JP2014073316A - Electric mobility - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a seated operator to easily confirm a road surface state in an area immediately close to the anterior part of a front wheel.SOLUTION: An electric mobility 1 includes: electric rear wheels 3 and an electric front wheel 4 arranged at an interval in a travel direction; a vehicle body frame 2 for rotatably supporting the front wheel 4 and the rear wheels 3 around each axle; a seat 5 fixed to the vehicle body frame 2 and arranged above a position close to the rear wheels 3 between the front wheel 4 and the rear wheels 3; and an arch shape handlebar 7 attached to the vehicle body frame 2, arranged to enclose an operator seated on the seat 5 from both of right and left lower sides to a front side, and having an operation unit 9 on the top. The inner side surface of the handlebar 7 close to the top is arranged at an upward interval with respect to a plane P having contact with an outer peripheral surface in the upper part of the front wheel 4 and also passing the neighborhood of a viewpoint position of an operator seated on the seat 5.

Description

  The present invention relates to electric mobility.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various types of electric mobility are known in which a compact vehicle body such as a wheelchair has electric drive wheels and travels by operating a handle while seated (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In these electric mobilityes, it is necessary for the operator to visually confirm the road surface state in front of the front wheels in order to perform stable traveling.

JP 2005-328879 A

  However, the electric mobility disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a disadvantage in that it is difficult to check the road surface condition because the steering wheel disposed in the front center of the operator and its support member block the field of view of the front wheels in the immediate vicinity. . In particular, the problem becomes conspicuous in the electric mobility in which the front wheels are arranged in the center in the width direction.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electric mobility that allows a driver in a seated state to easily check a road surface state in a region immediately in front of a front wheel.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means.
One aspect of the present invention is an electric rear wheel and front wheel arranged at intervals in the traveling direction, a body frame that rotatably supports the front wheel and the rear wheel around each axle, and fixed to the body frame. A seat disposed above the position between the front wheel and the rear wheel in the vicinity of the rear wheel; and a driver attached to the vehicle body frame and seated on the seat from the lower left and right sides An arch-shaped handle having an operating portion at the top of the handle, and an inner surface of the handle in the vicinity of the top is in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the upper portion of the front wheel and seated on the seat Provided is an electric mobility that is spaced upward with respect to a plane passing in the vicinity of a person's viewpoint position.

  According to this aspect, when sitting on the seat, bending the elbow lightly and extending the arm forward, the hand is placed on the operation portion disposed on the top of the arched handle that extends forward from the lower left and right sides of the seat. It is possible to easily run and steer by operating the operation unit. In this case, the handle is formed in an arch shape, passes through the vicinity of the viewpoint position of the operator in the seated state, and the space above the plane that touches the outer peripheral surface of the upper part of the front wheel is not blocked by the vehicle body, The operator can visually check the front of the front wheel from the inside of the steering wheel, and can easily confirm the road surface state over which the front wheel gets over.

In the above aspect, a pair of left and right rear wheels may be provided, and the front wheel may be provided at a substantially center in the width direction.
By doing so, it is possible to stably support the center of gravity of the operator at the three positions of the rear wheel and the front wheel. The front wheel includes a case where one wheel is provided at the center, and also includes a case where two or more wheels are disposed adjacent to the center.

Moreover, in the said aspect, while the said rear wheel can drive right and left independently, the said front wheel may be an omnidirectional wheel.
By doing in this way, while using a rear wheel as a drive wheel, it can utilize for steering by varying the rotational speed of a rear wheel on either side. In this case, by making the front wheel an omnidirectional wheel, it is possible to move in all directions while the axle is fixed to the body frame. Therefore, even if the front wheel is enlarged to make it easier to get over the unevenness of the road surface, the installation space required for the front wheel can be reduced, and even if it is close to the rear wheel side, it will not interfere with the foot, so It is possible to secure a larger space and more easily check the road surface state immediately before the front wheels.

Moreover, in the said aspect, the said handle | steering-wheel may be provided so that the position of the said operation part can be adjusted.
In this way, the operator can adjust the position of the operation unit to be low by swinging the handle, thereby ensuring a large field of view below the inner surface of the handle and widening the road surface condition immediately before the front wheels. Can be easily confirmed.

Moreover, in the said aspect, the said handle | steering-wheel may be provided so that rocking | fluctuation is possible around the axis line extended in the vehicle width direction of the axle vicinity of the said rear wheel.
By doing so, the handle can be swung, the operation unit can be easily moved up and down, and the space below the inner side surface of the handle and the operability can be adjusted simultaneously. Since the steering wheel is swung around the axis below the seat, the upper body of the seated operator can be released.

Moreover, in the said aspect, the said seat may be provided so that position adjustment is possible with respect to the said vehicle body frame.
By doing in this way, according to a pilot's physique, the position of a seat can be adjusted and operativity can be improved. In particular, when the driver's viewpoint is high, by lowering the seat, it is possible to secure a large field of view below the inner side surface of the steering wheel and easily check the road surface state immediately before the front wheels.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that a driver in a seated state can easily check a road surface state in an area immediately in front of the front wheels.

It is electric mobility concerning one embodiment of the present invention, and is a side view showing a state where a handle is arranged in the 1st position. It is a rear view which shows the electric mobility of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the electric mobility of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the driven wheel of the electric mobility of FIG. It is a partial top view which shows the relationship between the driven wheel of the electric mobility of FIG. 1, and a footrest part. It is a top view which shows the electric mobility of FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the state of the electric mobility of FIG. 1 with a handle disposed at a second position. FIG. 2A is a perspective view illustrating an operation unit provided on the handle of the electric mobility in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view illustrating an internal structure by breaking a plate. It is a figure which shows the dimension of each part of the electric mobility of FIG.

Electric mobility according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the electric mobility 1 according to the present embodiment is fixed to the body frame 2, the driving wheel 3 and the driven wheel 4 attached to the body frame 2, and the body frame 2. A seat 5 and a footrest 6, a handle 7 attached to the vehicle body frame 2, and a controller 8 that controls the drive wheels 3 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, the drive wheel 3 is a motor built-in type, and the stator of the motor 3b disposed at the center of the tire 3a in the radial direction is fixed to the vehicle body frame 2, and the rotor of the motor 3b is the tire 3a. It is fixed to.
Two drive wheels 3 are provided at intervals in the width direction of the body frame 2. Each drive wheel 3 is driven independently by a separate motor 3b, and moves forward and backward linearly by matching the rotational speeds on the left and right sides, and changes direction by varying the rotational speeds. Can be done.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the drive wheel 3 is provided with a camber angle so that the width is widest at the contact point of the tire 3a. As a result, the running stability is improved, and the motor 3b built in the drive wheel 3 can be arranged on the inner side in the width direction than the grounding point so that the entire width of the electric mobility 1 can be suppressed.

  The driven wheel 4 is arranged in a central portion in the width direction of the body frame 2 at a position spaced from the driving wheel 3 in the traveling direction. In the present embodiment, the driven wheel 4 is an omnidirectional wheel (for example, an omni wheel or the like as shown in FIG. 4), and is rotatably attached around an axle extending horizontally in the width direction of the body frame 2. Yes. The omnidirectional wheel is a wheel that enables movement in all directions while the axle is fixed to the body frame 2. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the code | symbol 4a is a wheel house.

  Since the omnidirectional wheel fixes the axle, it does not have to be rotated around an axis (for example, a vertical axis) intersecting the axle like a caster, and the installation space of the driven wheel 4 is small as shown in FIG. It has the advantage that it can be done. In the figure, a broken line shows an example of an installation space when a caster is employed. In particular, even if the diameter of the driven wheel 4 is increased in order to easily get over the unevenness of the road surface, it is not necessary to increase the installation space in the width direction, which is effective.

  The seat 5 is disposed above a position close to the drive wheel 3 between the drive wheel 3 and the driven wheel 4. In the present embodiment, the seat 5 is disposed so that the driven wheel 4 side is in front of the operator A in a state where the operator A is seated on the seat 5.

  The footrest 6 is disposed between the driving wheel 3 and the driven wheel 4 so as to extend in the traveling direction. In the state where the operator A is seated, the footrest portion 6 is arranged such that the feet of the operator A have their toes directed toward the driven wheel 4.

  In the present embodiment, the handle 7 is provided so as to be swingable about a swing shaft B extending in the vehicle width direction in the vicinity of the axle position of the drive wheel 3. Therefore, the swing axis B is disposed below the seat 5. And the handle | steering-wheel 7 is comprised by the arch type extended so that the vehicle body frame 2 may be crossed in the vehicle width direction from the right-and-left both sides fixed to the rocking | fluctuation axis | shaft B, as FIG. 6 shows. In addition, an arch-shaped top portion C serving as a swinging end of the handle 7 is provided with an operation portion 9 for manipulating the drive wheels 3.

The handle 7 can swing to the first position shown in FIG. 1 and the second position shown in FIG. 7, and can be fixed to the first and second positions by a fixing mechanism (not shown). It is like that.
The first position is a position arranged at an angle of about 35 ° to 55 ° with respect to the ground plane. This position is such that the handle 7 surrounds the front of the operator A from the lower side on both the left and right sides while the operator A is seated with the feet placed on the footrest 6 with the toes facing the driven wheel 4. The operation unit 9 that is arranged and arranged on the arch-shaped top C is a position that is arranged in front of the operator A.

  When the operator A is seated on the seat 5 and the handle 7 is arranged at the first position, the operation unit 9 is arranged at a position where both arms are extended by slightly bending the elbow. The operation unit 9 can be operated without difficulty.

  Further, in this embodiment, when the operator A sits on the seat 5 and arranges the handle 7 at the first position, as shown in FIG. A gap D is provided between the plane P in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the handle 7 and the inner side surface of the operation portion 9 of the handle 7.

Specifically, the dimensions shown in FIG. 9 are determined so that the following expressions (1) and (2) are satisfied.
(D2 + d7−d6) cos θ− (d3−d1) sin θ = d7 (1)
(D2-d5) / tan θ <(d4-d1) (2)
here,
d1: dimension in the direction parallel to the ground from the backrest to the viewpoint,
d2: dimension in a direction perpendicular to the ground from the seating surface to the viewpoint,
d3: dimension in the direction parallel to the ground from the backrest to the center of the driven wheel 4,
d4: dimension in the direction parallel to the ground from the backrest to the inside of the handle 7,
d5: dimension in a direction perpendicular to the ground from the seating surface to the inside of the handle 7,
d6: Height dimension of the seat surface from the ground,
d7: radius of the driven wheel 4
θ: an angle formed by the plane P and the ground.

More specifically, the dimension d3 in the direction parallel to the ground from the backrest to the center of the driven wheel 4 is preferably 680 mm or less, and the dimension d4 in the direction parallel to the ground from the backrest to the inside of the handle 7 is preferably 460 mm or more. .
This is based on the following dimensions.
That is, the dimension d1 in the direction parallel to the ground from the backrest to the viewpoint is about 160 mm in a good posture, and the range is 150 mm to 180 mm. Further, the height (eye height) dimension d2 from the seating surface to the viewpoint is generally 650 mm to 750 mm. In addition, the height d5 from the seating surface to the inside of the handle 7 is desirably 250 mm to 350 mm, which is more than that because the height of the armrest is generally 230 mm. Further, the seat surface height d6 can be adjusted, and is generally 500 mm to 600 mm, and the radius d7 of the driven wheel 4 is generally 130 mm in consideration of the wheel house 4a because a tire having a radius of about 120 mm is used. It is because it is preferable that it is -150mm.

  The second position is a position where the handle 7 is disposed at an angle of −20 ° to 0 ° with respect to the ground plane. At this position, the operation unit 9 arranged at the arched top C of the handle 7 is lowered to a position surrounding the driven wheel 4, so that the driver A can get on and off the driven wheel 4 and the handle 7. Is in position.

  In the first position, the swing angle of the handle 7 may be finely adjusted. By doing in this way, the position of the operation part 9 can be finely adjusted according to the physique of the pilot A.

As shown in FIG. 8, the operation unit 9 can swing around a plate 9 a in which both hands of the operator A are lightly opened side by side and the two axes 9 b and 9 c orthogonal to each other. And a support mechanism 11 for supporting the support.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8A, the plate 9 a is formed in a cylindrical shape that covers the support mechanism 11.

  As shown in FIG. 8B, the support mechanism 11 includes a base member 11a that is fixed to the handle 7, and a base member 11a that is fixed to the base member 11a and swings the intermediate member 11b around a first axis 9b that extends in the front-rear direction. A first motor 11c that is movably supported, and a second motor 11d that is fixed to the intermediate member 11b and that pivotally supports a plate 9a around a second axis 9c that extends in the left-right direction.

  Each of the first motor 11c and the second motor 11d includes an angle sensor (not shown) that detects the swing angle of the intermediate member 11b with respect to the base member 11a and the swing angle of the plate 9a with respect to the intermediate member 11b. Outputs from these angle sensors are sent to the control unit 8 and used for controlling the drive wheels 3, and are also fed back to the first motor 11c and the second motor 11d and applied to the plate 9a from the driver A. It is used to generate reaction force against.

  Further, the control unit 8 determines that the plate 9a returns to the origin position, that is, the position where the plate 9a is not inclined in any of the front, rear, left, and right from the outputs from the angle sensors provided in the first motor 11c and the second motor 11d. The first motor 11c and the second motor 11d are controlled. Thereby, when the operator A releases his / her hand from the plate 9a, the electric mobility 1 is stopped.

  The control unit 8 generates a control signal for controlling the driving wheel 3 based on the swing angle of the plate 9a in the operation unit 9 from the angle sensors provided in the first motor 11c and the second motor 11d, and each driving wheel. 3 is supplied.

Here, control by the control unit 8 will be described.
When the operator A tilts the plate 9a forward about the second axis 9c, the control unit 8 outputs the same drive command signal to the two drive wheels 3. Thereby, the two driving wheels 3 rotate in the same direction at the same speed, and the electric mobility 1 is advanced. Further, the forward speed in this case is adjusted so as to increase as the tilt angle of the plate 9a increases.

  Similarly, when the plate 9a is tilted rearward about the second axis 9c, the control unit 8 outputs the same drive command signal in the opposite direction to the two drive wheels 3. ing. Thereby, the electric mobility 1 can be moved backward. In this case, the reverse speed is adjusted so as to increase as the tilt angle of the plate 9a increases. However, the reverse speed is controlled to be smaller than the forward speed.

  Further, if the plate 9a is tilted to the left around the first axis 9b, the rotational speed of the right drive wheel 3 is faster than the left drive wheel 3 of the operator A, or the left drive wheel 3 and the right drive wheel 3 The rotation direction of the driving wheel 3 is controlled to be reversed. Thereby, the electric mobility 1 is operated leftward. Similarly, when the plate 9a is tilted to the right around the first axis 9b, the electric mobility 1 is operated to the right.

  Further, when the electric mobility 1 is moving forward and the plate 9a is tilted to the maximum extent around the second axis 9c, the control unit 8 performs two emergency stop processes in a short time. The operation of the drive wheel 3 is stopped.

The operation of the electric mobility 1 according to this embodiment configured as described above will be described below.
When traveling using the electric mobility 1 according to the present embodiment, the pilot A places his / her feet on the footrest 6 with his toes facing the driven wheel 4 side and sits on the seat 5. Then, the handle 7 is disposed at the first position. As a result, the handle 7 is disposed so as to surround the front from below the left and right sides of the operator A. As a result, the handle 7 covers the front of the pilot A in the traveling direction and can give the driver a sense of security that it is protected.

  Further, since the seat 5 is disposed between the driven wheel 4 and the driving wheel 3, the center of gravity of the seated operator A is disposed between the driven wheel 4 and the driving wheel 3, and the driven wheel 4 and the driving wheel are arranged. 3 has an advantage that it can be distributed and supported in a well-balanced manner and can stably travel.

  On the other hand, the handle 7 is disposed so as to extend obliquely forward from the vicinity of the axis line disposed below the seat 5, so that an open space is secured around the upper body of the seated operator A. Can do. As a result, the operator A can extend his hand to the vicinity of the ground contact surface of the drive wheel 3 while laying down sideways while sitting down. For example, when the electric mobility 1 is used for shopping in a supermarket or the like, the operator A himself / herself can pick up the commodity at the lower part of the display shelf.

  When the operator A sits and extends both arms lightly forward, the operation unit 9 is disposed at that position. Therefore, both hands are placed side by side on the plate 9a of the operation unit 9, and the plate 9a is moved by the movement of the wrist. It is possible to perform the operation simply by tilting the plate 9a forward and backward, changing the load applied to both hands, and tilting the plate 9a left and right.

  The plate 9a moves forward when the plate is inclined forward, moves backward when the plate is inclined backward, turns left when the plate is tilted left, and turns right when the plate is tilted to the right.

  Since both hands are arranged on the plate 9a, a moment in the opposite direction is applied with both hands around the axes of the first motor 11c and the second motor 11d constituting the operation unit 9 as compared with the case of operating with only one hand. This is advantageous in that it can easily balance moments and finely adjust speed and operating angle with both hands. Further, according to the operation unit 9 provided in the electric mobility 1 of the present embodiment, the forward and backward movement and the operation are performed only by moving both hands placed on the plate 9a by changing the wrist angle or the elbow angle. be able to.

  Therefore, it is not necessary to hold the plate 9a or move the elbow back and forth, and even the operator A who has a hand obstacle can easily perform the operation. According to the operation unit 9, instead of operating the plate 9a with both hands, if one hand is placed in the center of the plate 9a, the operation can be performed with only one hand.

Further, according to the electric mobility 1 according to the present embodiment, the plane P that passes through the viewpoint of the operator A while sitting on the seat 5 and is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the upper portion of the driven wheel 4 is disposed at the first position. A gap D can be formed between the handle 7 and the inner surface of the operation portion 9.
That is, the operator A who sits on the seat 5 and operates the operation unit 9 can see the road surface ahead of the driven wheel 4 as the front wheel through the space below the handle 7. Thereby, there exists an advantage that it can steer, confirming the road surface state ahead of the driven wheel 4. FIG.

  Further, in the electric mobility 1 according to the present embodiment, the left and right drive wheels 3 are separately controlled to take charge of both driving and operation, and the driven wheel 4 is configured by an omnidirectional wheel. Installation space is reduced. As a result, the driven wheel 4 having a large diameter can be adopted, and the road surface unevenness can be easily overcome.

  Moreover, since the axle of the driven wheel 4 is fixed to the vehicle body frame 2, the installation space in the width direction is particularly reduced. As a result, a sufficient footrest 6 can be secured even when the driven wheel 4 is brought close to the driving wheel 3 that is the rear wheel, and the body frame 2 can be made compact.

And by comprising in this way compactly, the visual field for seeing the road surface state ahead of the driven wheel 4 of the steering wheel 7 lower part can be expanded, and an obstruction can be avoided more reliably. There is.
Further, by being configured so compactly, the handle 7 can be lowered so as not to interfere with the driven wheel 4 and can be swung to the second position.
By arranging the handle 7 in the second position, it is possible to easily get on and off the handle 7 and to achieve a compact storage form as a storage position when not in use.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the swing angle of the handle 7 is finely adjusted to match the physique of the operator A. In addition, the position of the seat 5 is provided so as to be movable back and forth and up and down. Also good. The viewpoint of the pilot A can be lowered by lowering the seat 5. Thereby, there exists an advantage that the visual field under a steering wheel can be expanded.

Further, in the present embodiment, the driving wheels and the driven wheels are arranged with an interval in the traveling direction, but all the wheels may be driving wheels, or only one wheel may be the driving wheels.
In the present embodiment, the support mechanism 11 generates the reaction force of the force applied to the plate 9a by the motors 11c and 11d, but instead of this, the reaction force is generated by a spring. Good.

  The electric mobility according to the present invention has high applicability for daily movement and movement for entertainment regardless of whether it is a disabled person or a healthy person as well as an electric wheelchair or a senior car.

A Pilot B Axis D Spacing P Plane
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric mobility 2 Body frame 3 Drive wheel 4 Driven wheel 5 Seat 6 Footrest part 7 Handle 8 Control part (determination part)
9 Operation part

Claims (6)

Electric rear and front wheels arranged at intervals in the direction of travel;
A body frame that rotatably supports the front and rear wheels around each axle;
A seat fixed to the vehicle body frame and disposed above a position between the front wheel and the rear wheel adjacent to the rear wheel;
An arch-type handle that is attached to the vehicle body frame and is disposed so as to surround the operator sitting on the seat from the left and right sides from the front, and having a steering portion at the top;
The inner side surface of the handle near the top is disposed above the plane that passes through the vicinity of the viewpoint position of the operator in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the upper part of the front wheel and seated on the seat. Electric mobility. A pair of left and right rear wheels are provided,
The electric mobility according to claim 1, wherein the front wheel is provided at substantially the center in the width direction.   The electric mobility according to claim 2, wherein the rear wheel can be driven independently on the left and right sides, and the front wheel is an omnidirectional wheel.   The electric mobility according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the handle is provided so that the position of the steering unit can be adjusted.   The electric mobility according to claim 4, wherein the handle is provided so as to be swingable about an axis extending in a vehicle width direction in the vicinity of the axle of the rear wheel.   The electric mobility according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the seat is provided so as to be positionally adjustable with respect to the body frame.

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