ProjectReport

on
Regenerativebraking forbicycles

Declaration
)

Acknowledgement

Abstract
Thisworkdevelopsamethodforcapturingsome
ofthekineticenergyordinarilylostduringbrakingonbicyclestopowerLEDsafetyflashers.Thesys
temisdesignedtoeliminate:
(a)batterychanginginpopularLEDflashers,and(b)the"generatordrag"associatedwithbatteryles
shumanpoweredbicyclelightsandflashers.Systemsizing,mechanicaldesignconsiderations,potentialen
duserfactors,andamodelforbrakingfrequenciesinurbansettingsarediscussed.Withtheurbancom
mutercyclistinmindasapotentialuseroftheregenerativebrakingsystem,customdirectpullbrakecalipers(or"VBrakes")weredesignedandmanufacturedtoincludebothconventionalfrictionpadsinadditiontoa
DCmotortobeusedasageneratorforkineticenergycapture.TheenergycapturedbytheDCmotordu
ringbrakingispassedthroughafullwavebridgetoabankofNickelCadmiumbatteriesatanefficiencyof79%.Theoutputofthefullwavebridgeandthebatteriesarecon
nectedinparallelwithastepdownswitchingvoltageregulator,whichinsulatestheLEDsafetyflasherfromvoltagespikesdueto
brakingathighcyclingspeeds.Theperformanceofthefinalprototypewasevaluatedatcyclingspeed
srangingfrom8to19mphandbrakingfrequenciesrangingfrom2to8operations/stopspermileofrav
el.Fromthemeanpowerflow(charging)intothebatteriesperunitdistanceoftravelandthepowerreq
uiredby
LEDsafetyflashers,theeffectivenessofthesystemateachspeedandstoppingrequencyisexamined
.Forcycliststravelingataveragespeedsof10mphorhigher,theLEDsafetyflasherscanbepoweredc
ontinuouslyforstoppingfrequenciesof8timespermileand

semi-

continuously(>50%ofthetime)forstoppingfrequenciesofatleast4timespermile.Assuch,thesyst
emisdeterminedtobepotentiallyusefultourbancommutercyclists,whofrequentlyperformbrakin
goperationsatregularlyspacedintersectionsandtrafficsignals,andwhoregularlytravelbybicyclei
nlow-lightconditions(dawnordusk),thoughusuallyless than 50%of thetime.

TableofContents
Contents

PageNo.

Declaration

Acknowledgment

Abstract

List of figures

List of tables

1. Introduction

2. LiteratureReview

10

3. SystemDesign

12

3.1. Thephysicsofbraking

12

3.2. Analysisofavailableenergy

14

3.2.1. Characterizationofbrakingoperationsforbicyclecommuters

15

3.2.2. Averagecontinuouspoweravailableduringacityride

15

3.3. Motorsizingandselection

18

3.4. Energystorage

20

4. Brakecaliperdesign

22

4.1. Designwithauserfocus

22

4.2. IterativebrakecaliperdesignusingCAD

23

4.3. Manufactureofcustomdirect-pullbrakecalipers

25

5. Testing

28

5.1. Measuringvoltageandcurrentflowduringbrakingoperations

28

5.2. Systemefficiencyandpoweranalysis

31

5.3. Evaluationofbrakingmodel

34

6. Conclusions

38

7. Futurescope

40

8. References

41

8.1. Citedreferencesinorderofappearance

41

8.2. Additionalreferencesinalphabeticalorder

42

Listoffigures
FigureNo.

Pageno.

1.1:Schematicofregenerativebrakingsystemforbicycles

2.1.1:Photoofdirect-pullbrakeandlever

2.1.2:Reactionforcesatfrontandrearwheelsduringbraking

2.1.3:Diagramofatwo-stageregenerativebrake

2.4.1:Schematicofenergystoragecircuit

13

2.4.2:Voltageregulatorcircuitdiagram

14

3.2.1:CADmodelof regenerativebrakingsystemattached withbrake caliper

16

3.2.2:CADmodelofconceptincludingacustombrakecaliper

17

3.2.3:CADmodeloffinalprototype

18

3.2.1:Photooffinalbrakecaliperprototypefromabove

19

3.2a:Photooffinalbrakecaliperprototypefromtheside

20

3.3.2b:Photooffinalbrakecaliperprototypefromthefront

21

4.1.1:Schematicofenergystoragecircuitwithvoltageandcurrentprobes

22

4.1.2:PlotshowingthepowerconsumptionofPWMandLEDflashermodes

23

4.1.3:Plotshowingvoltageandcurrentofthemotorandbatteryduringbraking

24

4.2.1:Plotofpowerflowoutofthemotor/generatorandbatteryduringbraking

25

4.2.2:Plotofpowerflowoutofthebatteryforbrakingatseveralspeedvalues

26

4.4.1:Electricaloutput

29

4.4.2:Generatordrag

30

List of Tables
Tableno.

Pageno.

Table3.3.1Predictionofrotationspeedofmotorforvarietyofgearratios

19

Table5.1.1Dependenceofratioofpowerinpowerout

33

1. Introduction
Slowingorstoppingoperationsonbicyclesaredissipative.Frictionpadsappliedtotherotatingrimo
fthetireconvertkineticenergyofthecyclistandbicycleintoheat,whichisirrecoverablylosttotheat
mospherebyconductionandforcedconvection.Thisenergycouldinsteadbeconvertedintoelectric
alenergyandstoredforfutureuse.Figure1.1illustratesaregenerativebrakingsystemthatcapturese
nergyforstorageinabatteryandforusebyarearsafetyflasher.

Figure 1.1:A schematicof abicyclewith a system forcapturinglost kinetic

energyduringbrakingto powera rear safetyflasher.
SincethissystemforpoweringLEDsafetyflashersusesonlyenergythatwouldotherwisebelost,the
cyclistreceivesadditionalfunctionalityfromhisorherbicycleatnoadditionalcost

or

physical

power output.
Othersystems.Thoughnotwidelyused,hubintegratedandtirecontactgeneratorsthatpowerbicycleheadlampsandrearflashersarecurrentlyav
ailableforconsumerpurchase.Bothtypesrequireadditionalphysicalexertionfromthecyclist,asth
eymustbeengagedcontinuouslytopowerbicycleheadlampsandflashers.Thisreportstheresultsfo
raseriesof

testsperformedbyus,showingthatattypicalcyclingspeedsof20km/h,614%ofthecyclist'sphysicalpoweroutput(614W)isusedtopowerheadlampsandflashers.Furthermore,evenwhendisengaged,theflowofedd
ycurrentsinthearmaturesofhub-integratedgeneratorsdissipates 1-6 W. This suggests that this
additional"generatordrag"
isakeydrawback,whichdetersmanypotentialusers.Thus,asystemcapableofsimilarfunctionality
withoutrequiringadditionalexertionfromthecyclistmightbeaninterestingalternative.
Needforbicycleflashers.Theurbanbicyclecommuterissusceptibletoaccidentsandinjuryduetot
hefrequentnecessityofridingwithautomobiletrafficinlow-visibilityconditions.Bicycleautomobileaccidentsoccurmostfrequentlyatintersectionsanddrives,andaccountforthe
vastmajorityof

fatalbicycle

accidents.Adisproportionatenumberofsuch

accidentsoccurduringlowlightconditions,whenfewercyclistsareontheroad.AstudycompletedbytheJohnsHopkinsInjury
PreventionCenterreportsthatthedeathratepermillionbicycletripsis8timesgreaterbetween10PM
and1AMthanduringthehoursbetween9AMand1PM.Toincreasenightvisibility
andavoidcollisions,mostexpertsrecommendtheuseof(flashing)lightsattherearandfrontofthebic
ycle.However,accordingtoastudydonebyanalysisonly15%ofcyclistsinIndiawereobservedusin
geitheraheadlightortaillightatnight.
InIndia,highlyefficientbatterypoweredLEDlightingsystemssuchasthosesoldbyPhilipsarepopu
laramongcommutersandarepackagedtomeetvariouspower/lightintensityneeds.Mostcommona
mongthistypearelow-powermodelsthatconserveenergybyflashing.HighpowerLEDssuchasthoseofferedbyPhilipshaverecentlybecomeavailableforuseasbright
headlamps on bicycles. All such modelsareverycompact and simpleto
operate.Theonlyobviousdrawbacktothesetypesisthattheyrequireanoccasionalchangeofbatteri
es.
Thisworkdevelopsaconsumerproductconceptforkineticenergystorageduringbrakingoperation
stopowerpopularLEDsafetyflashers
onbicycles.Asystemforenergyrecovery(DCmotor/generator)andstorage(battery)isdevelopeda
ndimplementedintheformofafunctionalprototype,whichrequiresnochangeof
batteries.Theactualefficiencyandutilityoftheproductaresubsequentlytestedandcomparedwith
performancepredictions.Finally,futuregenerationsanddirections
arepresentedand discussed.

fortheconcept

2. Literature Review
2.1 Designanddevelopmentofaprototypesuper-capacitorpoweredelectricbicycle

Thedesignanddevelopmentofaprototypesuper-capacitorpoweredelectricbicycle(Ebike)ispresented.Anexistinggeneral-purpose

bicycle

wasretro-

fittedwithabrushedDCmotordrivingthefrontwheel,asupercapbankcapableofstoring74kJ,andabi-directionalmotordriverforaccelerationandregenerative
braking.ItwasenvisagedthatthedesignedEbikewouldfulfiltheroleofacampuscommuter,wherebymembersoftheuniversity'scommunityco
uldutilisesuchE-bikestotraversealargecampus.Consequently,therangeoftheEbikewasnotasimportantastherapidandfrequentchargecyclingrequirements,hencethebenefitsof
usingsuper-capacitorsasanenergystoragemediumwasexploited.ForthedesignoftheEbike,an80kgcyclistwasassumed.However,thedevelopedprototypewastestedwitha55kgcyclista
nddemonstratedasatisfactoryrange(pedalingfree)andtopspeedofapproximately1100mand23km/hrespectively.Twoweaknessesofthedesign
thatneedfutureconsiderationaretheunbalancedchargingoftheseries-connectedsupercapacitorsandtheinadequateresponsetimeofpassivethermalfusesundershort-circuitconditions
of thesuper-capbank.
2.2 Regenerativebrakecontrol ofcyclingwheelchair with passivebehavior
Inthisstudy,weproposeacyclingwheelchairthatassiststhemovementofpatientswithimpairment
of

lower

extremities.Thewheelchair

is

pedal-driven

system,

similartoabicycle,movedbythepedalingforceofthepatient'slegs.Althoughthelowerextremities
ofpatientsareimpaired,
theycanusebothlegstosmoothlyrotatethepedal.However,thereareseveralbarrierstousethecycli
ngwheelchairinanoutdoorenvironmentsuchassteepslopes,steps,andobstacles.Inthisstudy,wed
evelopacyclingwheelchaircontrolledbyaregenerative

brake

system.The

brakingcontrolprovidesseveralassistivefunctionsincludingvelocitycontrol,gravitycompensati
on,andstep/obstacleavoidance.Theregenerative

brake

systemcanalsochargeabatteryduringthebraking

control.However,insituationssuchassteep-

slopeclimbing

andemergency

stopping,the

regenerative

brakecannotgeneratetherequiredforce/momentandanactivecontrolisrequired.Inthesesituation
1
0

s,thecontrolmodeisalteredfrombrakingtoactive,andtheassistivefunctionsareinvokedusingthee
nergychargedbythebrakingcontrol.Forsafety

1
1

reasons,weproposeapassivemotioncontrolmethodofthecyclingwheelchair,evenifthewheelcha
iroperatesunderactivecontrol.Theproposedcyclingwheelchairisvalidatedinaseries

of

experiments in this study.

3. Driving and regenerativebraking method forenergy-saving wheelmotor
Inrecentyears,withtheenvironmentalconsciousnessenhanced,thedevelopmentofelectricvehicl
esisgraduallytakenseriously.However,thetravelingrangeoftheelectricvehiclescannotcompete
withtheabilityoftheexistinginternalcombustionenginevehicles,whichisoneofthemostimportan
tfactorsofhinderingthedevelopmentofelectricvehicle.Therefore,the

regenerative

brakingmethod
isproposedinthispaperwhichcouldconvertthekineticenergyintoelectricenergyandproducearev
ersetorquetoreducethespeedofthemotorwithoutaddinganyothercomponentstotheoriginalcontr
oller.Forthepartofexperiment,thedsPIC30f2010manufactured
microchipisutilizedasthecorecontroller,whichintegratesthe
brakingmethodtodesignadriverfortheapplicationsofthe
theoryisconfirmed

that

by
regenerative

electricmotorcycle.Finally,
thereare

this

exactlyhavean

extraenergyrechargethebatterywhenthemotor-speeddescended.Thatisabsolutelyrevealedthat
the algorithm of this paperproposed is available.

3. SystemDesign
3.1. Thephysics ofbraking
Bicyclesaregenerallydeceleratedbytheactionof
forcingabrakepadagainsttherimofthefrontand/orrearwheel.Brakepadsaretypicallymadeofarub
berlikematerial,whichischosenforitshighfrictioncoefficientwhenincidentwithbothdryandwetalu
minum.Asystemofleverarmsatthebrakehandleandthebrakecaliperprovideamechanismforgrea
tlyamplifyingthebrakingforceatthepad.Considerthedirect-pullbrakesoftypicalmountainbikes
shownbelow in Fig. 3.1.1.

Figure 3.1.1:Typical mountain bicycle direct-pull or "V-Brake"calipers and brake handle.

Theforceappliedbythefingersisamplifiedbyleverarmsatboththehandleandthecaliperstogetthef
orceofbraking.Thismechanicaladvantageallowsthecyclisttoeasilyapplyforcessufficientattheb
rakepadriminterfacetolockthewheels.Additionally,bicycletiresaremadeofrubber,whichhasaveryhighc
oefficientoffrictiononcement
usuallylimited

andasphalt.Theresultisthatdecelerationsduetobrakingare
bythelocationofthecenter

ofmass,notbywheellocking.Onbicycles,thecenterofmassofthebicycleandriderislocatedfarabo
vethewheelcontactatthegroundandbetweenthetwopointsofwheelcontactwiththeground.Asare
sult,brakingoperationsusingeitherthefrontorrearwheelarelimitedbythereductionofthereaction
forceattherearwheelwhenthemassrapidlydecelerates.Duringrearwheelbraking,thisresultsinski
dding.Infrontwheelbraking,therearwheelcanliftoffofthegroundentirelyandtheridercanbethro

wnoverthehandlebars.Thisisduein part to the highcoefficient offriction at thetireroadinterface mentioned above.

Tounderstandthelimitsofpossibledecelerationsonbicycles,considerthemaximumdeceleration
when

thereaction

forceat

the

rearwheel

contactgoes

to

zero.Fig.

3.1.2belowshowsbothreactionforces,RfrontandRrear,forthewheelcontactsaswellastheapproxi
matelocationofthecenterofmass(60%rearand40%frontforcrouchedcyclists).

Figure3.1.2:Diagramofbicycleshowingthereactionforcesatthefrontandrearwheelsdueto
weight and deceleration ofthe bicycleandrider.
As in Fig.3.1.2above for thedeceleration,a,balancingthe torques aboutA gives:

the

FortypicalvaluesofH=114cmandd2=63cm,thisresultsinamaximumdecelerationofroughly0.5
6g=5.45m/s2.Forcomparison,themaximumdecelerationpossibleusingonlyrear

brakingis

lessthanhalfat roughly0.25g.
Thiscalculationaffectsthepositioningofaregenerativebrakingsystem.Sincebothdecelerationsre
quireverylargeenergydissipationattypicalcyclingspeeds,frictionpadsareneededatbothfrontand
rearbrakes.Assuch,asystemforcapturingkineticenergycouldbeplacedatthefront:orrearwheelatt
hediscretionoftherider.However,sincethefrontbrakecalipershaveahigherbrakingcapacity,itisa
ssumedthatmostriderswouldchoosetoplacethematthefrontwheelforkofthebicycle.Fig.3.1.3bel
owshowsapossiblemethodforcouplingaregenerative

brake

(motor/generator)

with

conventional friction padbrake.

Figure3.1.3:Diagramshowingatwostageregenerativebrake.Fromlefttoright:First,whentheriderisnotusingthebrakes,boththefrictio
npadandmotorwheelaredisengaged.Second,astheriderapplieslightpressuretothebrakehandle,t
hemotorwheelcomesintocontactwiththerimandbeginstorotate.Third,astheriderappliesmorepr
essuretothebrake handle, the motorwheel is displacedand the frictionpadcontacts therim.
3.2. Analysis ofavailable energy
Thedesignofanysysteminvolvingenergytransferrequiresananalysistoensurethatthepowersupp
lymeets

theminimumconsumptionneeds

ofthesystem.Forthecaseofregenerativebrakingonbicycles,thecriticalfirststepistodetermineho
wcommutercyclistsusethebrakingoperationduringatypicaltrip.Incentivestobrake(e.g.aredligh
tatatrafficsignal)areconsideredinthissectionbyamodel,whichincorporatesurbantrafficsignalsp
acingandtiming.Asdeterminedfromthemodel,thefrequencyofbrakingoperationsduringatrip is
used to findanestimate forthe mean available power.

3.2.1. Characterizationofbrakingoperations forbicyclecommuters

Therearemanyinstancesincitieswhenitisnecessarytousebrakes.Nearautomobiletrafficorpedest
rians,cyclistscommonlybrakeanddeceleratewhenpassing,beingpassed,movingthroughnarrow
spaces,andwhenstoppingentirely.Minimally,however,theurbancommutercyclistsconsideredin
thisworkmustbrakeonapproachtotrafficsignalsandturnsatintersectionsevenifnootherobstaclesexist.Assuch,itmaybeappropriatetousetrafficsignalspacingandtimingi
ncitiesasabasisforamodeltocharacterizebrakingoperationsforurbancommutercyclists.
Thoughemergencysituationsnecessitatingimmediateandrapidstopsdooccur,lightbrakingopera
tionsandgradualdecelerationsaremorecommon[7].Aswillbecomeclearinthissection,thecyclist
benefitsfromlightbrakingor"feathering"inanticipationofapossiblestop.Inthecaseofaredtrafficl
ight,thecyclistbenefitsbyfeatheringhisbrakesonapproachsuchthatifthelightturnsgreen,hemayp
roceedthroughtheintersectionwithaminimalloss of speedand kineticenergy.
3.2.2. Averagecontinuouspower available during a cityride
ThissectionproposesamethodforestimatingthemeanpoweravailabletosupplyLEDsafetyflasher
sbyassumingthataknownfractionofthetotalkineticenergyofthebicycleandridercanbecaptureda
ndstoredbyregenerativebraking.Themodelconsiderstypicalcycling
speeds,urbantrafficsignalspacing,andanequalprobabilityofarriving
atalltimesduringthesignalcycle.Theenergyavailableforcaptureandstorageissimplytheenergya
ssociatedwithamovingmassinthiscase,abicycleandrider.Recallthattheinstantaneouskineticene
rgy,KE,ofabicycleandriderofcombinedmass,m,atvelocity,v,isshowninEq. 3.2.1:

Eq. 3.2.1

Ifthecyclistweretousehisorherbrakesandcometoacompletestop,thiswouldbethetotalenergydis
sipatedinthatoperation.Moregenerally,theenergylost(orcaptured)in

brakingisduetoachangefrominitialvelocity,Vi,toafinal(lower)velocity,Vf.FromEq.3.2.1,

the

resulting changein energy,AKE, is:

Eq. 3.2.2
Forabetterunderstandingofhowthisappliestocycling,itishelpfultothinkofviastypicalcruisingve
locitybeforebrakingandofVfasafractionofthecruisingvelocity.Describingthe final velocityas
afraction, f<1, ofthe initial velocity, theresult is:

Eq. 3.2.3
NotethatKEwillalwaysbenegativekineticenergyofthebicycleandriderisalwayslostduringbrakingoperations.Baseduponideaspres
entedintheprevioussection,asimplemodelwasdevelopedtoestimatethekineticenergy
whichcouldbecapturedduringtypicalbrakingoperationsandusedtopowerLEDsafety
flashers.Themodelassumesthatcyclistsmustminimallyusebrakeswhen
approachingredlightsatmajorintersections.AccordingtoProf.PeterFurth[8],sincesignalsatmaj
orintersectionsincitiesarenotcoordinatedforbicycletrafficitisappropriatetoassumethatacyclist
willarriveatany giventrafficsignalat a random point in its (green-yellow-red)cycle.
Thedurationoftheredlightistypically-35seconds,soforatypical70second,twostagetrafficsignal,theprobabilitythatatrafficsignalwillbered,Pred,onapproachissimplytheratio
of the "red time,"t red, to the totalperiod of the traffic signal,Tsig:

Eq. 3.2.4

Ifthetotalnumberoftrafficsignals,Nsig,forasingletripisknown,thetotalenergyavailableforcaptu
re duringbrakingmaybe estimatedas:

Eq. 3.2.5

DividingbothsidesofEq.3.2.5bythetotaltriptime,Ttot,givesarelationshipthatdescribesthe
average power,Pavg,available continuouslyduringthe trip:

Eq. 3.2.6
ThoughEq.3.2.6maybesolvedforaknowntravelroute,itisstillnotverydescriptiveofurbancyclin
g
ingeneral.Fortunately,sincetrafficsignalspacingisknowntobeconsistent,theNsig/Ttottermissim
plyanotherwayofrepresentingthecruisingvelocity,vi.Wherefsigis thenumberof trafficsignals
per unit distance inurbanareas,

Eq. 3.2.7
Therefore,fromEq.3.2.6,anestimateoftheaveragecontinuouspoweravailabletoLEDflashers
from regenerative brakingduringcityridingis:

Eq. 3.2.8
TrafficsignalsincitiessuchasDelhiandChandigarharegenerallyplacedat1.22kmintervals;insuburbanareas,half-orone-milesignalspacingismorecommon[9,10].Forthis
model., it is assumedthat fortypical commuter cyclists,fsig1.2x10 -3m-1.

Takingf=0.75indicatesthatonefourthofthetotaldecreaseinvelocityisduesolelytoregenerativebr
aking.Thus,fortypicalvaluesofvi=6.7m/sandm=100kg,theaveragecontinuouspower available
toLEDflashers is:

Eq. 3.2.9
Thisestimateindicatesthatthereisaboutoneorderofmagnitudemoreenergyavailablethanisneede
dtopowertypical0.6WLEDrearsafetyflashers.Italsosuggeststhatwithappropriatelyhighefficie
nciesforenergyconversionandstorage,powering2.4Whigh-powerLED headlampsmayalso be
feasible.
3.3. Motorsizing and selection
Theconversionofkineticmechanicalenergytostoredelectricalenergyrequiresasuitablemotororg
enerator.Ideally,themotorwouldbesizedtocaptureallormostofthekineticenergyforstoragedurin
gabrakingoperation,suchthatdissipativefrictionbrakeswouldnotbenecessary.However,thisissi
mplynotpossibleonbicycles,wheresizeandweightaremajor

constraints.For

the

worst-

casescenario ofmaximum deceleration (0.5g, as from Sec.3.1)athigh velocity(-30mph), the

peak power,Ppeak,dissipatedwhen the brakesarefirstengaged is:

Eq. 3.3.1
Generatorscapableofcapturingallofthisenergywouldbetoolargetomountonbicyclebrakecaliper
s.Forcomparison,7kWgenerators

aresold

asstandbypower

suppliestomeettheenergyneedsofsmallhomesduringpoweroutages[11].Sincethepowerrequire
dfor"hardbraking"isbeyondthecapabilitiesofsmallDCmotors,dissipativefrictionbrakesmustbe
usedincombinationwitharegenerativesystemforthesafetyofthecyclist.Further,itshouldbenoted
thatevenfeatheredbrakingoperationswillnotproduceusefuldecelerationsunless themotor is of
sufficientpower.

Table3.3.1Belowincludepredictionsoftherotationalspeedofthemotorforavarietyofgearratiosa
ndextremecycling

velocities.Aswillbediscussedfurther

inSec.3.4,theneedforastep-

downvoltageregulatororbatteryrequirestheselectionofahighervoltageDCmotor,whichwillachi
eve

orexceed~5Vevenatlowcycling

speeds.Thus,itisimportanttoselectamotorandgearratiocombinationfromthetablebelowwhereth
emaximumallowablerotorspeed(alsomax.voltage)isroughlythatforabicyclevelocityof
30mph(-50 km/h).
For a90Wmotorwith a maximumallowablerotorspeed of~9krpm, Table3.3.1indicatesthata
gearratio

of

0.13would

be

appropriate.Since

the

rim

fortypical

26

in.

mountainbiketiresarelocatedatadiameterof~58cm.,thediameterofthemotorcontactwheelwoul
dbe
0.13x587.5cm.Intheprototypediscussedinthiswork,asmaller(d=4.45cm.)motorcontactwheel
isusedtoobtaingreaterpowerregenerationcapacity atlowercyclingspeedssincemountain bike
usedwill not reach speeds of75kmph.
Insummary,propermotorselectionwilldeterminetheeffectivenessofthefinalsystem.Given
tightspace

constraints

of

bicyclebrakecalipers,

it

becomesimportant

to

the

choose

amotorwiththehighestratedpowersothatbrakingoperationswillprovideusefuldecelerationforth
ecyclist.Forbothvoltageregulationandbatterycharging,itwilladditionallybecriticaltoselectamo
torcapableofexceedingtheminimum"lockout"voltageandthechargethresholdvoltage,
respectively.DC
brushmotorswithrareearthmagnetsarewidelyavailable,whichfulfillalloftheaboverequirements
;theyareidealforthistypeofapplication.
Thoughslightlylargerthandesired,a90WMaxonRE35motorat48VDCwasselectedforreasons
of

availability.

One

benefit

of

choosingsuch

amotor,

however,is

the

completelackof"cogging"effectscommonincheaphighpowerDCbrushmotors,whichtendtoresist

rotationofthemotorshaft.Thiscouldcausethemotorcontactwheeltoslipontherimofthetire.
3.4. Energystorage
Tostoretheenergycapturedbythemotor/generatorduringbraking,thesystemmustincludeabanko
fbatteriesorsupercapacitors.Inthiswork,becausetheprimaryfocusisonthemechanicaldesignand
aproofofconcept,AANiCdbatterieswereselected.Thoughsupercapacitorscanacceptenergyatm
uchhigherrateswhencomparedwithbatteries,anyovervoltagewoulddamagethesupercapacitors.
RechargeableNiCdbatteriesaresufficientforthestorageneedsofthiswork,costless,andarelessdel
icate.Intheprototypesystem,themotorterminalsareconnectedinparallelwiththebatterybankand
voltageregulatorinputterminals.AsshowninFig.2.4.1below,afullwavebridgeisplacedbetweenthemotorandtherestofthesystem,sothatcurrentdoesnotflowfromt
hebatteriestopowerthemotorandsothatthemotormayrotateineitherdirectiontogenerateapositiv
evoltageacrossthebatteryterminals.

Figure3.4.1:SchematicofenergystorageandLEDflashercircuit.Thefullwavebridgepreventscu
rrent from flowing from the batteryinthe direction ofthemotor.
Onelimitationthatarisesfromthissetupisthatno
currentwillflowfromthemotorthroughthebridgeifthevoltageacrossthemotorterminalsislowert
hanthevoltageofthebatterybank.SincetheMaxonRE35motorusedinthisworkhasaspeedconstan
tof80.6rpm/V

2
0

and the voltageacross theNiCd batterybank is roughly5.2 V, themotor will not charge
thebatteries forbicycleless than 1.85kmph.
Thesystemmustalsoincludeawayofconvertingthedynamicallychanginginputvoltagefromthem
otorandbatteriestosupplyaconstant,lowvoltagetotheLEDsafetyflashers.Forthispurpose,aLM2
575adjustablestepdownswitchingvoltageregulatorisused.ThecircuitdiagramusedisshownbelowinFig.2.4.2.Thef
eedbackresistorsR1andR2wereselected toprovidetheLED flasherswith a constantVout =3 V.

Figure3.4.2:CircuitdiagramforLM2575step-downswitchingvoltageregulatorusedtoprotect
theLEDsafetyflashersfrom spikesinvoltagefrom themotor/generator.R1andR2wereselected
such that the output,Vout =3 V.

2
1

4. BrakeCaliperDesign
4.1. Designwith a user focus
Whenchoosingadesignforaprototyperegenerativebrakingsystem,itisnecessarytounderstandth
eneedsandhabitsofthosecommutercyclistswhomightusesuchasystem.Thefirstpointtoconsideri
sthatbrakecalipersarenotconsistentacrossdifferenttypesofbicycles.Roadbikes,forexample,use
differentmountinghardwareandmechanismsforbrakingthandomountainbicycles.Since
theregenerativebrakingsystemdescribed
bythisworkwouldbemosteffectiveinurbanareaswherebrakingismorefrequent,theurbancommu
tercyclistisofprimaryimportance.Themountainbicycleiscommonlyusedforcitycommutesduet
oitsruggeddesign.
Thefatter,treadedtiresarelessresponsivethanthoseofroadbikes,butarebetterforjumpingcurbsor
ridingoverpotholesandthroughgravel.Exceptthosewithdiscbrakesinstalled,mountainbikesalso
havecommonbrakemountingpointsatthebackstaysandfrontfork.Thesecanaccommodatebothc
antileverbrakesanddirect-pullorVBrakes.Forthereasonsaboveandbecauseofavailability,theprototypebrakingsysteminthiswork
wasdesignedtofitthemountingpointsofstandardmountainbikes.
ThedirectpullgeometryofFig.3.1.1waschosenasabasisforthedesignofthecalipersandfrictionpads,primar
ilybecauseoftheirhighmechanicaladvantagewhencomparedtocantileverbrakes.Also,foramoto
raslargeastheMaxonRE35usedinthiswork,thereducedangularrotationaboutthemountingpoint
ontheforkdecreasesthechancethattherear of themotor could impact the spokes of thewheel as
thebrakeis released.
Theemphasisonutilizingfamiliarbrake

geometryisintendedto

assistthepotentialusersinunderstandingthefunctionandutilityofaregenerativebrakingsystem,w
hichprovidesimprovedsafety(LEDflasher)atnoadditionalcost.Withouttheintegrationofaregen
erativesystemwithfamiliarfrictionbrakes,thesystemcouldeasilybe

confused

at

firstglancewithoneofthecommonwheelcontactgeneratorsassociatedwithincreasedphysicaleffo
rtand"generatordrag."Thisdistinctionisevenmoredifficulttoconveyinthecaseofhubintegratedgenerators,whichhasalowerprofileandnovisiblemechanicalcontactwiththemovingw
heel.Ignoringthedrawbacksofeddycurrentsaltogether,cyclistswhodonotunderstandthebasicpri

nciplesofthermodynamicsmaynotevenconsiderthenotionthattheenergyusedtopowerlightsand
flashersresultsdirectlyfromincreasedphysicalefforton

theirpart.Onebicyclestoreclerkrefusedtobelievethathubintegratedgeneratorscontributedanydragwhatsoeversincetherotordoesnotphysicallycomeinto
mechanicalcontact with the windings.
4.2. Iterativebrake caliper designusing CAD
Computeraideddrafting(CAD)techniquesenabledtherapidvisualizationofmultipledesignconcepts,which
providedtheinsightnecessaryforfinalizingtheprototypedesign.Manipulationofvirtualcompone
ntsintheCADenvironmentelucidatedtheneedforacompletelynewbrakecaliperaswellastheimpo
rtanceofmaintainingseveraldegreesoffreedomforanadjustablemotorcontactwheel.Partlytoimp
rovetheenduser'sunderstandingofhowthesystemworks,andpartlytosavetime,thedesignofthem
echanicalcomponentsofthesystembeganwithanefforttoutilizepointsofattachmentonexisting,fa
miliarbicyclebrakecalipers.ShownbelowinFig.3.2.1isaconcept,whichattachestothebrake
caliperat thefriction pad mount.

Figure4.2.1:Designconceptforattachingamotorforregenerativebrakingtoanexistingbrake
caliper.
Inthisdesignasthebrakecaliperisengaged,themotorcontactwheeltouchestherimfirst.Asaddition
alforceissuppliedatthebrakehandle,themotorremainsincontactwiththerim,butallowsafrictionp
adtobearagainsttherimthroughrotationaboutapivot.Themain

problemwiththisconceptisthattherearetoofewdegreesofadjustability.Itisclearevenfrom
thedrawing above that themotor contact wheel would not be tangentto therim.
InasubsequentCADexploration,aconcept,whichrequiredthedesignofanentirelynewbrakecalip
erswasgenerated.AsshowninFig.4.2.2,theconceptincludesalinearmotionofthemotorcontactw
heel.In the figure,aspringwouldbeplacedbetween thecaliperitselfand themotor contact wheel.

Figure4.2.2:Aconceptfor

anewbrakecaliperinwhichthemotorcontactwheelisplacedat

the

center ofthe frictionpad.

Themain advantage of this design is that thebrakingforce follows alinearpaththrough
thewheelcontactpoint,axisofrotation,andthecenterofthefrictionpad.Notorqueisintroduced,whi
chwouldtendtotwistthebrakecalipersinundesiredways.Akeyproblemwiththedesign,howeveri
sthatitwouldlikelyjamiftheslotatthecenterwereexposedtodirtortheelements.Asmostbicyclesar
eusedoutdoors,thisdesignwouldmostlikelybecomeproblematic for usersafter ayear orso.
TakinglessonsfrombothoftheaboveCADexplorations,afinalprototypedesignwaschosen,which
requiredthedesignofanentirelynewbrakecaliper.ShownbelowinFig.4.2.3,thebrakecalipersared
esignedtousethesamerestoringspringsandmethodforattachingto the forkandbackstays of
mountain bikes asthe direct-pull brakeof Fig. 3.1.1.

Figure 4.2.3:A CADillustration ofthe finalconceptdevelopedasaprototyperegenerativebrake

caliper in this work.
Asforceisappliedtothebrakehandle,thebrakecalipersbothrotatetowardthewheelofthebicycle.T
hemotorcontactwheeltouchestherimfirst,followedbyafrictionpad,shouldadditionalbrakingfor
cebeappliedbytherider.Athinspringisusedtocouplethemotorwiththebrakecaliper,suchthattheb
rakecalipersmaycontinuetorotatetowardthewheelevenasthemotorwheelisincontactwiththerim
.Additionally,theangleandpositionofthemotorcontactwheelisadjustablein3dimensions,ensuri
ngcorrecttangencytotherimof thebicycle tire.
4.3. Manufacture ofcustomdirect-pull brake calipers
ThefollowingFigs.4.3.14.3.2barephotographsofthefinalprototyperegenerativebrakecalipers.Theseweremanufactured
primarilyfromaluminumandbrassaccordingtothedimensionsintheCADdrawingsofFig.4.2.3.V
isibleinFig.4.3.1,therestoringspringswereformedfromspheroidizedair-hardeningsteelusingvbrakerestoringspringsasatemplate.

Theywerethenhardened

andtempered

usinga

furnacetoincrease

theirspringback

andthebulkstiffnessofthebrakecalipers.Asnotedbelow,anadjustmentscrewwasplacedtolocatet
hemotor contact wheel in the direction perpendicularto the bicycle tireplane.

Figure 4.3.1:View of brake calipersandmotor/generatorwheelfrom above.

ShownasdarkgrayinFig.4.2.3,butabsentfromthecaliperattheleftinFig.4.3.1above,isafreespinningwheel,whichwasdesignedtobalancetheforceofthemotorcontactwheel.Inpractice,itwa
sfoundtobeunnecessaryduetothemuchhigherstiffnessofthetemperedrestoringsprings.
Figs.4.3.2aand4.3.2bhighlightsomeadditionalfeaturesanddetailsoftheprototype,whichareabse
ntordifferentfromthesolidmodelofFig.4.2.3.Mostnotably,theprofileofthecaliperswaschangeds
ignificantlyfromthatoftheCADmodeltopermitclearanceofthetire
treads.AlsoimportantistherubberOringforfrictionalcontactwiththealuminumrimofthebicyclewheel.Agroovewascutonthecircumf
erenceofthemotorwheeltotightlyfit a standard O-ringallowingfor replacement incase of
damage orwear.

Figure
4.3.2a:
Viewofbrake
calipersandfrontforkofbicyclefrom thefront.

calipersandFigure
4.3.2b:Viewofbrake
frontforkofbicyclefromtheside.

Thecantileveredspringcouplingthemotorwiththebrakecaliperwascutonawaterjetcuttingmachinefrom0.020in.thicktemperedsteelsheet.Thespringwasdesignedtobeverystiffi
nthedirectionoftheforktosupporttheweightofthemotorandsomewhatcompliantintheperpendic
ulardirection-allowingforrotationabouttheprimaryaxisofthebrake caliper.

5. Testing
5.1. Measuring voltage and current flow during braking operations
ShownbelowinFig.5.1.1isaschematicoftheprototyperegenerativebrakingsystemcompletewith
instrumentation formeasuringvoltageandcurrent.

Figure5.1.1:Schematicofsetupusedfortestingtheregenerativebrakingsystem.Resistorswerepu
tinparallelwiththeammeterstomaintaincurrentlevelsbelowtheirratedvalueof600 mA.
Since

itwasnecessarytobringthebicycleuptonormalcycling

speedsduringsystemtests,aremotemethodfordatacollectionwasnecessary.Measurementsofcur
rentandvoltagefromtheammetersandvoltmetersshowninFig.5.1.1wererecordedusingabattery
poweredVernierLabPro[13].TheuseoftheLabProdevicerestrictedthetypesofvoltageandcurre
ntprobes,whichcouldbeused.Forexample,thestandardvoltageandcurrentprobeswereonlyrated
for+/10VDCand600mA,respectively.Forthepurposeofmeasuringhighercurrents,powerresistorswe
replacedinparallelwiththecurrentprobesasshowninthe diagram above.

Priortobrakecalipertesting,thevoltageregulatorandLEDflashercircuitwereconnectedtotheterm
inalsofaleadacidbatterybank(differentfromtheNiCdbatterypackusedotherwise)toobtainanideaofwhatthes
ystem.ThepoweroutofthebatteryisshownbelowinFig.5.1.2forboththepulsewidthmodulated(PWM)flashingmodeandthecontinuousoperation mode.

Figure5.1.2:Poweroutofa4VleadacidbatteryduringcontinuousandPWMflashingmodeLEDflasheroperation.Thepeaksinpower
duringthePWMmodeareduetoaswitching"on"oftheLEDs.Itisimportantalsotonotethatthepowe
rdoesnotgotozerobetween

the

peaks.

Someof

theremaining-0.1

Wpowers

the

voltageregulatorcircuit.
Duringthetestingoftheprototypesystem,aSigmaSportBC500CycleComputer[14]positionedatt
hehandlebarwasusedtovisuallymonitorcyclingspeedonaliquidcrystaldisplay.Whenthedesired
speedofeachtestwasreached,thebrakeswereimmediately

applied.Twotypesofbrakingoperationswereperformedalongastraightcourseoftravelatspeedsra
ngingfrom 8 mph to 19 mph:
1) motor wheel contact only,and
2) afull stop at -0.2gdeceleration.

Fig.5.1.3belowshowsdatagatheredforsuchatestat15mph.Notethatduring1<t<3sOnlythemotor
wheelisincontactwiththerimofthewheelandthatthesubsequentfullstopOperationbeginsat

=4.5 s.
Thesharpdropincurrentfrom3to0Afollowingthefeatheredbrakingoperationisduetothereleaseo
fthebrakehandle.Ashortreleaseofthebrakehandlehelpedtodistinguishseparatebrakingoperatio
nsandtoshowthattherestoringspringsofthebrakecaliperwereworking

effectivelyto

allow

rimcontactonlyduringbrakingoperations.
Sincetestingwasperformedindoorsona1/8miletrack,itbecameimpossibleatspeeds>15mphtofeatherthebrakes,releasethebrakehandle,an
dthencompleteafullstopallwhile
3
0

maintainingastraightcourse.Assuch,athigh
speedsonlyafullstopbrakingoperationwasperformed.
5.2. Systemefficiency and power analysis
The
datafromFig.5.1.3wereusedtodeterminetheflowofenergyintheprototypesystemfromthemotort
othebatteriesandfromthebatteriestothevoltageregulatorandLEDsafetyflasher.Usingthefamilia
rrelationshipforpowerP=VIinanelectricalcircuit,thepowerflowoutofthebatteryandmotorissho
wnbelowinFig.5.2.1.Anegativepowervalueforabatteryindicatescharging.

Figure5.2.1:Plotofpowergeneratedbythemotorandthefluxofpowerinto
andoutofthebatteryduringfeathered(motorcontactonly)andcombined(frictionpadandmotorco
ntact)brakingat15mph.Forthebattery,apositivevalueforpowerindicatesaflowofenergyfromthe
batteryto the voltageregulator andLED flasher.

3
1

Theefficiencyofthisconversionofpowerisobtainedbydividingthepowerintothebatterybankbyt
hepoweroutofthemotor.TheefficiencyofpowerconversioninFig.4.2.1atacyclingspeed of 15
mphwas found to benearly79%.
Itisimportanttonotethatduringthefeatheredbrakingoperation,thepoweroutofthemotor(intotheb
attery)doesnotdecreasenoticeably.Thissuggeststhatduringthe0.2gbrakingoperation,mostofthe
decelerationofthebicycleandrideristheresultofdissipativebraking.Thus,duringafeatheringoper
ation,thetotalenergycapturedandstoredissimplytheproductofthemeanpowerintothebatteriesan
dthetotaltimeoverwhichthebrakesareapplied.InFig.5.2.2thefluxofpowerintothebatteriesissho
wnforinitialcyclingspeedsrangingfrom8 to 19 mph. As thespeed of thebicycle increases, so
does the energystored.

Figure5.2.2Powerflowoutofthebatteryduringbrakingoperationsforseveralinitialcyclingspeed
s.Negativepowervaluesindicatebatterycharging.Ifisassumedthaturbancommutercycliststravel
at

nearlyconstant

speed

and

stop

withsomefrequencyover

theirtotaltraveldistance,themeanpoweravailable,Pavailable,duringacommutemaybecalculate
d.InTable5.1.1,thisestimateisobtainedforseveralstoppingfrequenciesand

cyclingspeeds.Ineachinstance,itisassumedthatthecyclistcomestoafullandcompletestop.
Thecapturedenergyassociated for each stop is0.5tstop Ppeak,s inFig. 5.1.2.

Table5.1.1:Thedependenceoftheratioofpowerin(Pavailablefrombraking)topowerout(toLEDf
lashers,Pflash=0.18W)onstoppingfrequency.Darkgray

shading

indicatescaseswherethesystemiscapableofpoweringtheLEDflashercontinuously.Lightgraysha
dingindicatescaseswherethesystemiscapableofpoweringthesystem>50%ofthetime.
Theresultstabulatedaboveshowthatifthecyclisttravelsconsistentlyatspeedsgreaterthan10mph,
LEDsafetyflashersdrawing0.18 Wfrom themotor andbatteriescan be powered:
1) continuously forstoppingfrequencies of at least 8 permile, and
2) semi-continuously forstoppingfrequencies ofat least 4 per mile.
Inotherwords,thecommutercyclistwhotravels

onlyinlow-

lightconditionswouldhavetoapplybrakepressureabout8timespermile,whileacommuterwhotra
velsinlowlightonly50%ofthetimewouldhavetoapplybrakepressurehalfasfrequently.Thus,thissystemwo
uldworkwellforacommuterinacitywith1/4miletrafficsignalspacing.IfthecommuteronlyneededtoturnontheLEDflashersduringareturntri
pintheevening,thenthepowerneedsoftheflasherswouldbecompletelymetbythebrakesandtheba
tterieswould not need to be replaced orrecharged outside ofthe system.

5.3. Evaluation ofbrakingmodel

Themodelproposedinitiallysuggeststhatsomefraction(1/4inSec.3.2.2)ofthetotaldecreaseinbicyclespeedduetobrakingcanbecapturedexclusivelybyar
egenerativesystem.Thepresumptionthatfeatheredbrakingoperationstypicalofdissipativebraki
ngsystemscouldbereplicatedbyregenerativesystemswasclearlywronginthecaseoftheprototype
developedinthiswork.Instead,itisapparentfromFig.5.2.2thatduringlightbrakingoperationsatne
arlyconstantspeeds,thetotalstorableenergyisapproximatelyproportionaltothetotaltimespentfe
atheringthebrakes,sincesolittledecelerationisduetothemotor/generator,itself.Thus,insteadofob
serving

thepredicted4Wofpoweravailablefor

batterycharging/storage,amere0.2Wismeasuredasthepowerintothebatteriesifthemeancyclings
peedandbrakingfrequencyaresufficientlyhigh.Asaresult,insteadofassumingthattheregenerativ
ebrakingcomponentisresponsibleforapercentagedecreaseincyclingspeed,itismoreappropriatet
oassumeaconstantdecelerationoveratime,tbrake,andfindtheenergyavailable,E,fromafunction
ofthepowerintothebatteries,Pcharge(v),as a function of motor/generator speed,w.

Consideranexampleofacyclistmovingat10mph,ifthebrakesareapplied2timespermileforabout3
secondsonaverageeachtime.FromEq.5.3.1,themeanpowerusedforbatterycharging,Pin, is:

Thisresultisstillanoverestimate,butisslightlymoreaccuratethanthe4Wpredictedpreviouslyfort
he sameconditions.
5.4 Dyno test
5.4.1Bottles,Rollersand Hubs
Themostcommontypeofgeneratorneedsnointroduction:itlookslikeandiscalledabottle.Itdrives
offthesideofthetireandisusuallymountedwiththedrivepulleyinfrontofthemounting.Forwardfa
cingisassumedwhendesignatingaleftorright-handedmodel,

althoughalefthandedgeneratormay

alsobemountedfacingbackwardsontheright-hand-

sideofthebicycle,andviceversa.Forthistestbottlegeneratorswerealwaysmountedtodriveforwar
ds.
Therearetwoclassesofbottle:whichdifferinthewaytheymovethepulleytowardsthetire.Onetype
tiltsover,pivotingaboutanaxisatrightanglestoitscenter-line.Forthis
tiltingdesign,drivedirectionusuallymakesnodifferencetoperformance.Butwhenahinged typewhichswingslikeadooraboutaparallelaxisismountedbackwards,contactpressureinvariablyincreases.Thismayreducethechanceofpulleys
lipbutalsoincreasesdrag.
Bottlesaresimple,cheapandmoreefficientthanmostpeoplewillcredit.However,theyareabitpron
etoslipinwetconditions.Thiscangenerallybeavoidedbycarefuladjustmentandappropriatechoic
eof tire, but maybeharder to eliminate on oilyurban main roads.
Roller

generatorsareknownasbottom-

brackettypeinBritain,butnotbyforeigners:whocunninglyfind other (less dirty)places to

mount aroller.Anyway: thegenerator is itself theroller,drivenbycontactwith the centertread
of the tire.rollers
Rollersneedahighcontactpressuretoworkintherain,becausewatercentrifugesouttothispartofthe
tireandischanneledontotherollerbytherearmudguard.They
areneverthelesspreferredbythosewhowanttositetheirgeneratorinconspicuously.Thereisalsoab
eliefthatthelargerdiameter(comparedtothecommonbottletypepulley)mustreducedrag.Noiseiscertainlyreduced,notleastbyinterveningpartsofthebikean
dtheridersbody.Butall is not as it mayseemor sound!
HubPuttingthegeneratorinoronthehubeliminatesdriveuncertainties.Andadesireforreliabilityh
asspawnedmanydesignsofintegralhubandhubdrivengenerators.Thesecanbeclassifiedintwoways.Theyeitherturnwiththehub,oraregeared
(withgearsorbelts)soastoboosttherotationalspeedofthegenerator.Andtheyareeither

fixed

toturnallthetime,orareclutched,sothatthegeneratormaybedisengagedwhenlightsarenotrequire
d.Ungearedhubsneedlotsofmagneticpolestocompensatefor theslowrotationalspeed,but

thesedonotnecessarilyweighanymorethangearsetc.Gearsarelessefficienttoo,sogearedhubs
areusuallyclutchedto eliminate residual dragand unnecessarywear.

Fig 5.4.1 Electrical Output

Thisisn'tsurprisingwhenyouconsiderthattheyareallintendedtopowerthesame6volt,3
wattlighting

set(invariablysplit2.4Wfront,0.6Wrear).Differencesoccurmainlyabovethe3

Wlevel.Buteventhesearehardlysufficienttobenoticedinthebrightnessofyourlights,soIwouldn't
blameyouforskippingthenextfewparagraphsandgoingdirectlytosomethingmoreinteresting.

Fig 5.4.2 Generator drag

Therehavebeen somecrude and nastyones, but the dragof anydecent moderngenerator
isratherinsignificant.Thisisespeciallysoatlowspeedandcomparedtotheresistanceaffordedbyan
yrecognizablehill.Butnoonewantstoworkanyharderthantheyhaveto.This
makesGeneratorDraganinterestingsubject.

And

strikingdifferences

in

power

inputmakethisamuchmoreinterestinggraph.Takealookatitnow.You'llseethatI'vealsoplottedthe
amountofextraeffortfora75kgpersontoridea15kgbicycleuphillsofvariousgradients,overand
abovethat required on a flatroad.

6. Conclusionsanddiscussion
Thecurrentprototype.A
novelmethodforpoweringLEDsafetyflashersusingregenerativebrakinghasbeenpresentedinthi
swork.Customdirect-pullcalipersweredesignedtoaccommodate traditional frictionpadsand
aDC

motor/generatorfortherecoveryof

kineticenergy.Inthisway,theadditionalfunctionalityofsafety
flashershasbeenaddedatnocosttothecyclist.Throughoutthecourseofnormalcyclingandbraking,
abatterybankpoweringtheLEDsafetyflashersisrecharged.Thisimprovesdramaticallyuponhubintegratedandwheelcontactgenerators,currentlyavailable,whichdrainupto14%oftherider'stota
lphysicaleffortattypicalcyclingspeeds.Whileithasbeenshownthatthetotalkineticenergydissipat
edduringnormalbrakingoperationsisvery
largecomparedwiththeenergyneededtopowerLEDsafetyflashers,notallofitcanbecapturedwith
smallDCmotors.Eventheratherlarge90

Wmotorused

in

this

workdoesnotcontribute

nearlyenough

deceleration

tofeellikedissipativefrictionbraking.Suchalargemotororgeneratorwouldbeneededtofeelsucha
neffectthatitwouldbeimpracticaltomountonabicycle.Assuch,itmakesmoresensetominimizeth
eprofileoftheregenerativebrakeandusethesmallestmotorswiththegreatestpowerdensity.DCbru
shmotorswithrareearthmagnetsratedfor3040Wwouldbeideal.Atcyclingspeedsupto19mph,only14%ofthecapacitywasutilizedforthe90
Wmotorinthiswork.Thesimplestep-downvoltageconversioncircuitusedtoprotecttheLED
flasherfromovervoltageworkedwell

foramotor

with

speedconstant

of

80.6

rpm/Vandagearratioof1:14.Forenergystorage,costeffectiveNiCdbatterieshadsufficientpowerdensity
andwereabletostoreenergysuppliedbythemotoratefficienciesnear79%onaverage.Theoverallef
fectivenessoftheregenerativebrakingsystemimproveswithincreasing
averagecyclingspeedandwithincreasingstopping/brakingfrequency.Forcycliststravelingatspe
edsgreaterthan10mph,theLEDsafetyflasherswilloperatecontinuouslyforastoppingfrequencyo
f

timesper

mile

and

semi-

continuously(>50%ofthetime)forastoppingfrequencyof4timesper
mile.Theseconclusionssupportthedesignanddevelopmentofthissystemspecificallyforusebyur

bancommuters.Sincesomecommutersregularlytravelinlowlightconditionslessthan50%oftheti
me,evensemi-continuousLED flasheroperationmaybesuitablein areas wherebrakingis not
asfrequent.Ideas for future development. Themost obvious next step fordevelopment of
thesystemas

itstandswouldbetoguarditagainstsand,gravel,andweather.Thoughthemechanicalcomponents
of

thesystem

weredesigned

to

workwell,even

when

coveredin

grease

ordirt,themotor,voltageregulatorcircuit,andbatterypackwouldneedtobepackagedtopreventda
magefromwater.Aninjectionmoldedcasingwithappropriaterubbersealsorgasketswouldprobab
lybesufficient.Ifasmaller,unsealedmotorisused,additionalprotectionwould

need

to

be

considered to protect it against sand, grease,andwater.

Asecondimprovement,whichwouldbeneededforlongbatterylife,isanappropriatechargecontrol
ler.As is, the systemdoes not guardagainstoverchargingat all, which in the case
ofNiCdbatteriescouldcausedamagetothecellsandhazardousventing.Anothersolutionwouldbet
oinsteadusesupercapacitorstostoreenergy.Thoughsomewhatexpensive,theyhaveanevenhigher
powerdensitythantheNiCdbatteryusedintheprototypeandarecapableofachievingefficienciesof
nearly90%-a10%improvementoverthecurrentefficiency.Fullycharged,two50Fsupercapacitorsat2.5Vwoul
dhaveenoughenergytopower0.2WLEDsafetyflashersfornearly26minutes.Improvingtheeffici
encyinthiswaywouldimprovethefunctionoftheregenerativebrakingsysteminareaswherestoppi
ngfrequencyis less frequent.

7. FutureScope
Slowingorstoppingoperationsonbicyclesaredissipative.Frictionpadsappliedtotherotatingrimo
fthetireconvertkineticenergyofthecyclistandbicycleintoheat,whichisirrecoverablylosttotheat
mospherebyconductionandforcedconvection.Thisenergycouldinsteadbeconvertedintoelectric
alenergyandstoredfor futureuse.Aregenerativebrakingsystemthatcaptures energyfor storage
ina batteryandforusebya rear safetyflasher.
Thoughnotwidelyused,hubintegratedandtirecontactgeneratorsthatpowerbicycleheadlampsandrearflashersarecurrentlyav
ailableforconsumerpurchase.Bothtypesrequireadditionalphysicalexertionfromthecyclist,asth
eymustbeengagedcontinuouslytopowerbicycleheadlampsandflashers.Thisprojectmakesauser
friendlydeviceforthesafetyof riders inIndia and abroad.
Thoughsomewhatexpensive,butthisdevicemakesthejourneyofrideronacyclemorecomfortable
andsafer.Bicyclistmake noextra effortorphysicalworkfor theLEDflashersto work. Thus
aSafercyclist is indeed a happycyclist.

4
0

8. References
8.1. Citedreferences inorder ofappearance
[1]Juden,Chris."Dynotest."CycleTouringandCampaigning,Feb/Mar1998.CyclistsTouringCl
ub. Surrey,GreatBritain.http://www.myra-simon.com/bike/dynotest.html
[2]"InjuriestoBicyclists"FromamonographbytheJohnsHopkinsInjuryPreventionCenterSpons
oredbythe SnellMemorialFoundation.http://www.smf.org/articles/injury.htmln
[3]

"Bicycle

Crash

Statistics."

Massachusetts

Bicycle

Coalition.

2002.

http://www.massbike.org/infol/stats.htm
[4]CatEye HomePage.CatEye Co.Inc. 2004.http://www.cateye.com/en/index.php
[5]

Luxeon

Product

Home

Page.

Lumileds

Lighting,

L.L.C.

2005.

http://www.luxeon.com/products/
[6]Wilson,DavidGordon.BicyclingScience.3ed.Chapter7:Braking.pp.237261.Cambridge:MIT Press, 2004.
[7]Forester,John.EffectiveCycling.6ed.pp.205-208,378-387.Cambridge:MITPress,
2001.
[8]Furth,Peter.Chair,DepartmentofCivil&EnvironmentalEngineering,NortheasternUniversity
. 15Feb., 2005.
[9]"AccessManagement."IssueBrief13.U.S.DepartmentofTransportationFederalHighwayAd
ministrationandtheInstituteofTransportationEngineers.Apr,2004.
www.ite.org/library/IntersectionSafety/access.pdf
[10]

Levinson,HerbertS.

ConferenceProceedings.
30,

"Street

Spacing

andScale."

Dallas,

TX.

UrbanStreetSymposium
Jun.

1999.

http://www.mackblackwell.org/research/finals/arc9012/streetspacing.pdf
[11]7,000 Watt Automatic Home StandbyGeneratorSystem.Briggs&Stratton
ProductCatalog.Briggs&StrattonPowerProducts. 2004.
http://www.standbygeneratorsystems.com/products/7kw.cfm
[12]"1-ASimpleStep-DownSwitchingVoltageRegulator."TexasInstruments.April2005.
http://focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/lm2575-33.pdf
[13]VernierLabProUser's Guide.Vernier Software&Technology. 2000.
4
1

28-

[14]

Sigma

Sport

US

Home

Page.

Sigma

Sport

Germany.

2005.

http://www.sigmasport.com/index_usa.html
[15] "NickelCadmiumApplicationManual."MoltechPowerSystems,Inc.2000.
http://www.moltechpower.com/techdata/appmanuals/NiCdApplication_Manual.htm
6.2. Additional references inalphabetical order
1. "ACompendium of StatisticsfromVariousSources."BicycleHelmet Safety Institute. 25Mar.,
2005. http://www.bhsi.org/stats.htm
2. Ballantine,Richard. Richard's2lSt-Century BicycleBook.pp. 33-34. NewYork:Overlook
Press,

2001.

"13Bicycle

Lighting."

Wikipedia.

31

Mar.,

2005.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicyclelighting
3. Kifer,Ken."How toAvoid TrafficAccidents."Ken Kifer's
http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/traffic/accident.htm
4. "PoliceSafetyTips andInformation." City of Auburn,Indiana
http://www.ci.auburn.in.us/departments/police/safetytips/

Bike
Pages.

199
9.

Home
Page.

200
4.

Literaturereview
1
.

Published in: EnergyConference (ENERGYCON), 2014IEEEInternational

Date ofConference:13-16 May2014
INSPECAccessionNumber:14432696
DOI:10.1109/ENERGYCON.2014.6850611
Publisher:IEEE

2
.

Publishedin:Roboticsand Automation (ICRA),2013IEEE

Date ofConference:6-10 May2013
ISSN:1050-4729
Print ISBN:978-1-4673-5641-1
INSPECAccessionNumber:13851144
Conference Location:Karlsruhe
DOI:10.1109/ICRA.2013.6631122
Publisher:IEEE