JP2006198049A - Electric golf cart - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric golf cart which can prevent the damages to the starter motor drive circuit as caused by the locking of the starter motor without increase in the capacity of the electronic components of the starter motor drive circuit. <P>SOLUTION: The electric golf cart which has a running motor driven by the battery as the power source and an engine driven power generator for charging the battery and gets the power generator engine started with the starter motor is provided with a locking detection means for detecting the locking of the starter motor and a control means which makes the control to stop the starting processing and restarts it when the locking of the starter motor is detected by the locking detection means in the starting of the power generator engine with the starter motor. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric golf cart for carrying a player, a golf bag and the like on a golf course.

  Conventionally, various types of golf carts for golf courses have been provided. For example, hand-held type to electric type or non-riding type and riding type using an engine as driving force are frequently used. Among these, the electric golf cart according to the present invention differs from other electric vehicles in that it travels along the course, but it starts in a wide area where the road surface condition is unstable near the tee ground or green of each hole. It travels with frequent stops and is sometimes driven unattended by remote control operation.

  By the way, the conventional electric golf cart has only a battery as a power source and does not have a self-charging device. In addition, the golf cart battery is naturally limited in terms of size and weight, so that it can afford some margin in the power capacity required for the end of an average round. There may be a shortage of power capacity when driving, but it is normal that there is no place to charge the battery that is the power source during play, and there was a possibility of getting stuck due to insufficient power capacity . Therefore, in order to continuously supply power from a battery power source and run, it is necessary to charge the golf course during the night, for example, at the cart house during the night after the end of one round. Disappear.

  In addition, even when charging at a cart house, it is usually necessary to provide a station for each car to charge a golf cart, and there are stations for all golf carts owned by the golf course. Installation requires a large space. In addition, when the total number of carts cannot be stored in the station, the charging cord must be pulled to the cart in the cart house for golf carts outside the station, which is troublesome because other carts are in the way.

  Furthermore, since a large-capacity power supply is required to charge all carts at once, equipment investment is required, which is an impediment to promoting the rationalization of golf courses.

In order to solve such a problem, a configuration in which an engine-driven generator for charging a battery power source of an electric golf cart is provided in the main body of the golf cart has been proposed. A cell motor for starting the motor is provided (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 2001-259099 A

  However, in such a conventional electric golf cart, when the generator engine is started by the cell motor, the cell motor may be locked. If this locked state continues for a long time, a large current flows in the cell motor drive circuit, and the cell motor The drive circuit may be damaged. In general, a cell motor and an engine are connected to each other through a reduction gear or the like. However, in an electric golf cart, as described above, the cart runs while frequently starting and stopping. The number of start and stop operations increases, and the life of the gear becomes a problem when the gear is connected. In order to solve this problem, if the rotating shafts of the cell motor and the generator engine are directly connected, a large starting force is required to rotate and start the generator engine that compresses the fuel gas. The reverse rotation due to the problem and reaction is likely to occur. In order to solve these problems, it is conceivable to set the electronic component capacity of the cell motor drive circuit to be large and start it by supplying a large current. However, the drive circuit becomes large and the component cost increases.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and can prevent the cell motor drive circuit from being damaged by the lock of the cell motor without increasing the electronic component capacity of the cell motor drive circuit. The object is to provide an electric golf cart.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an electric golf cart including a traveling motor driven by a battery as a power source and an engine-driven generator for charging the battery, and starting the generator engine by a cell motor. The lock detection means for detecting the lock state of the cell motor, and when starting the generator engine by the cell motor, if the lock detection means detects the lock state of the cell motor, the start process is stopped and restarted. It is characterized by comprising control means for performing control so as to perform activation.

  Further, the apparatus includes reverse rotation detection means for detecting reverse rotation of the generator engine, and the control means detects reverse rotation of the generator engine by the reverse rotation detection means when starting the generator engine by the cell motor. If it is detected, control is performed such that the start-up process is stopped and restarted.

  Further, the cell motor and the generator engine are characterized in that their respective rotary shafts are directly connected.

  According to the present invention, since it is possible to quickly detect the locked state of the cell motor and to stop and restart the start-up process, it is possible to suppress the capacity of the electronic components of the cell motor drive circuit from being increased, and to increase the electronic component capacity. Without this, the cell motor drive circuit can be prevented from being damaged by the lock of the cell motor. Therefore, the electronic component capacity of the cell motor drive circuit can be set small, and the drive circuit can be made small. In addition, the component cost can be reduced.

  Furthermore, since the reverse rotation of the generator engine can be detected quickly and the start-up process can be stopped and restarted, the same effect as described above can be obtained for the reverse rotation of the generator engine.

  In addition, since the cell motor and the generator engine are directly connected to each other, the above-described effects can be obtained without causing a problem in the life of the gears such as gear connection, which is particularly effective. Further, since the respective rotation shafts are directly connected to rotate, the above-described cell motor lock detection means and generator engine reverse rotation detection means can be shared by one.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an electric golf cart according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control system configuration thereof.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the golf cart of this embodiment has bumpers 4 and 5 at the front lower part and the rear lower part of a body frame 3 supported by a pair of left and right front wheels 1 and rear wheels 2, respectively. The front and rear of the vehicle body frame 3 are covered with a front cowl 6 and a rear cowl 7, and a front seat 10 and a rear seat 11 are installed on a floor 8 laid between them, and a steering shaft 12 protruding inside the front cowl 6 A steering wheel (handle) 13 that can be operated in a sitting posture on the front seat 10 is attached. In addition, although not shown, a pair of left and right induction sensors for detecting the induction current of the induction wire embedded in the traveling road, and the vicinity of the induction wire are embedded in the front part of the vehicle body for stopping, speed control, etc. A magnet sensor for detecting the magnet is attached.

  Seats 14 and 15, elbow pads 16 and 17, and backrests 18 and 19 are attached to the front seat 10 and the rear seat 11, respectively.

  Further, between the front cowl 6 and the rear cowl 7, a roof plate 22 covering the front seat 10 and the rear seat 11 is supported by a window frame 20 and a roof pillar 21 erected upward from each of them. . Further, on the rear part of the rear cowl 7, a bag receiver 23 that is inclined obliquely rearward and upward for mounting a golf bag is attached to be foldable by a hinge 24 and a link mechanism 25.

  Under the seat 15 of the rear seat 11, a power generator 26 including an engine generator main body in which the fuel tank is separated from a normal fuel tank integrated engine generator, a cell motor for starting the generator engine, and the like is mounted. A fuel tank 27 separated from the generator is installed at the upper rear part. Below the seat 14 of the front seat 10 is installed a motor controller 28 that houses a number of power transistors for driving motor drive control, with its lower surface exposed below the floor 8 surface, and a battery on the upper side. 29 is mounted.

  In such a golf cart, the rear wheel 2 is driven by a travel motor (not shown) mounted on the lower side of the rear cowl 7, and the front wheel 1 is steered by the operation of a steering mechanism (not shown) mounted on the lower side of the front cowl 6. To be run. The steering wheel 13 is used as steering means for the front wheel 1 during manual driving, and the steering of the front wheel 1 is embedded in the driving path during automatic driving along a predetermined driving path in the course. Since the steering mechanism is operated according to the detected result of the guide line, operation of the steering wheel 13 is unnecessary.

  The control system configuration of the electric golf cart will be described with reference to FIG. The motor unit, which is a power unit, includes a travel motor 30, a main brake (MB) motor 31, a parking brake (PB) motor 32, an automatic / manual switching (HM) motor 33, and a steering control (SM) motor 34. .

  The control unit 35 of the travel motor 30 is provided with a travel motor control circuit and a current detection circuit corresponding to the motor controller 28 described above. The control unit 36 of the main brake motor 31 is provided with a main brake motor control circuit, a current detection circuit, and a brake position (position) sensor. The control unit 37 of the parking brake motor 32 is provided with a parking brake motor control circuit and a current detection circuit. The control unit 38 of the automatic / manual switching motor 33 is provided with an automatic / manual switching motor control circuit and an automatic / manual detection switch. The control unit 39 of the steering control motor 34 is provided with a steering control motor control circuit. Each motor is controlled by a main CPU (microcomputer) 40.

  On the other hand, the battery 29 serving as a power source is connected to the power system via the voltage detection circuit 41. The voltage of the battery 29 is detected by the voltage detection circuit 41, and the generator 26 is controlled via the generator control circuit 43 in accordance with a command from the generator control CPU 42 provided independently of the main CPU 40 in the present embodiment. ing.

  The power generator 26 includes an engine-driven generator 26a, a cell motor 26b that starts the generator engine, a choke control unit 26c, and a position sensor 26d. The position sensor 26d is a sensor for measuring the rotational speed of the generator engine, and outputs a pulse signal having a different cycle according to the rotational speed. The power generation output from the generator 26 a is connected to the terminal of the battery charger 44. Here, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the respective rotation shafts of the cell motor 26 b and the engine portion of the generator 26 a are directly connected and rotate together, so that the cell motor 26 b according to the present invention is applied. The position sensor 26d can be commonly used as the lock detection means and the engine reverse rotation detection means of the generator 26a.

  Also, a key switch 45, a start / stop switch 46, a front / rear detection switch 47, a magnet sensor circuit 48 to which the above-described magnet sensor is attached, an encoder 49, a remote control receiver 50, a transmission antenna 51a and a reception antenna 51b are attached. A cart guard 51, which is an anti-collision device, and a brake switch 52 that is turned on when the brake pedal is depressed and turned off when the brake pedal is released are connected to the main CPU 40. In this embodiment, the key switch 45, start / stop switch 46, front / rear detection switch 47, magnet sensor circuit 48, encoder 49, remote control receiver 50, signals from the brake switch 52, and the voltage detection described above. A voltage detection signal from the circuit 41, a parking brake signal for ON / OFF control of the PB motor 32 from the main CPU 40 via the parking brake (PB) control unit 37, and control of the automatic / manual switching (HM) motor 33 An automatic / manual detection signal output from the unit 38 to the main CPU 40 is also input to the generator control CPU 42.

  The steering unit control system includes a steering circuit 53 to which the above-described guidance sensor is attached, a torque sensor 54 linked to the above-described steering wheel (handle) 13, a steering control motor 34, a control unit 39 thereof, and the like. The torque sensor 54 is arranged as means for detecting the steering operation amount.

  In the case of manually driving the electric golf cart having such a configuration, when an automatic / manual switching lever (not shown) is set to “manual”, a manual travel mode is set, and the handle 13 is operated in the same manner as a normal riding golf cart. As a result, the means for detecting the steering operation amount of the torque sensor 54 that responds to the rotation of the handle 13 in the left direction or the right direction is activated, and the steering control motor 34 is moved in the left direction or the right direction via the main CPU 40. Rotate. Then, the forward and backward driving can be performed by the operation of the player himself / herself by the operation amount of the handle 13 and the operation of the accelerator and the brake pedal.

  On the other hand, in the case of automatic traveling, the automatic traveling mode is set when the automatic / manual switching lever is set to “automatic”. At that time, the induction current flowing in the induction wire embedded along the road is detected by the left and right induction sensors as an induction signal, amplified and detected by the steering circuit 53, and then the differential output is obtained and input to the main CPU 40. Is done. In addition, stop, speed control information, and the like due to the magnet arrangement embedded in the travel path are input from the magnet sensor to the main CPU 40 via the magnet sensor circuit 48.

  Then, the vehicle travels along the traveling path while performing automatic steering, automatic acceleration / deceleration, and automatic stop according to a command of the main CPU 40. Furthermore, it is also possible to start and stop at an arbitrary place by operating the start / stop switch 46 on the remote controller or the golf cart body. In addition, if the output from the transmitting antenna 51a of the cart guard 51 in an obstacle in the forward direction or other golf cart that is stopped or running is detected by the receiving antenna 51b of the cart guard 51 of the own vehicle, automatic detection is performed to prevent a collision. When a danger such as a collision is detected by various safety devices, such as when the parking brake (PB) is stopped, the vehicle stops urgently.

  Here, in this embodiment, the generator activation control in the automatic and manual travel modes is performed by the generator control CPU 42 as shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  That is, in the control shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5, for example, when it is detected that the battery voltage has become less than a predetermined potential after the start of cart travel or after the start of travel, first, start-up processing of the generator 26 a is started (step S <b> 1). Specifically, an electric signal is given to the cell motor 26b to start, and the generator engine with the rotary shaft directly connected is started.

  Then, it is checked whether there is an engine rotation pulse input from the position sensor 26d (step S2), and if there is an input, it is next checked whether the generator engine is rotating forward (Y in step S2). → Step S3).

  If it is confirmed that the generator engine is rotating in the forward direction, it is then checked whether or not activation has been confirmed (Y in step S3 → step S4). This activation determination is performed by confirming that the rotation speed of the generator engine exceeds the set rotation speed (for example, 1000 rotations) of the cell motor 26b and has reached, for example, 1100 rotations. If the activation confirmation can be confirmed (Y in step S4), the generator activation ends.

  On the other hand, if the engine rotation pulse is not detected in step S2, it is determined that the cell motor 26b is directly connected to the generator engine and the rotation shaft, and the generator start / stop process is performed to temporarily stop the generator start (step N of S2 → Step S5). If this generator start / stop process is completed (Y in step S6), the process returns to step S1 and restarts.

  By controlling in this way, it is possible to quickly detect the locked state of the cell motor 26b, stop the start-up process, and restart the cell motor 26b. Without increasing the capacity, it is possible to prevent the cell motor drive circuit from being damaged by the lock of the cell motor 26b. Therefore, the electronic component capacity of the cell motor drive circuit can be set small, and the drive circuit can be made small. In addition, the component cost can be reduced.

  Further, although an engine rotation pulse is detected in the above step S2 (Y in step S2), it is also detected in the next step S3 that the generator engine is not rotating forward, that is, rotating in reverse. A generator start / stop process is performed to temporarily stop the generator start (N in step S3 → step S5). If this generator start / stop process is completed (Y in step S6), the process returns to step S1 and restarts.

  By performing such control, the reverse rotation of the generator engine can be detected quickly, and the start-up process can be stopped and restarted. Therefore, the same effect as described above can be applied to the reverse rotation of the generator engine. Is obtained.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the rotation motors of the cell motor 26b and the generator 26a are directly connected to each other, the above-described operation and effects can be obtained without causing a problem in the life of the gears such as gear connection. So it is especially effective. Further, since the respective rotation shafts are directly connected to rotate, one position sensor 26d can be shared as the lock detection means of the cell motor 26b and the reverse rotation detection means of the generator engine.

  As mentioned above, when locking and reverse rotation are detected and the engine is stopped, the decompression is activated and the piston is pushed back to reduce the compression pressure in the cylinder. It becomes possible. Therefore, it becomes easy to start the engine.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, the generator stop control in the automatic and manual travel modes is performed by the generator control CPU 42 as shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  That is, in the generator stop control shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6, it is first checked whether or not a travel stop signal has been detected (step S11). As for the travel stop signal, in the case of automatic travel, signals from the start / stop switch 46, the magnet sensor circuit 48, the remote control receiver 50, and the brake switch 52 at the time of normal stop are signals from the key switch 45 at the time of an alarm stop such as an erroneous operation. Since the PB signal output from the rear detection switch 47 to the parking brake (PB) motor 32 during the emergency stop described above is also input to the generator control CPU 42, these signals can be used. Further, in the case of manual travel, it is difficult to determine stoppage of travel, but it can be determined, for example, when an ON signal from the brake switch 52 is detected at a travel speed of less than 4 km / h or by a PB signal (during emergency stop).

  When the travel stop signal is detected in step S11, a predetermined stop process of the generator 26a is performed (Y in step S11 → step S12). This generator stop process is predetermined for protection of the generator and the like. For example, the generator engine driven and controlled at 2600 to 3000 revolutions during normal operation is temporarily reduced to 2400 revolutions and the battery 29 is charged. The operation is performed by stopping the power supply to the spark plug of the generator engine after performing a no-load operation in which the electrical connection with the generator 44 is disconnected for about 1 second.

  Until the generator stop process is completed, whether or not the golf cart has stopped due to an emergency stop or the like is checked based on the PB signal or the like (N in step S13 → N in step S14 → loop in step S12). When the cart is stopped normally, the cart travels at a reduced speed, so the time from the start of the cart stop to the stop is sufficiently longer than the generator stop processing time (approximately 1 second + α). Can reliably terminate the generator stop process. When this generator stop process is completed (Y in step S13), the generator stop is ended.

  By performing the generator stop control as described above, the generator 26a that is driven while the cart is running is stopped until the cart stops, and the generator 26a is not driven while the cart is stopped. Silentness is maintained from time to time, and noise problems do not occur when the cart is stopped. Since the battery 29 hardly discharges when the cart is stopped, no problem occurs even if the generator 26a is not driven.

  Similarly, since neither conventional engine-type golf carts nor battery-type golf carts generate noise during stoppage, no sense of discomfort is given to the player or the like.

  Further, there is no problem of exhausting the generator engine that is stopped, and there is no discomfort to the player.

  On the other hand, if the time from the start of the cart travel stop to the stop such as an emergency stop is short and the generator stop process of step S12 cannot be completed by the stop of the cart, if the stop of the cart is detected by the PB signal or the like in step S14, Regardless of the generator stop process, the generator 26a is forcibly stopped (N in step S13 → N in step S14 → step S15). Specifically, the above-described no-load operation is not performed, or power supply to the spark plug of the generator engine is stopped during the operation.

  By controlling in this way, even if the time from the start of the cart travel stop to the stop such as an emergency stop is short and the generator stop process cannot be completed before the cart stops, the generator 26a is forcibly stopped when the cart stop is detected. As a result, the generator 26a stops almost simultaneously with the cart stop even during an emergency stop, and almost the same effect as that during the normal stop can be obtained.

  In the above embodiment, the generator stop control as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 is performed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other generator stop control may be used.

1 is an external perspective view of an electric golf cart according to an embodiment of the present invention. The side view. The block diagram which shows the control system structure. The schematic diagram which shows the structure by which each rotating shaft of a cell motor and a generator engine is directly connected. The flowchart which shows the generator starting control example of the said embodiment. The flowchart which shows the generator stop control example of the said embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Front wheel 2 Rear wheel 3 Body frame 6 Front cowl 7 Rear cowl 8 Floor 10 Front seat 11 Rear seat 13 Steering wheel (handle)
20 window frame 21 roof pillar 22 roof plate 23 bag receiver 26 power generator 26a generator 26b cell motor 26c choke control unit 26d position sensor 27 fuel tank 28 motor controller 29 battery 30 travel motor 40 main CPU
41 Voltage detection circuit 42 Generator control CPU
43 Generator control circuit 44 Charger

Claims (3)

In an electric golf cart including a traveling motor driven by a battery as a power source and an engine-driven generator for charging the battery, and starting the generator engine by a cell motor,
Lock detecting means for detecting the locked state of the cell motor;
When the generator engine is started by the cell motor, if the lock detection unit detects the locked state of the cell motor, the control unit includes control means for controlling to stop the start process and to restart. Electric golf cart. Comprising reverse rotation detecting means for detecting reverse rotation of the generator engine;
When the generator engine is started by the cell motor, if the reverse rotation of the generator engine is detected by the reverse rotation detection means, the control means controls to stop the start process and restart the generator engine. The electric golf cart according to claim 1. The electric golf cart according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotating shafts of the cell motor and the generator engine are directly connected to each other.

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