JP2003320062A - Golf cart - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a golf cart improved in safety while preventing the useless consumption of a battery. <P>SOLUTION: This golf cart automatically travelable along a prescribed induction line has a driving control circuit for driving a drive source allowing power supply from a battery, and a power intercepting circuit intercepting a current to the driving control circuit at the lapse of a prescribed time. The golf cart is provided with a control means for controlling the power intercepting circuit for intercepting the current only when an induced current flowing to the induction line is undetected, and a control means for controlling the power intercepting circuit so that the time before current interception is longer when the induced current flowing to the induction line is detected than when undetected. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a golf cart for carrying a golf bag or the like on a golf course.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various types of golf carts for golf courses have been provided. For example, a push type, an electric type, or a non-ride type and a ride type using an engine as a driving force are widely used. And unlike other electric cars, electric golf carts
Even though the vehicle runs along the course, it is sometimes driven unmanned by a remote control operation in a wide area where road surface conditions are unstable.

FIG. 1 is an external side view of a two-seater type electric riding golf cart developed by the present applicant. This electric golf cart is an electric drive type having a means for switching between automatic traveling and manual traveling, a golf bag can be loaded in the rear portion, and a roof for protection against the sun and rain is installed in the upper portion.

This golf cart 1 has a pair of left and right front wheels 2.
And the upper part of the body frame 4 supported by the rear wheel 3,
It covers with the front cowl 4a and the rear cowl 4b, and a seat 5a and a step 5b which are seated are installed on the front side of the rear cowl 4b to form a riding section 5, and project above the steering column 6a supported on the front part of the seat 5a. The steering wheel 6 is attached to the tip of the steering shaft 6b so that it can be operated while sitting on the seat 5a. An induction sensor 7 for detecting an induction current of an induction wire 8 buried underground and a magnet sensor 10 for detecting a magnet 9 buried for speed control in the vicinity of the induction wire 8 are attached to the front part of the vehicle body. Has been.

The control system of the golf cart 1 is roughly
It is composed of a control box microcomputer, 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.

In the electric golf cart 1 having such a structure, first, the power switch or the power key is switched from "OFF" to "ON". Next, when performing the manual operation, when the automatic operation switching lever is set to "manual", the manual traveling mode is set, and the operation of the steering wheel (steering wheel) 6 and the operation of the accelerator and the brake are performed as in a normal riding cart. You can drive forward and backward by the player's own operation.

In the case of automatic driving, when the automatic driving switching lever is set to "automatic", the automatic running mode is set. At that time, the induced current flowing in the guide wire 8 buried along the cart road (running road) is detected to steer in the left and right running directions, and the speed and stop due to the arrangement of the magnets 9 buried in the same manner are detected. By reading the control information, it runs on the cart road while performing automatic piloting, automatic acceleration / deceleration, and automatic stop. The start / stop switch provided on the golf cart body or the remote control transmitter can be used to start and stop at any place.

In addition, a cart guard, which is a collision prevention device, is provided in order to prevent a collision when a following golf cart approaches when the preceding golf cart is stopped when the vehicle automatically travels. It has a transmitter at the rear end of each cart and a receiver at the front end of each cart. For this reason, the electric field strength of the received signal increases as the preceding cart stops and the succeeding cart catches up with the preceding cart. When the preceding cart exceeds a predetermined value, the succeeding cart automatically brakes and stops to prevent a collision.

As described above, when the golf cart 1 is turned on, the power is supplied from the battery, and the running control is controlled by the energized control circuit. Normally, some current is flowing in the control circuit even in the standby state in which the vehicle is on standby while the power is on, so the battery is discharged by the standby current of the control circuit.
If the battery is left in this state for a long time, the battery capacity may become empty, the power may not be turned on, and the battery may not be restored again even if it is charged. For this reason, there are some which are provided with a power cutoff circuit that cuts off the power after a certain period of time.

[0010]

However, when the power supply circuit cuts off the power supply from the battery to the control circuit, the cart guard is naturally deenergized. For this reason, the golf cart whose power supply to the control circuit is cut off by the operation of the power cutoff circuit is hit by the succeeding cart without being recognized even if it is on the guide line. In this case, the operating time of the power cutoff circuit becomes a problem, and if this operating time is too short, it causes a rear-end collision as described above. On the contrary, if it is too long, the effect of preventing battery consumption is lost.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in order to solve such a problem, and an object thereof is to provide a golf cart which is improved in safety and can prevent useless consumption of a battery. It is a thing.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention drives a drive source capable of automatically traveling along a predetermined guide wire and capable of supplying power from a battery. In a golf cart having a drive control circuit and a power cutoff circuit that cuts off the power supply to the drive control circuit when a predetermined time has elapsed, the power cutoff circuit is arranged to cut off the power supply only when an induced current flowing through the guide wire is not detected. It is characterized in that a control means for controlling is provided.

Further, a drive control circuit for driving a drive source capable of automatically traveling along a predetermined guide line and capable of supplying power from a battery, and a power supply for cutting off the power supply to the drive control circuit after a predetermined time has elapsed. In a golf cart having a cutoff circuit, a control means for controlling the power cutoff circuit is provided so that the time taken to cut off the energization is longer when the induced current flowing through the guide wire is detected than when it is not detected. It is a feature.

Further, it has a switching means for switching between the automatic running and the manual running, and the control means detects the induced current even when the switching means is in the manual running, and at the time of detection, the power cutoff circuit is operated for a predetermined time. The feature is that the above operation is not performed.

Further, the control means is characterized in that the power cutoff circuit is operated when the traveling operation is not performed for a predetermined time.

[0016] Further, it has a switching means for switching between the automatic traveling and the manual traveling, and the control means operates the power cutoff circuit in a shorter elapsed time when the automatic traveling is carried out than when the switching means is the manual traveling. It is characterized by that.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Here, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an electric riding golf cart in which automatic driving and manual driving can be selected is shown. FIG. 1 is a side view showing the appearance of an electric golf cart to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the same, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the structure of a control system.

The external side structure of the electric golf cart 1 shown in FIG. 1 has been described above, and will not be repeated. In FIG. 2, a plurality of batteries 12 for the traveling motor 11 and other motors are attached to the vehicle body frame 4. The traveling motor 11 is attached to the transmission 13 on the axle 3a of the rear wheel 3.

Further, a power generation / charging device 14 for charging the battery 12 which is a power source for the traveling motor 11 and other motors.
It is equipped with. Then, a control circuit section 15 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 the power unit, is the traveling motor 1
1, main brake (MB) motor 16, parking brake (PB) motor 17, automatic / manual switching (H
M) motor 18, steering control (SM) motor 1
It is composed of 9.

The control unit 20 of the traveling motor 11 is provided with a traveling motor control circuit 20a and a current detection circuit 20b. The control unit 21 of the main brake motor 16 is provided with a main brake motor control circuit 21a, a current detection circuit 21b, and a brake position sensor 21c. In the control unit 22 of the parking brake motor 17,
A parking brake motor control circuit 22a and a current detection circuit 22b are provided. Automatic / manual switching motor 18
The control unit 23 includes an automatic / manual switching motor control circuit 23.
a and an automatic / manual detection switch 23b are provided.
The control unit 24 of the steering control motor 19 is provided with a steering control motor control circuit 24a.
Each motor is controlled by the main CPU (microcomputer) 25.

The battery 12 serving as a power source is connected to the power system via the current detection circuit 26 and the main contactor 27. The current detection circuit 26 detects either the charging current or the discharging current of the battery 12.

An encoder 28 is provided coaxially with the traveling motor 11, a pulse corresponding to one revolution of the motor is input to the main CPU (microcomputer) 25, and the cart traveling speed is detected by an internal calculation.

The control system of the steering unit includes an induction sensor 7
The steering circuit 31 to which is attached, and the torque sensor 3 that is interlocked with the steering wheel (steering wheel) 6.
2. The steering motor 19 and the torque sensor 32.
Is arranged as a means for detecting the steering operation amount.

When the passenger golf cart 1 having such a structure is to be manually operated, the power switch 33 is switched from "off" to "on" to turn on the main contactor 27 to put it in a standby state. When the automatic operation switching lever is set to “manual”, the manual driving mode is set, and the torque sensor that responds to the rotation of the handle 6 to the left or right by operating the handle 6 in the same manner as a normal riding golf cart. 32
The means for detecting the steering operation amount is activated to rotate the steering motor 19 leftward or rightward via the main CPU 25. Then, by the operation amount of the steering wheel 6 and the operation of the accelerator and the brake, the player can operate forward and backward by himself / herself.

Further, when the automatic driving is performed, the automatic driving mode is set by setting the automatic driving switching lever to "automatic". At that time, the induction current flowing in the induction wire 8 buried along the traveling path is detected as an induction signal by the left and right induction sensors 7, amplified and detected by the steering circuit 31, and then a differential output is obtained through the differential amplifier. The main CPU
Analog input to 25.

In accordance with commands from the main CPU 25, the vehicle travels on a traveling path while performing automatic control, automatic acceleration / deceleration, and automatic stop. In addition, the remote controller / golf cart body starts / starts
It is also possible to start and stop at any place by operating the stop switch 34. Further, when a danger is detected by various safety devices such as the cart guard detecting means 35, an emergency stop is made.

After normal use by the above operation, the golf cart 1 is stored in the cart and charged if necessary. At this time, if the power switch 33 is forgotten to be turned off, the standby current of the control circuit is discharged from the battery 12. For example, when the control circuit current is 1 A and the battery capacity is 40 Ah, the battery 12 is completely discharged in about 40 hours.
In other words, if left unused for about 2 days, the battery 1
When the battery 12 is recharged, there is a possibility that the battery 12 cannot be restored (damage) depending on the open circuit voltage.

In order to prevent this, the time counting after turning on the power switch 33 is performed, and the power shutoff circuit 36 is operated after, for example, two hours have passed without running, and the main contactor 27 is turned off to shut off the power. , Prevent the standby current from flowing endlessly. When the golf cart 1 travels during the time counting by waiting, it means that the golf cart 1 is in use and the time counting is cleared.

Further, even when the manual / automatic switching is in standby for automatic running, if the golf cart 1 is on the guide line 8, a rear-end collision is expected to be caused by the following cart, so the time count is cleared. By doing this, when the cart manager or caddy unnecessarily puts out the cart unnecessarily, the power cutoff circuit 36 operates and the power is turned off to cause a collision, or the cart is turned off when the play is interrupted due to a lightning strike or the like. It will not be hit by the following cart. In addition, since the power is not cut off by the power cutoff circuit 36 in the automatic traveling mode, speed information and the like are not lost on the way.

Further, the induction current is detected even during the manual traveling, and when the induction line is detected, the power-off time count is cleared. This is because there is a possibility of a rear-end collision from the following cart if the vehicle is left on the guide wire 8 even in the manual traveling mode. This also applies to the case where the mode is switched to the manual mode during the automatic mode.

In normal use, when the guide wire 8 is pulled into the cart storage, the cart 1 is stored automatically and
Even if you forget to turn off the power switch 33, the power of the guide wire 8 is OF
If the result is F, the power shutoff circuit 36 operates after a certain period of time, for example, 30 minutes, the power of the cart 1 is turned off, and the wasteful discharge of the battery 12 is eliminated.

Next, a more specific description will be given along the flow chart shown in FIG.

When the processing shown in the flow chart is started by turning on the power switch 33, first, in step S1, the power cutoff timer is cleared. Next, proceeding to step S2, the timer count of the power shutoff timer is started.

In the next step S3, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is traveling based on the input from the encoder 28 provided coaxially with the traveling motor 11, and if the vehicle is traveling, the step S3 is performed.
Return to 1 and clear the timer count.

On the other hand, if the vehicle is not traveling, the routine proceeds to step S4, where it is judged whether or not there is a guide line detection, and if so, the routine proceeds to step S5. In step S5, it is determined whether or not the timer count has passed 24 hours. If 24 hours have passed, the process proceeds to step S9 to turn off the power by the power shutoff circuit 36. If 24 hours have not elapsed, the process returns to step S3 and the above is repeated.

Thus, even if the guide wire 8 is detected,
The power cutoff circuit 36 operates only when a long time (1 day) has passed,
Since the power is turned off, the consumption of the battery 12 can be suppressed, and since the power is on for a long time, it is possible to prevent an accident such as a rear-end collision of a subsequent cart.

If no guide line is detected in step S4, the process proceeds to step S6 and it is determined whether or not the automatic traveling mode is set. If it is the automatic traveling mode, step S7
In step S9, it is determined whether the timer count has elapsed for 5 minutes. If it has elapsed, the process advances to step S9 to turn off the power by the power cutoff circuit. That is, in this case
Since the guide wire is not detected in the automatic traveling mode, the power is cut off in a short time (5 minutes).

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S6 that the automatic traveling mode is not set, that is, the manual traveling mode is set, it is determined in step S8 whether or not the timer count has passed one hour. If one hour has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S9, and the power supply cutoff circuit 36 turns off the power supply.

If the timer count times have not elapsed in steps S7 and S8, the process returns to step S3 and the above-described control is repeated.

As described above, depending on the presence / absence of detection of the guide wire,
By changing the time until the power is cut off, the power is turned off in a short time when the power cutoff circuit 36 can be operated even in a relatively short time such as when no guide wire is detected in the automatic traveling mode. It requires less discharge. In addition, when all golf carts are stored in the cart storage at the end of the day, all the golf carts can be turned off in a short time (5 minutes) by storing in the automatic driving mode and turning off the power of the guide wire 8. Therefore, do not forget to turn off the power,
The consumption of the battery 12 can be efficiently suppressed.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing another control example, in which the power is not cut off when the golf cart 1 is on the guide wire 8, and step S5 of the flowchart of FIG. 4 is eliminated. And the others are the same.

That is, when it is determined that there is a guide wire in step S4 after it is determined that the vehicle is stopped in step S3,
Returning to step S3, the power is continued without being cut off while the vehicle is stopped on the guide wire 8 (Y in step 4 → N loop in step S3).

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S4 that the vehicle is not on the guide wire 8, if the automatic traveling mode is set, as in FIG.
Minutes, the power is cut off in 1 hour in the manual driving mode.

In this way, the golf cart 1 is placed on the guide wire 8.
When there is, by always energizing the power supply,
The collision of the golf cart from the rear is eliminated, and safety is greatly improved. In addition, when no guide wire is detected, the power supply is cut off by setting the time according to the automatic traveling mode or the manual traveling mode as in the case of FIG. 4, so that the same effect as the above can be obtained.

[0047]

As described above, according to the present invention, a drive control circuit for driving a drive source capable of automatically traveling along a predetermined guide line and capable of supplying power from a battery, and a predetermined time In a golf cart having a power cutoff circuit that cuts off the power supply to the drive control circuit, safety is provided by providing control means for controlling the power cutoff circuit so as to cut off the power supply only when the induced current flowing in the guide wire is not detected. Can be significantly improved and useless consumption of the battery can be prevented.

Further, a drive control circuit for driving a drive source capable of automatically traveling along a predetermined guide line and capable of supplying power from a battery, and a power supply for cutting off power supply to the drive control circuit after a predetermined time has elapsed. In a golf cart having a cutoff circuit, safety is provided by providing a control means for controlling the power cutoff circuit so that the time until the current is cut off becomes longer when the induced current flowing through the induction wire is detected than when it is not detected. It is possible to effectively prevent the wasteful consumption of the battery.

Further, there is a switching means for switching between automatic traveling and manual traveling, and the control means detects the induced current even when the switching means is in the manual traveling, and at the time of detection, the power cutoff circuit is not operated for a predetermined time or longer. As a result, if the vehicle is left on the guide wire even during manual driving, there is a possibility of a rear-end collision from the following cart, which improves safety.

Further, the control means can prevent the standby current from flowing endlessly by operating the power cutoff circuit when the traveling operation is not performed for the predetermined time.

Further, the control means has a switching means for switching between automatic traveling and manual traveling, and the control means operates the power cutoff circuit in a shorter elapsed time when the switching means is in automatic traveling than in manual traveling. It is possible to prevent useless discharge of the battery.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an example of a golf cart to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the same.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control system configuration.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control example.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing another example of control.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 golf cart 7 inductive sensor 8 induction wire 9 magnets 10 Magnet sensor 11 traveling motor 12 batteries 20-24 control unit 25 Main CPU (microcomputer) 27 Main contactor 33 Power switch 36 Power shutdown circuit

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Takeya Matsushita             2-5-3 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture             Within Yo Denki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazushi Kanba             2-5-3 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture             Within Yo Denki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Toshihiro Matsumoto             2-5-3 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture             Within Yo Denki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Noritaka Inui             2-5-3 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture             Within Yo Denki Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 5H301 AA03 AA09 BB13 CC03 CC06                       DD06 DD17 EE05 EE12 GG07                       GG14 JJ01 LL03 LL08 LL11                       LL14

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle can be automatically driven along a predetermined guide line,
In a golf cart having a drive control circuit for driving a drive source capable of supplying power from a battery, and a power cutoff circuit for cutting off power supply to the drive control circuit when a predetermined time has passed, A golf cart provided with a control means for controlling the power cutoff circuit so as to cut off the power supply only at the time of detection. 2. It is possible to automatically drive along a predetermined guide line,
In a golf cart having a drive control circuit for driving a drive source capable of supplying power from a battery and a power cutoff circuit for cutting off power supply to the drive control circuit when a predetermined time has elapsed, detection of an induced current flowing through the guide wire A golf cart provided with a control means for controlling the power cutoff circuit so that the time until the current is cut off becomes longer than when the current is not detected. 3. A switching means for switching between the automatic traveling and the manual traveling, wherein the control means detects the induced current even when the switching means is in the manual traveling, and at the time of detection, the power cutoff circuit is operated for a predetermined time. The golf cart according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the golf cart is not operated as described above. 4. The golf cart according to claim 1, wherein the control unit operates the power cutoff circuit when a running operation has not been performed for a predetermined time. 5. A switching means for switching between the automatic traveling and the manual traveling is provided, and the control means operates the power cutoff circuit in a shorter elapsed time during the automatic traveling than when the switching means performs the manual traveling. The golf cart according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the golf cart is a golf cart.