US 7,478,692 B2Granted

Electric vehicle

AssigneeYamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsJun Taue, Gen Mizutani, Kiyohisa Sugii

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Abstract

In an electric vehicle driven by a drive motor with electric power generated by an engine-driven generator and with electric power from a battery, the electric vehicle includes a residual battery power detecting module for detecting a residual power capacity of the battery, and a motor control module. When the residual power capacity decreases below an established (e.g., preset) lower limit, the motor control module lowers a voltage of an accelerator output signal, which is output in response to a rotational angle of an accelerator, to a value less than a voltage given under a condition where the residual power capacity is greater than or equal to an established (e.g., preset) lower limit. In this manner, the larger rotational movement of the accelerator required to control a rotational speed of the drive motor provides a rider with a sensory indication of the operating state of the vehicle (e.g., the residual power capacity of the battery).

Claims6

Dependent claims

An electric vehicle comprising:

an engine-driven generator;
a battery connected to the generator;
an electric drive motor propelling the vehicle, the drive motor being driven with electric power generated by the engine-driven generator and electric power from a battery;
a residual battery power detector cooperating with the battery to detect a residual power capacity of the battery;
an accelerator operated by a user to control vehicle speed, the accelerator outputting a control signal indicative of a desired motor speed set by the user;
and
a hybrid controller managing the operation of the drive motor based upon the control signal output by the accelerator and upon a signal from the residual battery power detector, wherein the controller is configured to operate the drive motor, for a given control signal value, at a slower rotational speed when the residual power capacity of the battery falls below an established lower limit than when the residual power capacity is greater than or equal to the established lower limit.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/429,116Filed 4 May 2006 · continuation
Priority: JP 2003-3751775 Nov 2003
Published: US 2006/0260851 A123 Nov 2006
Granted: 20 Jan 2009
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

B60L 15/2045
For control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed: for…
B60L 50/15
Using propulsion power supplied by engine-driven generators, e.g. generators driven by combustion engines: with additional electric power supply
B60L 58/12
For monitoring or controlling batteries: responding to state of charge [SoC]
B60L 2200/12
Type of vehicles: bikes