JP2001079128A - Motor driven golf cart - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a motor driven golf cart which judges the boarding or non-boarding of players on the golf cart, starting charging operation only when needed at the non-boarding, guarding players against the engine noise of a generator and ensures comfortable driving and traveling. SOLUTION: Whether the golf cart is under travel or not is decided (S1) and when the golf cart is under travel, whether persons are on the golf cart or not is decided (S2). If the persons are on the same, the similar decision is repeated. When it is decided not to be on the golf cart (non-boarding), the generator is turned on to start (S3). Next, whether the engine for driving the generator is started or not is decided (S4). When the engine is decided to be started, the magnitude of discharge current (discharge quantity) is decided (S5). When the discharge current is decided to be small, judgment is made that the discharged quantity is small and the replenishing discharge is not necessary any more. The generator is then turned off to stop (S6). Next, the magnitude of the discharge current (discharge quantity) is decided (S7). In the case of the large discharge current, judgment is made that the discharge quantity is still large and the similar control operation is repeated by returning to S1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an electric golf cart for carrying a golf bag or the like at a golf course.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various types of golf carts have been conventionally provided for golf courses. For example, a manually driven type, an electric type, a non-riding type using an engine as a driving force, and a riding type are often used. In addition, unlike other electric vehicles, the electric golf cart runs along a course, but is operated unmanned in a wide area with unstable road conditions, sometimes by remote control operation.

FIG. 1 is an external view of a two-seater electric riding golf cart developed by the present applicant. This electric golf cart is of an electric drive type having automatic and manual switching means, and can be loaded with a golf back at a rear portion, and a roof for sunshade and rain protection is installed at an upper portion.

The golf cart 1 covers an upper part of a body frame 4 supported by a pair of left and right front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3 with a front cowl 4a and a rear cowl 4b.
Seat 5a and step 5b seated in front of rear cowl 4b
Is mounted on the front end of a steering shaft 6b protruding above a steering column 6a supported at the front of the seat 5a so that the steering can be operated in a seated position on the seat 5a. It is configured with a wheel 6 attached. A sensor 7 for detecting an induced current of an induction wire 8 buried underground is attached to a front portion of the vehicle body.

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

When the electric golf cart having such a configuration is to be operated manually, setting the automatic operation switching lever to "manual" switches to a manual driving mode, in which the operation of the steering wheel (steering) is performed 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, when traveling automatically, the automatic driving mode is set by setting the automatic operation switching lever to "automatic". At that time, it detects the induced current flowing in the loop line buried along the cart road (running path) and performs steering in the left and right running directions, and similarly, the speed by the buried magnet array,
By reading information such as stopping, the vehicle travels on the cart 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.

Further, in the case of automatic running, when an output from a cart guard antenna of a golf cart in a forward direction or a stop or a running golf cart is detected by a cart guard detecting means, a brake is automatically applied to prevent a collision. If a danger is detected by various safety devices, such as when the vehicle stops over, an emergency stop is performed.

These conventional electric golf carts have only a battery as a power source and do not have a self-charging device. For this reason, the power capacity may be insufficient during long-time play or special driving, but there is usually no place on the course to charge the battery that is the power source during play. Shortages could have stuck. Therefore, in order to continuously supply power from the battery power source and run the vehicle, it was necessary to return to the cart house once at the end of one round at the golf course and charge it without fail.

[0010] Also, even if you charge at the cart house,
Normally, it is necessary to provide a station for each golf cart in the cart house to charge the golf cart, and a large area is required to install stations for all the golf carts owned by the golf course. . Therefore, the applicant of the present invention constantly monitors the discharge current and the charge current of the power source (battery) as a power source regardless of whether the vehicle is running or stopped, and does not charge the battery at the cart house of the golf course. By charging at any time during the course of play by a power generation and charging device consisting of a generator and a charging device mounted on the cart, it is possible to prevent power supply capacity shortage during play and to save labor and streamline golf courses We have proposed an electric golf cart that can.

[0011]

As described above, the electric golf cart which can be charged at any time during the course of play by the power generating / charging device including the power generating device and the charging device mounted on the golf cart is extremely convenient. Although useful in terms of rationality, if the battery starts to be charged while the player is on the golf cart, the noise of the generator set will be generated nearby, which is unpleasant for the player. there were.

In view of the above, the present invention determines whether or not a person is riding in an electric golf cart and starts a charging operation only when it is not in use and when necessary. An object of the present invention is to provide an electric golf cart that guards a running person and enables comfortable driving.

[0013]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric golf cart capable of automatically steering along a predetermined traveling path, and charging a battery power source of the electric golf cart. In an electric golf cart provided with a power generation / charging device comprising a power generation device and a charging device for performing the operation in a golf cart main body, it is detected whether or not a person is on the golf cart, and the detection signal Start and stop are controlled.

In this manner, the self-charging is performed at any time during the course of play by the power generating / charging device including the power generating device and the charging device mounted on the golf cart, so that the power supply capacity is insufficient during long-time play or special driving operation. In addition to preventing the inability to run, the cart house's large-capacity charging device can be omitted, and the starting and stopping of the power generation device is controlled by detecting whether or not a person is on the golf cart. In this case, the charging operation is not performed, so that it is possible to prevent the noise of the generator from giving the player uncomfortable feeling.

An electric golf cart according to a second aspect of the present invention is capable of automatically steering along a predetermined traveling path, and comprises a power generating device for charging a battery power source of the electric golf cart and a power generating / charging device. In an electric golf cart provided with a charging device in a main body of the golf cart, whether or not a person is riding on the golf cart is detected by an output of a sensor provided on the floor of the golf cart, and the power generation device is activated by the detection signal. , And stop.

An electric golf cart according to a third aspect of the present invention is capable of automatically steering along a predetermined traveling path, and includes a power generating device for charging a battery power source of the electric golf cart and a charging device. In an electric golf cart provided with a charging device in a main body of a golf cart, whether or not a person is riding on the golf cart is detected by an output of a pressure-sensitive sensor provided on the floor of the golf cart, and a power generation device is generated based on the detection signal. The start and stop of the system are controlled.

An electric golf cart according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is capable of automatic steering along a predetermined traveling path, and includes a power generating device for charging a battery power source of the electric golf cart and a power generating / charging device. In an electric golf cart provided with a charging device in a main body of the golf cart, whether or not a person is riding on the golf cart is detected by a weight applied to a seat of the golf cart, and the start and stop of the power generation device are detected by the detection signal. It was configured to control.

In this manner, the magnet information for stopping the generator, which is embedded in the traveling path, is different from the magnet information for speed control or the like, so that the control modes can be clearly distinguished.
Reliable control is performed.

An electric golf cart according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is capable of automatic steering along a predetermined traveling path, and includes a power generating device for charging a battery power source of the electric golf cart and a power generating / charging device. In an electric golf cart equipped with a charging device in a main body of the golf cart, whether or not a person is riding on the golf cart is detected by an output of an infrared sensor attached to the golf cart, and the power generation device is activated by the detection signal. The stop is controlled.

In this manner, means for controlling the start and stop of the power generation device and detecting whether or not a person is on the golf cart include a sensor such as a pressure-sensitive sensor provided on the floor of the golf cart and a seat of the golf cart. Or a simple means such as an infrared sensor attached to the golf cart.

An electric golf cart according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is capable of automatically steering along a predetermined traveling path, and includes a power generating device for charging a battery power source of the electric golf cart and a power generating / charging device. In an electric golf cart provided with a charging device in a main body of the golf cart, a configuration in which whether or not a person is on the golf cart while the golf cart is running is detected, and the start and stop of the power generation device are controlled based on the detection signal. And

Thus, while the golf cart is traveling,
Since the non-ride determination is performed, it is not usually determined while the vehicle is stopped when a person does not get on, so that the configuration of the control system is simplified.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention is mainly applied to a golf cart that can be automatically steered, but here, an example in which the present invention is applied to an electric riding golf cart in which automatic steering and manual driving can be selected. Is shown. FIG. 1 is a side view showing an external appearance of a golf cart according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the internal configuration of the golf cart, and FIG. 3 shows a control system configuration.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The external side surface of the electric riding golf cart of FIG. 1 has been described above, and thus will not be described. In FIG. 2, a plurality of power supplies (batteries) 11 for the traveling motor 13 and other motors are attached to the body frame 4. The transmission 12 is provided with a traveling motor 13 on the axle of the rear wheel 3.

Also, as a feature of the present invention, the traveling motor 1 has a novel structure which has not been provided in a conventional electric golf cart.
3 and other power source (battery) 1
1 is equipped with a power generating / charging device 10 for charging. Then, a control circuit section 9 for performing overall control is arranged on the vehicle body frame 4.

The control system configuration of the electric golf cart will be described with reference to FIG. The motor unit, which is a power unit, is a traveling motor 1
3, a main brake (MB) motor 14, a parking brake (PB) motor 15, an automatic / manual switching (HM) motor 16, and a steering control (SM) motor 17.

The traveling motor 13 is provided with a motor controller 18 and a current detection circuit. The main brake motor 14 includes a main brake motor control circuit 1.
9, a current detection circuit and a brake position sensor are arranged. A control unit 20 for the parking brake motor 15 is provided and a current detection circuit is provided. A detection circuit is arranged in the control unit 21 of the automatic / manual switching motor 16. The control unit 22 is provided in the steering control motor 17,
Each motor is controlled by a main CPU 23 (microcomputer).

The power supply (battery) 11 of the power unit is connected to a power system via a current detection circuit 24. Either the charging current or the discharging current of the power supply (battery) 11 is detected by the current detecting circuit 24, and the generator 10 a of the power generating / charging device 10 is controlled by the command of the main CPU 23.
5 is controlling.

The power generation / charging device 10 has a configuration in which a generator 10a is attached to an output shaft of an engine as a power source.
It is composed of a cell motor that starts the engine of the power source and a choke control unit. After converting the AC voltage to the DC voltage from the generator 10a, it is connected to the terminal of the charger 10b. Further, the main CPU 23 is provided with a memory 26 for storing the charging current value and the discharging current value periodically detected by the current detection circuit 24.

The control system of the steering unit has an induction sensor, a torque sensor linked to a steering wheel, and a steering motor (not shown). The torque sensor is arranged as a means for detecting a steering operation amount. .

When the electric golf cart having the above configuration is operated manually, setting the automatic operation switching lever to "manual" switches to a manual driving mode, in which the steering wheel is operated in the same manner as a normal riding golf cart. As a result, the means for detecting the steering operation amount of the torque sensor responsive to the rotation of the steering wheel to the left or right is activated,
The steering motor is rotated leftward via the main CPU 23. 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. And the analog input to the main CPU 23,
Steering in left and right running directions.

Also, by reading information such as speed and stop by the array of magnets buried in the cart road (running road), the automatic driving, the automatic increase / deceleration, and the automatic stop are performed by the command of the main CPU 23. To travel. Further, the user can 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.

In the above configuration, the golf cart according to the present invention can be operated irrespective of whether it is running (including downhill) or stopped.
The current detection circuit 24 constantly monitors the discharge current value and the charge current value of the power source (battery) 11 as a power source, and periodically stores the detected charge current value and discharge current value in the memory 26. Here, attention is paid to the charge current value and the discharge current value because stable battery charge and discharge states can be detected even with disturbance such as load fluctuation, and overcharging of the battery can be monitored and prevented. It is.

Then, while the golf cart is running,
When the main CPU 23 determines that the discharge current value has increased and increased in the current detection circuit 24 and the charge amount of the battery has decreased, the engine that drives the generator 10a of the power generation / charging device 10 is started (ON), The battery 24 is charged via the charger 10b. Thereafter, the charge current value is checked by the current detection circuit 24, and when the discharge current value decreases and becomes smaller than a predetermined value, the engine is stopped and the charging operation is terminated. Each time the golf cart starts running in this way, the current detection circuit 24 checks the discharge current value and performs the same charging operation.

If the golf cart is stopped, the engine that drives the generator 10a of the power generator / charger 10 is started,
After the start of the engine is determined, the charging current value is checked by the current detection circuit 24. If the charging current value is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the battery 24 is charged through the generator 10a and the charger 10b, and the charging current equal to or less than the predetermined value Continue the charging operation until it reaches the value. If the current detection circuit 24 checks and determines that the charging current value is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the engine is stopped (OFF) and the golf cart stands by in a stopped state. Next, when running is started again, the discharge current value is checked by the current detection circuit 24.

Further, the discharge current value and the charge current value of the power supply (battery) 11 are constantly monitored by the current detection circuit 24, and the detected charge current value and discharge current value are periodically stored in the memory 26. The state of charge of the battery can be grasped irrespective of whether the golf cart is running or stopped. In particular, when the golf cart is stopped, it is not necessary to start the engine in order to detect the charge current value and check the charge amount of the battery, so that no extra noise is generated.

Further, when the charging of the battery is started while the player is on the golf cart, the power generation /
Since the engine of the charging device 10 generates noise during driving, engine noise of the power generation device is generated nearby, which gives a player an unpleasant sensation.
The charging operation is started only when necessary when a person is not in the golf cart and is not riding.

For this purpose, it is detected whether or not a person is on the golf cart, and the start and stop of the engine that drives the generator of the power generation / charging device 10 is controlled based on this detection signal. The determination of whether or not a person rides on the vehicle can be made by using the output of a sensor such as a pressure-sensitive sensor provided on the floor of the golf cart.

It is also possible to determine whether a person is in or out of the vehicle based on the weight of the golf cart seat. The presence or absence of a person is determined based on the output of an infrared sensor attached to the golf cart at an appropriate position. You may do so. It is effective to determine whether a person gets on or off the vehicle when the player gets on the golf cart, that is, while the golf cart is running.

It should be noted that the battery is charged to some extent by the regenerative braking of the traveling motor 13 during braking of the golf cart in addition to the power generation / charging device 10. As described above, according to the present invention, the battery 11 can be charged at any time on the course by the power generation / charging device 25 without charging the battery 11 in the cart house of the golf course. In addition, a small fuel cell can be used as the power generation / charging device.

Next, the power generation / charge control of the electric golf cart according to the present invention will be described with reference to the flow of the power generation / charge control sequence shown in FIG. In the figure, by starting the power generation / charging control in step S0, it is determined in step S1 whether the golf cart is running.

If the vehicle is running, the process proceeds to step S2, and it is determined whether or not a person is on the golf cart. If the vehicle is on board, the same determination is repeated. Then, when it is determined that no person is riding (non-riding), the generator is started (ON) in step S3.

Next, in step S4, it is determined whether or not the generator driving engine has started. If the engine does not start (NG), step S is performed again.
Then, start of the generator (0N) is attempted. If it is determined that the engine has started, the process proceeds to the next step S5, and the magnitude of the discharge current (discharge amount) is determined.

If the discharge current is large, it is determined that the discharge amount is still large, and the determination of the magnitude of the discharge current is similarly repeated. If the discharge current is small, it is determined that the amount of discharge is small, and no additional charge is necessary any more.
Then, the generator is stopped (OFF) (of course, the driving engine is also stopped).

Next, the process proceeds to step S7, where the magnitude of the discharge current (discharge amount) is determined. If the discharge current is small, the amount of discharge is small and it is determined that supplementary charge is not necessary,
Similarly, the determination of the magnitude of the discharge current is repeated. If the discharge current is large, it is determined that the discharge amount is still large, and the process returns to step S1 to repeat the same control operation.

If it is determined in step S1 that the golf cart is stopped, the process proceeds to step S8, where the generator driving engine is started (0N). In step S9, it is determined whether the engine has started.
If the engine has not been started (NG), the process returns to step S8 to try to start the generator (0N). If it is determined that the engine has started, the next step S10
And the magnitude of the charging current (charging amount) is determined.

If the charge current is large, it is determined that the charge amount is still small, and the determination of the magnitude of the discharge current is similarly repeated. If the charging current is small, the charging amount is large, and it is determined that the supplementary charging is not necessary any more.
At 11, the generator is stopped (0FF).

After the generator driving engine is stopped, it is determined in step S12 whether the golf cart is running.
If it is determined that the golf cart is stopped, the same determination operation is repeated. If the travel of the golf cart is started during the determination in step S12, the process proceeds to step S2, and the above-described traveling control mode is repeated.

[0050]

As described above, the golf cart of the present invention can be self-charged at any time during the course of play by the power generating / charging device including the power generating device and the charging device mounted on the golf cart, so that it can be used for a long time. Prevent running failure due to lack of power capacity during play or special driving operation,
Not only can the cart house's large-capacity charging device be omitted,
The starting and stopping of the power generation device is controlled by detecting whether or not a person is on the golf cart. When the vehicle is on, the charging operation is not performed. Can be prevented.

In addition, the start and stop of the power generator are controlled.
The means for detecting whether or not a person is riding on the golf cart includes a sensor such as a pressure-sensitive sensor provided on the floor of the golf cart, a means for detecting the weight applied to the seat of the golf cart, or the means attached to the golf cart. It can be configured with simple means such as an infrared sensor. And
Since the determination as to whether or not to ride is performed while the golf cart is traveling, it is not usually determined while the golf cart is stopped when a person does not ride, so that the configuration of the control system is simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external side view of an electric golf cart.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the electric golf cart.

FIG. 3 is a control system configuration diagram of the electric golf cart.

FIG. 4 is an embodiment of a power generation / charge control sequence.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric golf cart 2, 3 Front and rear wheels 4 Body frame 5 Riding part 6 Steering wheel 7 Induction sensor 8 Induction line 9 Control circuit part 10 Power generation / charging device 11 Power supply (battery) 12 Mission 13 Traveling motor 14-17 Each part Control motor 18 Motor control unit 19 Main brake motor control circuit unit 20 Parking brake motor control unit 21 Automatic / manual switching motor control unit 22 Steering control motor control unit 23 Main CPU (microcomputer) 24 Current detection circuit 25 Power generation / charging device 26 Generator control circuit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Takeya Matsushita 2-5-5 Keihanhondori, Moriguchi-shi, Osaka Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yasushi Otani 2-chome Keihanhondori, Moriguchi-shi, Osaka No. 5-5 Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 3D032 CC20 CC50 DA00 DA15 DA23 DA47 DA50 DA77 DA78 DA83 DA92 DA95 DA98 DB01 DB02 DB03 DB07 DB11 DD02 DE09 DE20 EA01 EC22 EC40 FF07 GG15

Claims (6)

[Claims] Claims: 1. An automatic steerable along a predetermined traveling path,
In an electric golf cart having a power generation / charging device including a power generation device for charging a battery power source of the electric golf cart and a charging device in a main body of the golf cart, it is detected whether or not a person is on the golf cart. An electric golf cart, wherein the start and stop of the power generator are controlled by the detection signal. 2. The electric golf cart according to claim 1, wherein the determination of whether or not a person rides on the vehicle is made based on the output of a sensor provided on the floor of the golf cart. 3. The electric golf cart according to claim 2, wherein the sensor is a pressure-sensitive sensor. 4. The electric golf cart according to claim 1, wherein the determination as to whether or not a person rides is made based on the weight of the seat of the golf cart. 5. The electric golf cart according to claim 1, wherein the determination as to whether or not a person is riding is made based on the output of an infrared sensor attached to the golf cart. 6. The electric golf cart according to claim 1, wherein the determination of whether the person is on or off is made while the golf cart is running.