JP2001017589A - Golf cart - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To brake a golf cart by a brake motor and assuredly stop it after a prescribed time when it is detected that the golf cart moves backward upon stopping the golf cart by a manual operation. SOLUTION: In accordance with the start of an assist brake control, it is decided whether or not an accelerator pedal is turned OFF in step S1. When the accelerator pedal is turned OFF, a procedure advances to step S2. When the accelerator pedal is turned ON, it is decided whether or not a backward movement is detected in step S3, When the backward movement is detected, it is decided whether or not a backward movement state continues for 0.5 seconds in step S4. When the backward movement state continues for 0.5 seconds, the backward movement speed of a cart is detected in step S5. Then, the energizing duty of a brake motor is determined in accordance with the backward movement speed of the cart in step S6. In step S7, the brake motor is turned ON to apply a braking force to a brake drum. Then, in step S8, a parking brake is automatically turned ON after prescribed time (about one second) to assuredly stop the golf cart and finish the control in step S9.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a golf cart that can be reliably stopped during manual operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various types of golf carts have been conventionally provided for golf courses. For example, a hand-held type using a caddy, a non-riding type or a riding type using an electric motor or an engine as a driving force are frequently used.

FIG. 1 shows four to five persons developed by the present applicant.
1 shows an external view of a passenger-type engine-type riding golf cart. This riding golf cart is an example of an engine driven type having a guide / manual switching means, and is designed to allow a person to ride on each of front and rear sides. A golf bag can be loaded at the rear, and a roof for sunshade and rain can be installed at the top.

The control system of the riding golf cart generally includes a microcomputer of a control box, an operation unit, a steering unit, a sensor unit, a power supply unit, an engine unit, a parking unit, and a main brake unit.

[0005] When the riding golf cart having such a configuration is operated manually, setting the automatic operation switching lever to "manual" switches to a manual traveling mode, in which the steering wheel (steering) is operated in the same manner as a normal riding cart. By operating the accelerator and the brake, the player can move forward and backward by operating the player himself.

Next, in the case of automatic steering, when the automatic operation switching lever is set to "automatic", the automatic steering mode is set. At that time, an induced current flowing in a loop line buried along the cart path (travel path) is detected, a magnet is read, and the vehicle travels on the cart path while performing automatic control, automatic increase / decrease, and automatic stop. Then, the user can start and stop at an arbitrary place using the remote control or the start / stop button. In addition, when a danger is detected by various safety devices, an emergency stop is performed.

In this riding golf cart, when the driver needs to stop on a hill or in the middle of a hill while performing manual driving, the player himself operates the main brake by depressing a brake pedal. The cart is stopped.

[0008]

At this time, if the amount of depression of the brake pedal is small and the braking force is weak, the driver cannot stop the vehicle and runs backward, and the passenger feels uneasy because the cart moves backward. At the same time, it can be very dangerous and must be stopped.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a golf cart which is manually operable, has manual braking means, and has braking means by a brake motor. It is an object of the present invention to provide a golf cart that can perform braking by a brake motor instantaneously or after a predetermined time when it detects that the golf cart has stopped, and can surely stop the golf cart.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a golf cart having a manually operable and manual braking means and a braking motor-driven braking means. When the golf cart is stopped by manual driving, when the golf cart is detected to run backward, braking by the brake motor is performed instantaneously or after a predetermined time.

Thus, when the golf cart is stopped by manual driving, if it is detected that the golf cart has run backward, the assist braking control by the brake motor is performed instantaneously or after a predetermined time, and the golf cart is reliably stopped. be able to.

The golf cart according to claim 2 of the present invention is
In a golf cart that is manually operable, has manual braking means, and has braking means by a brake motor, when the golf cart is to be stopped manually, it is detected that the golf cart has run backward for a predetermined distance or for a predetermined time. In such a case, braking by the brake motor is performed.

[0013] In this way, when the golf cart is stopped by manual driving, if it is detected that the golf cart has run backward for a predetermined distance or for a predetermined time, assist braking control by a brake motor is performed, and the driving of the driver is performed. It can be stopped reliably in a state close to the senses.

A golf cart according to a third aspect of the present invention is
In a golf cart that is manually operable, has manual braking means, and has braking means by a brake motor, when it is detected that the golf cart has run backwards while trying to stop the golf cart by manual driving, Alternatively, the braking by the brake motor is variably adjusted according to the reverse running speed after a predetermined time.

A golf cart according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is
In a golf cart that is manually operable, has manual braking means, and has braking means by a brake motor, when it is detected that the golf cart has run backwards while trying to stop the golf cart by manual driving, Alternatively, the braking force may be adjusted by changing the duty of the brake motor in accordance with the reverse running speed after a predetermined time.

In this way, when the golf cart is stopped by manual driving, when it is detected that the golf cart has run backward, assist braking control by the brake motor is performed instantaneously or after a predetermined time, and the reverse of the cart is performed. By applying the braking force according to the running speed, it is possible to reliably stop the vehicle while ensuring the stopping distance at an appropriate position.

A golf cart according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is
The braking by the parking brake is performed at a predetermined time after the braking by the brake motor according to the first to fourth aspects.

As described above, when it is detected that the golf cart has run backward when the golf cart is stopped manually, the assist braking control by the brake motor is performed instantaneously or after a predetermined time. By performing the braking by the parking brake, a reliable stop is achieved, and the power supply to the brake motor is not required, thereby saving power.

The golf cart according to claim 6 of the present invention is
The golf cart according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is of a type that can be driven manually and that can be automatically steered along a predetermined traveling path.

Although the present invention is applied to a manually operable golf cart having braking means by a brake motor, it is also applicable to a type which can be manually operated and can be automatically steered along a predetermined traveling path. By doing so, the applicable range can be expanded.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention is directed to a golf cart which can be manually driven and has braking means by a brake motor. Here, an engine-type riding golf cart which can select either automatic steering or manual driving. FIGS. 2 and 3 show control system diagrams of an example of application to the present invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are divided into left and right parts with the microcomputer 2 of the control box 1 being the center, and the combination of the two figures is the entire control system diagram. The control system roughly includes the microcomputer 2 of the control box 1, the operation unit 3, the steering unit 4, the sensor unit 5, the power supply unit 6, the engine unit 7, the parking unit 8, and the main brake unit 9.
Consists of

The main brake unit 9 includes a drum brake 9
1, the drum brake 91 can be manually operated by a brake pedal 92, and the command signal of the microcomputer 2 is supplied to a main brake motor 94 via a main brake driver 93, so that the drum brake 91 is operated. The braking force can be adjusted by loosening. The final stop of the golf cart is performed by a separately provided parking brake 81.

An encoder including a main (main) encoder 82 and a sub (sub) encoder 83 is connected to the rear wheel of the golf cart. The main encoder 82 detects the speed of the cart, for example, by the number of pulses generated when teeth of a rotating body arranged opposite to each other pass through a slit between the two sensors. By monitoring whether or not a pulse is generated, the traveling direction of the cart is detected. The sub-encoder 83 is provided for safety as a backup when the main encoder 82 fails.

The control system of the steering unit 4 has an inductive sensor, a torque sensor linked to the steering wheel, and a steering motor. Although not shown, a left / right operation in response to the left or right rotation of the steering wheel. Means for detecting a steering operation amount such as a detection switch or a volume is provided.

In the case of manually driving the riding golf cart having such a configuration, when the automatic driving switching lever is set to "manual", a manual driving mode is set, and the steering wheel is operated in the same manner as a normal riding golf cart. As a result, means for detecting a steering operation amount such as a switch or a volume in response to the left or right rotation of the steering wheel is operated, and the steering motor is rotated to the left via the microcomputer 2. Then, by operating the steering wheel (steering) and operating the accelerator and the brake, the player can perform forward and backward driving by the operation of the player himself.

Next, in the case of automatic steering, when the automatic operation switching lever is set to "automatic", the automatic steering mode is set. At that time, the induction current flowing through the loop line buried along the cart path (running path) is detected as an induction signal by the left and right induction sensors, amplified, detected, and then passed through a differential amplifier to obtain a differential output. Then, it is analog-input to the microcomputer 2.

The vehicle travels on a cart while performing automatic control, automatic increase / decrease, and automatic stop according to a command from the microcomputer 2. It is also possible to start and stop at an arbitrary place by operating the remote control or the start / stop button. Also, when a danger is detected by various safety devices such as a cart guard detecting means, the emergency stop is performed. In particular, in the case of the cart guard detecting means, since the stop operation is automatically performed, the vehicle is stopped while maintaining a certain distance from the preceding vehicle.

Normally, in the case of manual driving, the driver operates the accelerator pedal to drive the vehicle, and operates the brake pedal 92 to stop the cart while adjusting the braking force.
At this time, the brake motor 94 is not operated. Next, the accelerator pedal is turned off and the brake pedal 92 is turned on.
And decelerate by applying braking force, and the traveling speed is 1 km / h.
When the following state continues for about 0.5 seconds, it is determined that the stop state has been determined, and the parking brake 81 is turned on to operate.

However, when stopping the cart on a slope,
If the depressing force of the brake pedal 92 is small, the cart may run backward and cannot be stopped before ensuring the stopped state. Accordingly, the present invention provides a brake motor 94 that detects a reverse running of a cart when stopping the cart.
Is operated to assist the brake braking.

Specifically, when the accelerator pedal is turned off and the brake pedal 92 is turned on during manual operation, the main encoder 82 detects the traveling direction and traveling speed of the cart forward and backward at any time. It is detected that the cart is in the reverse running state and the reverse running speed is 1 km / h or less, and when the state is continued for about 0.5 seconds, the brake motor 94 is operated at a duty of 70%, After about one second, the parking brake 81 is automatically turned ON to stop the golf cart. Here, the operation time and the duty ratio can be arbitrarily set according to the brake system.

It is desirable that the condition for determining the reverse running state is a time element or travel distance of 0 to several seconds from the viewpoint of operability or safety. Further, it is possible to adjust the braking force by making the energization duty of the brake motor variable according to the reverse running speed of the cart. As a result, the shock at the time of stop can be relaxed, and the actual feeling of the driver can be approximated.

Next, a stop operation by the assist brake control at the time of reverse running of the golf cart according to the present invention will be described with reference to the flow of the control sequence of FIG. Referring to FIG. 5, when the assist brake control is started in step S0, it is determined in step S1 whether the accelerator pedal is turned off. If the accelerator pedal is not OFF, that is, if the accelerator pedal is ON, the vehicle is being driven for driving, so the process proceeds to step S9, and the assist brake control ends.

If the accelerator pedal is off, the process proceeds to step S2, where it is determined whether the brake pedal is on. If the brake pedal is not ON, that is, if the brake pedal is OFF, there is no stop operation, so the process proceeds to step S9 and the assist brake control ends.

If the brake pedal is ON, the process proceeds to step S3, and in step S3, a determination is made as to whether or not reverse running has been detected. If there is no reverse running detection, there is no problem in the stop operation, so the process proceeds to step S9, and the assist brake control ends.

If the reverse running is detected, the process proceeds to step S4.
It is determined whether or not it has continued for seconds. If the reverse running state does not continue for 0.5 seconds, the process returns to step S1, and the operations from step S1 to step S4 are repeated.

If the reverse running state continues for 0.5 seconds, the process proceeds to step S5, and the reverse running speed of the cart is detected in step S5. Next, in step S6, the energization duty of the brake motor is determined according to the reverse running speed of the cart.

Next, in step S7, the brake motor is turned on to apply a braking force to the brake drum. Subsequently, after a predetermined time (approximately 1 second), the parking brake is automatically turned on to surely stop the golf cart, and the assist brake control ends in step S9.

The above control flow uses the reverse running time in step S4 as the condition for determining the reverse running state from the viewpoint of operability or safety, but it may be the running distance. When a predetermined reverse running speed of the cart is detected, the brake motor is turned on at a duty ratio fixedly set in advance.
If the braking force is applied to the brake drum by setting N, the means for determining the energization duty of the brake motor according to the reverse running speed of the cart in step S6 can be omitted.

[0040]

As described above, the golf cart of the present invention is applied to a manually operable golf cart having braking means by a brake motor. It can also be applied to the type that can be automatically steered along, and when trying to stop the golf cart by manual driving, if it detects that the golf cart has run backwards, it will brake immediately or after a predetermined time. The assist braking control by the motor can be performed, and the vehicle can be reliably stopped.

When it is detected that the golf cart has run backward for a predetermined distance or for a predetermined time, assist braking control by a brake motor is performed, and a braking force corresponding to the reverse running speed of the cart is applied. In a state close to the driving sensation of the driver, it is possible to surely stop the vehicle while ensuring the stopping distance at an appropriate position. Furthermore, by finally performing the braking by the parking brake, a reliable stop is achieved, and the power supply to the brake motor is not required, so that the power can be saved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a riding golf cart.

FIG. 2 is a control system diagram of a riding golf cart.

FIG. 3 is a control system diagram of a riding golf cart.

FIG. 4 is an embodiment of an assist brake control sequence.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Control box 2 Microcomputer 3 Operation part 4 Steering part 5 Sensor part 6 Power supply part 7 Engine part 8 Parking part 81 Parking brake 82 Main (main) encoder 83 Secondary (sub) encoder 9 Main brake part 91 Drum brake 92 Brake pedal 93 Main Brake driver 94 Brake motor

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Takeya Matsushita 2-5-5 Keihanhondori, Moriguchi-shi, Osaka Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Tomohiro Yamada 2-chome Keihanhondori, Moriguchi-shi, Osaka No.5-5 Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazuhiro Matsuoka 2-5-5 Keihanhondori, Moriguchi-shi, Osaka F-term in Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. 3D032 CC20 DA03 DA24 DA81 DB11 EA01 EB04 EC21 GG20 3D033 CA03 CA17 CA21

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A golf cart which is manually operable, has manual braking means, and has braking means by means of a brake motor, detects that the golf cart has run backwards when trying to stop the golf cart by manual driving. A golf cart wherein braking by a brake motor is performed instantaneously or after a predetermined time. 2. The golf cart according to claim 1, wherein braking is performed by a brake motor when a predetermined distance or a predetermined time during which the golf cart runs backward is detected. 3. The golf cart according to claim 1, wherein the braking force is variable according to a reverse running speed of the golf cart. 4. The golf cart according to claim 3, wherein the braking force is adjusted by changing a duty of a brake motor according to a reverse running speed of the golf cart. 5. The golf cart according to claim 1, wherein braking by a parking brake is performed at a predetermined time after braking by the brake motor. 6. The golf cart according to claim 1, wherein the golf cart is of a type that can be manually driven and that can be automatically steered along a predetermined traveling path.