NL2008040C2

NL2008040C2 - A bracket shaft assembly, a power assist assembly and a human powered vehicle.

Info

Publication number: NL2008040C2
Application number: NL2008040A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Rob Cristian Heinemeijer; Hendricus Johannes Vertegaal
Original assignee: Indes Holding Bv
Priority date: 2011-12-23
Filing date: 2011-12-23
Publication date: 2013-06-26
Also published as: WO2013095148A1; EP2797807A1

Description

P96244NL00

Title: A bracket shaft assembly, a power assist assembly and a human powered vehicle.

FIELD

The invention relates to a bracket shaft assembly, a power assist assembly and a human powered vehicle having such a power assist assembly.

5

BACKGROUND

EP-0 983 934 A1 discloses a torque sensor assembly for a bicycle bottom bracket assembly. The torque sensor assembly is intended to provide signals that may be used for controlling an electric drive motor that assists 10 the user of the bicycle when additional drive power is needed. The signals are related to the forces that are exerted by the user on the pedals of the bicycle. In the wording of EP’934, the torque sensor includes an axle supporting member for supporting the bottom bracket axle. The supporting member includes a plurality of sensor mounting locations that are disposed 15 along the length of the supporting member and on which an associated plurahty of pressure sensors is arranged.

SUMMARY

A problem of the bottom bracket shaft assembly disclosed in EP’934 20 is that it is not disclosed how the signals that are generated by the various sensors are transmitted to the controller. Normally, signal cables are connected to the sensors and a hole has to be provided in the bracket of the frame. Such a hole is disadvantageous because dirt and soil may enter the bracket and the bracket shaft assembly may be soiled. When retrofitting a 25 human powered vehicle with a power assist assembly, a hole has to be 2 drilled in the bracket. This leads to bare portions of metal that are not covered with lacquer and that may get rusty.

The invention intends to solve or alleviate at least one of the above problems.

5 To that end, the invention provides a bracket shaft assembly configured to be mounted in a bracket of a human powered vehicle, the bracket being substantially cylindrical and extending from a first end to a second end, bounding an interior space, and having internal screw thread at the first and the second end, the bracket shaft assembly comprising: 10 • a bracket shaft being rotatable around a central bracket shaft axis and having two free ends that are each configured to mount a crank on it and that are positioned at opposite sides of a central assembly plane that extends perpendicularly relative to the central axis and that is positioned centrally relative to the free 15 ends; • a bearing housing that is hollow and configured to be mounted in the bracket and through which the bracket shaft co-axially extends, the bearing housing having a first end and an opposite second end that are on opposite sides of the central assembly 20 plane; • a first bearing that is mounted between the bracket shaft and the bearing housing adjacent the first end; • a second bearing that is mounted between the bracket shaft and the bearing housing adjacent the second end; 25 • a first fixation nut having a nut wall with external screw thread that is configured to co-operate with the internal screw thread of the bracket adjacent the first end; 3 • a second fixation nut having a nut wall with external screw thread that is configured to co-operate with the internal screw thread of the bracket adjacent the second end; • a first sensor that is mounted on the bearing housing and that is 5 configured to measure a deformation of the bearing housing and to provide a signal that depends on the amount of deformation, • a first electrically conductive signal cable that is connected to the first sensor; and • a cable channel that extends through the first fixation nut and 10 that is configured to provide a passage for the first signal cable from the interior space of the bracket to the outside.

By virtue of the presence of the cable channel in the first fixation nut, the bracket of the human powered vehicle does not have to be provided with a hole. Thus, the bracket assembly in accordance with this embodiment 15 may be easily retrofitted in an existing frame of a human powered vehicle without any damage being done to the frame. The interior space of the bracket will not be soiled and the lacquer of the frame will not be damaged by holes that have to drilled into the bracket. These features may also advantageously be applied with a bottom bracket shaft assembly having a 20 plurality of first sensors that are not mounted symmetrically relative to the central assembly plane.

Another problem of the prior art bracket shaft assembly is that the signal processing of the torque sensor is rather complicated. The forces that are exerted by the user on the pedals that are connected via cranks to the 25 bracket shaft lead to a plurality of signals that vary in time. Even if a force exerted on the left pedal is the same as a force that is exerted on the right pedal, the signals that are generated with the prior art torque sensor assembly differ. Due to the fact that all embodiments that are shown in EP’934 disclose a torque sensor assembly with a plurality of sensors, such 30 an assembly will be rather expensive and the signal processing that has to 4 be performed by the controller will be complicated. This necessitates a complicated controller that is expensive.

In order to alleviate that problem, an embodiment of the invention may be characterized in that the first sensor is mounted symmetrically 5 relative to the central assembly plane.

By virtue of the fact that, in an embodiment, there may be only a single first sensor, the bracket shaft assembly may be relatively simple and thus cheap. It should be noted that cost is very important factor in the industry of human powered vehicles. By virtue of the fact that the sensor is 10 mounted symmetrically relative to the central assembly plane, the forces exerted on a right pedal and a left pedal will lead to substantially the same signal, at least when the strengths of these forces are the same. By virtue of the fact that there is only a single first sensor that is mounted symmetrically relative to the central assembly plane, a relatively simple 15 signal processing is necessary to obtain a reliable output signal for controlling an electric drive motor. Such a relatively simple signal processing can be carried out by a relatively simple controller which again leads to a considerable reduction of the costs.

The invention also provides a power assist assembly for a human 20 powered vehicle including: • a bracket shaft assembly according to the invention; • an electric drive motor; • an accumulator that is configured to store and dispatch electric energy and that is connected to the electric drive motor; and 25 • a controller having an input that is connected to the first sensor and having an output that is connected to the electric drive motor, wherein the controller is configured to control the electric drive motor in dependence of at least an input signal that is provided by the first sensor.

5

Such a power assist assembly may be relatively cheap and may be retrofitted on an existing human powered vehicle, such as a bicycle, tricycle or go-kart.

The invention also provides a human powered vehicle including: 5 • a bracket that is substantially cylindrical and extends from a first end to a second end along a length, the bracket having internal screw thread at the first and the second end, wherein the bracket defines a central bracket axis and a central bracket plane that is perpendicular relative to the central bracket axis and positioned 10 so relative to the bracket that the bracket is substantially symmetrical relative to the central bracket plane; • a power assist assembly according to the invention, wherein the bearing housing is fixed and supported relative to the bracket by the first and the second fixation nuts so that the central assembly 15 plane of the bracket shaft assembly is coplanar with the central bracket plane.

By virtue of the fact that central bracket plane is coplanar with the central assembly plane, the first sensor is symmetrically arranged relative to the bracket and, as a consequence, the signals that are provided by the 20 first sensor generated by a force that is exerted on the right pedal will be substantially the same as the signals that are provided by the first sensor generated by a force that is exerted on the left pedal when the strengths of these forces are the same.

Further embodiments of the inventions will be described with 25 reference to some examples that are shown in the figures. It should be noted that the embodiments that are described with reference to the figures are not limited to the examples shown in the figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

6

Fig. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of a first example of a bracket shaft assembly and a bracket;

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the first example when mounted in the bracket; 5 Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the first example along a vertical plane that includes the bracket shaft axis;

Fig. 4 shows in perspective a detail of the bracket assembly in a mounted condition without showing the bracket;

Fig. 5 shows the same detail as Fig. 4 from a different angle; 10 Fig. 6 shows an exploded perspective view of a second example of a bracket shaft assembly and a bracket;

Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of the second example when mounted in the bracket;

Fig. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the second example along a 15 vertical plane that includes the bracket shaft axis;

Fig. 9 shows in perspective a detail of the second example in a mounted condition without showing the bracket;

Fig. 10 shows the same detail as Fig. 9 from a different angle without a cover; and 20 Fig. 11 shows the same detail as Fig. 10 with the cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The two examples that are shown in the figures have various features in common. These common features will be referred to with the 25 same reference numbers.

The invention provides bracket shaft assembly 10 that is configured to be mounted in a bracket 12 of a human powered vehicle. Such a bracket 12 is substantially cylindrical and extends from a first end 12a to a second end 12b. The bracket 12 bounds an interior space S, and has 30 internal screw thread 14a, 14b at the first and the second end 12a, 12b.

7

The bracket shaft assembly 10 comprises a bracket shaft 16 that is rotatable around a central bracket shaft axis A1 and that has two free ends 16a, 16b that are each configured to mount a crank on it. The free ends 16a, 16b are positioned at opposite sides of a central assembly plane PI that 5 extends perpendicularly relative to the central axis Al and that is positioned centrally relative to the free ends 16a, 16b. The bracket assembly further includes a bearing housing 18 that is hollow and that is configured to be mounted in the bracket 12 and through which the bracket shaft 16 coaxially extends. The bearing housing 18 has a first end 18a and an opposite 10 second end 18b that are on opposite sides of the central assembly plane PI. A first bearing 20 is mounted between the bracket shaft 16 and the bearing housing 18 adjacent the first end 18a and a second bearing 22 is mounted between the bracket shaft 16 and the bearing housing 18 adjacent the second end 18b. The bracket shaft assembly 10 includes a first fixation nut 15 24 having a nut wall 24a with external screw thread 26 that is configured to co-operate with the internal screw thread 14a of the bracket 12 adjacent the first end 12a. A second fixation nut 28 having a nut wall 28a with external screw thread 30 is configured to co-operate with internal screw thread 14b of the bracket 12 adjacent the second end 12b. The bracket assembly 10 20 includes a first sensor 32 that is mounted on the bearing housing 18 and that is configured to measure a deformation of the bearing housing 18 and to provide a signal that depends on the amount of deformation. The bracket shaft assembly 10 includes a first electrically conductive signal cable 34 that is connected to the first sensor 32 and cable channel 36 that extends 25 through the first fixation nut 24 and that is configured to provide a passage for the first signal cable 34 from the interior space S of the bracket 12 to the outside. The signal cable 34 may be provided with a connector 64.

As stated before, such a cable channel 36 through the first fixation nut 24 makes it possible to retrofit the bracket shaft assembly 10 in a 30 bracket 12 of an existing human powered vehicle without the necessity to 8 drill a hole in the bracket 12. Thus damage of the vehicle frame is prevented and the interior of the bracket 12 is not exposed to soiling.

In an embodiment, of which both Figs. 1-6 and Figs. 7-11 show an example, the first sensor 32 may be mounted symmetrically relative to the 5 central assembly plane PI. Generally, there will only be a single first sensor 32.

By virtue of the symmetrical arrangement of the first sensor 32, a force of a certain strength exerted on the left pedal will generate substantially the same signal as a force of the same strength exerted on the 10 right pedal. By virtue of the fact that there is only a single first sensor 32 and by virtue of the central position of the first sensor 32, the signal processing of the signals provided by the first sensor 32 will be relatively simple. Thus the controller 56 that processes the signals and controls an electric drive motor 52 for providing power assist to a user of a human 15 powered vehicle may be relatively simple and thus relatively cheap.

In an embodiment, the first sensor 32 is a piezoelectric sensor. In alternative embodiments, the first sensor may be a force sensitive resistance or a strain gauge. A piezoelectric sensor is beneficial in that it does not need an external electrical source to provide a signal.

20

In an embodiment of the invention that is exemplified in both the first and second example that are shown in the figures, the first fixation nut 24 and/or the bearing housing 18 may be provided with locking means 38, 40 that prevent rotation of the first fixation nut 24 relative to the bearing 25 housing 18. These locking means 38, 40 prevent that the signal cable 34 will be twisted and damaged during the mounting of the bracket shaft assembly 10 in the bracket. The locking means 38, 40 may be formed by a key 38 on the bearing housing and a key way 40 in the first fixation nut 24 or vice versa. Alternatively, a locking pin or locking screw may prevent relative 30 rotation of the first fixation nut 24 and the bearing housing 18.

9

In an embodiment that is exemplified by the second example shown in figures 6-10, the bracket shaft assembly 10 may include a second sensor 42 that is configured to sense a movement that is indicative of a rotating bracket shaft 16. At least one rotation marker 44 may be provided that 5 moves when the bracket shaft 16 rotates and that is configured to co-operate with the second sensor 42.

Such a second sensor 42 will be connected to the controller 56 as well and provides a signal to controller 56 that is indicative of the fact that the bracket shaft 16 is rotating or is stationary. Thus, the signals provided 10 by the second sensor 42 will inform the controller 56 that the user is, in fact, pedalling and that power assist may be desired, dependent on the signals that are provided by the first sensor 32. This second sensor 42 may prevent that power assist is activated when the user is not pedalling but just exerting a force on one of the pedals without moving the pedals. Instead of a 15 second sensor 42 that is part of the bracket shaft assembly 10, the relevant information about moving pedals may also be obtained via another sensor (not shown) that is not part of the bracket shaft assembly 10. For example a sensor that senses the movement of a chain of human powered vehicle.

In an embodiment, of which an example is shown in figures 6-10, 20 the bracket shaft assembly includes a disc 58 that is mounted on the bracket shaft 16 and on which the at least one rotation marker 44 is mounted.

In an embodiment, of which an example is shown in figures 6-10, the second sensor 42 may be a Hall sensor and the at least one rotation marker 44 may be a permanent magnet. In the example shown in the 25 figures 6-10 the disc 58 carries four permanent magnets that serve as rotation markers 44.

In an alternative embodiment, the second sensor 42 may be an optical sensor and the at least one rotation marker 44 may be an optical mark such as a dark line on a light background or a translucent hole. To 30 that end, the disc 58 may have a plurality of dark lines that extend radially 10 and a light coloured background. Alternatively, the disc 58 may be provided with one or more translucent holes.

In an embodiment, of which an example is shown in figures 6-10, the bracket shaft assembly 10 may include a second electrically conductive 5 signal cable 46 that is connected to the second sensor 42. In an embodiment, the second sensor 42 may be mounted on a flange 48 that is an integral part of the first fixation nut 24. An example of such an embodiment is shown in figures 6-10. In this example, the second signal cable 46 is also provided with a connector 64. This example also includes a cover 60 that engages the 10 flange 48 and that defines a chamber 62 in which the disc 58 is accommodated and in which the second sensor 42 is present. Thus soiling of the disc 58 and the second sensor 42 may be prevented.

In an embodiment of which an example is shown in figures 6-10, the flange 48 may include a second cable channel 50 that is configured to 15 provide a passage for the first and the second signal cable 34, 46. Thus both the first signal cable 34 connected to the first sensor 32 and the second signal cable 46 connected to the second sensor 42 may be guided to a desired side of the flange 48 that is outside the chamber 62.

In an embodiment, the bracket shaft assembly may include an 20 electronic module that is mounted in or on one of the bracket housing 18, the first fixation nut 24, possibly on the flange 48 thereof, and the second fixation nut 28. The electronic module includes an input that is connected to the first sensor 32 and, optionally, to the second sensor 42 if present. The electronic module further has an output for connecting the module to a 25 controller 56. The electronic module is configured to process the signals produced by the at least one sensor 32, 42 to bring them in a format that is compatible with the controller 56. Thus, a controller 56 that is available in the market may be used to further process the signals that are provided by the electronic module. The controller 56 may control a power assist motor on 30 the basis of the signals provided by the electronic module. Additionally, the 11 electronic module may be configured to combine the signals of the first sensor 32 and the second sensor 42 and optionally any additional sensors to a modulated signal that may be transferred over a single cable 34 instead of two or more cables. This provides the additional advantage that diameter 5 the cable channels 36 and/or 50 may be kept small.

In order to further optimize the uniformity of the signals provided by the first sensor 32, the bearing housing 18 of an embodiment of the bracket shaft assembly 10 may be symmetrical relative to the central assembly plane P1 as well. To further optimize the uniformity of the signals 10 of the first sensor 32 that are generated as a consequence of the forces that are exerted on the left and the right pedal, the first and the second bearing 20, 22 may be on opposite sides of the central assembly plane PI and positioned symmetrically relative to each other vis-a-vis the central assembly plane PI.

15 In an embodiment, the bracket shaft assembly 10 may include a mark 66 on a part of the bracket shaft assembly 10 that is visible from the outside when the bracket shaft assembly 10 is mounted in a bracket 12. Fig. 5 shows an example of a positioning mark 66 on the first fixation nut 24.

Fig. 11 shows an example of a positioning mark 66 on the cover 60. The 20 rotational position of the part that includes the positioning mark 66 must be fixed relative to the rotational position of the first sensor 32 so that, when mounting the bracket shaft assembly 10 in the bracket 12, the rotational position of the positioning mark 66 is indicative of the rotational position of the first sensor 32. An advantage of this embodiment is that the rotational 25 position of the first sensor 32 relative to the bracket 12 may be chosen optimally. An optimal choice is, for example, a position on the bearing housing 18 that has the greatest distance from a virtual plan that includes the axis Al of the shaft and that is perpendicular to the direction of the greatest force that is exerted on the pedals of a crank system that is 30 connected to the bracket shaft assembly 10. This is because at those 12 positions of the bearing housing 18 a maximum deformation of the bearing housing 18 occurs when the maximum force is exerted on a pedal. For a bicycle, in which the greatest force on the pedals is exerted in a substantial vertical direction, said virtual plane would extend substantially 5 horizontally. The positions of the bearing housing 18 that have the greatest distance from the virtual horizontal plane are vertically above and vertically below the axis Al of the bracket shaft 16. Consequently, for a bicycle, or any other human powered vehicle in which the greatest force on the pedals is exerted substantially vertically, the first sensor 32 is preferably positioned 10 vertically above or vertically under the central axis Al. In the examples shown in the figures, this can be achieved by positioning the positioning mark 66 in a top position or, alternatively in a bottom position.

In an embodiment, the bracket shaft assembly may include a sensor of the acceleration type that is configured for sensing acceleration 15 and inclination of a vehicle in which the bracket shaft assembly is mounted. The third sensor of the acceleration type may, for example, be a gyroscopic sensor. A controller 56 that receives input from the various sensors 32, 42 including the acceleration type sensor (not shown), may be configured to control an electric drive motor 52 to provide additional power assist when an 20 upward inclination is detected. The controller 56 may also be configured to control the electric drive motor 52 to the effect that the power assist is diminished when an acceleration of the vehicle is detected by the acceleration type sensor. Vice versa, the controller 56 may also be configured to control the electric drive motor 52 to the effect that the power 25 assist is increased when a deceleration of the vehicle is detected by the acceleration type sensor. The acceleration type sensor may be mounted on the bracket shaft assembly 10. Alternatively, the acceleration type sensor may be mounted on any other part of the human powered vehicle. For example, the acceleration type sensor may be housed in a housing of the 30 controller 56 or in a housing of an accumulator 54. It should be noted that 13 the embodiment with the acceleration type sensor may also be applied in combination with conventional bracket shaft assemblies 10, that is, a bracket shaft assembly 10 that includes the features of claim 1 but that does not include a cable channel 36 that extends through the first fixation nut 24 5 and that is configured to provide a passage for the first signal cable 34 from the interior space S of the bracket 12 to the outside. A bracket shaft assembly including the acceleration type sensor disclosure as described above may be applied independently of the present invention and may be subject of a divisional application.

10 The bracket shaft assembly 10 of which various embodiments are described above may be part of a power assist assembly for a human powered vehicle. The power assist assembly may be sold as a kit of parts. The power assist assembly additionally includes an electric drive motor 52 and a controller 56. In an embodiment, the electric drive motor 52 may be a 15 wheel hub motor. In an embodiment, the power assist assembly may include a wheel with such a wheel hub motor. The power assist assembly further includes an accumulator 54 that is configured to store and dispatch electric energy and that is connected to the electric drive motor 52. The controller 56 has an input that is or may be connected to the first sensor 32 and an output 20 that is or may be connected to the electric drive motor 52. The controller 56 is configured to control the electric drive motor 52 in dependence of at least an input signal that is provided by the first sensor 32.

When the bracket shaft assembly 10 also includes a second sensor 42, the controller 56 may also include an input that may be connected to the 25 second sensor 42 and the controller 56 may be configured to control the electric drive motor 52 in dependence of at least input signals that are provided by the first sensor 32 and the second sensor 42.

The invention also provides a human powered vehicle including a bracket 12 that is substantially cylindrical and that extends from a first end 30 12a to a second end 12b. The bracket 12 may have internal screw thread 14 14a, 14b at the first and the second end 12a, 12b. The bracket 12 defines a central bracket axis A2 and a central bracket plane P2 that is perpendicular relative to the central bracket axis A2 and positioned so relative to the bracket 12 that the bracket 12 is substantially symmetrical relative to the 5 central bracket plane P2. The human powered vehicle additionally includes a power assist assembly as described above. The bearing housing 18 is fixed and supported relative to the bracket 12 by the first and the second fixation nuts 24, 28 so that the central assembly plane PI of the bracket shaft assembly 10 is coplanar with the central bracket plane P2. Such a coplanar 10 mounting of the bracket shaft assembly 10 in the bracket 12 may further optimize the uniformity of the signals that are produced by the first sensor 32 as a consequence of forces that are exerted on the right and the left pedal of the human powered vehicle.

As explained above, in an embodiment, of which two examples are 15 shown in the figures, the first sensor 32 may be positioned vertically above or vertically under the axis Al of the bracket shaft 16. In case of a bicycle or any other human powered vehicle in which the maximum force on the pedals has a substantially vertical direction, the deformation of the bearing housing 18 is maximal at these positions. Consequently, the amplitude of 20 the signal that will be produced by the first sensor 32 will be maximal when the first sensor 32 is positioned vertically above or below the axis Al of the bracket shaft 16.

In an embodiment, the central bracket axis A2 may be parallel to the central bracket shaft axis Al. In a special configuration of such an 25 embodiment, the central bracket axis A2 may co-axial with the central bracket shaft axis Al. In the non-co-axial embodiment with the parallel configuration of axes Al and A2, the position of the central bracket shaft axis Al may, in an embodiment be variable relative to the position of the bracket axis A2. This may be used for tightening a chain of the human 15 powered vehicle. Examples of human powered vehicles are a bicycle, a tricycle and a go-cart.

A bracket shaft assembly 10 as disclosed may be provided in various variants. For example, variants may be provided in which the 5 difference between the variants is determined by length of the bracket shaft 16 and the length of bearing housing 18. Additionally, or alternatively, the difference between the variants may be determined by the diameters of the bearing housing 18, the fixation nuts 24, 26 and the bearings 20, 22.

Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have 10 been described above, in part with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments. Variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. Reference 15 throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this 20 specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, it is noted that particular features, structures, or characteristics of one or more embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner to form new, not explicitly described embodiments. The reference numbers that are used throughout the detailed description and in 25 the claims should not be construed to limit the description of the various embodiments.

Claims

A bracket axle assembly (10) configured to be mounted in a bracket (12) of a human-powered vehicle, the bracket (12) being substantially cylindrical and extending from a first end (12a) to a second end (12b), defines an inner space (S), and is provided with internal screw thread (14a, 14b) at the first and the second end (12a, 12b), wherein the bottom bracket assembly (10) is provided with: has a bracket axis (16) rotatable about a central bracket axis axis (A1) and has two free ends (16a, 16b) each configured to mount a crank thereon and positioned on opposite sides of a central assembly surface (P1) extending perpendicular to the central axis (A1) and centrally positioned with respect to the free ends (16a, 16b); 15. a bearing housing (18) that is hollow and is configured to be mounted in the bracket (12) and through which the bracket shaft (16) extends coaxially, the bearing housing (18) having a first end (18a) and an opposite second has an end (18b) located on opposite sides of the central assembly surface (PI); • a first bearing (20) mounted between the bracket shaft (16) and the bearing housing (18) near the first end (18a); • a second bearing (22) mounted between the bracket shaft (16) and the bearing housing (18) near the second end (18b); 25. a first fastening nut (24) with a nut wall (24a) with external thread (26) configured to cooperate with the internal thread (14a) of the bracket (12) near the first end (12a); • a second mounting nut (28) with a nut wall (28a) with external thread (30) configured to cooperate with the internal thread (14b) of the bracket (12) near the second end (12b); A first sensor (32) mounted on the bearing housing (18) and configured to measure a deformation of the bearing housing (18) and to provide a signal that depends on the degree of deformation; A first electrically conductive signal cable (34) connected to the first sensor (32); A cable channel (36) extending through the first mounting nut (24) and configured to provide a passage through the first signal cable (34) from the inner space (S) of the bracket (12) to the outside.

The bottom bracket assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first sensor (32) is mounted symmetrically with respect to the central assembly surface 20 (PI).

The bottom bracket assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first fastening nut (24) and / or the bearing housing (18) are provided with blocking means (38, 40) that rotate the first fastening nut 25 (24) relative to prevent the bearing housing (18).

The bottom bracket assembly according to claim 3, wherein the locking means (38, 40) comprises a key (38) on the bearing housing and a key slot (40) in the first mounting nut (20) or vice versa. 30

The bottom bracket assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising: a second sensor (42) configured to detect a movement indicative of rotation of the bottom bracket axis (16); and 5. at least one rotation marker (44) that moves as the bracket axis (16) rotates and is configured to interact with the second sensor (42)

The bottom bracket assembly according to claim 5, comprising: 10. a disc (58) mounted on the bottom bracket shaft (16) and on which the at least one rotation marker (44) is provided.

7. The bottom bracket assembly as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein the second sensor (42) is a Hall sensor and wherein the at least one rotation marker (44) is a permanent magnet.

8. A bottom bracket assembly as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein the second sensor (42) is an optical sensor and wherein the at least one rotation marker (44) is an optical marking such as a dark line on a light background or a light transmissive hole.

The bottom bracket assembly according to any of claims 5-8, comprising: a second electrically conductive signal cable (46) connected to the second sensor (42). 25

The bottom bracket assembly according to any of claims 5-9, wherein the second sensor (42) is mounted on a flange (48) that is an integral part of the first mounting nut (24).

The bottom bracket assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising the combination of features of at least claims 2-9 and 10, wherein the flange (48) is provided with a second cable channel (50) configured to provide a passage for the first and second signal cable (34.46).

The bottom bracket assembly according to any of the preceding claims, comprising: • an electronic module mounted in the bearing housing 10 (18), the first mounting nut (24) or the second mounting nut (28), the electronic module being provided with an input connected to the first sensor (32) and, optionally, to the second sensor (42) if present, and provided with an output, the electronic module being configured to handle the signals produced by the at least one sensor (32.42) to bring it into a format compatible with a controller (56).

13. The bottom bracket assembly according to any one of claims 1-12, wherein the bearing housing (18) is symmetrical with respect to the central assembly surface (PI).

14. The bottom bracket assembly according to any of claims 1-13, wherein the first and the second bearing (20, 22) are located on opposite sides of the central assembly surface (P1) and are positioned symmetrically with respect to each other -vis the central assembly plane (Pl)

15. The bottom bracket assembly according to any of the preceding claims, comprising: • a positioning mark (66) on a portion of the bottom bracket assembly that is visible from the outside when the bottom bracket assembly is mounted in a bottom bracket (12), the the rotational position of the member is fixed relative to the rotational position of the first sensor (32) so that the rotational position of the positioning marker (66) is indicative of the rotational position of the first sensor (32).

16. The bottom bracket assembly as claimed in any of the foregoing claims 10 comprising: • a gear-type sensor configured to detect an acceleration and incline of the vehicle in which the bottom bracket assembly is mounted.

A power support assembly for a human-powered vehicle comprising: • a bottom bracket assembly (10) according to any one of the preceding claims; • an electric drive motor (52); 20. a battery (54) configured to store and release electrical energy and connected to the electric drive motor (52); and a control (56) provided with an input connected to the first sensor (32) and provided with an output 25 connected to the electric drive motor (52), the control being configured to run the electric drive motor ( 52) in dependence on at least one input signal provided by the first sensor (32).

A human-powered vehicle comprising: • a bracket (12) that is substantially cylindrical and extends from a first end (12a) to a second end (12b), the bracket (12) having internal threads (14a, 14b) at the first and second ends (12a, 12b), wherein the bracket 5 (12) defines a central bracket center line (A2) and a central bracket plane (P2) extending perpendicular to the central bracket center line (A2) and positioned with respect to the bracket such that the bracket (12) is substantially symmetrical with respect to the central bracket plane (P2); A power support assembly according to claim 17, wherein the bearing housing (18) is rigidly connected to and supported with respect to the bracket (12) by the first and second mounting nuts (24, 28) such that the central mounting surface (PI) of the bracket shaft assembly (10) coincides with the central bracket surface (P2)

The human-powered vehicle according to claim 18, wherein the first sensor (32) is positioned vertically above or vertically below the central axis (A1). 20

The human-powered vehicle according to any of claims 18-19, wherein the human-powered vehicle is a bicycle, a tricycle or a go-kart.