HK1110563B - Hybrid motorbike powered by muscle power and an electric motor with the current generated by a fuel cell - Google Patents

Description

Hybrid motorbike powered by human power and fuel cell powered electric motor

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a bicycle or motorbike having a hybrid drive system of a human powered and a fuel cell powered electric motor. The fuel cell and the battery and the control device may be housed in a module that is mounted in the triangular space formed by the bicycle frame between the front wheel of the bicycle and the seat.

Background

U.S. patent No.5,242,335(Kutter) (' 335), incorporated herein by reference and appended as an attachment to the present application, discloses a bicycle driven by both human power and an electric motor. This patent discloses a unique planetary gear train on the drive wheel to take advantage of the power and manpower of the electric motor.

U.S. patent No.6,286,616(Kutter) (' 616), which is incorporated herein by reference and is appended as an attachment to the present application, discloses a hybrid motorbike having an electric motor with a rotor and a stator in a drive wheel for utilizing both manual and electric power.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides a fuel cell for generating electrical power to drive an electric motor that powers a drive wheel of a two-wheeled vehicle, such as a motorbike or a bicycle. The fuel cell and the accumulator as well as the control means for controlling the fuel cell and the electric motor may be arranged in a module located in a triangular opening formed by the bicycle frame between the front wheel of the bicycle and the cyclist's seat. This allows easy arrangement of the fuel cell and the storage battery. The fuel cell will supply current to the motor. A fuel cell and battery combination that provides current to an electric motor can be used in a hybrid motorbike having a mechanism for utilizing both human power and power provided by the electric motor. This may employ, for example, a planetary gear train on the drive wheel as disclosed in the' 355 patent. It may also be used in situations where the motor is incorporated into the hub of a drive wheel that is powered by the rotor and stator of the motor and manual force, as disclosed in the' 616 patent.

Drawings

Many aspects of the invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present invention. Moreover, in the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a view of a male motorbike of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view of a part of a rear wheel and a fuel tank module for a fuel cell.

Fig. 3 is a view of the motorbike of the present invention with the cover removed from one side of the power module.

Fig. 4 is a view of an electric motor for partially powering the motorbike of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The embodiment shown in fig. 1 represents a motorbike having a hybrid drive system. The hybrid motorbike 110 has a conventional frame and wheels, a front wheel 112 and a powered rear wheel 114, respectively. The motorbike has pedals 116 for providing manual power by the rider through conventional gears on the pedal cranks to which pedal drive chains 118 are connected.

The bicycle frame has a bottom front fork 120 and a top front fork 122 supported and reinforced by a rear attachment support 124. The power module 126 is supported in the triangular space formed by 120, 122 and 124. The power module 126 may be attached to the bicycle frame by any conventional means, such as bolts, which allow for easy removal and installation. The bicycle has a motor 156 immediately behind the rear attachment support 124. A plastic motor drive belt 130 with teeth drives the rear wheel 114 of the motorbike. The motorbike has a rider's seat 136.

The motorbike 110 has a planetary gear train 132. The planetary gear train 132 is very similar to the planetary gear train shown in FIG. 1 of the' 335 patent. The crown gear 6 shown in figure 1 of the' 335 patent is driven by the pedal drive chain 118. The sun wheel 3 is driven by a motor belt 130 or chain. The planetary gear train 132 allows the use of manpower and power from the electric motor in a complementary manner.

The motorbike 110 is partially powered by one or more fuel cells 150 operating on hydrogen. The hydrogen fuel tank 134 is supported in a fuel tank module 146 attached to the rear of the motorbike. The fuel tank module 146 has a handle 148 for removal for replacement with a new module. The module 146 includes two hydrogen fuel tanks 134.

The hydrogen fuel tanks can store hydrogen at relatively low pressures in the form of hydrocarbons, such as iron carbide. These fuel tanks 134 may be used to refuel from any convenient source of hydrogen. It should be understood that high pressure hydrogen tanks may also be used.

The power module 126 is shown in FIG. 3. Which includes a plurality of batteries 142 and a fuel cell 150 stack as shown in fig. 3. There may also be a control device for starting and stopping the fuel cell 150. The power module 126 may also include controls for turning the motor on and off. The power module 126 may be coupled to the rear attachment support 124, the top fork 122 or the bottom fork 120. When the battery or fuel cell is depleted or otherwise inoperable, the entire module can be replaced. While the power module is the most convenient way to carry the fuel cell 150, it is understood that the fuel cell and battery may be mounted on the vehicle without the use of a power module. The current produced by the fuel cell 150 is delivered to the 24 volt motor 156 and any supplemental power is used to charge the battery. A regulator (not shown) can be used to control the distribution of current to the battery and motor 156 as desired. The motor 156 is housed in a housing 128 that is attached to the frame of the moped.

Control means may also be provided to automatically turn the fuel cell on and off to conserve fuel. This feature is not shown in the figures.

The fuel cell employed in the present invention takes hydrogen from the hydrogen fuel tank 134 and obtains oxygen from the air. Hydrogen may be pumped to the fuel cell by pump 152. Air may be pumped to the fuel cell by an air pump 154. The hydrogen and oxygen combine in the fuel cell 142 to produce electricity with water vapor as a byproduct. Since only water vapor is a byproduct, no atmospheric pollution is generated when the present invention is used. While it is preferred that the fuel cell operate on hydrogen and oxygen, it should be understood that other types of fuel cells that produce electricity may also be used. In the case of a fuel cell using hydrogen and oxygen, the oxygen is obtained from the atmosphere. Suitable wiring connects the electric control device battery to the electric motor. The motor 156 has a motor gear assembly 144 with which the motor drive belt 130 engages. The motor may be a brushless dc motor or other type of dc motor. The present invention is not limited to a dc motor, and other types of motors may be employed by converting the current from the fuel cell to ac.

The motorbike is very efficient and tests of the motorbike have demonstrated that only 45 grams of hydrogen are required to assist in powering the motorbike over a distance of 125 km.

The battery 142 may be a nickel cadmium battery or a durable lithium battery.

It should be noted that because a smaller amount of hydrogen is used, a smaller hydrogen generation unit can be used at home or in a garage to produce hydrogen to fill the fuel tank. Hydrogen may be produced by electrolysis of water. Alternatively, hydrogen may be produced by a reformer of the methanol and water mixture.

The battery employed in the motorbike can be a 12 or 24 volt battery.

The turning on or off of the motor or adjusting its speed to assist in driving the motorbike can be controlled by software that determines the load on the pedals and their revolutions per minute to determine whether and how much power is provided from the motor. The microprocessor may be housed in the power module or the motor to use the software. Manual control may be preferred over software in determining when the motor is turned on or off.

Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the invention will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present invention, and be protected by the following claims.

Claims (2)

1. A two-wheeled motor vehicle (110) powered at least in part by a fuel cell (150), comprising:

a frame supporting the front wheels (112), the rear drive wheels (114), and the seat (136), a front axle supporting the front wheels (112), and a rear axle supporting the rear wheels (114), the frame forming an opening between the front wheels and the rear drive wheels; a pedal crank (116) driven by human power; a fuel cell (150) and a battery (142); a motor (156) for powering the rear drive wheels (114); and control means for controlling the power supplied to the rear drive wheels (114); a fuel tank (134); wherein the control means, fuel cell (150) and battery (142) are housed in a removable power module (126) mounted to the frame in an opening formed between the front wheel (112) and the rear drive wheel (114); the two-wheeled motor vehicle has a control device for regulating the fuel cell (150) and a control device for regulating the speed of the electric motor (156);

characterized in that the rear driving wheel (114) has a planetary gear train (132) with a sun gear (3) driven by the electric motor (156), a crown gear (6) driven by the human power and a planet gear carrier (5), the planet gear carrier (5) providing a power output to the rear driving wheel (114); and, the two-wheeled vehicle includes sensors to determine the speed of the pedals (116) and the load on the pedals (116) and to send this information to a microprocessor in the two-wheeled vehicle that has been programmed to control the speed of the motor (156) as a function of the load on the pedals (116) and the speed of the pedals (116) to provide the desired assistance in pedaling the two-wheeled vehicle (110).

2. A two-wheeled motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the electric motor (156) drives the sun wheel (3) through a motor drive belt (130), and the crown wheel (6) is driven by a pedal chain (118) connected to a gear on said pedal crank (116) driven by human power.