Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Jin Yoshizawa

Takashi Uchida

Kazuaki Hashimoto

Kazunori Kidera

Hideki Tamura

An electric bicycle includes: an electric motor; a storage unit in which control software for controlling the electric motor is stored; a control unit configured to run the control software stored in the storage unit; and a communication interface unit to which a piece of hardware is removably and communicably connected. The control unit is configured to run an other piece of software different from the control software to control the piece of hardware which is communicably connected to the communication interface unit. The other piece of software is installed in the storage unit. Each of the control software and the other piece of software communicates using a distributed-communication protocol.

Electric bicycle and built-in kitchen unit

A bicycle motorization device is attached to a bicycle. The motorization device includes: a calculation unit configured to calculate speed of the bicycle; an estimation unit configured to estimate pedal force applied to pedals of the bicycle; an electric motor; a battery which supplies electric power to the electric motor; and a control unit configured to apply auxiliary driving force to a wheel of the bicycle by driving the electric motor based on the speed calculated and the pedal force estimated.

Bicycle motorization device and wheel

A control device includes: an obtaining unit configured to obtain location information of an electric bicycle and operation information obtained by the vehicle; a calculation unit configured to generate environment information indicating an estimated travel environment of the electric bicycle based on the operation information; and a storage unit configured to store the location information and the environment information. The calculation unit is configured to generate an updated map by associating the location information with the environment information, and reflecting the location information and the environment information on a map.

Control device and map generation method

A power converterincludes a first conversion circuitconnected with a first winding nof a transformer, and a second conversion circuitconnected with a second winding nof the transformer. The first and second conversion circuitsandare configured to perform bidirectional power conversion. The power converter further includes a third conversion circuitthat is a circuit provided at a pre-stage of the first conversion circuitin a direction of transferring electric power toward the second conversion circuitfrom the first conversion circuit. The third conversion circuitis configured to perform bidirectional power conversion, and function as a boosting chopper circuit upon transferring electric power toward the second conversion circuitfrom the first conversion circuit

Power converter and power conditioner

In a discharging operation of a vehicle storage battery, a controller switches between a full-wave rectification operation of full-wave rectify a voltage across a second winding while maintaining a second short circuit in an open state, and a full-wave voltage doubling rectification operation of full-wave voltage doubling rectify a voltage across second winding while maintaining second short circuit in a closed state, based on magnitude relationship between DC voltage across first terminals and DC voltage across second terminals. In a charging operation, controller switches between a full-wave rectification operation of full-wave rectify a voltage across a first winding while maintaining a first short circuit in an open state, and a full-wave voltage doubling rectification operation of full-wave voltage doubling rectify a voltage across first winding while maintaining first short circuit in a closed state, based on magnitude relationship between DC voltage across first terminals and DC voltage across second terminals.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Jin Yoshizawa