Electric Motorcycle Charging Abnormality Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Electric motorcycles with onboard battery and charger charging systems often lack reliable notification of charging abnormalities, especially in outdoor settings where users may not notice issues due to the lack of a closed environment for visual or audible alerts.

Innovation Solution

An electric motorcycle system that includes a battery, onboard charger, abnormality determiner, storage for charging abnormality information, and a controller that disables the motorcycle if a charging abnormality is detected, ensuring the user is notified through the display/meter and requiring user involvement to enable the motorcycle again.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If visual or audible notifications are provided for charging abnormalities, then the user can be alerted of issues, but the user may still miss the notification in outdoor environments without a closed space

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenotification reliabilityVSAvoiduser awareness of abnormality
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by storing charging abnormality information in memory and checking this information during controller startup. The controller then disables motorcycle operation based on the stored abnormality data, providing a tangible consequence that ensures user awareness of the charging issue.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The abnormality information is stored in advance during the charging process before the user needs to operate the motorcycle. This preliminary recording ensures that when the user attempts to start the motorcycle, the system has already prepared the disablement action based on previously detected charging abnormalities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the motorcycle is disabled when charging abnormality is detected, then the user is prevented from operating the motorcycle with potential issues, but the user must perform additional steps to restore functionality

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety of operationVSAvoidoperation restoration process
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by storing the abnormality information in memory during the charging process, so that when the user attempts to start the motorcycle, the disablement is already prepared based on the stored data, enabling immediate prevention of operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides feedback through the disablement mechanism that informs the user of the charging abnormality. The motorcycle controller prevents operation until the abnormality is addressed, creating a clear feedback loop between the charging system and the operation system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP2361827B1Electric motorcycle
Publication Date: 2019.04.17 YAMAHA MOTOR CO LTD
  • EP2361827B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2361827B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2361827B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

There is provided an electric motorcycle which includes a battery and a charger for on-board charging of the battery, and is capable of reliably notifying the user of a charging abnormality. An electric motorcycle (10) includes a battery (42); an electric charger (44) for charging the battery (42); a controller (40a) ; a memory (40b) ; a main switch (50) to issue commands for switching on/off the controller (40a); a start switch (48a) to issue a command for starting the electric motorcycle (10); and a throttle (52) to issue a command for moving the electric motorcycle (10). If the controller (40a) determines that there is an abnormality while the battery (42) is being charged, charging abnormality information is stored in the memory (40b). When switched on, the controller (40a) disables the electric motorcycle (10) even if a switch-on command for the controller (40a) is issued from the main switch (50) and operation is made to the start switch (48a) and the throttle (52), as long as the charging abnormality information is stored in the memory (40b).