JP6790644B2 - Accelerator device for electric vehicles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an accelerator device for an electric vehicle.

Conventionally, those described in Patent Document 1 are known as accelerator devices for electric vehicles such as senior cars and steering wheel type electric wheelchairs. The accelerator device described in Patent Document 1 can travel in a desired direction by reversing the accelerator lever at a position corresponding to the traveling direction and then grasping the accelerator lever. As a result, the accelerator device described in Patent Document 1 does not need to be separately provided with a forward / backward changeover switch, and can prevent the vehicle from starting in a traveling direction unintended by the driver due to forgetting to operate the forward / backward changeover switch.

JP-A-2002-119547

However, the accelerator device described in Patent Document 1 is used when a part of the driver's body is unintentionally caught on the steering wheel lever, or when the clothes of a passerby around the driver are caught on the steering wheel lever. There was a risk that the vehicle would unintentionally start due to an unintended accelerator operation.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to the above-mentioned problems, and provides an accelerator device for an electric vehicle capable of suppressing the start of the vehicle due to an unintended accelerator operation by the driver and improving safety. The purpose is to do.

The present invention comprises a forward / backward switching operation unit that switches the traveling direction of the electric vehicle to forward or reverse, an accelerator operating unit that performs an accelerator operation in the traveling direction switched by the forward / backward switching operation unit, and the accelerator operating unit. The accelerator device of an electric vehicle having a motor driven based on an operation includes a control unit that permits the electric vehicle to travel by driving the motor when a predetermined travel permission condition is satisfied, and the control unit is provided. It is characterized in that the traveling of the electric vehicle is permitted under the traveling permission condition that the accelerator operating unit is operated within a predetermined time after the forward / backward switching operation unit is operated.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the start of the vehicle due to the accelerator operation not intended by the driver and improve the safety.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric vehicle equipped with an accelerator device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a steering wheel unit of an electric vehicle equipped with an accelerator device according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the driver. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of an accelerator device for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the accelerator device of the electric vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a steering wheel unit of a modified example of an electric vehicle equipped with an accelerator device according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the driver.

The accelerator device for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention has a forward / backward switching operation unit for switching the traveling direction of the electric vehicle between forward and reverse, and an accelerator operation in the traveling direction switched by the forward / backward switching operation unit. Control that permits the electric vehicle to travel by driving the motor when a predetermined travel permission condition is satisfied in the accelerator device of the electric vehicle having an accelerator operation unit to be performed and a motor that is driven based on the operation of the accelerator operation unit. The control unit is characterized in that the electric vehicle is permitted to travel on the condition that the accelerator operation unit is operated within a predetermined time after the forward / backward switching operation unit is operated. Thereby, the accelerator device of the electric vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention can suppress the start of the vehicle due to the accelerator operation not intended by the driver and can improve the safety.

Hereinafter, an accelerator device for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 5 are views for explaining an accelerator device for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electric vehicle according to this embodiment is a senior car that travels at a low speed of about walking speed, powered by a motor. In addition, in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 5, the up / down / left / right directions indicate the directions seen from the driver boarding the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electric vehicle 1 includes a vehicle body 2 formed by covering a resin cover or the like on a main frame 2A extending in the front-rear direction. The electric vehicle 1 has a left-right paired front wheel 3 arranged on the front side of the vehicle body 2, a left-right paired rear wheel 4 arranged on the rear side of the vehicle body 2, and a steering wheel arranged on the upper side of the front wheel 3. It includes a unit 10.

Further, the electric vehicle 1 is provided with a motor 9 shown by a broken line at the rear portion of the vehicle body 2, and the motor 9 drives the rear wheels 4 via a differential device (not shown). The vehicle body 2 is provided with a battery (not shown), and the motor 9 is driven by the electric power of the battery.

A seat 8 on which the driver sits is arranged on the upper side of the rear portion of the vehicle body 2. The seat 8 includes a seat cushion 8A and a seat back 8B. Armrests 8C are provided on both sides of the seat back 8B. The portion of the vehicle body 2 in front of the seat 8 constitutes a floor 2B on which the user rests his / her feet.

A leg shield 7 is provided between the steering wheel unit 10 and the front wheels 3. The leg shield 7 is provided so as to stand upward at the front of the vehicle body, and has a function of protecting the suspension of the driver seated on the seat 8 from direct wind and the like.

Inside the leg shield 7, a steering shaft (not shown) that connects the steering mechanism of the front wheels 3 and the steering wheel unit 10 is rotatably supported. A front basket 6 arranged on the front side of the handle unit 10 is mounted on the front surface of the leg shield 7.

The steering wheel unit 10 is rotated by a driver seated on the seat 8. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the handle unit 10 is attached to the handle body 11, the switch box 12 arranged so as to pass through the center of the handle body 11, and the switch box 12 at appropriate positions on the left and right sides. It includes a rearview mirror 13.

The switch box 12 is equipped with operating devices and display devices used for traveling the vehicle.

Specifically, on the upper surface of the switch box 12, a power switch 14, an accelerator lever 15, a brake lever 16, a forward / backward changeover switch 17, a blinker switch 18, an alarm switch 19, a maximum speed setting knob 20, a display unit 21, and audio. A guide on / off switch 22 and a distance meter reset switch 23 are provided.

The power switch 14 can be switched between an on position and an off position by a rotation operation. When the power switch 14 is operated to the on position, the power of the vehicle is turned on, and when the power switch 14 is operated to the off position, the power of the vehicle is turned off.

The forward / backward changeover switch 17 is a toggle type switch that tilts in the front-rear direction, and is for switching the traveling direction of the vehicle between forward and reverse.

The forward / backward changeover switch 17 is rotatable between a forward position instructing forward movement, a reverse movement position instructing reverse movement, and a neutral position instructing reverse movement, and is provided by a return spring or the like (not shown) when not in operation. It is designed to return to the neutral position.

As the forward / backward changeover switch 17, a switch that performs a three-position momentary operation in which the neutral position is off and the forward position and the reverse position are on can be used.

The forward position, neutral position, and reverse position of the forward / backward changeover switch 17 are indicated by Pf, Pn, and Pr in FIG. The forward position, neutral position, and reverse position of the forward / backward changeover switch 17 are set in accordance with the front-rear direction of the vehicle, the forward position is set in front of the neutral position, and the reverse position is set behind the neutral position. ing. The forward / backward changeover switch 17 constitutes the forward / backward changeover operation unit in the present invention.

A pair of accelerator levers 15 are provided on the left and right in the vicinity of the steering wheel main body 11, and can be moved downward from the initial position. The accelerator lever 15 performs an accelerator operation in the traveling direction switched by the forward / backward changeover switch 17. When the accelerator lever 15 is pushed down, the vehicle advances, and when the accelerator lever 15 is released, the brake is applied and the vehicle stops. Further, when the accelerator lever 15 is strongly grasped (pulled toward you), the vehicle suddenly stops. The accelerator lever 15 constitutes the accelerator operating unit in the present invention.

The brake lever 16 is provided on the left front portion of the switch box 12 and can rotate rearward from the initial position. The brake lever 16 functions as a brake when the vehicle is pushed by hand, and functions as a parking brake when the vehicle is parked.

A pair of turn signal switches 18 are provided on the left and right sides, and when the left turn signal switch 18 is operated, a left turn signal is given, and when the right turn signal switch 18 is operated, a right turn signal is given.

The alarm switch 19 includes a push button type switch. An alarm sound is generated by pressing the alarm switch 19.

The maximum speed setting knob 20 is a dial-type operation unit, and adjusts the maximum speed at the time of forward movement within a predetermined speed range. For example, the speed can be set in the range of 2 km to 6 km / h. The maximum speed when moving backward is fixed at, for example, 2 km / h.

The display unit 21 displays the traveling speed, the traveling distance (trip meter), the charging status of the battery, and the like.

The voice guidance on / off switch 22 includes a button-type switch, and sets the voice guidance function on or off.

The rangefinder reset switch 23 resets the mileage to zero by being operated.

Further, a forward confirmation lamp 25 and a reverse confirmation lamp 26 are provided on the upper surface of the switch box. When the vehicle can move forward, the forward confirmation lamp 25 lights up, and when the vehicle can move backward, the reverse movement confirmation lamp 26 lights up.

A speaker 24 is provided on the lower surface of the switch box 12, and voice guidance and various alarm sounds are output from the speaker 24.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the electric vehicle 1 configured as described above, the permission and prohibition of traveling are controlled by the control unit 100. The control unit 100 includes, for example, a microcomputer including a CPU, RAM, ROM, an input / output interface, and the like.

The CPU uses the temporary storage function of the RAM and performs calculations according to a program stored in advance in the ROM. Various control constants and the like used by the CPU when executing a program are stored in the ROM in advance.

An accelerator lever 15 and a forward / backward changeover switch 17 are electrically connected to the input side of the control unit 100. On the other hand, the motor 9 is electrically connected to the output side of the control unit 100 via an inverter (not shown).

The control unit 100 drives the motor 9 on the condition that the accelerator lever 15 is operated within a predetermined time after the forward / backward changeover switch 17 is operated by executing the travel permission determination operation described later. The running of the electric vehicle 1 is permitted.

Next, the travel permission determination operation executed by the control unit 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, first, the control unit 100 determines in step S1 whether the forward / backward changeover switch 17 is in the neutral position, and if it is not in the neutral position, sets the operation permission flag to off in step S7. In step S8, the traveling prohibition is set, and the traveling permission determination operation this time is ended.

When the forward / backward changeover switch 17 is in the neutral position in step S1, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the forward / backward changeover switch 17 has switched from the neutral position to the forward position in step S2, and determines whether or not the forward / backward changeover switch 17 has switched from the neutral position to the forward position. When it is switched to, the operation permission flag is set to on in step S4.

If the control unit 100 determines in step S2 that the forward / backward changeover switch 17 has not switched from the neutral position to the forward position, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the forward / backward changeover switch 17 has switched from the neutral position to the reverse position in step S3. Then, when the position is switched from the neutral position to the reverse position, the operation permission flag is set to on in step S4.

That is, when the forward / backward changeover switch 17 is switched from the neutral position to the forward position or the reverse position, the control unit 100 sets the operation permission flag to ON.

After turning on the operation permission flag in step S4, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the accelerator lever 15 has been operated within a predetermined time in step S5, and if the accelerator lever 15 is operated within the predetermined time, the control unit 100 determines. , Step S6 sets the travel permission, and ends the current travel permission determination operation. Here, the predetermined time is a period corresponding to immediately before the operation of the accelerator lever 15, and is set to, for example, 2 seconds to 3 seconds.

If the accelerator lever 15 is not operated within a predetermined time in step S5, the control unit 100 sets the traveling prohibition in step S8 and ends the traveling permission determination operation this time.

The forward / backward changeover switch 17 may be composed of a switch that performs a two-position type alternate operation that is operated at either the forward position or the reverse position.

In this case, when the driver desires to move forward, the control unit 100 switches to the forward position again when the forward / backward changeover switch 17 is switched from the reverse position to the forward position or once switched from the forward position to the reverse position. If this is the case, the operation permission flag is turned on and the driving permission is set by operating the accelerator lever 15.

Further, when the driver desires to move backward, the control unit 100 is switched to the reverse position again when the forward / backward changeover switch 17 is switched from the forward position to the reverse position or once switched from the reverse position to the forward position. In that case, the operation permission flag is turned ON, and the driving permission is set by operating the accelerator lever 15.

Further, instead of the forward / backward changeover switch 17, the forward / backward changeover button 27 may be used as shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, the forward / backward switching button 27 includes a forward instruction button 27A for instructing forward movement and a reverse movement instruction button 27B for instructing reverse movement.

In this case, the control unit 100 travels the electric vehicle on the condition that the accelerator lever 15 is operated within a predetermined time after the forward / backward instruction button 27A or the reverse instruction button 27B is operated by the forward / backward changeover switch 17. Allow.

Further, instead of the forward / backward changeover switch 17 or the forward / backward changeover button 27, a touch panel (not shown) for performing a forward / backward changeover operation may be provided.

In this case, the control unit 100 travels the electric vehicle on the condition that the accelerator lever 15 is operated within a predetermined time after the forward / backward changeover switch or the forward / backward changeover button displayed on the touch panel is operated. To give permission. Further, as the forward / backward switching operation unit for switching the forward / backward movement, an operation unit of a type other than these may be adopted.

As described above, the electric vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment includes a control unit 100 that permits the electric vehicle 1 to travel by driving the motor 9 when a predetermined travel permission condition is satisfied. Then, the control unit 100 permits the electric vehicle 1 to travel on the condition that the accelerator lever 15 is operated within a predetermined time after the forward / backward changeover switch 17 is operated.

As a result, the traveling of the vehicle is permitted by both the operation of the forward / backward changeover switch 17 and the accelerator operation, and the vehicle can start.

Therefore, the traveling direction of the vehicle always matches the direction intended by the driver, and it is possible to prevent the vehicle from starting in a direction not intended by the driving vehicle. Further, if the driver unintentionally operates the accelerator without operating the forward / backward changeover switch 17, the vehicle is prohibited from traveling, so that the start of the vehicle due to the driver's unintended accelerator operation can be suppressed.

As a result, it is possible to suppress the start of the vehicle due to the accelerator operation not intended by the driver and improve the safety.

Further, in the electric vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, the forward / backward changeover switch 17 includes a forward position instructing forward and a reverse position instructing reverse, and the control unit 100 has a switching unit in a forward position or a reverse position. The electric vehicle 1 is permitted to travel on the condition that the accelerator lever 15 is operated within a predetermined time after the operation is performed.

As a result, in an electric vehicle that switches the direction of travel between forward and reverse with a lever-operated switch, simply changing the control program suppresses the start of the vehicle due to the driver's unintended accelerator operation and improves safety. be able to.

Further, in the electric vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, the forward / backward changeover switch 17 includes a forward position instructing forward, a reverse position instructing reverse, and a neutral position not instructing progress, and the control unit 100 controls the control unit 100. The electric vehicle 1 is permitted to travel on the condition that the accelerator lever 15 is operated within a predetermined time after the forward / backward changeover switch 17 is operated from the neutral position to the forward position or the forward position.

As a result, since the neutral position is set on the forward / backward changeover switch 17, the driving vehicle can intuitively recognize that the traveling direction must be changed in order to allow the vehicle to travel. ..

Further, in the electric vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, the forward / backward changeover switch 17 returns to the neutral position when not operated.

As a result, the operation of the forward / backward changeover switch 17 for turning on the operation permission flag can be performed by one operation from the neutral position to the forward position or the reverse position, and the convenience can be improved.

Further, in the electric vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, the forward / backward switching button 27 includes a forward instruction button 27A for instructing forward movement and a reverse movement instruction button 27B for instructing reverse movement, and the control unit 100 includes a forward movement instruction button 27A. Alternatively, the electric vehicle 1 is permitted to travel on the condition that the accelerator lever 15 is operated within a predetermined time after the reverse instruction button 27B is operated.

As a result, in an electric vehicle that switches the direction of travel between forward and reverse with a button-operated switch, simply changing the control program suppresses the start of the vehicle due to an unintended accelerator operation by the driver and improves safety. be able to.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed, it is clear that some skilled in the art can make changes without departing from the scope of the present invention. All such modifications and equivalents are intended to be included in the following claims.

1 Electric vehicle 9 Motor 15 Accelerator lever (accelerator operation unit)
17 Forward / backward changeover switch (forward / backward changeover operation unit)
100 Control unit

Claims (5)

A forward / backward switching operation unit that switches the traveling direction of the electric vehicle between forward and reverse,
An accelerator operation unit that performs an accelerator operation in the traveling direction switched by the forward / backward switching operation unit,
In the accelerator device of an electric vehicle having a motor driven based on the operation of the accelerator operation unit.
A control unit that permits the electric vehicle to travel by driving the motor when a predetermined travel permission condition is satisfied is provided.
The control unit is characterized in that it permits the electric vehicle to travel on the condition that the accelerator operation unit is operated within a predetermined time after the forward / backward switching operation unit is operated. Vehicle accelerator device. The forward / backward switching operation unit includes a forward position for instructing forward movement and a reverse movement position for instructing reverse movement.
The control unit causes the electric vehicle to travel on the condition that the accelerator operation unit is operated within a predetermined time after the forward / backward movement switching operation unit is operated to the forward position or the reverse position. The accelerator device for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the accelerator device is used. The forward / backward switching operation unit includes a forward position instructing forward, a reverse position instructing reverse, and a neutral position not instructing advance.
The control unit is electrically operated on the condition that the accelerator operation unit is operated within a predetermined time after the forward / backward movement switching operation unit is operated from the neutral position to the forward position or the reverse position. The accelerator device for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the traveling of the vehicle is permitted. The accelerator device for an electric vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the forward / backward switching operation unit returns to the neutral position when not operated. The forward / backward switching operation unit includes a forward instruction button for instructing forward movement and a reverse movement instruction button for instructing reverse movement.
The control unit of the electric vehicle is subject to the travel permission condition that the accelerator operation unit is operated within a predetermined time after the forward / backward movement switching operation unit operates the forward movement instruction button or the reverse movement instruction button. The accelerator device for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is allowed to travel.

Images