Starting control system and method for electric-assisted bicycle

Abstract

The present invention provides a start-up control system and method for an electric-assisted bicycle. The system includes a key monitoring circuit, a microcontroller unit, and a driver chip. The microcontroller unit includes a switch control subunit and a boost control subunit. The key monitoring circuit generates a key voltage based on the operation of the switch key and the boost key. The switch control subunit controls the key monitoring circuit based on the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage. The boost control subunit controls the driver chip based on the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage. Thus, when the electric-assisted bicycle is powered on or off, control is performed based on the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage, which helps prevent accidental power-on or boost activation, thereby improving safety.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of bicycles, and in particular to a starting control system and method for an electric power-assisted bicycle. Background Art

[0002] The drive system of an electric-assisted bicycle provides auxiliary power during riding or pushing, providing a propulsion function. The drive system of an electric-assisted bicycle generally includes components such as instruments, a controller, a battery (including a battery management system), sensors, and a motor. The drive system generates a propulsion force during riding, assisting the bicycle's forward motion.

[0003] Existing electric-assisted bicycles typically activate the drive system by operating a key on the instrument panel to start assisting power output. However, if the instrument panel button circuit shorts or the user misoperates, the electric-assisted bicycle can accidentally power on or start assisting (when the electric-assisted bicycle is being pushed, the motor accidentally starts to output assisting power), resulting in unsafe events such as the bicycle running away and causing injuries. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention proposes the following technical solution to solve the problem of accidental power-on or accidental boosting of an electric-assisted bicycle caused by a short circuit in an instrument button circuit or a user's misoperation.

[0005] A first aspect of the present invention provides a starting control system for an electric assisted bicycle, comprising: a key monitoring circuit, a microcontroller unit and a driver chip, wherein the microcontroller unit includes a switch control subunit and a boost control subunit; the key monitoring circuit is used to generate a key voltage according to the actions of the switch key and the boost key of the electric assisted bicycle, and send the key voltage to the microcontroller unit; the switch control subunit is used to control the key monitoring circuit according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage when the electric assisted bicycle is in a power-off state or a power-on state; the boost control subunit is used to control the driver chip according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage when the electric assisted bicycle is in a power-on state or a power-off state; the driver chip is used to drive or stop driving the motor of the electric assisted bicycle under the control of the microcontroller unit.

[0006] In addition, the starting control system of the electric-assisted bicycle according to the above embodiment of the present invention may also have the following additional technical features.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the micro control unit further includes: a signal sending subunit, configured to send a key status detection signal to the key monitoring circuit.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the key monitoring circuit includes: a battery power supply circuit, which is used to power the battery of the electric assisted bicycle; a battery power-on self-locking circuit, which is used to power-on and self-lock the battery power supply circuit according to the self-locking signal output by the switch control subunit; a key circuit, which includes a switch key circuit and a boost key circuit, the switch key circuit is connected to the switch key, and the boost key circuit is connected to the boost key; a key state detection input circuit, which is connected to the key circuit, and is used to receive the key state detection signal; a key state detection output circuit, which is respectively connected to the key circuit and the key state input circuit, and is used to generate the key voltage during the period when the switch key and / or the boost key is operated, and send the key voltage to the micro control unit according to the key state detection signal.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the electric-assisted bicycle is in a power-off state, the switch control subunit is specifically used to: determine whether the button voltage is within the power-on preset range; if the button voltage is within the power-on preset range, determine whether the first duration of the button voltage within the power-on preset range is greater than or equal to the power-on preset time; if the first duration is greater than or equal to the power-on preset time, send a self-locking signal to the button monitoring circuit to make the button monitoring circuit self-lock when powered on; if the first duration is less than the power-on preset time or the switch button voltage is not within the power-on preset range, do not send the self-locking signal to the button monitoring circuit.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the electric-assisted bicycle is in a powered-on state, the boost control subunit is specifically used to: determine whether the button voltage is in the boost preset range; if the button voltage is in the boost preset range, determine whether the second duration of the button voltage in the boost preset range is greater than or equal to the boost preset time; if the second duration is greater than or equal to the boost preset time, control the driver chip to drive the motor to work by outputting a PWM drive signal to start the boost mode; if the second duration is less than the boost preset time, do not output the PWM drive signal to the driver chip to not start the boost mode; if the button voltage exceeds the boost preset range after the second duration of the button voltage in the boost preset range is greater than the boost preset time, stop outputting the PWM drive signal to the driver chip to exit the boost mode.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the electric-assisted bicycle is in a powered-on state, the switch control subunit is specifically used to: determine whether the button voltage is in a power-off preset range, wherein the power-off preset range is different from the power-on preset range and the boost preset range; if the button voltage is in the power-off preset range, determine whether a fourth duration of the button voltage in the power-off preset range is greater than or equal to the power-off preset time; if the fourth duration is greater than or equal to the power-off preset time, stop sending a self-locking signal to the button monitoring circuit; if the fourth duration is less than the power-off preset time, continue sending the self-locking signal to the button monitoring circuit.

[0012] The second aspect of the present invention provides a method for controlling the start-up of an electric assisted bicycle, comprising: obtaining a key voltage through a key monitoring circuit, wherein the key monitoring circuit is used to generate the key voltage according to the actions of a switch key and a boost key of the electric assisted bicycle; when the electric assisted bicycle is in a power-off state or a power-on state, controlling the key monitoring circuit according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage; when the electric assisted bicycle is in a power-on state or a power-off state, controlling the drive chip of the electric assisted bicycle according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage.

[0013] In addition, the start-up control method of the electric-assisted bicycle proposed in the above embodiment of the present invention may also have the following additional technical features.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the start-up control method of an electric-assisted bicycle further includes: sending a key state detection signal to the key monitoring circuit, so that the key monitoring circuit sends the key voltage according to the key state detection signal.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the electric-assisted bicycle is in a power-off state, controlling the key monitoring circuit according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage includes:

[0016] Determining whether the button voltage is within a preset power-on range;

[0017] If the button voltage is within the power-on preset range, determining whether a first duration during which the button voltage is within the power-on preset range is greater than or equal to a power-on preset time;

[0018] If the first duration is greater than or equal to the preset power-on time, sending a self-locking signal to the key monitoring circuit to enable the key monitoring circuit to self-lock upon power-on;

[0019] If the first duration is less than the power-on preset time or the switch button voltage is not within the power-on preset range, the self-locking signal is not sent to the button monitoring circuit.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the electric-assisted bicycle is in a powered-on state, controlling a driving chip of the electric-assisted bicycle according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage includes:

[0021] Determining whether the button voltage is within a preset boost range;

[0022] If the button voltage is within the boost preset range, determining whether a second duration during which the button voltage is within the boost preset range is greater than or equal to the boost preset time;

[0023] If the second duration is greater than or equal to the boost preset time, controlling the driver chip to drive the motor to operate by outputting a PWM drive signal to start the boost mode;

[0024] If the second duration is less than the boost preset time, not outputting the PWM drive signal to the driver chip, so as not to start the boost mode;

[0025] If the button voltage exceeds the boost preset range after the second duration of the button voltage being in the boost preset range is greater than the boost preset time, the output of the PWM drive signal to the driver chip is stopped to exit the boost mode.

[0026] According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the electric-assisted bicycle is in a powered-on state, controlling the key monitoring circuit according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage includes:

[0027] Determining whether the button voltage is within a power-off preset range, wherein the power-off preset range is different from the power-on preset range and the boost preset range;

[0028] If the button voltage is within the preset power-off range, determining whether a fourth duration during which the button voltage is within the preset power-off range is greater than or equal to the preset power-off time;

[0029] If the fourth duration is greater than or equal to the preset power-off time, stop sending the self-locking signal to the key monitoring circuit;

[0030] If the fourth duration is less than the preset power-off time, continue to send the self-locking signal to the key monitoring circuit.

[0031] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention controls the electric assisted bicycle according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage when the electric assisted bicycle is in the power-on state or the power-off state, which is beneficial to avoid the electric assisted bicycle from accidentally powering on or accidentally starting the assist, thereby improving safety. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 The figure is a schematic structural diagram of a starting control system for an electric-assisted bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of a key monitoring circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of a starting control system for an electric-assisted bicycle according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 4 Flowchart of a start-up control method for an electric-assisted bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] Hereinafter, the terms "include" or "may include" used in the various embodiments of the present invention indicate the presence of the disclosed functions, operations, or elements, and do not limit the addition of one or more functions, operations, or elements. In addition, as used in the various embodiments of the present disclosure, the terms "include", "have" and their cognates are intended only to indicate specific features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations of the foregoing, and should not be understood as excluding the presence of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations of the foregoing or the possibility of adding one or more features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations of the foregoing.

[0038] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of a starting control system for an electric-assisted bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] like Figure 1 As shown, the start control system of the electric power-assisted bicycle includes: a key monitoring circuit 1, a microcontroller unit (MCU) 2 and a driver chip 3. The microcontroller unit 2 includes a switch control subunit 21 and a boost control subunit 22.

[0040] The key monitoring circuit 1 is used to generate a key voltage according to the actions of the switch key and the boost key of the electric assisted bicycle, and send the key voltage to the micro control unit; the switch control subunit 21 is used to control the key monitoring circuit according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage when the electric assisted bicycle is in the power-off state or the power-on state; the boost control subunit 22 is used to control the driver chip according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage when the electric assisted bicycle is in the power-on state or the power-off state; the driver chip 3 is used to drive or stop driving the motor of the electric assisted bicycle under the control of the micro control unit 2.

[0041] The term "power-off" or "power-on" refers to the power-off or power-on state of an electric-assisted bicycle. When the power-off state is in the power-off state, the battery in the power-off system is not providing power, meaning it is not supplying power to instruments, sensors, motors, etc. When the power-on state is in the power-on state, the battery provides power. When the power-off or power-on state is in the power-off or power-on state, the electric-assisted bicycle may be in a pushing, riding, or stationary state.

[0042] The on / off button is used to power the drive system on and off, while the boost button is used to activate boost. Current electric bicycles typically have on / off buttons located on the instrument panel. For example, to power on the bicycle, the user can long-press the on / off button, and to activate boost, they can long-press the boost button.

[0043] The duration of the key voltage in the embodiment of the present invention may refer to the duration of the switch key or the boost key being pressed, and may also be referred to as the key duration.

[0044] Specifically, in actual applications, the button monitoring circuit 1 can monitor the switch button and the boost button of the electric assisted bicycle in real time. When the switch button and / or the boost button is operated, such as being pressed or released, the button monitoring circuit 1 generates a button voltage change within a certain period of time, and sends the button voltage changed within a certain period of time to the micro control unit 2.

[0045] After receiving the changing key voltage, the microcontroller unit 2 determines whether there is a need to power on (i.e., start the machine) based on the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage when the electric-assisted bicycle is in a power-off state, and controls the key monitoring circuit 1 to be powered on or not based on the judgment result. Alternatively, the switch control subunit 21 determines whether there is a need to power off (i.e., shut down the machine) when the electric-assisted bicycle is in a power-on state, and controls the key monitoring circuit 1 to be powered off or not based on the judgment result according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage, thereby realizing power-on or power-off control of the electric-assisted bicycle.

[0046] After receiving the changing key voltage, the microcontroller unit 2, when the electric-assisted bicycle is in the power-on state, determines whether there is a need for assisting based on the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage, and controls the driver chip 3 according to the judgment result to turn on the assist mode of the electric-assisted bicycle, turn off the assist mode of the electric-assisted bicycle, or exit the assist mode. Alternatively, the switch control subunit 21 determines whether there is a malfunction of the key (such as a line short circuit or a user's misoperation) when the electric-assisted bicycle is in the power-off state, and controls the driver chip 3 according to the judgment result according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage, thereby achieving control of the auxiliary electric power of the electric-assisted bicycle by controlling the driver chip.

[0047] That is, unlike the related art scheme that controls the power-on of the electric-assisted bicycle when the switch button is pressed and activates the boost mode when the boost button is pressed, the embodiment of the present invention provides a key monitoring circuit. The key monitoring circuit generates corresponding key voltage changes based on the operation of the switch button and the boost button. The electric-assisted bicycle is powered on or boosted according to the magnitude and duration of the key voltage. Compared with the related art, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention helps to avoid the phenomenon of the electric-assisted bicycle accidentally powering on or accidentally starting the boost mode due to a short circuit in the instrument button circuit or user error, thereby improving safety.

[0048] The starting control system of the electric-assisted bicycle according to the embodiment of the present invention performs control according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage when the electric-assisted bicycle is in the power-on state or the power-off state, which helps to avoid the electric-assisted bicycle from accidentally powering on or accidentally starting the assist, thereby helping to ensure the safety of the electric-assisted bicycle.

[0049] In one embodiment of the present invention, the micro control unit 2 may further include a signal sending subunit. The signal sending subunit is used to send a key state detection signal to the key monitoring circuit 1.

[0050] The key state detection signal can be understood as a signal instructing the key monitoring circuit 1 to send a key voltage to the micro control unit 2. In one example, the key state detection signal is a positive pulse with a pulse width of 1 ms (millisecond).

[0051] Specifically, when the microcontroller unit 2 is powered on, its signal sending subunit can output a positive pulse with a pulse width of 1ms (i.e., a key status detection signal) to the key monitoring circuit 1 in real time or periodically (for example, every 1 second). After receiving the positive pulse, the key monitoring circuit 1 detects the key voltage in response to the positive pulse and sends the key voltage to the microcontroller unit 2.

[0052] Furthermore, if Figure 2 As shown, the key monitoring circuit 1 may include: a battery power supply circuit 11 , a battery power-on self-locking circuit 12 , a key circuit 13 , a key state detection input circuit 14 and a key state detection output circuit 15 .

[0053] Among them, the battery power supply circuit 11 is used to power the battery of the electric assisted bicycle; the battery power-on self-locking circuit 12 is used to power-on and self-lock the battery power supply circuit 11 according to the self-locking signal output by the switch control subunit 21; the key circuit 13 includes: a switch key and a boost key, the switch key circuit is connected to the switch key, and the boost key circuit is connected to the boost key; the key state detection input circuit 14 is connected to the key circuit 13 and is used to receive the key state detection signal; the key state detection output circuit 15 is respectively connected to the key circuit 13 and the key state input circuit 14, and is used to generate a key voltage during the period when the switch key and / or boost key is operated, and send the key voltage to the micro control unit 2 according to the key state detection signal.

[0054] Specifically, when the switch button is pressed when the electric-assisted bicycle is in the power-off state, the switch button circuit and the battery power supply circuit 11 form a loop, that is, power is supplied to the micro-control unit 2. If the switch button is released, the loop cannot be formed and power cannot be supplied, so the battery power-on self-locking circuit 12 is required. Specifically, when the micro-control unit 2 determines that the electric-assisted bicycle needs to be powered on (that is, the operation of the switch button is valid) based on the button voltage and the duration of the button voltage, the switch control subunit 21 generates a self-locking signal (high level) and sends the self-locking signal to the battery power-on self-locking circuit 12 of the button monitoring circuit 1. Then, the battery power-on self-locking circuit 12 completes the self-locking of the battery power supply circuit 11 according to the self-locking signal, so that the battery power supply circuit 11 stably supplies power to the battery of the electric-assisted bicycle, thereby achieving stable power-on. Until a valid shutdown operation is detected, the micro-control unit 12 changes the self-locking signal to a low level to disconnect the battery power supply circuit 11 and the battery power-on self-locking circuit 12, that is, stops outputting the self-locking signal.

[0055] The key circuit 13 includes a switch key circuit and a boost key circuit. When the switch key and the boost key are operated, during the period when the key is pressed, the key state detection output circuit 15 generates a key voltage and sends the key voltage to the microcontroller unit 2 according to the key state detection signal. For example, the key voltage is sent to the microcontroller unit 2 every 1 second, and then the microcontroller unit 2 determines the power-on or boost demand based on the key voltage.

[0056] Therefore, the microcontroller unit can not only determine whether power is needed based on the button voltage, but also self-lock the battery when powering on, achieving stable power-on and ensuring the power-on reliability and safety of the electric-assisted bicycle.

[0057] After receiving the key voltage, the micro control unit 2 determines whether the key operation is valid according to the magnitude of the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage, and controls according to the judgment result. The following is a detailed description:

[0058] In one example of the present invention, when the electric-assisted bicycle is in a power-off state, the switch control subunit can be specifically used to: determine whether the button voltage is within the power-on preset range; if the button voltage is within the power-on preset range, determine whether the first duration of the button voltage within the power-on preset range is greater than or equal to the power-on preset time; if the first duration is greater than or equal to the power-on preset time, send a self-locking signal to the button monitoring circuit to make the button monitoring circuit self-lock when powered on; if the first duration is less than the power-on preset time or the switch button voltage is not within the power-on preset range, do not send a self-locking signal to the button monitoring circuit 1.

[0059] The power-on preset range can be understood as the range of voltage variation generated when the switch button is pressed in the power-off state. The power-on preset time can be understood as the duration of time the user presses the switch button when the electric bicycle is powered off, that is, the duration of time the switch button is pressed.

[0060] Specifically, when the electric-assisted bicycle is in a power-off state, when the switch button is pressed, in order to determine whether the action of being pressed is valid, that is, to determine whether the user pressed it to turn on the power or it was pressed due to a short circuit or a user error, it is determined whether the changed button voltage is in the power-on preset range, for example, 3.0V~4.2V. If so, it is further determined whether the first duration of the button voltage in the power-on preset range is greater than or equal to the power-on preset time, for example, 2.5 seconds. If so, it means that the action of pressing the power button is valid, and the user has a need to power on the electric-assisted bicycle. The switch control subunit 21 sends a self-locking signal to the button monitoring circuit 1, so that the battery power-on self-locking circuit 12 of the button monitoring circuit 1 controls the battery power supply circuit 11 to power on and self-lock, and maintain stable power after the user releases the button. After the battery power-on self-locking circuit 12 is powered on, the motor can be started to enable the motor to output electric power to assist the electric-assisted bicycle to move forward.

[0061] If the first duration is less than the preset power-on time or the switch button voltage is not within the preset power-on range, it means that the action of pressing the switch button is not valid, which may be caused by a line short circuit or user misoperation. At this time, there is no need to control the drive system of the electric assisted bicycle to power on, so the switch control subunit 21 does not send a self-locking signal to the button monitoring circuit 1, so that the battery self-locking circuit 12 is not powered on, and then after the switch button is released, the system loses power and the motor cannot be started during this period.

[0062] In one example of the present invention, the boost control subunit, when the electric assisted bicycle is in the power-on state, can be specifically used to: determine whether the button voltage is in the boost preset range; if the button voltage is in the boost preset range, determine whether the second duration of the button voltage in the boost preset range is greater than or equal to the boost preset time; if the second duration is greater than or equal to the boost preset time, control the driver chip 3 to drive the motor to work by outputting a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) drive signal to start the boost mode; if the second duration is less than the boost preset time, do not output the PWM drive signal to the driver chip 3 to not start the boost mode; if the button voltage exceeds the boost preset range after the second duration of the button voltage in the boost preset range is greater than the boost preset time, stop outputting the PWM drive signal to the driver chip 3 to exit the boost mode.

[0063] The "assistance preset range" can be understood as the range of voltage variation generated when the assist button is pressed and not released while the electric-assisted bicycle is powered on. The "assistance preset time" can be understood as the duration of time the user presses the assist button when assist is required, that is, the duration of time the assist button is pressed.

[0064] Specifically, when the electric-assisted bicycle is in the power-on state, when the boost button is pressed, in order to determine whether the action of being pressed is valid, that is, to determine whether the user presses it for boosting or the line is short-circuited or the user presses it by mistake, it is determined whether the changed button voltage is in the boost preset range, for example, 3.15V~4.2V. If so, it is further determined whether the second duration of the button voltage in the boost preset range is greater than or equal to the boost preset time, for example, 2.5s. If so, it means that the electric-assisted bicycle is currently in the power-on state and is not in the boost mode, which means that the action of pressing the boost button is valid at this time, that is, there is an actual boost demand, so the boost control subunit 22 controls the drive chip 3 to drive the motor to work, and outputs a PWM drive signal to the drive chip 3, so that the motor outputs auxiliary force to the electric-assisted bicycle, thereby turning on the boost mode.

[0065] If the second duration is less than the boost preset time, it means that the action of pressing the boost button at this time is not valid, which may be caused by a short circuit in the line or the user pressing it by mistake, that is, there is no boost demand, so the boost control subunit 22 does not output a PWM drive signal to the driver chip 3, and the driver chip 3 cannot drive the motor to work, so the boost mode is not turned on.

[0066] If the button voltage exceeds the boost preset range after the second duration of the button voltage being in the boost preset range is greater than the boost preset time, it means that the electric assisted bicycle is in the boost mode and the boost button is pressed, and there is a need to exit the boost mode, so the boost control subunit 22 stops outputting the PWM drive signal to the driver chip 3, and then the driver chip 3 stops driving the motor to exit the boost mode.

[0067] That is to say, when power needs to be turned on (i.e., the operation of the switch button is valid), the switch control subunit 21 generates a self-locking signal and sends the self-locking signal to the button monitoring circuit 1; when the boost needs to be turned on (i.e., the operation of the boost button is valid), the boost control subunit 22 generates a PWM drive signal and sends the PWM drive signal to the driver chip 3, so that the driver chip 3 drives the motor to output auxiliary force for boosting.

[0068] As can be seen from the above description, when the electric-assisted bicycle is powered on, the microcontroller unit can determine whether the boost signal is valid and, if valid, control the electric-assisted bicycle to activate the boost mode. It should be noted that when the power is off, the embodiment of the present invention prevents the activation of the boost mode when the boost button is detected to be pressed.

[0069] That is, in one example of the present invention, the boost control subunit, when the electric assisted bicycle is in a power-off state, can be specifically used to: determine whether the button voltage is within a first preset range; if the button voltage is within the first preset range, then no PWM drive signal is output to the driver chip, so as not to turn on the boost mode.

[0070] The first preset range may be understood as a range of variation of a button voltage generated when the boost button is pressed and not released in a power-off state of the electric-assisted bicycle.

[0071] Specifically, in the power-off state, when the boost control subunit 22 determines that the button voltage is in the first preset range, for example, 4.3V~4.9V, it means that the boost button is pressed and not released. Since the boost mode can only be turned on when the electric assisted bicycle is powered on, when it is determined that the button voltage is in the first preset range, the boost control subunit 22 does not output a PWM drive signal to the driver chip 3, that is, the boost mode is not turned on.

[0072] In other words, the boost function will only be valid when the power is on. If the drive system is initially powered off, the boost function will not be enabled. That is, if the boost function is pressed during power off, the boost function will not be enabled.

[0073] It should be noted that when the electric-assisted bicycle is powered on, the microcontroller unit can determine whether to turn on the boost mode and whether to shut down the bicycle (power off the drive system) in addition to determining whether to turn on the boost mode.

[0074] That is, in one example of the present invention, when the electric-assisted bicycle is in the power-on state, the switch control subunit can be specifically used to: determine whether the button voltage is in the power-off preset range, wherein the power-off preset range is different from the power-on preset range and the boost preset range; if the button voltage is in the power-off preset range, determine whether the fourth duration of the button voltage in the power-off preset range is greater than or equal to the power-off preset time; if the fourth duration is greater than or equal to the power-off preset time, stop sending the self-locking signal to the button monitoring circuit 1; if the fourth duration is less than the power-off preset time, continue sending the self-locking signal to the button monitoring circuit 1.

[0075] The power-off preset range can be understood as the range of voltage variation generated when the power button is pressed and not released while the electric-assisted bicycle is powered on. The power-off preset time can be understood as the duration of time the user presses the power button to shut down the electric-assisted bicycle, that is, the duration of time the power button is pressed.

[0076] Specifically, when the switch control subunit 21 determines that the button voltage is in the preset power-off range, for example, 1.8V to 3.0V, and the fourth duration of the button voltage in the preset power-off range is greater than or equal to the preset power-off time, for example, 2s, it means that the electric assisted bicycle is in a powered-on state and the action of pressing the switch button is valid, that is, there is a shutdown requirement, so the switch control subunit 21 stops sending a self-locking signal to the button monitoring circuit 1, and then the drive system is powered off after the switch button is released.

[0077] If the fourth duration of the key voltage being in the power-off preset range is less than the power-off preset time, it indicates that the action of pressing the switch key at this time is not valid, so the switch control subunit 21 continues to send a self-locking signal to the key monitoring circuit 1 to maintain the power-on state.

[0078] It should be noted that the values ​​of the above-mentioned power-on preset range, boost preset range, first preset range, and power-off preset range are related to the specific key circuit design, and the embodiment of the present invention does not impose any restrictions on this. For example, in one example, the power-on preset range can be 3.0V to 4.2V, the boost preset range can be 3.15V to 4.2V, the first preset range can be 4.3V to 4.9V, and the power-off preset range can be 1.8V to 3.0V. The above-mentioned power-on preset time, boost preset time, and power-off preset time can be designed according to actual needs, and the embodiment of the present invention does not impose any restrictions on this. For example, the power-on preset time can be 2.5s, the boost preset time can be 2.5s, and the power-off preset time can be 2s.

[0079] In a specific example, the judgment logic of power-on judgment, shutdown judgment and boost judgment can be shown in Table 1 below.

[0080] Table 1 Judgment logic for power-on judgment, shutdown judgment, and boost judgment

[0081]

[0082]

[0083] As shown in Table 1, boost occurs only when the drive system is powered on and the "boost button" is pressed, generating a voltage change (3.15V to 4.2V) for more than 2.5 seconds. If the "switch button" is pressed while the drive system is powered off, the MCU determines whether to power on (start the system) based on the duration of the switch button's press and the monitored voltage change (3.0V to 4.2V). When the drive system is powered on, the MCU determines whether to power off (shutdown) based on the duration of the switch button's press and the monitored voltage change (1.8V to 3.0V).

[0084] Therefore, in the power-on state, the embodiment of the present invention determines whether there is a power-off demand or a boost demand, and controls the key monitoring circuit or the driver chip according to the judgment result. In the power-off state, when it is detected that the boost button is pressed, the boost mode is not turned on, and when the switch button is pressed, it can determine whether the pressing action is valid, so as to control the key monitoring circuit according to the judgment result. Compared with the related art that controls according to whether the button is pressed, the embodiment of the present invention can avoid accidental power-on or accidental boost caused by line short circuit or user misoperation, thereby improving safety.

[0085] In one embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 As shown, the starting control system of the electric power-assisted bicycle may further include: a chip power switch 4 and a watchdog circuit 5.

[0086] Among them, the chip power supply switch 4 is used to supply power to the driver chip 3 when it is turned on; the watchdog circuit 5 is used to receive the dog feeding signal sent by the micro control unit 2, and when the dog feeding fails, the control chip power supply switch 4 is disconnected to stop the driver chip from supplying power to the driver chip 3.

[0087] Specifically, the microcontroller unit 2 can output a feeding signal to the watchdog circuit 4 within a certain period (e.g., within 1.6 seconds). If feeding fails, the watchdog circuit 5 controls the chip power switch 4 to stop powering the driver chip 3, thereby stopping the drive motor. If the internal watchdog (referring to the watchdog inside the microcontroller unit, not shown) fails to feed the watchdog, the microcontroller unit is reset.

[0088] To sum up, in the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention, the MCU judges the power on and off and the boost according to the preset logic based on the power-off and power-on states, combined with the key voltage generated by the operation of the switch button and the boost button, identifies the specific power on and off and boost requirements, and controls the electric assisted bicycle according to the identification results, thereby avoiding the electric assisted bicycle from accidentally powering on or starting the boost due to a short circuit in the instrument button circuit or user misoperation, thereby improving safety while ensuring control reliability.

[0089] Corresponding to the start control system of the electric-assisted bicycle in the above embodiment, the present invention further provides a start control method of the electric-assisted bicycle.

[0090] Figure 4 Flowchart of a start-up control method for an electric-assisted bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0091] like Figure 4 As shown, the method includes the following steps:

[0092] S1, obtaining a key voltage through a key monitoring circuit, wherein the key monitoring circuit is used to generate a key voltage according to the actions of a switch key and a boost key of the electric power-assisted bicycle.

[0093] S2, when the electric-assisted bicycle is in a power-off state or a power-on state, the button monitoring circuit is controlled according to the button voltage and the duration of the button voltage.

[0094] S3, when the electric-assisted bicycle is in a power-on state or a power-off state, controlling the driving chip of the electric-assisted bicycle according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage.

[0095] Furthermore, the start-up control method of the electric-assisted bicycle further includes: sending a key state detection signal to the key monitoring circuit, so that the key monitoring circuit sends the key voltage according to the key state detection signal.

[0096] Furthermore, when the electric-assisted bicycle is in a power-off state, the button monitoring circuit is controlled according to the button voltage and the duration of the button voltage, including: judging whether the button voltage is within the power-on preset range; if the button voltage is within the power-on preset range, judging whether the first duration of the button voltage within the power-on preset range is greater than or equal to the power-on preset time; if the first duration is greater than or equal to the power-on preset time, sending a self-locking signal to the button monitoring circuit to make the button monitoring circuit self-lock upon power-on; if the first duration is less than the power-on preset time or the switch button voltage is not within the power-on preset range, no self-locking signal is sent to the button monitoring circuit.

[0097] According to one embodiment of the present invention, when an electric-assisted bicycle is in a powered-on state, the driving chip of the electric-assisted bicycle is controlled according to the button voltage and the duration of the button voltage, including: judging whether the button voltage is in a preset boost range; if the button voltage is in the preset boost range, judging whether the second duration of the button voltage in the preset boost range is greater than or equal to the preset boost time; if the second duration is greater than or equal to the preset boost time, controlling the driving chip to drive the motor to work by outputting a PWM driving signal to start the boost mode; if the second duration is less than the preset boost time, not outputting a PWM driving signal to the driving chip to not start the boost mode; if the button voltage exceeds the preset boost range after the second duration of the button voltage in the preset boost range is greater than the preset boost time, stopping outputting the PWM driving signal to the driving chip to exit the boost mode.

[0098] Furthermore, when the electric-assisted bicycle is in a powered-on state, the button monitoring circuit is controlled according to the button voltage and the duration of the button voltage, including: judging whether the button voltage is in a power-off preset range, wherein the power-off preset range is different from the power-on preset range and the boost preset range; if the button voltage is in the power-off preset range, judging whether a fourth duration of the button voltage in the power-off preset range is greater than or equal to the power-off preset time; if the fourth duration is greater than or equal to the power-off preset time, stopping sending a self-locking signal to the button monitoring circuit; if the fourth duration is less than the power-off preset time, continuing to send a self-locking signal to the button monitoring circuit.

[0099] It should be noted that the specific implementation and implementation principle of the start control method of the electric assisted bicycle can be found in the specific implementation of the start control system of the electric assisted bicycle mentioned above. To avoid redundancy, they will not be described in detail here.

[0100] The starting control method of the electric-assisted bicycle according to the embodiment of the present invention performs control according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage when the electric-assisted bicycle is in the power-on state or the power-off state, which is beneficial to avoid the electric-assisted bicycle from being accidentally powered on or accidentally starting the assist, thereby ensuring the safety of the electric-assisted bicycle.

[0101] In the description of the present invention, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the technical features indicated. "Multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0102] In the description of this specification, reference to the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "examples," "specific examples," or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it should be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art may make changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A starting control system for an electric power-assisted bicycle, characterized in that: include: A key monitoring circuit, a micro control unit and a driver chip, wherein the micro control unit includes a switch control subunit and a boost control subunit; The button monitoring circuit is used to generate a button voltage according to the actions of the switch button and the boost button of the electric power-assisted bicycle, and send the button voltage to the micro control unit; The switch control subunit is configured to control the key monitoring circuit according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage when the electric-assisted bicycle is in a power-off state or a power-on state; The boost control subunit is configured to control the driving chip according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage when the electric-assisted bicycle is in a powered-on state or a powered-off state; The driving chip is used to drive or stop driving the motor of the electric-assisted bicycle under the control of the micro control unit; The micro control unit further includes: A signal sending subunit, used for sending a key status detection signal to the key monitoring circuit; The key monitoring circuit includes: A battery power supply circuit, used to supply power to the battery of the electric-assisted bicycle; A battery power-on self-locking circuit, configured to perform power-on self-locking on the battery power supply circuit according to a self-locking signal output by the switch control subunit; A key circuit, comprising a switch key circuit and a boost key circuit, wherein the switch key circuit is connected to the switch key, and the boost key circuit is connected to the boost key; A key state detection input circuit, connected to the key circuit, for receiving the key state detection signal; a key state detection output circuit, connected to the key circuit and the key state input circuit respectively, for generating the key voltage during the period when the switch key and / or the boost key are operated, and sending the key voltage to the microcontroller unit according to the key state detection signal; The switch control subunit is specifically used to: Determining whether the button voltage is within a preset power-on range; If the button voltage is within the power-on preset range, determining whether a first duration during which the button voltage is within the power-on preset range is greater than or equal to a power-on preset time; If the first duration is greater than or equal to the preset power-on time, sending a self-locking signal to the key monitoring circuit to enable the key monitoring circuit to self-lock upon power-on; If the first duration is less than the preset power-on time or the switch button voltage is not within the preset power-on range, not sending the self-locking signal to the button monitoring circuit; The boost control subunit is specifically used to: Determining whether the button voltage is within a preset boost range; If the button voltage is within the boost preset range, determining whether a second duration during which the button voltage is within the boost preset range is greater than or equal to the boost preset time; If the second duration is greater than or equal to the boost preset time, controlling the driver chip to drive the motor to operate by outputting a PWM drive signal to start the boost mode; If the second duration is less than the boost preset time, not outputting the PWM drive signal to the driver chip, so as not to start the boost mode; If the button voltage exceeds the boost preset range after the second duration of the button voltage being in the boost preset range is greater than the boost preset time, the output of the PWM drive signal to the driver chip is stopped to exit the boost mode.

2. The starting control system of the electric-assisted bicycle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The switch control subunit is specifically used to: Determining whether the button voltage is within a power-off preset range, wherein the power-off preset range is different from the power-on preset range and the boost preset range; If the button voltage is within the preset power-off range, determining whether a fourth duration during which the button voltage is within the preset power-off range is greater than or equal to the preset power-off time; If the fourth duration is greater than or equal to the preset power-off time, stop sending the self-locking signal to the key monitoring circuit; If the fourth duration is less than the preset power-off time, continue to send the self-locking signal to the key monitoring circuit.

3. A method for controlling the start of an electric-assisted bicycle based on the start control system of the electric-assisted bicycle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: include: Obtaining a key voltage through a key monitoring circuit, wherein the key monitoring circuit is used to generate the key voltage according to the actions of the switch key and the boost key of the electric power-assisted bicycle; When the electric-assisted bicycle is in a power-off state or a power-on state, controlling the key monitoring circuit according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage; When the electric-assisted bicycle is in a power-on state or a power-off state, a driving chip of the electric-assisted bicycle is controlled according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage.

4. The start control method of the electric-assisted bicycle according to claim 3, characterized in that: Also includes: A key state detection signal is sent to the key monitoring circuit, so that the key monitoring circuit sends the key voltage according to the key state detection signal.

5. The start control method of the electric-assisted bicycle according to claim 4, characterized in that: When the electric-assisted bicycle is in a power-off state, controlling the key monitoring circuit according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage includes: Determining whether the button voltage is within a preset power-on range; If the button voltage is within the power-on preset range, determining whether a first duration during which the button voltage is within the power-on preset range is greater than or equal to a power-on preset time; If the first duration is greater than or equal to the preset power-on time, sending a self-locking signal to the key monitoring circuit to enable the key monitoring circuit to self-lock upon power-on; If the first duration is less than the power-on preset time or the switch button voltage is not within the power-on preset range, the self-locking signal is not sent to the button monitoring circuit.

6. The start control method of the electric-assisted bicycle according to claim 5, characterized in that: When the electric-assisted bicycle is in a powered-on state, controlling a driving chip of the electric-assisted bicycle according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage includes: Determining whether the button voltage is within a preset boost range; If the button voltage is within the boost preset range, determining whether a second duration during which the button voltage is within the boost preset range is greater than or equal to the boost preset time; If the second duration is greater than or equal to the boost preset time, controlling the driver chip to drive the motor by outputting a PWM drive signal to start the boost mode; If the second duration is less than the boost preset time, not outputting the PWM drive signal to the driver chip, so as not to start the boost mode; If the button voltage exceeds the boost preset range after the second duration of the button voltage being in the boost preset range is greater than the boost preset time, the output of the PWM drive signal to the driver chip is stopped to exit the boost mode.

7. The start control method of the electric-assisted bicycle according to claim 6, characterized in that: When the electric-assisted bicycle is in a powered-on state, the key monitoring circuit is controlled according to the key voltage and the duration of the key voltage, including: Determining whether the button voltage is within a power-off preset range, wherein the power-off preset range is different from the power-on preset range and the boost preset range; If the button voltage is within the preset power-off range, determining whether a fourth duration during which the button voltage is within the preset power-off range is greater than or equal to the preset power-off time; If the fourth duration is greater than or equal to the preset power-off time, stop sending the self-locking signal to the key monitoring circuit; If the fourth duration is less than the preset power-off time, continue to send the self-locking signal to the key monitoring circuit.

Images