JP2000247283A - Small moving body - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small moving body allowing the start of travel by a prime mover only after the indication of a rider's intention to run and permitting a totally new sense of riding impossible by a conventional moving body. SOLUTION: A small moving body (a stand-up riding skater) is constituted including a horizontal sensor 14 for detecting forward-backward nearly horizontal manual force inputted by a rider, a prime mover (an electric motor), and a controller 15 for controlling driving of the prime mover according to the grade of the manual force detected by the horizontal sensor 14. In the case of the rider intending to move the small moving body forward, travel by the prime mover is not started until the rider indicates his or her intention to run by the action of forward horizontal manual force in addition to getting on the moving body. This constitution can avoid the start of the moving body against the rider's intention as previously occurred. Furthermore, since the prime mover is controlled by adjusting the grade of forward-backward nearly hoirzontal manual force, a totally new sense of riding can be obtained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a small-sized skater, skateboard, or the like which moves by the driving force of a prime mover which detects the magnitude of human power input by a passenger and which is controlled in accordance with the magnitude. For moving objects.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There have been proposed various small moving bodies such as skateboards which are moved by the driving force of a prime mover such as an electric motor. There is a type that employs a method of detecting a load in a vertical direction by a pressure sensor or the like, and controlling the speed or the moving direction of the moving body by driving and controlling an electric motor or the like according to the detection result (for example, Kaihei 6-238028
JP-A-9-10375, JP-A-10-23613
Reference).

[0003]

However, in the conventional small-sized moving body adopting the above-mentioned method, since the weight is detected by the pressure sensor in the vertical direction, even if there is no intention to run, the rider can ride on the moving body. There is a problem that the pressure sensor detects the weight of the occupant and starts running unexpectedly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to start traveling by a prime mover only when a passenger's intention to run is shown. It is an object of the present invention to provide a small-sized moving object that can be used in a completely new way of riding that cannot be achieved by using a small moving object.

[0005]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a horizontal sensor for detecting a human input in a substantially horizontal direction in front and rear directions inputted by an occupant; a motor; A small moving body including a controller that drives and controls the prime mover according to the magnitude of human power detected by a sensor is configured, and the small movable body is moved by the driving force from the prime mover. I do.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the horizontal direction sensor is constituted by a magnetostrictive sensor.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the small-sized moving body comprises a standing skater having a handle and a horizontal foot plate disposed between a front wheel and a rear wheel. It is characterized by having done.

Therefore, according to the present invention, when the occupant intends to move the small moving body forward, for example, he or she not only rides the small moving body but also intends to run by applying human force in the horizontal front direction. Since the driving by the prime mover is started for the first time, it is possible to avoid a start contrary to the conventional intention.

Further, since the prime mover is controlled by adjusting the magnitude of the human power in the substantially horizontal direction in the front and rear directions, a completely new sense of riding can be achieved.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a side view of a standing skater, FIG. 2 is an enlarged side sectional view of a main part of a standing skater (a human power detecting section), and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 4 shows FIG.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

The standing skater 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a horizontal foot plate 4 disposed between a front wheel 2 and a rear wheel 3, and a steering shaft 6 is rotatable on a head pipe 5 located at the front upper portion thereof. Is inserted. A steering wheel 7 is attached to the upper end of the steering shaft 6,
A front wheel 2 is rotatably supported at the lower end.

From the head pipe 5, a pair of left and right main frames 8a and one central down tube 8b are provided.
Are extended obliquely downward toward the rear, and the two main frames 8a are bent at the same height position so as to be parallel to each other and extend horizontally toward the rear. The rear wheels 3 are rotatably supported at the rear ends of the main frames 8a, and the lower ends of the down tubes 8b are cross pipes 8c provided between the main frames 8a.
Is welded to. The hub 9 of the rear wheel 3 has a built-in speed reduction mechanism (not shown) and an electric motor as a prime mover.

The width of the foot plate 4 between the front wheel 2 and the rear wheel 3 is slightly smaller than the width between the outermost sides of the main frames 8a.
A pair of main frames 8a on the left and right of the part where
A storage case 10 having an upper opening is fixedly provided therebetween, and a battery box 11 is provided behind the storage case 10. A rechargeable battery 12 is removably housed in the battery box 11, and an upper opening of the battery box 11 is covered by an openable / closable fender 70 integrally formed with a footrest 70a described later. Have been done. The rear end of the foot plate 4 and the footrest 70a of the fender 70 have the same width and are formed continuously.

As shown in detail in FIG. 2, the upper surface of the storage case 10 is covered by a flat cover member 13 and the front and rear ends of the storage case 10 are provided with horizontal direction sensors 14. Are fixed horizontally in opposition to each other, and a controller 15 is housed in the center. Further, between the horizontal sensors 14 and the controller 15 in the storage case 10, links 18 formed by vertically connecting bosses 16 and 17 are vertically arranged. As shown in FIG. 3, the lower end is supported to be rotatable in the front-rear direction about a bolt 19 laid horizontally below the storage case 10. That is, the bolt 19 and the collar 19a are inserted through the boss 17 connected to the lower end of each link 18, and the boss 17 is rotatable by the bolt 19 via the resin bush 20 and the collar 19a. Supported.

The foot plate 4 is attached to the upper end of each link 18. That is, a channel-shaped bracket 21 is attached to the front and rear of the lower surface of the foot plate 4 by two screws 22 respectively.
Each bracket 21 passes through a long groove 13 a (see FIG. 2) formed in the lid member 13 in the front-rear direction,
Is facing inside. Each bracket 21 is attached to the upper end of the link 18 by a bolt 23 inserted into the bracket 21 and the boss 16 at the upper end of each link 18.
A bush 24 made of resin and a collar 23a are interposed between the bolt 6 and the bolt 6 (see FIG. 3).

Accordingly, the foot plate 4 constitutes a parallel link together with the pair of front and rear links 18, which are bolts 19.
Is supported so as to be able to swing back and forth around the center (actually, the swing angle is small, so that the boss 16 is attached to the upper end of each link 18) in the horizontal direction. The rod 14a of the sensor 14 is in contact with the tip of each rod 14a (see FIG. 2).

The horizontal sensor 14 is a magnetostrictive sensor, which is a rod 14a made of a magnetic material.
It is configured by winding an excitation coil and a detection coil around
The load acting on the rod 14a (in the present embodiment, the human force in the horizontal direction input to the foot plate 4 by the rider) is electromagnetically detected. That is, when a load acts on the rod 14a magnetized by the exciting coil, the magnetic permeability of the rod 14a decreases due to the magnetostrictive effect, causing a change in inductance, and the change in inductance changes the voltage across the detection coil. By detecting the voltage change, the load acting on the rod 14a can be detected. Since the horizontal direction sensor 14 does not involve a displacement in the detection, the foot plate 4 does not move in the front-rear direction, and high stability and good feeling can be obtained.

FIG. 4 shows a mounting structure of the horizontal direction sensor 14. The horizontal direction sensor 14 is held by a non-magnetic case 25 made of aluminum or the like, and two right and left bolts 2 are provided.
6 is fixed to the storage case 10.

As the horizontal direction sensor 14, other than the magnetostrictive sensor, any other sensor such as a capacitive sensor or a piezoelectric sensor can be used.

In the standing skater 1 having the above-described structure, when the occupant holds the handle 7 and kicks the ground with the other foot while placing one foot on the foot plate 4, for example, When both feet are put on the foot plate 4 and the body is lowered while holding the handle 7 and the body is lowered, and the feet are pushed forward, a human force in the horizontal front acts on the foot plate 4. .

Then, the human force in the horizontal front acting on the foot plate 4 acts on the rod of the front horizontal direction sensor 14 and the compressive force acts on the rod 14a. Therefore, the human force is electromagnetically detected by the above principle, The detection signal is input to the controller 15. In the present embodiment, since the magnitude of the human force acting on the foot plate 4 is detected as the differential voltage of the pair of front and rear horizontal sensors 14, not only high-precision detection is possible, but also, for example, During traveling, an uphill can be detected by the differential output of the horizontal direction sensor 14, so that an operation such as increasing the output can be performed.

When a detection signal is input from the horizontal direction sensor 14 to the controller 15, the controller 15
Outputs a control signal corresponding to a detection signal (magnitude of human power) to an electric motor (not shown) to drive and control the electric motor. Then, the electric motor generates a driving force according to the magnitude of the human power input to the foot plate 4 by the occupant and rotationally drives the rear wheel 3, so that the standing skater 1 performs the predetermined operation according to the magnitude of the human power. Drive forward at the speed of.

In the above, the rider stands on the skater 1
In order to make the skater 1 move forward, the rider must not only ride on the foot plate 4 but also clearly show his intention to run by applying human power horizontally forward on the foot plate 4 or the skater 1 will not start running. Thus, the conventional problem that the standing skater 1 starts running against the intention of the passenger can be solved. In addition, a new way of riding that cannot be enjoyed by a conventional moving body can be achieved.

Next, based on the first embodiment, a new way of riding the skater will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9 are side views showing the manner of inputting the human power of the occupant in the standing skater, and FIG. 10 is a view showing the change over time of the motor current with respect to the sensor signal.

When the skater 1 according to the present embodiment stops when the rider merely steps on the foot plate 4 as shown in FIG. Is not driven, and the standing skater 1 does not start. Also, when the vehicle rises straight as shown in FIG.
, The electric motor is not driven because the horizontal force does not act on, and the standing skater 1 decelerates and stops.

Then, as shown in FIG. 6, when the passenger lowers his / her body while lowering his / her body backward and pulls the handle 7 backward, the foot plate 4 is pushed forward by the reaction force. The human power input to the foot plate 4 in the horizontal front is detected, and the drive of the electric motor is controlled according to the magnitude of the human power. Then, since the rotation of the electric motor is transmitted to the rear wheel 3, the rear wheel 3 is driven to rotate, and the standing skater 1 moves forward, and the standing skater 1 moves in accordance with the level of the human power input to the foot plate 4. The skater 1 is accelerated. Then, while maintaining such an attitude, or as shown in FIG.
By repeating the posture of FIG. 6 and the posture of FIG. 6 alternately, it is possible to enjoy slalom running as if it were water skiing. In addition, a current (motor current) is supplied to the electric motor in response to an output signal (sensor signal) from the horizontal direction sensor 14 as shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. In this way, if the motor output is left even after the input of human power is stopped, and the motor output is gradually reduced thereafter, the connection when the passenger switches the posture of the body, such as in the case of slalom traveling as described above, can be achieved. Become smooth.

Also, as shown in FIG. 7, the occupant repeatedly pushes his / her body forward from the rear, or as shown in FIG.
0a or kicking the ground with the other foot while one foot is placed on the foot plate 4 as shown in FIG. 9 or the like. This human power is detected in the same manner as described above, and the rear wheel 3 is driven by the driving force according to the magnitude of the human power, and the standing skater 1 is accelerated. In the case shown in FIG. 9, since the kicking force also acts as the driving force of the standing skater 1, the load at the kicking-out portion is reduced, the power consumption is reduced, and long-distance running requiring large power is possible. The battery can be reduced in size.

The pattern (time constant, amplification factor, etc.) of the motor output current with respect to the sensor output shown in FIG. 10 can be freely set by the controller 15 so that the optimum output characteristics for the various riding modes as described above can be selected. An adjustment switch (not shown) is provided on the handlebar 7 for this purpose, so that the rider can enjoy various driving feelings by selecting the switch. In particular, in the case of riding as shown in FIG. 9, if the gradually decreasing time is long as shown by the solid line in FIG. 10, the motor can be driven a long distance by one kick.

An electric motor (not shown) is built in the hub 38 of the front wheel 2 as shown in FIG. 11, or an electric motor 39 is arranged on the main frame 8 behind the foot plate 4 as shown in FIG. A configuration may be adopted in which the rotational power is transmitted to the rear wheel 3 via the sprocket 35, the chain 37, and the sprocket 36. In FIGS. 11 and 12, the controller 15 and the battery 12 are disposed obliquely on the main frame 8 in front of the foot plate 4. Here, instead of the electric motor, an engine 40 is used as a prime mover as shown in FIG.
A configuration in which a fuel tank 41 is disposed instead of the fuel tank 41 may be employed. In FIG. 13, reference numeral 40a denotes a carburetor with an actuator, which is controlled by the controller 15 in accordance with human power.

The battery 12 may be disposed on the main frame 8 beside the rear wheel 3 as shown in FIG. 14, or may be provided below the foot plate 4 as shown in FIG.
May be hung.

FIG. 16 shows the details of the structure of the human power detecting section. In this embodiment, a pair of front and rear horizontal sensors 14 are provided.
Are arranged facing each other with the boss 16 of the rear link 18 interposed therebetween, and a vertical direction sensor 27 is arranged in front of these. The vertical sensor 27 detects whether or not the occupant is riding on the basis of the presence or absence of a load (weight of the occupant) acting vertically on the foot plate 4.
For example, when the coasting characteristic as shown in FIG. 10 is provided, it is used for control for stopping the motor immediately after the passenger falls. The output of the vertical sensor 27 may be used for another control.

Next, various modes of the human power detection mechanism are shown in FIG.
23 will be described.

FIG. 17 shows an alternative to the vertical sensor 27 shown in FIG. 16, in which the front link 18 is slightly expandable and contractable in the axial direction, and a switch 28 is provided therebetween. It is possible to detect whether or not the occupant is in the vehicle, similarly to the vertical sensor 14, by ON / OFF. In the structure shown in FIG. 17, the rods 14a, 14a facing the boss 16 are combined and integrated, and the other end of each rod 14a is fixed to the main frame 8 side. By doing so, the differential between compression and tension can be detected, and the differential can be made larger to enable highly accurate detection.

The one shown in FIG. 18 is different from the one shown in FIG. 16 in that the vertical sensor 27 is omitted and the front link 18 is integrated, and only a pair of horizontal sensors 14 are provided. is there.

The human power detecting mechanism shown in FIG. 19 is different from that shown in FIG. 16 in that only one horizontal direction sensor 14 is provided, and the boss 16 of the link 18 is held between the stopper 29 and the horizontal direction sensor 14. The configuration is adopted.
Further, instead of the vertical direction sensor 27, a switch 28 similar to that shown in FIG.
The human-power detecting mechanism shown in FIG. 7 further includes a switch 30 for detecting an uphill in the stopper 29 portion. Note that FIG.
In the case shown in the figure, the sensor output decreases on a steep uphill,
Although there is a possibility that a sufficient uphill force may not be obtained, in the configuration shown in FIG. 20, the uphill can be detected by the switch 30, so that the motor driving force can be increased at that time.

The human-power detecting mechanism shown in FIG. 21 has the foot plate 4 slidably arranged in the front-rear direction between the front and rear guide portions 71, and a projection projecting downward from the center of the foot plate 4 in the front-rear direction. The human power detection mechanism shown in FIG. 22 has a pair of front and rear horizontal sensors 14 disposed before and after the foot plate 4, respectively.
a is brought into contact with the front surface and the rear surface of the foot plate 4, respectively. In FIG. 22, there are a plurality of rollers for smoothing the slide of the foot plate 4.

Further, the human power detecting mechanism shown in FIG. 23 acts on the foot plate 4 in the horizontal direction by detecting a change in the capacitance of the capacitor 33 due to the front end of the foot plate 4 protruding and retracting at the center of the capacitor 33. This is to detect human power. In FIG. 15, 15 is a controller, and 34 is a spring.

Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 24 is a side view of the skater 1. The skater 1 has a fixed foot plate 4 and a battery 12 disposed between a front wheel 2 and a rear wheel 3. Is built in the hub 38. The controller 15 is mounted diagonally on the main frame 8 in front of the foot plate 4 as shown.

The lower end of a backrest 43 is pivotally attached to a pair of left and right seat rails 42 standing upright from the main frame 8 and extending horizontally rearward. 42 is received by a horizontal sensor 14 fixed on the rear end.

Thus, as shown in FIG.
When the user sits down and leans the upper body backward and pushes the backrest 43 backward, the force acts on the horizontal sensor 14 via the backrest 43, and this force is detected by the horizontal sensor 14, The detection signal is input to the controller 15 and the electric motor (not shown) is driven and controlled by the controller 15, and the same effect as described above can be obtained in the present embodiment.

<Third Embodiment> Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 25 is a plan view of a stand-up tricycle 50 according to the present embodiment.
1 and a pair of left and right rear wheels 52, and electric motors 53 for driving the respective rear wheels 52 are disposed on the right and left rear portions of the vehicle body, and a battery 54 is disposed between them. A pair of left and right foot plates 4 are provided in front of these so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. The human force in the horizontal direction input to each foot plate 4 by the passenger is detected by a pair of front and rear horizontal sensors 14 respectively. Is detected. In FIG. 25, 55 is a handle, and 56 is a controller.

Thus, when the occupant has both foot plates 4
At the same time, a ride similar to that of the first embodiment can be performed. Also, if you push the right foot plate 4 forward,
The pushing force (manpower) is detected by the horizontal direction sensor 14 and the right electric motor 53 is driven to drive the right rear wheel 52.
Is driven, and shows a behavior of swinging the rear end of the tricycle 50 to the right,
Conversely, if the left foot plate 4 is pushed forward, the left electric motor 53 is driven, the left rear wheel 52 is driven, and the behavior of swinging the rear end of the tricycle 50 to the left is shown. Can be. Therefore, by operating both the foot plates 4, not only the traveling speed of the tricycle 50 but also the traveling direction can be controlled at the same time.

<Fourth Embodiment> Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 26 is a side view of a stand-alone personal watercraft 60 according to the present embodiment. A human-power detection mechanism similar to that shown in FIG. Has been established. The watercraft 60 is propelled by a water jet propulsion unit (not shown).

When the occupant rides on the foot plate 4 and pushes the foot forward while pulling the handle 62 as shown in the figure, the human force input to the foot plate 4 in the horizontal front direction is as described above. Similarly, the carburetor 6 with the actuator is selected in accordance with the detected human power.
4 is adjusted to control the engine output.

Thus, also in the present embodiment, an enjoyable ride can be performed as in the above-described embodiment.

It should be noted that the present invention can of course be similarly applied to any skateboard, surfboard, etc. other than those described above.

[0051]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the horizontal sensor for detecting the human power in the front and rear substantially horizontal direction inputted by the passenger, the prime mover, and the horizontal sensor are used. Since the small moving body includes the controller for controlling the driving of the prime mover according to the magnitude of the human power, the small moving body can start traveling by the prime mover only when the intention of the occupant to run is shown. In addition, an effect that a completely new way of riding that can not be performed by a conventional moving body can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a standing skater according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side sectional view of a main part of a standing skater (a human power detecting unit) according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a side view showing an aspect of a method of inputting human power of a rider in a standing skater.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an aspect of a method of inputting human power of a rider in a standing skater.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing an embodiment of a method of inputting human power of a rider in a standing skater.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing an embodiment of a method of inputting human power of a rider in a standing skater.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing an aspect of an input method of human power of a rider in the standing skater.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a temporal change of a motor current with respect to a sensor signal.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing a modified example of the standing skater according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing a modification of the standing skater according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a side view showing a modified example of the standing skater according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a side view showing a modified example of the standing skater according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a side view showing a modified example of the standing skater according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view of a human power detection mechanism.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view of a human power detection mechanism.

FIG. 18 is a sectional view of a human power detection mechanism.

FIG. 19 is a sectional view of a human power detection mechanism.

FIG. 20 is a sectional view of a human power detection mechanism.

FIG. 21 is a sectional view of a human power detection mechanism.

FIG. 22 is a sectional view of a human power detection mechanism.

FIG. 23 is a sectional view of a human power detection mechanism.

FIG. 24 is a side view of the skater according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a plan view of a tricycle according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a side view of the personal watercraft according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Standing Skater (Small Moving Body) 14 Horizontal Sensor 15 Controller 39 Electric Motor (Motor) 40 Engine (Motor) 50 Tricycle (Small Moving Body) 53 Electric Motor (Motor) 56 Controller 60 Watercraft (Small Moving Body) 63 Engine (motor)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G01L 1/12 G01L 1/12 5/22 5/22 (72) Inventor Hiroshi Mizuno 2500 Shinkai, Iwata-shi, Shizuoka Prefecture Address Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2F051 AA01 AA24 AB05 AB06 BA07 3D011 AA03 AC01 AC04 AD01 AD11 AD18 AD19 AG00 AG03 AH02 AK13 AK14 AL02 AL39 AL41 3D039 AA01 AA03 AD11

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A horizontal direction sensor for detecting human power in a front-rear and substantially horizontal direction input by a passenger, a motor, and a controller for driving and controlling the motor in accordance with the magnitude of the human power detected by the horizontal sensor. And the movable body is moved by a driving force from the prime mover. 2. The small-sized moving body according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal direction sensor is constituted by a magnetostrictive sensor. 3. The small moving body according to claim 1, further comprising a standing skater having a handle and having a horizontal foot plate disposed between a front wheel and a rear wheel.