Motorized Scooter Acceleration Deceleration Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing motorized scooters do not effectively reduce muscular effort for longer distances while allowing traditional use and fail to automatically adapt motor power to user forces, disrupting manual propulsion and not providing seamless assistance.

Innovation Solution

A motorized scooter with acceleration and deceleration detection means that actuates the motor only during deceleration phases lasting a predetermined threshold after acceleration, ensuring motor assistance supplements user efforts without disrupting traditional use, and adjusts speed to maintain setpoints based on user input.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the motor is continuously actuated to assist user movement, then the reduction of muscular effort is improved, but the traditional manual propulsion method is disrupted

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereduction of muscular effortVSAvoidtraditional manual propulsion
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The motor operates periodically rather than continuously, activating during deceleration phases and deactivating during acceleration phases. This periodic operation provides assistance when needed while allowing traditional manual propulsion during acceleration, thus resolving the contradiction between reducing muscular effort and maintaining traditional use

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The control member detects acceleration and deceleration phases through sensors that monitor scooter dynamics. This feedback mechanism allows the system to automatically adapt motor actuation to user intentions, providing assistance during deceleration while preserving manual control during acceleration phases

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Adaptability or versatility

If the motor actuates immediately after any acceleration phase, then the motor power adaptation to user forces is improved, but sudden unexpected accelerations occur disrupting user control

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemotor power adaptationVSAvoiduser control stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The control member is configured to wait for a deceleration phase of duration at least equal to a first predetermined threshold before actuating the motor. This preliminary waiting period allows the system to distinguish between intentional user impulses and accidental disturbances, preventing sudden unexpected accelerations while maintaining adaptive power assistance

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If the motor provides continuous assistance to maintain speed, then the productivity is improved, but the energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetravel distanceVSAvoidmotor energy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The motor operates in periodic cycles, activating during deceleration phases to maintain speed and deactivating during acceleration phases when the user provides manual propulsion. This periodic operation reduces overall energy consumption compared to continuous operation while maintaining productivity by providing assistance only when the user is not actively propelling the scooter

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentEP3083384B1Motorized scooter
Publication Date: 2018.07.25 DECATHLON SA
  • EP3083384B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP3083384B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP3083384B1 patent drawingFigure 2B~2C

AI summary

The invention relates to a scooter (10) comprising: - a frame (12); - a front wheel (20) and a rear wheel (22) which are fixed to the frame; - a motor (24) configured to drive the rotation of at least one out of the front and rear wheels; and - a motor control member (26). The invention is characterized in that the motor control member comprises: - acceleration detection means for detecting a phase of acceleration of the scooter; - deceleration detection means for detecting a phase of deceleration of the scooter; the control means being configured to actuate the motor when a deceleration phase of duration at least equal to a first predetermined threshold value has been detected by the deceleration detection means after an acceleration phase has been detected by the acceleration detection means.