JP2002178973A - Battery storage device for power-assisted bicycle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate the mounting/demounting of a battery on/from a power- assisted bicycle and improve the certainty of mounting a battery on a body. SOLUTION: The battery housed in a battery case 412 is stored in a battery box 16. A handle 46 is turnably supported on the upper part of the case 412. The lower face of an upper cover 162 for the battery case 412 is provided with a lock device 45 for restricting the turning of the handle 46 in such a range as not to interfere with the lock device 45 in the state of closing the cover. The handle 46 is set to be shaped along the contour of the case 412 without extending to the outside of the contour when stored. In the state of raising the handle 46, the positional relationship of the lock device contacting the handle 46 is established and so the upper cover 162 can be certainly closed after the handle is stored, resulting in more certain operation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a battery storage device for a battery-assisted bicycle, and more particularly to a battery-assisted bicycle which is easy to attach to and detach from a vehicle body and does not take up a large space for the vehicle. The present invention relates to a battery storage device for a bicycle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An electric assist bicycle having a human drive system for transmitting a pedaling force applied to a pedal to a rear wheel, and a motor driving system capable of adding auxiliary power to the human drive system according to the pedaling force. It has been known. A battery mounted as a power source such as a motor on the battery-assisted bicycle may be detached from the battery-assisted bicycle for maintenance such as charging, or may be carried by hand. In general, a battery is loaded in a resin case as a storage device to facilitate handling, and the storage device is provided with a handle.

FIG. 14 is a side view of a main part of an electric assisted bicycle equipped with a battery storage device. In this electric assist bicycle, a battery pack 101 as a battery storage device is arranged in a space provided between the seat post 100 and the rear wheel WR. The battery pack 101 is accommodated in an outer box 102, and a lid 104 that can be opened and closed with a hinge 103 as a pivot is covered on the upper part. The cover 104 is provided with a key 105, and the battery pack 101 is provided with an angled portion to avoid interference with the key 105. Then, the concave portion 106 connected to this portion is used as a handle. An electric assist bicycle equipped with such a battery storage device is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-95.
No. 290.

[0004]

When the handle of the battery storage device is formed as a concave portion as described in the above publication,
It is difficult for the user to perform an operation because the user has to put his hand in the back. On the other hand, if the handle protrudes above the battery pack, the outer box becomes large, and it becomes difficult to secure space. In addition, those utilizing the concave portion and those having a fixed handle are difficult to balance the weight, and have poor workability for attachment / detachment to the electric assist bicycle and transportation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, improve the operability of mounting and transporting on a vehicle body, and easily accommodate a battery-assisted bicycle in a small space. Is to provide.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a battery for a battery-assisted bicycle mounted on a vehicle body which houses a battery body, is housed in a battery box provided with a key device on an upper lid, and is mounted on a vehicle body. In the storage device, a handle rotatably attached to an upper portion of the battery storage device is provided, and a rotation range of the handle is provided on a side opposite to a position of the key device in a position where the upper lid is closed. Has a first feature.

According to the first feature, the handle that stands up when the user places the battery in the box is always stored by falling down to the space on the opposite side of the key device when the upper cover is closed. During the closing operation, the key device protruding from the lower surface of the upper lid does not interfere with the handle, so even if the handle is provided in the upper part of the battery storage device, it can be compactly stored in the battery box and mounted on the vehicle body. it can.

The present invention also includes a case for accommodating the battery body, wherein a wall portion raised so as to rotatably support the handle is formed integrally with the case, and the handle is accommodated in the case. The second feature is that the shape is determined such that the outer shape sometimes follows the contour of the raised wall portion.

According to the second feature, the handle fits in the case outline of the battery storage device and can be compactly mounted on the vehicle body.

[0010] The present invention also provides that the handle is supported by being connected to a pivot provided through the wall portion, and the pivot is engaged with the case to limit the rotation range of the handle. A third feature is that a protrusion for limiting the range is formed.

According to the third feature, since the range of rotation of the handle is clearly defined by the projection, the upper lid may be closed in a state where the handle is erroneously lowered to the storage position of the key device. Be avoided.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the protrusion is a first protrusion that contacts the case at the limit of the key device side of the rotation range, and that the protrusion is temporarily located immediately before the limit of the storage position on the handle. There is a fourth feature in that the second projection is in contact with a projection formed on the case to increase the load.

According to the fourth feature, in order to correctly store the handle in a predetermined position, it is necessary to overcome the load and rotate the handle, and in this case, the user's hand has a clear "click feeling". Is transmitted, and the operation can be given certainty.

Further, according to the present invention, at the key device-side limit, the position of the first projection and the contact portion of the case is determined so that the handle is located on the opening / closing trajectory of the upper lid including the key device. There is a fifth feature in that it is performed.

According to the fifth feature, at the limit of the key device side, the upper cover does not close due to interference. Even if it is forcibly closed, since the first protrusion contacts the case, such an unreasonable operation is avoided, and the upper lid can be closed after the handle is stored in a correct position. Reliable operation becomes possible.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of a battery-assisted bicycle including a battery storage device according to one embodiment of the present invention. A body frame 2 of the electric assisted bicycle includes a head pipe 21 located in front of the vehicle body, a pipe-shaped front frame 22 extending substantially horizontally rearward from the head pipe 21, and a rear frame 23 connected to a rear end of the front frame 22. And
The rear frame 23 is a split frame made of a pair of left and right aluminum die-cast products. This divided frame has a bifurcated structure having a joint 231 near the front of the vehicle body, and the joint 231 is formed with a boss 232 for holding the seat post 3 extending obliquely rearward and upward.

The boss 232 is provided with an interference,
By tightening the clamper 233, the seat post 3 is securely held by the boss 232. By loosening the clamper 233, the seat post 3 can slide vertically with respect to the boss 232, and the height of the seat 4 mounted on the upper end of the seat post 3 can be adjusted.

The head pipe 21 has a front fork 5
Is rotatably held via a shaft formed on the upper part of the shaft. A handle post 7 is connected to an upper end of the shaft via a joint 6, and a steering handle 8 is connected to an upper portion of the handle post 7. The joint 6 can be loosened by operating the knob 61, and this operation allows the handle post 7 to be folded around the joint 6. A front wheel WF is rotatably supported at the lower end of the front fork 5. Brake lever 81 of steering handle 8
The tip of a wire 82 extending downward from the front wheel WF is connected to a front brake 9 provided on the front wheel WF.

The rear frame 23 is connected to the front frame 22 by a hinge 24 and a lock device provided on the opposite side of the hinge 24, that is, on the left side of the vehicle body. By releasing the lock of the lock device, the vehicle body can be folded around the hinge 24 as a pivot. Further, by releasing the connection of the hinge 24, the front frame 22 and the rear frame 23 can be separated from each other. .

The appearance of the rear frame 23 in a side view is a shape in which the portion near the front of the vehicle body is wide and the width decreases toward the rear. A rear wheel WR as a drive wheel is supported between the rear ends of the pair of left and right rear frames 23. A rear brake 10 is provided on the rear frame 23, and a wire 83 is extended from the steering handle 8 and connected to the rear brake 10.

An electric assist unit (assist unit) 1 arranged rearward of an extension of the seat post 3 is suspended below the wide portion of the rear frame 23, that is, below the forward portion. The assist unit 1 includes a bolt 25 and a bolt 2 for fastening the left and right divided portions of the rear frame 23.
7 and the rear frame 23 is fixed together by fastening when the rear frame 23 is assembled.

The assist unit 1 has an electric motor M for assisting the pedaling force arranged at the lowest part thereof, and a crankshaft 11 arranged above and forward of the motor M. Cranks 12 are fixed to left and right ends of the crankshaft 11, respectively.
A pedal 13 is provided at the tip of the second pedal. The pedal 13 is used in a state that the pedal 13 extends horizontally in the left-right direction of the vehicle body. However, a hinge is adopted at a connecting portion between the pedal 13 and the crank 12 so that the pedal 13 can be folded along the crank 12 when not in use. be able to.

The pedaling force input from the pedal 13 and the assisting force generated by the motor M to reduce the pedaling force are combined via a transmission device including gears in the assist unit 1, and the output thereof is output by the sprocket cover 14. It is taken out as the rotation of a covered drive sprocket (not shown). A chain 15 for transmitting the rotation of the drive sprocket to the rear wheel WR is provided. The diameters of the front wheel WF and the rear wheel WR are both 16 inches.

In the space surrounded by the wide portion of the rear frame 23 and the connecting portion 231, and a bolt 25 (or a boss supporting the bolt) connecting the pair of right and left rear frames 23 to each other at a rear portion, the electric motor is provided. A battery box 16 containing a battery serving as a power source for M and other electrical components is mounted. In order to connect the left and right divided rear frames 23 to each other, in addition to the bolts 25 and 27, bolts 26 disposed near a connection portion with the front frame 22 are used.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rear frame 23 as viewed from the front left side of the vehicle body, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the same. In both figures, the rear frame 23 includes a left portion 23L and a right portion 23R, and the boss 25B through which the bolts 25 and 27 can be inserted.
L, 25BR, 27BL, and 27BR are provided. Bosses for the bolts 26 are also formed, but are not shown in FIGS. A hanger 70b (see also FIG. 4) formed at the upper end of the assist unit 1 is attached between the bosses 25BL and 25BR and between the bosses 27BL and 27BR.

On the upper surface of the rear frame 23, seats 234, 235, 236 for attaching the battery box 16 are provided.
And a seat 237 for mounting the rear brake 10
L, 237R are formed. A mounting seat 238 for mounting a power switch for supplying a current from a battery to the assist unit 1 and the like is formed at a front portion of the seat post boss 232 on the upper surface of the rear frame 23.

Further, on the front end of the rear frame 23, that is, on the mating surface with the front frame 22, a boss 241 which is one part of the hinge 24 and a pin (not shown) of the lock device are provided.
A boss 28 that rotatably supports is formed. Boss 24
A pivot pin 242 is inserted into 1, and a washer 243 and a retaining ring 244 are attached to the tip of the pivot pin 242. A hook (described later) on the front frame 22 side, which forms a part of the hinge, is engaged with the pin 242.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a main part showing a mounting positional relationship between the rear frame 23, the battery box 16 and the assist unit 1. In FIG. 4, hangers 70 a, 70 for connecting the assist unit 1 to the rear frame 23 are provided around the case body 70 of the assist unit 1.
b is formed. The assist unit 1 is suspended on the rear frame 23 by fastening the hangers 70a, 70b to the rear frame 23 with bolts 25, 27, respectively.

The pedaling force input gear 30 is connected to the crankshaft 11 via a one-way clutch (not shown).
The pedaling force input gear 30 meshes with the small gear 31a of the composite gear 31. On the other hand, a large gear 32a of an auxiliary power gear (assist gear) 32 is provided on the pinion 29 of the motor M so as to mesh with the small gear 32b, which rotates integrally with the large gear 32a. Mesh with each other. The large gear 31 b of the composite gear 31 meshes with an output gear 34 fixed to the shaft of the driving sprocket 33. Case body 70 and assist gear 32 of assist unit 1
Is desirably manufactured from a resin molded product for weight reduction, and the assist gear 32 is preferably a helical gear from the viewpoint of quietness and the like.

Thus, the rotation of the motor M is controlled by the pinion 2
The pedaling force transmitted from the crankshaft 11 is transmitted to the composite gear 31 via the pedaling force input gear. The pedaling force and the auxiliary power are combined by the combined gear 31 and transmitted to the driving sprocket 33, and transmitted to the rear wheel WR via the chain 15. The controller 37 arranged at the front part in the case 70 controls the rotation of the motor M based on the pedaling force value input from the pedaling force detecting means (not shown).

A pivot 36 for rotatably supporting a main stand 35 made of an aluminum molded product is attached to a lower rear portion of the main body case 70. The protrusion 70c provided at the lower end of the main body case 70 is
When the rear frame 23 is separated from the rear frame 23, the rear frame 2
3 is a foot portion for making the rear part of the bicycle including the tire 3 independent, and when the bicycle is placed on the ground, the projection 70c and the rear wheel WR can stand on the ground.

The boss 2 provided at the front end of the rear frame 23
Lock pins 39 having lock levers 38 are provided at 8 and 28.
Is inserted. A bolt 391 is provided rotatably about the lock pin 39, and a nut 392 is screwed to the bolt 391. The bolt 391 is passed through a groove of the engaging portion 40 formed so as to protrude from the front frame 22, and one surface of the nut 392 contacts the engaging portion 40 to form a tightening surface.

Lock pin 39 to which bolt 391 is attached
Is eccentric with respect to the hole of the boss 28, and the nut 39
The contact strength between the second tightening surface and the engaging portion 40 can be increased or decreased. The maximum value of the contact strength between the fastening surface of the nut 392 and the engaging portion 40 can be determined by the amount of rotation of the nut 392. As shown, when the lock lever 38 is rotated to a position along the rear frame 23, the nut 392 and the engagement portion 40 come into strong contact with each other, and the front frame 22
And the rear frame 23 are strongly coupled.

On the other hand, the lock lever 38 is
When the nut 392 is rotated in a direction away from the lock member 39, that is, in a direction perpendicular to the vehicle body, the nut 392 is biased in a direction away from the engagement portion 40 by a distance corresponding to the amount of eccentricity (front of the vehicle body) due to the eccentric shape of the lock pin 39. As a result, the contact strength between the nut 392 and the engaging portion 40 is reduced. When the bolt 391 is rotated around the lock pin 39 when the contact strength is weakened, the engagement between the nut 392 and the engagement portion 40 can be released,
The front frame 22 and the rear frame 23 can be folded around the hinge 24.

A power switch 50 operated by a key K is mounted on the mounting seat 238 (FIG. 2) provided at the front of the rear frame 23, that is, at the front of the boss 232 for holding the seat post.

FIG. 5 is a cutaway perspective view of a main part showing the structure of the battery. In the figure, a battery 41 is a battery body (for example, a stack of 20 nickel-metal hydride battery cells) 4 wrapped in a shrink film package 410.
11 and a battery case (hereinafter simply referred to as a “case”) 412 of a resin molded product which is divided into two and accommodates the battery body 411. Case 412 has multiple LEDs
Are provided, an indicator 42 for displaying the remaining battery power by the number of lights, a connector 43 for charging, and a fuse 44 are provided. In addition, a handle 46 for carrying or detaching is rotatably attached to the case 412. Terminals connected to the battery body 411, that is, discharge contacts 47, are provided on the bottom of the case 412.

The structure of the case 412 will be further described. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one of two parts of the case 412, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the other. In the figure, one part of a case 412 (hereinafter referred to as “right case”) 4
A rib 48 for positioning the battery body 411 and reinforcing the case, and a right case 412R and a left case 412L are integrally connected to 12R and the other part (hereinafter referred to as a "left case") 412L. And a boss 49 supporting the bolt. Right case 41
A window 50 is formed on the upper part of the 2R so that the display surface of the indicator 42 can be seen from the outside. Also, right case 4
Legs 51 and 52 are formed on the bottom of 12R and left case 412L. The leg 52 also has a function of protecting the discharge contact 47.

A concave portion 53 is formed in the upper central portion of the right case 412R and the left case 412L, and pivots 54, 54 for rotatably supporting the handle 46 penetrate through the vertical walls 531 and 532 of the concave portion 53. . Handles 46 are provided on the pivots 54, 54.
First protrusion 541 and handle 4 constituting rotation range restricting means of
A second protrusion 542 is formed for stabilizing the position of the cartridge 6 when it is stored. The stopper wall 55 with which the first protrusion 541 contacts is formed on the right case 412R, and the second protrusion 542 is formed.
Are formed on the left case 412L.

The support structure of the handle 46 will be further described. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a main part of a case 412 including a handle support portion, and FIGS. 10 and 11 are cases 4 viewed from the axial direction of the pivot 54.
It is a principal part enlarged view of FIG. 9 and 10, a first projection 541 and a second projection 542 project radially from a flange 54F formed at the end of the pivot 54 that supports the handle 46 to the case 412. The handle 46 is raised, and the movement is restricted so that the first protrusion 541 contacts the end face of the stopper wall 55 so that the handle 46 does not further rotate in the R direction.

The handle 46 is connected to the recess 53 of the case 412.
When it is stored in the second protruding portion 5 as shown in FIG.
The handle 4 is rotated until the 42 comes into contact with the projection 56 of the left case 412L. Then, the second protrusion 542 overcomes the protrusion 56 while further deforming the protrusion 56, and returns to 2 in FIG.
The handle 46 is rotated in the R ′ direction so as to go around the position indicated by the chain line, that is, above the protrusion 56. Thereby, the handle 4
6 fits in place along case 412. As described above, when raising or lowering the handle 46, the protrusion 5
Since there is a feeling of resistance (click feeling) that gets over the handle 6, it is easy to obtain a feeling that the handling operation has been reliably performed, and the storage state of the handle 46 can be stabilized. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the left case 412L in a state where the handle 46 is stored.

FIGS. 12 and 13 are cross-sectional views of the rear frame 23 showing the state of the battery mounted on the battery box, with the lid closed and the lid opened, respectively. Left portion 23L and right portion 23R of rear frame 23
The battery box 16 is arranged between the battery box 16 and the battery 41. The battery box 16 is supported by the seats 234, 235, 236 formed on the upper portion of the rear frame 23, and is disposed so that its longitudinal direction coincides with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. The battery box 16 includes a box body 161 whose upper part is opened so that the battery 41 can be attached and detached from above, and a lid 162 which covers this open upper part. The lid 162 is rotatably attached to the box main body 161 using a hinge (not shown) so that the lid 162 can be pivotally opened in the lateral direction of the vehicle body.

The lid 162 is provided with a key device 45. The key device 45 has a claw 451 that can be turned in and out by turning a key (preferably a key that operates a power switch). The claw 451 is engaged with the upper end of the box main body 161 to be locked.

When the battery 41 is housed in the battery box 16, the handle 46 is moved by an arrow R ′ so as to avoid the key device 45 provided on the lid 162 as shown in FIG.
And can be tilted to the opposite side of the key device 45. In the state where the handle 46 is folded down, the U-shaped open side of the U-shaped handle 46 is located on the key device 45 side, and the trajectory of the key device 45 when the cover 162 is opened and closed passes through this open side. It is drawn to do. Therefore, the key device 45 is compactly accommodated in the recess at the upper corner of the battery 41 without interfering with the handle 46.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
When removing the battery from the battery box 16,
Is open to the right side of the car body and the handle 4 is easy to grasp by hand.
6 is turned in the direction of arrow R (the left side of the vehicle body) and is raised. For a user standing on the left side of the vehicle body, the lid that opens to the right and easily takes out the battery and the handle that turns to the left in substantially the same direction as the lifting direction make it very easy to take the battery in and out. The lid 162 cannot be closed with the handle 46 standing up, because the key device 45 interferes with the handle 46. Further, since the first protrusion 541 abuts against the stopper wall 55 and the rotation of the handle 46 is restricted, the lid 162 cannot be forcibly closed. In this way, by performing operations one by one, such as the operation accompanied by the click feeling, the detachment and proper mounting of the battery 41 can be realized.

[0045]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, a battery storage device having a handle rotatably provided to improve operability can be compactly mounted on a battery. It can be housed in a box and mounted on the body. In particular, when a key device is provided on the upper lid of the battery box, the handle can be rotated and stored at a position avoiding the key device. Further, since the rotation range of the handle can be clearly defined, a reliable operation can be expected.
For example, in the case of an erroneous operation or an uncertain operation, a predetermined click feeling cannot be obtained or the upper lid does not close, so that the user can intuitively recognize the operation uncertainty.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an electric assist bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a rear frame as viewed from the front left.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a rear frame.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a main part around an assist unit.

FIG. 5 is a sectional perspective view showing a structure of a battery.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a left case.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a right case.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the left case in a state where the handle is turned down.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a main part of the right case showing a support part of the handle.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the case when the handle support is viewed from the inside (when the handle is upright).

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the case when the handle is viewed from the inside (when the handle is stored).

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional side view of the battery box (with the lid closed).

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional side view of the battery box (with the lid open).

FIG. 14 is a side view of a main part of a battery-assisted bicycle including a conventional battery storage device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electric auxiliary unit, 2 ... Body frame, 3 ... Seat post, 8 ... Steering handle, 11 ... Crankshaft, 13 ... Pedal, 14 ... Sprocket cover,
16 ... battery box, 22 ... front frame, 23
... Rear frame, 24 ... Hinge, 25,26,27 ...
Bolt, 28 boss, 29 pinion, 32 assist gear, 33 sprocket, 38 lock lever, 41 battery, 42 indicator, 45
... key device, 46 ... handle, 412 ... battery case

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A battery storage device for an electric assist bicycle, which stores a battery body, is stored in a battery box provided with a key device on an upper lid, and is mounted on a vehicle body, and is rotatably mounted on an upper portion of the battery storage device. A battery storage device for a battery-assisted bicycle, characterized in that the handle is provided on a side opposite to a position of the key device when the upper lid is closed. 2. A case for accommodating the battery main body, wherein a wall portion raised so as to rotatably support the handle is formed integrally with the case, and the outer shape of the handle when accommodated is reduced. The battery storage device for an electrically assisted bicycle according to claim 1, wherein the shape is determined so as to follow the contour of the raised wall portion. 3. The handle is supported by being coupled to a pivot provided through the wall portion, and the pivot is engaged with the case to limit a rotation range of the handle to the range. The battery storage device for an electrically assisted bicycle according to claim 1, wherein a protrusion is formed. 4. A first projection in which said projection abuts said case at said key device side limit of said rotation range, and temporarily increases a load immediately before said handle storage position side limit. 4. The battery storage device for an electrically assisted bicycle according to claim 3, further comprising a second projection that abuts a projection formed on the case. 5. In the key device-side limit, the first handle is positioned so that the handle is positioned on an opening / closing trajectory of an upper lid including the key device.
The battery storage device for a battery-assisted bicycle according to claim 4, wherein the positions of the protrusion and the contact portion of the case are determined.