Electric bicycle and methods
First Claim
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1. A motorized cycle comprising:
- a frame having a bottom bracket, wherein the frame is adapted to be coupled to at least one wheel;
a motor assembly disposed within the bottom bracket, the motor assembly comprising a spindle disposed to rotate within the bottom bracket, and a motor that is coaxially disposed about the spindle;
a first sprocket assembly coupled to the motor that is adapted to be coupled to a chain, and wherein the chain is adapted to be coupled to a second sprocket assembly that is coupled to the wheel to rotate the wheel upon operation of the motor;
a throttle; and
a controller electrically coupled to the throttle and the motor, wherein operation of the throttle sends a signal to the controller to control operation of the motor, and wherein the controller is configured to permit high current levels during acceleration and then to taper the current back to a programmed level over a short time after initial acceleration.
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Abstract
An electric motor assembly comprises a housing and a spindle disposed to rotate in the housing. A motor is provided which comprises a stator coupled to the housing, and a rotor rotatably disposed within the stator such that the rotor is disposed about the spindle. The assembly further includes an output driver, and a gear system operably coupled to the rotor and the output driver to rotate the output driver upon operation of the motor.
177 Citations
39 Claims
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1. A motorized cycle comprising:
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a frame having a bottom bracket, wherein the frame is adapted to be coupled to at least one wheel;
a motor assembly disposed within the bottom bracket, the motor assembly comprising a spindle disposed to rotate within the bottom bracket, and a motor that is coaxially disposed about the spindle;
a first sprocket assembly coupled to the motor that is adapted to be coupled to a chain, and wherein the chain is adapted to be coupled to a second sprocket assembly that is coupled to the wheel to rotate the wheel upon operation of the motor;
a throttle; and
a controller electrically coupled to the throttle and the motor, wherein operation of the throttle sends a signal to the controller to control operation of the motor, and wherein the controller is configured to permit high current levels during acceleration and then to taper the current back to a programmed level over a short time after initial acceleration. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An electric motorized bicycle, comprising:
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a frame that is adapted to be coupled to a front wheel;
a swing arm operably coupled to the frame, wherein the swing arm is adapted to be coupled to a rear wheel, and wherein the swing arm includes a bottom bracket;
an electric motor assembly disposed within the bottom bracket, wherein the electric motor assembly comprises a spindle disposed to rotate within the bottom bracket, a motor that is coaxially disposed about the spindle; and
a first sprocket assembly coupled to the motor that is adapted to be coupled to a chain, wherein the chain is adapted to be coupled to a second sprocket assembly of the rear wheel such that operation of the motor is adapted to rotate the rear wheel with the chain. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A motorized cycle comprising:
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a frame having a bottom bracket, wherein the frame is adapted to be coupled to at least one wheel;
a motor assembly disposed within the bottom bracket, the motor assembly comprising a spindle disposed to rotate within the bottom bracket, and a motor that is coaxially disposed about the spindle;
a first sprocket assembly coupled to the motor that is adapted to be coupled to a chain, and wherein the chain is adapted to be coupled to a second sprocket assembly that is coupled to the wheel to rotate the wheel upon operation of the motor, wherein the second sprocket assembly includes a plurality of gears;
a set of pedals; and
a gear shifter that is operable to move the chain between the gears;
wherein the motor is configured to turn the front sprocket assembly without turning the pedals such that when the cycle is coasting the chain is movable from a higher one of the gears to a lower one of the gears after the rider manually moves the gear shifter and without the rider turning the pedals.
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39. A motorized cycle comprising:
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a frame having a bottom bracket, wherein the frame is adapted to be coupled to at least one wheel;
a motor assembly disposed within the bottom bracket, the motor assembly comprising a spindle disposed to rotate within the bottom bracket, and a motor that is coaxially disposed about the spindle;
a first sprocket assembly coupled to the motor that is adapted to be coupled to a chain, and wherein the chain is adapted to be coupled to a second sprocket assembly that is coupled to the wheel to rotate the wheel upon operation of the motor, wherein the second sprocket assembly includes multiple gears;
a throttle;
a controller electrically coupled to the throttle and the motor; and
a shifting mechanism that is adapted to move the chain between the gears, and wherein the controller is configured to control actuation of the shifting mechanism.
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Specification