To Power Assisted Vehicles
First Claim
1. A control system for a power assisted vehicle having an electric motor, said control system including a MEMS sensor for sensing the pitch of said vehicle, said control system being adapted to control the power supplied to said motor and therefore the power assistance provided to said vehicle by said electric motor in accordance with the pitch of said vehicle as sensed by said sensor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A power assisted vehicle typically an electric bicycle which has an electric motor for providing power assistance to the bicycle and an accelerometer-based MEMS sensor for sensing the pitch of the bicycle and a control system for controlling the power supply to the electric motor and thus the power assistance provided to the bicycle to assist the rider of the bicycle when the bicycle is being ridden up a slope or incline.
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Citations
19 Claims
- 1. A control system for a power assisted vehicle having an electric motor, said control system including a MEMS sensor for sensing the pitch of said vehicle, said control system being adapted to control the power supplied to said motor and therefore the power assistance provided to said vehicle by said electric motor in accordance with the pitch of said vehicle as sensed by said sensor.
- 7. A power assisted bicycle or tricycle, said bicycle or tricycle having at least a front wheel and a rear wheel, pedals for application of a pedalling force to at least one of said wheels for manually propelling said bicycle or tricycle, an electric motor on said bicycle or tricycle for providing supplementary drive to one of said wheels, and a control system for controlling the power supply to said electric motor, said control system comprising an accelerometer-based tilt sensor on said bicycle or tricycle for sensing the inclination of said bicycle or tricycle in a fore and aft direction to thereby sense whether said bicycle or tricycle is climbing an incline, travelling with no inclination on level ground, or moving down an incline and the degree of said inclination and a motor controller for controlling power supply to said electric motor, said motor controller being adapted to vary the power supply to said motor and therefore the power assistance provided to said bicycle or tricycle by said motor in accordance with the inclination of said bicycle or tricycle as sensed by said sensor.
- 15. A method of providing power assistance to a vehicle having a power assistance electric motor comprising the steps of sensing the pitch of said vehicle using an accelerometer-based sensor on said vehicle and controlling the power supplied to said motor and therefore the power assistance provided to said vehicle by said electric motor in accordance with the pitch of said vehicle as sensed by said sensor.
Specification