Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha

Mikio Saito

Hiroaki Ogata

Masaki Ito

Toshiaki Yamada

Masaya Suenari

A hybrid-driven device includes an electric power storage device and a fuel cell. The hybrid-driven device can be a vehicle such as a motorcycle, scooter, watercraft, an automobile, and the like. The electric power storage device, such as a battery, and a fuel cell, can be formed into independent unitary modules, each having a controller. Each of the modules can be removably mounted as a unit to the vehicle. Additionally, each independent module can include sensors for detecting a state of the respective module. Each module can also include memory for storing data gathered by the sensors. The vehicle can also include a controller which controls the electrical power storage device and the fuel cell to provide smooth operation of the device.

Hybrid drive system

At Step Sb a duty factor, which was calculated at Step Sb on the basis of a data for a feed-back control, is compared with a limit value of the duty factor. If the duty factor is less than the limit value, a pulse for the PWM control is modulated to have the calculated duty factor at Step Sb If the duty factor is greater than the limit value, the pulse for the PWM control is modulated to have the duty factor of the limit value at Step Sb Accordingly, the duty factor provided for a current value instruction is not in excess of the limit value, so that the secondary battery is prevented from discharging overcurrent in excess of the limit current which can be discharged from the secondary battery. Accordingly, although the capacitance of the secondary battery is not large, the lifetime of the secondary battery is prevented from being shortened.

Overcurrent protection device

A number of embodiments of an electrically assisted manually powered bicycle that utilizes a control means whereby the operation of the electric power assist is curtailed when the battery voltage drops below a lower threshold value. Means are also provided to gradually reduce the electrical power assist prior to this so as to more smoothly transition to a nonpower assisted operation.

Growing community of inventors

Iwata, Japan

Mikio Saito