JP2007082885A - Small-sized electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate work such as maintenance by making access to a working area covered by a cover easy in a small-sized electric vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: A drive motor 8 for driving rear wheels 3, a gear unit 9 transmitting the output from the drive motor 8 to the rear wheels 3, a battery 10, a battery charger 11 for the battery 10, and a main controller 12 for controlling to drive the drive motor 8 are housed inside a rear part cover 7 below a seat 15. In this case, the rear part cover 7 is constituted of a seat post cover 7a, a front cover (a battery cover) 7b, right and left side covers 7c-R, 7c-L, an upper cover (a controller cover) 7d, and a rear cover 7e. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a small electric vehicle for use by, for example, an elderly person or a person with a disability in a lower limb.

  In this type of small electric vehicle, a battery, a controller, a drive motor for driving the rear wheels, and the like are often disposed below a seat disposed at the rear of the vehicle. In this case, these parts are covered with a cover from a functional viewpoint such as design and waterproofing.

JP 2003-235905 A

  However, when a battery, a controller, a drive motor, or the like is covered with a cover below the seat, it may be necessary to remove the cover or even the seat when performing maintenance such as these parts. In view of this point, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration that allows attachment / detachment and maintenance of a battery without removing a rear cover or a seat, but no consideration is given to access to components other than the battery. .

  Moreover, it is necessary to consider not only the parts arranged below the seat but also access to other work parts covered by the cover.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to make it easy to access a work part covered with a cover in a small electric vehicle so that work such as maintenance can be easily performed. .

A small electric vehicle according to the present invention is a small electric vehicle including a seat on which an occupant is seated, a step portion provided at a lower front portion of the seat, and a rear wheel provided as a drive wheel. It is characterized in that at least a battery, a controller, and a drive source for driving the rear wheel are disposed below, and a cover that covers these components is constituted by at least three separate cover members that are independent of each other.
Another small electric vehicle according to the present invention includes a seat on which an occupant is seated, a step portion provided at a lower front portion of the seat, a rear wheel provided as a drive wheel, a front wheel provided as a steering wheel, A small electric vehicle including a power steering mechanism including a drive source for steering front wheels, a cover covering the power steering mechanism in front of the step portion, and an upper position of the power steering mechanism in the cover And an opening formed on the cover, and a lid member that is detachably assembled to the cover and closes the opening.

  According to the present invention, a cover that covers a battery, a controller, a drive source for driving a rear wheel, and the like disposed below the seat is formed of at least three independent cover members, Since the structure is easy to access these parts covered with, maintenance work and the like can be easily performed.

  Further, according to the present invention, the opening is formed in the cover at the upper position of the power steering mechanism, and the structure is easy to access the power steering mechanism covered with the cover. It can be done easily.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a side view showing the overall configuration of the small electric vehicle according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a plan view, and FIG. 3 is a rear view. The main frame 1 extends in the front-rear direction on the left and right sides of the vehicle, and a pair of left and right front wheels 2 and a pair of left and right rear wheels 3 are suspended from a vehicle body frame including the main frame 1 via a suspension. Except for a part of the body frame, the body frame is covered with a resin cover such as the front cover 4, the step part 5 (which are integrally molded), the rear cover 7, and the like.

  Inside the rear cover 7 are a drive motor 8 for driving the rear wheel 3, a gear unit 9 (see FIG. 3) for transmitting the output of the drive motor 8 to the rear wheel 3, a battery 10 and its charger 11, A main controller 12 that controls drive control and the like of the drive motor 8 is accommodated. In addition, in a space 13 between the charger 11 arranged on the front side and the main controller 12 arranged on the rear side, a harness, a clamp part (not shown) for fixing the harness, and the like are accommodated.

  A seat 15 on which an occupant sits is mounted above the rear cover 7 via a frame 14 (see FIG. 4) that rises from the main frame 1 in a gate shape, for example. The seat 15 includes a seat cushion 16 and a seat back (backrest) 17 and is supported so as to be pivotable in the horizontal direction above the rear cover 7. This turning angle is set to 45 degrees and 90 degrees, for example, left and right from the vehicle body center.

  Further, armrests 18 are provided on both sides of the seat back 17, and each armrest 18 is supported so as to be rotatable around a fulcrum 18a. A blinker 19 is disposed on the side surface of each armrest 18. Further, on the back surface of the seat back 17, for example, a grip portion 20 that can be gripped when manually pushing a small electric vehicle is disposed.

  At the front part of the vehicle, a leg shield 6 is installed to protect the leg of the occupant seated on the seat 15 from being exposed to wind. A steering shaft for steering the front wheels 2 is provided inside the leg shield 6, and a handle unit 21 is rotatably attached to the upper end of the steering shaft.

  A rearview mirror 22 is supported at an appropriate position of the handle unit 21. In addition, a storage case or a carrier case 23 is mounted on the front surface portion of the leg shield 6, and the carrier case 23 can be used as a storage case as appropriate.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the rear cover 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the rear cover 7 includes a seat post cover 7a, a front cover (battery cover) 7b, left and right side covers 7c-R and 7c-L, an upper cover (controller cover) 7d, and a rear cover 7e. Composed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a seat post 24 that supports the seat 15 is provided in the center of the frame 14 that rises in a gate shape from the main frame 1.

  Around the seat post 24, a flat plate-like seat post cover 7a having a notch 25 through which the seat post 24 is inserted is disposed. The seat post cover 7 a is fixed by clips 27 to a support member 26 provided on the frame 14 so as to be positioned on both sides of the seat post 24.

  As shown in FIG. 4, support portions 28 that receive part of the upper surfaces 30 of the side covers 7c-R and 7c-L are formed at the left and right ends of the seat post cover 7a. The support portion 28 is formed one step lower, and a concave engagement portion 29 for engaging the claw portions 32 of the side covers 7c-R and 7c-L is formed.

  The side covers 7c-R and 7c-L are formed by integrally forming an upper surface 30 connected to the left and right ends of the seat post cover 7a and a side surface 31 depending from the upper surface 30. A portion 32 is formed. An insertion portion 31a for accommodating a part of the main frame 1 is formed on the side surface 31, and the side covers 7c-R and 7c-L are assembled so as to straddle the main frame 1 up and down.

  Inside the side covers 7c-R, 7c-L, clips 33, 34, 35 are integrally formed at three locations in the illustrated example, and brackets 36 having fitting holes at corresponding locations on the main frame 1 and the frame 14 are shown. , 37, 38 are arranged.

  When assembling the side covers 7c-R and 7c-L, the claw portion 32 is engaged with the engaging portion 29 of the supporting portion 28 of the seat post cover 7a so that the upper surface 30 is superimposed on the supporting portion 28, The clips 33, 34, and 35 are fitted into the fitting holes of the brackets 36, 37, and 38, respectively. When the side covers 7c-R and 7c-L are assembled in this way, the upper surface 30 is substantially flush with the seat post cover 7a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, bracket portions 39 for receiving the front cover 7b are provided on the left and right sides of the front end portion of the seat post cover 7a.

  The front cover 7b is formed by integrally forming a front surface 40 that hangs down from the front end of the seat post cover 7a and both side surfaces 41. Fixing portions 42 corresponding to the bracket portions 39 are formed on the left and right sides of the upper end portion of the front surface 40. A fixed portion 43 is also formed at the center of the lower end portion of the front surface 40.

  When the front cover 7b is assembled, the fixing portion 42 is overlapped with the bracket portion 39 of the seat post cover 7a and fixed by the clip 44. Since the bracket 46 is also erected on the floor panel 45 laid between the main frames 1, the fixing portion 43 is overlapped with the bracket 46 and fixed with a clip (not shown).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a bracket 47 that receives the rear cover 7 e is erected on the frame 52 that is horizontally mounted on the rear portion of the main frame 1.

  The rear cover 7e serves as both a fender portion and a rear bumper that covers the rear lower portion of the main frame 1 that rises rearward and covers the upper portion of the rear wheel 3. Is formed. A reflector 50 is attached to the rear cover 7e by a nut 49.

  When the rear cover 7 e is assembled, the fixing portion 48 is overlapped with the bracket 47 and fixed by the clip 51. In this case, a lower end portion of an upper cover 7d described below is overlapped with an upper end portion of the rear cover 7e and fastened together with the clip 51.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, bracket portions 53 for receiving the upper cover 7d are provided on the left and right sides of the rear end portion of the seat post cover 7a.

  The upper cover 7d is formed by integrally forming an upper surface 54 connected to the rear end portion of the seat post cover 7a and both side surfaces 55. Fixing portions 56 corresponding to the bracket portions 53 are formed on the left and right of the front end portion of the upper surface 54. Also, fixing portions 57 are formed on the left and right of the rear end portion of the upper surface 54.

  When the upper cover 7d is assembled, the fixing portion 56 is overlapped with the bracket portion 53 of the seat post cover 7a and fixed by the clip 58. Further, the lower end portion of the upper cover 7 d is overlapped with the upper end portion of the rear cover 7 e that has been previously positioned with respect to the bracket 47 and is fastened together with the clip 51.

  According to the small electric vehicle described above, the rear cover 7 is divided into the seat post cover 7a, the front cover 7b, the left and right side covers 7c-R, 7c-L, the upper cover 7d, and the rear cover 7e. A desired cover can be removed according to the part, and work such as maintenance can be performed.

  For example, if the front cover 7b is removed, the battery 10 and the charger 11 can be easily accessed, and operations for them can be easily performed. As shown in FIG. 5, the front cover 7b can be removed independently from the other covers 7a, 7c-R, 7c-L, 7d, 7e when the clip 44 or the clip assembled to the fixing portion 43 is removed. Can do.

  Moreover, if the side covers 7c-R and 7c-L are removed, it is easy to access a harness (not shown) accommodated in the space 13, a clamp portion for fixing the harness, and the like, and work on them can be easily performed. As shown in FIG. 4, the side covers 7 c -R and 7 c -L can be separated from the other covers 7 a, 7 b and 7 d by pulling out the clips 33, 34 and 35 from the fitting holes of the brackets 36, 37 and 38. , 7e can be removed independently.

  Moreover, if the upper cover 7d is removed, the main controller 12 can be easily accessed, and the work for it can be easily performed. As shown in FIG. 5, the upper cover 7 d can be removed by removing the clips 51 and 55. In this case, the rear cover 7e is also removed, but can be removed independently of at least the other covers 7a, 7b, 7c-R, 7c-L.

  Moreover, if the rear cover 7e is removed, the drive motor 8 and the gear unit 9 can be easily accessed, and operations for them can be easily performed. As shown in FIG. 5, the rear cover 7e can be removed independently of at least the other covers 7a, 7b, 7c-R and 7c-L when the clip 51 is removed.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the upper cover 7d and the rear cover 7e are fastened together has been described, but it is needless to say that these covers 7d and 7e may be removable independently of each other.

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a small electric vehicle that is operated with the handle 21 has been described. However, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, an operation box attached to the front end of the right armrest 18. It is also possible to apply to a small electric vehicle in which the driving operation is performed by 59. Note that, in the small electric vehicle according to the second embodiment, the same components as those described in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  A joystick lever 59a is erected on the operation box 59, and the power steering motor 74 disposed inside the front cover 4 is driven in response to an input operation of the joystick lever 59a. The front wheels 2 are steered through a power steering mechanism including the power steering motor 74.

  The power steering motor 74 is driven by the steering controller 60. The steering controller 60 is disposed at a position adjacent to the main controller 12, as shown in FIG.

  In the small electric vehicle shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, as in the first embodiment, the rear cover 7 includes the seat post cover 7a, the front cover (battery cover) 7b, and the left and right side covers 7c-R and 7c-L. And an upper cover (controller cover) 7d and a rear cover 7e.

  Furthermore, the small electric vehicle according to the second embodiment has a structure that allows easy access to the work site even at the front of the vehicle. Hereinafter, the vehicle front part structure will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, a pair of left and right frames 61 extend narrowly at the front part of the main frame 1, and a bumper 62 is attached to the front part of the frame 61.

  A bracket 63 is erected on each frame 61, and a support portion 82 that receives a suspension spring is attached to the bracket 63. In addition, the gate-shaped base 64 is fixed by screws 65 in a manner that the left and right brackets 63 are bridged. Further, a frame 66 formed in a substantially U shape or U shape is fixed to the front portion of the bracket 63. The frame 66 is tilted forward and has substantially the same height as the base 64.

  The front cover 4 is formed in a smooth curved shape that is continuous so as to undulate from the step portion 5 toward the front, and is convex upward. Fender portions 67 are formed on the left and right sides of the front cover 4 so as to cover the upper portion of the front wheel 2. A power steering mechanism for steering the front wheel 2 is disposed inside the front cover 4.

  In addition, a substantially rectangular opening 68 is formed in the center of the front cover 4, and the opening 68 is closed by a lid member 69. In this case, an engaging portion 70 having an engaging hole is projected from the front end of the lid member 69, and the claw portion 71 provided on the front cover 4 is inserted into the engaging hole of the engaging portion 70. . In this state, the lid member 69 is fastened and fixed to the base 64 with bolts 72 (see FIG. 11).

  A rib 73 is provided around the opening 68 so that the lid member 69 is in close contact with the rib 73. The rib 73 can position the lid member 69 and prevent rainwater or the like from entering the opening 68.

  Here, the power steering mechanism disposed inside the front cover 4 will be briefly described. FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the power steering mechanism, and a power steering motor 74 is disposed between the pair of left and right frames 61. The output of the power steering motor 74 is transmitted to the sectoral sector arm 75. When the sector arm 75 swings, a tie rod arm (not shown) that is coaxially connected below the sector arm 75 swings left and right. Thus, the front wheel 2 is steered through the tie rod 76 connected to the tie rod arm and the knuckle arm 77.

  A gear 78 is provided below the sector arm 75. The rotation of the gear 78 is detected by the sensor 79, and the detection result is sent to the steering controller 60.

  FIG. 14 shows a state of the opening 68 when the lid member 69 and the base 64 are removed. In FIG. 14, the front of the vehicle is indicated by an arrow Fr. As shown in the figure, the power steering motor 74 and the bolt 80 for fixing it, the sector arm 75, the gear 78, the sensor 79 and the bolt 81 for fixing it, the suspension initial adjusting nut 83, etc. can be accessed from the opening 68. It is possible to easily perform operations such as maintenance on them.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated with various embodiment, this invention is not limited only to these embodiment, A change etc. are possible within the scope of the present invention.

1 is a side view showing an overall configuration of a small electric vehicle according to a first embodiment. 1 is a plan view showing an overall configuration of a small electric vehicle according to a first embodiment. It is a rear view which shows the whole structure of the small electric vehicle which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a principal part expansion perspective view for demonstrating the structure around a rear part cover. It is a side view for demonstrating the structure around a rear part cover. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the structure around a rear part cover. It is a side view which shows the whole structure of the small electric vehicle which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the whole structure of the small electric vehicle which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view of the small electric vehicle which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a partial top view for demonstrating the circumference of a front cover. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line (FIG. 8) for demonstrating the circumference of a front part cover. It is a partial side view for demonstrating the circumference of a front cover. It is a partial top view which shows a power steering mechanism. It is a figure which shows the state of opening when a cover member and also a base are removed.

Explanation of symbols

2 Front wheel 3 Rear wheel 4 Front cover 5 Step part 7 Rear cover 7a Seat post cover 7b Front cover (battery cover)
7c-R, 7c-L Side cover 7cd Upper cover (controller cover)
7e Rear cover 10 Battery 11 Charger 12 Main controller 15 Seat 24 Seat post 60 Steering controller 68 Opening 69 Lid member 73 Rib 74 Power steering motor

Claims (5)

A small electric vehicle comprising a seat on which an occupant is seated, a step portion provided at a lower front portion of the seat, and a rear wheel provided as a drive wheel,
A drive source for driving at least a battery, a controller, and the rear wheel is disposed below the seat, and a cover that covers these components is configured by at least three separate cover members that are independent of each other. A small electric vehicle.   The cover includes a front cover that mainly covers the battery disposed at the front, left and right side covers, an upper cover that mainly covers the controller disposed at the rear upper side, and the drive source disposed at the lower rear side. The small electric vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a rear cover that mainly covers the vehicle.   A seat post for supporting the seat; and a seat post cover disposed around the seat post, wherein the front cover, the left and right side covers, and the upper cover are assembled to the seat post cover, respectively. The small electric vehicle according to claim 2. A seat on which an occupant is seated, a step portion provided at a lower front portion of the seat, a rear wheel provided as a drive wheel, a front wheel provided as a steering wheel, and a drive source for steering the front wheel A small electric vehicle equipped with a power steering mechanism,
A cover covering the power steering mechanism in front of the step portion;
An opening formed at an upper position of the power steering mechanism in the cover;
A small electric vehicle comprising: a cover member that is detachably assembled to the cover and closes the opening.   The small electric vehicle according to claim 4, wherein a rib is protruded around the opening, and the lid member is in close contact with the rib.

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