JPH0986477A - Bicycle with electric motor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the durability of a brake, a frame or the like by installing an electric drive part having a control part for controlling the output of an electric motor so as to correspond to a change in the drive power of an input drive part and, then, controlling output corresponding to the input drive power of the electric drive part in a reducing direction. depending upon the operation of a brake means. SOLUTION: Regarding a power assisted bicycle with an electric motor, human power applied via a pedal 5 is transmitted to a rear sprocket 27 with a chain 17, and shifted with a transmission 25. Then, the power is transmitted to a reduction mechanism 46 via a turning plate 35 and a spring 38, thereby rotating a rear wheel 11. In this case, when a control part 65 inputs a drive signal on the basis of signals entered from a coil 44 and a speed sensor 66, the output of an electric motor 49 is reduced through another reduction mechanism 67, thereby rotating the rear wheel 11. Also, when a brake force is applied from a brake means 71 and a brake operation signal is inputted from a brake operation variable detection part 70, an assist ratio is set to zero with the control part 65, and drive power in this case is controlled so as to be generated only with human power.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric vehicle capable of driving an electric driving force in accordance with the magnitude of the torque of the human driving force and assisting the driving force with the human driving force to travel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in an auxiliary electric bicycle "pass" made by Yamaha Motor, etc., the magnitude of human torque is detected, and the electric driving force is output by the electric motor in accordance with the magnitude of the human torque. BACKGROUND ART An auxiliary electric bicycle is generally known in which an electric driving force is added to the vehicle to drive the bicycle. The brake mechanism of such an auxiliary electric bicycle uses a side-pull caliper brake to brake the front wheels and a roller brake to brake the rear wheels, and mechanical braking is applied to both wheels independently of the control of the assist force. The brake is being used.

However, with the above construction, when the combined force of the human-powered driving force and the electric driving force is exerted on the bicycle, if braking is applied with the driving force being applied, the driving force will be applied to the frame and wheels of the bicycle. Since the braking force is applied to the frame and the wheels are easily distorted, there is a problem in durability.

In the case of a normal bicycle having no auxiliary force, when the braking force by the operation of the braking means is applied, the driving force is only the driving force of human power, so that the driving force is small, and the distortion of the frame and the wheels is a serious problem. However, in the state where the electric driving force is added to the human driving force, that is, the driving force which is twice as large as the human driving force is applied, there is a problem that the frame or the like is greatly distorted when the braking force is applied.

If the brake is applied while the electric driving force is applied, there is a problem that the wear of the brake increases.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above drawbacks, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electric vehicle having improved durability.

[0007]

According to the structure of claim 1 of the present invention, a human-powered drive unit for rotating wheels by human power,
An electric drive unit provided with a control unit that controls the output of the electric motor in response to changes in the driving force of the human-powered drive unit is provided in parallel, and brake means for braking the rotation of the wheels is provided. The control is performed to reduce the output corresponding to the human-powered driving force of the electric drive unit according to the operation, the driving force due to the human power is detected, the output of the electric motor is controlled according to the driving force, and the human-driven driving force is electrically driven. Driving with force, at that time,
The output of the electric motor is reduced when the braking means is operated.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the control section stops the output when the braking means is operated, and the braking means when the electric driving force is added to the human driving force to drive the vehicle. The output of the electric driving force is stopped even if the human driving force is applied, and the braking force acts only on the human driving force.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the control unit reduces the output with respect to the human-powered driving force as the operation amount of the brake increases, and assists with the electric-powered driving force according to the magnitude of the human-powered driving force. The assist ratio is reduced according to the operation amount of the brake. For example, when the braking means is 0%, the ratio of human power to electric power is set to 1: 1 and when the operation amount of the braking means increases, the ratio gradually increases. The control is performed such that the output of the electric motor is reduced to zero when the braking means is operated to be reduced by 100%. As a result, it is possible to reduce distortion on the frame and the like, and also to assist with a sufficient electric driving force.

Further, according to the structure of claim 4, the brake operation amount detecting portion which operates according to the operation amount of the braking means is provided, and the operation amount of the detecting portion is converted into an electric signal and detected. When the ratio of the electric driving force is changed according to the operation amount of, the operation amount of the braking means is converted into an electric signal, which facilitates control.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7 by taking an electric bicycle as an example.

First, the overall structure of the electric bicycle will be described with reference to FIG.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a head pipe 2 provided at a front portion,
The main frame 1 is connected to a seat tube 4 provided below the saddle 3. The main frame 1 is provided with a pedal 5 that can be rotated by human power at a portion connected to the seat tube 4.

Reference numeral 6 is a front wheel which is interlocked with the movement of the handle 7 and whose traveling direction is determined by the operation of the handle 7. The front wheel 6 comprises a spoke 8, a rim 9 and a tire 10.

Reference numeral 11 is a rear wheel which serves as a drive wheel.
The vehicle also includes a tire 12, a rim 13, spokes 14, and a drive unit 15 for driving the rear wheel 11.

Reference numeral 16 denotes a front sprocket that rotates with the rotation of the pedal 5, and the front sprocket 16 has a chain.
17 hangs the rotation of the front sprocket 16 to the drive unit.
Power is transmitted to the sprocket 27 provided on the 15 axles.

A battery 18 serves as a power source for an electric motor 49, which will be described later, and contains a 24-volt NiCd battery.
Further, the battery 18 is removable and can be charged indoors when charging.

Reference numeral 19 is a front basket, and 20 is a stand for supporting the bicycle when the vehicle is stopped.

2 and 3 of the drive unit 15 described above.
Shows a specific configuration.

Reference numeral 21 denotes a disk-shaped fixed casing fixedly attached to the main frame 1. Reference numeral 22 denotes a rotating casing which is coaxial with the fixed casing 21 and rotates outside the fixed casing 21. The fixed casing 21 and the rotating casing 22 together form a hub. Two annular ribs 24 are formed on the outer periphery of the rotating side casing 22, and spokes 14 are stretched from the annular rib 24 toward a rim 13 to which the tire 12 is attached.

Reference numeral 25 denotes a hub-shaft-internal type transmission provided on the axle (for example, SG-3531 made by Shimano), and the transmission 25 is joined to a rear sprocket 27 via a ratchet 26. That is, the ratchet 26 allows the human power from the chain 17 to be applied only in one direction, and the driving force is cut off when a force is applied to the reverse rotation. The transmission 25 is housed in a cylindrical container 33, and a flange portion 28 is formed on the entire circumference of one side of the container 33. In addition, this transmission 25 has a transmission rod 30 in the hollow portion of the axle 29.
Is slidably inserted in a state of being biased outward,
A gear (not shown) in the transmission 25 is switched by moving the shift rod 30 to the left and right. And
A pusher 31 for pressing the shift rod 30 is provided in pressure contact with the shift rod 30, and an operating tool (not shown) for operating the pusher 31 is provided near the handle 7 by connecting with a wire 32. There is. In short, the wire 32
When the button is pulled, the pusher 31 moves, and the gear shift stage is changed by moving the shift rod 30.

Reference numeral 34 denotes a cylindrical sleeve that is press-fitted into the container 33 of the transmission 25 and surrounds the outer periphery of the container 33. The sleeve 34 is screwed to the flange portion 28.

Reference numeral 35 is a rotating plate which rotates integrally with the sleeve 34 and the collar portion 28. The rotating plate 35 will be described based on the schematic diagram of the operation shown in FIG.

The rotating plate 35 is larger than the outer diameter of the container 33 of the transmission 25 and is concentric with the transmission 25. At two opposing positions, a pressing rod 36 and a conversion rod 37 are provided in the axial direction. Are integrally molded. The pressing rod 36 is formed in a columnar shape with a bell-shaped surface, and an elastic body, that is, a spring, at the bell-shaped curved surface portion.
Hold down 38. Then, the rotating plate 35 is
Rotate the outer periphery of the transmission 25 while expanding and contracting the spring 38,
It rotates concentrically with 25 by using the outer periphery of the container 33 as a guide. Further, the conversion rod 37 is a rectangular parallelepiped extending in the direction of the axle 29, and is formed obliquely so that its tip portion becomes shorter in the rotation direction.

A spring 38 held by the pressing rod 36
The other end is brought into contact with a part of the rotating side casing 22, and as a sequence of transmission of the human-powered driving force, the rotating plate 35 pushes the pressing rod.
36, the spring 38 is expanded and contracted to rotate the rotating side casing 22. At this time, the rotating plate 35 rotates while causing a slight distortion with the rotating-side casing 22 according to the expansion and contraction size of the expanded and contracted spring 38. Then, the rotating plate 35 rotates around the transmission 25 in accordance with the strain caused by human power. At this time, at the same time, the conversion rod 37 is also rotated by a slight rotation of the rotating plate 35,
The slanted portion 39 formed at the tip of the conversion rod 37 causes the slanted portion 39.
The chevron portion 40 in contact with is pushed and moves in the direction of the axle 29. A magnetic member, that is, a ring of ferrite 41 is attached to the chevron portion 40, and the ferrite 41 is also moved by the movement of the chevron portion 40. At the tip of the ferrite 41, there is a C for urging the ferrite 41 toward the rotating plate 35.
A ring 42 and a spring 43 are provided. Therefore, the ferrite 41 is attached to the axle due to the distortion of the rotating casing 22 and the rotating plate 35.
It is designed to move in 29 directions.

Reference numeral 44 is a coil provided in the fixed casing 21 near the ferrite 41. The coil 44 can convert a change in inductance due to the approach of the ferrite 41 into an electric signal. Can be used to detect the torque of human power.

The members shown in FIG. 4 are collectively referred to as a torque detector 45. Further, here, the conversion rod 37, the chevron portion 40, the magnetic member 41, and the magnetic detection member 44 are referred to as a detection portion, and the degree of expansion and contraction of the elastic body can be detected by these. Also,
The conversion rod 37 and the chevron portion 40 are collectively referred to as a conversion member, and the expansion and contraction of the elastic body 38 in the rotation direction is converted into movement in the axle 29 direction.

Although ferrite is used as the magnetic member in the above structure, the ring may be made of a conductive material such as aluminum. Further, the elastic body is a spring, but rubber or the like may be an elastic body, and a scale capable of detecting expansion and contraction of the rubber may be used as the detection unit. Further, the elastic body may be used as pressure-sensitive rubber, and the expanding and contracting pressure may be extracted as an electric signal.

Reference numeral 46 denotes an inner gear screwed to the rotating side casing 22 with a bolt.
Reference numeral 46 denotes a tooth portion formed on the inner side made of reinforced plastic such as polyacetal resin. And
The outer portion is made of a metal casing and covers the outer periphery so as to strengthen the inner gear 46.

Reference numeral 47 is a shaft cylinder integrally formed with the inner gear 46, and the shaft cylinder 47 is provided between the sleeve 34 and the rotary plate 35.
Bearing so that it rotates smoothly when it rotates
48 are intervening.

Reference numeral 49 is an electric motor built in the fixed casing 21, a belt 51 is attached to an output shaft 50 of the electric motor 49, and the belt 51 is connected to a first pulley 52. The first pulley 52 is rotatably attached to the stationary casing 21 via a bearing 53. Also,
A second pulley 56 is provided coaxially with the first pulley 52 via a one-way clutch 54 and a bearing 55, and the power from the first pulley 52 is transmitted only in one direction. A gear 57 is formed on the second pulley 56, and the gear 57 and the inner gear 46 mesh with each other to rotate the rotating side casing 22 by the driving force of the electric motor 49. The one-way clutch 54 is provided to separate the driving force from the electric motor 49 from the driving force of human power, and does not rotate the electric motor 49 together with the rear wheel 11 when the bicycle is manually pushed, for example. It is provided so that the user does not have an extra load due to the dynamic braking.

Reference numeral 58 is a brake piece that rotates together with the container 33 of the transmission 25. The brake piece 58 rotates with the rear wheel 11 in the brake case 59, and a brake lever (not shown) provided on the handle 7 is provided. ), The brake shoe 60 provided in the brake case 59 is opened to press-contact the brake piece 58 and brake the rotation of the rear wheel 11. The brake shoe 60 is provided concentrically with the axle 29, and is provided with a ring 68 that is rotated by the operation of a brake lever. The rotation of the ring 68 expands the brake shoe 60. A rotary body 69 that rotates with the rotation of the ring 68 is attached to the ring 68, and a volume 70 having a resistance value that changes with the rotation of the rotary body 69 is provided between the stationary casing 21 and the brake case 59. Intervenes. The devices for braking these bicycles are collectively referred to as braking means 71, and the volume 70 is referred to as a brake operation amount detection unit.

A magnet (not shown) that rotates with the rotation of the casing is attached to the rotating side casing 22, and a reed switch (not shown) for detecting the magnet is provided on the fixed side casing 21. ing. The number of revolutions of the rear wheel 11, that is, the traveling speed can be detected by the number of times the reed switch is input.

Reference numeral 61 is a tension pulley which can be adjusted by pressing the tension of the belt 51 connecting the electric motor 49 and the first pulley 52. The tension pulley 61 comprises a roller 62 and a base 63. 63 Slot for fixing one side 64
The force to press against the belt 51 is adjusted by.

As described above, the portion for transmitting the driving force of the electric motor 49 under the control of the control unit 65, specifically, the electric motor 49, the reduction mechanism 4
6, the control unit 65, etc. is called an electric drive unit, and the part that transmits the pedaling force of the pedal 5 to the wheels 11 via the chain 17, specifically, the pedal 5, the chain 17, the rear sprocket 27, the transmission 25, etc. It is called a drive unit.

Next, referring to FIG.
An explanation will be given based on.

First, to explain the human power drive unit, the human power given by the pedal 5 is transmitted to the rear sprocket 27 by the chain 17 and is changed by the transmission 25, and then via the rotating plate 35 and the spring 38. It is transmitted to the speed reduction mechanism 46 to rotate the rear wheel 11. Next, the electric drive unit will be described. The expansion / contraction amount of the spring 38, that is, the movement distance of the rotating plate 35 is converted into movement in the direction of the axle 29 by the conversion member 37, and the ferrite 41 is moved along with the movement. . This movement of the ferrite 41 is converted into a change in the inductance of the coil 44 and input to the control unit 65 as an electric signal. Control unit 65
Is housed in the fixed casing 21. And
The control unit 65 inputs a signal from the coil 44 and a traveling speed signal from the speed sensor 66, and outputs a drive signal to rotate the electric motor 49 based on the signal. And electric motor
The output of 49 is reduced by the reduction mechanism 67 such as the first pulley 52 and the second pulley 56, and the rear wheel 11 rotates. At this time, when braking force is applied by the braking means 71, the rotating body 69
Rotation causes the volume value to change along with the operation amount of the braking means 71, and the value is input to the control unit 65. And
The electric motor 49 is driven based on the signal from the coil 44, the signal from the speed sensor 66, and the signal from the brake operation amount detector 70. Where the rear sprocket
From 27 to the speed reduction mechanism 46, the rear wheel 11, the conversion member 37, and the ferrite 41 are contained in the rotating side casing 22, and the control unit 65, the coil 44, the speed sensor 66, the electric motor 49, the speed reduction mechanism 6 are included.
The brake means 71 and the brake operation amount detector 70 are built in the fixed casing 21.

Next, the operation of the control unit 65 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 5 shows the speed on the horizontal axis and the assist ratio on the vertical axis, that is, the ratio of the electric driving force to the human-powered driving force. A indicates in advance that the braking means 71 is not operated at all. Until the predetermined speed H is reached, the electric power is output from the electric motor 49 with the same driving force as the human-powered driving force, and the assist is always performed at a ratio of 1: 1. When the speed exceeds H, the assist ratio is controlled so as to gradually decrease so that the speed does not become excessive. Finally, the electric driving force becomes zero, and at a speed higher than this, the vehicle travels only by human power.

Next, when the assist ratio when the operation amount of the brake means 71 is half is indicated by B, the assist ratio assists human power at a ratio of 0.5 up to the speed H,
When the speed H is exceeded, the assist ratio is gradually reduced.

Further, the operation amount of the braking means 71 is 100%.
When applied, as shown by C, the assist ratio is set to zero regardless of the speed, and the driving force at this time is controlled so that only human power operates.

As described above, the operation amount of the braking means 71 is 0 to 1.
Although up to 00% is shown in three stages of A, B, and C, it may be digitally controlled in this way, but as shown by the broken line arrow, it is analogized according to the electric signal from the volume 70. The assist ratio may be changed.

Next, the operation of the control unit 65 in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

Similar to the first embodiment, this graph also shows the speed on the horizontal axis and the assist ratio on the vertical axis. A indicates a predetermined speed H when the braking means 71 is not operated at all. Until it reaches, the electric power is output from the electric motor 49 with the same driving force as the human-powered driving force, and the assist is always provided at a ratio of 1: 1. When the speed exceeds H, the assist ratio is controlled so as to gradually decrease so that the speed does not become excessive.

In the above control, the braking means
When the signal that the volume 70 is operated and the brake is operated is input from the volume 70, the control unit 65 sets the assist ratio to zero, and the driving force at that time is controlled to be performed only by human power.

In these embodiments, the operation amount of the brake is detected by the volume. However, regardless of this method, the movement amount of the brake wire may be detected in the first embodiment. Then, the switch may be turned off when the brake is operated.

[0047]

According to the structure of claim 1 of the present invention, the human-powered driving unit for rotating the wheels by human power and the control unit for controlling the output of the electric motor in response to the change in the driving force of the human-powered driving unit are provided. Since the electric drive unit is provided in parallel and the braking means for braking the rotation of the wheels is provided, the control unit controls to reduce the output corresponding to the human driving force of the electric drive unit according to the operation of the braking unit. , When the braking force is applied, the driving force is smaller than the normal running, that is, the state where the human driving force and the electric driving force are applied. be able to. In addition, since the driving force is small, braking is easily applied and safety is improved.

According to the structure of claim 2 of the present invention, the control unit controls the output to be stopped when the braking means is operated, so that the driving force when braking is only human power, Braking is easy and safety is improved.
Further, since the control is performed in this manner, it is not necessary to use a brake mechanism to which special power is applied, and by using a general-purpose bicycle brake, sufficient power can be obtained.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the control unit reduces the output for the human-powered driving force in accordance with the increase in the operation amount of the brake. Therefore, distortion to the frame and the like is reduced, and The electric driving force is reduced in accordance with the operation amount of the braking means, and the ratio of the assisting force is gradually reduced, so that an electric vehicle having a comfortable ride can be realized.

Further, according to the structure of the fourth aspect, the brake operation amount detecting portion which operates according to the operation amount of the braking means is provided, and the operation amount of the detecting portion is converted into an electric signal to be detected. When the ratio of the electric driving force is changed according to the operation amount of, the operation amount of the braking means is converted into an electric signal, so that there is an effect that the control becomes easy.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a power system diagram that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 3 of the drive section.

FIG. 3 is a plan configuration diagram of the driving unit.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an operation of the torque detector.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the speed of the electric driving force and the human driving force that is the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the speed of the electric driving force and the human driving force that is the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an overall configuration diagram of the same.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Wheel 5 Pedal 17 Chain 27 Rear sprocket 25 Transmission 49 Electric motor 46 Reduction mechanism 65 Control unit 58 Brake piece 59 Brake case 60 Brake shoe 68 Ring 71 Brake means 70 Volume (Brake operation amount detection unit)

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Hiroyasu Ishihara 2-5-5 Keihan Hon-dori, Moriguchi-shi, Osaka Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Toshihiro Sugawara 2-chome, Keihan-hondori, Moriguchi-shi, Osaka 5-5 Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazuhisa Matsumoto 2-5-5 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A human-powered drive unit that rotates wheels by human power, and an electric-powered drive unit that is provided with a control unit that controls the output of an electric motor in response to changes in the driving force of the human-powered drive unit in parallel, An electric vehicle characterized in that braking means for braking the rotation of the wheels is provided, and the control section reduces the output corresponding to the human-powered driving force of the electric drive section according to the operation of the braking means. 2. The control unit stops the output when the brake means is operated.
The electric car described. 3. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control unit reduces the output with respect to the human-powered driving force in accordance with an increase in the operation amount of the brake means. 4. A brake operation amount detection unit that operates according to an operation amount of the brake means is provided, and the operation amount of the detection unit is converted into an electric signal for detection. Electric car.