JP2003061253A - Charging system for small electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify charging operation and further reduce a battery capacity for reduction in vehicle weight and vehicle price with respect to a charging system for electric bicycle. SOLUTION: A parking apparatus 20 for an electric bicycle 10 is provided with a primary connector 50 of electromagnetic induction type, and the primary connector 50 is held on the parking apparatus so that the primary connector can be moved up and down. When the electric bicycle 10 is moved into and held in the parking apparatus 20, the primary connector 50 for power supply follows a secondary connector 70 for receiving supplied power installed on the incoming electric bicycle 10, and both the connectors 50 and 70 are engaged with each other. As a result, the connectors 50 and 70 are magnetically coupled with each other, and a secondary battery 15 mounted on the electric bicycle 10 is charged. Since charging is initiated only by parking operation, charging is performed with ease without fail.

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric small vehicle charging system. 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, development of electric small vehicles in which all or a part of human power required for movement is substituted by a motor has been remarkably progressed, and an electric bicycle is one of important applications of the electric small vehicles. can give. An electric bicycle is loaded with a motor and a secondary battery for driving the motor,
The secondary battery is configured to be removed from the electric bicycle and charged. [0003] In a conventional electric bicycle, the secondary battery must be removed from the electric bicycle main body and charged, for example, in a charger installed indoors. Is complicated. Therefore, as one method for easily charging, a method of performing a charging operation without removing a secondary battery from an electric bicycle has been proposed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-139).
16). In this conventional method, the electric bicycle 2 is moved to a bicycle parking place where the charging device 1 is installed, and the electric bicycle 2 is fixed by the stand 3 so as not to fall. Then, the primary connector 4 connected to the power supply device is manually fitted into the secondary connector 6 connected to the secondary battery 5 provided on the electric bicycle. However, this conventional method has a problem that it is troublesome because the operation of parking a bicycle and the operation of charging must be performed separately. Such complexity of the charging operation of the electric bicycle not only poses a problem in itself, but also causes other problems. That is, it is anticipated that the user will not perform the charging operation of the electric bicycle every traveling, such as forgetting the charging operation because the bicycle parking operation and the charging operation are separate. For this reason, in design, the capacity of the secondary battery must be given a sufficient margin for the battery capacity required for one run of the electric bicycle. In the electric bicycle, the secondary battery occupies a large specific gravity in both weight and price. As a result, there arises a problem that the weight of the electric bicycle increases and the price of the vehicle increases. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been completed based on the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to simplify and reliably charge a small electric vehicle such as an electric bicycle while reducing the battery capacity. It is intended to reduce the weight of the vehicle and reduce the price of the vehicle. According to the present invention, there is provided a system for charging a battery mounted on a small electric vehicle, the system comprising: What is provided with a primary connector coupled to an electromagnetic induction type secondary connector provided in a small vehicle, a bicycle parking device for holding the electric small vehicle in a predetermined position, and a connector holding unit integrally provided in the bicycle parking device And a connector, wherein the primary connector is disposed in the connector holding portion in a direction in which the primary connector is coupled to the secondary connector in accordance with a parking operation of the electric small vehicle to the bicycle parking device, and the primary connector is held in the connector holding portion. It is characterized in that it is configured to be supported so as to be vertically movable with respect to the part. <Operation and effect of the invention><Invention of claim 1> When the electric small vehicle enters the bicycle parking device, it is held at a predetermined position. At this time, the secondary connector provided in the electric small vehicle is coupled to the primary connector provided in the connector holding portion of the bicycle parking device. Here, since the electric small vehicle is supported by rubber tires in which air is sealed in wheels, the vertical position of the secondary connector may fluctuate due to the air pressure of the rubber tires. However, since the primary connector is held movably in the vertical direction with respect to the connector holding portion, even if the position of the secondary connector in the vertical direction changes, the primary connector follows the secondary connector and the two connectors are coupled. be able to. Therefore, the connection of both connectors is established and charging is possible only by allowing the electric small vehicle to enter and hold the bicycle parking device, so that charging operation can be performed easily and reliably. [0008] Further, since the charging operation is performed for each run, the battery capacity can be set to the capacity required for one run, so that the weight of the electric small vehicle is reduced and the vehicle price is reduced. And can be made possible. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment A first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an electric bicycle charging system will be described with reference to FIGS. The charging system for an electric bicycle in the present embodiment includes a bicycle parking device 20 for parking the electric bicycle 10 as shown in FIG. First, the bicycle parking device 20 will be described. In the following description, the direction in which the electric bicycle 10 enters the bicycle parking device 20 will be described as forward. Here, a pair of guide rails 21 slightly separated from the width dimension of the front wheel 11 of the electric bicycle 10 is provided horizontally, and the front wheels 11 of the electric bicycle 10 are supported between the guide rails 21. Has become. A bicycle parking rail 22 is provided between the guide rails 21 so as to be inclined so that the rear part is lowered. The bicycle parking rail 22 has a gutter shape with a width slightly larger than the width of the front wheel 11, and supports the front wheel 11 while guiding the same. The rear ends of the paired guide rails 21 are connected to form a wheel stopper 21A, and the bicycle parking rail 2
The forward movement of the electric bicycle 10 on the vehicle 2 is stopped. A slope plate 23 is provided in front of the bicycle parking rail 22.
Are connected to each other, and the slope plate 23 is inclined so as to be lowered forward, and is formed in a U shape together with the bicycle parking rail 22. The slope plate 23 has a trapezoidal plate shape with a wide front, and its front end is in contact with the ground to facilitate entry of the front wheel 11. The front portion of the guide rail 21 is opened diagonally forward to guide the front wheel 11 to enter, and is fixed downward to the front end left and right corners of the slope plate 23 at the front end portion 21B. The front wheel 11 of the electric bicycle 10 moves to the bicycle parking rail 22 after climbing over the slope plate 23. A tread plate 24 is provided above the bicycle parking rail 22, and a front end thereof is rotatably connected to a connecting portion between the bicycle parking rail 22 and the slope plate 23 via a support shaft 24A. The tread plate 24 is formed in a gutter shape like the bicycle parking rail 22, and the rear end side can be tilted up and down. The rear end side of the tread plate 24 is constantly pulled up by a control cable 42 described later.
When the vehicle enters the tread plate 24 from the slope plate 23, as shown in FIG. 2, the tread plate 24 is pushed downward by the front wheel 11, rotates around the support shaft 24A, and is connected to the bicycle parking rail 22 in a straight line. As shown in FIG. 3, a support post 30 is provided on the side of the guide rail 21.
A connector box 31 corresponding to the connector holding section is provided at the top of 0. The connector box 31 has a rectangular box shape, and has an opening 31A on the front surface thereof.
The opening 31A of the connector box 31 is opened and closed by a door 33 provided via a hinge 32. The door 33 is always urged in the closing direction by a spring (not shown). As shown in FIG.
A door opening / closing arm 34 having a U-shape is provided on the outer bottom portion of the arm so as to be rotatable in a horizontal direction about a support shaft 35. A slit 36 is formed at one end of the door opening / closing arm 34, and a connection pin 37 provided on the door 33 is inserted into the slit 36, and the door 33 is opened and closed in conjunction with the rotation of the door opening / closing arm 34. It is supposed to be. The control cable 42 described above is connected to the other end of the door opening / closing arm 34.
One end of the inner wire 40 is fixed. The inner wire 40 is movably inserted into the flexible outer cable 41, and the other end is fixed to the tread plate 24. Outer cable 41 of control cable 42
Of the connector box 31 via the bracket 43
And the other end is fixed to the guide rail 21 via a bracket 21C. Therefore, the vertical movement of the tread plate 24 rotates the door opening / closing arm 34 through the inner wire 40, and opens and closes the door 33. The connector box 31 has a primary connector 5
0 is held. As shown in FIG. 5, the primary connector 50 includes a primary core 51 and a primary coil 52, and the primary core 51 has a bottomed cylindrical shape having a column in the center,
A primary coil 52 is wound around the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall.
The primary connector 50 is accommodated in a cylindrical connector case 53 having a diameter larger than that of the primary connector 50, and a front portion of the connector case 53 is tapered to form a guide portion 54. The connector case 53 is arranged such that the guide portion 54 faces the opening 31A of the connector box 31. A pair of cylindrical shaft guides 60 project from above and below the connector case 53, and a support shaft 61 is fitted to each of the shaft guides 60. Primary connector 5
FIG. 6 shows a state where 0 is attached to the connector box 31. The connector 50 is a connector case 53
It is provided rotatable with respect to. FIG. 7 shows a specific structure of the connector case 53. A plurality of (for example, 3)
) Rollers 53A are rotatably provided, and the outer peripheral surface of the primary connector 50 is rotatably supported in contact with the rollers 53A. A stopper 50A protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the primary connector 50 toward the inner peripheral surface of the connector case 53, whereby the rotation angle of the primary connector 50 is restricted within a predetermined range, and the power supply cable 50B (See FIG. 5). Guide rollers 62 are rotatably mounted on the tip surfaces of the upper and lower support shafts 61 by pins 63 coaxial with the support shaft 61. Connector box 31
A guide member 64 having a pair of L-shaped cross sections is provided on the ceiling portion 31B so as to extend left and right, and the guide roller 62 is supported by being sandwiched between the ceiling portion 31B and the pair of guide members 64. Below the guide member 64, a pair of L-shaped stopper rails 66 are provided in parallel with the guide member 64 with the support shaft 61 interposed therebetween, and the stopper rail 66 prevents the support shaft 61 from oscillating back and forth. The shaft guide 60 is configured to restrict the elevation. A guide member 64 is provided on the floor 31C of the connector box 31 similarly to the ceiling 31B, and the pair of guide members 64 are supported together with the floor 31C with the guide roller 62 interposed therebetween. A stopper rail 66 is provided above the guide member 64 provided on the floor 31C.
It is provided so as to restrict the descent of the shaft guide 60 while performing the steady rest of the first. With the structure described above, the shaft guide 60 is supported movably only in the vertical direction with respect to the support shaft 61, and the support shaft 61 is supported movably only in the left and right direction with respect to the connector box 31. I have. Therefore, the movement of the connector case 53 is restricted in the front-rear direction, and the connector case 53 is movable in the up-down and left-right directions. A coil spring 67 is mounted between the inner surface of the connector box 31 at the front and rear of the shaft guide 60 on the upper, lower, left, and right sides of the connector case 53. In a suspended state. In contrast to the above bicycle parking device 20, the electric bicycle 10 parked here has the following configuration. As shown in FIG. 1, a secondary connector 70 is fixed to a front fork 12 of the electric bicycle 10 via a fixture 13. The secondary connector is connected to a secondary battery 15 loaded on the electric bicycle 10 via a cable (not shown), and charges the secondary battery 15 when the secondary connector 70 is connected to the primary connector 50. Has become. The secondary connector 70 is provided at a position where it fits with the primary connector 50 when the electric bicycle 10 is held by the bicycle parking device 20, and has a circular plate-shaped secondary core 7.
1 and a secondary coil 72 that can be fitted to the primary core 51. The secondary connector 70 is provided with a hood portion 73 at a position where the secondary connector 70 covers the primary connector 50 when fitted to the primary connector 50. An annular groove 74 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the distal end of the hood portion 73, and the ball plunger 56 is provided on the primary connector 50 so as to be able to engage with the annular groove 74. The secondary connector 70 has a cover (not shown) that is fitted into the annular groove 74 of the hood portion 73 when the electric bicycle 10 travels. The primary connector 50 is provided with a fitting detection switch 55, as shown in FIG. 5, so as to detect a state in which the secondary connector 70 is fitted to the primary connector 50. . A high-frequency current flows from an inverter (not shown) provided in the power supply device 16 to the primary coil 52, and an induced current flows through the secondary coil 72, on condition that the fitting detection switch 55 detects the fitting of the two connectors 50 and 70. Is caused to occur. The present embodiment has the above-described structure, and its operation will be described below. When the electric bicycle 10 is parked and charged, first, the cover attached to the secondary connector 70 of the electric bicycle 10 is removed. Next, the electric bicycle 10 is caused to enter the bicycle parking device 20. At this time, the front wheel 11 of the electric bicycle 10 is guided by the guide rail 21 while climbing the slope plate 23 and enters the tread plate 24. When the electric bicycle 10 is further advanced, the front wheels 1
1 is sandwiched on both sides by a guide rail 21 and is supported on the left and right, and at the same time, the front wheel 11 pushes down the tread plate 24 and the bicycle parking rail 2
Enter 2. Here, the bicycle parking rail 22 is a bicycle parking device 20.
The guide rail 2
The front wheel 11 is held in an upright state by the wheel stopper 21A and the guide rail 21 provided at one rear end. In the process of reaching this position, the tread plate 24 is pushed down by the front wheel 11, so that the inner wire 40 fixed to the tread plate 24 is pulled down. The inner wire 40 rotates the door opening / closing arm 34 provided on the connector box 31. The door opening / closing arm 34 rotates the connecting pin 37 engaged with the slit 36 at the front end from the front to the side to open the door 33 of the connector box 31. Therefore, when the electric bicycle 10 enters the bicycle parking device 20, the secondary connector 70 provided on the electric bicycle 10 is fitted to the primary connector 50 held in the connector box 31, and the primary coil 52 is connected to the secondary coil. 72 and is magnetically coupled. At the same time, the annular groove 74 is engaged with the ball plunger 56, and the connectors 50 and 70 are locked. When the two connectors 50 and 70 are fitted, the fitting detection switch 55 detects the secondary connector 70 fitted to the primary connector 50, and a high frequency signal is transmitted from an inverter (not shown) provided in the power supply 16 to the primary coil 52. Power is supplied. As a result, an induced current is generated in the secondary coil 72, and charging of the secondary battery 15 loaded on the electric bicycle 10 is started. By the way, the front wheel 11 of the electric bicycle 10
Are supported by a tire 14 filled with air.
Since the air pressure of the tire 14 is not always constant, the position of the secondary connector 70 may be shifted up and down with respect to the primary connector 50. In such a case, the present embodiment deals with the positional deviation as follows. For example, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the secondary connector 70 approaches the primary connector 50 while being shifted upward, first, the secondary connector 7
The leading end of the hood 73 of the “0” contacts the guide 54 of the connector case 53. When the tip of the hood portion 73 of the secondary connector 70 pushes the guide portion 54 of the connector case 53, the connector case 53 can move up, down, left, and right with respect to the connector box 31 while movement in the front and rear direction is restricted. Next, the connector case 53 moves so as to escape upward (see FIG. 8B). As a result, both connectors 5
The fitting axes of 0, 70 coincide, and the secondary connector 70 can be fitted to the primary connector 50 (see FIG. 8C). When the secondary connector 70 enters the primary connector 50 while being shifted downward, the above operation is reversed. As shown in FIG. 9A, when the secondary connector 70 approaches the primary connector 50 in a state shifted to the left (downward in FIG. 9), as in the case described above,
The connector case 53 moves so as to escape to the left (FIG. 9B). As a result, the fitting axes of the two connectors 50 and 70 match, and the secondary connector 70 is
(See FIG. 9C). Secondary connector 7
When 0 enters the primary connector 50 shifted to the right, the above operation is reversed. Therefore, even if the secondary connector 70 approaches the primary connector 50 at a position shifted vertically and horizontally, the two connectors 50 and 70 can be fitted to each other.
Can be automatically fitted. In addition, since the primary connector 50 is rotatably supported by the connector case 53 via the roller 53A, it is possible to cope with a deviation in the direction around the axis. For example, both the primary and secondary connectors are provided. It is also easy to provide an optical communication element for transmitting and receiving an optical signal to face 50 and 70. When the electric bicycle 10 is pulled backward from the bicycle parking device 20 after charging is completed, both connectors 50 and 7 are pulled out.
0 is released, and the secondary connector 70 is detached from the connector box 31. When the front wheel 11 comes off the tread plate 24, there is no force to push down the tread plate 24. Therefore, the door 33 is closed by a spring (not shown) provided on the hinge 32, the inner wire 40 is pulled by the door opening / closing arm 34, and the tread plate 24 is raised. Can be As described above, according to the present embodiment, the secondary connector 70 is fitted to the primary connector 50 by a normal bicycle parking operation of holding the electric bicycle 10 on the bicycle parking device 20, and
Can be charged. Each time the bicycle is parked, the battery is charged.
Will be charged. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide an excessively large battery capacity for a daily traveling distance as a measure against forgetting to charge, and the capacity of the secondary battery 15 is generally set to a small capacity corresponding to only the maximum distance assumed during one traveling. can do. This can reduce battery weight and battery cost,
The weight reduction and cost reduction of the electric bicycle 10 can be realized. In the present embodiment, the connector box 31 can be opened and closed by a door 33, and the electric bicycle 10
The door 33 is automatically opened and closed by the parking of the bicycle in the bicycle parking device 20 and the drawer, so that the primary connector 50 can be protected without performing a special operation for opening and closing the door. <Second Embodiment> This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in a primary connector 80 and a secondary connector 90 fitted to the primary connector 80, and the other is the same as the first embodiment. Therefore, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. Differences will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, the primary connector 80 has a pair of primary cores 81, and the primary core 81 has a rectangular container shape having a cylindrical portion on the bottom inner surface. One side of the peripheral wall of the primary core 81 protrudes from the other three sides, and the pair of primary cores 81 is opposed to each other to form a rectangular frame-shaped receiving hole 85 for receiving the secondary connector 90. A primary coil 82 is wound around each of the cylindrical portions of the pair of primary cores 81. The pair of primary cores 81 are accommodated in a connector case 83 having a front opening, and a guide portion 84 is provided on the front surface of the connector case 83. The guide portion 84 has a trumpet shape expanding forward from the receiving hole 85, and the primary connector 80 is guided by the guide portion 84 when the secondary connector 90 approaches the primary connector 80. The connector case 83 is attached to the connector box 31, and its structure is the same as that of the first embodiment. On the other hand, the secondary connector 90 has a flat shape. The secondary connector 90 accommodates a cylindrical secondary core 91 and a secondary coil 92 wound around the secondary core 91. I have. When the electric bicycle 10 is held by the bicycle parking device 20, the secondary connector 90 is attached to a position where it can be fitted with the primary connector 80. When the electric bicycle 10 enters the bicycle parking device 20, the secondary connector 90 guides and fits the primary connector 80 as in the first embodiment. At this time, the distal end of the secondary connector 90 abuts against the inner surface of the connector case 83, and the positioning of the connectors 80 and 90 is performed. In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, when the electric bicycle 10 enters the bicycle parking device 20, the two connectors 80 and 90 are naturally fitted.
Since the structure other than the shape of the two connectors 80 and 90 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the simplicity and reliability of the charging operation can be similarly obtained. Can be reduced. <Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) In the first embodiment, an example is shown in which the secondary connector 70 is provided on the front fork 12 of the electric bicycle 10, but the position of the secondary connector 70 on the electric bicycle 10 is not limited to this. For example, when the secondary connector 70 is provided on the seat tube 17 or the rear wheel side frame 18 of the electric bicycle 10 and the electric bicycle 10 is parked in the bicycle parking device 20, the secondary connector 70 is
The connector box 31 so as to fit the
Can also be provided. (2) In the first embodiment, the connector case 5
3 is supported movably up, down, left and right with respect to the connector box 31 while restricting movement in the front-rear direction.
It is also possible to support the connector case 53 movably only in the vertical direction with respect to the connector box 31. (3) In the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to an electric bicycle has been described, but the present invention can also be applied to other electric small vehicles. Examples of other electric small vehicles include an electric wheelchair, an electric cart for carrying luggage, and an electric cart for toys.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view showing an electric bicycle charging system before parking a bicycle. FIG. 2 is a side view showing an electric bicycle charging system while parking a bicycle. FIG. 3 shows a bicycle parking device. Front view [FIG. 4] Bottom view of connector box [FIG. 5] Cross-sectional view showing state before fitting of electromagnetic induction connector [FIG. 6] Perspective view showing connector box [FIG. 7] Relationship between connector case and primary connector (A) is a rear view of the connector, and (B) is a partial longitudinal sectional view along an axis. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a process of fitting the secondary connector to the primary connector in the connector box. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a process of fitting the secondary connector to the primary connector in the connector box. FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing a primary connector and a secondary connector of a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a front view showing a primary connector of the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a side view showing a conventional electric bicycle charging system. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Electric bicycle 15 ... Secondary battery 20 ... Bicycle parking device 50, 80 ... Primary connector 70, 90 ... Secondary connector

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Claims (1)

Claims 1. A system for charging a battery mounted on an electric small vehicle, comprising a primary connector coupled to an electromagnetic induction type secondary connector provided on the electric small vehicle. A bicycle parking device for holding the electric small vehicle at a predetermined position, and a connector holding portion provided integrally with the bicycle parking device, wherein the connector is provided with the primary connector. An electric small-sized device which is arranged in a direction in which the secondary connector is coupled with the bicycle parking operation with respect to the bicycle parking device, and supports the primary connector so as to be vertically movable with respect to the connector holding portion. Vehicle charging system.