TWI790432B - Head Power Meter - Google Patents

Abstract

A front dynamometer comprising at least one strain gauge, a signal processing unit, a processor and a signal transmitter, the at least one strain gauge is arranged on at least one of the outer tube wall or the inner tube wall of a bicycle vertical tube The signal processing unit is connected to the strain gauge signal, and the signal processing unit outputs a corresponding electrical signal according to the at least one strain gauge sensing the deformation of the standpipe; the processor is connected to the signal processing unit signal, and the processing The device receives the electrical signal from the signal processing unit and calculates a measurement value based on the electrical signal and outputs it as an output signal; and the signal transmitter is connected to the processor, and the signal transmitter receives the output output from the processor The signal is converted into a wired or wireless signal and sent to a terminal device.

Description

Head Power Meter

The present invention is related to power meters; in particular, it refers to a power meter that can provide the user with output power from a standpipe.

It is known that in order to monitor the riding performance, cyclists generally install a power meter on the bicycle to quantify their riding performance as a basis for training. Existing power meters are generally installed on pedals or cranks to sense the deformation caused by the force applied by the rider's legs to the pedals or cranks, thereby calculating the power output by the rider while riding and outputting For the rider’s reference, it enables the cyclist to effectively monitor the output power, thereby improving the riding performance.

However, riding a bicycle is a whole-body exercise, and the power output by the cyclist is not limited to the legs when riding, and the conventional power meter is installed on the pedal or crank of the bicycle, although it can effectively provide the output of the rider. However, due to the limitation of the position of the conventional power meter, the power provided by the conventional power meter is mainly the power output by the rider's legs, and cannot provide the power output by other parts of the rider's body, so that the bicycle rider cannot change Accurately monitor the output power, and then affect the riding performance. Therefore, the design of the commonly used power meter is still not perfect, and there is still room for improvement.

In view of this, the object of the present invention is to provide a front dynamometer that can provide the user with the power output from the standpipe.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a front dynamometer for a bicycle, the bicycle includes a front and a frame, the front includes a handlebar and a standpipe, the standpipe is connected to the handlebar tube and the vehicle frame, the front dynamometer includes at least one strain gauge, a signal processing unit, a processor and a signal transmitter, the at least one strain gauge is arranged on the outer tube wall or the inner tube wall of the vertical tube At least one; the signal processing unit is connected to the at least one strain gauge signal, and the signal processing unit outputs a corresponding electrical signal based on the at least one strain gauge sensing the deformation of the vertical pipe; the processor and the signal processing unit Signal connection, the processor receives the electrical signal from the signal processing unit and calculates a measurement value based on the electrical signal and outputs it as an output signal; the signal transmitter is connected to the processor, and the signal transmitter receives the processor The output signal is converted into a wired or wireless signal and sent to a terminal device.

The effect of the present invention is that the at least one strain gauge of the front dynamometer is arranged on at least one of the outer pipe wall or the inner pipe wall of the standpipe, whereby the at least one strain gauge of the front dynamometer can It senses the deformation of the standpipe caused by the rider when riding the bicycle or performing actions such as pumping a bicycle, and calculates the measured value through the processor according to the electrical signal and outputs it as an output signal for user reference. In this way, the user can have a more comprehensive understanding of the power output when riding the bicycle or performing actions such as pumping, thereby improving the riding performance of the rider. The stress and strain suffered, and then the fatigue life and service life of the standpipe can be estimated.

In order to illustrate the present invention more clearly, preferred embodiments are given and detailed descriptions are given below in conjunction with drawings. Please refer to FIG. 1 , which is a head dynamometer 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The head dynamometer 1 includes a strain gauge 10 , a signal processing unit 20 , a processor 30 and a signal transmitter 40 . The bike head dynamometer 1 of the present invention is used for a bicycle. The bike includes a bike head and a frame 2. The bike head includes a handlebar 3 and a standpipe 4. The standpipe 4 connects the handlebar 3 and the frame respectively. 2 For the upper tube of the fork, the strain gauge 10 can be attached to the handle tube 3 as shown in FIG. 2 or attached to the vertical tube 4 as shown in FIG. 3 to sense the deformation of the handle tube 3 or vertical tube 4 .

Please cooperate with FIG. 1, the signal of the strain gauge 10 is connected to the signal processing unit 20, and the processor 30 is connected to the signal processing unit 20 and the signal transmitter 40 respectively, whereby the signal processing unit 20 senses the handle pipe 3 or The deformation of the standpipe 4 outputs a corresponding electrical signal. The processor 30 receives the electrical signal from the signal processing unit 20 and calculates a measured value according to the electrical signal and outputs it as an output signal. The signal transmitter 40 receives the output from the processor 30. The output signal is converted into a wired or wireless signal and sent to a terminal device 50 for the user to read.

It is further explained that the signal processing unit 20 includes a bridge circuit, an amplifier circuit and an analog-to-digital conversion circuit. The bridge circuit is connected to the amplifier circuit, and the amplifier circuit is connected to the analog-to-digital conversion circuit. The deformation of the standpipe 4 produces a resistance change value, the amplifier circuit amplifies an output voltage generated by the bridge circuit based on the resistance change value, and the analog-to-digital conversion circuit converts the output voltage into a digital signal and outputs it to the processor 30, thereby The processor 30 can output a corresponding output signal according to the strain gauge 10 sensing the deformation of the handle tube 3 or the vertical tube 4 .

The measured value includes at least one of a power value, a torque value, a stress value, a strain value, or a combination of at least two, wherein the terminal device 50 includes a display 52, which is signally connected to the signal transmitter 40 to A sensing result corresponding to the strain gauge 10 is displayed for user's reference, and the terminal device may be a device such as a computer, a smart phone, or a bicycle computer. In this way, when the strain gauge 10 deforms with the handle pipe 3 or the standpipe 4, the resistance change value of the strain gauge 10 can reflect, for example, the power value output by the user, the user's input to the handle pipe 3 or the standpipe. Sensing results of at least one of the torque value of 4, the stress value borne by the handle tube 3 or the vertical tube 4, the strain value of the handle tube 3 or the vertical tube 4 or a combination of at least two are sent to the terminal device 50 For the user’s reference, it can not only provide the user’s output power value on the handlebar 3 or standpipe 4 in different situations such as bumpy road, pumping or fixed riding posture, on the other hand, it can also monitor the handlebar 3 or the stress value of the vertical pipe 4 and the strain value of the handle pipe or vertical pipe 4, and then estimate the fatigue life and service life of the handle pipe or vertical pipe 4; in addition, the aforementioned data can also be applied to auxiliary Powered bicycles use the aforementioned data to determine whether the current user needs the intervention of auxiliary power or how much power is needed for assistance.

Wherein the front dynamometer 1 includes a storage unit 60 connected to the processor 30 for signal, wherein the storage unit 60 stores a comparison value, when the processor 30 receives the signal and the processing unit 20 senses the handle pipe 3 or the standpipe according to the strain gauge 10 4 to output the corresponding electric signal and calculate the measured value according to the electric signal, the processor 30 will carry out the measured value and The comparison between the comparison values produces a comparison result. When a specific meaning is generated between the measurement value and the comparison value, for example, when the measurement value is greater than the comparison value or the measurement value falls outside the comparison value range, The processor 30 sends a reminder signal to the signal transmitter 40 according to the comparison result, and the signal transmitter 40 receives the reminder signal and converts it into a wired or wireless signal and sends it to the terminal device 50 to remind the user. In this way, when the strain gauge 10 senses the abnormal deformation of the handle pipe or the standpipe 4, it can send a prompt signal to the terminal device 50 through the processor to remind the user to pay attention and Remind the user to replace the handle pipe 3 or the vertical pipe 4, which has the effect of preventing the handle pipe 3 or the vertical pipe 4 from being damaged or broken without warning due to long-term stress.

In this embodiment, the handle pipe 3 includes two holding sections 31 and a connecting section 32 as shown in Figure 2, one of the two holding sections 31 is connected to one end of the connecting section 32, and the two holding sections The other one of 31 is connected to the other end of the connecting section 32, and the two gripping sections 31 are used for grasping by the user, wherein the strain gauge 10 is attached to the outer tube of the connecting section 32 of the handle tube 3 wall or the inner pipe wall to sense the deformation of the connecting section 32 of the handle pipe 3, wherein the strain gauge 10 is arranged on the outer pipe wall of the handle pipe 3, which is convenient for installation, replacement and maintenance. In other embodiments Among them, the strain gauge 10 can also be arranged on the inner tube wall of the handle tube 3 as shown in Figure 4 to reduce the impact of external force and at the same time have an aesthetic effect. Similarly, the strain gauge 10 can also be attached to the The outer pipe wall of the standpipe 4 is convenient for installation, replacement and maintenance, or it is arranged on the inner pipe wall as shown in FIG. Other positions of the standpipe 4 are not limited to the positions disclosed in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 . In addition, the connecting section 32 of the handle pipe 3 has a left section 321 and a right section 322 connected to each other, and the strain gauge 10 can be arranged on the left section 321, the right section 322 or the connecting section as shown in FIG. 6 32 central position, so as to sense the deformation produced by different positions of the handle tube 3 .

When the number of strain gauges 10 is two, the two strain gauges 10 can be arranged on the left section 321 and the right section 322 respectively, and as above, the strain gauges 10 can be arranged outside the handle pipe 3 as shown in FIG. wall or as shown in Figure 8 is arranged in the inner tube wall of the handle pipe 3, and the processor 30 can calculate the deformation of the left section 321 and the right section 322 respectively according to the strain gauge 10 arranged on the left section 321 and the right section 322 A measured value on the left side and a measured value on the right side are output as output signals. Therefore, the user can further understand the power values output by the user's left and right hands, the torque values applied to the handle tube by the user's left and right hands, and the left side of the handle tube 3. Stress value borne by section 321 and right section 322, strain value of left section 321 and right section 322 of handle pipe 3, etc.

In one embodiment, the processor 30 can also calculate the percentage of the left measurement value to the sum of the left measurement value and the right measurement value and the right measurement value to the ratio of the left measurement value and the right measurement value according to the left measurement value and the right measurement value. The percentage of the sum is output as an output signal to provide the percentage of the output power value of the user's left and right hands, the percentage of the torque value applied to the handle tube by the user's left and right hands, and the bearing stress of the left and right segments of the handle tube The percentage of the strain value, the percentage of the strain value of the left section and the right section of the handlebar, etc.

It is worth mentioning that, referring to Figures 9A and 9B, the headstock dynamometer 1 of the present invention can also be used in an integrated handle that is integrally formed with the handle tube and the standpipe, and the integrated handle has two holding sections 31 , a connecting section 32 and a combining section 42, one of the two holding sections 31 is connected to one end of the connecting section 32, and the other of the two holding sections 31 is connected to the other end of the connecting section 32, The two holding sections 31 are used for grasping by the user. The connecting section 32 has a left section 321 and a right section 322 connected to each other. One end of the connecting section 42 is connected to the connecting section 32 and extends away from the connecting section 32. The other end is then connected to the top tube of the front fork of the vehicle frame 2. The strain gauge 10 can be attached to the connection section 32 as shown in FIG. 9A or attached to the connection section 42 as shown in FIG. 9B to sense the deformation of the integrated handle on the connection section 32 or the connection section 42, and, as previously described , the strain gauge 10 can also be arranged outside or inside the connection section 32 and the joint section 42. When the number of the strain gauge 10 is two or more, the strain gauge 10 must be selectively shown in Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B It is shown that it is arranged on the left section 321, the right section 322 or the combined section 42. It is further illustrated that, in addition to being used for the handlebar handles shown in Figure 9 and Figure 10, the front dynamometer 1 of the present invention is also suitable for the flat handles commonly used in mountain bikes and competitions. Aircraft or rest handles and other handles.

To sum up, the bike dynamometer 1 of the present invention can not only provide the user with the output power value on the handle tube 3 or the vertical tube 4, but also more comprehensively monitor the user's riding performance, and can also simultaneously monitor the The torsional force, stress and strain borne by the handle pipe 3 or the standpipe 4 can be used to estimate the fatigue life and service life of the handle pipe 3 or the standpipe 4 .

The above description is only a preferred feasible embodiment of the present invention, and all equivalent changes made by applying the description of the present invention and the scope of the patent application should be included in the scope of the patent of the present invention.

[this invention] 1: Vehicle power meter 10: Strain gauge 20: Signal processing unit 30: Processor 40:Signal transmitter 50: terminal device 52: display 60: storage unit 2: Frame 3: handle tube 31: Holding section 32: Connection section 321: left segment 322: right segment 4:Standpipe 42: Combined section

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle head dynamometer according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle head dynamometer of the present invention installed on the handlebar. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle head dynamometer installed in the vertical pipe of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle head dynamometer of the present invention arranged inside the handle tube. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle head dynamometer of the present invention arranged inside the vertical pipe. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle head power meter of the present invention arranged inside the handle tube. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle head power meter of the present invention arranged on the left section and the right section of the handle pipe. Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle head dynamometer of the present invention arranged on the left and right sections of the handle pipe. FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram of the vehicle head power meter installed in the integrated handle of the present invention. FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram of the vehicle head dynamometer installed in the integrated handle of the present invention. FIG. 10A is a schematic diagram of the vehicle head power meter installed in the integrated handle of the present invention. FIG. 10B is a schematic diagram of the vehicle head power meter installed in the integrated handle of the present invention.

1: Vehicle power meter

10: Strain gauge

20: Signal processing unit

30: Processor

40:Signal transmitter

50: terminal device

52: display

60: storage unit

Claims (8)

A bike head dynamometer used for a bicycle, the bike includes a bike head and a frame, the bike head includes a handlebar and a standpipe, the standpipe connects the handlebar and the frame, the bike head The power meter includes: at least one strain gauge, arranged on at least one of the outer pipe wall or the inner pipe wall of the standpipe; a signal processing unit, connected to the at least one strain gauge signal, and the signal processing unit is based on the at least one strain gauge The gauge senses the deformation of the vertical pipe and outputs a corresponding electrical signal; a processor is connected to the signal processing unit, and the processor receives the electrical signal from the signal processing unit and calculates a measurement value based on the electrical signal And output with an output signal; a signal transmitter, the signal is connected to the processor, the signal transmitter receives the output signal output by the processor and converts it into a wired or wireless signal and sends it to a terminal device; and a storage unit The processor is signal-connected, the storage unit stores at least one comparison value, the processor compares the measurement value with the at least one comparison value to generate a comparison result, and selectively sends out a comparison result according to the comparison result The prompt signal is sent to the signal transmitter, and the signal transmitter receives the prompt signal and converts it into a wired or wireless signal and then sends it to the terminal device for prompting use. A head dynamometer used for a bicycle, the bicycle includes a head and a frame, the head includes a handle pipe and a standpipe, the stand pipe connects the handle pipe and the frame, the handle The tube includes two gripping sections and a connecting section, the two gripping sections are respectively connected to opposite ends of the connecting section, the vertical tube is arranged at the center of the connecting section, the front dynamometer includes: at least one strain gauge, It is arranged on at least one of the outer pipe wall or the inner pipe wall of the vertical pipe; a signal processing unit is connected with the signal of the at least one strain gauge, and the signal processing unit senses the deformation of the vertical pipe according to the at least one strain gauge. output a corresponding electrical signal; a processor, signally connected to the signal processing unit, the processor receives the electrical signal of the signal processing unit and calculates a measurement value based on the electrical signal and outputs it as an output signal; and a signal transmitter, signally connected to the A processor, the signal transmitter receives the output signal output by the processor and converts it into a wired or wireless signal and sends it to a terminal device. The headstock dynamometer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the measured value includes at least one of a power value, a torque value, a stress value, and a strain value, or a combination of at least two. The vehicle head dynamometer as described in claim 1, wherein the at least one comparison value is a value range, and when the measured value falls outside the value range, the processor returns the prompt signal to the signal transmitter. The vehicle head dynamometer as described in claim 1, wherein the at least one comparison value is a specific value, and when the measured value is greater than the specific value, the processor returns the prompt signal to the signal transmitter. The vehicle head dynamometer as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the terminal device includes a display connected to the signal transmitter to display a sensing result corresponding to the at least one strain gauge. The head-on-board dynamometer as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the signal processing unit includes a bridge circuit, an amplifier circuit and an analog-to-digital conversion circuit. The headstock dynamometer as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the handlebar tube and the standpipe are integrally formed.

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