E-Bike Control Circuit Battery Status Display

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Electrically power assisted bicycles face issues where the operation panel's time display resets when the built-in battery's capacity is insufficient, leading to confusion between a malfunction and low battery capacity, causing unnecessary repairs and misdiagnosis.

Innovation Solution

The bicycle is equipped with a control circuit that displays specific information, such as a hyphen or blinking symbols, in the time display area when the built-in battery's capacity is insufficient, distinguishing this condition from a reset or malfunction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the operation panel displays time using the built-in battery, then the time display function is maintained, but when the built-in battery capacity becomes insufficient, the time resets to initial values causing user confusion and misdiagnosis of malfunction

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetime display reliabilityVSAvoidinformation loss about battery capacity status
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The control circuit monitors the built-in battery's remaining capacity and provides feedback by displaying specific patterns (hyphen, blinking symbols) in the time display area when capacity is insufficient. This feedback mechanism allows users to distinguish between time reset due to low battery versus actual malfunction, resolving the information loss problem.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The invention uses visual changes in the time display area (hyphen display, blinking symbols) to indicate different battery capacity states. These visual transformations serve as warning signals to users, enabling them to understand the battery status without confusion.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #32Color changes

2Duration of action of stationary object

If the operation panel uses the built-in battery for timekeeping, then continuous time display is achieved, but diagnostic difficulty increases when time reset occurs due to insufficient battery capacity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetime display continuityVSAvoidmalfunction detection difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of stationary objectVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The control circuit provides diagnostic feedback by displaying specific patterns when battery capacity is insufficient. This allows service personnel to easily detect whether time reset is caused by low battery or actual malfunction, significantly reducing diagnostic difficulty.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Ease of operation

If the time display area shows reset time when built-in battery capacity is insufficient, then the display remains active, but user understanding and correct diagnosis become difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisplay operabilityVSAvoidbattery status information
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The invention transforms the time display area into a status indicator by displaying hyphens or blinking symbols when battery capacity is insufficient. This visual transformation communicates battery status information effectively while keeping the display active and user-friendly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #32Color changes

Data Source

PatentEP3296190B1Electrically power assisted bicycle and method for controlling an electrically power assisted bicycle
Publication Date: 2019.12.11 YAMAHA MOTOR CO LTD
  • EP3296190B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3296190B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3296190B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An electrically power assisted bicycle 1 includes an electric motor 33; a detachable battery 36 to supply electric power to at least the electric motor 33; and an operation panel 60 including a microcontroller 62 to control display in a time display area 73 and a built-in battery 61 to supply electric power to the microcontroller 62. In a state where the detachable battery 36 is attached to the electrically power assisted bicycle 1 and the electrically power assisted bicycle 1 is in a power-on state, the microcontroller 62 is supplied with the electric power from the detachable battery 36. In the case where the electrically power assisted bicycle 1 is turned on from a power-off state in a state where a remaining capacity of the built-in battery 61 is insufficient, the microcontroller 62 displays, in the time display area 73, information indicating that the remaining capacity of the built-in battery 61 is insufficient.