ELECTRIC BIKE MOTOR USING SENSED AIR SPEED

• US 20160304157A1
• Filed: 04/16/2015
• Published: 10/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Craven, Richard, Thompson, Thomas Robert George
• Granted Patent: US 9,845,133 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/50 Charging stations characterised by energy-storage or power-generation means
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 6/50 characterised by detectors or sensors, or arrangement thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 6/90 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

An electric bike is described and includes an air speed sensor to sense air speed at the bike, an electric motor to impart motive force to the bike, and a controller operatively connected to the motor, the controller to control the electric motor using the air speed sensed by the air speed sensor. The controller includes a set electric-motor parameter for the output power of the motor. The electric-motor parameter can be bike speed. The controller can also use ground inclination to determine the power to be output by the motor to assist in powering the bike. The controller can use ground inclination to determine the power to be output by the motor to charge a battery in the bike. The controller can set the power of motor assist to be greater in a greater headwind than in a lighter headwind. The controller uses rider weight and rider height as parameters for controlling the motor.

Claims

1. An electric bike comprising:

an air speed sensor to sense air speed at the bike;

an electric motor to impart motive force to the bike; and

a controller operatively connected to the motor, the controller to control the electric motor using the air speed sensed by the air speed sensor.

2. The bike of claim 1, wherein the controller has a set electric-motor parameter for output power of the motor.

3. The bike of claim 2, wherein the electric-motor parameter is bike speed.

4. The bike of claim 3, wherein the controller uses ground inclination to determine power to be output by the motor to assist in powering the bike.

5. The bike of claim 4, wherein the controller uses ground inclination to determine the power to be output by the motor to charge a battery in the bike.

6. The bike of claim 5, wherein the controller sets the power to be output by the motor to be greater in a greater headwind than in a lesser headwind.

7. The bike of claim 6, wherein the controller uses rider weight and rider height as parameters for controlling the motor.

8. The bike of claim 4, wherein when the inclination is negative and gravity assists powering the bike forward, the controller switches to a regeneration mode to charge a battery from the electric motor.

9. The bike of claim 1, wherein the controller sets a constant rider power input and adjusts the power provided by the electric motor to maintain the constant rider power input.

10. An electric bicycle method comprising:

setting a rider effort level;

sensing relative air speed at the bicycle; and

assisting the rider effort level with an electric motor based on the relative air speed.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein assisting the rider effort level includes maintaining an essentially constant rider effort level based on the air speed.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein assisting the rider effort level includes sensing inclination of a bikeway and adjusting electric motor assist based on the inclination.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein assisting the rider effort level includes increasing the electric motor assist by at least twice when the bikeway is at an incline relative to a flat bikeway.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein assisting the rider effort level includes using the electric motor to charge a battery with the bikeway being a decline relative to a flat bikeway.

15. A control system for an electric bike including a motor comprising:

a controller programmed to alter a power output of the motor based on an air speed relative to the bike such that as the air speed increases, the power output increases.

16. The control system of claim 15, wherein the controller is further programmed to alter the power output such that as the air speed decreases, the power output decreases.

17. The control system of claim 15, wherein the controller is further programmed to alter the power output based on an inclination of the bike.

18. The control system of claim 15, wherein the controller is further programmed to alter the power output based on a weight of a rider of the bike.

19. The control system of claim 15, wherein the controller is further programmed to alter power output based on a height of a rider of the bike.