eBike Drive Control With Staircase Detection for Push Assistance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
E-bikes are heavy due to batteries and drive units, making it difficult for users to carry or push them up stairs without significant effort.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for a single-track vehicle, such as an eBike, that uses sensors to detect staircases and control the drive unit for automatic assistance, adjusting torque, speed, and navigation to facilitate easier climbing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If eBike is equipped with battery and drive unit to provide pushing assistance, then pushing assistance function is improved, but weight of vehicle increases
Solution Approach 1:
The eBike system automatically detects staircases using sensor units (acceleration sensors, gyroscopes, cameras) and autonomously activates pushing assistance without user intervention. The control unit processes sensor signals to determine staircase geometry and automatically adjusts drive unit parameters, making the system self-serve the user's needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor unit detects staircases in advance before the eBike reaches them, allowing the control unit to pre-activate pushing assistance and prepare optimal drive parameters. This preliminary detection and preparation eliminates the need for manual activation by the user.
2Ease of operation
If manual activation of pushing assistance is required, then device complexity is reduced, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor unit serves multiple functions: detecting staircases, determining staircase geometry (step height, length, inclination), and providing input for route planning. The control unit integrates these sensing functions with drive unit control and user interface management, creating a multi-functional system that justifies the added complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical activation (user pressing a button or lever) with an automated electronic control system. Sensor units detect physical conditions and convert them to electrical signals, which the control unit processes to automatically adjust drive parameters, substituting mechanical user interaction with electronic automation.
3Productivity
If drive unit continuously provides maximum torque, then productivity is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drive unit dynamically adjusts torque output based on real-time sensor feedback about staircase geometry and eBike position. The control unit modulates power delivery to match the actual assistance needed at each moment, providing maximum torque only when required for step climbing rather than continuous maximum output.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit changes drive unit parameters (torque, speed, power) based on detected staircase characteristics such as step height, length, and inclination. This adaptive parameter adjustment optimizes climbing performance for each specific staircase configuration while minimizing energy consumption by avoiding unnecessary power delivery on flat sections or gentle slopes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances user-friendliness by automatically recognizing staircases and providing tailored assistance, reducing effort required to push the vehicle up stairs.
Implementation Method 1
The staircase is determined on the basis of an in particular undulating and/or cyclic acceleration curve in the direction of a longitudinal axis of the vehicle
Implementation Method 2
The staircase is determined on the basis of an in particular undulating and/or cyclic rotation rate curve in the direction of a nodding axis of the vehicle
Data Source
AI summary
A method for controlling a drive unit of a vehicle, in particular a single-track vehicle such as an eBike, that includes a drive unit and a sensor unit with at least one sensor element, is disclosed. The method includes (i) sensing a sensor signal by the at least one sensor element, (ii) determining the staircase based on the detected sensor signal, in particular by the sensor unit, and (iii) controlling the drive unit based on the determined staircase.