Other

Ford Motor Company Limited

William Henry Lee

Michael John Lee

Richard Joseph Hampo

David Lee Striker

Jerome J Gilels

A tow rack comprises a tongue releasably couplable to a towing vehicle and a beam assembly having a cradle for securing therein a tire of a towed vehicle. The beam assembly is couplable to the tongue and horizontally pivotable relative to the tongue. The beam assembly also comprises an anti-pivot mechanism to selectively prevent horizontal pivoting of the beam assembly relative to the tongue.

Tow rack

A control system for an electric powered vehicle provides substantially greater control and related features than the simple control systems known in the art. The control system can be utilized with any type of electric powered vehicle, such as bicycles, scooters, tricycles, four-wheeled vehicles, and the like. In a first embodiment of the invention, the control system estimates an amount of heat generated in the vehicle electric motor and assigns heat credits based on the relationship between the estimated motor heat and a predetermined heat level. The operation of the motor is then controlled in accordance with the available heat credits so as to prevent overheating of the motor. In a second embodiment of the invention, the control system monitors the current state of charge of the battery and presents that information to the rider. Since the battery voltage is affected by the load on the battery mostly due to the motor, the motor is periodically disconnected from the battery so that an unloaded battery voltage measurement can be made. In a third embodiment of the invention, the control system monitors the current operational state of the motor to detect a failure mode in which the full battery voltage is applied to the motor, potentially causing it to run away at full torque and full speed. When a failure mode is detected, the control system first attempts to shut off control signals to the motor. If this fails to stop the failure mode condition, the control system disconnects the battery from the motor by opening a fuse. In a fourth embodiment of the invention, the control system includes a cruise control feature that allows the electric powered vehicle to operate at a desired speed set by the rider. In a fifth embodiment of the invention, the control system controls operation of vehicle lights to accommodate variations in battery voltage. In a sixth embodiment of the invention, the control system controls operation of a horn so that it can also function to provide audible signals reflection operational conditions of the vehicle. In a seventh embodiment of the invention, the control system allows the vehicle to operate in a biofeedback mode to serve as an exercise or training device for the rider.

Control system for electric powered vehicle

A capacitive throttle position sensor includes an electrode board having at least three electrodes, a driver for selectively driving the electrodes, and a rotary member including a dielectric that provides capacitive path to an output electrode. Preferably, a logical driver provides incrementally sequenced charges to the driver electrodes. The output electrode is coupled to a signal processor that prepares the signal for comparison in a logical decoder with respect to an initiating driver electrode signal. Preferably, the phase difference between the output and input of the capacitive sensor provides an output signal which is not dependent upon the absolute capacitance of the element, and thus provides an output signal which can be adapted to a number of formats for motor vehicle control. Both two piece and three piece versions of the stationary and rotary parts are disclosed, and the capacitive gap may be axially or radially aligned between the stationary and rotary components.

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Watsonville, CA, United States of America

William Henry Lee