assisted bicycle 9 pedal 11 first acquisition unit 12 second acquisition unit 13 target determination unit 14 assist rate determination unit 14a assist force determination unit 15 motor control unit 16 motors 20, 20b heart rate meters 30, 30b input terminal

Claims (5)

a first acquisition unit that acquires a heart rate from a heart rate monitor;
a second acquiring unit that acquires the driver's age and the resting heart rate of the driver from an input terminal;
a target determination unit that determines a target heart rate range from the age and the resting heart rate acquired by the second acquisition unit;
an assist rate determination unit that compares the heart rate acquired by the first acquisition unit and the target heart rate range determined by the target determination unit to determine an assist rate that is a ratio of the torque of the motor that rotates the pedals and the torque generated by the driver pedaling the pedals ;
The assist rate determining unit,
If the increase in heart rate acquired by the first acquisition unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, increasing the assist rate;
electric assist bicycle. The second acquisition unit
further acquiring the exercise target value from an input terminal into which the exercise target value, which is the exercise intensity target value of the driver, is input;
The target determination unit determines the target heart rate from the age, the resting heart rate, and the exercise target value.
The electrically assisted bicycle according to claim 1. The assist rate determining unit,
increasing the assist rate when the heart rate measured by the first acquisition unit exceeds the upper limit of the target heart rate range determined by the target determination unit;
The electrically assisted bicycle according to claim 1 or 2. The assist rate determining unit,
reducing the assist rate when the heart rate measured by the first acquisition unit is below the lower limit of the target heart rate range determined by the target determination unit;
The electrically assisted bicycle according to any one of claims 1-3. a first acquisition unit that acquires a heart rate from a heart rate monitor;
a second acquiring unit that acquires the driver's age and the resting heart rate of the driver from an input terminal;
a target determination unit that determines a target heart rate range from the age and the resting heart rate acquired by the second acquisition unit;
an assist rate determination unit that compares the heart rate acquired by the first acquisition unit and the target heart rate range determined by the target determination unit to determine an assist rate that is a ratio of the torque of the motor that rotates the pedals and the torque generated by the driver pedaling the pedals;
The assist rate determining unit,
determining the assist rate based on the heart rate increase or decrease rate acquired by the first acquisition unit;
electric assist bicycle.

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