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US 5,857,537 AGranted
Motorized bicycle
AssigneeSanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
InventorsToshihiro Matsumoto, Tatsuaki Tanaka, Toshihiro Suhara
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A motorized bicycle includes an electric motor, a motor current detector, a pedaling force detector and a controller. The controller compares the range of fluctuation in a pedaling force detected by the pedaling force detector with a predetermined range value, and stops the driving of the electric motor if the fluctuation range of the pedaling force is kept smaller than the predetermined range value for more than a predetermined time period.
Claims15
A motorized bicycle comprising:
- man-power driving means for driving a wheel by man-power;
- a man-power sensor for detecting a driving force of the man-power driving means;
- electromotive driving means for driving the wheel by an electric motor;
- an electromotive-power sensor for detecting a driving force of the electromotive driving means;
- control means for controlling the driving force of the electromotive driving means on the basis of signals from the man-power sensor and the electromotive-power sensor;
- and
- amplitude detecting means for detecting an amplitude representing a difference between a substantially maximum driving force and a substantially minimum driving force detected by the man-power sensor,
- wherein the control means includes:
- (i) operation stopping means for comparing the amplitude detected by the amplitude detecting means with a predetermined value, and stopping the operation of the electromotive driving means in response to a result of the comparison;
- (ii) operation starting means for comparing the driving force detected by the man-power sensor with a predetermined threshold value and for starting the operation of the electromotive driving means when the driving force detected by the man-power sensor exceeds the predetermined threshold value;
- and (iii) threshold value updating means for comparing the amplitude detected by the amplitude detecting means with the predetermined value and updating the predetermined threshold value to a sum of the predetermined value and the driving forces detected by the man-power sensor if the detected amplitude is smaller than the predetermined value for more than a predetermined time period.
8 more elements
A motorized bicycle comprising:
- man-power driving means for driving a wheel by man-power;
- a man-power sensor for detecting a driving force of the man-power driving means;
- electromotive driving means for driving the wheel by an electric motor;
- an electromotive-power sensor for detecting a driving force of the electromotive driving means;
- control means for controlling the driving force of the electromotive driving means on the basis of signals from the man-power sensor and the electromotive-power sensor;
- and
- amplitude detecting means for detecting the range of fluctuation in the driving force detected by the man-power sensor,
- wherein the control means includes operation starting means for comparing the driving force detected by the man-power sensor with a predetermined threshold value and for starting the operation of the electromotive driving means when the driving force detected by the man-power sensor exceeds the predetermined threshold value, and threshold value updating means for comparing the amplitude detected by the amplitude detecting means with a predetermined range value and updating the predetermined threshold value to a sum of a predetermined value and the driving force detected by the man-power sensor if the detected amplitude is kept smaller than the predetermined range value for more than a predetermined time period.
5 more elements
A motorized bicycle comprising:
- man-power driving means for driving a wheel by man-power;
- a man-power sensor for detecting a driving force of the man-power driving means;
- electromotive driving means for driving the wheel by an electric motor;
- an electromotive-power sensor for detecting a driving force of the electromotive driving means;
- and
- control means for controlling the driving force of the electromotive driving means on the basis of signals from the man-power sensor and the electromotive-power sensor,
- wherein the control means includes sensor correction means for correcting an output of at least one of the man-power sensor and the electromotive-power sensor by employing as a sensor detection value a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined reference value from the sensor output, and reference value updating means for updating the predetermined reference value by employing the sensor output as a new reference value if the sensor output is smaller than the predetermined reference value.
4 more elements
A motorized bicycle comprising:
- a manual drive mechanism which drives a wheel manually;
- a first sensor that detects a driving force of the manual drive mechanism;
- an electric motor;
- a second sensor which detects a driving force of the electric motor;
- a control system which controls the driving force of the electric motor on the basis of signals from the first sensor and the second sensor;
- and
- an amplitude detecting system which detects an amplitude representing a difference between a substantially maximum driving force and a substantially minimum driving force detected by the first sensor,
- wherein the control system includes:
- (i) an operation stopping system for comparing the amplitude detected by the amplitude detecting system with a predetermined value, and stopping the operation of the electric motor in response to a result of the comparison;
- (ii) an operation starting system that compares the driving force detected by the first sensor with a predetermined threshold value and for starting the operation of the electric motor when the driving force detected by the first sensor exceeds the predetermined threshold value;
- and (iii) a threshold value updating system that compares the amplitude detected by the amplitude detecting system with the predetermined value and updates the predetermined threshold value to a sum of the predetermined value and the driving forces detected by the first sensor if the detected amplitude is smaller than the predetermined value for more than a predetermined time period.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.