Control system for saddle-type electric vehicle, and control method for saddle-type electric vehicle

Abstract

The present invention enables travel using travel patterns that are suited to various travel situations, and improves electric mileage. The present invention comprises: a first motor and a second motor in which a drive shaft is connected to a front wheel or a rear wheel; a first battery and a second battery; a detection unit; and a travel pattern control unit. The detection unit detects a travel state. The travel pattern control unit determines, for the first motor and the second motor, whether the detected travel state satisfies any of a plurality of conditions and switches to a travel mode corresponding to the determination result, among a plurality of travel patterns indicating whether or not to perform either driving of the connected front wheel or rear wheel or regeneration from the connected front wheel or rear wheel.

Description

Control system for straddle-type electric vehicle and control method for straddle-type electric vehicle

[0001] The present invention relates to a control system for a saddle-ride type electric vehicle and a control method for a saddle-ride type electric vehicle.

[0002] An electric motorcycle is equipped with a motor as a power source, and the motor is driven by electric power from a battery. Such an electric motorcycle is driven by a single motor or a motor mounted on each of the front and rear wheels, as shown in Patent Document 1, for example.

[0003] Special Publication No. 2022-534678

[0004] Electric motorcycles are expected to be able to run in a driving pattern that is suited to various driving conditions. There is also a demand for improved fuel economy for electric motorcycles.

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a control system for a saddle-riding type electric vehicle and a control method for a saddle-riding type electric vehicle that can travel in a travel pattern suited to various travel conditions and that can improve electricity consumption.

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention is a control system for a saddle-ridden electric vehicle having a first motor whose drive shaft is connected to a front wheel or a rear wheel, a second motor whose drive shaft is connected to the front wheel or the rear wheel, and a first battery and a second battery, and the control system includes a detection unit that detects a driving state, and a driving pattern control unit that determines which of a plurality of conditions the detected driving state satisfies among a plurality of driving patterns that indicate whether the first motor and the second motor will drive the connected front wheel or the rear wheel or regenerate power from the connected front wheel or the rear wheel, and switches the driving mode according to the determination result.

[0007] With this configuration, the vehicle can be driven in a driving mode that corresponds to various driving conditions based on the conditions, thereby improving the electricity consumption.

[0008] In a second aspect of the present invention, in the control system for a saddle-riding type electric vehicle of the first aspect, the detection unit may acquire detection values ​​for the vehicle speed, accelerator opening, first motor current value, second motor current value, and brake operation amount of the saddle-riding type electric vehicle, and the driving pattern control unit may determine which of the conditions applies based on a combination of the acquired detection results.

[0009] With this configuration, it is possible to determine which condition applies using the detected values ​​of the vehicle speed, accelerator opening, first motor current value, second motor current value, and brake operation amount of the saddle riding type electric vehicle, thereby identifying the applicable condition according to the values ​​detected by sensors or the like regarding the running state of the saddle riding type electric vehicle.

[0010] In a third aspect of the present invention, in the control system for the saddle-type electric vehicle of the first or second aspect, the driving patterns include a driving mode in which power is supplied from the first battery or the second battery to the first motor or the second motor to drive the first motor or the second motor, and power regenerated from one of the first motor or the second motor that is different from the motor driven by the power is supplied to one of the first battery and the second battery that is different from the battery that supplies power for driving the first battery or the second battery, thereby charging the battery.

[0011] With this configuration, the vehicle can run by driving either the first motor or the second motor, while regenerating power using the one of the first and second motors that is not being used for driving, thereby charging the battery. As a result, even when one motor is being driven to run, the battery can be charged by regenerating power using the other motor, so even if one battery's remaining charge is low, the other battery can be discharged and charged while running, increasing the opportunities to charge the battery with low remaining charge and making it possible to extend the cruising range using the battery.

[0012] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method for a control system of a saddle-type electric vehicle of any one of the first to third aspects, including the steps of: detecting a driving state; and determining, for the first motor and the second motor, which of a plurality of conditions among a plurality of driving patterns that indicate whether to drive the connected front wheels or the connected rear wheels or to regenerate power from the connected front wheels or the connected rear wheels, whether the detected driving state satisfies that condition; and switching to a driving mode according to the determination result.

[0013] By configuring the vehicle in this manner, in this case, by incorporating a program that executes the above steps into the control unit, it is possible to drive in a driving pattern that is suited to various driving conditions and to improve electricity consumption.

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to travel in a travel pattern suited to various travel conditions, and to improve electricity consumption.

[0015] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of an electric motorcycle according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the electric motorcycle according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram used to explain the electric motorcycle according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a flowchart used to explain the electric motorcycle according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of an electric motorcycle 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the electric motorcycle 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is equipped with two motors: a motor M1 (first motor) and a motor M2 (second motor).

[0017] Motor M1 is mounted below seat 10. A transmission mechanism 20 is provided between the drive shaft of motor M1 and the drive shaft of rear wheel 12. Transmission mechanism 20 is made up of a sprocket 21 attached to the drive shaft of motor M1, a sprocket 22 attached to the drive shaft of rear wheel 12, and a chain 23 suspended between sprockets 21 and 22.

[0018] The motor M2 is mounted on the rear wheel 12. Although not shown, the electric motorcycle 1 is also provided with a clutch mechanism that transmits or cuts off the rotation of the motor M1 to the drive shaft of the rear wheel 12, and a clutch mechanism that transmits or cuts off the rotation of the motor M2 to the drive shaft of the rear wheel 12. The clutch mechanism may be either an electromagnetic clutch or a one-way clutch.

[0019] The electric motorcycle 1 is equipped with two batteries, B1 (first battery) and B2 (second battery). The batteries B1 and B2 supply power to rotate the motors M1 and M2. The motors M1 and M2 are also used as generators to charge the batteries B1 and B2 during regeneration.

[0020] As described above, the electric motorcycle 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is equipped with two motors M1 and M2, two batteries B1 and B2, and a transmission mechanism 20. This allows the electric motorcycle 1 to travel in various travel modes, which will be described later.

[0021] In this example, a chain mechanism is used as the transmission mechanism 20, but a shaft drive mechanism or a combination gear mechanism may also be used as the transmission mechanism 20. In addition, in this example, the motor M1 is mounted below the seat 10, but the motor M1 may also be mounted on the front wheel 11.

[0022] Furthermore, motors M1 and M2 may have the same characteristics or different characteristics. In this example, motor M1 is a motor that prioritizes rotation and is capable of high-speed rotation but has low torque. Motor M2 is a motor that prioritizes torque and has high torque but a low maximum allowable rotation speed. In this example, motor M2 has a larger amount of regeneration power than motor M1.

[0023] The amount of regeneration of the motors M1 and M2 can be adjusted. That is, the amount of power generated by the motors M1 and M2 is determined by the load connected to the motors M1 and M2. The load connected to the motors M1 and M2 is the batteries B1 and B2, and the greater the charge level of the batteries B1 and B2, the greater the load and the greater the braking force due to the regenerative braking. Therefore, by adjusting the charge level of the batteries B1 and B2 connected as loads to the motors M1 and M2 during regeneration, the amount of regeneration can be adjusted, and the effectiveness of the regenerative braking can be adjusted. The electric motorcycle 1 may be provided with a knob for adjusting the amount of regeneration so that the user can adjust the amount of regeneration. Furthermore, the adjustment of the amount of regeneration may be linked to the brakes.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system for the electric motorcycle 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2 , the control system of the electric motorcycle 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is made up of a vehicle control unit 101, a drive / charging control unit 102, power supply control units 103a and 103b, inverter circuits 104a and 104b, and a switching circuit 105.

[0026] The vehicle control unit 101 performs overall control of the electric motorcycle 1. The drive / charge control unit 102 determines the driving pattern based on sensor information and sets the driving mode according to the determination result. In this embodiment, the drive / charge control unit 102 inputs the vehicle speed, accelerator opening, brake operation amount, and motor current value as sensor information. The drive / charge control unit 102 then detects the driving state based on this sensor information, determines the driving pattern from the detected driving state, and switches to the driving mode according to the determination result.

[0027] The power supply control units 103a and 103b include batteries B1 and B2 and control the power supplies of the motors M1 and M2. That is, in the drive state, the power supply control units 103a and 103b supply power from the batteries B1 and B2 to the motors M1 and M2 via inverter circuits 104a and 104b. In the regeneration state, the power supply control units 103a and 103b supply the power generated by the motors M1 and M2 to the batteries B1 and B2 via the inverter circuits 104a and 104b. In the auxiliary power supply state, the power supply control units 103a and 103b supply the power generated by one of the motors M1 or M2 to the other motor M2 or M1. In the non-drive state, the operation of the power supply control units 103a and 103b is stopped.

[0028] The inverter circuits 104a and 104b convert the DC power from the power supply control units 103a and 103b into three-phase pulse signals for driving the motors M1 and M2 and supply them to the motors M1 and M2. In addition, in a regenerative state, the inverter circuits 104a and 104b convert the power generated by the motors M1 and M2 into DC power and supply it to the power supply control units 103a and 103b.

[0029] The inverter circuits 104a and 104b are composed of inverter control units 151a and 151b and bridge circuits 152a and 152b.

[0030] The inverter control units 151a and 151b are supplied with control signals from the drive and charging control unit 102. Based on these control signals, the inverter control units 151a and 151b supply PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) signals to the bridge circuits 152a and 152b.

[0031] The bridge circuits 152a and 152b are configured by combining a plurality of switching elements (for example, MOSFETs (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors)). Each switch element that configures the bridge circuits 152a and 152b is turned on / off by a PWM signal from the inverter control units 151a and 151b. This generates a three-phase pulse signal for driving the motors M1 and M2. The motors M1 and M2 are driven by this three-phase pulse signal.

[0032] The switching circuit 105 selectively switches between batteries B1 and B2 and motors M1 and M2. The switching circuit 105 selectively supplies power from battery B1 or battery B2 to motor M1 or motor M2 to drive motor M1 or motor M2. During regeneration, the switching circuit 105 also selectively supplies power generated by motor M or motor M2 to battery B1 or battery B2 to charge battery B1 or battery B2.

[0033] Next, a description will be given of how the electric motorcycle 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention determines the driving pattern and how the driving mode is determined based on the determination result.

[0034] In the electric motorcycle 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle speed, accelerator opening, brake operation amount, and motor current value are acquired as sensor information, and the driving state is detected based on this sensor information. The driving pattern is then determined from the detected driving state, and control is performed to switch to a driving mode based on the determination result. The following driving modes A1 to A10 can be set as the driving mode.

[0035] Running mode A1: Only motor M1 is driven, and motor M2 is not driven. Running mode A2: Only motor M1 is driven, and motor M2 is in regenerative operation. Running mode A3: Only motor M2 is driven, and motor M1 is not driven. Running mode A4: Only motor M2 is driven, and motor M1 is in regenerative operation. Running mode A5: Motors M1 and M2 are driven simultaneously. Running mode A6: Motors M1 and M2 are in regenerative operation simultaneously. Running mode A7: Motor M1 is in regenerative operation, and motor M2 is not driven. Running mode A8: Motor M2 is in regenerative operation, and motor M1 is not driven. Running mode A9: Motor M1 is driven, and motor M2 serves as an auxiliary power supply to motor M1. Running mode A10: Motor M2 is driven, and motor M1 serves as an auxiliary power supply to motor M2.

[0036] 3 is a block diagram based on the functions of the drive / charge control unit 102. As shown in FIG. 3, the drive / charge control unit 102 is made up of a detection unit 1021, a condition determination table 1022, and a drive pattern control unit 1023.

[0037] The detection unit 1021 receives sensor information such as vehicle speed, accelerator opening, brake operation amount, current value of the motor M1, and current value of the motor M2, and detects the running state of the electric motorcycle 1.

[0038] The condition determination table 1022 stores a combination of conditions to be set for the driving pattern and sensor information (vehicle speed, accelerator opening, brake operation amount, current value of motor M1, current value of motor M2) in association with each other.

[0039] The driving pattern control unit 1023 determines which of the conditions applies based on a combination of the detection results of the sensor information (vehicle speed, accelerator opening, brake operation amount, and motor current value) by referring to the condition determination table 1022. Then, the driving pattern control unit 1023 switches the driving mode depending on the determination result.

[0040] For example, suppose the detection unit 1021 receives sensor information indicating a large accelerator opening, no brake operation, and a large motor current. This driving state occurs when the electric motorcycle 1 is accelerating. Of the driving modes A1 to A10, driving mode A5, in which motors M1 and M2 are simultaneously driven, provides powerful acceleration. The condition determination table 1022 also lists the following conditions for switching to driving mode A5: a certain accelerator opening or more, no brake operation, and an increase in motor current. Therefore, in this case, the driving pattern control unit 1023 outputs a control signal to switch to driving mode A5. This allows the electric motorcycle 1 to travel with powerful acceleration.

[0041] 4 is a flowchart showing the processing in the drive / charge control unit 102. (Step S1) The drive / charge control unit 102 acquires sensor information such as vehicle speed, accelerator opening, brake operation, current value of motor M1, and current value of motor M2.

[0042] (Step S2) The drive / charging control unit 102 determines which of the conditions applies based on a combination of the detection results of the sensor information (vehicle speed, accelerator opening, brake operation, motor current value).

[0043] (Step S3) The drive / charge control unit 102 determines the driving pattern according to the determination result.

[0044] (Step S4) The drive / charge control unit 102 switches the driving mode according to the selected driving pattern.

[0045] Specific examples of combinations of driving mode switching conditions and sensor information will be described below.

[0046] (1) Conditions for switching from other driving modes to driving mode A1 Driving mode A1: Only motor M1 is driven, and motor M2 is not driven. Driving situation: After driving in driving mode A5, the vehicle reaches a first reference speed (e.g., 50 km / h) and maintains that speed. <Sensor information> Vehicle speed: First reference speed (e.g., 50 km / h) or higher Accelerator opening: A certain degree or more of opening (slightly or moderately open accelerator) Brake operation: No operation Motor current value: Any <Summary> For example, after starting and accelerating in driving mode A5 (motors M1 and M2 are simultaneously driven), the vehicle switches to driving mode A1 when the vehicle reaches the first reference speed (e.g., 50 km / h). This allows the vehicle speed to be maintained while suppressing output compared to when accelerating. Furthermore, by not driving or regenerating motor M2, motor M2 does not become a load, allowing for smooth driving.

[0047] (2) Conditions for Switching to Traveling Mode A2 Traveling Mode A2: Only motor M1 is driven, and motor M2 is in regenerative operation. Traveling Condition: After traveling in traveling mode A5, the vehicle reaches a first reference speed (e.g., 50 km / h) and maintains that speed. <Sensor Information> Vehicle Speed: First reference speed (e.g., 50 km / h) or higher Accelerator Pedal Opening: A certain degree or more of opening (slightly or moderately open accelerator) Brake Operation: No operation Motor Current Value: Decreasing Trend <Summary> For example, after starting and accelerating in traveling mode A5, the vehicle is switched to traveling mode A2 when it reaches the first reference speed (e.g., 50 km / h). This allows motor M2 to be switched to a regenerative state to generate a light braking force, while the power regenerated by motor M2 can be charged to battery B2. Motor M1 is in a driving state and is driven to maintain vehicle speed.

[0048] (3) Conditions for Switching from Other Traveling Modes to Traveling Mode A3 Traveling Mode A3: Only motor M2 is driven, and motor M1 is not driven. Traveling Status: After traveling in traveling mode A5, the vehicle reaches a second reference speed (e.g., 30 km / h) and continues traveling at that speed. <Sensor Information> Vehicle Speed: Second reference speed (e.g., 30 km / h) or higher Accelerator Pedal Opening: A certain degree or more of opening (slightly or moderately open accelerator) Brake Operation: No operation Motor Current Value: Any <Overview> Traveling mode A3 is basically the same as traveling mode A1. If motor M1 is a high-speed motor and motor M2 is a high-torque motor, traveling mode A1 is selected when the traveling speed is high (first reference speed (e.g., 50 km / h)), and traveling mode A3 is selected when the traveling speed is low (second reference speed (e.g., 30 km / h)).

[0049] (4) Conditions for switching from other driving modes to driving mode A4 Driving mode A4: Only motor M2 is driven, and motor M1 is in regenerative operation. Driving situation: After driving in driving mode A5, the vehicle reaches a second reference speed (e.g., 30 km / h) and maintains that speed. Vehicle speed: Second reference speed (e.g., 30 km / h) or higher Accelerator opening: A certain degree or more of opening (slightly or moderately open accelerator) Brake operation: No operation Motor current value: Decreasing trend <Overview> Driving mode A4 is basically the same as driving mode A2. If motor M1 is a high-speed motor and motor M2 is a high-torque motor, driving mode A2 is selected when the driving speed is high (first reference speed (e.g., 50 km / h)), and driving mode A4 is selected when the driving speed is low (second reference speed (e.g., 30 km / h)).

[0050] (5) Conditions for switching to driving mode A5 Driving mode A5: Motors M1 and M2 are driven simultaneously. (a) Driving situation: Starting or accelerating while driving. <Sensor information> Vehicle speed: Increasing Accelerator opening: Opened to a certain extent or more Brake operation: No operation Motor current value: Increased drive current <Summary> In driving mode A5, motors M1 and M2 are driven simultaneously, providing sufficient acceleration. When acceleration is required, the accelerator opening exceeds a certain value and the motor current value increases.

[0051] (b) Driving status: Reached an uphill slope. <Sensor information> Vehicle speed: Decreasing Accelerator opening: Opened to a certain extent or more Brake operation: No operation Motor current value: Increased drive current <Summary> In driving mode A5, motors M1 and M2 are driven simultaneously, providing sufficient hill-climbing power. When entering an uphill slope, the motor current value increases and the speed decreases. If the vehicle is traveling in driving mode A1 (only motor M1 is driven) and the speed decreases due to the uphill slope, the mode is switched to driving mode A5. This allows the vehicle to recover or maintain speed even when entering a slope by driving not only motor M1 but also motor M2.

[0052] (6) Conditions for switching to driving mode A6 Driving mode A6: Motors M1 and M2 are simultaneously operated in regenerative mode. (a) Driving situation: Stopping or sudden reduction in vehicle speed. <Sensor information> Vehicle speed: Brake operation is performed and there is a tendency to decelerate Accelerator opening: 0 or operation to reduce opening Brake operation: Brake operation is detected to have been maintained for more than a first reference time Motor current value: Small drive current <Summary> In driving mode A6, both motors M1 and M2 are in regenerative mode, providing a strong braking force. This allows the vehicle to stop or decelerate with a strong braking force when the brakes are applied.

[0053] (b) Driving situation: Approaching a downhill slope. <Sensor information> Vehicle speed: Increasing Accelerator opening: 0 or operation to decrease opening Brake operation: Slight operation to reduce speed Motor current value: Small drive current <Summary> In driving mode A6, motors M1 and M2 both operate in regenerative mode, providing a strong braking force. When entering a downhill slope, the motor current value decreases and the speed increases. By operating both motors M1 and M2 in regenerative mode, the increase in speed can be suppressed when going downhill. Furthermore, batteries B1 and B2 can be charged while suppressing the increase in speed on a downhill slope.

[0054] (7) Conditions for switching to driving mode A7 Driving mode A7: Motor M1 is in regenerative operation, and motor M2 is not driven. Driving situation: When the braking force is too strong in driving mode A6, when regenerating with two motors. <Sensor information> Vehicle speed: When the degree of deceleration is lower than a certain level, even when increasing or braking is performed Accelerator opening: 0 or operation to decrease opening Brake operation: When the amount of operation is small Motor current value: Any <Summary> In driving mode A6, regenerative operation is performed by two motors M1 and M2, so the braking force may be too strong. In contrast, in driving mode A7, only regenerative operation is performed by motor M1, so the braking force is weakened. If the braking force is too strong in driving mode A6, by switching to driving mode A7, a lighter braking force can be generated by motor M1, while the power regenerated by motor M1 can be used to charge battery B1.

[0055] (8) Conditions for Switching to Traveling Mode A8 Traveling Mode A8: Motor M2 is in regenerative operation, and motor M1 is not driven. Traveling Condition: When the braking force is too strong in traveling mode A6, with two motors regenerating. <Sensor Information> Vehicle Speed: When the degree of deceleration is lower than a certain level, even when increasing or braking is performed Accelerator Pedal Opening: 0 or operation to decrease the opening Brake Operation: When the amount of operation is medium Motor Current Value: Optional <Overview> Traveling mode A8 is basically the same as traveling mode A7. When the braking force is too strong in traveling mode A6, by switching to traveling mode A8, it is possible to generate a lighter braking force using motor M2 while charging battery B2 with the power regenerated by motor M2. Note that when the braking force is too strong in traveling mode A6, whether to switch to traveling mode A7 or traveling mode A8 is determined depending on the required braking force. For example, if motor M2 has a larger regeneration amount than motor M1, and a relatively strong braking force is required, the driving mode can be switched to A8, and if a weaker braking force is sufficient, the driving mode can be switched to A7. If an adjustment knob is provided to adjust the regeneration amount of motors M1 and M2, a smooth braking force can be obtained by switching between driving modes A6, A7, and A8 in that order depending on the braking force.

[0056] (9) Conditions for Switching to Traveling Mode A9 Traveling Mode A9: Motor M1 is driven, and motor M2 serves as auxiliary power supply to motor M1. Traveling Condition: A state in which the vehicle is traveling at a low speed after traveling in Traveling Mode A5. <Sensor Information> Vehicle Speed: First Reference Speed ​​or Higher (e.g., 50 km / h) Accelerator Pedal Opening: A certain degree or more of opening (slightly or moderately open accelerator) Brake Operation: No Brake Operation Motor Current Value: Decreasing Trend Remaining Battery Capacity: A state in which both battery B1 and battery B2 have a certain degree of remaining capacity (e.g., battery 1 remaining capacity is 80%, battery 2 remaining capacity is 85%, etc.) <Summary> In Traveling Mode A9, speed is maintained by motor M1, while motor M2 generates power, and the generated power is supplied to motor M1. This allows the power consumption of motor M1 to be supplemented by power from motor M2. This reduces the decrease in remaining battery capacity and prevents overcharging of the battery while traveling.

[0057] (10) Conditions for Switching to Traveling Mode A10 Traveling Mode A10: Motor M2 is driven, and motor M1 serves as auxiliary power supply to motor M2. Traveling Condition: A state in which the vehicle is traveling at a low speed after traveling in Traveling Mode A5. <Sensor Information> Vehicle Speed: Second Reference Speed ​​or Less (e.g., 30 km / h) Accelerator Pedal Opening: A certain degree or more of opening (slightly or moderately open accelerator) Brake Operation: No Brake Operation Motor Current Value: An Increasing Trend Remaining Battery Charge: A state in which both Battery 1 and Battery 2 have a certain degree of remaining charge (e.g., Battery 1 has 80% remaining charge, Battery 2 has 85% remaining charge, etc.) <Summary> In Traveling Mode A10, speed is maintained by motor M2, while motor M1 generates power and supplies the generated power to motor M2. This allows motor M1 to supplement the power consumption of motor M2. This reduces the decrease in remaining battery charge and prevents overcharging of the battery while traveling.

[0058] As described above, the electric motorcycle 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention can be driven in a driving mode suited to various driving conditions, and can also achieve improved electricity efficiency.

[0059] In this embodiment, batteries B1 and B2 and motors M1 and M2 can be selectively used. In this case, when driving motor M1 or motor M2, either battery B1 or battery B2 with a larger remaining charge can be used preferentially to drive motor M1 or motor M2. Furthermore, when regenerating the power generated by motor M1 or motor M2, either battery B1 or battery B2 with a smaller remaining charge can be used preferentially to charge battery B1 or battery B2.

[0060] Furthermore, in this embodiment, one battery B1 or B2 is discharged to drive the motor M1 or M2, and the other battery B2 or B1 is charged with power regenerated from the other motor M2 or M1. Therefore, even while one motor M1 or M2 is being driven, power can be regenerated and charged from the other motor M2 or M1, thereby making it possible to increase the cruising range.

[0061] Furthermore, while the above description has been given using an example of a two-wheeled vehicle with one front wheel and one rear wheel, the present invention is not limited to such two-wheeled vehicles, and may also be applied to a three-wheeled vehicle with two front wheels and one rear wheel, or a three-wheeled vehicle with one front wheel and two rear wheels. The present invention can be applied to any straddle-type electric vehicle in which a user straddles the seat.

[0062] In the above example, two motors are arranged under the seat and on the rear wheel, but this configuration is not limiting. For example, in the case of a tricycle, three motors may be installed. Also, in the case of a two-wheeled vehicle, three motors may be installed under the seat, on the front wheel, on the rear wheel, and under the seat.

[0063] All or part of the electric motorcycle 1 in the above-described embodiment may be implemented by a computer. In this case, a program for implementing the functions may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program may be loaded into a computer system and executed. The term "computer system" as used herein includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into a computer system. Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" may also include media that dynamically store programs for a short period of time, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs via networks such as the Internet or telephone lines, or media that store programs for a fixed period of time, such as volatile memory within a computer system that serves as a server or client. The program may be a program that implements part of the functions described above, or may be a program that can implement the functions described above in combination with a program already stored in the computer system, or may be implemented using a programmable logic device such as an FPGA.

[0064] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes designs within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0065] B1, B2...battery, M1, M2...motor, 10...seat, 11...front wheel, 12...rear wheel, 20...transmission mechanism, 21, 22...sprocket, 23...chain, 101...vehicle control unit, 102...drive / charging control unit, 1021...detection unit, 1022...condition determination table, 1023...travel pattern control unit, 103a, 103b...power supply control unit, 104a, 104b...inverter circuit, 105...switching circuit

Claims

1. A control system for a saddle-type electric vehicle having a first motor whose drive shaft is connected to the front or rear wheels, a second motor whose drive shaft is connected to the front or rear wheels, and a first battery and a second battery, comprising: a detection unit that detects the driving state; and a driving pattern control unit that determines which of a plurality of conditions the detected driving state satisfies among a plurality of driving patterns that indicate whether the first motor and the second motor will drive the connected front or rear wheels or regenerate power from the connected front or rear wheels, and switches the driving mode according to the determination result.

2. A control system for a saddle-riding type electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit acquires detection values ​​for the vehicle speed, accelerator opening, first motor current value, second motor current value, and brake operation amount of the saddle-riding type electric vehicle, and the driving pattern control unit determines which of the conditions applies based on a combination of the acquired detection results.

3. A control system for a saddle-type electric vehicle according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the driving patterns include a driving mode in which power is supplied from the first battery or the second battery to the first motor or the second motor to drive it, and power regenerated from one of the first motor or the second motor that is different from the motor driven by the power is supplied to one of the first battery and the second battery that is different from the battery that supplies power for driving it, thereby charging the battery.

4. A control method for a saddle-type electric vehicle having a first motor whose drive shaft is connected to the front or rear wheels, a second motor whose drive shaft is connected to the front or rear wheels, and a first battery and a second battery, comprising: a step of detecting the driving state; and a step of determining which of a plurality of conditions the detected driving state satisfies among a plurality of driving patterns that indicate whether the first motor and the second motor will drive the connected front or rear wheels or regenerate power from the connected front or rear wheels, and switching to a driving mode according to the determination result.

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