Electrically integrated scooter with dual suspension and stowage mechanism

Abstract

The present invention is an electric scooter having batteries concealed below the standing platform in a multipurpose battery pan, an anti-lock brake, a dual suspension, a stow and carry feature, integrated electronics including brake control, throttle control, safety measures and theft protection. The dual suspension scooter includes a chassis; a steering column; a front wheel rotatably mounted on a front axle assembly; a rear wheel rotatably mounted on a rear axle assembly; a front cantilevered suspension mechanism mounted between the steering column and the front axle assembly; and a rear suspension mechanism mounted between the rear end of the chassis and the rear axle assembly.

We claim:  
     
         1 . An electric scooter with integrated electronic control having an electric motor for accelerating the electric scooter comprising: 
 a throttle lever, wherein movement of the throttle lever is indicative of desired acceleration of the electric scooter;    a brake lever;    a brake sensor proximate to the brake lever, wherein the brake sensor senses the position of the brake lever;    a throttle control circuit coupled between the throttle lever and the electric motor and coupled to the brake sensor, wherein the throttle control circuit controls the acceleration of the electric scooter by the electric motor based upon movement of the throttle lever and is disabled when the brake sensor senses that the brake lever is in a braking position; and    an electronic brake control coupled between the brake sensor and the motor, wherein the electronic brake control causes the electric motor to act as an electric brake when the brake sensor senses that the brake lever is in a braking position.    
     
     
         2 . The electric scooter recited in  claim 1  further comprising: 
 an anti-theft key;  
 a power cut-off circuit electrically coupled to the anti-theft key wherein the electric scooter is electrically disabled upon removal of the anti-theft key.  
 
     
     
         3 . The electric scooter recited in  claim 2  further comprising: 
 an indicator light coupled to the anti-theft key, wherein the indicator light when lit indicates that the scooter is energized and will accelerate upon movement of the throttle lever.  
 
     
     
         4 . The electric scooter recited in  claim 1  further comprising: 
 a charging unit coupled to the throttle control circuit wherein the throttle control unit is disabled while the charging unit is in operation.  
 
     
     
         5 . The electric scooter recited in  claim 1  further comprising: 
 a throttle mechanism coupled between the throttle lever and the throttle control wherein the throttle mechanism converts mechanical movement of the throttle lever to electrical signals recognized by the throttle circuit.  
 
     
     
         6 . The electric scooter recited in  claim 1  further comprising: 
 a safety circuit; and  
 a throttle sensor coupled between the throttle mechanism and the safety circuit;  
 wherein the safety circuit prevents acceleration of the scooter when there is no movement of the throttle lever indicative of acceleration.  
 
     
     
         7 . The electric scooter recited in  claim 1  wherein movement of the brake lever indicative of braking simultaneously causes friction braking of a front wheel and electric braking of a rear wheel.  
     
     
         8 . The electric scooter recited in  claim 1  wherein the electronic brake control cycles the electric brake on and off to cause the electric brake in an anti-lock manner.  
     
     
         9 . The electric scooter recited in  claim 8  wherein the electronic brake control cycles the electric brake on and off at approximately a 65% duty cycle.  
     
     
         10 . The electric scooter recited in  claim 1 , further comprising 
 a current limit circuit coupled between the throttle control circuit and the electric motor.    
     
     
         11 . The electric scooter recited in  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a battery pan for holding and protecting batteries wherein the battery pan is an RF shield for at least portions of the throttle control circuit and the battery pan is a heat sink for a battery charging unit.    
     
     
         12 . The electric scooter recited in  claim 11 , wherein the battery pan is constructed of aluminum.  
     
     
         13 . The electric scooter recited in  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 means for holding and protecting batteries;    means for RF shielding at least portions of the throttle control circuit; and    means for dissipating heat generated by a battery charging unit.    
     
     
         14 . The electric scooter recited in  claim 13 , wherein the means for holding and protecting, the means for RF shielding and the means for dissipating heat comprise a single structure.  
     
     
         15 . The electric scooter recited in  claim 14 , wherein the single structure is constructed of aluminum.  
     
     
         16 . An electric scooter for powered movement of a rider over a ground surface comprising: 
 a chassis having a front end and a rear end;    a steering column rotatably mounted on the front end of the chassis;    a handle bar mounted at one end of the steering column;    a front wheel rotatably mounted on another end of the steering column;    a rear wheel rotatably mounted on the rear end of the scooter chassis;    a fuel cell mounted on the chassis wherein the fuel cell provides an electric charge for accelerating the electric motor and a platform for supporting the rider of the scooter.    
     
     
         17 . The electric scooter recited in  claim 16  further comprising: 
 a fuel supply tank coupled to the fuel cell and mounted proximate to the rear end of the chassis.  
 
     
     
         18 . The electric scooter recited in  claim 16  further comprising 
 a plurality of mounting members mounted to the chassis and fuel cell, wherein the plurality of mounting members fixedly mount the fuel cell on top of the chassis.  
 
     
     
         19 . The electric scooter recited in  claim 16  wherein the plurality of mounting members are triangular trusses.  
     
     
         20 . The electric scooter recited in  claim 16  further comprising: 
 a conduit mounted to the scooter proximate and substantially parallel to the chassis, wherein the conduit protects control cables passing underneath the fuel cell.  
 
     
     
         21 . A portable, stowable scooter having a rear mounted motor comprising: 
 a chassis having a front end and a rear end;    a jointed steering column rotatably mounted on the front end of the chassis, wherein the jointed steering column folds from an upright in use position to a folded stowed position;    a handle bar mounted at one end of the steering column;    a front wheel rotatably mounted on another end of the steering column;    a rear wheel rotatably mounted on the rear end of the scooter chassis; and    a stowage hook mounted on the motor wherein the handlebar engages the stowage hook when the jointed steering column is in the folded stowed position.    
     
     
         22 . The portable, stowable scooter recited in  claim 21  wherein the stowage hook is formed a handle to allow the scooter to be held by the stowage hook and rolled along the front wheel when the jointed steering column is in the folded, stowed position.  
     
     
         23 . The portable, stowable scooter recited in  claim 21  wherein the stowage hook is an inverted “J” shaped.  
     
     
         24 . A dual suspension stand-on scooter comprising: 
 a chassis having a front end and a rear end;    a standing platform supported by the chassis for supporting a standing rider;    a steering column rotatably mounted on the front end of the chassis;    a front wheel rotatably mounted on a front axle assembly;    a rear wheel rotatably mounted on a rear axle assembly;    a front cantilevered suspension mechanism mounted between the steering column and the front axle assembly; and    a rear cantilevered suspension mechanism mounted between the rear end of the chassis and the rear axle assembly.    
     
     
         25 . The dual suspension stand-on scooter recited in  claim 18 , 
 wherein a cantilevered portion of the chassis extends at angle from the chassis and towards the rear wheel; and    wherein the rear suspension mechanism is mounted to the cantilevered portion of the chassis.    
     
     
         26 . The dual suspension stand-on scooter recited in  claim 24 , wherein the front cantilevered suspension mechanism is formed by a rectangular arrangement of a cantilevered support, a pivot link, a suspension member and a suspension member support.  
     
     
         27 . The dual suspension stand-on scooter recited in  claim 26 , wherein the cantilevered support is mounted at a first end to the steering column and at a second end to a first end of the pivot link, the pivot link is mounted at a second end to the front axle member, the suspension member is mounted between the front axle member and the suspension member support, and the suspension member support is mounted to and extends perpendicularly from the cantilevered support.  
     
     
         28 . The dual suspension stand-on scooter recited in  claim 27 , wherein the first end of the pivot link is pivotally mounted to the second end of the cantilevered support and the second end of the pivot link is pivotally mounted to the front axle assembly.  
     
     
         29 . The dual suspension stand-on scooter recited in  claim 24 , wherein the rear suspension mechanism is formed by a rectangular arrangement of a swing arm, a suspension member, a first suspension member support and a second suspension member support.  
     
     
         30 . The dual suspension stand-on scooter recited in  claim 29 , wherein the swing arm is mounted at a first end to the chassis and at a second end to rear axle assembly, the first suspension member support is mounted to and extends perpendicularly from the swing arm, the second suspension support member is mounted to and extends perpendicularly from the chassis, and the suspension member is mounted between the first and second suspension member supports.  
     
     
         31 . The dual suspension stand-on scooter recited in claim  30 , wherein the first end of the swing arm is pivotally mounted to the chassis and the second end of the swing arm is pivotally mounted to the rear axle assembly.  
     
     
         32 . The dual suspension stand-on scooter recited in  claim 24 , wherein the front and rear wheels have non-pneumatic tires.