JP2024067326A - vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a vehicle that allows for improved attachment and detachment of a battery. [Solution] A vehicle 100 includes front wheels 1 and rear wheels 2, a base 3 that extends in the front-rear direction and has a load section that receives the weight of an occupant and a case section 50 that houses a battery 7, and a traction motor 4 that is electrically connected to the battery 7 housed in the case section 50 and drives the rear wheels 2. The case section 50 has a movable case that detachably holds the battery 7, and the movable case is arranged to hold the battery 7 in a housed position and an upright position. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an electric vehicle with front and rear wheels.

Stand-on electric vehicles with front and rear wheels have been known for some time (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, the vehicle is propelled by driving an electric motor with power from a battery mounted on the vehicle.

International Publication No. 2021/220560

However, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the battery is placed at a high position on the vehicle, so there is room to improve the stability of the vehicle by mounting the battery at a low position on the vehicle. In addition, when mounting the battery at a low position on the vehicle, it is desirable to improve the ease of attachment and detachment in the attachment and detachment state by making the posture different between the holding state in which the battery is used and the attachment and detachment state in which the battery is attached and detached.

A vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention includes front and rear wheels, a base extending in the fore-and-aft direction and having a load section for receiving the load of an occupant and a storage section for storing a storage battery, and an electric motor electrically connected to the storage battery stored in the storage section and driving at least one of the front and rear wheels. The storage section has a holding section for detachably holding the storage battery, and the holding section is arranged to hold the storage battery in a first position and a second position different from the first position.

The present invention improves the stability of the vehicle and makes it easier to attach and detach the storage battery.

1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a perspective view showing a battery storage structure in a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the battery is in a storage position; 1 is a perspective view showing a battery storage structure in a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the battery is in an upright position; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the back side of a lid included in the storage structure of FIGS. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the configuration of a movable case included in the storage structure of FIGS. 2 and 3, showing a state in which the battery is in a storage position; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a movable case included in the housing structure of FIGS. 2 and 3, showing a state in which the battery is in an upright position; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the battery shown in FIGS. 4 is a side view showing the configuration of a position change mechanism included in the storage structure of FIGS. 2 and 3, showing a state in which the battery is in a storage position; FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a posture change mechanism included in the storage structure of FIGS. 2 and 3, showing a state in which the battery is in an upright posture; 7A and 7B are diagrams for explaining the effect of the attitude changing mechanism.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 8. A vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured as an electric scooter that a user rides in a seated position. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a vehicle 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following, the front-to-rear direction (length direction), left-to-right direction (width direction), and up-to-down direction (height direction) of the vehicle 100 are defined as shown in the figure, and the configuration of each part will be described according to these definitions. Fig. 1 shows the vehicle 100 parked via a stand 100a.

As shown in FIG. 1, vehicle 100 is a two-wheeled vehicle having a single front wheel 1 that rotates about axis CL1 extending in the left-right direction, a single rear wheel 2 that rotates about axis CL2 extending in the left-right direction, and a base 3 that extends in the front-rear direction from the front wheel 1 to the rear wheel 2. Vehicle 100 is configured to be left-right or nearly left-right symmetrical with respect to a center line (vehicle width center line) that passes through the left-right center and extends in the front-rear direction. Note that either or both of front wheel 1 and rear wheel 2 may be configured by two wheels arranged on both the left and right sides of the vehicle width center line. In other words, vehicle 100 may be a three-wheeled vehicle or a four-wheeled vehicle.

A seat 36 on which a user sits is provided at the rear of the base 3. A step ST on which a user sitting on the seat 36 places their feet is provided at the center of the base 3. The step ST is formed as a substantially flat surface along a horizontal plane. A handle 41 operated by the user is provided at the front of the base 3. The handle 41 extends in the left-right direction like a rod, and grips 42 to be held by the user are provided at both left and right ends of the handle 41. A brake lever 43 is located near the grip 42.

Although not shown, a power switch for turning on the main power supply of the vehicle 100, a turn signal switch for commanding right or left turns, a switch for commanding turning on and off the headlights 44 provided on the front of the vehicle 100, and a monitor for displaying vehicle information are provided in the center of the handlebars 41 in the left-right direction and are operable by the user. Information such as vehicle speed and remaining battery charge is displayed on the monitor. The seat 36 is rotatable about an axis CL3 extending left-right at its front end, and a storage space is provided below the seat 36.

The vehicle 100 has a skeleton formed by a metal frame 300. The frame 300 is covered with a resin cover 200. In FIG. 1, a part of the frame 300 is indicated by a dotted line. The frame 300 has a steering pipe 301 extending from above the front wheel 1 to the handlebars 41, a main frame 302 extending downwardly from above the front wheel 1 to the rear, and a pair of left and right side frames 310 extending in the front-rear direction along the left and right side surfaces of the vehicle 100 from the front end of the step ST to the rear end of the seat 36. The steering pipe 301 and the main frame 302 extend along the center line of the vehicle 100 in the vehicle width direction, and the steering pipe 301 is integrally joined to the front end of the main frame 302 by welding or the like.

A steering shaft (not shown) is supported inside the cylindrical steering pipe 301 so that it can rotate left and right. The upper end of the steering shaft is fixed to the handlebars 41, and the lower end is fixed to a pair of left and right front forks 45 that rotatably support the rotation shaft of the front wheel 1. As a result, when the user steers the handlebars 41 left and right, the front wheel 1 is steered left and right via the steering shaft and the front forks 45.

The side frame 310 has a pair of left and right lower frames 311 extending generally horizontally in the front-rear direction on the left-right sides of the step ST, a pair of left and right upper frames 312 extending generally parallel to the lower frame 311 above the lower frame 311, and a pair of left and right rear frames 313 extending upwardly from the rear end of the lower frame 311 to the rear. The front ends of the pair of left and right lower frames 311 are each bent inwardly in the left-right direction and are integrally joined to the left and right side surfaces of the main frame 302 by welding or the like. The front ends of the pair of left and right upper frames 312 are also bent inwardly in the left-right direction and are integrally joined to the left and right side surfaces of the main frame 302. Furthermore, the rear ends of the pair of left and right upper frames 312 are each integrally joined to the rear ends of the pair of left and right lower frames 311 by welding or the like.

A pair of left and right swing arms 314 are supported on the pair of left and right rear frames 313 so that they can rotate in the vertical direction. The rear end of the pair of left and right swing arms 314 rotatably supports the rotation shaft of the rear wheel 2. When the swing arm 314 rotates, a damping force acts on the swing arm 314 by a damper (not shown). The pair of left and right side frames 310 are connected to each other at multiple points by a subframe extending in the horizontal direction. Specifically, they are connected to each other at the rear ends of the pair of left and right lower frames 311 (see FIG. 2) and the rear ends of the pair of left and right rear frames 313. The configuration of the frame 300 is not limited to the above. For example, the rear frame 313 may be connected to the rear end of the upper frame 312. The lower frame 311 and the upper frame 312 may be connected to each other by a subframe extending in the vertical direction.

Below the step ST, a roughly box-shaped storage space SP is formed surrounded by the left and right side frames 310. A battery 7 is disposed in the storage space SP. A travel motor (in-wheel motor) 4 driven by power supplied from the battery 7 and a brake unit 5 are housed inside the rear wheel 2. The travel motor 4 is a DC motor driven by direct current power, and is driven by operation of an accelerator provided on the grip 42. The travel motor 4 may be an AC motor driven by alternating current power. The brake unit 5 is composed of a drum brake or a disc brake, and is operated by operation of the brake lever 43. The vehicle 100 travels when driven by the travel motor 4, and braking force is applied by operation of the brake unit 5.

The vehicle 100 of this embodiment is characterized by the storage structure of the battery 7, and in particular the fact that the battery 7 is detachably provided from the vehicle 100. This point will be described below. Figures 2 and 3 are perspective views showing the storage structure of the battery 7 in the storage space SP. Note that in Figures 2 and 3, the cover 200 and part of the frame 300 (main frame 302 and upper frame 312) are not shown. Figure 2 shows the storage position in which the battery 7 is stored in the storage space SP, and Figure 3 shows the upright position when the battery 7 is removed from the storage space SP.

2 and 3, a case section 50 is provided inside the left and right side frames 310 (lower frame 311, upper frame 312). The case section 50 has a fixed case 52 having a substantially box shape. The fixed case 52 is configured with the front and rear faces, left and right sides, and bottom faces closed and the top face open, and a storage space SP for the battery 7 is formed inside the fixed case 52. The top face of the fixed case 52 is covered by an openable lid 51. FIG. 2 shows the state in which the lid 51 is closed, and FIG. 3 shows the state in which the lid 51 is open. As shown in FIG. 2, in the closed state, the top face of the lid 51 extends in a substantially horizontal direction. At this time, the top face of the lid 51 forms a step ST, and the user places his/her feet on the top face of the lid 51 in the closed state when getting on the vehicle. The lid 51 is made of a resin material, and an uneven anti-slip surface is provided on the top face.

The lid 51 is divided by an axis CL4 extending in the left-right direction into a front lid 51A in front of the axis CL4 (one side in the longitudinal direction) and a rear lid 51B behind the axis CL4 (the other side in the longitudinal direction). The front-to-rear length of the front lid 51A is longer than the front-to-rear length of the rear lid 51B. An unopenable end wall 51C is provided in front of the lid 51, covering the front end of the upper surface of the fixed case 52. A grip 53 protrudes upward from the upper surface of the rear lid 51B. The rear surface 53a of the grip 53 is open so that the user can insert their hand (fingers) from the rear to the front, and the user can grasp the grip 53 and lift the lid 51 while moving it forward.

Figure 4 is a perspective view (a view of the lid 51 viewed from diagonally below) showing the configuration of the back side (lower side) of the lid 51. As shown in Figure 4, the left and right side ends of the front lid 51A and the rear lid 51B are each bent downward at approximately a right angle to form a pair of left and right side walls 510. As shown in Figure 2, the side walls 510 are located outside the fixed case 52 when the lid 51 is in the closed state, thereby covering the entire opening on the top surface of the fixed case 52. As shown in Figure 4, metal plates 511, 512 are attached to almost the entire back surface of the front lid 51A and the rear lid 51B, respectively, as reinforcing materials.

The left and right ends of the rear plate 512 are bent downward at approximately right angles to form a pair of left and right guides 513. The distance between the left and right guides 513 is longer than the width (left-right length) of the battery 7 (Figure 3), and the battery 7 is placed inside the left and right guides 513. A pair of left and right pins 514 are placed along the axis CL4 at both left and right ends of the boundary between the front cover 51A and the rear cover 51B. The left and right inner ends of the pins 514 are connected to the rear ends of the guides 513. The front cover 51A and the rear cover 51B are connected to each other rotatably via the pins 514 as connecting parts, which allows the cover 51 to be folded around the axis CL4 as shown in Figure 3.

As shown in FIG. 4, a substantially rectangular rubber 516 is attached to the front plate 511 as a cushioning material. The left and right ends of the rubber 516 are located on the extension of the pair of left and right guides 513 of the rear lid 51B, or slightly inside the guides 513 in the left-right direction. In the storage position shown in FIG. 2, the rubber 516 abuts against the upper surface of the battery 7, and the battery 7 is pressed downward from the lid 51 via the rubber 516. The rubber 516 may be attached to the rear plate 512. The rubber 516 may be provided so as to abut against the movable case 55 instead of the battery 7. Note that the rubber 516 is not shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of metal brackets 515 are attached to the left and right outside of rubber 516 at the front end of the back surface of front cover 51A. The front end of bracket 515 is formed into a roughly U-shape to avoid interference with end wall 51C on the top surface of fixed case 52 (see FIG. 3). A movable case 55 is disposed inside fixed case 52 so as to be movable relative to fixed case 52, and battery 7 is housed in movable case 55.

Figure 5A is a side view (viewed from the left) showing the configuration of the movable case 55, and Figure 5B is a perspective view seen from the diagonal left side. Figure 5A shows the stored posture of the battery 7, and Figure 5B shows the standing posture. Note that Figures 5A and 5B omit illustration of part of the fixed case 52 (left side), part of the lower frame 311, rubber 516, and side wall 510 of the lid 51. In addition, a posture change mechanism is provided between the fixed case 52 and the movable case 55 to move the movable case 55, i.e., to change the posture of the battery 7, but Figures 5A and 5B also omit illustration of the posture change mechanism. Hereinafter, the postures of the movable case 55 corresponding to the stored posture and standing posture of the battery 7 may also be referred to as the stored posture and standing posture, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the movable case 55 is formed in a substantially box-like shape so as to surround five surfaces of the battery 7 in the storage position, except for the rear surface. That is, the movable case 55 has a plate-like upper wall 551, left and right side walls 552, a lower wall 553, and a front wall 554. The side wall 552 is provided with a pair of link connectors 556, 557 to which the link of the position change mechanism (FIG. 7A) is connected, and a damper connector 558 to which the damper of the position change mechanism (FIG. 7B) is connected. The link connector 556 is provided behind the center position in the front-to-rear direction of the movable case 55 in the storage position and above the center position in the up-to-down direction. The link connector 557 is provided behind and below the link connector 556. The damper connector 558 is provided in front of the link connector 557 (at substantially the same position in the front-to-rear direction as the link connector 556) and below.

The side wall 552 has an arm portion 552a at its upper portion, which extends rearward beyond the link connection portion 557. The left and right arm portions 552a are arranged in line with the left and right guides 513 (FIG. 4) of the rear cover 51B, on the inside in the left-right direction of the guides 513. A cover attachment portion 552b is provided at the front end of the arm portion 552a, and the cover attachment portion 552b and the front end of the guide 513 are rotatably connected via a pin 56 extending in the left-right direction.

A pair of left and right bracket attachment parts 517 are provided on the end wall 51C of the upper surface of the fixed case 52, protruding downward from its bottom surface. The left and right bracket attachment parts 517 support the front ends of the left and right brackets 515 (FIG. 4) fixed to the bottom surface of the front cover 51A rotatably via pins (not shown) extending in the left and right direction. As a result, when a user grasps the grip part 53 on the upper surface of the rear cover 51B and lifts the rear cover 51B diagonally upward (forward and upward), as shown in FIG. 5B, the front cover 51A rotates upward with the bracket attachment part 517 as the rotation center Pb, and the rear cover 51B bends with respect to the front cover 51A with the pin 514 as a fulcrum. At this time, the movable case 55 also moves with the movement of the rear cover 51B, and the battery 7 takes an upright position. In the upright position, the pin 514 is located forward of the fixed case 52, and the cover 51 bends in a direction away from the battery 7.

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of battery 7 alone. In Figure 6, the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction are defined in accordance with the posture (upright posture) of battery 7 in Figure 5B. As shown in Figure 6, the length of battery 7 in the up-down direction is longer than the lengths in the front-rear direction and left-right direction, and the entire battery 7 is formed in a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape.

The battery 7 is a storage battery, such as a lithium ion battery, i.e., a secondary battery. A concave receptacle 71 is provided on the bottom surface of the battery 7, forward of the center in the front-to-rear direction (upper side in the stored position). The receptacle 71 has an electrode that is placed in a recess provided on the bottom surface of the battery 7, and is configured as a female terminal.

As shown in FIG. 5A, a plug 57 that protrudes rearward is provided on the front wall 554 of the movable case 55 in correspondence with the position of the receptacle 71 of the battery 7. The plug 57 is configured as a male terminal, and when the plug 57 is fitted into the receptacle 71, the female and male terminals are electrically connected to each other. One end of a cable 76 serving as a power line is connected to the plug 57. The cable 76 extends rearward through the space between the fixed case 52 and the movable case 55, and the other end of the cable 76 is connected to an inverter (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 6, a handle 72 to be gripped by a user is provided on the top of the battery 7. The handle 72 is provided in the center in the left-right direction and extends in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 5B, when the battery 7 is in an upright position, the handle 72 is located at the top, so that the user can grasp the handle 72, lift the battery 7, and remove it from the movable case 55.

The configuration of the attitude change mechanism will be described. Fig. 7A is a side view (viewed from the left) showing the configuration of the attitude change mechanism 60, and Fig. 7B is a perspective view seen from the diagonal left side. Fig. 7A shows the stored attitude of the battery 7, and Fig. 7B shows the upright attitude. Note that the fixed case 52 is omitted from Figs. 7A and 7B.

As shown in FIG. 7A, a substantially plate-shaped bracket 61 is fixed by welding or the like to the inner side surfaces of the left and right lower frames 311 in the left-right direction, respectively, forward of the center position in the front-rear direction of the movable case 55. The bracket 61 extends upward from the lower frame 311 with a constant width and further extends forward, with a protruding portion 61a at its front end, which protrudes outward in the left-right direction and has a predetermined thickness in the front-rear direction. The bracket 61 is provided with a pair of upper and lower link connecting portions 611, 612 at the center position in the width direction (front-rear direction). When the battery 7 is in the storage position, the link connecting portion 611 is located at the same position in the up-down direction as the link connecting portion 556 of the movable case 55, and the link connecting portion 611 is located above the link connecting portion 557 and below the link connecting portion 556.

As shown in FIG. 2, the protrusion 61a passes through vertical slits 50a provided in the left and right side walls of the fixed case 52 and protrudes outward from the fixed case 52. Although not shown, the tip of the protrusion 61a is fixed to the upper frame 312 extending in the front-rear direction by welding or the like. This allows both the upper and lower ends of the bracket 61 to be supported by the lower frame 311 and the upper frame 312, respectively. When attaching the fixed case 52, the left and right side walls of the fixed case 52 are inserted from above between the frames 311, 312 and the bracket 61 while the protrusion 61a is inserted into the slits 50a.

As shown in FIG. 7A, one end of the long link 62 is rotatably connected to the link connection portion 612 of the bracket 61 via a pin 62a extending in the left-right direction. Furthermore, one end of a short link 63, which is shorter than the long link 62, is rotatably connected to the link connection portion 611 of the bracket 61 via a pin 63a extending in the left-right direction. The long link 62 is disposed on the left-right outer side of the bracket 61, i.e., between the bracket 61 and the side wall of the fixed case 52. The short link 63 is disposed on the left-right inner side of the bracket 61, i.e., between the bracket 61 and the side wall 552 of the movable case 55. In other words, the long link 62 and the short link 63 are disposed with their positions shifted in the left-right direction so as not to interfere with each other.

The other end of the long link 62 is rotatably connected to the link connection part 557 of the movable case 55 via a pin 62b extending in the left-right direction. The other end of the short link 63 is rotatably connected to the link connection part 556 of the movable case 55 via a pin 63b extending in the left-right direction. As a result, the movable case 55 is rotatably supported by the bracket 61 via the pair of links 62, 63. As a result, the attitude of the battery 7 can be changed from the stored attitude to the upright attitude.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the posture change mechanism 60 further has a damper 64. The damper 64 has a cylinder 641 having a substantially cylindrical shape and a rod 642 inserted into the cylinder 641 so as to be movable forward and backward. One end of the damper 64 (the end of the rod 642) is rotatably connected to the damper connecting portion 558 of the movable case 55 via a shaft portion 64a extending in the left-right direction. The other end of the damper 64 (the end of the cylinder 641) is rotatably connected to a bracket 313a provided on the rear frame 313 via a shaft portion 64b extending in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 5A, a plurality of damper connecting portions 558 are provided so that the connecting position of the damper 64 can be adjusted, and the damper 64 is connected to one of these.

Gas or liquid is sealed in the cylinder 631. Alternatively, a compression spring is built in. Therefore, in the upright position, a resistance force acts on the damper 64 that prevents the rod 642 from retracting. As a result, when the battery 7 is removed from the movable case and the moment due to the weight of the battery 7 does not act, the movable case 55 can be held in the upright position. This makes it easy to insert the battery 7 into the movable case 55. When the battery 7 is inserted into the movable case 55, the damper 64 retracts due to the weight of the battery 7, and the battery 7 slowly rotates downward together with the movable case 55. As shown in FIG. 3, openings 50b are provided on the left and right side walls of the fixed case 52, and the damper 64 extends through the openings 50b. The damper 64 is attached after the fixed case 52 is attached. In FIG. 2, the damper 64 is not shown.

In this embodiment, the movable case 55 is rotatably supported via a pair of links 62, 63, so that the maximum height of the battery 7 in the upright position can be kept low, as shown in FIG. 7B. This point will be further explained with reference to FIG. 8.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the change in the attitude of the battery 7 in the vehicle 100 according to this embodiment and the change in the attitude of the battery 7 in a comparative example of this embodiment. In the figure, the solid line shows the stored attitude of the battery 7, and the dotted line shows the upright attitude. Pa and Pb are the rotation centers of the battery 7. In this embodiment, the battery 7 rotates via a pair of links 62 and 63, so the rotation center Pa is not constant, but changes as the attitude of the battery 7 changes. Note that in Figure 8, the rotation center Pa is inside the area of the battery 7 in a side view, but the position of this rotation center Pa is just one example.

On the other hand, in the comparative example, the lid 51' is not foldable, and the battery 7 (movable case 55) and the lid 51' rotate together around a rotation center Pb, which corresponds to the bracket attachment portion 517 (Fig. 5A), which is the rotation center of the lid 51'. In this comparative example, the height of the upper end of the battery 7 increases as the amount of upward rotation of the battery 7 increases, and the height H2 in the upright position is at its maximum. In contrast, in this embodiment, the increase in height associated with an increase in the amount of rotation of the battery 7 is suppressed, and the height H1 in the upright position is lower by ΔH than that of the comparative example.

In other words, in this embodiment, since the center of rotation Pa is in a low position, the difference in height between the lower end (solid line) of the battery 7 in the stored position and the lower end (dotted line) of the battery 7 in the upright position is small, and the maximum height of the battery 7 is suppressed. In this case, if the angle θ between the first straight line L1 obtained by connecting the pins 62a, 62b at both ends of the long link 62 and the second straight line L2 obtained by connecting the pins 63a, 63b at both ends of the short link 63 is defined as the crossing angle, the crossing angle θ in the upright position is larger than the crossing angle θ in the stored position. As a result, the amount of rotation of the short link 63 is larger than the amount of rotation of the long link 62, so the amount of rotation of the battery 7 is larger than the amount of rotation of the long link 62, and the battery 7 is more likely to be in the upright position.

In addition, in this embodiment, since the rotation center Pa is located within the area of the battery 7 in a side view, the range of the rotation trajectory of the battery 7 can be made smaller than that of the comparative example. This makes it possible to reduce the constraints on the shape of the vehicle 100 (e.g., constraints on the position and shape of the seat 36) required to avoid interference with the battery 7 and the movable case 55, which are moving bodies.

As shown in FIG. 5B, a battery support section 75 for supporting the battery 7 in the storage position is provided inside the fixed case 52. The battery support section 75 has a base 750 that is generally L-shaped in side view and has a horizontal section 751 and a vertical section 752. A corner of the base 750 is rotatably connected to a bracket 753 that is integral with the frame 300 (e.g., the lower frame 311) via a pin 753a extending in the left-right direction. A pair of left and right rubbers 754 extending in the front-rear direction are attached to the upper surface of the horizontal section 751, and a pair of left and right rubbers 755 extending in the up-down direction are attached to the front surface of the vertical section 752.

When the battery 7 in the upright position rotates downward, both the left and right sides of the handle 72 of the battery 7 come into contact with the rubber 755. This causes the base 750 to rotate backward from the initial position in FIG. 5B. When the battery 7 rotates further downward, the bottom surface of the battery 7 (the bottom surface in the stored position) comes into contact with the rubber 754. When the battery 7 reaches the stored position, the base 750 returns to its initial position. At this time, the battery 7 is supported by the fixed case 52 via the rubbers 754 and 755. This makes it possible to reduce the impact acting on the battery 7 when it rotates downward. The rubbers 754 and 755 may be provided to come into contact with the movable case 55 instead of the battery 7.

According to this embodiment, the following advantageous effects can be obtained.
(1) The vehicle 100 includes a front wheel 1 and a rear wheel 2, a base 3 extending in the front-rear direction and having a load section (such as a seat 36 or a step ST) that receives the load of an occupant (user) and a case section 50 that houses a battery 7, and a traveling motor 4 that is electrically connected to the battery 7 housed in the case section 50 and drives the rear wheel 2 (FIG. 1). The case section 50 has a movable case 55 that detachably holds the battery 7 and a posture change mechanism 60, and the posture change mechanism 60 is provided to hold the battery 7 in a housed posture and an upright posture (FIGS. 7A and 7B). This allows the battery 7 to be mounted at a low position in the vehicle 100, and the stability of the vehicle 100 can be improved. In addition, since the posture of the battery 7 can be changed from the housed posture to the upright posture, the battery 7 can be housed compactly in the vehicle body while improving the ease of attachment and detachment of the battery 7.

(2) The attitude change mechanism 60 has a long link 62, one end of which is connected to the link connection part 557 of the movable case 55 and the other end of which is connected to the link connection part 612 of the bracket 61, and a short link 63, one end of which is connected to the link connection part 556 of the movable case 55 and the other end of which is connected to the link connection part 611 of the bracket 61 (FIG. 7A). By movably supporting the movable case 55 through a pair of links 62, 63 in this manner, the movement trajectory of the battery 7 is reduced, and the attitude of the battery 7 can be changed in a compact manner. Note that the ends of the links 62, 63 may be connected to the frame 300 of the vehicle 100 instead of to the bracket 61 fixed to the frame 300.

(3) The lower end of bracket 61 on one end and protruding portion 61a on the other end are fixed to lower frame 311 and upper frame 312, respectively (Fig. 7A). Link connecting portions 611, 612 are disposed between the lower end of bracket 61 and protruding portion 61a (Fig. 7A). This allows links 62, 63 to be firmly supported via bracket 61, which is integral with frame 300.

(4) The angle between the first line L1 obtained by connecting the connection point (pin 62b) of the long link 62 to the link connection part 557 on one end and the connection point (pin 62a) of the link connection part 612 on the other end, and the second line L2 obtained by connecting the connection point (pin 63b) of the short link 63 to the link connection part 556 on one end and the connection point (pin 63a) of the link connection part 611 on the other end, that is, the intersection angle θ, is larger when the battery 7 is held in the upright position than when it is held in the stored position (Figure 8). This configuration of the links 62, 63 allows the battery 7 to be changed into a compact position while suppressing an increase in the height of the battery 7 in the upright position.

(5) The movable case 55 is arranged so that when the battery 7 is in an upright position, the direction in which the battery 7 is attached to and detached from the movable case 55 is approximately vertical, and when the battery 7 is in a stored position, the direction in which the battery 7 is attached and detached is approximately horizontal (Figs. 5A and 5B). The case section 50 has a lid 51 that opens and closes to cover the top of the movable case 55 when the battery 7 is in a stored position (Fig. 2). By changing the position of the battery 7 in this way, the battery 7 can be inserted and removed using the ample space between the handlebars 41 and the seat 36, making it easy to insert and remove the battery 7 while keeping the center of gravity of the vehicle 100 low when traveling.

(6) The movable case 55 and the lid 51 are connected to each other (Figure 3). This allows the movable case 55 to move when the lid 51 is opened or closed, making it easy to change the position of the battery 7.

(7) The movable case 55 is rotatably mounted around a rotation center Pa by a long link 62 and a short link 63, and the lid 51 is rotatably mounted around a rotation center Pb different from the rotation center Pa (FIGS. 5A and 8). This allows the battery 7 to be rotated at a lower position when the lid 51 is rotated.

(8) The rotation center Pb is located on one end of the lid 51, and the other end of the lid 51 is connected to the lid attachment portion 552b of the movable case 55 (FIG. 5A). This allows the movable case 55 to rotate around the rotation center Pa as the lid 51 rotates.

(9) The lid 51 has a flexibly connected connection portion (pin 514) between one end side (front end side) and the other end side (rear end side) in the extension direction of the lid 51 (FIG. 5B). This makes the lid 51 bendable, and the height of the upper end portion of the lid 51 can be lowered when the lid 51 is rotated upward. As a result, the increase in height of the movable case 55 when it is rotated can be suppressed.

(10) The lid 51 is composed of a front lid 51A and a rear lid 51B on one end side and the other end side of the pin 514. The lid 51 is provided with a grip 53 that is operated by the user to open and close the lid 51 on the surface facing upward of the rear lid 51B when the lid 51 is closed (FIGS. 2 and 3). This allows the lid 51 to be easily bent in a direction away from the movable case 55 by the user's operation.

(11) The lid 51 is arranged so that the length of the front lid 51A in the front-rear direction is longer than the length of the rear lid 51B (Figure 2). This allows the pin 514 to move upward from the upper end of the movable case 55 when the lid 51 is folded, and the position of the battery 7 in the upright position can be set to a lower position.

(12) The lid 51 has rubber 516 on the downward surface of the lid 51 when the lid 51 is closed, which reduces the impact between the lid 51 and the battery 7 held in the movable case 55 (Figure 4). This makes it possible to protect the battery 7 from impacts caused by contact with the lid 51 when the lid 51 is closed.

(13) The case section 50 (fixed case 52) is disposed opposite the bottom and rear surfaces of the battery 7 when the battery 7 is in the stored position, and has rubbers 754, 755 that reduce the impact between the fixed case 52 and the battery 7 (Fig. 5B). This makes it possible to reduce the impact acting on the battery 7 from the fixed case 52 when the battery 7 is in the stored position.

(14) Rubbers 754, 755 are respectively attached to horizontal portion 751 and vertical portion 752 of base 750, which is generally L-shaped in side view and rotatable about pin 753a (FIG. 5B). As a result, the angle of rubber 754 with respect to the horizontal plane and the angle of rubber 755 with respect to the vertical plane change in response to changes in the attitude of battery 7, thereby providing good protection for battery 7 from impact.

(15) The posture change mechanism 60 further includes a damper 64 that exerts a resisting force on the movable case 55 to prevent the movable case 55 from changing its posture when the movable case 55 is in an upright posture (FIG. 7B). This allows the movable case 55 to be held in an upright position, making it easy to insert the battery 7 into the movable case 55.

In the above embodiment, the base 3 extending in the fore-and-aft direction between the front wheels 1 and the rear wheels 2 is provided with a load section that receives the load of the occupant and a case section 50 (storage section) that houses the battery 7 as a power storage device, but the configuration of the load section and storage section is not limited to that described above. In the above embodiment, the rear wheels 2 are driven by a travel motor 4 (electric motor) electrically connected to the battery 7, but the front wheels may be driven by an electric motor, or both the front and rear wheels may be driven by an electric motor. In the above embodiment, the battery 7 is removably held in the movable case 55, but the configuration of the holding section is not limited to this.

In the above embodiment, the battery 7 is provided so that its posture can be changed between an upright posture (first posture) and a stored posture (second posture) via the posture change mechanism 60, but the first posture and the second posture may be postures other than those described above. In the above embodiment, when the battery 7 is in the upright posture, the attachment/detachment direction of the battery 7 relative to the movable case 55 is along the vertical direction, and when the battery 7 is in the stored posture, the attachment/detachment direction in the first posture is along the horizontal direction. However, as long as the attachment/detachment direction in the first posture is relatively closer to the vertical direction than in the second posture, the attachment/detachment direction in the first posture does not have to be along the vertical direction and may be inclined relative to the vertical direction. Also, the attachment/detachment direction in the first posture does not have to be along the horizontal direction when the battery 7 is in the second posture, and may be inclined relative to the horizontal direction.

In the above embodiment, one end and the other end of the long link 62 as the first member are connected to the link connection part 557 (first connected part) of the movable case 55 and the link connection part 612 (second connected part) of the bracket 61 as the second member, respectively, and one end and the other end of the short link 63 as the third member are connected to the link connection part 556 (third connected part) of the movable case 55 and the link connection part 611 (fourth connected part) of the bracket 61, respectively, but the configuration of the holding part is not limited to this. At least one of the second connected part and the fourth connected part may be provided on the frame 300 (skeleton) or the vehicle body of the vehicle 100. That is, the bracket 61 may be omitted. In the above embodiment, the lower end and the upper end (protruding part 61a) of the bracket 61 are fixed to the frame 300, respectively, but the parts other than the lower end and the upper end may be the first fixing part and the second fixing part.

In the above embodiment, the lid 51 is divided into the front lid 51A and the rear lid 51B via the pin 514 (connection portion), and the front-rear length (longitudinal length) of the front lid 51A (first portion) is longer than the front-rear length of the rear lid 51B (second portion), but the configuration of the lid portion is not limited to this. The lengths of the first portion and the second portion may be equal, or the first portion may be shorter than the second portion. In the above embodiment, the lid 51 (lid portion) is connected to the lid attachment portion 552b (fifth connected portion) at the rear end of the movable case 55, but it may be connected at another position. In the above embodiment, the movable case 55 is provided to be rotatable around the rotation center Pa (first rotation center), and the lid 51 is provided to be rotatable around the rotation center Pb (second rotation center), but the positions of these rotation centers are not limited to those described above.

In the above embodiment, the handle 53 operated by the user is provided on the top surface of the lid 51, but the configuration of the handle or handle portion operated to open and close the lid is not limited to the above. It may be something that the user does not grip, but simply hooks their fingers on. In the above embodiment, rubber 516 is attached to the bottom surface of the lid 51 to absorb the impact when the lid 51 and the battery 7 come into contact, but a buffer portion may be provided to reduce the impact between the lid 51 and the movable case 55. In the above embodiment, rubber 754, 755 are provided rotatably via a base at a position facing the bottom and rear surfaces of the battery 7 in the storage position, but the configuration of the other buffer portions is not limited to the above. In the above embodiment, a damper 64 is provided to apply a resistance force that prevents the movable case 55 from rotating downward, but the resistance force applying portion may be configured by something other than a damper.

The above description is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment and modifications, as long as the characteristics of the present invention are not impaired. It is also possible to arbitrarily combine one or more of the above-mentioned embodiment and modifications, and it is also possible to combine modifications together.

1 Front wheel, 2 Rear wheel, 3 Base, 7 Battery, 50 Case, 51 Lid, 51A Front lid, 51B Rear lid, 52 Fixed case, 53 Grip, 55 Movable case, 60 Position change mechanism, 61 Bracket, 62 Long link, 63 Short link, 64 Damper, 100 Vehicle, 300 Frame, 514 Pin, 516 Rubber, 552b Lid mounting part, 556, 557 Link connection part, 611, 612 Link connection part, 754, 755 Rubber, θ Cross angle

Claims (16)

Front and rear wheels;
a base portion extending in a front-rear direction and having a load portion for receiving a load of an occupant and an accommodation portion for accommodating a storage device;
an electric motor electrically connected to the electric storage device accommodated in the accommodation portion and configured to drive at least one of the front wheels and the rear wheels;
The storage unit has a holding unit that detachably holds the electric storage unit,
The vehicle, wherein the holding portion is configured to hold the electric storage device in a first position and a second position different from the first position. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1,
The holding portion is
a first member having one end connected to a first connected portion of the holding portion and the other end connected to a second connected portion of a framework or a vehicle body of the vehicle, or the other end connected to a second connected portion of a second member fixed to the framework or the vehicle body;
a third member having one end connected to a third connected portion of the retaining portion and the other end connected to a fourth connected portion of the skeleton or the vehicle body, or the other end connected to the fourth connected portion of the second member. 3. The vehicle according to claim 2,
The first member has another end connected to the second connected portion of the second member,
The vehicle, wherein the other end side of the third member is connected to the fourth connected portion of the second member. 4. The vehicle according to claim 3,
The second member is fixed at one end side and the other end side to the framework or the vehicle body by a first fixing portion and a second fixing portion,
A vehicle characterized in that the second connected portion and the fourth connected portion are arranged between the first fixed portion and the second fixed portion of the second member. The vehicle according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
A vehicle characterized in that an angle between a first straight line obtained by connecting a connection point of the holding part at one end side of the first member with the first connected part and a connection point of the holding part at the other end side with the second connected part and a second straight line obtained by connecting a connection point of the holding part at one end side of the third member with the third connected part and a connection point of the holding part at the other end side with the fourth connected part is larger when the storage battery is held in the first position than when the storage battery is held in the second position. The vehicle according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
the holding portion is disposed such that, when in the first posture, a mounting/removal direction of the storage battery with respect to the holding portion is a relatively vertical direction, and, when in the second posture, the mounting/removal direction is a relatively horizontal direction;
The vehicle, wherein the storage section has a lid section that opens and closes to cover an upper portion of the holding section when the storage battery is in the second position. 7. The vehicle according to claim 6,
The vehicle, wherein the holding portion and the lid portion are connected to each other. 8. The vehicle according to claim 7,
the holding portion is provided to be rotatable around a first rotation center by the first member and the third member,
The vehicle, wherein the cover portion is rotatable about a second rotation center different from the first rotation center. 9. The vehicle according to claim 8,
The second rotation center is disposed on one end side of the lid portion,
The other end side of the cover portion is connected to a fifth connected portion of the holding portion. 10. The vehicle according to claim 9,
The vehicle, wherein the lid portion has a connecting portion that is bendably connected between the one end side and the other end side in the extending direction of the lid portion. 11. The vehicle according to claim 10,
A vehicle characterized in that, when the lid portions on the one end side and the other end side of the connecting portion are designated as the first part and the second part, respectively, the lid portion has a handle on the surface facing upward of the second part when the lid portion is in a closed state, which is operated by a user of the vehicle to open and close the lid portion. 12. The vehicle according to claim 11,
The vehicle, wherein the cover portion is configured such that the length of the first portion in the extension direction is longer than the length of the second portion. 13. The vehicle according to claim 12,
A vehicle characterized in that the lid portion has a cushioning portion on the downward facing surface of the lid portion when the lid portion is closed, which cushions collisions between the lid portion and the holding portion, or between the lid portion and the storage battery held by the holding portion. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
the holding portion is disposed so that, when in the first posture, a mounting/removal direction of the storage battery with respect to the holding portion is a relatively vertical direction, and, when in the second posture, the mounting/removal direction is a relatively horizontal direction;
The vehicle is characterized in that the storage portion is arranged opposite the downward facing surface and the horizontal facing surface of the holding portion or the storage battery held in the holding portion when the storage battery is in the second position, and has another buffer portion that reduces collision between the storage portion and the holding portion, or between the storage portion and the storage battery held in the holding portion. 15. The vehicle of claim 14,
The vehicle, wherein the other buffer portion has a horizontal portion extending in a horizontal direction and a vertical portion that is continuous with the horizontal portion and extends in a vertical direction, and is rotatably provided. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 14,
the holding portion is disposed such that, when in the first posture, a mounting/removal direction of the storage battery with respect to the holding portion is a relatively vertical direction, and, when in the second posture, the mounting/removal direction is a relatively horizontal direction;
the storage section further having a resistance applying section that exerts a resistance on the holding section such as to prevent a change in posture when the holding section is in a posture corresponding to the first posture of the storage battery.

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