Electric auxiliary bicycle and automatic power-off method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides an electric auxiliary bicycle and an automatic power-off method thereof. The automatic power-off method is suitable for an electric-assisted bicycle including a battery module and includes the following steps. A charge / discharge state of the battery module is detected using a current sensing assembly of the battery module. And enabling or disabling an automatic power-off mechanism according to the charge-discharge state of the battery module. When the automatic power-off mechanism is enabled, whether to control the electric-assisted bicycle to enter a power-off state is determined according to the charge-discharge state of the battery module. Therefore, the electric auxiliary bicycle connected with the charger can be prevented from being turned on and turned off repeatedly due to idling.

Description

Electric-assisted bicycles and their automatic shutdown methods Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an electric-assisted bicycle, and more particularly to an electric-assisted bicycle and its automatic shutdown method. Background Technology

[0002] With rising environmental awareness, the number of people riding bicycles is increasing daily. Among them, electric-assisted bicycles are becoming increasingly popular because they provide electric assistance, making riding relatively less strenuous. Electric-assisted bicycles are typically equipped with batteries to provide power during riding. However, if the battery runs out of power, the motor cannot provide assistance, making them no different from traditional bicycles. To avoid wasting battery power and extend the power supply time, electric-assisted bicycles can have an automatic shutdown function to save energy. Specifically, when an electric-assisted bicycle is idle for an extended period, the system will automatically shut down to conserve power.

[0003] However, a common scenario is that when an e-bike is charging, the charger remains connected even when the battery is fully charged. In this situation, the e-bike's control system determines the vehicle is idle and shuts it off. However, because the charger is still outputting voltage, the e-bike will first shut down, then turn on again upon detecting the charger's voltage. This causes the vehicle to repeatedly switch between on and off states when the charger is connected, until the charger is unplugged. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure provides an electric-assisted bicycle and its automatic shutdown method that can effectively solve the above problems.

[0005] This disclosed exemplary embodiment provides an automatic shutdown method applicable to an electric-assisted bicycle including a battery module, and includes the following steps: Detecting a charge / discharge state of the battery module using a current sensing component of the battery module; Enabling or disabling an automatic shutdown mechanism based on the charge / discharge state of the battery module; When the automatic shutdown mechanism is enabled, determining whether to control the electric-assisted bicycle to enter a shutdown state based on the charge / discharge state of the battery module.

[0006] Another exemplary embodiment disclosed herein provides an electric-assisted bicycle, which includes a battery module and a controller. The battery module includes a current sensing component, and the controller is coupled to the battery module. The current sensing component is used to detect a charge / discharge state of the battery module. The controller enables or disables an automatic shutdown mechanism based on the charge / discharge state of the battery module. When the automatic shutdown mechanism is enabled, the controller determines whether to control the electric-assisted bicycle to enter a shutdown state based on the charge / discharge state of the battery module.

[0007] Based on the above, in this disclosed embodiment, the automatic shutdown mechanism of the electric-assisted bicycle can be enabled or disabled according to the charging and discharging state of the battery module. This avoids the electric-assisted bicycle connected to the charger from repeatedly turning on and off when idle. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an electric-assisted bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0009] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an electric-assisted bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0010] Figure 3 is a flowchart of an automatic shutdown method for an electric-assisted bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0011] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an electric-assisted bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0012] Figures 5A and 5B are flowcharts of an automatic shutdown method for an electric-assisted bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0013] Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same component reference numerals are used in the drawings and description to denote the same or similar parts.

[0014] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of an electric-assisted bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electric-assisted bicycle B1 is a vehicle combining human pedaling and electric assistance. When the rider pedals the electric-assisted bicycle B1, the electric-assisted bicycle B1 uses a motor to provide assistance to the rider, allowing the rider to drive the tires of the electric-assisted bicycle B1 with less effort. The electric-assisted bicycle B1 can be a mountain bike, city bike, road bike, folding bike, or other type; the present invention is not limited to this. In this embodiment, the electric-assisted bicycle B1 may include a battery module 110 and a controller 120.

[0015] Battery module 110 may include a battery pack containing one or more lithium-ion batteries or one or more lithium-compound batteries to provide the power required for the operation of various electronic components in the electric-assisted bicycle B1. For example, battery module 110 stores drive power and provides the stored drive power to a motor (not shown) so that the motor can provide assistance to the rider. Furthermore, the motor can provide the drive torque required for the electric-assisted bicycle B1 to move forward, driving at least one wheel of the electric-assisted bicycle B1. In some embodiments, the motor may use the power supplied by battery module 110 to drive the chainring of the electric-assisted bicycle B1, causing the chainring to generate drive torque.

[0016] In some embodiments, the controller 120 is coupled to the battery module 110, such as a programmable general-purpose or special-purpose microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), programmable controller, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), programmable logic device (PLD), or other similar device or combination thereof, which can load and execute soft / solid code.

[0017] Please refer to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of an electric-assisted bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention. An AC power source AC1 can provide AC power to a charger C11, which in turn performs AC-DC conversion to provide DC charging power to the electric-assisted bicycle B1. More specifically, the electric-assisted bicycle B1 can be connected to an external AC power source AC1 via the charger C11. The charger C11 adjusts the voltage and current of the external AC power source AC1 to provide suitable charging power to the electric-assisted bicycle B1. For example, the charger C11 can rectify a 110-volt or 220-volt AC voltage into the DC charging voltage required by the electric-assisted bicycle B1.

[0018] In embodiments of the present invention, the battery module 110 may include a current sensing component 111. In some embodiments, the current sensing component 111 may be used to detect the value of a direct current (DC). When the battery module 110 of the electric-assisted bicycle B1 is connected to an AC power source AC1 via a charger C11, the current sensing component 111 may be connected to the charger C11, and thus the current sensing component 111 may measure the value of the charging current from the charger C11. On the other hand, when the battery module 110 of the electric-assisted bicycle B1 is not connected to an AC power source AC1 via a charger C11, the battery module 110 may output power to the various electronic components of the electric-assisted bicycle B1, and the current sensing component 111 may measure the value of the discharging current output by the battery pack. The discharge current and the charging current have opposite current directions.

[0019] In different embodiments, the current sensing component 111 may be an analog or digital sensing device, and the present invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the current sensing component 111 may include a current sensing resistor (also known as a shunt resistor or current detection resistor).

[0020] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating an automatic shutdown method for an electric-assisted bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figures 2 and 3 simultaneously, the steps of the automatic shutdown method for the electric-assisted bicycle of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the components in Figure 2.

[0021] In step S310, the controller 120 uses a current sensing component 111 of the battery module 110 to detect a charging / discharging state of the battery module 110. Specifically, the current sensing component 111 can monitor the magnitude of the current flowing through the battery pack within the battery module 110 in real time, whether in a charging or discharging state. In some embodiments, the current sensing component 111 can convert the detected charging or discharging current into a voltage signal. This voltage signal can be used to determine whether the battery module 110 is in a charging state (positive current) or a discharging state (negative current), and to obtain the current value. For example, the current value can be calculated based on the voltage signal generated by the current sensing component 111 and known characteristics of the current sensing component (such as resistance value). For example, the charging or discharging current value can be calculated based on Ohm's law.

[0022] In step S320, the controller 120 enables or disables an automatic shutdown mechanism based on the charging / discharging state of the battery module 110. Here, the automatic shutdown mechanism is used to turn off the power to the electric-assisted bicycle B1 when it is idle. In some embodiments, the controller 120 may determine whether to disable the automatic shutdown mechanism based on whether the battery module 110 is in a charging or discharging state. When a charging current is detected in the battery module 110 by the current sensing component 111, the controller 120 may disable the automatic shutdown mechanism. That is, when the battery module 110 is connected to the charger C11 and is in a charging state, the controller 120 may disable the automatic shutdown mechanism.

[0023] In some embodiments, after the controller 120 disables the automatic shutdown mechanism, when a discharge current of the battery module 110 is detected by the current sensing component 111, the controller 120 can enable or disable the automatic shutdown mechanism based on the current value of the discharge current. That is, after the controller 120 determines that the battery module 110 is in a charging state and disables the automatic shutdown mechanism, the controller 120 can decide whether to cancel the automatic shutdown mechanism and restore the automatic shutdown mechanism based on the discharge current of the battery module 110. Generally, based on the magnitude of the discharge current of the battery module 110, the controller 120 can determine whether the electric-assisted bicycle B1 has left the idle state.

[0024] In step S330, when the automatic shutdown mechanism is enabled, the controller 120 determines whether to control the electric-assisted bicycle B1 to enter the shutdown state based on the charging and discharging state of the battery module 110. In some embodiments, the automatic shutdown mechanism may trigger the electric-assisted bicycle B1 to automatically shut down based on the magnitude of the discharge current of the battery module 110. That is, when the automatic shutdown mechanism is enabled, the controller 120 may determine whether to control the electric-assisted bicycle B1 to enter the shutdown state based on the magnitude of the discharge current of the battery module 110, in order to avoid wasting battery power.

[0025] Therefore, the controller 120 can control the enabling and disabling of the automatic shutdown mechanism by detecting the charging and discharging state of the battery module 110 through the current sensing component 111. Thus, there is no need to configure additional detection lines or pins to identify the plug-in state of the charger C11, nor is there any need to communicate with the charger C11. The battery module 110's own current sensing component 111 can identify the plug-in state of the charger C11, and accordingly control the disabling and enabling timing of the automatic shutdown mechanism.

[0026] Please refer to Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram of an electric-assisted bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the battery module 110 may include a current sensing component 111, a battery pack 112, a battery cell protection circuit 113, a connection port 114, a controller 115, a fuse Fu1, and switches SW1 and SW2.

[0027] The current sensing component 111 is responsible for monitoring the charging and discharging current of the battery module 110. In some embodiments, the current sensing component 111 may be connected in series in the main current path between the battery pack 112 and the connection port 114. The current sensing component 111 can convert the detected current data into a voltage signal and transmit it to the controller 115 so that the controller 115 can perform charge and discharge management and protection accordingly.

[0028] The battery pack 112 may include one or more battery cells, which can store electrical energy in the charging state according to the power supplied by the charger C11, and can release electrical energy in the discharging state.

[0029] The battery cell protection circuit 113 is responsible for protecting the battery cells of the battery pack 112 from adverse effects such as overcharging, over-discharging, overcurrent, and overheating. For example, the battery cell protection circuit 113 can monitor the real-time temperature and real-time voltage of the battery pack 112. The battery cell protection circuit 113 can control the switches SW1 and SW2 to be turned on or off based on various battery monitoring data. Based on this, the battery pack 112 can be ensured to operate in a safe state.

[0030] Connection port 114 is an output / input port of battery module 110, used to connect charger C11 to other electronic components (such as controller 120) within electric-assisted bicycle B1. Connection port 114 allows discharge current to flow out of battery module 110 or allows charging current to flow into battery module 110 to charge battery pack 112. In some embodiments, connection port 114 may include a power transmission port for transmitting power and a data communication port for data communication. Connection port 114 can receive power from external charger C11 via a power line.

[0031] Fuse Fu1 is an overcurrent protection device. When the current exceeds the safe range, fuse Fu1 will melt to break the circuit and protect battery module 110 from damage.

[0032] The controller 115 is responsible for monitoring and managing the status and performance of the battery module 110. The controller 115 can exchange data or send and receive signals with the main control device of the electric-assisted bicycle B1 via the connection port 114. For example, the controller 115 can send the operating status and charging / discharging status of the battery module 110 to the controller 120 of the electric-assisted bicycle B1 via the connection port 114.

[0033] Figures 5A and 5B are flowcharts illustrating an automatic shutdown method for an electric-assisted bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to Figures 4 and 5A and 5B simultaneously; the steps of the automatic shutdown method for the electric-assisted bicycle of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the components in Figure 4.

[0034] In step S510, the controller 120 uses a current sensing component 111 of the battery module 110 to detect a charging or discharging state of the battery module 110. As shown in FIG4, the current sensing component 111 can be used to detect the charging current or discharging current of the battery pack 112. Based on the direction of the current flowing through the current sensing component 111, the controller 115 can determine whether the battery module 110 is operating in a charging or discharging state. In addition, the controller 115 can estimate the current value based on the voltage signal generated by the current sensing component 111.

[0035] In step S520, the controller 120 enables or disables the battery module 110 based on its charging and discharging state—an automatic shutdown mechanism. In this embodiment, step S520 can be implemented as steps S521 to S525.

[0036] In step S521, based on the data or notification signal provided by controller 115, controller 120 can determine whether current sensing component 111 has detected charging current. If step S521 determines yes, in step S522, controller 120 disables the automatic shutdown mechanism of electric-assisted bicycle B1. That is, when a charging current of battery module 110 is detected by current sensing component 111, controller 120 disables the automatic shutdown mechanism.

[0037] In some embodiments, after the automatic shutdown mechanism is disabled, when a discharge current of the battery module 110 is detected by the current sensing component 111, the controller 120 can enable or disable the automatic shutdown mechanism based on the current value of the discharge current. When the discharge current of the battery module 110 is less than a discharge threshold, the controller 120 can disable the automatic shutdown mechanism. When the discharge current of the battery module 110 is not less than the discharge threshold, the controller 120 can enable the automatic shutdown mechanism.

[0038] In some embodiments, step S523 is executed after the automatic shutdown mechanism is disabled. In step S523, based on the data or notification signal provided by controller 115, controller 120 can determine whether a discharge current of battery module 110 is detected. If step S523 determines no, proceed to step S522, and controller 120 maintains the automatic shutdown mechanism disabled. If step S523 determines yes, in step S524, based on the data or notification signal provided by controller 115, controller 120 can determine whether the discharge current is less than the discharge threshold.

[0039] If step S524 determines that it is true, proceed to step S522, whereby the controller 120 maintains the automatic shutdown mechanism. Specifically, when the battery module 110 is fully charged and still connected to the charger C11, the controller 115 may control the battery module 110 to switch from a self-charging state to a discharging state or stop charging to avoid overcharging and potential danger. In this case, after the automatic shutdown mechanism is disabled due to connection to the charger C11, if the discharge current is less than the discharge threshold, it means that the electric-assisted bicycle B1 is still in an idle state (i.e., not in use) and the charger C11 may not have been disconnected from the electric-assisted bicycle B1. Therefore, after the automatic shutdown mechanism is disabled due to connection to the charger C11, if the discharge current is less than the discharge threshold, the controller 120 maintains the automatic shutdown mechanism to prevent the electric-assisted bicycle B1 from repeatedly switching between power-on and power-off states due to recharging by the charger C11.

[0040] If step S524 determines otherwise, proceed to step S525. In step S525, controller 120 enables the automatic shutdown mechanism of electric-assisted bicycle B1. Specifically, after the automatic shutdown mechanism is disabled due to connection to charger C11, if the discharge current is not less than the discharge threshold, it means that electric-assisted bicycle B1 is not in an idle state (i.e., in use), and at this time, charger C11 is also disconnected from electric-assisted bicycle B1. Therefore, after the automatic shutdown mechanism is disabled due to connection to charger C11, when the discharge current of battery module 110 is not less than the discharge threshold, controller 120 can enable the automatic shutdown mechanism.

[0041] In step S530, when the automatic shutdown mechanism is enabled, the controller 120 determines whether to control the electric-assisted bicycle B1 to enter the shutdown state based on the charging and discharging state of the battery module 110. In some embodiments, during the period when the automatic shutdown mechanism is enabled, if the discharge current value of the battery module 110 remains below the discharge threshold for a preset time, the controller 120 controls the electric-assisted bicycle B1 to enter the shutdown state. In some embodiments, step S530 may be implemented as steps S531 to S537.

[0042] In step S531, the controller 120 can determine whether the discharge current value is less than the discharge threshold. If step S531 determines no, it means that the electric-assisted bicycle B1 has not switched from a non-idle state to an idle state, so it can continue to determine whether the discharge current value is less than the discharge threshold.

[0043] If step S531 determines that it is true, in step S532, the controller 120 can start the timer of the automatic shutdown mechanism. That is, during the period when the automatic shutdown mechanism is enabled, when the discharge current value is less than the discharge threshold, the controller 120 can start a timer to keep track.

[0044] In some embodiments, during the period when the timer counts to a preset threshold duration, in response to the detection of the charging current of the battery module 110 by the current sensing component 111, the controller 120 may stop the timer and disable the automatic shutdown mechanism.

[0045] As shown in Figure 5B, in step S533, the controller 120 determines whether the charging current of the battery module 110 is detected. If step S533 determines yes, it means that the charger C11 is connected to the electric-assisted bicycle B1 again, so proceeding to step S522, the controller 120 disables the automatic shutdown mechanism again.

[0046] If step S533 determines otherwise, proceed to step S534. In step S534, the controller 120 determines whether the timer has reached a preset threshold duration. The preset threshold duration can be set according to the actual application, and the present invention does not limit it. For example, the preset threshold duration can be 5 minutes or 10 minutes, etc.

[0047] If step S534 is incorrect, proceed to step S535. Controller 120 can determine whether the discharge current value is less than the discharge threshold. If step S535 is incorrect, it means the electric-assisted bicycle B1 has switched to a non-idle state. Therefore, in step S536, controller 120 can reset the timer, for example, by resetting the timer to zero. That is, during the timer's countdown to the preset threshold, if the discharge current value is not less than the discharge threshold, controller 120 can reset the timer. If step S535 is correct, return to step S534 and determine again whether the timer has expired. In other words, if the discharge current is greater than the discharge threshold before the timer counts to the preset threshold, it means the user has started riding the electric-assisted bicycle B1 again, therefore controller 120 can reset the timer. Afterwards, controller 120 can restart the timer if the discharge current value is less than the discharge threshold again.

[0048] On the other hand, if step S534 determines that the electric-assisted bicycle B1 has been idle for a period of time, then in step S537, the controller 120 controls the electric-assisted bicycle B1 to enter the power-off state. That is, when the timer reaches a preset threshold duration, the controller 120 can control the electric-assisted bicycle B1 to enter the power-off state. Specifically, the controller 120 can notify the battery module 110 to stop supplying power to control the electric-assisted bicycle B1 to enter the power-off state.

[0049] In summary, in the embodiments of the present invention, the automatic shutdown mechanism of the electric-assisted bicycle can be enabled or disabled based on the charging and discharging state of the battery module. This avoids the electric-assisted bicycle connected to the charger repeatedly turning on and off when idle. Furthermore, even using hardware trigger signals or communication activities to detect charger insertion, the electric-assisted bicycle can still automatically shut down, achieving the goal of saving power.

[0050] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic shutdown method, applicable to an electric-assisted bicycle including a battery module, characterized in that, include: The charging and discharging state of the battery module is detected using the current sensing component of the battery module. The automatic shutdown mechanism is enabled or disabled based on the charging and discharging state of the battery module; and when the automatic shutdown mechanism is enabled, the system determines whether to control the electric-assisted bicycle to enter the shutdown state based on the charging and discharging state of the battery module.

2. The automatic shutdown method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The steps of enabling or disabling the automatic shutdown mechanism based on the charging and discharging state of the battery module include: disabling the automatic shutdown mechanism when the charging current of the battery module is detected by the current sensing component.

3. The automatic shutdown method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of enabling or disabling the automatic shutdown mechanism based on the charging and discharging state of the battery module further includes: after disabling the automatic shutdown mechanism, when the discharge current of the battery module is detected by the current sensing component, enabling or disabling the automatic shutdown mechanism based on the current value of the discharge current.

4. The automatic shutdown method according to claim 3, characterized in that, After disabling the automatic shutdown mechanism, when the discharge current of the battery module is detected by the current sensing component, the step of enabling or disabling the automatic shutdown mechanism based on the current value of the discharge current includes: disabling the automatic shutdown mechanism when the current value of the discharge current of the battery module is less than a discharge threshold; and enabling the automatic shutdown mechanism when the current value of the discharge current of the battery module is not less than the discharge threshold.

5. The automatic shutdown method according to claim 3, characterized in that, When the automatic shutdown mechanism is enabled, the step of determining whether to control the electric-assisted bicycle to enter the shutdown state based on the charging and discharging state of the battery module includes: during the period when the automatic shutdown mechanism is enabled, when the current value of the discharge current of the battery module is maintained at less than the discharge threshold for a period of time exceeding a preset threshold, controlling the electric-assisted bicycle to enter the shutdown state.

6. The automatic shutdown method according to claim 5, characterized in that, During the period when the automatic shutdown mechanism is enabled, when the discharge current value of the battery module remains below the discharge threshold for a period of time exceeding the preset threshold, the step of controlling the electric-assisted bicycle to enter the shutdown state includes: during the period when the automatic shutdown mechanism is enabled, when the discharge current value is less than the discharge threshold, starting a timer; and during the period when the timer counts to the preset threshold, in response to detecting the charging current of the battery module through the current sensing component, stopping the timer and disabling the automatic shutdown mechanism.

7. The automatic shutdown method according to claim 6, characterized in that, During the period when the automatic shutdown mechanism is enabled, if the discharge current value of the battery module remains below the discharge threshold for a period of time exceeding the preset threshold, the step of controlling the electric-assisted bicycle to enter the shutdown state further includes: during the period when the timer counts to the preset threshold, if the discharge current value is not less than the discharge threshold, resetting the timer.

8. An electric-assisted bicycle, characterized in that, include: Battery module, including current sensing components; The controller is coupled to the battery module, wherein the current sensing component is used to detect the charging and discharging state of the battery module, and the controller enables or disables the automatic shutdown mechanism according to the charging and discharging state of the battery module, wherein when the automatic shutdown mechanism is enabled, the controller determines whether to control the electric-assisted bicycle to enter the shutdown state according to the charging and discharging state of the battery module.

9. The electric-assisted bicycle according to claim 8, characterized in that, When the charging current of the battery module is detected by the current sensing component, the controller disables the automatic shutdown mechanism.

10. The electric-assisted bicycle according to claim 9, characterized in that, After the controller disables the automatic shutdown mechanism, when the discharge current of the battery module is detected by the current sensing component, the controller enables or disables the automatic shutdown mechanism according to the current value of the discharge current.

11. The electric-assisted bicycle according to claim 10, characterized in that, When the discharge current of the battery module is less than the discharge threshold, the controller disables the automatic shutdown mechanism; when the discharge current of the battery module is not less than the discharge threshold, the controller enables the automatic shutdown mechanism.

12. The electric-assisted bicycle according to claim 10, characterized in that, During the period when the automatic shutdown mechanism is enabled, if the discharge current value of the battery module remains below the discharge threshold for a period of time exceeding a preset threshold, the controller controls the electric-assisted bicycle to enter the shutdown state.

13. The electric-assisted bicycle according to claim 12, characterized in that, During the period when the automatic shutdown mechanism is enabled, when the current value of the discharge current is less than the discharge threshold, the controller starts a timer to count down. During the period when the timer counts down to the preset threshold, the controller stops the timer and disables the automatic shutdown mechanism in response to detecting the charging current of the battery module through the current sensing component.

14. The electric-assisted bicycle according to claim 13, characterized in that, During the period when the timer counts to the preset threshold, if the current value of the discharge current is not less than the discharge threshold, the controller resets the timer.

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