JP2014136568A - Electric power assist device for baby carriage - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric power assist device for a baby carriage in which downsizing, weight saving and long life time of an electric power source, and extension of the range of the baby carriage can be achieved.SOLUTION: An electric power assist device 5 for a baby carriage which is installed in a baby carriage 1 is constituted by including an electric motor 6 for rotating and driving wheels 4, a large capacitance capacitor 7 for supplying power to the electric motor 6, a circuit unit 8 constituted by integrating plural electronic circuits and sensors, and a controller 10 for switching connection between the large capacitance capacitor 7 and the circuit unit 8. The circuit unit 8 further sets an assist mode, a regenerative mode or a flat ground mode, according to the inclination angle of a road detected by an inclination sensor 15 attached on it, provides auxiliary power to the wheels 4 by driving the electric motor 6 in the assist mode, drives the electric motor 6 as an electricity generator and charges the large capacitance capacitor 7 in the regenerative mode, and stops drive of the electric motor 6 in the flat ground mode.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric power assist device for a stroller for assisting the operation force of the stroller with the power of the electric motor.

  A baby stroller that travels with an infant is generally driven by a person pushing it with a hand, but traveling on an uphill is particularly labor intensive and the physical burden on the person pushing it is large. There is.

  Therefore, Patent Document 1 proposes an electric stroller in which a drive motor is incorporated in an axle of a stroller, the drive motor is activated by electric power supplied from a detachable battery, and human power is assisted by the auxiliary power. Has been.

JP 2011-068336 A

  A battery is used as the power source of the electric stroller proposed in Patent Document 1. However, since the battery is charged by an external power source, when the battery runs out, the baby stroller is manually moved to a place where the external power source can be used. It is necessary to move by pushing. In this case, the baby stroller is not easily moved because its weight, the weight of the infant, and the weight of the electric power assist device including the electric motor and the battery are added. Moreover, it takes a long time to charge the battery.

  In addition, since the stroller is used on a daily basis, it needs frequent charging / discharging, but the charging cycle of the battery is relatively short, about 1500 times. When the battery reaches the end of its life, it needs to be replaced with a new one. This increases the economic burden.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an electric power assist device for a stroller capable of reducing the size and weight of the power source, extending the life of the stroller, and extending the cruising range of the stroller. There is to do.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is an electric power assist device for a stroller mounted on a stroller.
An electric motor for rotating the wheels;
A large-capacitance capacitor for supplying power to the motor;
A circuit unit formed by integrating a plurality of electronic circuits and sensors;
And a controller for turning on / off the connection between the large-capacitance capacitor and the circuit unit.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the circuit unit sets an assist mode, a regenerative braking mode, or a flat ground mode according to a road surface inclination angle detected by an inclination sensor provided on the circuit unit. In the assist mode, the motor is driven to provide auxiliary power to the wheels, in the regenerative braking mode, the motor is driven as a generator to charge the large-capacity capacitor, and in the flat ground mode, the motor is driven. It is characterized by stopping.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since a large-capacity capacitor that can be charged at high speed and has a long life is used as the power source, it is not necessary to replace the capacitor and the maintenance is simplified. In addition, since the large-capacity capacitor is small and lightweight, the electric power assist device for a stroller can be reduced in size and weight.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when traveling downhill, the regenerative braking mode is set so that the motor functions as a generator, and the kinetic energy generated by traveling is converted into electric energy by the motor functioning as a generator. Because the large capacity capacitor can be charged, the cruising range of the stroller can be extended.

1 is a front view of a stroller equipped with an electric power assist device according to the present invention. It is a circuit block diagram of the electric power assist device for strollers according to the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the electric power assist apparatus for strollers which concerns on this invention. It is a circuit block diagram which shows the state at the time of assist mode of the electric power assist apparatus for strollers which concerns on this invention. It is a circuit block diagram which shows the state at the time of the regenerative braking mode of the electric power assist apparatus for strollers which concerns on this invention. It is a circuit block diagram which shows the state at the time of the flat ground mode of the electric power assist apparatus for strollers which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the charge operation from the external power supply to the high capacity | capacitance capacitor | condenser in the electric power assist apparatus for baby strollers which concerns on this invention. It is a circuit block diagram which shows the state at the time of charge mode of the electric power assist apparatus for strollers which concerns on this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of a stroller equipped with an electric power assist device according to the present invention. In the stroller 1 shown in the figure, a seat 3 on which an infant sits is incorporated in a frame-like frame 2, and the frame 2 can be rotated three times. The baby stroller 1 is equipped with the electric power assist device 5 according to the present invention, which is supported by the wheels 4 so as to be able to run.

  The electric power assist device 5 assists a part of the effort of the person pushing the stroller 1 with auxiliary power. The left and right electric motors 6 connected to the pair of left and right axles 4, A large-capacitance capacitor 7 that is disposed between and supplies electric power to each electric motor 6, a circuit unit 8 that is disposed on the capacitor, and a grip 9 that is horizontally installed on the upper end of the frame 2 is disposed in the center in the width direction. A controller 10 is included. The grip 9 is provided with a brake grip 11 for braking the travel of the stroller 1. As the large-capacity capacitor 7, one or more electrolytic capacitors and electric double layer capacitors are used.

  Next, the circuit configuration of the electric power assist device 5 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a circuit configuration diagram of an electric power assist device for a stroller according to the present invention. The circuit unit 8 includes a circuit unit power supply circuit 12 for generating a power source for operating the circuit unit 8, and driving of the electric motor 6. A power supply circuit 13 for a power supply used during time and regeneration, a power supply monitoring circuit 14 for monitoring and controlling the circuit unit power supply circuit 12 and the power supply circuit 13, an inclination sensor 15 for detecting the inclination angle of the road surface, and the inclination A control circuit 16 that calculates a road surface inclination angle and the like based on a detection signal from the sensor 15 and the like, an electric motor drive circuit 17 that drives the electric motor 6, and the like are configured. In the present embodiment, the rotation of the electric motor 6 is configured to be transmitted to the wheel 4 via the reduction gear 18, but the rotation of the electric motor 6 may be directly transmitted to the wheel 4. The controller 10 turns on / off the connection between the large-capacitance capacitor 7 and the circuit unit 8.

  Thus, in the electric power assist device 5 configured as described above, the circuit unit 8 has the assist mode and the regenerative braking according to the inclination angle of the road surface detected by the inclination sensor 15 provided thereon. Mode or flat ground mode is set. In the assist mode, the motor 6 is driven to give auxiliary power to the wheels 4, and in the regenerative braking mode, the motor 6 is driven as a generator to charge the large-capacitance capacitor 7. In, the drive of the electric motor 6 is stopped. Hereinafter, the operation of the electric power assist device 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the electric power assist device for a stroller according to the present invention, FIG. 4 is a circuit configuration diagram showing a state in the assist mode of the electric power assist device for the stroller, and FIG. 5 is a regenerative braking mode. FIG. 6 is a circuit configuration diagram showing a state in the flat ground mode.

  When the operation of the electric power assist device 5 starts (step S1 in FIG. 3), the inclination angle of the road surface detected by the inclination sensor 15 is detected (step S2), and whether or not the road surface is flat is determined by the inclination angle. Determination is made (step S3).

  When it is determined that the road surface is not flat because the inclination angle of the road surface detected by the inclination sensor 15 exceeds a preset threshold value (when the determination result in Step S3 is No), the road surface is It is determined whether or not the vehicle is uphill (step S4). When the road surface is uphill (when the determination result in step S4 is Yes), the assist mode is set as the control mode (step S5).

  FIG. 4 shows the operation in the assist mode. In this assist mode, the power monitoring circuit 14 monitors the remaining amount and abnormality of the large-capacitance capacitor 7 that is the power source (step S6), and can the motor 6 be driven? It is determined whether or not (step S7). When it is determined that the electric motor 6 can be driven (when the determination result in step S7 is Yes), the power supply monitoring circuit 14 sends power from the large-capacitance capacitor 7 to the electric motor 6 to the control circuit 16. A signal permitting the supply is transmitted (step S8). Then, the control circuit 16 boosts the power output from the large-capacitance capacitor 7 by the power supply circuit 13 using a DC / DC converter (step S9), and drives and controls the motor drive circuit 17 (step S10), so that the motor 6 is driven by the motor. Drive control is performed by the circuit 17, and the rotation is transmitted to the left and right wheels 4 via the reduction gear 18, and the left and right wheels 4 are rotationally driven.

  Accordingly, in this power assist mode, the human power in traveling on the uphill of the stroller 1 shown in FIG. 1 is assisted by the auxiliary power generated by the electric motor 6, and the stroller 1 can travel on the uphill easily. The physical burden on the person pushing the stroller 1 is reduced. In the assist mode, the number of rotations of the wheel 4 or the rotation of the wheel 4 at the time of running is detected by a rotation sensor (not shown), and the detected data is transmitted to the control circuit 16. In the assist mode, when it is determined that the road surface is flat or downhill according to the inclination angle detected by the inclination sensor 15, the power is turned off by the controller 10 when an abnormality occurs in the large-capacitance capacitor 7. If finished. Further, in the assist mode, when it is determined that the electric motor 6 cannot be driven because the remaining power amount or abnormality of the large-capacitance capacitor 7 is monitored by the power supply monitoring circuit 14 (the determination result in step S7 is No). In some cases, the operation of the electric power assist device 5 ends (step S20), and the power assist by the electric motor 6 is not performed.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the road inclination angle detected by the inclination sensor 15 exceeds a preset threshold value and the road surface is not an uphill (when the determination result in step S4 is No), the road surface It is determined whether or not is a downhill (step S12). When it is determined that the road surface is a downhill (when the determination result in Step S12 is Yes), the regenerative braking mode is set as the control mode (Step S13).

  FIG. 5 shows the operation in the regenerative braking mode. In this regenerative braking mode, the power monitoring circuit 14 monitors the remaining amount of power and abnormality of the large-capacity capacitor 7 that is the power source (step 14), and the motor 6 is changed to the generator It is determined whether or not it is necessary to charge the large capacity capacitor 7 (step S15). When it is determined that the large-capacitance capacitor 7 needs to be charged (when the determination result in Step S15 is Yes), it is determined whether or not charging is possible (Step S16). .

  When it is determined that the large-capacity capacitor 7 can be charged (when the determination result in step S16 is Yes), the power supply monitoring circuit 14 starts from the electric motor 6 functioning as a generator with respect to the control circuit 16. A signal for permitting charging of the large-capacitance capacitor 7 is transmitted (step S17). Then, the electric power generated in the electric motor 6 functioning as a generator is controlled by the power supply circuit 13 (step S18) and supplied to the large-capacitance capacitor 7 to charge the large-capacity capacitor 7 (step S19). That is, in this regenerative braking mode, the kinetic energy when the stroller 1 travels along the downhill is converted into electrical energy by the power generation action of the electric motor 6, and the regenerative brake is applied to the travel of the stroller 1 on the downhill. At the same time, the large capacity capacitor 7 is charged.

  Therefore, in this regenerative braking mode, even when the remaining charge amount of the large-capacity capacitor 7 decreases, the large-capacity capacitor 7 is charged by the stroller 1 traveling along the downhill, and the charge capacity is Recover. In addition, when the determination result in step S12, S15, or S16 is No, the operation of the electric power assist device 5 ends (step S20), and the large-capacitance capacitor 7 is not charged.

  If the road surface is detected to be flat because the inclination angle of the road detected by the inclination sensor 15 is less than the threshold value (the determination result in step S3 is Yes), the control mode is flat. Set to mode.

  FIG. 6 shows the operation in the flat land mode. In this flat ground mode, the operation of the electric power assist device 5 is finished (step S20), and neither the power assist nor the charging of the large-capacity capacitor 7 is performed. This flat mode is terminated when it is determined that the road surface is uphill or downhill according to the inclination angle detected by the inclination sensor 15, when an abnormality occurs in the power supply, or when the power supply is turned off by the controller 10. To do.

  By the way, when the remaining capacity of the large-capacity capacitor 7 is insufficient, the large-capacity capacitor 7 is charged by an external power source. The charging procedure and operation will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a charging operation from an external power source to a large-capacity capacitor in the electric power assist device for a stroller according to the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a circuit configuration diagram showing a state of the electric power assist device for the stroller in a charging mode. In the case where the large capacity capacitor 7 is fully charged before the stroller 1 is used, the large capacity capacitor 7 is charged by connecting the external power source 18 to the power circuit 13 as shown in FIG.

  That is, when the charging operation is started (step S21 in FIG. 7), the power supply monitoring circuit 14 detects full charge, prevents overcharge and monitors the voltage value abnormality (step S22), and determines whether charging is possible. Determination is made (step S23). When it is determined that charging is possible (when the determination result in step S23 is Yes), the duty ratio of the PWM signal sent to the power supply circuit 13 is controlled in order to obtain an output suitable for charging the large-capacity capacitor 7. (Step S24), the large capacity capacitor 7 is charged (Step S25). When the large-capacity capacitor 7 is fully charged, charging is completed (step S26).

  Therefore, according to the electric power assist device 5 for a stroller according to the present invention, since the large-capacity capacitor 7 that has a long life and can be charged at high speed is used as a power source, the replacement becomes unnecessary and the maintenance is simplified. Further, since the large-capacitance capacitor 7 is small and lightweight, the electric power assist device 5 for strollers can be reduced in size and weight.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when traveling downhill, the regenerative braking mode is set so that the motor 6 functions as a generator, and the kinetic energy generated by traveling is converted into electrical energy by the motor 6 functioning as a generator. Since the large-capacity capacitor 7 is charged, the cruising distance of the stroller 1 can be extended.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Stroller 2 Frame 3 Seat 4 Wheel 5 Electric power assist apparatus 6 Electric motor 7 Large capacity capacitor 8 Circuit unit 9 Grip 10 Controller 11 Brake grip 12 Circuit unit power supply circuit 13 Power supply circuit 14 Power supply monitoring circuit 15 Inclination sensor 16 Control circuit 17 Electric motor Drive circuit 18 Reduction gear 19 External power supply

Claims (2)

A device mounted on a stroller,
An electric motor for rotating the wheels;
A large-capacitance capacitor for supplying power to the motor;
A circuit unit formed by integrating a plurality of electronic circuits and sensors;
An electric power assist device for a stroller comprising a controller for turning on / off the connection between the large-capacitance capacitor and the circuit unit. The circuit unit sets an assist mode, a regenerative braking mode, or a flat ground mode according to the inclination angle of the road surface detected by an inclination sensor provided on the circuit unit. 2. The stroller electric power according to claim 1, wherein in the regenerative braking mode, the electric motor is driven as a generator to charge the large-capacity capacitor, and in the flat ground mode, the driving of the electric motor is stopped. Assist device.

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