ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE OF CANADA

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

Detailed Design Document (EEE455-DID-07)

for

Improving the Self-Sufficiency of an E-Bike

NCdt Ryan Ward-Hall OCdtBen Frans

Project /455/12/03

Supervisor: Dr. Mohammed Tarbouchi 15 March 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................... ii List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................ v List of Tables ........................................................................................................................................ vi 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. 1.2. 1.3. 1.4. 2. 3. Background ............................................................................................................................. 1 Aim Statement ........................................................................................................................ 2 Scope ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Document Overview ............................................................................................................... 2

Referenced documents ................................................................................................................... 3 Requirements .................................................................................................................................. 4 3.1. Functional Requirements ........................................................................................................ 4 Power Generation............................................................................................................ 4 Generation/Drive Switch................................................................................................. 4 Stationary Power Generation .......................................................................................... 4 Backup Braking System .................................................................................................. 4

3.1.1. 3.1.2. 3.1.3. 3.1.4. 3.2.

Design Requirements .............................................................................................................. 5 Prototyping ...................................................................................................................... 5 Data collection ................................................................................................................ 5

3.2.1. 3.2.2. 3.3.

Simulation Requirements........................................................................................................ 5 Computer simulation ....................................................................................................... 5 Laboratory Testing Platform ........................................................................................... 5

3.3.1. 3.3.2.

3.3.2.1.Controlled Environment Testing Platform ............................................................................. 5 3.3.2.2.Field Testing........................................................................................................................... 5 3.3.4.Schedule Restrictions ................................................................................................................ 5 4. 5. Architectural design ....................................................................................................................... 5 Detailed design ............................................................................................................................... 7 5.1. 5.2. 5.3. Overview ................................................................................................................................ 7 Limitations .............................................................................................................................. 7 Module Descriptions............................................................................................................... 7 Microcontroller Software ................................................................................................ 7 ii

5.3.1.

5.3.1.1. 5.3.1.2. 5.3.1.3. 5.3.2.

Control Signal.......................................................................................................... 7 Feedback .................................................................................................................. 7 Operating states ....................................................................................................... 8

Battery ............................................................................................................................. 8 BatteryDesign Specification and Constraints .......................................................... 8 BatteryDesign .......................................................................................................... 8

5.3.2.1. 5.3.2.2. 5.3.3.

DC-DC Converter Buck ............................................................................................... 8 DC-DC Converter - Buck Design Specification and Constraints............................ 8 DC-DC Converter Buck Design ........................................................................... 9 DC-DC Converter Boost Design Specification and Constraints ........................ 10 DC-DC Converter Boost Design ........................................................................ 10

5.3.3.1. 5.3.3.2. 5.3.4.

DC-DC Converter Boost ............................................................................................ 10

5.3.4.1. 5.3.4.2. 5.3.5.

Ultra-Capacitor.............................................................................................................. 12 Ultra-Capacitor Design and Specification and Constraints ................................... 12 Ultra-Capacitor Design.......................................................................................... 12

5.3.5.1. 5.3.5.2. 5.3.6.

High-Power DC-DC Converter ..................................................................................... 13 High-Power DC-DC Converter Design Specification and Constraints ................. 13 High-Power DC-DC Converter Design ................................................................. 14

5.3.6.1. 5.3.6.2. 5.3.7.

Brake Handle................................................................................................................. 16 Brake HandleDesign Specification and Constraints.............................................. 16

5.3.7.1. 5.3.8.

Motor and OTS E-Bike Controller................................................................................ 16 Motor Design Specification ................................................................................... 16 OTS E-Bike Controller Design Specification ....................................................... 16

5.3.8.1. 5.3.8.2. 5.4.

Interface Descriptions ........................................................................................................... 17 Charger Interface........................................................................................................... 17 Battery Bus ............................................................................................................ 17 Ultra-Capacitor Bus ............................................................................................... 17

5.4.1.

5.4.1.1. 5.4.1.2. 5.4.2.

High-Power DC-DC Converter ..................................................................................... 17 Ultra-Capacitor Bus ............................................................................................... 17 OTS E-Bike Controller Bus................................................................................... 17

5.4.2.1. 5.4.2.2. 5.4.3.

OTS E-Bike Controller ................................................................................................. 18 High-Power DC-DC Converter Bus ...................................................................... 18 iii

5.4.3.1.

5.4.3.2. 5.4.3.3. 5.4.3.4. 6. 7.

Regeneration Control Circuit Bus ......................................................................... 18 Motor Bus .............................................................................................................. 18 Battery Bus ............................................................................................................ 18

Equipment Identification .............................................................................................................. 18 Results .......................................................................................................................................... 19 7.1. Testing .................................................................................................................................. 19 Computer Simulation Test ............................................................................................ 19 Laboratory Testing ........................................................................................................ 19 Controlled Environment Testing ................................................................................... 20 Field Testing ................................................................................................................. 20

7.1.1. 7.1.2. 7.1.3. 7.1.4. 7.2.

Results .................................................................................................................................. 20 Boost Circuit Voltage Output ....................................................................................... 20 Discussion of Buck Circuit Results ....................................................................... 21

7.2.1.

7.2.1.1. 7.2.2.

Buck Circuit Output ...................................................................................................... 21 Discussion of Buck Circuit Results ....................................................................... 21

7.2.2.1. 8. 9. 10.

Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 21 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 22 Discussion................................................................................................................................. 22 Simulation Software ......................................................................................................... 22 Power circuit design .......................................................................................................... 22 DC-DC control circuitry ................................................................................................... 23 Isolation ............................................................................................................................ 23 Efficiency and Component Reuse ..................................................................................... 23 Trade-offs.......................................................................................................................... 23 High Power DC-DC Converter ..................................................................................... 23 Low Power DC-DC Converter ...................................................................................... 23 Microcontroller ............................................................................................................. 23

10.1. 10.2. 10.3. 10.4. 10.5. 10.6. 10.6.1. 10.6.2. 10.6.3. 11. 12.

Future Work.............................................................................................................................. 24 EnclUsures................................................................................................................................ 24

Appendix A Test Matrixes ................................................................................................................... 25 Appendix B Abbreivations .................................................................................................................. 26 iv

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1High Level Architectural Design .............................................................................................. 6 Figure 2Buck circuit .............................................................................................................................. 9 Figure 3 Boost circuit........................................................................................................................... 11 Figure 4 Internal Structureof the Ultra-Capacitor ................................................................................ 12 Figure 5a, 5b High-Power Boost Converter(Top), High Power Buck Converter (Bottom) ................ 15

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Ultra-Capacitor Data Specification ......................................................................................... 12 Table 2 Equipment Identification ........................................................................................................ 18 Table 3Test Matrix, Input Voltage vs Duty Cycle Testing on Boost Converter with Load of 3 Ohms .............................................................................................................................................................. 19 Table 4 Test Matrix, Input Voltage vs Duty Cycle Testing on Buck Converter with Load of 10 Ohms .............................................................................................................................................................. 25

vi

1.

INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background Electrical vehicles are increasing in popularity; there is a worldwide push for more sustainable sources of energy, there is an increased demand for alternatives to the automobile. Bicycles have always been a good alternative, but the effort required to bicycle every day as a commuter vehicle is inconvenient. Recently In-Hub BLDC motors have become practical as an upgrade to conventional bicycles. A modification system usually consists of three main components: The motor, Controller and Battery. Of the three, the battery is the most expensive and has the shortest lifecycle. This exact problem exists in all electrical vehicles. For electrical bicycles, hub motors also open up some interesting possibilities when it comes to getting back some of the energy that is wasted when cycling. Not only can braking power be converted to energy for locomotion, but human power can be used to charge a battery for use elsewhere. New controllers have the ability to take advantage of the reverse emf when the motor is acting like a generator when not driven by the battery i.e. when going downhill or braking. This regenerative function of the controller has an important drawback. Lead-Acid Batteries are severely limited when charging at a high rate, and discharging at a high rate also lowers the cycle life of a battery. Therefore, the controllers regenerative function cannot take full advantage of the power that is generated. This is because the chemical reaction makes it necessary that battery is charged at a low current (1A) over the course of over 2 hours. When using the hub motor as a generator in this way, the currents that are created can fluctuate wildly, anywhere from 1-40 Amps.The current capability of a lead-acid battery makes it necessary that the current is limited below 15 Amps to prevent damaging the charge life of the battery. Even so, this charges the battery very inefficiently, where 20% of this energy is actually stored. The kind of sporadic charging that is seen here needs to be smoothed out by a very large capacitor. A very large capacitor behaves much like a battery. An important difference is that the capacitors reaction is electrostatic rather than electrochemical which allows the capacitor to operate much like an ideal battery. A capacitor charged to 36Volts in the range of tens of Farads would also be able to deliver enough power to drive the motor for a few seconds. The boost that the capacitor provides will be able to take the stress off of the battery for initial acceleration of the vehicle. It is believes that a very large capacitor could be incorporated into the charging/discharging system with a lead acid battery to improve the efficiency of the lead acid battery, the most commonly available and inexpensive of batteries.

2 1.2. Aim Statement This project aims to modify the current power supply system used on most E-Bikes and replace it with another system which will improve the self-sufficiency of the E-Bike. There are four functions that are desired from this system: Power E-Bike from Ultra-CapacitorThe Ultra-Capacitor when charged to full capacity shall have the ability to accelerate the E-bike from a dead stop, until completely discharged Recharge Ultra-Capacitor from E-Bike regenerative braking The Hub motor, while acting as a generator, shall be able charge the Ultra-Capacitor to full capacity. Ultra-Capacitor and Battery working in tandemWhen the capacitor is discharged the battery will take over powering the bicycle. Trickle Charge Circuitry The Battery shall have the ability to charge the capacitor at a current of below 3A to allow the ultra-capacitor to have enough charge for the next acceleration from a standing start. This will occur when the trickle charge circuitry senses that the UltraCapacitor is below the required level to accelerate the E-Bike. The other portion of the trickle charge circuitry will occur during the regenerative phase of the E-Bike. During this phase if the Ultra-Capacitor has been fully charged it will engage this circuitry allowing the excess current to flow into the battery, charging it. 1.3. Scope The system to be designed is meant to be an add-on to the kind of E-bike systems that are available as a modification of a conventional pedal bike. The system does not alter the off the shelf (OTS) components that are part of the current system. Regenerative functions are already provided by the OTS controller; therefore the system to be designed must behave exactly as if it were a battery, able to handle the very large currents otherwise not practical with a lead acid battery. The Ultra-Capacitor consists of 6 series connected capacitors, and charge balancing is already provided, therefore can be treated as one unit. 1.4. Document Overview The purpose of this document is to explain the project design, the requirements and the results from testing the design. This document is broken down into multiple sections with each section detailing a different aspect of the project. The breakdown for the sections is as follows:

1: Introduction.This section is used to introduce the project and briefly explain the overall design, limitations, and aim of the project itself. 2: Referenced Documents.This section will have a list of all documents used in this project aswell as a description of each document.

3
3: Requirements.This section will define the requirements that the project needs to meet and be tested against. 4: Architectural Design.This section is used to present a high level view of our design as well as a description of the architecture used within this project. 5: Detailed Design.This section will provided a detailed description of the design used in this project. It will have a description of all modules, components, and interfaces used in this project 6: Equipment Identification.This section will have a list of all components designed and bought Off-the-Shelf(OTS) used for this project as well as a description and explanation of each component. 7: Results.This section will contain all the results obtained from testing the project as well as how it was tested. 8: Summary.This section will summarize the project as a whole and also contain an overview of the design, testing, and results of the project. 9: Conclusion.The conclusion will contain whether or not the project has fulfilled the requirements laid out in Section 3. 10: Discussion.This section will explain the issues, difficulties, and observations which occurred since the beginning of the project. 11: Future Work.This section will explain what other groups or companies will be able to do with our project as well as future projects would could come from continuing the project as a whole or by utilizing components of the project. 12: Enclosures.This section will contain all data sheets and product specifications which could not be placed into another section.

2. REFERENCED DOCUMENTS List of all documents referenced in this DDD. [1] Mazidi& Causey HCS12 Microcontroller And Embedded Systems Using Assembly and C with CodeWarrior 1st Edition http://www.microdigitaled.com/HCS12/Hardware/Dragon12/CodeWarrior/ This document provided a template for use of the PWM on the Dragon1 HCS12 prototyping board. [2] Application Note AN-978, http://www.irf.com/technical-info/appnotes/an-978.pdf

4 This document provided information and example application circuits on correctly connecting the Mosfet driver. [3] Dale Eagar AN73-1 LT1339 Design Manual Designing the Power Converter, February 1999 This document provided information and example application circuits on correctly connecting the Mosfet driver for the Linear Technologies LT1339 buck/boost chip [4] 12Volt Battery Specification The discharge rate vs. battery life graph was used to judge where the appropriate top charge and discharge rate of the lead acid battery would be. http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_the_lead_acid_battery [4] 25F/ 16.2V Ultra-Capacitor specification http://www.tecategroup.com/capacitors/datasheets/powerburst/PBL_16.2.pdf 3. REQUIREMENTS

3.1. Functional Requirements 3.1.1. Power Generation The motor must be able to, when acting as a generator, charge up the Ultra-Capacitor or Battery via regenerative breaking, freewheeling, or stationary human pedal input. 3.1.2. Generation/Drive Switch To allow for stationary power generation and experimentation, the system was designed with 3 switch settings so that the user would be able to choose when to engage the power generation or motoring. The user will also be able turn off the system completely 3.1.3. Stationary Power Generation There is a mechanical requirement that the bike will have the ability to raise the back wheel off the ground was added to increase the utility of the bike. In this case a battery can be charged, and then removed to do useful work elsewhere. This means that the operator must be able to manually apply motive power through pedal power. Therefore the system must be based on a conventional bicycle pedal system to be effective. 3.1.4. Backup Braking System For safety, conventional bicycle brakes were also included in the system. It was found that the E-Bike system could go to about 25 km/h on the flats, This was pushing the battery beyond the recommended specification. To be effective, our system must achieve this same speed, but without pushing the battery beyond its recommended discharge rate. An additional spec of 10 km/h on a 7% grade was added to test the system at varied loads.

5 3.2. Design Requirements 3.2.1. Prototyping The project cell shall first construct a simulation of the circuitry to ensure that the circuits will work in theory. After this initial build the project cell will build the circuits on breadboards to ensure that each circuit is realizable by the components which were ordered. Each circuit will be tested first to ensure the circuit is able to complete its required task, either boosting or bucking the voltage, at a lower level before moving up to the levels needed and testing the components to ensure they do not break. 3.2.2. Data collection The project cell shall collect data on the power output capability of a human being to be able to customize the power generation circuit for optimal performance. 3.3. Simulation Requirements 3.3.1. Computer simulation Project modules will be simulated using the LTSpice circuit simulation software before implementation. 3.3.2. Laboratory Testing Platform The motor will be initially tested in a lab under the following conditions:with the motor mounted on a frame using laboratory power sourcesin normal room temperature (18-25oC) 3.3.2.1.Controlled Environment Testing Platform This phase of testing will implement the bike under the following conditions. The motor will mounted on a frame tested under load (200 lb operator) outdoors in a paved parking lot in lower ambient temperature (5-15oC) 3.3.2.2.Field Testing The system will be tested in real-world conditions outdoors. These tests will include the following performance tests and data collection speed test at various grades, charging of battery, battery capacity, human power generation, freewheeling power generation Varying weights and load analysis. 3.3.4.Schedule Restrictions Our schedule has been slightly modified because of reasons beyond our control, specifically knowledge gaps existed between the implementation of the circuit that was originally planned and reality. 4. ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN The first blocks which will be explained for the architectural design will be the Power Sources, as seen in Figure 1. In this block will be the different means by which power is able to be generated for use by the bike or to charge the Ultra-Capacitor or battery. The Ultra-

6 Capacitor is a 16 V power source which will be used to power the E-Bike by being boosted up to the required voltage via the Boost Circuitry, pass through the E-Bike Controller to drive the motor. The Battery will be used to take the load once the bike has reached its cruising speed and will pass from the E-Bike controller to the motor to drive the E-Bike. The Pedals/Gravity portion of the Power Sources block is for when the user switches the bike into power generation mode and either being to pedal or freewheel down a decline to drive the generator and charge, through the E-Bike controller and Buck Circuit, the Ultra-Capacitor. The Boost Circuit in Figure 1 is there to boost the voltage coming from the UltraCapacitor(16 V), and bring it up to 36V. It will then have this voltage go through the E-Bike controller to drive the motor. The Buck Circuit will be used to take the regenerative forces, either breaking, stationary pedaling, or freewheeling, and convert the 36 volts down to 16 volts to charge the UltraCapacitor. The E-Bike controller is a commercially available controller which will handle the computations needed by the E-Bike motor. The E-Bike controller will be able to use the voltage coming from the external power sources to drive the motor. It will also be able to take the regenerative forces coming from the motor acting as a generator and send it to charge the Ultra-Capacitor.

Figure 1High Level Architectural Design

7 5. DETAILED DESIGN

5.1. Overview In this project the power supply system was redesigned to improve the self-sufficiency of the system as a whole. The battery was altered to include an ultra-capacitor in parallel with it to better allow for the regenerative power coming from the motor to be used. The system was designed so that the regenerative power could be down-converted through the DC-DC converter to be able to be used by the ultra-capacitor. When the ultra-capacitor is fully charged it will begin charging the battery through the charger circuit. The other reason for the ultra-capacitor being added in parallel to the battery is that it has high power density in comparison and so is able to accelerate the motor much faster than the battery, making it more efficient. The battery will be used to power the motor once the E-Bike has achieved a cruising speed or the ultra-capacitor has dropped below a certain voltage and will then trickle-charge the ultra-capacitor at the same time as powering the motor. 5.2. Limitations The main feature on the project which will limit how affective the project will be is using the microcontroller to create the Pulse-Width-Modulation (PWM), reading the output voltage of the converters, and using it for the Single-Pull-Double-Throw (SPDT) circuit. After extensive research with regards to using the microcontroller for these features it was decided that though the microcontroller is a good tool to learn how each of these modules work; in practice the microcontroller limits the effectiveness of the circuits being built and will produce more errors then readily available integrated solutions. Another limitation for the project will be the ability to create prototypes for the converters. The bread-boards which are available for the use of this project are unable to handle the currents needed to properly test the converters. This limits the project testing which can be completed before the final circuits are to be built and so there will be uncertainty as to what each circuit is able to handle. 5.3. Module Descriptions 5.3.1. Microcontroller Software

5.3.1.1. Control Signal The programming of the microcontroller is written and debugged on freescale Codewarrior. The microcontroller uses PWM as the control signal for the buck and boost circuitry. 5.3.1.2. Feedback The DC-DC controller voltage is expressed as a PWM signal and fed back to the microcontroller, which adjusts the duty cycle of the PWM control signal to raise or lower the voltage.

8 5.3.1.3. Operating states A port on the Controller senses the output of the SPDT (Brake Handle) switch. The controller can then adjust its control signal for DC-DC conversion in charging or discharging states. 5.3.2. Battery

5.3.2.1. BatteryDesign Specification and Constraints The battery will be used to provide power to the motor after the ultra-capacitor has brought the motor past the acceleration phase, it will provide the power needed to the motor through the OTS E-Bike controller. The battery will also have direct contact with the charger circuit to be able to trickle-charge the ultra-capacitor or charge itself from the ultra-capacitor once the ultra-capacitor has reached maximum capacity during the regeneration phase. 5.3.2.2. BatteryDesign 5.3.2.2.1. Internal Structure of the Battery The battery used for this project is a common AGM lead-acid battery which has a large charge time and low power density compared to the ultra-capacitor used in this project. The battery is limited to a current of 7.5 amps and therefore unable to take the regenerative power generated by the motor acting as a generator. 5.3.2.2.2. Interrupts and Signals The signals which the battery will interact with are the output from the battery itself and the charge coming from the charge circuitry. The output signal from the battery will be a constant 36 volt signal which will be provided to the battery and the charge circuit to charge the ultra-capacitor. The other signal it will see, the charge signal, will be a 36 volt input coming from the ultra-capacitor once the ultra-capacitor has been fully charged through the regenerative cycle. 5.3.2.2.3. Description of Operation The battery will operate by supplying a 36 volt signal through the OTS E-Bike controller to the motor once the ultra-capacitor has brought the motor past the acceleration phase. The battery will also interact with the charge circuit, more specifically the DC-DC converter buck, at this time to also trickle-charge the ultra-capacitor while powering the motor. The battery will also interact with the charge circuit, more specifically the DC-DC converter boost, to be charged by the ultra-capacitor once the ultra-capacitor has reached its maximum storage capacity during the regeneration phase. 5.3.3. DC-DC Converter Buck

5.3.3.1. DC-DC Converter - Buck Design Specification and Constraints This component has been designed to convert the voltage coming from the battery, 36 Volts, to 16 Volts so that it can trickle-charge the ultra-capacitor. The buck circuit is one of the two components which are part of the charger circuit in Figure 1. This converter is limited to 16

9 Volts as this is the rated voltage for the ultra-capacitor and going over this voltage will damage it. 5.3.3.2. DC-DC Converter Buck Design 5.3.3.2.1. InternalStructure of the DC-DC Converter Buck

Figure 2Buck circuit

5.3.3.2.2. Interrupts and Signals This converter will take a 36 volt input signal and it will down-convert this signal to a 16 volt output. It will ensure that it stays at a 16 volt output by using a micro-controller to regulate the Pulse-Width-Modulation(PWM) going to the mosfet which will regulate the voltage. 5.3.3.2.3. Description of Operation This module will interact with three other components while it is operating. The first component it will interact with will be the battery. The DC-DC converter Buck will take the 36 volts coming from the batter and down-convert it to 16 volts so that the ultra-capacitor is able to be charged. The way it down-converts the voltage is by making the voltage from the battery go through a mosfet which will regulate the voltage allowed into the circuit via a PWM sent from the micro-controller. After this it will pass through an inductor and capacitor which will regulate the peak-to-peak voltage and current levels which will pass through the ultra-capacitor at the output.

10 5.3.3.2.4. ErrorHandling The main error that will arise with the buck converter will have to detect and fix will be ensuring the output voltage of the converter will remain around 16 volts without surpassing this level. It will regulate the voltage output by having the micro-controller read the current voltage output and either increase or decrease the PWM sent to the mosfet depending on the output. 5.3.3.2.5. Limitations The Buck Circuit must be designed carefully, with as close to the rated 16.2V as possible, since the ultra-capacitors rated voltage of 16.2VDC continuous cannot be exceeded. On the other hand, a voltage which is slightly lower does not fully utilize the ultra-capacitors boosting power. 5.3.4. DC-DC Converter Boost

5.3.4.1. DC-DC Converter Boost Design Specification and Constraints This component has been designed to converter the 16 volt input from the ultra-capacitor to a 36 volt output to charge the battery when the ultra-capacitor has been fully charged. The boost circuit is the second of the two components which are part of the charger circuit in Figure 1. The main constraint is that this converter cannot surpass the rated voltage for the batteries(36 volts) as this will cause damage to the batteries. 5.3.4.2. DC-DC Converter Boost Design 5.3.4.2.1. Internal Structure of the DC-DC Converter Boost Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the boost circuit. A square wave generator is used to represent the control signal to the power mosfet. Three inductors are assembled in parallell since this lowers the resistance and increases the ability of the circuit to handle higher currents. A load of 3 ohms was chosen to represent the 500W, 36v motor at full load.

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Figure 3 Boost circuit

5.3.4.2.2. Interrupts and Signals This converter will take a 16 volt input signal and it will boost this signal to a 36 volt output. It will ensure that it stays at a 36 volt output by using a micro-controller to regulate the PWM going to the mosfet which will regulate the voltage through the circuit. 5.3.4.2.3. Description of Operation This module will interact with three other components while it is operating. The first component it will interact with will be the ultra-capacitor. The DC-DC converter boost will take the 16 volts coming from the ultra-capacitor and boost the signal to 36 volts so that the battery is able to be charged. It will do this by putting the voltage signal from the ultracapacitor first through an inductor and capacitor so that the peak-to-peak voltage and current can be regulated and partially boosted before passing through the mosfet. When it passes through the mosfet the micro-controller will send a PWM to the mosfet to ensure the output of the converter stays at 36 volts. The micro-controller will alter its PWM to ensure a proper output is maintained. 5.3.4.2.4. Error Handling The main error which will be present with this component will be ensuring that the circuit is able to maintain a 36 volt output. This component will ensure that the required output is maintained by having the micro-controller read the current voltage output of the circuit and adjust the PWM to the mosfet accordingly to increase or decrease the voltage output. 5.3.4.2.5. Limitations The current at the low voltage side of the boost circuit must be very high, this current is not a problem for the ultra-capacitor, but the surrounding circuitry must be re-enforced with higher gauge wire for transmission, and resistances of all the components involved must be very low to keep from dissipating very much power.

12 5.3.5. Ultra-Capacitor

5.3.5.1. Ultra-Capacitor Design and Specification and Constraints The ultra-capacitor module is essentially a bank of Maxwell powerboost capacitors assembled with charge balance circuitry by tecate group(trademarked). The capacitor has stable operating specifications from -40 to +65 degrees Celsius.
Table 1 Ultra-Capacitor Data Specification

Item Rated Voltage Surge Voltage Capacitance Internal resistance DC Life

Performance 16.2VDC 17.1VDC 25 Farads .01 ohm 500k cycles or 10 yrs

+-20% +-50%

5.3.5.2. Ultra-Capacitor Design 5.3.5.2.1. Internal Structure of the Ultra-Capacitor

Figure 4 Internal Structureof the Ultra-Capacitor

In contrast to conventional capacitor designs, which create an electrostatic field between two flat plates, the ultra-capacitor utilizes a very rough and porous surface to store charge. This effectively increases surface area of the negative and positively charged regions, enabling increased capacitance.

5.3.5.2.2. Expected Capacitor Charging/Discharge Times The ultra-capacitor is expected to be able to discharge completely over the course of about 5 seconds while accelerating and to be able to charge in a similar amount of time, This cycle is

13 expected to occur sporadically every minute or however long it takes until a stoplight is encountered in normal commuter traffic. 5.3.5.2.3. Description of Operation 5.3.5.2.3.1.Charging Charge is provided to the ultra-capacitor while operating in two separate states. Either the capacitor is being charged by the battery or the capacitor is being charged by regenerative braking. In trickle charging mode, the battery voltage is DC-DC converted and the current is limited to provide a constant power charging to allow the ultra-capacitor to be charged over some time without overtaxing the battery. In regenerative braking mode, the capacitor is charged by the DC-DC converted voltage from the bicycle hub motor acting as a generator. 5.3.5.2.3.2.Discharging Like charging, the discharging ultra-capacitor operates in two separate states. The ultracapacitor charges the battery or provides power to the controller through boost circuitry. The ultra-capacitor will provide a power boost to the motor when starting from a stop, or in transit when the capacitor has been charged by the battery. In both cases the voltage from the ultra-capacitor is regulated through smps circuitry. The ultra-capacitor may be put into a state where it charges the battery. This may be desired when using the bike in a stationary mode of operation, where the sole purpose is to charge the battery, or when the ultra-capacitor is charged, but the bike is no longer being used (as when arriving at the users destination.) 5.3.5.2.4. Error-Handling The controller is a changing load; therefore the voltage must be regulated. The level of the voltage is regulated by taking the current level, putting it through an ADC

5.3.6.

High-Power DC-DC Converter

5.3.6.1. High-Power DC-DC Converter Design Specification and Constraints The high-power DC-DC converter will be used in two parts in this project. First it will be used to boost the 16 volts coming from the ultra-capacitor and boost it to 36 volts so that the motor is able to use this affectively. Secondly it will be used to down-convert the 36 volts coming from the motor during regeneration phase to 16 volts so that it can charge the ultracapacitor. This converter is considered different from the previous converters as it will be dealing with a higher current flow through the entire system and will need a larger heat sync to ensure the circuit does not break. This converter must be able to handle a minimum of 15

14 amps as this is the expected current flow to and from the motor which the controller can safely 1` 5.3.6.2. High-Power DC-DC Converter Design 5.3.6.2.1. Interrupts and Signals The high-power DC-DC converter will be interacting with the input voltages coming from either the OTS E-Bike controller or ultra-capacitor, the output signal which it will produce, and also the PWM from a micro-controller passing through the HSLS driver which will help to regulate the voltages. The converter will have to regulate its output signals depending on which way power is flowing. If it is outputting towards the controller side then it will need to keep a constant voltage of 36 volts. This voltage will be kept regulated by the features present in the HSLS driver which will keep the output voltage coming from the driver at the same level. It will do this by altering the PWM coming into it from the microcontroller once it is in the HSLS driver to increase or decrease the output voltage. If it the converter is outputting towards the ultra-capacitor it will need to keeps an output voltage of no more than 16 volts using the same system. 5.3.6.2.2. Description of Operation The high-power DC-DC converters are shown in figure 5 will operate by either boosting or down-converting the voltage coming into the converter so that it can be used to either power the motor or charge the ultra-capacitor. If the input into the converter is the ultra-capacitor then the converter will take the 16 volts from the ultra-capacitor and boost it to 36 volts. It will do this in the same way that the previous boost converter does, reference 5.3.3., except that this converter will be dealing with higher current and the driver will be regulated by the LT1339 chip driver instead of the microcontroller. Refer to 5.3.6.2.1. (LT1339 Design Guide) for how the LT1339 driver is able to regulate the voltage output. Both the Buck and Boost circuit are based on a typical application circuit from the LT1339 design guide. Important modifications and components to note are that the voltage divider of R1 and R2 choose the output voltage. Both circuits contain a 0.002 ohm sensing resistor which converts the high current to a voltage for detection and regulation of the LT1339. Feedback is taken care of by the chip, and gate driving is done with the help of a 1uF capacitor to enable the boost output to hold the voltage at a higher level than the input and drive the high side N-channel mosfet gate.

15

5a

5b
Figure 5a, 5b High-Power Boost Converter(Top), High Power Buck Converter (Bottom)

16 If the input of the converter is coming from the motor during the regeneration phase of the EBike then the converter will be operation similar to the DC-DC- buck converter previously discussed, reference 5.3.2.. During this time the converter will take the 36 volts coming from the motor and down-converting it to 16 volts, ensuring that the voltage does not go past 16 volts as this has the potential to damage the ultra-capacitor. 5.3.6.2.3. Error-Handling The error-handling of the high-power DC-DC converter will be done primarily through the HSLS driver. This driver automatically regulates the voltages which are outputted from the driver as well as the PWM which is coming to it from the microcontroller. The HSLS driver will also alter the PWM which is inputted into it to try and keep the voltage output at the same level as it started. This way the high-power DC-DC converter will have a more reliable error-handling process then the other converters will be using. This is in place as the amperage used for this converter is much more dangerous and the project cell does not want injure the user or severely damage the components used. 5.3.7. Brake Handle 5.3.7.1. Brake HandleDesign Specification and Constraints The brake handle provides a means to enable the regenerative braking function. The brake handle contains a switch that is used to activate a relay to switch between charging and discharging modes, this is accomplished by a SPDT switch. This brake handle was chosen to be the switch to change between discharging and charging modes as this brake handle has already been designed to work with the OTS E-Bike controller used in this project. 5.3.8. Motor and OTS E-Bike Controller 5.3.8.1. Motor Design Specification The motor used for this project is a 500 Watt motor which takes a 36 Volt three-phase input to make the motor work. This motor can only take a three-phase input meaning that all voltages and currents which are being sent to power the motor must first be converted from single-phase to three-phase via the OTS E-Bike controller. This motor was chosen for the project as it does not require as much power to run the E-Bike and therefore it would be easier to design the power system required to run the motor. 5.3.8.2. OTS E-Bike Controller Design Specification The OTS E-Bike controller was purchased for use on this project for the ease of use in the system as a whole. This controller does all the conversions needed to convert the singlephase voltages coming from the power supply and converting it to three-phase voltage so that the motor is able to use it. The controller also does all the computations for the motors threephases to keep the motor running when the user wants the E-Bike to move.

17 5.4. Interface Descriptions 5.4.1. Charger Interface

5.4.1.1. Battery Bus The battery interacts with the charger module in two ways. One way it interacts is by supplying 36 volts to the charger so that the charger can down-convert it to 16 volts via the DC-DC converter-buck sub-module. The purpose behind this interaction is so that the ultracapacitor can be charged by the battery after the battery takes over powering the motor. Secondly the battery will interact with the charger module by receiving the boosted voltage, via the DC-DC converter-boost sub-module, from the ultra-capacitor during the regeneration phase once the ultra-capacitor has been fully charged. 5.4.1.2. Ultra-Capacitor Bus The ultra-capacitor interacts with the charger module in two ways. One way it interacts with the charger module is by supplying 16 volts to the charger circuit to be boosted to 36 volts via the DC-DC converter-boost sub-module to recharge the battery once the ultra-capacitor has been fully charged. Secondly it will interact with the charger module by receiving the 16 volt down-converted voltage from the battery via the DC-DC converter- buck sub-module. This interaction will occur once the battery has taken over powering the motor. 5.4.2. High-Power DC-DC Converter

5.4.2.1. Ultra-Capacitor Bus The ultra-capacitor will interact with the high-power DC-DC converter during two phases. In the first phase it will interact with the converter by supplying 16 volts to be boosted to 36 volts to power the motor. This phase will be the acceleration phase of the motor and will also be requiring a large amount of current through the system. During the second phase, the regeneration phase, it will interact with the converter by taking the voltage generated by the motor during this phase and down-converting it to 16 volts to charge the ultra-capacitor. During this phase there will be a large current flow with the possibility of currents reaching in excess of 20 amps. 5.4.2.2. OTS E-Bike Controller Bus The OTS E-Bike controller will interact with the high-power DC-DC converter during two phases. In the first phase it will interact with the converter by taking the boosted 36 volts received from the ultra-capacitor and converting it to a three-phase voltage before sending this voltage to power the motor. During the second phase of the interaction the OTS E-Bike controller will convert the voltage and current coming from the motor during the regeneration phase from three-phase to single phase so that the ultra-capacitor may be able to use it. After the controller has finished converting the voltage and current to single phase the voltage will be passed through the high-powered DC-DC converter and down-converted to 16 volts to charge the ultra-capacitor.

18 5.4.3. OTS E-Bike Controller

5.4.3.1. High-Power DC-DC Converter Bus Refer to 4.4.2.2. 5.4.3.2. Regeneration Control Circuit Bus The regeneration control circuit will interact with the E-Bike controller by sending a signal to the controller to initialize the regeneration phase of the motor. It will do this by the user pressing the break handle which will send the correct signal to the E-Bike controller. This signal will allow the motor to turn into a generator and use its current momentum to generate power which will recharge the ultra-capacitor. 5.4.3.3. Motor Bus The motor bus interacts with the E-Bike controller in two ways. One way the motor interacts with the controller is by having the voltage needed to power the motor sent to the controller and having the controller convert the original single-phase voltage to three-phase voltage. Once this conversion has been done the motor is then able to use this voltage and will be able to move the E-Bike. The second way that the motor interacts with the controller is during the regeneration phase of the E-Bike. During this phase the motor will begin to generate power which will then flow through the controller where it will be converted from three-phase to single-phase. After this conversion the voltage will be passed on to the high-powered DC-DC converter to boost the voltage and then it will charge the ultra-capacitor. 5.4.3.4. Battery Bus The battery will interact with the E-Bike controller by supplying it with voltage once the acceleration phase of the motor has been completed. The controller will then convert the voltage supplied by the battery and convert it from single-phase to three-phase to power the motor. 6. EQUIPMENT IDENTIFICATION
Table 2 Equipment Identification

Developed Items

Model/Part # Battery Tray DC-DC Converter Buck DC-DC Converter Boost High-Power DC-DC Converter Driver Circuitry SPDT Switching Circuit 140uH/20A Inductors Off-The-Shelf Items LTSpice E-Bike Controller GoldenMotor 36V/BAC 281 Hub Motor GoldenMotor MagicPie 36 V

Arrival Date 20 Oct 2011

20 Feb 2012 In Stock In Stock In Stock

19 Battery Freescale CodeWarrior Ultra-Capacitor Opto-coupler Capacitor Inductors Diodes High-Side Low-Side Driver Mosfets Support Equipment Lab Test Equipment 12V 7.5Ah x3 TecatePowerburst/PBL-25/16.2 4N33 PLV1H680MDL1TD 68uF/50V 1130-331K-RC-ND SR202-TP 2A/20V IR2110-2PBF IRFU4104PBF-ND 40V/42 A In Stock In Stock 15 Nov 2011 30 Jan 2012 30 Jan 2012 30 Jan 2012 10 Feb 2012 10 Feb 2012 20 Feb 2012 In Stock

7.

RESULTS

7.1. Testing 7.1.1. Computer Simulation Test The first phase of testing for the project was conducted using the LTSpice software. Using this software the converters being built for the project were tested using the parts data which would be used in the project. For this phase of testing each converter will be tested by changing the input voltage and varying the duty cycle with different sized loads. The reasoning behind these testing parameters is so that the desired output can be more easily achieved with the least amount of disturbances being seen through the system as the input voltage decreases. If the correct load can be found to allow for minimal amount of adjustments to the PWM then the circuitry will rely less on the microcontroller which is intended to reduce the amount of errors produced. An example test matrix is show in Table 3 which shows test results of the output voltage for the boost converter when the duty cycle is varied with the input voltage at a load of 3 Ohms. The other test matrixes used can be found in Appendix A.
Table 3Test Matrix, Input Voltage vs Duty Cycle Testing on Boost Converter with Load of 3 Ohms

Voltage Input(V) 16 14 12 10

10 16.7 14.5 12.6 10.3

20 18.7 16.8 13.9 11.5

30 20.9 18.4 15.9 12.9

40 24.4 21.4 17.9 14.8

Duty Cycle (%) 50 60 70 28.5 35.4 45.9 25.2 31.3 40.8 22.5 26.9 35.1 17..6 22.1 29.4

80 62.8 55.4 47.6 39.7

90 87.5 77.1 66.4 55.5

100 40 36.5 36 30

7.1.2. Laboratory Testing The testing conducted in the lab began by building each circuit and ensuring that each circuit can either boost or buck the voltage going through it. Once this initial testing was completed the voltage and current going through the system was increased until it reached the levels

20 which will be used in the final design of the project. During this phase where the voltage and current was being increased the circuit was also tested to ensure that each component used can handle the current flowing through it without breaking; needless to say there were many mosfets which were broken at first. During this phase of testing the micro controller isolation circuitry was tested to ensure the microcontroller did not interact with the large voltages being used on each circuit. The purpose behind testing both of these circuit first of the breadboards before building the entire circuit together were to ensure that each component first acted as it should, and secondly to ensure that these circuits could interact together effectively without any problems developing. 7.1.3. Controlled Environment Testing This testing will be conducted in the laboratory to ensure that it is as controlled as possible in case of critical system failure. This testing will involve having the fully built boost and buck circuits tested with the E-Bike on a bike stand. This testing will be primarily to demonstrate that that circuitry designed is able to function with the E-Bike system as the project cell intended. It will also allow the project cell to attempt to put all the components together as one cohesive unit and ensure each component works as it should when hooked into the system as a whole. 7.1.4. Field Testing The field testing portion will involve testing the E-Bike on the road with a rider on it. This testing will be used to prove that the entire circuit is working together as it should and that the E-Bike, with the re-designed power system, is able to move under load of a user. This testing will be completed on a variety of inclines to fully test the system as a whole. During this testing the charging capabilities of the Ultra-Capacitor using the regenerative breaking will be fully tested to ensure that the Ultra-Capacitor is able to be recharged enough to provide the next phase of acceleration. This phase will also test the acceleration of the E-Bike using the Ultra-Capacitor will be obtained and compared with the acceleration of using only the battery to accelerate. The final portion of this testing will be to have the user ride the EBike for an extended period of time with the re-designed power system and compare it to the results obtained from using a normal battery. At this point the project cell will be able to compare the two tests and be able to conclusively decide whether this project was a success or not. 7.2. Results 7.2.1. Boost Circuit Voltage Output

Test results of the high power boost circuit indicate that the boost circuit operating at 6kHz was able to convert the voltage of the Ultra-Capacitor to 33.0-38.7 volts with an input voltage range of 1V-16V. The circuit typically fully discharges the Ultra-Capacitor in 1.5- 2.5 seconds. The maximum Current observed during discharge was 10Amps at 35V, this gives 350W output peak observed. This boost is enough to accelerate the Hub motor to a speed of

21 about 10 km/h when attached to a stationary bicycle. A road test with a load of a 200lb individual was not conducted due to time constraints. 7.2.1.1. Discussion of Buck Circuit Results Although 350W peak power was observed, preliminary results indicated that currents even closer to the desired 13 amps could be achieved. The higher performance results were obtained before two diodes were added to the 16V and 36V terminals of the buck circuit. These high power diodes were added to prevent regenerative power from accidentally feeding into the 36V output. It is believed that these diodes contributed to about 1V drop in voltage available from the Ultra-Capacitor. Since more energy is stored when at the higher voltage level of the Ultra-Capacitor, losing 1V from a fully charged Ultra-Capacitor was detrimental to the overall performance of the buck circuit in exchange for some safety.

7.2.2. Buck Circuit Output Initial test results of the high power buck circuit showed that the circuit has 8.61V at the output. When connected to the E-Bike controller, the buck circuit was able to charge the Ultra-Capacitor to the desired 15.5 Volts. At this point excessive back emf was encountered. Currents during charging were not stable, ranging from 5-7A for a leisurely pace, up to 20A when exerting about a (qualitative) 70% effort. Buffeting was experienced when spikes of over 30A were observed. 7.2.2.1. Discussion of Buck Circuit Results It was originally believed that the controller would simply disable it's regen function when a charged state was achieved, just as it does for a battery, yet the controller continues to attempt to regen. The method that the controller uses to detect a battery attached to its terminals is not well understood and would have to be further investigated, though the controller is rated to 30A, therefore the buffeting of the motor that was experienced may have been due to some current limiting by the controller.

8. SUMMARY In this project the four aims of the project were as follows: To be able to power the E-Bike using only the Ultra-Capacitor; to be able to recharge the Ultra-Capacitor using the E-Bike regenerative means; to have the Ultra-Capacitor and battery work together to be able to power the E-Bike during different phases; and to create trickle charge circuitry to be able to recharge either the Ultra-Capacitor or the battery depending on the state the E-Bike is in currently. The project cell was able to successfully create the first two objectives of this project. The project cell was able to successfully power the E-Bike using the Ultra-Capacitor by using the high-power boost circuitry to convert the 16V to 36V. The Ultra-Capacitor was also able to be recharged via the motor acting as a generator in its regenerative states by

22 passing this voltage through the buck circuitry bringing the voltage from 36V to 16V. Both of these circuits were successfully tested in simulation and as a full build to be used with the EBike. 9. CONCLUSION Overall this project has been a success. The main objective of this project was to improve the self-sufficiency of the E-Bike by using the regenerative means already present on the E-Bike. With the circuitry designed the concept that the Ultra-Capacitor is able to provide enough power to drive the E-Bike as well be able quickly charges itself via the regenerative functions on the E-Bike. Although not all the objectives were able to be completed, as the circuitry required to power the E-Bike using the Ultra-Capacitor was successfully tested the main focus of this project was a success. With the incorporation of the Ultra-Capacitor into the design, the power loss on the system is greatly reduced as the capacitor is able to take the current being generated by the hub-motor, acting as generator, during the regeneration phase (higher then 10A). This demonstrates that Ultra-Capacitors provide a reliable, safe, and promising solution for instantaneous power and instantaneous regeneration via the regenerative breaking. These principles could be applied to solving similar problems on future electric vehicle systems. 10. DISCUSSION

10.1. Simulation Software The simulation software that was initially selected for schematic capture and circuit simulation was NI Multisim. Although this software is based on the Spice language, problems were encountered with errors in the simulation. This problem led to changing the simulation software that we used to LTSpice, which had an equally user friendly interface minus the simulation errors. LTSpice provides a large database of actual components from many other companies besides the manufacturer of the software: Linear Technologies. 10.2. Power circuit design Difficulties were encountered when attempting to simulate circuits with power that could exceed the ratings of some of the devices whether due to improper connections or excess heat. As circuits became more power hungry, heat became an issue. As power capabilities of the equipment were exceed, there need to move to more robust testing equipment, and prototyping boards. Moving the circuits to a higher power level slowed the process, since the prototypes needed to be soldered directly to prevent arcing and undue heat stress. When finally testing the power circuits, it was found that the circuits worked inefficiently during an open load test, yet they worked well at the very low resistances that we were expecting. This is because the power circuits are designed to have current sensing elements that will only work under high current conditions.

23 10.3. DC-DC control circuitry The biggest gap in knowledge existed in the design and the implementation of the control circuitry. The design of whole subsections of the control circuitry was learned on the fly. The circuitry needed to bias a high side mosfet for the buck converter was much more complex than originally expected. This required that we choose and learn how to properly set up and design a circuit using a gate Driver IC and DC-DC controller IC chips. 10.4. Isolation The design of the isolation circuitry was not foreseen in the design, as envisioned by the project cell, though this did not preclude their necessity. Opto-coupled isolation was used for the isolation. It was found that opto-couplers do not provide the kind of linear response that was desired; therefore it was necessary that the voltage levels be expressed in a pulse-width modulation scheme. 10.5. Efficiency and Component Reuse The design as originally envisioned was to take advantage of the split-pi topology of DC-DC converter. This topology theoretically had very high efficiency (over 97%), can transfer power in both directions, and maximizes the use of large inductors and capacitors. The disadvantage of this design is that the control circuitry and the control signals are very complex. After attempting some designs using this topology, it was determined that the boost and buck circuits that we needed could be implemented more simply through separate individual circuits for each direction of power transfer that was required. 10.6. Trade-offs

10.6.1. High Power DC-DC Converter When Boosting the voltage held in the capacitor, we ideally wanted to have a wide input range; As the capacitor drains, from 16V to Zero, we wish the output to stay around 36 Volts, and 10Amps. The boost is made possible by an increased current from the source on the lower voltage side. Although the current of the ultra-capacitor could theoretically be infinity, the actual conductors could not handle the high currents needed. Therefore we must limit the current and have a lower limit on the ultra-capacitor voltage; therefore we are not able to discharge the capacitor totally. 10.6.2. Low Power DC-DC Converter The low power DC-DC controllers current must also be limited since the battery cannot handle currents much over 5A 10.6.3. Microcontroller The microcontroller prototyping board that was used throughout the design was the Dragon 12P board. This board is much too bulky to be integrated into a circuit that will travel along with the bike, therefore, a more mobile solution would be desirable. Adding the microcontroller to a circuit board would add complexity to the design, therefore it was

24 determined that a monolithic DC-DC controller chip would be a better solution for the control circuitry. This means that the project cell would not have as much control over the PWM and feedback of the circuit simplifying the design of the high power circuits. 11. FUTURE WORK One of the first things which could arise as future work from this project would be to finish the last 2 objectives of the project. Another project cell would be able to take our design for using the Ultra-Capacitor and finish designing and building the circuitry to have the UltraCapacitor and battery working together as well as the charging circuitry. Another possibility for future work would be to continue in studying the used of the UltraCapacitor. The project cell believes this to be a new and prominent field of study which many electrical engineers will be studying in depth for all possible uses of the Ultra-Capacitor. A possible project could include using the Ultra-Capacitor in an electrical car. 12. ENCLUSURES The data sheets for the Ultra-Capacitor and LT1339 chip used have been include in Annex C.

25

APPENDIX A TEST MATRIXES

Table 4 Test Matrix, Input Voltage vs Duty Cycle Testing on Buck Converter with Load of 10 Ohms

Voltage Input (V) 36 34 32 30

10 24.7 23.0 22.1 20.7

20 22.1 20.9 19.5 18.4

30 19.3 18.3 17.1 16.0

40 16.5 15.5 14.6 13.7

Duty Cycle (%) 50 60 13.7 10.9 12.8 10.3 12.1 9.6 11.3 9.0

70 8.2 7.6 7.1 6.7

80 5.3 5.0 4.8 4.4

90 2.6 2.3 2.2 2.1

100 0.48 0.44 0.40 0.39

26

APPENDIX B ABBREIVATIONS
OTS - Off the shelf HSLS - High-Side-Low-Side Mosfet - Metal oxide silicone field effect transistor

27

Annex C Enclosures

28

29

LT1339 Chip Data Sheet Located at: http://pdf1.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/view/70412/LINER/LT1339.html