JP2014193685A - Electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric vehicle having pedaling feeling at start which is similar to the pedaling feeling at start in a general vehicle in which a pedal rotation mechanism and a drive wheel are mechanically connected together.SOLUTION: An electric vehicle has: a crank shaft 250L into which a rotational torque is inputted by pedals 251L, 251R and cranks 25L, 25R; and resistance imparting means GU for locking the crank shaft 250L by imparting a resistance to the crank shaft 250L in the stand-by state in a vehicle in which the crank shaft 250L and a drive wheel 23f driven by a motor are not connected by a mechanical transfer mechanism. When an input torque upon pressing a pedal reaches a prescribed value, drive of the drive wheel 23f is started together with lock release of the crank shaft 250L.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric vehicle, and more particularly, to an electric vehicle that travels using a rotation of a pedal pedaled by a driver as a drive command.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as represented by a bicycle, there is a vehicle that moves forward by transmitting driving force to a driving wheel via a chain by stroking a crank pedal connected to an input shaft with left and right feet. In addition to such a mechanical power transmission mechanism, an assist bicycle that reinforces the driving force with an electric motor has been proposed.
On the other hand, as described in the following patent document, there is proposed a bicycle that does not have a mechanical transmission mechanism and is electrically connected to an input device using a pedal and a drive device that drives a drive wheel.

JP 2001-114184 A JP 2010-120599 A

  In the above conventional electric bicycle, the pedal is used as an accelerator, and an output corresponding to the amount of rotation of the pedal is output from the drive wheel. In such an electric bicycle, the pedal rotation mechanism and the drive wheel are not mechanically connected, so that the torque when the driver steps on the pedal is not directly transmitted to the drive wheel. In conventional bicycles and assist bicycles that include a mechanical power transmission mechanism, the pedaling force is adjusted by adjusting the force with which the pedal is depressed while feeling the response of the pedal. I can't feel it, so I can't push the pedal with the same feeling as a conventional bicycle, and I can't know how much acceleration is required.

For example, in general bicycles, inertia occurs due to the weight of the bicycle itself and the weight of the driver, so when starting rowing from a stopped state (when starting rowing), or when accelerating during running, compared to constant speed running And the pedal feels heavy.
On the other hand, the conventional electric bicycle is not mechanically connected to the driving wheel, so the pedal feel (the weight of the pedal) according to the running situation is less likely to be felt by the rowing foot, which is uncomfortable. It had become.
In the electric bicycle described in Patent Document 1, it is described that a member (for example, a generator) that provides rotational resistance is provided on the pedal crankshaft from the viewpoint of imitating the running feeling of a general bicycle. There is no description of what kind of control is specifically performed to imitate a general bicycle running sensation.

The electric bicycle described in Patent Document 2 is provided with a device that applies a rotational load to the pedal and a start switch that is operated at the time of start, but control for imitating the running feeling of a general bicycle that does not have a start button. Is not done.
An object of the present invention is to provide an electric vehicle in which the feeling of pedaling at the time of starting is similar to the feeling of starting at a general vehicle in which a pedal rotation mechanism and a drive wheel are mechanically connected. is there.

The present invention for solving the above problems has the following configuration.
(1) a vehicle body on which the driver is placed;
A vehicle having front and rear wheels supported respectively on the front and rear of the vehicle body;
A pedal that receives the pedaling force of the driver,
A rotation axis;
A crank provided at the tip of the pedal, and transmitting a pedaling force to the rotating shaft as torque;
A motor for driving at least one of the front wheel or the rear wheel,
Resistance applying means for generating resistance against the rotating shaft when torque is applied to the rotating shaft by a pedaling force;
Torque detecting means for detecting torque applied to the rotating shaft by pedal depression force;
Acceleration determination means for determining the driver's intention to accelerate based on the torque value detected by the torque detection means;
An electric vehicle having drive motor control means for determining an output of a drive motor when the acceleration determination means determines that the driver intends to accelerate.

(2) The electric vehicle according to (1), wherein the acceleration determination unit determines that the vehicle has an intention to start when the torque detected by the torque detection unit exceeds a predetermined value.

(3) The electric vehicle according to (2), wherein the resistance applying unit applies a resistance sufficient to lock the rotating shaft until a torque value detected by the torque detecting unit exceeds a predetermined value.

(4) The electric vehicle according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the drive motor control means determines an output of the drive motor based on a value detected by the torque detection means.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, resistance is applied to the force of depressing the pedal, so that the pedaling feeling of an electric vehicle in which a mechanical reaction force is not transmitted from the driving wheel can be reduced by using a general bicycle pedal. It is possible to get close to the sensation of craving. In particular, since the acceleration is determined according to the torque value of the rotating shaft input from the pedal that is stepped on, the acceleration operation can be approximated to an operation of accelerating a normal bicycle. Therefore, a driver accustomed to riding a general bicycle can perform an acceleration operation without a sense of incongruity.

According to the invention described in claim 2, since the vehicle starts when the torque applied to the rotating shaft exceeds a predetermined value, the same operation as the operation of straddling the foot placed on the pedal for starting a general bicycle is reproduced. Therefore, it can be more approximate to the operation of starting a general bicycle.
According to the invention described in claim 3, by setting the predetermined value for starting to be a torque value necessary for starting, it is possible to approach an operation feeling when starting with a general bicycle.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the pedal is locked without rotating until the torque from the pedal exceeds a predetermined value. Therefore, the pedal is fixed until the start of the start, and the rotation of the pedal Since the vehicle starts at the same time as the start, it is possible to approximate the operating feeling of a general bicycle in this respect as well.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the output of the drive motor is determined based on the value detected by the torque detecting means, the acceleration feeling due to the depression of the pedal can be approximated to that of a general bicycle.

1 is an overall side view of an electric vehicle according to the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the electric system in the electric vehicle of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the control content of the electric vehicle of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the control content of the electric vehicle of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the control content of the electric vehicle of this invention. It is a vector diagram which shows the direction of the force applied to a pedal. It is a vector diagram which shows the direction of the force according to the position of a pedal. It is a graph which shows the change of pedal rotation speed. It is a flowchart which shows the control content of the electric vehicle of this invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the vehicle of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an electric vehicle 1 according to the present invention, and is an overall perspective view of an electric bicycle. The vehicle body 2 includes an operation unit 20 and a main body 21. The operation unit 20 includes a handle 22, a stem 221 that is a rotation shaft of the handle 22, and a front wheel 23f. The main body 21 is composed of, for example, a single base or a frame in which a plurality of members are combined. In this embodiment, the main body 21 is composed of a single base. A stem 221 of the handle 22 is rotatably supported by the front end head tube 211 of the main body 21, and a rear wheel 23 b that is a driven wheel is supported at the rear end, and the control unit CU and the battery unit BU are connected to each other. It is installed. The handle 22 is provided with a brake lever 224 as a braking operation means for operating the braking device to the handle grip portions 223 at both ends. The brake lever 224 is provided with a brake sensor BBS that detects an operation amount for braking.

  On the other hand, a column 24 is erected at the center of the main body 21, and a power generation unit GU is provided at the base end of the column 24. A saddle 241 is attached to the tip of the support column 24. A front fork 222 is connected to the lower end portion of the stem, and a front wheel 23f that is a drive wheel is provided at the front end of the front fork 222. A drive motor unit MC is provided at the central shaft portion of the front wheel 23f. The drive motor unit MC has an in-wheel motor that is the drive motor M. The output shaft of the in-wheel motor is fixed to the front fork 222, and the driving wheel 23f is rotationally driven as a driving wheel by driving the in-wheel motor. The drive motor unit MU is provided with a drive wheel rotational speed sensor MRS and a drive motor current sensor MTS as traveling state detection means. The drive wheel rotational speed sensor MRS detects the rotational speed of the drive wheel and drives the drive motor. The current sensor MTS detects a current value flowing through the drive motor. The torque Tm output from the drive motor M can be known from this current value.

  An input shaft protrudes from the left and right sides of the power generation unit GU, and each left and right input shaft has a crank shaft 250L to which cranks 25L and 25R are connected in opposite directions (the right crank shaft 250R is not shown). It has become. Pedals 251L and 251R are rotatably supported at the ends of the left and right cranks 25L and 25R, respectively. The power generation unit GU includes a generator G as resistance applying means, and the pedaling force applied to the cranks 25L and 25R is transmitted to the rotor of the generator G as a rotational torque Tp via the input shaft. The power generation unit GU may include a mechanical transmission mechanism, such as a transmission, for transmitting the torque Tp applied to the input shaft to the generator G. The power generation unit GU further includes a generator current sensor PIS, a pedal torque sensor PTS as a torque detection means, and a pedal rotation speed sensor PRS. The pedal torque sensor PTS is a sensor that detects torque Tp transmitted from the pedal when the driver depresses, and the pedal rotation speed sensor PRS detects the rotation speed of the pedal. The generator current sensor PIS detects a current value flowing through the generator. This current value measures the drag applied to the pedal by the generator.

  The control unit CU includes a vehicle control circuit EC configured by an integrated circuit and a memory, a battery control circuit BC that controls discharging and charging of a battery, a generator control circuit GC, and a motor control circuit MC. The battery unit BU provided adjacent to the control unit CU includes a battery BT, a battery current sensor BIS that detects a current value output from the battery BT, and a voltage sensor BVS that detects a voltage output from the battery BT. I have. The battery unit BU is detachably provided mechanically and electrically with respect to the vehicle body 2 and is configured to be rechargeable by an external power source in a state of being detached from the vehicle body 2. The electric power of the battery BT is supplied to the drive motor M, and the regenerative electric power is supplied to the battery BT when the drive motor M is regenerated.

  In addition, when the pedal drag is generated by the generator G, the electric power of the battery BT is supplied to the generator G, and the electric power generated by the generator G is supplied to the battery BT and stored. The drive motor M and the generator G are actuators that mutually convert energy between electric energy and mechanical rotational energy. The drive motor M mainly converts electric power into rotational torque, but rotates during regeneration. Convert torque to electric power. The generator G mainly converts rotational torque into electric power. However, when controlling the number of rotations of the pedal, the generator control circuit GC may convert electric power into rotational torque. The drive motor M functions as a braking means by controlling the rotation speed.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the present invention. The control system includes a vehicle control circuit EC, a battery control circuit BC, a generator control circuit GC, and a motor control circuit MC, and an instruction signal is supplied from each vehicle control circuit EC to another control circuit. Detection values are input from the sensors to the vehicle control circuit EC, and based on the input values, the value of the drag applied to the rotating shaft of the pedal, the target rotational speed of the pedal, the target vehicle speed, and the like are determined.

  The generator control circuit GC controls the rotation of the generator so that the actual pedal rotation speed becomes the target rotation speed based on the instruction of the pedal target rotation speed from the vehicle control circuit EC. Specifically, by controlling the current of the generator, resistance is given to the rotation of the rotor of the generator, and the rotation speed of the pedal is controlled.

The motor control circuit MC controls the electric power supplied to the drive motor M so that the actual vehicle speed becomes the target value based on the instruction of the target vehicle speed value from the vehicle control circuit EC. Further, during regeneration, the circuit is switched and controlled so that regenerative power obtained from the drive motor can be supplied to the battery BT.
The battery control circuit BC performs mode switching based on an instruction from the vehicle control circuit EC. The battery control circuit BC is divided into a generator system and a drive motor system. For each, a mode for supplying power to the drive motor M, a mode for charging regenerative power from the drive motor M, and a power supply to the generator G are provided. The mode is switched between the mode to perform and the mode to charge the electric power generated from the generator G.

  Hereinafter, based on the flowchart shown by FIGS. 3-6, the traveling control process of the electric vehicle of this invention is demonstrated. This control process includes a rowing determination control process S101 that is performed when a pedal is stepped on from a state where the vehicle is stopped, a drive control process S103 that is performed with respect to a drive output when the vehicle is traveling, Pedal control process S105 for controlling the resistance of the pedal rotation shaft so as to follow the pedaling feeling of a general bicycle in which the pedal and the drive wheel are connected by a mechanical power transmission mechanism in response to the driver's pedal depression operation And.

Based on the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, the rowing start determination process will be described. In the electric vehicle according to the present invention, since the running resistance applied to the drive wheel is not transmitted as a drag force of the pedal, a process of controlling the rotation of the pedal while receiving the pedal force is performed.
A brake operation amount is acquired from the brake sensor BBS (step S201). From the acquired operation amount, based on the brake, it is determined whether or not the brake is ON, that is, whether or not an operation for locking the drive wheels is being performed (step S203).

If the brake is OFF, the rotational speed N1 of the drive motor is acquired from the drive motor rotational speed sensor MRS (step S205), and the vehicle speed V is calculated from the acquired rotational speed (step S207). The vehicle speed may be acquired by providing a vehicle speed sensor separately and acquiring the vehicle speed from the vehicle speed sensor.

  Next, it is determined whether the vehicle speed V acquired in step S207 is equal to or lower than zero (V ≦ 0) (step S209). If the vehicle speed V is less than or equal to zero, it means that the vehicle is in a state where it can move forward, and therefore it is determined whether a rowing operation is being performed next. That is, the torque Tp applied via the pedal is acquired from the pedal torque sensor PTS, and it is determined whether the torque Tp is larger than a predetermined threshold value a (step S211). Since the torque cannot be detected by the pedal depression force when the crankshaft 250 rotates freely, the generator G is instructed to have 0 rotation speed in advance in order to cause the pedal torque sensor PTS to detect the torque. The rotation of the shaft 250 is defined.

  The threshold value a is set to the following value, for example. In a conventional bicycle including a power transmission mechanism such as a chain, the pedal does not move in the forward direction when the driving wheel is stopped. As described above, in order to reproduce the pedal operation feeling of the conventional bicycle, the threshold value a is set to a torque value necessary to produce a feeling that the pedal is fixed when the vehicle is stopped. Or it is good also as a value set as a minimum value required in order to advance a vehicle. Alternatively, the threshold value a may be set to a torque that is applied just by placing the foot on the pedal so that even a person with weaker pedaling force, such as an elderly person, can start. If the torque value Tp is larger than the threshold value a, it can be determined that the pedaling force for advancing the pedal is applied (or the driver intends to move forward), and the process proceeds to the drive travel control process (step S213).

  If it is determined in step S203 that the brake is ON (the state where the wheel is stopped), this means that there is an intention to make the vehicle stop. Therefore, a command to set the target rotational speed of the drive motor M to 0 is supplied to the motor control circuit MC (step S219). By such processing, the rotation of the drive motor M is restricted, and the drive wheel is substantially braked. After step S219, a command to set the target rotational speed to 0 is supplied to the generator control circuit GC (step S221). By this process, the pedal is fixed. In step S219, braking means is configured, and in step S221, resistance adjusting means is configured. By step S219 and step S221, the drive wheel 23f and the crankshaft 250 are braked simultaneously.

  If it is determined in step S209 that the vehicle speed V is not zero or negative, it means that at least the vehicle is moving forward. As the state of the vehicle, for example, it is estimated that the driver is not riding on the saddle, or is moving forward while riding the saddle and not pedaling. Next, it is necessary to fix the pedal in order to detect the torque applied to the pedal in the rowing determination process, and a command to set the pedal rotation speed to 0 is supplied to the generator control circuit GC (step S221).

  On the other hand, if the pedal torque Tp is smaller than the threshold value a in step S211, it is determined that the pedaling force is not applied to the pedal so as to generate a sufficient torque to move forward, so that the driving operation is performed in consideration of starting out. It is determined that it is not, and the control is not shifted to the drive control process (step S213), and an instruction to set the pedal rotation number to 0 is supplied to the generator control circuit GC (step S221). The control for setting the pedal rotation speed to 0 is executed until the torque value input to the crankshaft 250 by the pedal effort exceeds a threshold value b described later.

  In the above processing, the state in which it is determined in step S211 that the pedal torque Tp is smaller than the threshold value a is specifically that the driver riding on the bicycle saddle 241 returns the brake lever 224 (turns it OFF). , One foot on the pedal and ready to row. At this time, the driving wheels are stopped by the driver and the weight of the vehicle body, and the cranks 25R and 25L are also stopped.

  Here, when the foot on the pedal is stretched to increase the pedal depression force and the pedal torque Tp becomes larger than the threshold value a, it is presumed that the torque necessary for starting the bicycle is applied by the pedal. Control processing is started (step S213). This is presumed to be similar to a state in which a bicycle is started by putting one foot on the ground and stepping on the pedal with the other foot in a general bicycle. Steps S211 and S213 constitute acceleration (start) determination means.

Next, drive control processing will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. Torque Tp input from the pedal is acquired from the pedal torque sensor PTS (step S301). It is determined whether the acquired pedal torque Tp is greater than a threshold value a (step S303). If it is greater than the threshold value a, it can be determined that there is an intention to drive the drive wheel 23f, and therefore the vehicle speed V is calculated from the rotation speed acquired by the drive wheel rotation speed sensor MRS (step S305). ◎
It is determined whether the vehicle speed V obtained in step S305 is greater than the threshold value c (step S307). The threshold value c is set to a speed at which the bicycle is accelerated from the speed 0 state and both feet can be put on the pedals on both sides.

If the vehicle speed V is greater than the threshold value c, the target vehicle speed is calculated based on the pedal torque Tp acquired in step S301 (step S309). Next, since the vehicle speed becomes the target vehicle speed, a torque value that the drive motor M needs to output is calculated and set as a torque command value T0 (step S311). Such calculation of the torque command value T0 is determined in consideration of the difference between the current vehicle speed and the target vehicle speed and the degree of acceleration when starting from speed 0.
The determined torque command value T0 is supplied to the motor control circuit MC (step S313), and the motor control circuit MC controls the current value so that the commanded torque value T0 is output from the drive motor M. A drive motor control means is comprised by step S309, step S311, and step S313.

  If the vehicle speed V is smaller than the threshold value c in step S307, it means that the vehicle has not reached a speed sufficient to place both feet on the pedal. It is necessary to accelerate immediately. That is, it is necessary to quickly increase the speed to the threshold value c, and the torque command value T0 is set to the maximum value of the output torque of the drive motor M (step S317) and commanded (step S313). The output torque value set in this process (step S313) may not be the maximum value, but since acceleration is necessary, at least a torque larger than the torque currently output by the drive motor M is necessary. . This maximum value output is canceled when the vehicle speed reaches the threshold value c. Thereafter, processing in steps S309 to 311 is performed.

In step S303, if the pedal torque Tp is smaller than the threshold value a, it can be determined that there is no intention to accelerate, so the output torque of the drive motor M is determined to be 0 (step S315), and the torque command value T0 ( = 0) is supplied to the motor control circuit MC (step S313). This state is a state in which the drive motor M is not driven and the bicycle is traveling in inertia. Step S301 constitutes pedal torque acquisition means. Step S305 constitutes vehicle speed acquisition means. Step S317 constitutes acceleration torque determining means.
When the drive control is started, it is next determined whether or not the pedal torque Tp is larger than the threshold value b (step S215). The threshold value b is a value necessary for further acceleration, and the threshold value b> the threshold value a. If the pedal torque Tp is smaller than the threshold value b, it is determined that there is no intention to accelerate, and the pedal rotation speed is maintained at 0 (step S221).

  If the pedal torque Tp is greater than the threshold value b, pedal control processing (step S217) is performed. Hereinafter, an outline of the pedal control process will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, a force (stepping force) K for placing the foot on the pedal 251L and stepping on the pedal 251L is applied in a substantially vertical direction. This pedaling force rotates the crankshaft 250L, that is, the torque is a value obtained by multiplying the component force Q decomposed in the tangential direction of the rotation locus (ring) of the pedal 251L by the length of the crank. As shown in FIG. 7, the pedal effort K changes with the position of the pedal, and the component force Q also changes greatly. The pedal depression force K starts to be applied when the pedal is positioned in the vicinity of the apex, becomes maximum from the vicinity of the front side to the lower side, and decreases as it moves rearward. Further, the component force Q overlaps with the direction of the pedaling force K around the direction in which the movement direction of the pedal moving along the circumference is directed downward, and the magnitude becomes maximum.

  Accordingly, the torque Tp applied to the crankshaft 250L during one rotation of the pedal changes periodically, and based on this, the rotation speed also changes periodically. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a periodic change in the number of pedal rotations that changes in response to a pedaling operation by the driver's vehicle. Graph (a) in the figure conceptually shows changes in the rotational speed when traveling on a flat ground while maintaining a constant speed, and the rotational speed change is indicated by a curve substantially along a sine wave. Such a change in the number of revolutions occurs in a general bicycle in which power is mechanically transmitted from the crankshaft of the pedal to the driving wheel, but since the inertia of the traveling vehicle is directly transmitted from the driving wheel to the pedal, The feeling that the driver feels when pedaling does not change as much as shown in the graph.

  However, when the drive wheel 23f and the crankshaft 250 are not mechanically connected as in the vehicle of the present invention, the reaction force due to inertia is not transmitted, so that the change in the rotational speed is directly felt on the foot of the pedal. This results in a feeling that is very different from the driving feeling of a general bicycle, which is uncomfortable. In particular, when the pedal depression force is increased when climbing or accelerating, as shown in the graph (b), the range of the changing rotational speed is increased, and in particular, there is a tendency that a sense of incongruity increases. . Therefore, in order to eliminate a sense of incongruity when pedaling, a force that resists pedaling force is applied to the crankshaft 250 during pedaling, and pedaling similar to that of a general bicycle in which the drive wheels and pedals are mechanically connected. Produce a sense. Furthermore, when the pedal depression force that increases the uncomfortable feeling is increased, the process of adjusting the rotation speed of the crankshaft 250L is further executed to suppress the unnatural feeling.

  Hereinafter, the pedal control process will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. Torque Tp input from the pedal is acquired from the pedal torque sensor PTS (step S401). It is determined whether the acquired torque Tp is larger than the threshold value b (step S403). If it is smaller than the threshold value b, it is determined that the driver does not intend to accelerate, and the pedal rotation speed is set to 0, that is, the pedal is determined to be fixed (step S419). If the torque Tp is larger than the threshold value b, the pedal rotation speed 0 setting set in step S221 or step S419 is canceled. That is, the pedal is in a rotatable state. Then, the rotation amount θ of the cranks 25L and 25R supplied from the pedal rotation speed sensor PRS is monitored (step S405). It is determined whether the rotation amount θ of the cranks 25L and 25R has become larger than a predetermined value d (step S407). The predetermined value d is a value for determining whether or not the pedal is rotating.

  If the amount of rotation θ is greater than the predetermined value d, it can be determined that the pedal is rotating. Therefore, the number of rotations input to the generator G from the pedal is monitored, and changes in the number of rotations that occur periodically are monitored. Detect percentage. And the target rotation speed of a generator is set according to the ratio of the change. As the rate of change in the rotational speed, for example, the difference (dN) between the highest value and the lowest value within a period in which the change in the rotational speed is monitored is calculated. This difference in rotational speed may be calculated as the amplitude of the rotational speed that changes periodically. Alternatively, the difference between the average value and the maximum value, or the difference between the average value and the minimum value may be calculated as an index indicating the rate of change. Alternatively, the slope of the curve (acceleration of rotation speed) in the average value may be acquired as an index indicating the rate of change. Alternatively, the slope of a straight line connecting the maximum value and the minimum value, or the area value (integrated value) of the portion surrounded by the sine wave and the target rotation speed Ng shown in each graph of FIG. 8 is used as an index. You can also. In this embodiment, as described above, the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the rotation speed is calculated as an index indicating the change rate of the rotation speed (step S409).

  It is determined whether or not the rotational speed difference dN is larger than a predetermined value f (step S411). If the rotational speed difference dN is larger than the predetermined value f, it is determined that the pedal is stepped on with the intention of acceleration, and the acquired pedal is based on the pedal torque Tp and the rotation amount θ acquired in steps S401 and S405. The vehicle speed V when the rotation amount θ is reached by the torque Tp is calculated (step S413). Then, as shown in the graph of FIG. 8, when the vehicle is accelerating (FIG. 8 (b)), unevenness of the pedals is particularly likely to cause a sense of incongruity, so the following processing is performed. . The pedal rotation speed Ng1 when the pedal is applied is calculated so that the vehicle speed of the general bicycle becomes the vehicle speed V obtained in step S413. Then, a value higher than the pedal rotation speed Ng1 is determined as the target rotation speed Ng2 of the generator G (step S415). Thus, by setting the target rotational speed Ng2 higher than the rotational speed expected for an actual bicycle (Ng1 <Ng2: FIG. 8 (b)), the torque required to rotate the pedal is increased. Since it becomes smaller (in other words, the resistance against the torque input by the pedal depression force becomes smaller), the uncomfortable feeling when pedaling is reduced.

  If it is determined in step S407 that the rotation amount θ is smaller than the predetermined value d, it is determined that the pedal has not yet rotated. Therefore, based on the drive wheel rotation speed Nm acquired from the drive wheel rotation speed sensor MRS, The vehicle speed V is calculated (step S421). The pedal rotation speed r0 when the pedal is applied so that the vehicle speed of the general bicycle becomes the vehicle speed V obtained in step S421 is calculated and determined as the target rotation speed r1 of the generator G (step S423).

  In step S403, if the pedal torque Tp is smaller than the threshold value b, the target rotational speed of the generator G is set to 0 and the pedal is kept fixed (step S419). Further, in step S411, if the rotational speed difference dN is smaller than the predetermined value f, it is determined that deceleration is intended. In such a case, it is difficult to feel uneven pedaling. The standby rotational speed is set to the target rotational speed (step S425).

Then, the target rotational speed of the generator G determined in step S423, step S415, step S425, and step S419 is supplied to the generator control circuit GC (step S417). Here, the generator control circuit GC performs rotation speed control by appropriately applying resistance to the rotation of the pedal so that the target rotation speed is obtained.
Step S411, Step S413, Step S415, Step S417 and Step S411, Step S425, and Step S417 constitute a resistance adjusting means. Step S409 constitutes a rotational speed change amount detecting means.

  In addition to the generator G, the drag applying means may be provided with a drag adjusting means that adjusts the drag by adjusting the pressing force of the braking member using a friction braking device such as a disc brake. Alternatively, a flywheel may be provided as a drag applying unit, and the drag adjusting unit may be configured to adjust the drag by changing a gear ratio using a transmission provided between the flywheel and the crankshaft. .

The present invention separately controls a generator G for controlling the rotation by applying a drag force to the pedal, and a drive motor M for outputting a driving force, so that the operation feeling of a general bicycle or an assist bicycle is sensed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to provide a vehicle with a completely new operational feeling that cannot be achieved with the conventional configuration by separately controlling the pedal and the driving wheel. is there. Providing a vehicle that can drive at a higher speed than a conventional bicycle by setting the rotation ratio of the drive wheel to the pedal rotation to be higher than the conventional ratio, or conversely, if the pedal is not rotated more, the ratio is lower than the conventional ratio. It is also possible to provide a vehicle capable of providing a diet effect with no control content.
In the above description, a bicycle is taken as an example of the electric vehicle. However, the electric vehicle is not limited to a two-wheeled vehicle having front and rear wheels, but may be a three-wheeled vehicle or a four-wheeled vehicle having two front wheels and two rear wheels. Further, the drive wheels may be rear wheels instead of front wheels.

Claims (5)

A vehicle body on which the driver is placed;
A vehicle having front and rear wheels supported respectively on the front and rear of the vehicle body;
A pedal that receives the pedaling force of the driver,
A rotation axis;
A crank provided at the tip of the pedal, and transmitting a pedaling force to the rotating shaft as torque;
A motor for driving at least one of the front wheel or the rear wheel,
Resistance applying means for generating resistance against the rotating shaft when torque is applied to the rotating shaft by a pedaling force;
Torque detecting means for detecting torque applied to the rotating shaft by pedal depression force during standby;
Start determination means for determining the intention of the driver to start based on the torque value detected by the torque detection means;
An electric vehicle having drive motor control means for starting driving of the drive motor when the start determination means determines that the driver intends to start. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the start determination unit determines that the start is intended when the torque detected by the torque detection unit exceeds a predetermined value. The electric vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined value is a torque value required for starting. The electric vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the resistance applying unit locks the rotating shaft until a torque value detected by the torque detecting unit exceeds a predetermined value. The electric vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the drive motor control means determines an output of the drive motor based on a value detected by the torque detection means.

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