Can Angle Sensors Be Used in E-bike Applications?

Yes, angle sensors can be used in e-bike applications. Angle sensors can be used to detect the orientation of the pedals, allowing the e-bike’s controller to adjust the level of assistance based on the rider’s pedal position. This can result in a more natural and responsive assistance experience.

Benefits of Using Angle Sensors in E-Bike Applications

There are several benefits to using angle sensors in e-bike applications. This type of sensor measures the position of the crankset (pedal and pedal arm assembly) relative to the frame of the bike or typically relative to the ground.

On top of providing cadence information having an angle sensor gives more freedom in tuning the e-bike for optimum ride feeling. The human input power varies – even with very constant pedaling – a lot over a crank revolution. This information can be used to make the motor output of the e-bike feel much more like an amplification of human power especially at low speed and during technical riding.

In mathematical terms, cadence is the derivative of crank angle with respect to time. This makes estimating the cadence from even very small changes in crank angle relatively straightforward and may be easier to implement in a system than using timing between cadence pulses from a magnet ring or similar.

The regulatory compliance requirements in certain areas require motor cut-off when no pedaling is detected, which may be very fast to detect using an angle sensor.

Even more important for ride feeling is the delay from pedal movement to motor power output. Using an angle sensor can in many cases make this delay almost go away. Especially when combined with a torque sensor that does not have dead-band issues (something often seen with magnetostrictive sensors, but not with strain gauge based sensors).