CN110411405A - Method for detecting bicycle wheel deformation - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a method for detecting the deformation of a bicycle wheel, comprising the steps of: measuring various vibration signals of the bicycle; processing the various vibration signals of the bicycle to determine whether there is a repetitive vibration signal; and The permanent vibration signal determines whether the wheel is deformed. According to the method of the present invention, the deformation of the bicycle wheel can be detected in time without relying on the user's feedback behavior, thereby improving the safety of the user when riding the bicycle.

Description

Method for detecting deformation of bicycle wheels

technical field

The invention relates to bicycles, in particular to a method for detecting deformation of bicycle wheels.

Background technique

As environmental problems become more and more serious and the traffic becomes more and more congested, more and more people choose bicycles as a means of travel. Rental bicycles such as shared bicycles are now very popular in China and other countries around the world. However, the technical state of these bikes is sometimes not optimal. For example, some parts of these bicycles may be destroyed or damaged. One of the most common failures with rental bikes is a rental bike with deformed front and/or rear wheels. Usually, wheel deformation starts slowly and is not too severe at first. Cycling is still possible. During riding, some "jerky motion" caused by slight deformation can be perceived or perceived by the user. As the deformation increases, some friction noise will appear in addition to the jerky motion. The braking distance is also increased due to the loose contact of the brake pads with the rim of the deformed wheel. This is also the case for only small deformations.

The sooner the fault is detected by vehicle operators, the sooner the fault can be repaired and the safer the user will be on the bike. Although some users are able to report the breakdown of a destroyed or damaged bicycle to the vehicle operator through a mobile intelligent terminal device installed on his/her such as a smartphone or a smart watch, other users may be unwilling to take the time to report to the vehicle operator Feedback faults, so that faults cannot be known early by vehicle operators. Fault discovery is highly dependent on user feedback behavior.

Therefore, there is a need to develop a method for detecting the deformation of bicycle wheels without relying on the user's feedback behavior.

Contents of the invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a method for detecting deformation of a bicycle wheel. According to the method of the present invention, the deformation of the bicycle wheel can be detected in time without relying on the user's feedback behavior.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method for detecting deformation of a bicycle wheel, comprising the steps of:

Measure various vibration signals of bicycles;

processing said various vibration signals of the bicycle to determine the presence or absence of repetitive vibration signals; and

Deformation of the wheel is determined based on the presence or absence of repetitive vibration signals.

It should be understood that the term "vibration" in the present invention includes any type of vibration, even vibration with a frequency lower than 1 Hz.

Preferably, the method for detecting the deformation of the bicycle wheel further includes the step of: sending the information that the wheel has been deformed after it is determined that the wheel has been deformed.

Preferably, the method for detecting deformation of a bicycle wheel further comprises the step of: taking prescribed actions after receiving information that the wheel has been deformed.

Preferably, after it is determined that the wheel has been deformed, the above steps are repeated one or more times to further verify that the wheel has been deformed.

Preferably, the method for detecting the deformation of bicycle wheels further includes the step of: obtaining the speed of the bicycle from GPS; the various vibration signals of the bicycle are processed based on the speed of the bicycle to extract the repetitive vibration signal.

Preferably, said repetitive vibration signal is periodic.

Preferably, the various vibration signals of the bicycle are measured by a built-in sensor of the mobile smart terminal device or a wireless or wired vibration sensor installed on the bicycle.

Preferably, the various vibration signals of the bicycle are processed through an APP installed in a mobile smart terminal device, a cloud controlled by a vehicle operator, or a microcontroller provided on the bicycle.

Preferably, the GPS is set in a mobile smart terminal device or on a bicycle.

Preferably, the various vibration signals of the bicycle are measured by built-in sensors of the mobile smart terminal device, and the various vibration signals of the bicycle are based on the speed of the bicycle acquired from the GPS set in the mobile smart terminal device It is processed through the APP installed in the mobile smart terminal device.

Preferably, the deformation of the wheel is further confirmed by a stronger vibration signal with a smaller frequency during braking of the bicycle.

According to the present invention, the deformation of the bicycle wheel can be detected in time without relying on the user's feedback behavior, thereby improving the safety of the user when riding a bicycle.

Description of drawings

In the attached picture:

Fig. 1 is a flowchart schematically showing a method for detecting deformation of a bicycle wheel according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to examples. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that these exemplary embodiments are not meant to impose any limitation on the present invention.

A mobile smart terminal device such as a smart phone or a smart watch can measure vibration through a built-in sensor of the mobile smart terminal device, and record and display a corresponding vibration signal through an APP (application program) installed in the mobile smart terminal device. Mobile smart terminal devices can also detect the type of motion. For example, a smartphone or smartwatch can identify the type of physical activity a user is doing.

The two wheels of a bicycle are round. A user riding a bike on a flat surface will hardly feel any vibrations when the bike has no wheels to deform. However, when one or both wheels of the bicycle deform, riding the bicycle will vibrate. Since the basic shape of the wheel is circular, the vibrations due to the deformation of the wheel occur every revolution, the vibration signature due to the deformation of the wheel is thus repetitive, possibly even periodic, and is consistent with the type of deformation of the wheel, the Speed, air pressure in the tire, tire size, etc. There is no doubt that the mobile smart terminal device can record the vibration signal caused by the deformation of one or two wheels through the APP installed in the mobile smart terminal device.

However, the mobile smart terminal device not only records vibration signals caused by the deformation of one or two wheels, but also records other vibration signals caused by the following factors:

Vibrations caused by rough roads;

Movements and vibrations when handling a bicycle;

Movement and vibration when accelerating and/or braking;

Movement of the bag in which the mobile smart terminal device is placed;

the user's movement; and

other factors etc.

Vibration signatures caused by factors other than deformation of one or both wheels are usually irregular and non-repetitive. As mentioned above, the vibration signature caused by the deformation of one or both wheels is usually repetitive and even periodic in time intervals with constant riding speed.

The mobile intelligent terminal equipment is also equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System). GPS can record the speed of the bicycle. In other words, the speed of the bicycle is known during the recording of the vibration signal. The wheel has a known diameter D and thus a known circumference C=πD. So, at a certain bicycle speed, say 15km/h, it is possible to know how many revolutions the wheels make per second. Assuming that the wheel rotates 3 times per second, the vibration signal caused by the deformation of the wheel will also occur at a frequency of 3 Hz, since a deformed wheel always causes vibration at the same position. Thus, using data from GPS such as bicycle speed, the APP can calculate the frequency of the vibration signal caused by the deformation of one or both wheels. Of course, the frequency of the vibration signal can vary during riding.

APP can process various vibration signals from built-in sensors of mobile smart terminal equipment. For example, based on the calculated frequency of the vibration signal caused by the deformation of the wheel, the APP can extract the vibration signal caused by the deformation of the wheel by filtering other vibration signals except the vibration signal caused by the deformation of the wheel from various vibration signals . The APP then automatically sends the vibration signal caused by the deformation of the wheel to the vehicle operator. Moreover, the APP can also automatically send information that the wheels have been deformed. Of course, the APP can not only send the vibration signal caused by the deformation of the wheel but also send the information that the wheel has been deformed. If the APP does not pick up repetitive vibration signals, it means that the function of the bicycle is completely normal. It is completely normal that the APP can send or not send the function of the bicycle to the vehicle operator. It should be understood that the processing of various vibration signals from the built-in sensors of the mobile smart terminal device can be performed by the cloud controlled by the vehicle operator.

Therefore, in the daily use of a bicycle, as long as the vehicle operator can obtain data about the vibration signal of the bicycle and data about the speed of the bicycle, the vehicle operator can detect possible deformation of the bicycle wheel.

In the above embodiments, the data about the vibration signal of the bicycle is collected by the built-in sensor of the mobile smart terminal device. Since existing hardware is used (ie smartphone or smart watch etc.), no additional hardware is required for vibration detection. However, it should be understood that data about the bicycle's vibration signature may be collected by a wireless vibration sensor mounted directly on the bicycle. The quality of the vibration signal collected by the wireless vibration sensor mounted directly on the bicycle would be improved, but this would mean that additional hardware would be required, thus incurring additional costs. Wireless vibration sensors can be mounted on the frame close to the wheels. The wireless vibration sensor is mounted as close as possible to the road surface to reduce any effect of interfering signals, since the road surface is stationary and the user's head is likely to be the part that shakes the most. Two wireless vibration sensors can be installed to further improve the quality of the vibration signal. One wireless vibration sensor can be mounted close to the front wheel, while another wireless vibration sensor can be mounted close to the rear wheel. Each of the two wireless vibration sensors can detect deformation of the corresponding wheel.

It should be understood that data about the bicycle's vibration signature may also be collected by a wired vibration sensor mounted directly on the bicycle in a similar manner to the wireless vibration sensor. The wired vibration sensor can be connected to an electronic device such as a microcontroller, which then transmits the measurement data wirelessly.

In the above embodiments, the APP installed in the mobile smart terminal device or the cloud controlled by the vehicle operator functions as a processing unit for processing various vibration signals. Alternatively, the bicycle could be equipped with a microcontroller. A microcontroller can be used as a processing unit for processing various vibration signals. Of course, the bicycle can also be equipped with GPS. This GPS can also be used to measure the speed of the bike.

When the bicycle is in motion, the built-in sensor of the mobile smart terminal device or the wireless vibration sensor directly installed on the bicycle starts to collect various vibration signals. Recording and processing various vibration signals can be done in real time. However, doing it in real time can be a very power-intensive option. Preferably, after it is determined that the wheel is deformed, recording and processing various vibration signals may be repeated one or more times to verify the determination result.

During braking, the deformation of the wheels will also lead to a particular vibration pattern. During braking, the GPS can identify a rapid decrease in the bike's speed. Therefore, it is possible to determine the presence of a braking action via GPS. If there is deformation of the wheel, this deformation will be identified as "unstable" braking during braking. If the wheel is sound and not damaged, the brake pads will provide a constant braking force to the rim of the wheel. However, if there is a certain deformation of the wheel, the braking will not be performed with a constant braking force but with a fluctuating braking force depending on the degree of deformation. As a result, during braking, the vibration sensor will register a stronger vibration signal, and the frequency of this stronger vibration signal will decrease. Therefore, when the braking state is recorded by the GPS, the deformation of the wheel can be confirmed by a stronger vibration signal with a smaller frequency.

Fig. 1 is a flowchart schematically showing a method for detecting deformation of a bicycle wheel according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The method for detecting deformation of bicycle wheels according to the present invention comprises steps:

Step 1: Measure various vibration signals through the built-in sensor of the mobile smart terminal device or the wireless vibration sensor directly installed on the bicycle;

Step 2: Get the bike's speed from GPS;

Step 3: Process various vibration signals of the bicycle based on the speed of the bicycle to determine whether there is a repetitive vibration signal; and

Step 4: Determine whether the wheel is deformed based on the presence or absence of repetitive vibration signals.

If the processing unit for processing various vibration signals can directly identify repetitive vibration signals, the step of acquiring the bicycle's speed from GPS can be omitted from the method for detecting deformation of bicycle wheels according to the present invention.

When there is a repetitive vibration signal, it can be determined that the wheel has deformed. According to the method of the present invention, steps 1-4 may be repeated one or more times to further verify that deformation of the wheel has occurred. After determining that the wheel has deformed, the vehicle operator may take prescribed actions at step 5, which may include:

Request the user to feedback the deformation of the wheel through the APP when returning the bicycle, and the user can confirm or deny the deformation of the wheel;

Request the user to rate the severity of the deformation of the wheel according to the specified level;

Request the user to take a photo of the deformed wheel;

Request user feedback whether the front wheels or the rear wheels are deformed;

Request the next user to repeat the measurement to rule out user-related measurement errors;

Restrict further use of bicycles for safety reasons;

dispatch a maintenance team to repair the bicycle or remove the bicycle from the road;

Improve the detection algorithm based on user feedback with the help of big data;

Improve the detection algorithm based on the feedback of the maintenance team with the help of big data;

Determine if the deformation is more severe than previous (a few days ago or earlier on the same day) detection;

Predict the remaining time or distance of use of the bicycle before taking further action (e.g. dispatching a maintenance team, restricting further use of the bicycle, etc.);

and many more.

When there is no repetitive vibration signal, it can be determined that no wheel is deformed. In this case, according to the method of the present invention, steps 1-4 may be performed again after a predetermined time such as 24 hours.

The bicycle can be a bicycle with or without a motor or an electric vehicle. When it is determined that the wheels of the bicycle or the electric vehicle with the motor are deformed, the power of the motor of the bicycle or the electric vehicle can be reduced through a wireless software command to improve riding safety. Although the invention has been explained in connection with rental bicycles such as shared bikes, it should be understood that the invention is also applicable to privately owned bicycles.

The present invention has been described in detail above in conjunction with certain preferred embodiments. Apparently, the above description and the embodiments shown in the drawings are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and these modifications and variations also do not depart from the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims (11)

1. A method for detecting deformation of a bicycle wheel, comprising steps: Measure various vibration signals of bicycles; processing said various vibration signals of the bicycle to determine the presence or absence of repetitive vibration signals; and Deformation of the wheel is determined based on the presence or absence of repetitive vibration signals. 2. The method for detecting deformation of a bicycle wheel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of: The information that the wheel has been deformed is sent after it is determined that the wheel has deformed. 3. The method for detecting deformation of a bicycle wheel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of: Take the prescribed action after receiving information that the wheel has deformed. 4. The method for detecting deformation of a bicycle wheel as claimed in claim 1, wherein after determining that the wheel has been deformed, the above steps are repeated one or more times to further verify that the wheel has been deformed. 5. The method for detecting deformation of a bicycle wheel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of: Get the bike's speed from GPS; The various vibration signals of the bicycle are processed based on the speed of the bicycle to extract the repetitive vibration signals. 6. The method for detecting deformation of a bicycle wheel as claimed in claim 1, wherein said repetitive vibration signal is periodic. 7. The method for detecting the deformation of a bicycle wheel as claimed in any one of claims 1-6, wherein the various vibration signals of the bicycle are through a built-in sensor of a mobile smart terminal device or a wireless or wired sensor installed on the bicycle. Vibration sensor to measure. 8. The method for detecting the deformation of a bicycle wheel as claimed in any one of claims 1-6, wherein the various vibration signals of the bicycle are controlled by an APP installed in a mobile smart terminal device or a vehicle operator. , or a microcontroller installed on the bicycle to process. 9. The method for detecting deformation of a bicycle wheel as claimed in claim 5, wherein said GPS is set in a mobile smart terminal device or on a bicycle. 10. The method for detecting the deformation of a bicycle wheel as claimed in claim 5, wherein the various vibration signals of the bicycle are measured by a built-in sensor of the mobile smart terminal device, and the various vibration signals of the bicycle It is processed through the APP installed in the mobile smart terminal device based on the speed of the bicycle obtained from the GPS set in the mobile smart terminal device. 11. The method for detecting deformation of a bicycle wheel according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the deformation of the wheel is further confirmed by a stronger vibration signal with a smaller frequency during braking of the bicycle.