JP2004359034A - Electrical assist bicycle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrical assist bicycle allowing easy electric charge of various electronic devices and effective use of an internal power supply. <P>SOLUTION: An electronic device holder 60 for mounting and holding a cell-phone 70 or the like is disposed on a handlebar of the electrical assist bicycle, a power supply terminal for charging is disposed here, and a control circuit for controlling the charging is disposed in a display unit 40. When the power supply of the electrical assist bicycle is turned on by a key switch, the charging of the portable telephone 70 can be performed by attaching the cell-phone 70 to the electronic device holder 60. For example, the cell-phone 70 is attached to the electronic device holder 60, a photo interrupter 443 detects this, and a detection signal is fed to a display controller 43 of the display unit 40. Thus, the display controller 43 turns on a FET 442 for supplying charging voltage to start the charging. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electric assist bicycle having a function of performing assist traveling, having an assist drive control section including a drive motor and a power supply section for supplying power to the assist drive control section.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in this type of electrically assisted bicycle, various batteries have been used as a power supply unit for obtaining driving power, and a rechargeable battery is used for the battery, and a driving motor for assist driving is used as a generator. A device provided with a regenerative function for charging is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
Recently, portable electronic devices such as mobile phones and personal digital assistants have rapidly become widespread. A rechargeable battery is used as a power source for these devices, and a dedicated charger is used to appropriately charge the battery.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-T-2001-500083 [0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, when the user of the above-described electric assisted bicycle goes out on a bicycle with a portable electronic device, when the battery is exhausted in a place where he or she is away, there is no dedicated charger, so charging cannot be performed, It will be an inconvenient situation.
On the other hand, some conventional electric assist bicycles have a function of charging the inside, but they do not have a function of charging external electronic devices, and the internal power supply and regenerative function are effective. There was a problem that it could not be used.
[0005]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an electric assist bicycle that can easily charge various electronic devices and can effectively use an internal power supply.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an assist drive control unit including a drive motor that performs assist drive by applying an assist force to a wheel axle; a power supply unit that supplies drive power to the assist drive control unit; An electronic device holder comprising: a holding means for mounting and holding the electronic device; and a power supply terminal connected to a charging terminal provided on the electronic device in a state where the electronic device is mounted on the holding device; and A charging control unit that generates power for charging using the power of the power and supplies the power to the power supply terminal of the electronic device holder; and a switching unit that switches whether to supply the power for charging by the charging control unit. It is characterized by having.
[0007]
In the electric assist bicycle according to the present invention, the charging control unit and the switching unit are operated by connecting the charging terminal of the electronic device and the power supply terminal of the electronic device holder by mounting and holding the rechargeable electronic device in the electronic device holder. Thus, the electronic device can be charged.
Therefore, the electronic device can be easily charged by effectively using the internal power supply of the electric assist bicycle, and a convenient electric assist bicycle can be provided.
[0008]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of an electrically assisted bicycle according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side view showing an appearance of an electric assist bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The electric assist bicycle of the present embodiment has a folding structure, and includes a main pipe 1, a front fork 8 supporting the front wheel 2, a rear fork 9 supporting the rear wheel 3, and a seat post supporting the seat 5. 10, a spindle 11 supporting the handle 6, a head pipe 12 through which the spindle 11 is inserted and supported, a pedal section 13, a battery unit 14, and the like.
[0009]
Although not shown in FIG. 1, the following various members for controlling the present embodiment are provided in each part of the electric assist bicycle of the present embodiment.
First, the main pipe 1 is provided with a vehicle controller for managing the state of the electrically assisted bicycle of the present embodiment and performing various controls. Further, a folding switch is provided in the folding structure of the main pipe 1, and by detecting that the vehicle body has been folded, driving of a motor or the like is prohibited at the time of folding, thereby ensuring safety. .
Further, the pedal section 13 is provided with a torque sensor and a crank frequency generator (FG) around the pedal crank 13A, and detects a torque generated in the pedal crank 13A and a rotation speed.
[0010]
The handle 6 is provided with a display unit such as an LCD, an operation unit for key input, and a display unit including a display controller for controlling the display unit. Settings and selections can be made.
The handle 6 is provided with a holder for charging the mobile phone. Note that a charging circuit for performing this charging is provided as a circuit of the display unit.
The head pipe 12 is provided with a key switch for turning on and off the power of the battery unit 14 by operating a power key (not shown).
Further, the front wheel unit 2 is provided with a motor for assist driving, a motor driver for controlling the driving of the motor, and a motor controller for controlling the motor driver.
The rear wheel unit 3 is provided with an automatic transmission unit, and performs a gear ratio switching operation by controlling a gear position from a vehicle controller.
Further, although omitted in FIG. 1, it is assumed that a headlight and the like are provided at a front portion of the vehicle body, and a rear light and a turn signal lamp are provided at a rear portion.
[0011]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the electric assist bicycle shown in FIG.
As illustrated, the electrically assisted bicycle of the present example has four main units, a vehicle controller unit 30, a display unit 40, a motor unit 50, and a battery unit 14.
The vehicle controller unit 30 includes a vehicle controller 31 as an upper controller that performs various controls such as assist control, a key switch 32 that allows a user to turn on / off the power using a power key, and a fold that detects that the bicycle is folded. It includes a switch 33, an automatic transmission unit 34 for performing automatic transmission, a torque sensor 35 for detecting torque generated in the pedal section 13, and a crank FG 36 for detecting the rotation speed of the pedal section 13.
[0012]
The display unit 40 includes a display unit 41 such as an LCD, an operation switch 42 including various operation keys, a charging circuit 44 for charging the mobile phone 70 and the like, and a display controller 43 for controlling these. And
The mode of the bicycle can be variously changed by an input from the operation switch 42 of the display unit 40. In addition, various information such as the speed of the bicycle and the remaining amount of the battery can be displayed on the display unit 41.
The charging circuit 44 is connected to an electronic device holder 60 provided on the handle 6, and supplies the mobile phone 70 mounted and held in the electronic device holder 60 to the electric power from the battery unit 14 and the reverse power obtained from the motor coil. The charging is performed using the electromotive force.
[0013]
Further, the motor unit 50 has a direct drive type motor 51 for assisting driving of the front wheel unit 2, a motor driver 52 for controlling the driving of the motor 51, and a motor controller 53 for controlling the motor driver 52. In accordance with an instruction from the vehicle controller 31, switching between powering and regeneration and control of assist torque and regeneration current can be performed.
Then, the regenerative power obtained by the motor unit 50 (back electromotive force of the motor coil obtained by using the motor as a generator) is sent to the display unit 30 and used for the charging operation of the mobile phone 70 by the charging circuit 44.
Further, the battery unit 14 has a rechargeable battery unit such as a large-capacity lithium-ion battery and a power supply controller for controlling charging and discharging of the rechargeable battery unit, and supplies current to the motor unit 50 and regenerative charging from the motor unit 50. It can be performed.
Further, the power of the battery unit 14 is sent to the display unit 40 and used for the charging operation of the mobile phone 70 by the charging circuit 44.
[0014]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of the charging circuit 44 provided in the display unit 40.
As illustrated, the charging circuit 44 includes a DC / DC converter 441, an FET 442, and a photo interrupter 443.
The DC / DC converter 441 converts a power supply voltage supplied from the battery unit 14 or the like into a predetermined charging voltage and outputs the same. For example, a power supply voltage of about 32 V is converted into a charging voltage of about 5 V.
An FET (Field Effect Transistor) 442 is a switching unit for selecting whether or not to perform charging. The FET 442 supplies a charging voltage to a power supply terminal of the electronic device holder 60 when performing charging, and an electronic device when not performing charging. The supply of the charging voltage to the power supply terminal of the holder 60 is interrupted.
[0015]
The photo interrupter 443 detects that the mobile phone 70 is mounted on the electronic device holder 60. Specifically, the photo interrupter 443 has a light emitting element and a light receiving element arranged opposite to each other on the electronic device holder 60. The mounting of the mobile phone 70 is detected by disposing the mobile phone 70 and shielding both of them. In this example, when the mounting of the mobile phone 70 is detected by the photo-interrupter 443, the above-described FET 442 is turned on to supply power for charging.
It should be noted that charging may be performed by a user's manual key operation instead of performing charging automatically by detecting the mobile phone 70 as described above.
In addition, as the detection means, for example, a reflection-type photodetector, an electromagnetic detector, a mechanical detection switch, or the like can be used in addition to the photointerrupter 443.
As shown, the display unit 14 and the mobile phone 70 are electrically connected by a power line and a ground line during charging.
[0016]
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the display unit 40 and the electronic device holder 60 in this example, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a holding structure of the electronic device holder 60.
FIG. 6 is a front view, a side view, and a bottom view showing the structure of the mobile phone 70 in this example.
As shown in FIG. 4, the display unit 40 is attached to the left arm 6A of the handle 6, and the electronic device holder 60 is provided to the right arm 6B.
As shown in FIG. 5, the electronic device holder 60 of the present embodiment accommodates and holds the mobile phone 70 by a holding frame portion 60 </ b> A that holds the upper and lower ends of the mobile phone 70. A power supply terminal and a ground terminal (not shown) that are in contact with the charging terminal 71 and the ground terminal 72 provided at the lower end of the mobile phone 70 are provided.
That is, when the mobile phone 70 is pushed into the holding frame portion 60A and mounted, the charging terminal 71 and the ground terminal 72 of the mobile phone 70 come into contact with the power supply terminal and the ground terminal of the electronic device holder 60, and the charging current is reduced. The power is supplied to a charging circuit (not shown) provided in the telephone 70 to charge the mobile telephone 70.
The mobile phone 70 shown in FIG. 6 has a display unit 74 and an operation unit 75 on the front surface of a main body 70A. An antenna 76 is provided at an upper end of the main body 70A, and a charging terminal 71 and a ground terminal 72 are provided at a lower end.
Note that an interface terminal 77 and signal transmission terminals 78 and 79 are provided at the lower end of the mobile phone 70, but are not used in this example, and thus description thereof is omitted.
[0017]
In the electric assist bicycle having such a configuration, when the power of the electric assist bicycle is turned on by the key switch, it is possible to charge the portable telephone 70 by attaching the portable telephone 70 to the electronic device holder 60.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a simple operation example.
First, when the mobile phone 70 is mounted on the electronic device holder 60, the photo interrupter 443 detects this (step S1), and the detection signal is sent to the display controller 43 of the display unit 40. As a result, the display controller 43 turns on the FET 442 for supplying the charging voltage, and starts charging (step S2).
The actual charging operation is performed by a charging control circuit built in the mobile phone 70.
When the mobile phone 70 is detached from the electronic device holder 60, the photo interrupter 443 does not detect the mounting of the mobile phone 70, and the display controller 43 turns off the FET 442 for supplying the charging voltage (step S3). As a result, unnecessary voltage application is not performed, and leakage from the power supply terminal and the ground terminal of the electronic device holder 60 is prevented.
In this way, charging can be easily performed using the function of the electrically assisted bicycle, and for example, the problem of running out of battery when going out can be effectively solved.
[0018]
In the above example, a mobile phone has been described as an example of the electronic apparatus. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to various types of mobile information terminals (PDAs and the like).
In this case, the structure of the electronic device holder needs to be adjusted to the shape of the electronic device to be charged, and the method includes a method in which the electronic device holder itself or a part thereof is replaceable, and a method in which the electronic device holder is replaceable. May be configured so that electronic devices of different forms can be mounted and held.
However, since the replacement of the electronic device holder itself imposes a heavy burden on the user, it is preferable to replace a part of each electronic device or to provide a mounting and holding structure that can support different electronic devices.
For example, as the former example, a method is adopted in which only the members for holding the electronic device can be replaced with screws or the like, or a method of fixing the electronic device by interposing a spacer in the holding frame portion corresponding to the electronic device is adopted. it can.
In the latter case, the electronic device can be fixed to the holder by winding an elastic rubber belt around the electronic device. Of course, various electronic devices may be fixed by using both methods.
Alternatively, as another structure example, instead of the frame structure as described above, for example, a rod-shaped holding member is provided on the holder side, and an engagement portion having a fitting hole is provided on the electronic device side, and the rod-shaped holding member is provided. By supporting the fitting by inserting it into the fitting hole of the engaging portion, the supporting structure can be standardized for various electronic devices having different external shapes, and a wide range of applications can be realized.
[0019]
In addition, when charging the electronic device, it is possible to provide a certain time limit as a safety measure. For example, if the electronic device has been attached for a long time, a timer for measuring the charging time is provided, and if the charging is performed over the time limit, the charging operation is interrupted. It is effective to provide such a function.
In addition, depending on the type of electronic device, there are cases where the charging voltage and the allowable charging time are restricted. Therefore, a plurality of charging modes corresponding to such different standards are provided, and means for reading the standards of the electronic device optically or electromagnetically on the side of the key operation of the user or the display unit and the holder side are provided automatically. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the charging mode is selected for the first time.
Further, in the above-described example, the charging electronic device holder is provided on the handle, and the charging operation is performed using a part of the circuit of the display unit arranged near the handle. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, the electronic device holder may be provided in another portion, or the charging operation is controlled using a circuit other than the display unit (for example, a dedicated circuit unit for charging is provided in or near the electronic device holder). Various configurations are also possible.
[0020]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the bicycle of the present invention, the charging control unit is connected to the charging terminal of the electronic device and the power supply terminal of the electronic device holder by mounting and holding the charging type electronic device in the electronic device holder. It is possible to charge the electronic device by the operation of the switching means and the switching device. There are effects that can be provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view showing an appearance of an electric assist bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control system of the electric assist bicycle shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of a charging circuit provided in a display unit of the electric assist bicycle shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an arrangement of a display unit and an electronic device holder of the electric assist bicycle shown in FIG.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a holding structure of an electronic device holder in the electric assist bicycle shown in FIG.
6 is a front view, a side view, and a bottom view showing a structure of a mobile phone that charges with the electric assist bicycle shown in FIG.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a charging operation in the electric assist bicycle shown in FIG. 1;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Main pipe, 2 ... Front wheel part, 3 ... Rear wheel part, 5 ... Seat, 6 ... Handle, 8 ... Front fork, 9 ... Rear fork, 10 ... Seat post, 11 ... Spindle, 12 Head pipe, 13 Pedal part, 14 Battery unit, 30 Vehicle controller unit, 31 Vehicle controller, 32 Key switch, 33 Fold switch, 34 Automatic transmission Unit, 35: Torque sensor, 36: Crank FG, 40: Display unit, 41: Display unit, 42: Operation switch, 43: Display controller, 44: Charging circuit, 50: Motor unit Reference numeral 51, a motor, 52, a motor driver, 53, a motor controller, 60, an electronic device holder, 70, a mobile phone.

Claims (9)

An assist drive control unit including a drive motor that performs an assist drive by applying an assist force to the wheel shaft;
A power supply unit for supplying drive power to the assist drive control unit;
An electronic device holder including a holding unit for mounting and holding a rechargeable electronic device and a power supply terminal connected to a charging terminal provided on the electronic device in a state where the electronic device is mounted on the holding unit,
A charging control unit that generates power for charging using power from the power supply unit and supplies the power to a power supply terminal of the electronic device holder,
Switching means for switching whether to supply the power for charging by the charging control unit,
An electric assist bicycle characterized by having: The charging control unit generates charging power using a back electromotive force generated by the drive motor in addition to the power from the power supply unit, and supplies the charging power to a power supply terminal of the electronic device holder. The electric assist bicycle according to claim 1. The electric assist bicycle according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device holder is attached to a handle. The electric assist bicycle according to claim 1, further comprising a detection unit configured to detect that an electronic device is mounted on the electronic device holder. 5. The electric assist according to claim 4, wherein the switching unit supplies power for charging by the charging control unit when the detection unit detects that the electronic device is mounted on the electronic device holder. 6. bicycle. The electric assist bicycle according to claim 1, further comprising an operation means for manually operating the electronic device holder. 7. The electric assist bicycle according to claim 6, wherein the switching unit supplies charging power by the charging control unit in accordance with an operation of the operation unit. The electric assist according to claim 7, wherein a display unit including a key operation unit is arranged near the electronic device holder, and the charge control unit, the switching unit, and the operation unit are included in the display unit. bicycle. 2. The electric assist bicycle according to claim 1, wherein said holding means comprises a holding frame portion for housing an electronic device.

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