Electric bicycle

Claim 2

An electric bicycle comprising: a bicycle; a battery carried by the frame of said bicycle; a direct current motor carried by the frame of said bicycle; manually operable throttle means carried by the frame of said bicycle; and; a variable frequency, variable pulse width controller circuit carried by the frame of said bicycle and electrically connected to said battery, said direct current motor, and to said throttle means for controlling the flow of current from said battery to said motor in response to said throttle means, said controller circuit comprising: an electronic switch having a control terminal, a diode, circuit means connecting said battery, said electronic switch and said direct current motor in series and connecting said diode in parallel with said motor opposing the flow of direct current from said battery through said electronic switch, means for sensing the direct current flowing through said motor, and means operatively connected and responsive to said sensing means for controlling the frequency and duration of the conduction of said electronic switch.

Claim 3

The bicycle of claim 1 including manually operable means for increasing the current in the field windings of said motor for regenerative braking.

Claim 4

The bicycle of claim 1 wherein said throttlE means includes means for increasing current in the field windings of said motor for regenerative braking.

Claim 5

The bicycle of claim 1 wherein said means drivingly connecting said motor to a wheel of said bicycle includes a pulley carried by the shaft of said motor and an endless V-shaped cross section belt drivingly connecting said pulley and a wheel of said bicycle.

Claim 6

The bicycle of claim 4 wherein said bicycle includes a tire having a groove disposed in the tread around the radially outer periphery of said tire; and, wherein said belt is disposed within said groove, the radially outer surface of said belt extending slightly beyond the tread of said tire whereby the engagement of said belt with the ground increases the frictional contact between said belt and said tire.

Claim 7

The bicycle of claim 4 wherein said bicycle includes a wheel rim having a portion laterally extending beyond the tire mounted on the rim, said portion having a radially outer surface configured to receive said belt.

Claim 8

An electric bicycle comprising: a bicycle; a battery carried by the frame of said bicycle; a direct current motor carried by the frame of said bicycle; manually operable throttle means carried by the frame of said bicycle; and, a variable frequency, variable pulse width controller circuit carried by the frame of said bicycle and electrically connected to said battery, said direct current motor, and to said throttle means for controlling the flow of current from said battery to said motor in response to said throttle means, said motor being carried by the frame of said bicycle at an elevation approximately that of the maximum elevation of the wheels of said bicycle and substantially in line with the forward extremity of the rear wheel of said bicycle with the longitudinal axis of said motor substantially horizontal and normal to the longitudinal axis of said bicycle, said controller circuit being carried by said bicycle laterally of the wheels of said bicycle on one side of said motor, and said means drivingly connecting said motor to a wheel of said bicycle including a gearbox carried by said bicycle laterally of the wheels thereof on the other side of said motor and a chain drivingly connecting said gearbox to the rear wheel of said bicycle.

Claim 9

An electric bicycle comprising: a bicycle; a battery carried by the frame of said bicycle; a direct current motor carried by the frame of said bicycle; manually operable throttle means carried by the frame of said bicycle; and, a variable frequency, variable pulse width controller circuit carried by the frame of said bicycle and electrically connected to said battery, said direct current motor, and to said throttle means for controlling the flow of current from said battery to said motor in response to said throttle means, said motor being carried by the frame of said bicycle at an elevation approximately that of the maximum elevation of the wheels of said bicycle and substantially in line with the forward extremity of the rear wheel of said bicycle with the longitudinal axis of said motor substantially horizontal and normal to the longitudinal axis of said bicycle, said controller circuit being carried by said bicycle laterally of the wheels of said bicycle on one side of said motor, and said means drivingly connecting said motor to a wheel of said bicycle including a gearbox carried by said bicycle laterally of the wheels thereof on the other side of said motor and a chain drivingly connecting said gearbox to the rear wheel of said bicycle.

Claim 10

An electric bicycle comprising: a bicycle; a battery carried by the frame of said bicycle; a direct current motor carried by the frame of said bicycle; manually operable throttle means carried by the frame of said bicycle; and, a variable frequency, variable pulse width controller circuit carried by the frame of said bicycle and electrically connected to said battery, said direct current motor, and to said throttle means for controlling the flow of current from said battery to said motor in response to said throttle means, said means drivingly connecting said motor to a wheel of said bicycle including a pulley carried by the shaft of said motor and and endless V-shaped cross section belt drivingly connecting said pulley and a wheel of said bicycle, and said bicycle including a tire having a projection laterally extending beyond the tread thereof, said projection being configured on the radially outer surface thereof to receive said belt.

Claim 11

An electric bicycle comprising: a bicycle; a battery carried by the frame of said bicycle; a direct current motor carried by the frame of said bicycle; manually operable throttle means carried by the frame of said bicycle; and, a variable frequency, variable pulse width controller circuit carried by the frame of said bicycle and electrically connected to said battery, said direct current motor, and to said throttle means for controlling the flow of current from said battery to said motor in response to said throttle means, said means drivingly connecting said motor to a wheel of said bicycle including a pulley carried by the shaft of said motor and and endless V-shaped cross section belt drivingly connecting said pulley and a wheel of said bicycle, and said bicycle including a tire having a projection laterally extending beyond the tread thereof, said projection being configured on the radially outer surface thereof to receive said belt.

Claim 12

An electric bicycle comprising: a bicycle; a battery carried by the frame of said bicycle; a direct current motor carried by the frame of said bicycle; manually operable throttle means carried by the frame of said bicycle; and, a variable frequency, variable pulse width controller circuit carried by the frame of said bicycle and electrically connected to said battery, said direct current motor, and to said throttle means for controlling the flow of current from said battery to said motor in response to said throttle means, said means drivingly connecting said motor to a wheel of said bicycle including a pulley carried by the shaft of said motor and an endless V-shapeD cross section belt drivingly connecting said pulley and a wheel of said bicycle, said bicycle including a metal band provided with a number of generally L-shaped grooves opening to one edge thereof, each of said grooves being adapted to receive a spoke of one of the wheels of said bicycle immediately adjacent the rim in the closed end thereof to thereby secure said band to said rim, said band extending laterally beyond the tire of said rim at the other edge thereof and being configured to receive said belt.

Claim 13

An electric bicycle comprising: a bicycle; a battery carried by the frame of said bicycle; a direct current motor carried by the frame of said bicycle; manually operable throttle means carried by the frame of said bicycle; and, a variable frequency, variable pulse width controller circuit carried by the frame of said bicycle and electrically connected to said battery, said direct current motor, and to said throttle means for controlling the flow of current from said battery to said motor in response to said throttle means, said means drivingly connecting said motor to a wheel of said bicycle including a pulley carried by the shaft of said motor and an endless V-shapeD cross section belt drivingly connecting said pulley and a wheel of said bicycle, said bicycle including a metal band provided with a number of generally L-shaped grooves opening to one edge thereof, each of said grooves being adapted to receive a spoke of one of the wheels of said bicycle immediately adjacent the rim in the closed end thereof to thereby secure said band to said rim, said band extending laterally beyond the tire of said rim at the other edge thereof and being configured to receive said belt.

Claim 14

An electric bicycle comprising: a bicycle; a battery carried by the frame of said bicycle; a direct current motor carried by the frame of said bicycle; manually operable throttle means carried by the frame of said bicycle; and, a variable frequency, variable pulse width controller circuit carried by the frame of said bicycle and electrically connected to said battery, said direct current motor, and to said throttle means for controlling the flow of current from said battery to said motor in response to said throttle means, said motor including: armature and field windings, means for electrically connecting said armature winding to encircle minimum electromagnetic flux passing through the armature, first switch means by which said battery may selectively be electrically connected to said windings, a rectifier, second switch means by which a source of alternating current may selectively by electrically connected to one of said windings, and means for selectively electrically connecting said armature winding to encircle maximum electromagnetic flux passing through the armature.

Claim 15

An electric bicycle comprising: a bicycle; a battery carried by the frame of said bicycle; a direct current motor carried by the frame of said bicycle; manually operable throttle means carried by the frame of said bicycle; and, a variable frequency, variable pulse width controller circuit carried by the frame of said bicycle and electrically connected to said battery, said direct current motor, and to said throttle means for controlling the flow of current from said battery to said motor in response to said throttle means, said motor including: armature and field windings, means for electrically connecting said armature winding to encircle minimum electromagnetic flux passing through the armature, first switch means by which said battery may selectively be electrically connected to said windings, a rectifier, second switch means by which a source of alternating current may selectively by electrically connected to one of said windings, and means for selectively electrically connecting said armature winding to encircle maximum electromagnetic flux passing through the armature.

Claim 16

The bicycle of claim 10 wherein said controller circuit is carried within a housing; wherein said electric bicycle further includes a reel rotatably mounted within said housing and a two-wire electrical conductor wound on said reel, said conductor having a connector on the free end thereof and being electrically connected to said second switch means at the other end thereof; and, wherein said means for electrically connecting said armature winding comprises: a rocker arm pivotable between first and second positions about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of said motor, an armature brush carried by said rocker arm adjacent one end thereof, said armature brush being configured to substantially conform to the outer circumference of and to pressurally engage the armature of said motor at a first predetermined angular position to thereby establish an electrical connection with the armature winding when said rocker arm is in said first position, an electrical contact carried by the other end of said rocker arm adjacent the other end thereof to pressurally engage the armature of said motor at a second predetermined angular position displaced angularly from said first angular position to establish an electrical connection with the armature winding when said rocker arm is in said second position, means for biasing said rocker arm to said first position, and means for overriding the bias of said biasing means to position said rocker arm in said second position to thereby modify the angular position of the electrical connection of said armature winding, said overriding means being operable to expose said connector when overriding the bias of said bias means.

Claim 17

The bicycle of claim 11 wherein said housing is disposed in a heat receiving relationship to said controller circuit to act as a heat sink therefor.

Claim 18

An electric bicycle comprising: a bicycle; a battery carried by the frame of said bicycle; a direct current motor carried by the front fork of said bicycle at an elevation above that of the maximum elevation of the front wheel of said bicycle with the longitudinal axis of said motor substantially horizontal and normal to the longitudinal axis of said bicycle; manually operable throttle means carried by the frame of said bicycle; a controller Circuit carried by the frame of said bicycle and electrically connected to said battery, said direct current motor, and to said throttle means for controlling the flow of pulses of current from said battery to said motor in response to said throttle means; and, means drivingly connecting said motor to a wheel of said bicycle, said means including a friction pulley drivingly connected to said motor and means biasing said friction pulley into engagement with the tread of the front wheel of said bicycle, the plane through the axis of said motor and the axis of said friction pulley being disposed at an angle of between about 25* and 35* to the line tangent to the front wheel of the bicycle at the point of engagement with said friction pulley.

Claim 19

An electric bicycle comprising: a bicycle; a battery carried by the frame of said bicycle; a direct current motor carried by the front fork of said bicycle at an elevation above that of the maximum elevation of the front wheel of said bicycle with the longitudinal axis of said motor substantially horizontal and normal to the longitudinal axis of said bicycle; manually operable throttle means carried by the frame of said bicycle; a controller Circuit carried by the frame of said bicycle and electrically connected to said battery, said direct current motor, and to said throttle means for controlling the flow of pulses of current from said battery to said motor in response to said throttle means; and, means drivingly connecting said motor to a wheel of said bicycle, said means including a friction pulley drivingly connected to said motor and means biasing said friction pulley into engagement with the tread of the front wheel of said bicycle, the plane through the axis of said motor and the axis of said friction pulley being disposed at an angle of between about 25* and 35* to the line tangent to the front wheel of the bicycle at the point of engagement with said friction pulley.

Claim 20

The bicycle of claim 13 wherein said biasing means includes tension means connected between the shaft of said friction pulley and the axle of the front wheel of said bicycle.

Claim 21

The bicycle of claim 13 wherein said biasing means includes non-pivotable compression resistant means connected between said friction pulley and the shaft of said motor.

Claim 22

An electric bicycle comprising: a bicycle; a battery carried by the frame of said bicycle; a direct current motor carried by the frame of said bicycle, said motor including: armature and field windings, means for electrically connecting said armature winding to encircle minimum electromagnetic flux passing through the armature, first switch means by which said battery may selectively be electrically connected to said windings, a rectifier, second switch means by which a source of alternating current may selectively be electrically connected to one of said windings, and, means for selectively electrically connecting said armature winding to encircle maximum electromagnetic flux passing through the armature, manually operably throttle means carried by the frame of said bicycle; a controller circuit carried by the frame of said bicycle and electrically connected to said battery, said direct current motor, and to said throttle means for controlling the flow of current from said battery to said motor in response to said throttle means; and, means drivingly connecting said motor to a wheel of said bicycle.

Claim 23

An electric bicycle comprising: a bicycle; a battery carried by the frame of said bicycle; a direct current motor carried by the frame of said bicycle, said motor including: armature and field windings, means for electrically connecting said armature winding to encircle minimum electromagnetic flux passing through the armature, first switch means by which said battery may selectively be electrically connected to said windings, a rectifier, second switch means by which a source of alternating current may selectively be electrically connected to one of said windings, and, means for selectively electrically connecting said armature winding to encircle maximum electromagnetic flux passing through the armature, manually operably throttle means carried by the frame of said bicycle; a controller circuit carried by the frame of said bicycle and electrically connected to said battery, said direct current motor, and to said throttle means for controlling the flow of current from said battery to said motor in response to said throttle means; and, means drivingly connecting said motor to a wheel of said bicycle.

Claim 24

The bicycle of claim 16 wherein said controller circuit is carried within a housing; wherein said electric bicycle further includes a reel rotatably mounted within said housing and a two-wire electrical conductor wound on said reel, said conductor having a connector on the free end thereof and being electrically connected to said second switch means at the other end thereof; and, wherein said means for electrically connecting said armature winding comprises: a rocker arm pivotable between first and second positions about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of said motor, an armature brush carried by said rocker arm adjacent one end thereof, said armature brush being configured to substantially conform to the outer circumference of and to pressurally engage the armature of said motor at a first predetermined angular position to thereby establish an electrical connection with the armature winding when said rocker arm is in said first position, an electrical contact carried by the other end of said rocker arm adjacent the other end thereof to pressurally engage the armature of said motor at a second predetermined angular position displaced angularly from said first angular position to establish an electrical connection with the armature winding when said rocker arm is in said second position, means for biasing said rocker arm to said first position, and means for overriding the bias of said biasing means to position said rocker arm in said second position to thereby modify the angular position of the electrical connection of said armature winding, said overriding means being operable to expose said connector when overriding the bias of said bias mEans.

Claim 25

The electric bicycle of claim 16 including means for sensing the load of said motor and for modifying the brush pressure of said motor at loads below the rated load of said motor.

Claim 26

An electric bicycle comprising: a bicycle; a battery carried by the frame of said bicycle; a direct current motor carried by the frame of said bicycle; means drivingly connecting said motor to a wheel of said bicycle; manually operable throttle means carried by the frame of said bicycle; a controller circuit carried by the frame of said bicycle and electrically connected to said battery, said direct current motor, and to said throttle means for controlling the flow of current from said battery to said motor in response to said throttle means; and, means for biasing said throttle means to a position wherein said controller passes sufficient current to said motor from said battery to substantially neutralize motor friction.

Claim 27

An electric bicycle comprising: a bicycle; a battery carried by the frame of said bicycle; a direct current motor carried by the frame of said bicycle; means drivingly connecting said motor to a wheel of said bicycle; manually operable throttle means carried by the frame of said bicycle; a controller circuit carried by the frame of said bicycle and electrically connected to said battery, said direct current motor, and to said throttle means for controlling the flow of current from said battery to said motor in response to said throttle means; and, means for biasing said throttle means to a position wherein said controller passes sufficient current to said motor from said battery to substantially neutralize motor friction.

Claim 28

The bicycle of claim 19 wherein said throttle means includes means carried by a pedal of said bicycle and responsive to the pressure of the foot of the cyclist on said pedal.

Claim 29

The bicycle of claim 19 including means carried by a pedal of said bicycle and responsive to the pressure of the foot of the cyclist on said pedal for increasing the current in the field windings of said motor for regenerative braking.

Claim 30

An electric bicycle comprising: a bicycle; a battery carried by the frame of said bicycle; a direct current motor carried by the frame of said bicycle; means drivingly connecting said motor to a wheel of said bicycle; manually operable throttle means carried by the frame of said bicycle; a controller circuit carried by the frame of said bicycle and electrically connected to said battery, said direct current motor, and said controller circuit for controlling the flow of current from said battery to said motor in response to said throttle means, and, means for sensing the load of said motor and for modifying the brush pressure of said motor at loads below the rated load of said motor.

Claim 31

An electric bicycle comprising: a bicycle; a battery carried by the frame of said bicycle; a direct current motor carried by the frame of said bicycle; means drivingly connecting said motor to a wheel of said bicycle; manually operable throttle means carried by the frame of said bicycle; a controller circuit carried by the frame of said bicycle and electrically connected to said battery, said direct current motor, and said controller circuit for controlling the flow of current from said battery to said motor in response to said throttle means, and, means for sensing the load of said motor and for modifying the brush pressure of said motor at loads below the rated load of said motor.

Claim 32

The bicycle of claim 22 including; manually operable means for increasing the current in the field windings of said motor for regenerative braking; a reel rotatably mounted within the housing for said controller circuit; a two-wire electrical conductor wound on said reel and having a connector on the free end thereof and being electrically connected to said second switch means at the other end thereof; wherein said motor includes: armature and field windings, first switch means by which said battery may selectively be electrically connected to said windings, a rectifier, second switch means by which a source of alternating current may selectively be electrically connected to one of said windings, and, means for selectively electrically connecting said armature winding to encircle either a minimum or a maximum electromagnetic flux passing through the armature, said means comprising: a rocker arm pivotable between first and second positions about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of said motor, an armature brush carried by said rocker arm adjacent one end thereof, said armature brush being configured to substantially conform to the outer circumference of and to pressurally engage the armature of said motor at a first predetermined angular position to thereby establish an electrical connection with the armature winding when said rocker arm is in said first position. an electrical contact carried by the other end of said rocker arm adjacent the other end thereof to pressurally engage the armature of said motor at a second predetermined angular position displaced angularly from said first angular position to establish an electrical connection with the armature winding when said rocker arm is in said second position, means for biasing said rocker arm to said first position, and means for overriding the biAs of said biasing means to position said rocker arm in said second position to thereby modify the angular position of the electrical connection of said armature winding, said overriding means being operable to expose said connector when overriding the bias of said bias means: wherein said controller circuit comprises: an electronic switch having a control terminal, a diode, circuit means connecting said battery, said electronic switch and said direct current motor in series and connecting said diode in parallel with said motor opposing the flow of direct current from said battery through said electronic switch, means for sensing the direct current flowing through said motor, and means operatively connected and responsive to said sensing means for controlling the frequency and duration of the conduction of said electronic switch; and, wherein said controller circuit passes sufficient current to said motor from said battery to substantially neutralize motor friction.

Claim 33

A rim adapter for a bicycle comprising a metal band provided with a number of generally L-shaped grooves opening to one edge thereof, each of said grooves being adapted to receive a spoke of one of the wheels of said bicycle immediately adjacent the rim in the closed end thereof to thereby secure said band to said rim, said band extending laterally beyond the tire of said rim at the other edge thereof and being configured to receive said belt.

Claim 34

A rim adapter for a bicycle comprising a metal band provided with a number of generally L-shaped grooves opening to one edge thereof, each of said grooves being adapted to receive a spoke of one of the wheels of said bicycle immediately adjacent the rim in the closed end thereof to thereby secure said band to said rim, said band extending laterally beyond the tire of said rim at the other edge thereof and being configured to receive said belt.