JP2006054982A - Electric motor type cart - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric motor type cart in which an emergency braking operation is performed by a mechanical braking means in addition to regular regenerative braking, a structure to attain the object is simple, and safety is improved. <P>SOLUTION: The number of revolutions of an electric motor 4 is increased in proportion to an amount of stepping on an accelerator pedal 36 detected by an accelerator sensor 42. The electric motor 4 is caused to function as a generator in proportion to the amount of stepping on a brake pedal 37 detected by a regenerative control sensor 43, and a regenerated current generated is returned to a battery 6, then the number of revolutions of the electric motor 4 is decreased by regenerative braking control. A lever means which rotates when an operating button 44 is pressed by the brake pedal 37, and the operating lever 20 of a brake board 19 at the transmission of a drive casing 5 is connected with a wire 47. When stopped urgently or completely, the brake pedal 37 is stepped on up to a final stepping-on region. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a configuration of an electric motor type cart such as a golf cart or the like that moves with a golf club bag (hereinafter simply referred to as a golf bag) and a golfer on a golf course, and more specifically, the drive and safety of the cart are improved. It is related with the brake (brake) structure for.

  Conventionally, in an electric motor-type cart equipped with front and rear wheels, regenerative braking in which the electric motor functions as a generator and the generated power is collected in a battery by regenerative braking of the drive wheels that are driven to rotate by the electric motor. Various proposals have been made to execute the control.

  In Patent Document 1, in an electric vehicle equipped with an electric motor having a regeneration function as a generator, the electric motor is connected to the input side of a continuously variable shift gear box that can shift down in proportion to the amount of depression of the brake pedal. A mechanism (difference) for rotating the drive wheels is arranged on the output side of the continuously variable shift gear box to increase the rotation speed of the electric motor in proportion to the amount of depression of the brake pedal. A technique for decelerating and braking a vehicle by a resistance against a rotational force is disclosed.

In Patent Document 2, an electric vehicle that regenerates a battery with a regenerative current from a motor that functions as a generator by passing a torque current according to the amount of depression of an accelerator pedal through the motor during traveling and cutting an electric current during braking. In the regenerative braking device, a detection unit that detects a regenerative current flowing from the motor to the battery during braking, a determination unit that determines deceleration from the value of the regenerative current detected by the detection unit, and a determination result of the determination unit A control unit for controlling deceleration and a brake pedal depression amount detection value unit for detecting the depression amount of the brake pedal as a change in an electric signal, and an output signal of the brake pedal depression amount detection value unit is added to the control unit Thus, a technique for improving the feeling of regenerative braking and simplifying the mechanism of the hydraulic brake is disclosed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 09-84204 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) JP 07-245805 A (see FIGS. 1 and 3)

  According to the configuration of Patent Document 1, a disc brake attached to a driving wheel and a hydraulic cylinder are connected by hydraulic piping, and the brake pedal is configured to apply an operating force to the hydraulic cylinder. The pedal is connected to the stepless shift gear box, the gear ratio of the stepless shift gear box increases in proportion to the amount of depression of the brake pedal, the rotation speed of the electric motor as a generator increases, and large regenerative power is generated. Since the braking for the wheels is hydraulic rather than mechanical, there is a problem that if a part of the hydraulic piping is broken, all braking functions are lost.

  According to the configuration of Patent Document 2, the regenerative braking control of the electric motor and the braking operation of the hydraulic brake device to the drive wheel are executed in parallel by depressing the brake pedal. In order to completely stop the vehicle, it relies on braking by a hydraulic brake device.

  As described above, the conventional technique has a problem of lack of safety because there is only one braking system.

  Therefore, in order to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, it is conceivable to employ two braking systems, a hydraulic system and a mechanical system, as in a normal automobile. In that case, it is a hydraulic system that brakes with the brake pedal, and the mechanical brake system is operated by operating a manual lever for parking brake or another parking pedal. For this reason, it is necessary to attach the manual lever for parking brake or the parking pedal to a place different from the brake pedal. However, operating the manual lever for parking brake during emergency braking is a normal brake pedal. There was a problem of lack of speed compared to the operation of stepping on the foot.

  In addition, in a small cart, there is no appropriate location for the manual lever or parking pedal parts, and if the parking pedal is placed close to the brake pedal, the parking pedal is accidentally depressed. Since it is possible to operate, there is a problem that the configuration becomes complicated in order to further attach the releasing means.

  The present invention solves these conventional problems, and can perform an emergency braking operation by mechanical braking means in addition to normal regenerative braking, and has a simple structure and improved safety. The purpose is to provide a cart.

  In order to achieve the above object, an electric motor cart according to the invention described in claim 1 is proportional to the amount of depression of an accelerator pedal, a battery, an electric motor that is energized from the battery and drives wheels. Motor control means for executing acceleration control for increasing the rotational speed of the electric motor and regenerative control for reducing the rotational speed by regenerative braking control on the electric motor in proportion to the amount of depression of the brake pedal. And a mechanical brake means that operates in a final depression region of the pedal and forcibly brakes the driving wheel or the traveling wheel.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electric motor type cart according to the first aspect, an accelerator sensor for detecting a depression amount of the accelerator pedal is disposed in association with the accelerator pedal, and the depression amount of the brake pedal is determined. The regenerative control sensor to be detected is arranged in association with the brake pedal, and the detection signal of the accelerator sensor and the detection signal of the regenerative control sensor are input to the motor control means.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electric motor cart according to the first or second aspect, the mechanical brake means is a lever that is rotated by being pressed by the brake pedal in a final depression region of the brake pedal. And the brake disk of the rotation transmission part to the wheel are connected by mechanical transmission means.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the electric motor cart according to any one of the first to third aspects, the cart includes a rotation sensor that detects the number of rotations of the electric motor, and the electric motor cart is based on a detection result of the rotation sensor. When the rotational speed of the motor is zero, the electromagnetic brake directly connected to the electric motor is operated, and when it is detected that the accelerator pedal is depressed, the electromagnetic brake is controlled to be released.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the cart can be accelerated (accelerated) by operating the accelerator pedal, and the brake can be applied by operating the brake pedal. In normal regenerative braking, when the traveling speed (rotational speed of the electric motor) decreases, the braking force decreases, which is uncertain as a braking operation for a hill stop or an emergency stop. And a mechanical brake means that operates in the final depression area of the pedal and forcibly brakes the driving wheel or the traveling wheel. The cart can be surely and quickly stopped with almost the same operation feeling.

  According to the invention of claim 2, the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal can be accurately and reliably detected by the accelerator sensor and the regenerative control sensor, respectively, and the detected value can be accurately transmitted to the control controller. There is an effect.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the mechanical brake means comprises lever means that is rotated by being pressed by the brake pedal in the final depression region of the brake pedal, and a brake disk of the rotation transmission portion to the wheel. Since it is connected by a mechanical transmission means, the structure is simple, and it is possible to reliably transmit the stepping operation in the final stepping region of the brake pedal to the brake board, thereby improving the safety.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the braking force by the electromagnetic brake is maintained in a state where the electric motor is completely stopped, the conventional configuration for manual parking brake is not required, and the cart It is possible to hold the stop and improve the safety.

  Next, the best embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 is a side view of a golf cart on which golf bags for two people can be placed, FIG. 2 is a front view thereof, FIG. 3 is a perspective view thereof, FIG. 4 is a plan view of a front cowl and a rear cowl portion, and FIG. 6 is a plan view of the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal portion, FIG. 7 is a side view of the brake pedal portion, FIG. 8 is a side view of the mechanical brake mechanism, and FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of the control means. .

  As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, a two-seater golf cart in which a golf bag for two people is placed on the rear part includes a main chassis 3 that is a body and a pair of left and right front wheels 1 and 2. The upper side of the pair of left and right front wheels 1 and the upper side of the pair of left and right rear wheels 2 are covered with a front cowl 9 and a rear cowl 10 made of synthetic resin or glass fiber reinforced plastic, respectively. The rear end portion of the front cowl 9 and the front end portion of the rear cowl 10 are bolted to a step plate 26 fixed to the upper surface of the middle portion of the main chassis 3 in the front-rear direction.

  A frame-shaped front pillar 11 is erected on the upper surface side of the front cowl 9, and a pair of left and right rear pillars 12 are erected on the upper surface side of the rear cowl 10, so that the front pillar 11 and the rear pillar 12 support the roof panel 13 made of synthetic resin. It is configured. A seat 15 on which two golfers sit is provided at the front upper surface of the rear cowl 10. A steering post 16 a to which a round handle 16 for steering the front wheel 1 is attached is erected from the front cowl 9. An accelerator pedal 36 and a brake pedal 37 are attached to the front cowl 9 below the side of the steering post 16a.

  A seat 15 is provided at the front upper portion of the rear cowl 10 so as to be unfoldable forward via a hinge (not shown). Armrests 52 are fixed to the left and right sides of the rear seat 51 on the rear side of the seat 15.

  The main chassis 3 includes an electric motor 4 for travel, which will be described in detail later, a drive case 5 incorporating a gear group for power transmission, a battery 6 as a power source of the electric motor 4, and the electric motor 4. A controller (control means) 7 for controlling the driving and braking of the vehicle and a charger 8 are provided, and these are covered with a rear cowl 10 at the top.

  Behind the seat 15 in the rear cowl 10, a fender portion 23 covering the left and right rear wheels 2 and a two-person bag placement portion 24 having a low height between the fender portions 23 are integrally formed. Therefore, the bag mounting portion 24 for two persons in the rear cowl 10 is surrounded by the left and right fender portions 23 on both the left and right sides, and is surrounded by the portion having the seat 15 so as to open rearward and upward. Is formed.

  A horizontally long back sheet 51 is connected to the front surfaces of the left and right rear pillars 12 via a bracket or the like (not shown). The upper and lower middle parts of the left and right rear pillars 12 are connected by a laterally long stay (not shown), and golf balls for two people (two) are attached to the rear ends of the pair of left and right flanges 30 projecting backward from the laterally long stay. A support arm 31 that is horizontally long to support the upper part of the side surface (front surface) of the bag 25 and that has left and right side ends bent backward in plan view is connected (see FIG. 1).

  The support arm 31 is disposed substantially directly above the front side of the two-person bag placement unit 24. Then, the golf bag 25 for two persons is placed upright on the bag mounting part 24 for two persons, and one end of a fastener (wrapping tool) such as a rubber band is locked to a hook part on one side end of the support arm 31. To do. The middle part of the rubber band is hung around the rear side upper part of the golf bag 25 for two persons (two), and the other end of the rubber band is locked to the hook part of the other end of the support arm 31. Thereby, the two golf bags 25 are comprised so that it cannot pinch and can be pinched | pinched by the support arms 31 and fasteners (wrapping tool), such as a rubber band.

  A pair of left and right accessory baskets 64 a for putting a golf ball, a head cover and the like are provided on the upper surface of the fender portion 23. Further, the pair of rear pillars 12 on the rear side of the back seat 51 are connected by a horizontally-long accessory basket 64b. On the other hand, the accessory basket 64 c is fixed to the upper surface of the front cowl 9.

  An opening 34 that can be freely opened and closed by the seat 15 opens on the upper surface of the rear cowl 10. Inside the rear cowl 10 is a control controller as motor control means for controlling the driving of the electric motor 4 and regenerative braking left and right across a battery 6 (in the embodiment, a lithium ion battery is used). 7 and a charger 8 for charging the battery 6 are arranged so that, for example, maintenance and inspection work can be performed through the opening 34. An outlet 35 for charging (for 100 or 200 volts) is provided on the front surface of the rear cowl 10 facing the charger 8 (see FIG. 4).

  Next, the structure of the cart drive and braking will be described. The electric motor 4 is a brushless three-phase AC electric motor. On one side of the electric motor 4, an electromagnetic brake 21 and a rotation sensor 17 such as an encoder for detecting the rotation speed and rotation direction of the rotation shaft of the electric motor 4 are attached. In the drive case 5, a reduction gear group (not shown) connected to the input shaft 4 a from the electric motor 4 and a differential lock (differential limiting device) are arranged and transmitted to the rear wheel 2 via the axle 18. The Further, a brake disc (disk or drum) 19 for applying mechanical braking (braking) to the rear wheel 2 is provided on a side surface of the drive case 5, and an operating lever 20 is provided (FIGS. 5 and 9). reference).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, on the rear plate 9a facing the seat 15 in the front cowl 9, there are attached pivot shafts 39 for turning the upper ends of the arms 36a and 37a of the accelerator pedal 36 and the brake pedal 37, respectively. A bracket 38 for hanging support is fixed. A torsion spring 40 is mounted between each arm 36a, 37a and the bracket 38, and the lower ends of the accelerator pedal 36 and the brake pedal 37 are urged away (separated) from the rear plate 9a. Yes. It should be noted that an initial depression position of the accelerator pedal 36 and the brake pedal 37 (a position farthest from the rear plate 9a) by a stopper body 41 (shown only in FIG. 7) provided on the bracket 38 and capable of adjusting the contact position. Is adjustable.

  Further, an accelerator sensor 42 such as a linear encoder and a regeneration control sensor 43 are attached to each bracket 38, and the accelerator sensor 42 detects the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 36. The regeneration control sensor 43 detects the amount of depression of the brake pedal 37.

  The mechanical brake means configured to mechanically brake the rear wheel 2 when the brake pedal 37 is fully depressed (at the final portion of the depression section) is a lever means that is rotated by being pressed by the brake pedal 37. And a brake disc 19 of a rotation transmission part to the rear wheel 2 and a mechanical transmission means connected to both of them to transmit the operation of the lever means to the brake disc 19 for braking.

  7 and 8 show the configuration of the first embodiment of the mechanical brake means. That is, the operation button 44 is mounted on the rear plate 9a of the front cowl 9 so as to be able to move forward and backward in the protruding direction and the sinking direction. A middle portion of the operation side lever 45 as means is pivotally attached to the bracket 46 via a pivot 46a. The other end of the operation side lever 45 and the operation lever 20 for the brake disc 19 are connected by a bendable wire 47 which is one of mechanical transmission means. The midway portion of the wire 47 is fitted with a bendable outer tube 47a. The operation side lever 45 always urges the operation button 44 in the protruding direction (mechanical braking release direction) by a spring (not shown).

  When the brake pedal 37 is fully depressed, the operation button 44 is pressed by the projection 37b protruding on the lower surface (see the two-dot chain line state in FIG. 7), the operation side lever 46 is rotated, and the wire 47 is The operating lever 20 is rotated by pulling to apply a braking force to the brake board 19. When the operation button 44 is not pressed, the wire 47 is loosened and the mechanical braking is released. In place of the wire 47, an operation rod may be used.

  FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of control means for driving and braking according to the present invention. The electronic controller 7 includes a power key switch 51, an accelerator sensor 42, a regeneration control sensor 43, and a rotation sensor 17. Each input (detection) signal is connected and input to the controller 7. The power of the battery 6 is input to the electric motor 4 via a drive circuit (driver) 49 controlled by the controller 7. The charger 8 performs control for charging the battery 6 from the external power source via the outlet 35.

  The battery 6 and the drive circuit (driver) 49 are connected to the controller 7 and execute current (electric power) control when driving the electric motor 4 and control for returning the current generated during regenerative braking to the battery 6. When the electric motor 4 is stopped, the electromagnetic brake 21 for preventing the free rotation is executed via the drive circuit 50 connected to the controller 7.

  The electric motor 4 of the present invention has a function as an original motor (rotates and drives the wheel) when a driving current is applied from the battery 6, and regenerative current generated in the power generation region via the controller 7. Regenerative braking can be realized by returning to the battery 6 as a power source and reducing the speed of the rear wheel 2 as a load.

  Next, the operation will be described in detail.

  When the power key switch 54 connected to the controller 7 is OFF, the electric motor 4 is stopped, and the electromagnetic brake 21 applies a braking force to the rotating shaft of the electric motor 4 with a spring force (not shown). Is held and thus acts as a so-called parking brake for stopping the cart.

  When the power key switch 54 is turned ON, the controller 7 first starts up and confirms the stop state of the electric motor 4 with the detection value of the rotation sensor 17. Then, the electromagnetic brake 21 is energized with the detected value of the accelerator sensor 42 at the beginning of the depression of the accelerator pedal 36 to release the braking. While the electric motor 4 is rotating based on the detection value of the rotation sensor 17, the electromagnetic brake 21 is energized and the state in which braking is released is maintained.

  The amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 36 is detected by the accelerator sensor 42, and the rotational torque of the electric motor 4 is increased in proportion to the magnitude of the detected value to increase the traveling speed of the cart. You can run lightly at times.

  In a state where the accelerator pedal 36 is not operated during traveling (a state where the depression amount is zero), the electric motor 4 is in a generator state by the traveling inertia energy of the cart. The controller 7 determines the magnitude of the voltage of the battery 6 and the voltage generated by the electric motor 4 (regenerative voltage), and regenerates the current back to the battery 6 when the generated voltage (regenerative voltage) is higher than the voltage of the battery 6. Perform braking. For example, in a state where the accelerator pedal 36 is not operated on a normal flat ground or the like, the electric motor 4 does not drive the rear wheel 2, and the electric motor 4 becomes a mechanical load as viewed from the rear wheel 2, so that the electric motor 4 is gradually decelerated and naturally You can stop. Further, when the traveling speed is to be increased in a state where the electric motor 4 does not drive the rear wheel 2 on a downhill or the like, the rotational speed of the electric motor 4 increases, and the generated voltage (regenerative voltage) is higher than the voltage of the battery 6. When it becomes higher, regenerative braking is performed and the traveling speed can be reduced.

  When the brake pedal 37 is depressed, the detection value of the regenerative control sensor 43 increases in proportion to the depression amount, and regenerative braking is executed to increase the power generation voltage (regenerative voltage) by the electric motor 4 in proportion to the detection value. Is done. In this case, a part of the regenerative current is consumed by the resistor connected to the controller 7, and the rest is returned to the battery 6.

  The braking torque for regenerative braking is large when the rotational speed of the electric motor 4 and thus the rear wheel 2 is high, but generally decreases as these rotational speeds decrease. For this reason, even if the brake pedal 37 is greatly depressed while the traveling speed is low, a large braking force is not generated. In that case, the brake pedal 37 is largely depressed, the operation button 44 is pressed in the final depression region of the brake pedal 37, and the brake disc 19, which is mechanical brake means, is mechanically connected via the operation side lever 45 and the wire 47. The rear wheel 2 can be completely stopped by applying a large and reliable braking force due to the frictional force. In order to avoid downhill running or collision with an external object, the brake pedal 37 is greatly depressed so that a complete stop by mechanical braking force can be realized even when an emergency brake is to be applied.

  The mechanical brake means (braking mechanism) may be configured to brake the brake drum or brake disk provided on the front wheel 1 with the mechanical frictional force instead of the rear wheel 2 or together with the rear wheel 2. . The accelerator sensor and the regenerative control sensor may use a rotary type sensor that detects the rotation angle of the accelerator pedal 36 and the brake pedal 37 in addition to a type that detects linear displacement.

It is a side view of the golf cart which mounts the golf bag for two people. It is the same front view. It is the same perspective view. It is a top view of a front cowl and a rear cowl part. It is a top view of a drive part. It is a top view of an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal part. It is a side view of a brake pedal part. It is a side view of a mechanical brake mechanism. It is a functional block diagram of a control means.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Front wheel 2 Rear wheel 3 Main chassis 5 Drive case 6 Battery 7 Control controller 8 Charger 9 Front cowl 10 Rear cowl 17 Rotation sensor 19 Brake board 20 Operation lever 21 Electromagnetic brake 36 Accelerator pedal 37 Brake pedal 42 Accelerator sensor 43 Regenerative control sensor 44 Operation button 45 Operation side lever 47 Wire 51 Power key switch

Claims (4)

A traveling vehicle, a battery, an electric motor that is energized from the battery to drive wheels, acceleration control that increases the number of revolutions of the electric motor in proportion to the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal, and proportional to the amount of depression of the brake pedal While the electric motor is provided with motor control means for executing regenerative control for reducing the rotational speed by regenerative braking control,
An electric motor type cart comprising mechanical brake means that operates in a final depression region of the brake pedal and forcibly brakes the driving wheel or the traveling wheel. An accelerator sensor that detects the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal is disposed in association with the accelerator pedal, and a regeneration control sensor that detects the amount of depression of the brake pedal is disposed in association with the brake pedal,
The electric motor cart according to claim 1, wherein the detection signal of the accelerator sensor and the detection signal of the regeneration control sensor are input to the motor control means.   The mechanical brake means is a mechanical transmission means that connects a lever means that is rotated by being pressed by the brake pedal in a region where the brake pedal is finally depressed, and a brake disc of a rotation transmission portion to the wheel. The electric motor cart according to claim 1 or 2.   A rotation sensor for detecting the rotation speed of the electric motor; when the rotation speed of the electric motor is zero according to the detection result of the rotation sensor, an electromagnetic brake directly connected to the electric motor is operated; The electric motor cart according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when an amount of depression is detected, the electromagnetic brake is controlled to be released.

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