JP2001258104A - Electric golf cart - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric golf cart mounting a generator/charger for making easier the running by saving the space and lowering the weight through minimization of the number of batteries. SOLUTION: This electric golf cart executes self-charge of battery in the course of play with a generator/charger consisting of a generator and a charger mounted on a golf cart. Even during the driving (including a downhill) or stopping the cart, a charging voltage of a plurality of batteries 11 provided as the power supply is always monitored with a voltage detecting circuit 24, the power is supplied from a part of a plurality of batteries 11 to a cell-motor 10c for starting the engine of the generator 10, and thereby the generator 10a of the generator/charger 10 is driven to charge the battery 11 via the charger 10b.

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 Electric carts using a battery as a driving source have been put into practical use and widely used as electric vehicles, electric forklifts and the like. In addition, electric golf carts are becoming the mainstream of golf course carts, and they run along a course and are driven unmanned in a wide area with unstable road conditions, sometimes by remote control operation.

[0003] Among such electric carts using a battery as a driving source, in an electric vehicle having a power generating device for charging a battery power source as a driving source, a light, an air conditioner, a car component, and the like are provided separately from a main body driving motor. When there is an auxiliary machine, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-174201, a main body motor battery and an auxiliary machine battery are provided.
Coupled to a charger such as a converter.

[0004]

In these conventional electric carts, the battery for the auxiliary equipment is separated from the motor battery of the main body, so that the number of batteries is two and the mounting space is required by that amount, and the weight is heavy. Also became heavier. In addition, since the number of batteries is large, many charging devices such as a DC-DC converter for charging the batteries are required, which causes inconveniences such as troublesome water replenishment work and extra replacement cost during maintenance. there were.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention is to run along a course,
Alternatively, a golf cart equipped with a power generation and charging device consisting of a power generation device and a charger that runs on a large area with unstable road conditions saves space by minimizing the number of batteries and reduces weight to make driving easier. An object of the present invention is to provide an electric golf cart that can reduce the cost and labor of battery management such as water replenishment work during maintenance.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric golf cart according to the present invention, which can be automatically steered along a predetermined traveling path, and has a battery power source as a driving source. An electric golf cart equipped with a power generation / charging device, which includes an engine, a generator, a cell motor, and a control device, and a charger for charging the main body of the golf cart, the driving power source is a plurality of batteries. The power source for the cell motor for starting operation of the power generator is configured to be supplied from a part of the plurality of batteries.

An electric golf cart according to a second aspect of the present invention includes an engine, a generator, and a cell motor which can be automatically steered along a predetermined traveling path and charge a battery power source as a driving source. In an electric golf cart provided with a power generation / charging device comprising a power generation device having a control device and a charger in a main body of the golf cart, a driving power supply is constituted by a plurality of batteries, and one of the plurality of batteries is used as one of the plurality of batteries. The power source of the cell motor for starting operation of the power generator is configured.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric golf cart which can be automatically steered along a predetermined traveling path, and is provided with an engine, a generator, and a cell motor for charging a battery power source as a driving source. In an electric golf cart provided with a power generation / charging device including a power generation device having a control device and a charger in a main body of the golf cart, a driving power source is configured by a plurality of batteries, and one of the plurality of batteries is used as a power generation device. 2. The electric golf cart according to claim 1, wherein the supply voltage is the same as the supply voltage of the start-up starter motor.

By supplying the power for the cell motor from a part of the power supply battery of the motor for driving the main body, a dedicated battery for the cell motor and a DC for voltage conversion are supplied.
-A DC converter is not required, so that space can be saved and weight increase can be suppressed correspondingly, and the number and the number of batteries can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost and labor for the user to manage the batteries.

An electric golf cart according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes an engine, a generator, and a cell motor, which can be automatically steered along a predetermined traveling path and charge a battery power source as a driving source. In an electric golf cart provided with a power generation / charging device including a power generation device having a control device and a charger in a main body of the golf cart, a driving power source is configured by a plurality of batteries, and a driving motor for starting the operation of the power generation device is used. The power source is configured such that a voltage detection sensor is provided for each of the plurality of batteries, and the power generation device is controlled based on the detection values of the sensors and charged to a uniform voltage, but is supplied from a part of the batteries.

In this way, even when the batteries are used unbalanced, the power is controlled and charged based on the detected voltage value of each battery, so that the batteries are charged to a uniform voltage with the voltage imbalance between the batteries eliminated. Battery can be used.

An electric golf cart according to a fifth aspect of the present invention includes an engine, a generator, and a cell motor that can be automatically steered along a predetermined traveling path and charge a battery power source as a driving source. In an electric golf cart provided with a power generation / charging device including a power generation device having a control device and a charger in a main body of the golf cart, a driving power source is configured by a plurality of batteries, and a driving motor for starting the operation of the power generation device is used. The power source is provided with a voltage detection sensor for each of the plurality of batteries, and controls a power generation device based on a detection value of the sensor so that normal charging or equal charging is performed and part of the battery charged to an equal voltage is supplied. Configured.

Thus, even when the batteries are used unbalanced, by detecting the voltage of each battery,
If the charging mode is charged in the normal charging mode or when a certain charging voltage is reached and there is a difference between the voltages of the batteries greater than a certain value, set the timer time to a longer time than the normal charging, It is possible to use a battery charged in a so-called uniform charging mode in which the operation time of the generator is extended to secure the charging time, that is, a battery charged to a uniform voltage in which the voltage imbalance between the batteries is eliminated. .

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the electric golf cart, the battery of the power source for the cell motor is capable of automatically steering along a predetermined traveling path, and is used to charge a battery power source as a driving source. In an electric golf cart having a power generation / charging device including a power generation device having an engine, a generator, a cell motor, a control device, and a charger in a main body of the golf cart, a driving power source is configured by a plurality of batteries, The cell motor power supply for starting the operation of the apparatus is provided with a voltage detection sensor for each of the plurality of batteries,
When the voltage of the battery becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined value based on the detection value of the sensor, the power generator is controlled to be supplied from a part of the battery charged to the equal voltage.

In this way, even when the batteries are used unbalanced, the voltage imbalance between the batteries is eliminated by starting the control and charging the power generation device when the voltage detection value of each battery falls below a predetermined value. The battery charged to the equalized voltage can be used.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention is applicable to either a golf cart that can be manually driven or a golf cart that can be automatically steered. An example applied to a golf cart is shown. FIG. 1 is a side view showing the appearance of an electric golf cart according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the same, and FIG. 3 shows the control system configuration.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external side view of an electric golf cart of a two-seater type. This electric golf cart is an electric drive type having automatic and manual switching means, can load a golf back at a rear portion, and has a sunshade at an upper portion. A roof is installed for rain protection.

The golf cart 1 covers an upper portion 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.

In FIG. 2, a plurality of batteries 11 are mounted on the vehicle body frame 4 as a power supply for the traveling motor 13. The transmission 12 is provided with a traveling motor 13 on the axle of the rear wheel 3. In addition, a power generating / charging device 10 for charging a traveling motor 13 and a battery 11 serving as a power source for driving the motor is mounted. Then, a control circuit section 9 for performing overall control is arranged on the vehicle body frame 4.

The power generation / charging device 10 includes a fuel tank, an engine, and a power generation circuit (not shown).
Inside the control circuit box 9, a main control board assembly on which a microcomputer is mounted, a remote control receiver, and the like are arranged. A magnet sensor 7a for detecting a magnet 8a buried beside the guide wire 8 is attached at a position slightly deviated from the lower center of the body frame 4.

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.

The motor section, which is a power section, includes 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 control unit 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 (microcomputer) 23.

A plurality of batteries 11 of the power supply are connected to a power system via voltage detection circuits 24 connected to the respective batteries. The charging voltage of the battery 11 is detected by the voltage detection circuit 24, and the generator / charger 10 is controlled by the generator control circuit 25 in accordance with a command from the main CPU 23.

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 comprises a starter 10c for starting the engine of the power source and a choke controller 10d. 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 voltage value periodically detected by the voltage detecting 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 by manual driving, setting the automatic driving switching lever to "manual" results in a manual driving mode, in which the steering wheel is operated in the same manner as a normal riding golf cart. By operating
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 operated, and the steering motor is rotated to the left via the main CPU. 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. In the same way, by performing an analog input to the main CPU 23 to perform steering in the left and right traveling directions, similarly, by reading control information such as speed and stop by the buried magnet array, automatic steering, automatic increase / deceleration, and automatic stop are performed. Run along the cart while doing. Then, the user can start and stop at an arbitrary place using the remote control or the start / stop button.

The vehicle runs on a cart while performing automatic control, automatic increase / decrease, and automatic stop according to a command from the main CPU 23. 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 case of automatic driving, when the output from the cart guard antenna of a golf cart running or stopping or stopping or running is detected by the cart guard detecting means, the 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.

In the above configuration, the electric golf cart according to the present invention performs self-charging of the battery at any time during the course of play by the power generating / charging device including the power generating device and the charger mounted on the golf cart. Regardless of whether the vehicle is running (including downhill) or stopped, the charged voltage values of the plurality of batteries 11 as power sources are constantly monitored by the voltage detection circuit 24, and the power source of the cell motor 10 c of the power generator 10 is controlled by the plurality of batteries 11. Supplied from part of.

The total voltage of the power supply battery is 48 V
In the case of, four 12 V batteries 11 are connected in series, and each of the batteries 11 has a voltage detection circuit 2
4, a generator 10a attached to an output shaft of an engine as a power source, a starter motor 10c for starting the engine, a choke controller 10d, and a fuel detection sensor 1 through the main CPU 23 based on the output of the voltage detection circuit 24.
The generator control circuit 25 controls the generator 10a of the power generator / charger 10 composed of the battery charger 0e and the charger 10b to perform charging control.

With the above-described control configuration, the electric golf cart automatically travels along the guide line, and when the main CPU 23 determines that the battery charge has decreased based on the voltage detected by the voltage detection circuit 24 during traveling. Power is supplied from a part of the plurality of batteries 11 to the engine starter motor 10c, and the generator 10
a is driven to charge the battery 11 via the charger 10b.

Here, in order to start the engine, the choke is controlled by the choke control section 10d, the concentration of the mixture in the engine is increased, and the starter is started by rotating the starter motor 10c in a state where the explosion is likely to occur.
After that, the charge voltage value is checked by the voltage detection circuit 24,
When it exceeds a predetermined value, the engine is stopped and the charging operation is terminated. Each time the electric golf cart starts running in this way, the voltage detection circuit 24 checks the charging voltage value of the battery and performs the same charging operation.

If the golf cart is stopped, the engine for driving the generator 10a of the power generator / charger 10 is started by the cell motor 10c, and after the start of the engine is determined, the charge voltage value is checked by the voltage detection circuit 24. If the charging voltage value is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, the battery 24 is charged via the generator 10a and the charger 10b, and the charging operation is continued until the charging voltage value becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined value. The voltage detection circuit 24
If the charging voltage value is higher than a predetermined value, the engine is stopped and the golf cart stands by in a stopped state. Next, when traveling is started again, the charging voltage value is detected by the voltage detection circuit 2.
Check at 4.

This kind of starter motor 10c is a special type, which is typically only for an automobile, and has a rated voltage of D
C12V. Therefore, the battery of the power source is 48V
Therefore, it is conceivable to mount a battery of another power source because it is not suitable as it is, but in this case, a space for mounting another power source is required, the weight increases, and the charging generator 10a Since the output is a battery charging voltage for power of 48 V, a DC-DC converter for step-down is also required to charge a battery of another power source.

Therefore, the present invention focuses on the fact that, unlike other electric cars, the electric golf cart does not require electric equipment such as audio equipment and lights as auxiliary equipment and only needs to drive the cell motor. The power source of the cell motor 10c is obtained from only one battery 11 out of the 48V batteries (four) of the power source.
This eliminates the need for a separate power supply battery for Oc and a DC-DC converter for charging voltage conversion.

The purpose of using the starter motor 10c is to start the engine.
Power consumption is very small compared to the battery 11
There is no need to worry about unbalanced discharge of the generator, but if you want to stop the generator again to prevent the noise of the generator (including the engine) from affecting the play, or if the engine starts poorly, etc. The use frequency of the starter motor increases, the weight of the power consumption of the starter motor 10c with respect to the power consumption of the main body drive motor 13 increases, and the voltage of the battery 11 serving as the power supply of the starter motor 10c becomes unbalanced with respect to the other batteries 11. May be.

In such a situation, the operation of the next cell motor is hindered. To cope with the situation, in the present invention, the output of the voltage detection circuit 24 connected to each of the four batteries 11 is used. The CPU 23 determines the imbalance between the batteries 11 and, when the maximum value of the battery voltage difference becomes, for example, 0.3 V or more, changes the operation state of the generator from the normal charging mode to the uniform charging mode.

Here, the normal charging mode means that when a certain charging voltage is reached (for example, 14.4 V), the timer is set to 10 minutes, and the generator is stopped after the elapse of the timer time. On the other hand, the uniform charging mode means that when a certain charging voltage is reached (for example, 14.4 V) and the voltage between batteries has a difference of, for example, 0.3 V or more, the timer time is set to be longer than that for normal charging. This means a charging mode in which a long time is set (for example, one hour), the operation time of the generator is lengthened, and the charging time is secured to eliminate the voltage imbalance between the batteries.

Next, the uniform charging mode of the present invention will be described with reference to the flow of the generator operation sequence shown in FIG. In the figure, by the start of the sequence of step S0,
In step S1, it is determined whether the golf cart is stopped.

If the vehicle is not stopped, that is, if the vehicle is running, the process proceeds to step S2, and it is determined whether the main body motor is being braked. If braking is not being performed, the process proceeds to step S3, in which the generator is operated to charge the battery. In step S2, if the main body motor is being braked, it is considered that regenerative braking is being performed, so the process proceeds to step S4, in which the operation of the generator is stopped, the process is terminated in step S15, and the process returns to step S1 to repeat a similar sequence.

If it is determined in step S1 that the golf cart is stopped, the process proceeds to step S5, in which it is determined whether the generator is operating. If you ’re driving,
In step S6, it is determined whether or not the timer for measuring the operation time of the generator is counting.

If the timer is counting, the process proceeds to step S7, where it is determined whether or not the counting of the timer is completed. If it is determined that the operation has been completed, the process proceeds to step S4, in which the operation of the generator is stopped, the operation is ended in step S15, and the process returns to step S1 to repeat a similar sequence. If it is determined that the count of the timer has not been completed, the process returns to step S1 while continuing the operation of the generator, and the same sequence is repeated.

If it is determined in step S6 that the timer for measuring the operation time of the generator is not counting, in step S8, the voltage of one battery is set to 14.4V.
It is determined whether this is the case. Here, when the battery voltage is 14.4 V or more, it indicates that the battery is sufficiently charged.

If the battery voltage is 14.4 V or more, it is in a fully charged state, and it is determined in the next step S9 whether the voltage difference between the batteries is 0.3 V or more. . If the voltage difference is 0.3 V or more, it is determined that there is an unacceptable imbalance between the batteries, and in step S10, the timer of the counter that measures the operating time of the generator is set to one hour longer than usual. Then, the process proceeds to step S12, the timer counter is started, and the operation of the generator is continued only during that time to continue charging the battery. When the timer counter has counted out, the process ends in step S15 and returns to step S1 to repeat the same sequence.

If the voltage difference is not more than 0.3 V in step S9, it is determined that the voltage difference between the batteries is within an allowable range. In step S11, a timer of a counter for measuring the operation time of the generator is set. Set for 10 minutes. Then, the process proceeds to step S12, the timer counter is started, and the operation of the generator is continued only during that time to continue charging the battery.

In step S5, it is determined whether or not the generator is in operation. If the generator is not in operation, that is, if the generator is stopped, the process proceeds to step S13, in which the voltage of one battery is 14 V or less. It is determined whether there is. Here, a battery voltage of 14 V or less indicates a state of insufficient charging.

If the battery voltage is determined to be 14 V or less, the battery is insufficiently charged, and the generator is operated in step S14 to start charging the battery. If one battery voltage is 1 in step S13
If it is determined that the voltage is not lower than 4 V, that is, that the battery is sufficiently charged, the process ends in step S15 and returns to step S1 to repeat a similar sequence.

[0050]

As described above, in the electric golf cart of the present invention, the self-charging of the battery at any time during the course of play by the power generating / charging device including the power generating device and the charger mounted on the golf cart can be performed. Since there is no need to mount a dedicated battery for the cell motor, the space for the dedicated battery and the DC-DC converter for voltage conversion is not required, and the weight can be reduced accordingly. Management costs and labor can be reduced.

Further, even when the batteries are used unbalanced, by detecting the voltage of each battery, the charge mode is changed from the normal charge mode to a certain fixed charge voltage, and the voltage between the batteries reaches a certain value. If there is the above difference, the timer time is set to a longer time than normal charging, and the operation time of the generator is extended to secure the charging time. And a uniformly charged battery that eliminates the voltage imbalance described above.

[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 example of a generator operation sequence.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric golf cart 2, 3 Front / rear wheels 4 Body frame 5 Riding section 6 Steering wheel 7 Induction sensor 8 Induction line 9 Control circuit section 10 Power generation / charging device 11 Battery 12 Mission 13 Traveling motor 14-17 Motor for controlling each part Reference Signs List 18 traveling 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 voltage detection circuit 25 generator control circuit 26 memory

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (reference) H02J 7/04 H02J 7/04 C // H01M 10/44 H01M 10/44 A 10/48 10/48 P (72) Inventor Takeya Matsushita 2-5-5 Keihanhondori, Moriguchi-shi, Osaka F-term in Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. 5G003 AA07 BA02 CA14 CB06 DA12 FA06 GC04 GC05 5H030 AA00 AS08 BB10 FF44 5H115 PG07 PI14 PI16 PI24 PI29 PU01 PU26 QE01 QE10 QE12 QE16 QI04 QN03 QN12 SE06 SJ14 TD03 TI05 TO04 TO12 TO21 TO23 TR19 TZ02

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle for automatically driving along a predetermined traveling path and charging a battery power source serving as a driving source.
In an electric golf cart having a power generation / charging device including a power generation device having an engine, a generator, a cell motor, a control device, and a charger in a main body portion of a golf cart, a driving power source is configured by a plurality of batteries, and An electric golf cart, wherein power for a starter of a starter motor is supplied from a part of the plurality of batteries. 2. The electric golf cart according to claim 1, wherein one of the batteries is used as a power source for a starter motor. 3. The electric golf cart according to claim 1, wherein one of the batteries has the same supply voltage as a starter motor. 4. The battery of the power source for the starter motor,
Providing a voltage detection sensor for each of the plurality of batteries,
The electric golf cart according to claim 1, wherein the electric golf cart is charged to an equal voltage by controlling a power generation device based on a detection value of the sensor. 5. The battery of the power source for the starter motor,
The electric golf cart according to claim 4, wherein the electric golf cart is charged normally or uniformly. 6. The electric golf cart according to claim 4, wherein the battery is charged to a uniform voltage when the voltage of the battery falls below a predetermined value.