Piaggio&c. S.p.a.

Jury Cantini

Paolo Capozzella

Luca Carmignani

Walter Mariotti

Luca Nuti

Jeanpaul Milani

Roberto Bernardini

Alessio Sisi

Emiliano Guidi

A control system for an electrically-actuated, rideable saddle vehicle including an electric traction motor and a vehicle control system having two different speed acquisition systems. A first speed system includes a position sensor and controls power to the motor on a basis of a control signal, which is characteristic of torque selectively required by the electric motor. A second speed system includes Logic circuitry for estimating vehicle speed from estimated variations of a counter-electromotive force generated in the stator winding as a result of the rotor movement of the motor. The two systems allow optimizing control of the motor from both speed systems, or from that considered more reliable in a given operating condition, during operation of the vehicle. Illustratively, for low speeds, speed control may be based on sensor signals in the first speed system, while high speeds control may be based on the estimates from the logic system.

Control system of a rideable saddle vehicle provided with electric drive

An electric drive motorcycle (), comprises: a front portion comprising one or more front wheels () and a handlebar (); a rear portion comprising a saddle (), a shell body () arranged below said saddle (), and a rear wheel () arranged below said shell body (); an intermediate portion () extending as a connection between said front portion and said rear portion; an electric drive unit () connected to said rear wheel (); a power supply unit feeding said electric drive unit (); and a helmet carrying compartment () placed in the shell body () below the saddle (), wherein said power supply unit is arranged in a position below said helmet carrying compartment (), so that said saddle (), said helmet carrying compartment () and said power supply unit are substantially stacked on each other, being said helmet carrying compartment () and said power supply unit arranged inside the shell body (), wherein said supply unit comprises a battery unit () or a battery unit () and an electric motor/generator, wherein a control unit apt to control said drive unit () and said battery unit () is provided, said control unit comprising a case () arranged below the battery unit (), wherein a rear fork () jointed to the shell body () is provided, said rear fork comprising at least a fork arm () extending between said shell body () and said drive unit (), and wherein said rear fork () is placed beside and/or surrounds said case ().

Electric drive motorcycle

An electric drive motorcycle () allows a suitable configuration of all the components deputed to the electric supply of the motorcycle electric drive, and comprises: a front portion comprising one or more front wheels () and a handlebar (); a rear portion comprising a saddle (), a shell body () arranged below said saddle (), and a rear wheel () arranged below said shell body (); an intermediate portion () extending as a connection between said front portion and said rear portion; an electric drive unit () connected to said rear wheel (); and a hybrid supply unit supplying said electric drive unit (), comprising at least a battery unit () and a combustion engine () actuating an electric generator () apt to supply said battery unit () and/or said electric drive unit (), wherein said shell body () defines a housing space apt to receive at least said battery unit () and said combustion engine (), with the related electric generator (), placed side by side therebetween.

An electric drive motorcycle (), allows an effective arrangement of the battery unit thereof, optimizing the available space, and comprises: a front portion comprising one or more front wheels () and a handlebar (); a rear portion comprising a saddle (), a shell body () arranged below said saddle (), and a rear wheel () arranged below said shell body (); an intermediate portion () extending as a connection between said front portion and said rear portion; an electric drive unit () connected to said rear wheel by means of a transmission unit; and a power supply unit feeding said electric drive unit and comprising at least a battery unit (), wherein said battery unit () is shaped so as to have a polyhedral shape comprising at least a first side () tilted with respect to a vertical plane orthogonal to the front-rear direction of the motorcycle (), wherein the battery unit () occupies a position below a helmet carrying compartment () arranged below the saddle (), and wherein the battery unit () extending transversally from side to side in its own portion of a housing space existing in said shell body ().

An electric drive motorcycle () allows a suitable and effective cooling of the battery unit when the electric motor is operated, and comprises: a front portion comprising one or more front wheels () and a handlebar (); a rear portion comprising a saddle (), a shell body () arranged below said saddle (), and a rear wheel () arranged below said shell body (); an intermediate portion extending as a connection between said front portion and said rear portion; an electric drive unit () connected to said rear wheel (); and a hybrid supply unit supplying said electric drive unit (), comprising at least a battery unit () and a combustion engine () actuating an electric generator () apt to feed said battery unit () and/or said electric drive unit (), wherein the combustion engine () drives a cooling fan () arranged so that, when this is drawing a flow of cooling air through an inlet mouth (), such flow wets the battery unit (), before being drawn, wherein the combustion engine () comprises a crankshaft which is arranged transversally to said front-rear direction, said crankshaft having a first end keyed to an electric generator () arranged adjacent to the wall of the shell body (), and a second end thereto said cooling fan () is keyed, and wherein the sucking mouth () of the cooling fan () is faced towards the battery unit ().

An electric drive motorcycle () is competed with a filter box in the rear portion thereof, without limiting the space available for the batteries, comprises: a front portion comprising one or more front wheels and a handlebar; a rear portion comprising a saddle (), a shell body arranged below said saddle (), and a rear wheel arranged below said shell body; an intermediate portion extending as a connection between said front portion and said rear portion; an electric drive unit () connected to said rear wheel (); and a hybrid supply unit supplying said electric drive unit (), comprising at least a battery unit () and a combustion engine () actuating an electric generator (), said combustion engine () comprising an exhaust duct () with an expansion chamber () and a filter box () for feeding air to the combustion engine (), wherein said electric generator () is apt to supply said battery unit () and/or said electric drive unit, wherein, inside the shell body () and below the saddle (), a housing space is provided extending from one side to the other one of the shell body () and which receives the hybrid supply unit, in a first portion thereof, and wherein said filter box () and said exhaust duct () are arranged on the same side of the motorcycle.

An electric motor for starting internal combustion engines and a relative starting control system of such engine comprising said electric motor of the type with permanent magnets allows a more effective and simpler management of the internal combustion engine thereto the electric motor is connected, wherein a monitoring unit of the electric motor (EMU) and a monitoring unit of the internal combustion engine (ECU) are provided, wherein the electric motor comprises a direction sensor () providing a signal representing the rotation direction of the rotor () of the electric motor, which is connected to said monitoring unit of the internal combustion engine (ECU).

Permanent magnet electric motor for an internal combustion engine and related starting control system

A process for managing the re-start of an internal combustion engine in a Start and Stop system using an electric motor managed by an electric motor control unit (EMU), a first step of direct evaluation of the rotation regime of the crankshaft being provided by an internal combustion engine control unit (ECU) through a sensor put on the crankshaft: if the rotation regime is above a threshold corresponding to the sensor accuracy loss, in case of re-opening of the throttle valve said control unit of the combustion engine (ECU) continues to provide fuel and ignition; otherwise a crankshaft positioning step is provided by the electric motor control unit (EMU) comprising: a forward crankshaft rotation by a predetermined forward rotation angle; a detection of a possible piston stall state followed, in negative case, by an additional forward crankshaft rotation until reaching a maximum predetermined forward rotation angle; an inverse crankshaft rotation by a predetermined angle; and a detection of a possible piston stall state followed, in negative case, by an additional inverse crankshaft rotation until reaching a maximum predetermined inverse rotation angle.

Process for managing the re-start of an internal combustion engine in a start and stop system

A process for starting an internal combustion engine, providing the use of an electric motor acting on the driveshaft of the internal combustion engine, provides a positioning step, activated upon switching-off the engine, and a switching-on step, activated after a starting control, wherein said positioning step comprises: a forward rotation by a predetermined forward rotation angle; a detection of a possible stall state followed, in negative case, by an additional forward rotation until reaching a predetermined maximum forward rotation angle; an inverse rotation by a predetermined angle; and a detection of a possible stall state followed, in negative case, by an additional inverse rotation until reaching a predetermined maximum inverse rotation angle.

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Pontedera, Italy

Jury Cantini