CN111801263A

CN111801263A - Transport device, in particular a baby carriage, having an electric drive unit

Info

Publication number: CN111801263A
Application number: CN201980017702.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: B·席林格; S·格劳; J·菲斯特
Original assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
Current assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
Priority date: 2018-03-08
Filing date: 2019-01-12
Publication date: 2020-10-20
Also published as: DE102018203500A1; EP3762273A1; WO2019170305A1; JP2021514900A

Abstract

The invention relates to a transport device (100), in particular a baby carriage, having at least three wheels (116, 118, 120, 122) and a handle (110) for a user, wherein of the at least three wheels (116, 118, 120, 122) at least one wheel (116, 118) is designed to be steerable and at least two wheels (120, 122) are designed as drive wheels (132, 134) which can each be driven electrically by means of an associated electric drive unit (140, 142) in order to be able to carry out an at least partially electric assistance by a manual pushing or pulling operation of the transport device (100) by the user, and having a control device (190) for controlling the at least two drive wheels (132, 134), wherein the at least two drive wheels (132, 134) can be controlled independently of one another, an adjustment unit (195) is provided, which is designed to adjust, when at least one of the at least two drive wheels (132, 134) is activated, the steering torque applied to the transport device in such a way that the transport device (100) is moved along its longitudinal axis (105).

Description

Transport device, in particular a baby carriage, having an electric drive unit

Technical Field

The invention relates to a transport device, in particular a baby carriage, having at least three wheels and a handle for a user, wherein at least one of the at least three wheels is configured as a steerable and at least two wheels are configured as drive wheels, which can each be driven electrically by means of an associated electric drive unit in order to be able to carry out an at least partially electric assistance of a manual pushing or pulling operation of the transport device by the user, and having a control device for controlling the at least two drive wheels, wherein the at least two drive wheels can be controlled independently of one another.

Background

Furthermore, transport devices designed as strollers are known from the prior art, which have an electric drive for actively assisting the pushing of a user. Here, such a stroller has three wheels and a handle for the user. Of these three wheels, the wheel configured as the front wheel is configured to be steerable and the two wheels configured as the rear wheels are configured as drive wheels. A control device is provided for controlling the two drive wheels, wherein the two drive wheels can be controlled independently of one another.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention relates to a transport device, in particular a baby carriage, having at least three wheels and a handle for a user, wherein at least one of the at least three wheels is configured as a steerable wheel and at least two wheels are configured as drive wheels, which can each be driven in an electric manner by means of an associated electric drive unit in order to be able to carry out an at least partially electric assistance of a manual pushing or pulling operation of the transport device by the user, and having a control device for controlling the at least two drive wheels, wherein the at least two drive wheels can be controlled independently of one another. An adjustment device is provided, which is designed to adjust the steering torque of the loading carriage when at least one of the at least two drive wheels is activated in such a way that the carriage is moved along its longitudinal axis.

The invention thus makes it possible to provide a transport device in which at least two drive wheels are controlled by a control device as a function of a steering torque loading the transport device and in which uncomplicated and reliable control of the transport device is possible. The drive of the transport device can thus be realized in a simple manner, wherein an undesired steering movement of the transport device can be prevented. Thus, manual locking of the at least one steerable wheel is prevented and a simple and user-friendly operation of the transport device is enabled.

Preferably, an input device is provided for activating and/or deactivating the adjustment by the user. The user can thus easily and without complications prevent the steering movement in the case of an activated adjustment section and/or allow the steering movement in the case of a deactivated adjustment section.

The input device is preferably arranged on the transport device or is configured as an external device. Thus, application-directed and user-friendly manipulation can be achieved.

According to one embodiment, the input device is arranged on the transport device in a fixed or detachable manner. Flexible arrangement of the input means can thus be achieved.

Preferably, the adjustment device is designed to adjust the wheel speed of at least one of the at least two drive wheels and/or the rotational speed of the transport device as a function of the steering torque of the load-bearing transport device. In a simple manner, the steering torque of the loading carriage can thus be at least approximately balanced, wherein manual locking of the at least one steerable wheel can be avoided and therefore straight travel can be achieved.

Preferably, at least one sensor is provided for determining the steering torque. Thus, a safe and reliable determination of the steering torque of the load-carrying means can be achieved, wherein the adjustment section controls the at least two drive wheels as a function of the determined steering torque.

Preferably, the at least one sensor is a rotational speed sensor and/or a gyroscope sensor. Thus, a suitable sensor for determining the current wheel speed and/or rotational speed can be provided simply and without complexity.

According to one embodiment, the control device effects a steering movement of the transport device when the adjustment section is deactivated. Thus, a transport device can be provided for which a straight travel with an activated adjustment and a steering movement with a deactivated adjustment are possible.

Preferably, the adjustment part is assigned a limit steering torque, wherein the adjustment part effects a steering movement of the transport device when the limit steering torque is exceeded. Thus, a simple and reliable adjustment for straight travel and steering movements can be provided.

Preferably, the adjusting device for adjusting at least one of the at least two drive wheels has at least one algorithm. Thus, a suitable adjustment portion can be provided in a simple manner.

Drawings

The invention is explained in detail in the following description with the aid of embodiments shown in the drawings. In which is shown:

fig. 1 shows a side view of a transport device configured as a baby carriage, which has an input device arranged thereon for activating an adjustment for straight travel,

fig. 2 shows a side view of the transport device of fig. 1, configured as a baby carriage, with an external input device for activating the adjustment for straight travel,

figure 3 shows a schematic top view of the wheels of the transport device with the adjustment portions deactivated,

figure 4 shows a schematic top view of the wheels of the transport device with the adjustment section activated,

FIG. 5 shows a schematic top view of a wheel of a transport device with an alternative adjustment for straight travel, with an adjustment activated and a steering torque below a predefined limit steering torque, and

fig. 6 shows a schematic top view of a wheel of a transport device with the adjustment portion of fig. 5, when the adjustment portion is activated and the steering torque is higher than a predefined limit steering torque.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a transport device 100, which is designed illustratively and exemplarily as a stroller 101 and is referred to below as "stroller 101". The stroller 101 preferably has a scissor-like folding chassis (Fahrgestell) 102, on which a crib (Liegewanne) or a seat pan (Sitzwanne) 104 is arranged in an illustrative manner. A cushion 106 is preferably inserted into the crib or the seat pan as a cushion for at least one child 108. A handle 110 is preferably arranged on the chassis 102, which handle is preferably designed as a height-adjustable U-shaped bow or as a handle bar for pushing or pulling the stroller 101 on the ground in the direction of the double arrow 105 by a user, not shown in the figures. The pushing operation of the stroller 101 is effected in the direction of the user force Fu exerted to push, and the pulling operation of the stroller 101 is preferably effected in the opposite direction, illustratively.

Preferably, the stroller 101 has at least three

wheels

116, 118, 120, 122. Preferably, two wheels are arranged on the rear axle 130 and one wheel is arranged on the front axle 128, however, two wheels may also be arranged on the front axle 128 and one wheel on the rear axle 130. Four

wheels

116, 118, 120, 122 are provided on the running gear 102, by way of example only, wherein the

wheels

116, 120, which are only visible here and are located further to the front in relation to the drawing plane, cover two

wheels

118, 122, which are located further to the rear in relation to the drawing plane, respectively. The

wheels

116, 118 are preferably arranged on both sides on a front axle 128 and the

wheels

120, 122 on a rear axle 130 of the running gear 102 of the buggy 101.

Of the at least three

wheels

120, 122, 124, 126, preferably at least two wheels are each designed as a

drive wheel

132, 134. The at least two

drive wheels

132, 134 are preferably drivable electrically by means of at least one

electric drive unit

140, 142. Preferably, a

drive unit

140, 142 is assigned to each

drive wheel

132, 134. Preferably, the drive unit 140 is assigned to the drive wheel 132 and the drive unit 142 is assigned to the drive wheel 134. The at least two

drive wheels

132, 134 can be arranged on the front axle 128 and/or the rear axle 130.

The two

wheels

120, 122 associated with the rear axle 130 are preferably designed as

drive wheels

132, 134, respectively, which are preferably used to at least partially assist the manual pushing or pulling operation of the stroller 101 by the user. The

drive wheels

132, 134 can preferably each be driven independently of one another by means of an

electric drive unit

140, 142, either directly or indirectly via a transmission mechanism, which is preferably not shown.

Furthermore, a control device 190 for controlling the at least two

drive wheels

132, 134 is provided. Here, the at least two

drive wheels

132, 134 are preferably controllable independently of one another. The at least two

drive wheels

132, 134 are preferably able to be precisely adjusted by means of a control device 190 or an adjusting device, which is arranged in the region of the rear axle 130 by way of example.

According to one embodiment, an adjustment 195 is provided which is designed to adjust the steering torque (T in fig. 3) of the load-carrying device 100 or of the stroller 101 in such a way that the stroller 101 moves or travels straight along its longitudinal axis 105 when at least one of the at least two

drive wheels

132, 134 is activated. The adjusting device 195 has at least one algorithm, preferably a plurality of algorithms, for adjusting at least one of the at least two

drive wheels

132, 134. The control device 190 can effect a steering movement of the stroller 101, preferably with the adjustment part 195 deactivated. The control unit 190 preferably allows at least the steering movement when the adjustment 195 is deactivated. Furthermore, the control device 190 may alternatively or optionally also amplify the steering movement when the adjustment 195 is deactivated.

In order to activate and/or deactivate the adjustment part 195 by the user, input means 180, 182 are preferably provided. The input device 182 is arranged on the transport device 100 or the baby carriage 101 or is configured as an external device (282 in fig. 2). The input device 180 is arranged fixedly on the stroller 101 or detachably, for example by means of a clamping connection, on an associated holding device. Illustratively and preferably, the input device 182 in FIG. 1 is disposed on the handle 110. The input device 182 is preferably designed as a switch, button, touch display and/or smartphone with a corresponding App, which is arranged on the stroller 101. The adjustment part 195 can be activated and/or deactivated by manual actuation, for example, of a switch or a pushbutton and/or by voice input.

A user of the stroller 101 can set at least one of the first and second modes of operation via the input device 180. The first operating mode preferably corresponds to normal travel, in which the adjusting part 195 is deactivated and the steering movement is therefore effected by loading the stroller 101 with a steering torque (T in fig. 3). Here, in the exemplary first operating mode, a manual pushing or pulling operation of the stroller 101 may be at least partially assisted, or a manual pushing or pulling operation of the stroller 101 may be performed. The second operating mode preferably corresponds to a straight travel, in which the adjustment part 195 is activated and the buggy 101 is moved along its longitudinal axis 105. In this case, the adjusting device 195 preferably adjusts the at least two

drive wheels

132, 134 in such a way that the steering torque (T in fig. 3) applied to the stroller 101 is balanced and the stroller 101 moves straight. It should be noted that the configuration of the stroller 101 with two modes of operation is exemplary only and should not be considered as limiting the invention.

According to one embodiment, the adjusting part 195 is configured to adjust the wheel speed of at least one of the at least two

drive wheels

132, 134 and/or the rotational speed of the stroller 101 depending on the steering torque (T in fig. 3) loading the stroller 101. For determining the steering torque (T in fig. 3), at least one sensor 192 is preferably provided. The at least one sensor 192 is preferably a rotational speed sensor and/or a gyroscope sensor.

Illustratively and preferably, the control device 190, the adjustment portion 195 and the at least one sensor 192 are arranged on the underside of the crib or seat pan 104 facing the

wheels

120, 122, 124, 126. However, the control device 190, the adjustment part 195 and/or the at least one sensor 192 may also be arranged at any other location on the buggy 101 or on the transport device 100.

In contrast to the embodiment of the conventional stroller 101, which is shown here only by way of example, the stroller can also be designed as a sport-type stroller or buggy or as a double-row or double-box stroller or as a tandem-type buggy. It should be noted that the design of the transport device 100 as a baby carriage 101 has merely exemplary features and should not be understood as limiting the invention. The transport device 100 can therefore also be constructed in the manner of any other transport device with a control device according to the invention with an adjustment for straight travel, for example in the manner of a transport carriage, a trolley, a two-wheeled bag trolley or a trash can.

Fig. 2 shows the transport device 100 of fig. 1 in the exemplary configuration as a baby carriage 101, which has an input device 180. Here, the input device 180 is alternatively configured as an external device 282. Preferably, the input device 180 is configured as an external remote control, smartphone with App or microphone. Thereby allowing the user to carry the input device 282. Here, as described above, activation may be effected as actuation of a key and/or as voice input.

Fig. 3 shows the

wheels

116, 118, 120, 122 associated with the transport device 100 of fig. 1 and 2, which is designed as a stroller 101 in the exemplary embodiment, in a first operating mode. Illustratively and preferably, at least two

drive wheels

132, 134 are assigned to the

rear wheels

120, 122 and preferably two drive

units

140, 142 are configured. The drive wheel 132 is assigned to the drive unit 140 and the drive wheel 134 is assigned to the drive unit 142. Furthermore, the two

front wheels

116, 118 are preferably of steerable design. Preferably, the

rear wheels

120, 122 are configured as push-pull rollers (Bockrollen) and/or the

front wheels

116, 118 are configured as steering rollers.

Fig. 3 illustrates the first operating mode described above, in which the steering torque T enables a steering movement or pivoting movement of the steerable

front wheels

116, 118, which is illustratively to the left in fig. 3. Such a steering torque T can preferably be generated by downhill forces, friction forces and/or user forces, for example by the loading of the user on the handle 110 or the user force Fu. In fig. 3, the two

drive wheels

132, 134 are preferably driven uniformly and, due to the steering torque T, illustratively load the stroller 101 to the left.

Fig. 4 shows the

wheels

116, 118, 120, 122 of the stroller 101 of fig. 3 and illustrates a second mode of operation. In the second operating mode, as described above, the adjustment part 195 is activated and the two

drive wheels

132, 134 are adjusted in such a way that the steering torque T, which is applied to the stroller 101, is balanced, for example by the user force Fu. Here, the

front wheels

116, 118 remain straight and the stroller 101 moves along its longitudinal axis 105. The two

drive wheels

132, 134 are preferably adjusted in such a way that the rotational speeds and/or rotational speeds are different and, for example, in the case of a steering torque T acting to the left as shown in fig. 4, the left drive wheel 132 illustratively has a higher wheel speed than the right drive wheel 134 and/or the right drive wheel 134 illustratively has a lower wheel speed than the left drive wheel 132.

Fig. 5 shows the

wheels

116, 118, 120, 122 of the stroller 101 of fig. 3 and 4 and illustrates an alternative or alternative automatic mode of operation. In an alternative or alternative automatic operating mode, the adjusting part 195 is assigned a limit steering torque Tmax. The adjusting portion 195 makes it possible to perform a steering motion or an operation in the first operation mode of the stroller 101 when the automatic mode is activated and the limit steering torque Tmax is exceeded, and prevents the steering motion or the operation in the second operation mode when the steering torque T is smaller than the limit steering torque Tmax. The limit steering torque Tmax can be preset, set by the user and/or determined by a test run.

Fig. 5 illustrates straight travel at a steering torque T that is less than the limit steering torque Tmax. The steering torque T is generated by an adjustment 195, which, analogously to the second operating mode shown in fig. 4, moves the

drive wheels

132, 134 along their longitudinal axes 105 or straight.

Fig. 6 shows the

wheels

116, 118, 120, 122 of the stroller 101 of fig. 3-5 and illustrates an alternative or alternative automatic mode of operation in the first mode of operation. Here, the steering torque T is greater than the limit steering torque Tmax, and thus the adjustment part 195 allows the steering movement. Here, a steering movement of the

front wheels

116, 118 to the left is illustratively effected.

Claims

1. Transport device (100), in particular a baby carriage, having at least three wheels (116, 118, 120, 122) and a handle (110) for a user, wherein of the at least three wheels (116, 118, 120, 122) at least one wheel (116, 118) is designed to be steerable and at least two wheels (120, 122) are designed as drive wheels (132, 134) which can each be driven electrically by means of an associated electric drive unit (140, 142) in order to be able to achieve an at least partially electric assistance by a manual pushing or pulling operation of the transport device (100) by the user, and having a control device (190) for controlling the at least two drive wheels (132, 134), wherein the at least two drive wheels (132, 134) can be controlled independently of one another, characterized in that, an adjustment unit (195) is provided, which is designed to adjust, when at least one of the at least two drive wheels (132, 134) is activated, the steering torque (T) acting on the transport device (100) in such a way that the transport device (100) is moved along its longitudinal axis (105).

2. A transportation device according to claim 1, characterized in that an input device (180, 182, 282) is provided for activating and/or deactivating the adjustment (195) by the user.

3. Transport device according to claim 2, characterized in that the input device (182) is arranged on the transport device (100) or is configured as an external apparatus (282).

4. A transportation device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the input device (180, 182) is fixedly or detachably arranged on the transportation device (100).

5. Transport device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the adjustment section (195) is configured for adjusting the wheel speed of at least one of the at least two drive wheels (132, 134) and/or the rotational speed of the transport device (100) as a function of the steering torque (T) of the load-carrying transport device (100).

6. Transport device as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, characterized in that at least one sensor (192) for determining the steering torque (T) is provided.

7. Transportation device according to claim 6, characterized in that the at least one sensor (192) is a rotational speed sensor and/or a gyro sensor.

8. Transport device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control device (190) effects a steering movement of the transport device (100) with the adjustment section (195) deactivated.

9. Transport device as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the adjusting section (195) is assigned a limiting steering torque (Tmax), wherein the adjusting section (195) effects a steering movement of the transport device (100) when the limiting steering torque (Tmax) is exceeded.

10. A transportation device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the adjustment section (195) for adjusting at least one of the at least two drive wheels (132, 134) has at least one algorithm.