Manually operated travelling vehicle with auxiliary power

A manpowered vehicle equipped with an auxiliary power apparatus having a power source for supplementing driving of the vehicle, comprising:

• a main body;
• a rotated body supported by the main body;
• a rotary coil arranged coaxially with the rotated body;
• a variable impedance electrically connected to the rotary coil and having an impedance that varies with the load applied to the rotated body, the variable impedance including a core made of a magnetostrictive material and a coil arranged on one part of an outer surface of the core, wherein the remaining part of the outer surface of the core is supported between the crank axle and the drive gear, and the impedance of the coil is varied by deformation of the core that corresponds to the load acting on the drive gear;
• a fixed coil attached to the main body such that the fixed coil is concentric with and spaced from the rotary coil, wherein the fixed coil is electromagnetically coupled with the rotary coil;
• a detector, connected with the fixed coil, that detects changes in at least one of electric current and voltage of the fixed coil caused by the rotary coil in accordance with the impedance varied by the variable impedance and generating a corresponding output value;
• and
• a control means for controlling the power source based on the output value of the detecting means.

A manpowered vehicle equipped with an auxiliary power apparatus having a power source for supplementing the driving of the vehicle, comprising:

• a main body;
• a crank axle pivotally supported by the main body;
• a drive gear rotatable coupled to the crank axle;
• a crank arm attached to the crank axle, wherein a load exerted on the crank arm by manpower is used to rotate the crank axle and the drive gear;
• a pressing piece attached to the crank arm and projecting towards the drive gear;
• a receiving piece attached to the drive gear and facing the pressing piece;
• a rotary coil arranged coaxially with the rotated body;
• a variable impedance electrically connected to the rotary coil and having an impedance that varies with the load applied to the rotated body, the variable impedance including a core made of a magnetostrictive material and a core coil arranged on an outer surface of the core, wherein the core is arranged between the pressing piece and the receiving piece and the impedance of the core coil is varied by deformation of the core that corresponds to the load acting on the drive gear;
• a fixed coil attached to the main body such that the fixed coil is concentric with and spaced by a predetermined distance from the rotary coil, wherein the fixed coil is electromagnetically coupled with the rotary coil;
• a detector, connected with the fixed coil, that detects changes in electrical current or voltage of the fixed coil caused by the rotary coil in accordance with the impedance varied by the variable impedance, and generating a corresponding output value;
• and
• a controller for controlling the power source based on the output value of the detecting means.