Energy management system for motor-assisted user-propelled vehicles

A method for managing energy of a motor-assisted user-propelled vehicle comprising a motor mounted on said vehicle and capable of at least assisting in propelling said vehicle and a power supply capable of supplying energy to said motor, said method comprising:

• providing a desired value for each of at least one user control parameter related to said user;
• obtaining an actual value of said at least one user control parameter;
• obtaining an actual value of at least one vehicle control parameter;
• comparing said desired value and said actual value of said at least one user control parameter;
• generating a comparison signal for each said at least one user control parameter;
• evaluating said comparison signal with said actual value of said at least one vehicle control parameter;
• generating at least one of an indicator signal and a motor command using said at least one comparison signal and said actual value of said at least one vehicle control parameter;
• and
• operating said motor, using said motor command, to assist in propelling said vehicle in a way to bring said actual value of each said at least one user control parameter closer to said desired value of each said at least one user control parameter dependent on said vehicle control parameter.

A sensor for obtaining an actual value of cyclic user propulsion effort for propelling a motor-assisted user-propelled vehicle for which the cyclic user propulsion effort is done by cyclic impulses of force by a user, said sensor comprising:

• a detector for detecting slight cyclic variations in a speed of said vehicle, said slight cyclic variations being caused by said cyclic impulses of force by the user, said detector being one of directly and indirectly connected to any rotating part of said user-propelled vehicle and generating a vehicle speed signal;
• and
• a differentiator for differentiating said vehicle speed signal to obtain a vehicle acceleration signal;
• wherein at least one slight cyclic variation of the acceleration signal due to the cyclic user propulsion efforts is used to deduct said actual value of proportional cyclic user propulsion effort.

A method for measuring cyclic parameter variations of a motor-assisted user-propelled vehicle due to cyclic user propulsion efforts, comprising:

• detecting slight cyclic variations in a parameter of said vehicle;
• generating a vehicle parameter signal by using said slight cyclic variations in said parameter detected;
• and
• using slight cyclic variations of the vehicle parameter signal due to the cyclic user vehicle propulsion effort to deduct the cyclic user effort.