Vehicle using compressed gas, and control device therefor

A bicycle comprising an air engine, wherein the air engine includes:

• a gas container in which a compressed gas is accumulated;
• gas machinery that is driven by the compressed gas supplied from the gas container;
• a control valve that controls an output of the gas machinery;
• a piping unit that connects the gas container and the control valve;
• a shutoff valve between the gas container and the piping unit;
• and
• a pressure gauge that detects a pressure of the compressed gas at the piping unit, the bicycle further comprising:
• a manipulation instruction unit that outputs a command value corresponding to a target output of the gas machinery;
• and
• a control device that operates the control valve based on the command value from the manipulation instruction unit, and controls the output of the gas machinery such that the target output is obtained,
• wherein the control device includes:
• a pressure measuring unit that measures the pressure of the compressed gas at the piping unit based on an output of the pressure gauge;
• and
• a determination unit that determines a leakage state of the compressed gas based on a change in pressure, which is measured by the pressure measuring unit every time the target output of the gas machinery becomes substantially zero,
• wherein the control device compares the pressure, which is measured by the pressure measuring unit at the time the target output of the gas machinery becomes substantially zero, to a pressure that is measured by the pressure measuring unit after a given time elapses, the control device determines that the compressed gas leaks when a pressure difference is greater than a given amount, and the control device suspends the determination of the leakage state when the target output of the gas machinery changes from substantially zero within the given time,
• wherein the bicycle has a plurality of states including a drive state in which the bicycle accelerates or runs at a constant speed, a braking state in which a braking force of a brake is provided to the bicycle, and an inertia state in which a speed of the bicycle is not zero,
• wherein the control device operates the shutoff valve to shut off a flow of the compressed gas from the gas container to the piping unit in the inertia state,
• wherein the control device operates the shutoff valve to permit the flow of the compressed gas from the gas container to the piping unit in the drive state and the braking state,
• wherein the inertia state is a state immediately after a first state and immediately before a second state,
• wherein the first state and the second state occur in a plurality of combinations, and one combination of the plurality of combinations of the first state and the second state is that the first state is the drive state and the second state is the braking state, and
• wherein the determination unit begins determination of the leakage state in the inertia state.