JP2860644B2 - Electric bicycle - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric bicycle having a battery case detachably mounted on a vehicle body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in some electric bicycles using a motor as auxiliary power, a battery is removed from a vehicle body together with a battery case when the battery is charged. To remove the battery case from this type of electric bicycle and perform charging, first remove the lock and fixing device of the battery case, grasp the connector of the discharge circuit that electrically connects the battery and the motor side, and hold this. To separate. Then, the battery case is removed from the vehicle body, carried to a place where the charger is located, and charged. After charging, the battery case is attached to the vehicle body as before, and the connector of the discharge circuit is connected by hand to connect the battery to the motor.

[0003]

However, in an electric bicycle in which the battery case is detachably attached to the vehicle body, the mounting position of the battery case has been a problem. That is, for example, in a case where a battery case is mounted on a carrier provided above the rear wheel as in an electric bicycle disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-74285,
The battery case must be lifted above the rear wheels in order to be unloaded or loaded on the carrier. This task is not easy because the battery case is heavy.

Also, the mounting position of the battery case must be set so that the occupant does not get in the way when getting in and out of the vehicle. However, the battery case cannot be made small so as to be easy to get on and off. .
This is because if the battery case is small, only a small battery having a small capacity can be stored. In addition, in order to determine the mounting position of the battery case, not only must the above-mentioned points of getting on and off be taken into consideration, but also, in order to avoid interference between the motor and the battery case, the vehicle body protrudes greatly to the side of the motor body and It must not be oversized or sacrificed in battery capacity.

Further, in order to easily perform the operation of attaching and detaching the battery case, not only the mounting position of the battery case but also the configuration of a connector interposed in a circuit between the battery and the motor becomes a problem. That is, if the battery case is attached to and detached from the vehicle body, if the connector of the discharge circuit is detached and attached separately from the battery case, it is troublesome and the attaching / detaching operation becomes complicated.

The present invention has been made in order to solve such a problem. The battery case can be easily attached and detached, and the battery case does not hinder getting on and off while taking a large capacity of the battery. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electric bicycle in which a vehicle body does not increase in the vehicle width direction.

[0007]

The electric bicycle according to the present invention has a structure in which a vehicle body frame is provided with a substantially V-shaped foot space by a down tube and a seat tube, and a battery case is formed in an elongated shape. While forming
On the upper side of the down tube, the longitudinal direction is detachably provided so as to extend along the inclined portion of the down tube and extend to the vicinity of the bottom of the footing space along the inclined portion of the down tube, on the lower side of the down tube. A motor unit integrally including a gear box for supporting a pedal crankshaft, a motor, and an output unit for a rear wheel is fixed below a valley bottom of a foot space.

According to the present invention, when mounting the battery case to or removing the battery case from the vehicle body, the height of lifting the battery case may be substantially the same as the height of the down tube, and the upwardly open foot space is used as the work space. It can be used widely, and there is no obstacle to mounting a heavy battery case on the down tube.

In addition, the battery case can be formed in a long shape by utilizing the space on the down tube to the maximum without interference from the motor unit. Moreover,
The battery case 21 does not protrude significantly upward from the down tube 2b.

An electric bicycle according to another invention is the electric bicycle described above, wherein a substantially horizontal portion is formed at the rear of the down tube, a motor unit is disposed below the horizontal portion, and The battery case is arranged along the front inclined portion.
According to the present invention, no large parts are arranged above the horizontal portion of the down tube, so that the space above this horizontal portion is widely opened.

Furthermore the electric bicycle according to another aspect of the present invention is the electric bicycle described above, the longitudinal direction mode the motor
It is disposed so as to be substantially parallel to the axial direction of the down tube in the unit mounting portion . Therefore,
Since both the motor and the battery case are long in the axial direction of the down tube and are arranged separately on the upper side and the lower side of the down tube, they do not interfere with each other.

An electric bicycle according to still another invention is
In the electric bicycle described above, the discharge contact terminal is provided at the lower portion of the battery case in a vehicle-mounted state, and the discharge contact terminal is connected to the lower part of the foot space and on the side of the vehicle body frame with the attachment / detachment operation of the battery case. A motor-side contact terminal to be separated is provided. According to the present invention,
Since the motor-side contact terminal is located below the foot space opened upward, the discharge contact terminal on the battery case side can be connected to the motor-side contact terminal while easily confirming the connection destination. Further, by attaching and detaching the battery case to and from the vehicle body, the discharge contact terminal automatically comes into contact with and separates from the motor-side contact terminal.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

First Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 is a side view of an electric bicycle according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing a support portion of a support box for a battery case, FIG. 3 is a view of the motor unit in FIG. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the battery case.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view showing a charging port portion of the battery case. FIG. 6A is a plan view, FIG. 6B is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. c) is (a)
It is CC sectional drawing in a figure. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the battery case support box, and FIG. 8 is VIII-VIII in FIG.
FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the battery case support box.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a procedure for removing the battery case from the vehicle body. FIG. 10A shows a state in which the outer cover is opened, and FIG. 10B shows a state in which the battery case is removed from the support box. The state of is shown. FIG. 3C shows a state in which the battery case is removed from the support box, and FIG. 3D shows a state in which the battery case is removed from the vehicle body.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state where the battery case is removed from the vehicle body for charging. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a state where the battery case is charged without removing the battery case from the vehicle body.

In these figures, 1 is an electric bicycle, 2
Indicates a body frame of the electric bicycle 1. The vehicle body frame 2 includes a head pipe 2a for supporting a front fork 3a on which a front wheel 3 is rotatably provided, so as to be steerable,
Descending portion 2b extending backward from head pipe 2a
And a down tube 5 composed of a motor bracket 4 connected to the rear end of the descending portion 2b, and connected to the motor bracket 4 at the rear end of the down tube 5 to extend upward from the connection portion so as to lean backward. Seat tube 2
c, a chain stay 2d extending rearward from the motor bracket 4, a seat stay 2e for connecting an upper portion of the seat tube 2c and a rear end of the chain stay 2d, and the like. The vehicle body frame 2 has a substantially V-shaped side view in which an upper portion is opened to a portion above the down tube 5 and in front of the seat tube 2c.
It has a structure in which a letter-shaped foot space S is provided.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a handle mounted on the upper end of the front fork 3a, 7 denotes a cushioned seat mounted on the upper end of the seat tube 2c, and 8 denotes a rear wheel.
The rear wheel 8 is rotatably supported by a rear wheel bracket 2f provided integrally with a rear end of the chain stay 2d and a lower end of the seat stay 2e. Are linked.

An outer cover 10 covers a battery case and a motor unit, which will be described later. The outer cover 10 includes a lower cover 10a extending along the down tube 5 of the body frame 2 and supported and fixed to the down tube 5, and a pivot 10b located on the motor bracket 4 side on the lower cover 10a. And an upper cover 10c which is supported so as to be able to swing up and down and which closes an upper opening of the lower cover 10a.

The lower cover 10a is a down tube 5
Is covered from below and the motor bracket 4 is covered from left and right sides. In addition, the upper cover 10c
The lower cover 10 is formed in a generally U-shape with a substantially downward cross section.
The locking device 11 is mounted on a portion that will be the swinging end portion so as to cover the upper opening of “a”. Reference numeral 11a denotes a key of the locking device 11.

In the outer cover 10 configured as described above, the locking device 11 is unlocked and the front portion of the upper cover 10c is lifted to open the upper cover 10c as shown by a two-dot chain line a in FIG. become.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a motor unit serving as auxiliary power for the electric bicycle 1. The motor unit 12 includes a motor 13 supplied from a battery described later, a gear box 15 having a crankshaft 14, and a crankshaft 14.
A chain ring 16, a crank 17, a pedal 18, and the like are mounted on the motor bracket 4, and are supported and fixed to the motor bracket 4 with the motor 13 standing upright. In addition,
A chain ring 16 is connected to the rear wheel 8 via a chain 9. The chain ring 16 constitutes an output section of the motor unit 12 according to the present invention. Also, 19
Are fixing bolts for fixing the motor unit 12 to the motor bracket 4.

The motor bracket 4 for supporting the motor unit 12 is constructed by welding a tubular motor cover 4b to a T-shaped pipe assembly 4a which is welded to the descending portion 2b of the down tube 5 in a side view. ing. The seat tube 2c is coaxially welded to the upper end of the motor cover 4b, and the motor 13 is positioned in the motor cover 4b. That is, the motor bracket 4
When the motor unit 12 is attached to the
2 is disposed below the down tube 5 of the body frame 2 below the valley bottom of the foot space S as shown in FIG. 1 and is positioned at the center in the vehicle width direction as shown in FIG. Become.

The control unit 20 attached to the lower part of the descending part 2b of the down tube 5 is connected to the motor 13 of the motor unit 12. The control unit 20 is configured to rotate the motor 13 and transmit the power from the motor 13 to the crankshaft 14 only when the pedaling force of the occupant is applied to the crankshaft 14 from the pedal 18. That is, when the pedal 18 is depressed, a rotational torque from the motor 13 is applied to the crankshaft 14 in addition to the depressing force. The gear box 15
In order to prevent torque from being transmitted from the crankshaft 14 to the motor 13 side when rotation of the pedal 18 becomes higher than rotation of the motor 13 side, a one-way clutch (not shown) is provided. It is decorated.

Reference numeral 21 denotes a battery case. The battery case 21 includes a lower case 23 and an upper case 24.
It is formed in a long shape from the above. The battery case 21 is provided with a battery case support box 2 described later.
In the vehicle mounted state, the longitudinal direction extends along the down tube 5 of the vehicle body frame 2 and the rear portion extends to the vicinity of the bottom of the foot space S as shown by the broken line in FIG. To be supported above the down tube 5. Here, battery case 2
1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The lower case 23 and the upper case 24 are integrally formed of a synthetic resin, and are formed along the down tube 5 of the body frame 2 so as to house two batteries 22 side by side. .
The two batteries 22 are connected in series,
A discharge connector 26 as a discharge contact terminal is connected to the connection cable. A charging connector 27 serving as a charging contact terminal is connected to the connection cable in parallel with the discharging connector 26.

The lower case 23 and the upper case 24 are assembled so as not to be separated from each other by an engaging portion 23a and a locking piece 24a which are integrally formed at respective mating portions. The engaging portion 23a provided in the opening of the lower case 23 is provided with a locking piece 24a.
It has a conventionally well-known structure that is locked by penetrating the inside.

On the upper part of the upper case 24, a protruding portion 24b fitted to a support box 25 described later is integrally formed. The discharge connector 26 is attached to the protrusion 24b. As the discharge connector 26, a female connector into which a contact of a motor-side connector to be described later is inserted is used. The discharge port 26 is screwed to the upper case 24 with its connection port positioned at the opening 24c of the protrusion 24b. Further, the connection direction of the discharge connector 26 is the same as the longitudinal direction of the battery case 21. In addition,
In FIGS. 5 and 8, reference numeral 26a denotes the discharge connector 2;
6 shows a nut plate for fixing 6 to the upper case 24;
26b indicates a mounting screw.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a locking button 28 for engaging with the support box 25 is provided on the protruding portion 24b.
Are integrally formed. The locking button 28 has a locking portion further projecting from the upper surface of the projecting portion 24b, it is configured to be retractable with respect to the projecting portion 24b, screwed a plate on the back surface of the collision detecting portion 24b It is urged by the spring 29 to the projecting side.

In the present embodiment, the charging connector 27 is of a male type of a magnetic attraction type, and its contact is fixed to the upper case 24 with the contact positioned at the charging port 24d of the upper case 24. The mounting portion of the charging connector 27 is shown in FIG.

The charging connector 27 is disposed with the contact 27a facing upward (in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the upper case 24), and is fixed to the upper case 24 from the backside by a tapping screw 27b. Further, the contact 27a is disposed in a C-shape in plan view so as not to confuse the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

In FIGS. 6A to 6C, reference numeral 3
Reference numeral 0 denotes a connector cover for closing the charging port 24c.
The connector cover 30 is formed of a synthetic resin into a plate shape, and is integrally provided with a knob 30a. One end of the plate-shaped portion is fixed to the upper case 24 from above by a tapping screw 30b. At the other end of the plate-shaped portion, a locking claw 3 that engages with the opening edge of the charging port 24d
0c is formed. Further, a resin hinge is provided in the plate-like portion by forming a concave groove 30d on the back surface so that the connector cover 30 can be bent as shown by a two-dot chain line b in the drawing. I have.

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 31 denotes a rear clamp for fixing the battery case 21 to a support box 25 described later, and reference numeral 32 denotes a front clamp for fixing the front portion of the battery case 21 to the down tube 5. Each of the clamps 31 and 32 has a structure in which each engagement ring is hooked to the other side and pulled. The engagement ring of the rear side clamp 31 is hooked on the projection 33 of the support box 25 as shown in FIG.
The second engagement ring is configured to be hooked on the support plate 34 of the down tube 5 as shown in FIG. Note that 35
And 36 are handles for lifting the battery case 21. The handle 35 is screwed to the upper part of the upper case 24. The handle 36 is screwed so as to extend from the front of the lower case 23 to the front of the upper case 24. .

As shown in FIG. 9, the support box 25 for supporting the battery case 21 is integrally formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with a bottom with a synthetic resin. And supported by the motor bracket 4 of the vehicle body frame 2 via the stay 41. The support box 25 is formed in a shape into which the above-described battery case 21 fits, and as shown in FIG. 4, a part of the support box 25 has a narrower opening width than other parts so that the protrusion 24b of the upper case 24 can fit. ing.

A narrow portion 2 having a narrow opening width is formed.
A motor side connector 42 connected to the discharge connector 26 of the battery case 21 is attached to 5a, and a support shaft 43 for swingably connecting the support box 25 to the stay 41 is supported. Note that the bearing portions 25 b supporting the support shaft 43 are provided on the left and right below the narrow portion 25 a, and are provided integrally with the support box 25.

The clamp 3 of the battery case 21
The projection 33 on which the first engagement ring is hung is formed in the narrow portion 25a.
The engaging hole 25d with which the engaging portion of the engaging button 28 engages is also formed in the narrow portion 25a.

As described above, if the battery case 21 is provided with the protruding portion 24b and fitted to the support box 25, the discharge connector 26 must be connected to the motor-side connector 42 when the battery case 21 is mounted on the support box 25.
Will be opposed.

The motor-side connector 42 is of a male type so as to be connected to the discharge connector 26, and the connection direction between the contact 42a and the discharge connector 26 is the same as the fitting direction of the battery case 21. It is attached to the support box 25 so as to be in the same direction. As the mounting structure, as shown in FIGS.
2 is screwed so as to support the bottom of the narrow portion 25a. 8 and 9
Reference numeral 42b denotes a fixing screw for fixing the motor-side connector 42, and reference numeral 42c denotes a nut plate.

The stay 41 is formed of a steel plate.
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, arm portions 41a through which the support shaft 43 passes are provided on the left and right. The upper and lower portions of the stay 41 are screwed to the motor bracket 4 as shown in FIGS. The stay fixing screw is indicated by reference numeral 41b in FIGS.

A return spring 44 penetrated by a support shaft 43 is elastically provided between the upper portion of the stay 41 and the support box 25, and is provided between the lower portion of the stay 41 and the bottom of the support box 25. A link type connecting member 45 is interposed.

The return spring 44 is formed of a torsion spring, one end of which is engaged with the stay 41 and the other end of which is in contact with the bottom of the narrow portion 25a, and biases the support box 25 clockwise in FIG. Have been. The link type connecting member 45 is formed by connecting two links 45a and 45b with a pin 45c. One end of one link 45a is pivotally supported by the stay 41, and the other link 45b is pivotally supported by the support box 25. I have. 7 and 9, reference numeral 46 denotes a screw for attaching the link 45a to the stay 41, and 47 denotes a link 4
A screw 48 for attaching 5b to the support box 25, and a nut plate 48 to which the attachment screw 47 is screwed.

Reference numeral 49 in FIG. 7 and FIG. 9 denotes a holding member for swinging the support box 25 downward to hold the bottom of the support box 25 in parallel with the stay 41.
9 is fixed to the stay 41 by a screw 49a,
Engagement projection 2 projecting downward from the bottom of support box 25
5e. The holding member 49 is maintained in the clamped state only by the spring force of the return spring 44 for urging the support box 25 upward, but when a force for raising the support box 25 by hand is applied. ,
The engagement projection 25e is configured to slip off.

Reference numeral 50 denotes a compression coil spring. The compression coil spring 50 is formed such that the lower diameter is smaller than the upper diameter.
The lower part is press-fitted and fixed to f. In addition, the vertical length of the contact 42 of the motor-side connector 42
The length is set to be longer than the protrusion dimension of a.

That is, the compression coil spring 50
When the battery case 21 is fitted to the bottom of the support box 25, the upper end of the compression coil spring 50 contacts the battery case 21 before the battery case 21 is fitted to the support box 25 and the discharge connector 26 is connected to the motor-side connector 42. Will do. For this reason, since the compression coil spring 50 serves as a buffer, it is possible to prevent an excessive force from being applied to both connectors when the connectors are connected to each other. Also,
Even when the battery case 21 is pulled out from the support box 25, the connection state of the connector can be released by the spring force because the battery case 21 is pressed by the compression coil spring 50.

In FIG. 9, reference numeral 51 denotes a connection cable for electrically connecting the motor-side connector 42 of the support box 25 and a motor-side circuit (not shown), and passes through an opening 41c formed in the stay 41. To the motor unit side.

The support box 25 thus configured is swung up and down around the support shaft 43, and the battery case 21 is attached and detached in a state where the opening thereof is swung upward. That is, when the upper cover 10c of the outer cover 10 is opened and the battery case 21 is not mounted, the support box 25 is moved by the spring force of the return spring 44 as shown by a two-dot chain line c in FIGS. Since it swings upward, the battery case 21 is mounted in that state. At that time, the link type connecting member 45 is extended as shown by a two-dot chain line d in FIG.

When the battery case 21 is mounted, the battery case 21 is inserted vertically into the opening of the support box 25 (discharge connector 26 is directed downward). This is done by pressing down against the spring force. When the battery case 21 is inserted to the innermost part of the support box 25,
The discharge connector 26 is connected to the motor-side connector 42, and the locking button 28 of the battery case 21 is locked in the engagement hole 25 d of the support box 25. By locking the locking button 28, the battery case 21 is prevented from coming off. That is, the discharge connector 26 is connected to the motor-side connector 42 as the battery case 21 is mounted on the vehicle body frame 2.

After the battery case 21 is mounted in this manner, the battery case 21 is
Is fixed to the support box 25, and the support box 25 is swung so that the battery case 21 is tilted forward against the spring force of the return spring 44. And the battery case 21
The battery case 21 is fixed to the vehicle body frame 2 by hanging the front clamp 32 on the support plate 34 of the down tube 5. By bringing the battery case 21 forward, the link type connecting member 45 is bent as shown in FIG. 7 and the engaging protrusion 25 e of the support box 25 is sandwiched by the holding member 49 of the stay 41. And by making the battery case 21 forward, the battery case 21 formed in the elongated shape can
As shown by a dashed line in FIG. 1, it is arranged above the down tube 5 so that its longitudinal direction is along the down tube 5.

After fixing the battery case 21 as described above, the upper cover 10c of the outer cover 10 is closed,
When the vehicle is locked by the locking device 11, the vehicle can be driven. This running state, that is, the battery case 2
When 1 is in a vehicle-mounted state, the connection direction between the discharge connector 26 and the motor-side connector 42 is parallel to the axis of the down tube 5.

Next, a procedure for charging the battery 22 in the electric bicycle 1 configured as described above will be described. To charge, the battery case 21
And removing the battery case 21 from the vehicle body, and a method in which the battery case 21 is mounted on the vehicle body. First, a method of charging by removing the battery case 21 from the vehicle body is shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the locking device 11 provided at the front part of the outer cover 10 is unlocked by the key 11a, and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1A and the two-dot chain line a in FIG. 1, the upper cover 10c of the outer cover 10 is pulled upward and opened. By doing so, the battery case 21 and the support box 2
5 is exposed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, the clamp 32 fixing the battery case 21 to the vehicle body frame 2 is removed, and subsequently, the clamp 31 is removed. And
Lock button 28 facing engagement hole 25d of support box 25
Is pressed as shown by the arrow d in the figure to release the locking state of the locking button 28. When the locking state of the locking button 28 is released in this manner, the battery case 21 is pressed by the spring force of the compression coil spring 50, and the discharge connector 26
From the motor-side connector 42.

After the respective locking portions are removed in this manner, the battery case 21 is raised by holding the handle 36. The state in which it is caused is shown by a two-dot chain line e in FIG. And FIG.
The support box 25 is lifted up and removed as shown in FIG. After the battery case 21 has been removed, the support box 25 is tilted forward and the upper cover 10c of the outer cover 10 is closed as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the removed battery case 21 is connected to a charger as shown in FIG. By closing the upper cover 10c as described above, the motor-side contact terminals 42 are covered by the outer cover 10.

In FIG. 11, 52 is a charger, 53 is a plug connected to an outlet (not shown), and 54 is a charger 52.
Shows the connector connected to. To perform charging, the connector cover 30 of the battery case 21 is opened, and the connector 54 on the charger side is inserted into the opened charging port 24d.
This is performed by connecting to the charging connector 27.

To charge the battery case 21 with the battery case 21 mounted on the vehicle body, as shown in FIG.
0 with the upper cover 10c open. That is,
The upper cover 10c is opened, and the connector cover 30 of the battery case 21 is opened. And the charging port 2 opened
4d, the connector 54 on the charger side is inserted and connected to the charging connector 27.

Therefore, in the electric bicycle 1, the vehicle body frame 2 has a structure in which the down tube 5 and the seat tube 2c provide a substantially V-shaped foot space S in a side view, and the battery case 21 is formed in an elongated shape. In addition, the lower tube 5 is detachably provided on the upper side of the down tube 5 so that its longitudinal direction is along the inclined portion of the down tube 5 in a vehicle mounted state and the rear portion extends to near the valley bottom of the foot space S. A gear box 15 for supporting the crankshaft 14, a motor 13, and an output part (chain ring 16) for the rear wheel 8 are integrally provided below the down tube 5 and below the bottom of the foot space S. Since the motor unit 12 is fixed, the height at which the battery case 21 is lifted when the battery case 21 is attached to or detached from the vehicle body is reduced. The height may be substantially the same as the height of the battery tube 5, and the foot space S opened upward when the battery case is attached / detached can be widely used as a work space. Nothing in the way. Moreover, the battery case 21 can be formed in a long shape by using the space on the down tube 5 to the maximum without being interfered by the motor unit 12, and greatly protrude upward from the down tube 5. There is no.

Further, the battery case 21 is mounted on the vehicle.
The connector 26 for discharging is provided in the lower part of the footing space S and on the vehicle body frame 2 side in accordance with the attaching / detaching operation of the battery case 21.
Since the motor-side connector 42 is provided at the lower portion of the foot space S opened upward, the motor-side connector 42 is connected to the discharge connector 26 on the battery case 21 side. It can be done while easily checking. In addition, by attaching and detaching the battery case 21 to and from the vehicle body, the discharge connector 26 comes into contact with and separates from the motor-side connector 42.

[0058] In this embodiment, of the down tube 5
A discharge connector 26 is provided at a lower portion of a detachable battery case 21 formed in an elongated shape along the inclined portion , and the discharge connector 26 is provided at a lower portion of the foot space S in accordance with an operation of attaching and detaching the battery case. A motor-side connector 42 which is connected to and separated from the motor-side connector 42 is provided.
The exterior cover 10 is provided to cover the exterior cover 1 even when the battery case 21 is removed from the vehicle body.
By closing the upper cover 10c, the motor-side connector 42 is covered by the outer cover 10. Therefore, the motor-side connector 42 is not exposed to the outside of the vehicle body. Further, since the exterior cover 10 is configured to cover the battery case 21 as well, the discharge connector 2
Both the motor 6 and the motor-side connector 42 are covered with the outer cover 10 and are not exposed to the outside of the vehicle body.

Further, the connection direction between the discharge connector 26 provided on the battery case 21 and the motor-side connector 42 provided on the support box 25 is the same as the direction of attachment / detachment of the battery case 21, and the In this state, the direction is parallel to the axis of the down tube 5. Therefore, in a vehicle-mounted state in which the battery case 21 is mounted on the vehicle body, the weight of the battery case 21 urges the discharge connector 26 toward the motor-side connector 42.

Second Embodiment In the above-described embodiment, the motor unit 12 is down-chipped.
To place it below the trough bottom of the foot space under the tube 5
Although the example in which the seat tube 2c coaxially make a per motor 13, Daunchi of the motor unit 12
The mounting position on the tube 5 may be as shown in FIGS.

FIG. 13 is a side view showing another example of the electric bicycle in which the position of the motor unit is changed, and FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. In this electric bicycle, the down tube 5 of the vehicle body frame 2 is formed only of a tubular body, and is formed substantially horizontally at a rear end portion between the handle 6 and the seat 7. This horizontal portion is indicated by reference numeral 5a. The seat tube 2c is connected to the rear end of the horizontal portion 5a via a lug 61. In addition, down tube 5
Is positioned at substantially the same height as the axles of the front and rear wheels. This vehicle body frame 2 also has a structure in which a substantially V-shaped foot space S is provided in a side view similarly to the above-described embodiment.

The motor unit 12 is supported and fixed below the horizontal portion 5a of the down tube 5 so as to be substantially horizontal. The motor 13 of the motor unit 12
Is a motor unit fixing bolt 1
9 is disposed so as to be substantially parallel to the axial direction of the down tube 5. The support box 25 to which the battery case 21 is attached is supported by a front upper portion of the horizontal portion 5a via a support member 62. Further, the battery case 21 is disposed above and along the inclined portion (downward portion 2b) at the front of the down tube 5 in the vehicle mounted state.

With this configuration, the down tube 5
Since no large parts are arranged above the horizontal portion 5a, the space above the horizontal portion 5a is widely opened. In addition, since both the motor 13 and the battery case 21 are long in the axial direction of the down tube 5 and are disposed separately on the upper side and the lower side of the down tube 5, they may interfere with each other. Absent.

Also, by adopting the configuration shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the outer cover 10 can prevent the electrical contact portion from being exposed. In addition, when mounting the battery case 21 to or removing the battery case 21 from the vehicle body, the height at which the battery case 21 is lifted may be substantially the same height as the down tube 5. Further, since the battery case 21 does not protrude significantly upward from the down tube 5, the foot space S above the down tube 5 is not narrowed by the battery case 21.

As shown in this embodiment, the motor unit 12
When the unit is mounted forward, the motor unit 1
2 is positioned at a low position, so that the center of gravity of the vehicle body can be lowered.

Third Embodiment In each of the examples described above, the support box 25 is swingable back and forth with respect to the vehicle body, but may be of a fixed type as shown in FIG.

FIG. 15 is a side view showing another embodiment in which the support box of the electric bicycle on which the motor unit is erected is fixed. In these figures, FIGS.
The same reference numerals are given to the same or equivalent members as described above, and the detailed description is omitted.

In FIG. 15, reference numeral 63 denotes a support box on which the battery case 21 is mounted. This support box 63
Is formed in a rectangular tube shape with a bottom in which the battery case 21 is inserted. The opening is fixed to the motor bracket 4 with the opening facing the head pipe 2 a of the vehicle body frame 2.

The motor-side connector 42 connected to the discharge connector 26 of the battery case 21 is mounted in the support box 63. The connection direction of these connectors is the same as the depth direction of the support box 63. The discharge connector 26 is provided at one end of the battery case 21 in this example.

When the support box 63 is configured in this manner, the battery case 21 is detached from the vehicle body by pulling up the battery case 21 along the down tube 5 in the direction of arrow e in FIG. When the battery case 21 is attached, the battery case 21 may be pushed down in the opposite direction to the above procedure.

Even with such a configuration, when the battery case 21 is attached to or detached from the vehicle body, the height of lifting the battery case 21 may be substantially the same as that of the down tube 5, and the battery case 21 is opened upward. The foot space can be widely used as a work space, and there is no obstacle in mounting the heavy battery case 21 on the down tube 5. Further, since the battery case 21 does not protrude significantly upward from the down tube 5, the foot space S above the down tube 5 is not narrowed by the battery case 21.

Further, since the motor-side connector 42 is located at the lower part of the foot space opened upward, when connecting the discharge connector 26 thereto, it is possible to easily confirm the connection destination. Further, by attaching and detaching the battery case 21 to and from the vehicle body, the discharge connector 26 is brought into contact with and separated from the motor-side connector 42. No special operation is required.

In addition, when the battery case 21 is mounted on a vehicle body, the discharge connector 26 is urged toward the motor-side connector 42 by the weight of the battery case 21, so that the two connectors 26 and 42 are surely connected to each other. It is kept connected.

Fourth Embodiment FIG. 16 is a side view showing another embodiment in which the support box of the electric bicycle with the motor unit facing forward is fixed. In the figure, the same or equivalent members as those described in FIGS. 1 to 15 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The support box 63 shown in FIG. 16 is formed in a bottomed rectangular tube into which the battery case 21 is inserted.
The opening is fixed to the horizontal portion 5 a of the down tube 5 with the opening facing the head pipe 2 a of the body frame 2. The motor-side connector 42 connected to the discharge connector 26 of the battery case 21 is mounted in the support box 63. The connection direction of these connectors is the same as the depth direction of the support box 63. In this example, the discharge connector 26 is connected to the battery case 21.
At one end.

With the support box 63 constructed as described above, the battery case 21 is pulled up along the down tube 5 in the direction of arrow e in FIG.
1 comes off the vehicle body. When the battery case 21 is attached, the battery case 21 may be pushed down in the opposite direction to the above procedure.

That is, when the battery case 21 is attached to or detached from the vehicle body, the height at which the battery case 21 is lifted may be substantially the same as the height of the down tube 5, and the upwardly opened foot space is used as the work space. When the heavy battery case 21 is mounted on the down tube 5, there is no obstruction at all. Further, since the battery case 21 does not protrude significantly upward from the down tube 5, the foot space S above the down tube 5 is not narrowed by the battery case 21.

Further, since the motor-side connector 42 is located at the lower part of the foot space opened upward, when connecting the discharge connector 26 thereto, it is possible to easily confirm the connection destination. Further, by attaching and detaching the battery case 21 to and from the vehicle body, the discharge connector 26 is brought into contact with and separated from the motor-side connector 42. No special operation is required.

In addition, when the battery case 21 is mounted on the vehicle body, the discharge connector 26 is urged toward the motor-side connector 42 by the weight of the battery case 21, so that the two connectors 26 and 42 are surely connected to each other. It is kept connected.

When the configuration shown in FIG. 16 is adopted, no large parts are arranged above the horizontal portion 5a of the down tube 5, so that the space above the horizontal portion 5a is widely opened. In addition, since both the motor 13 and the battery case 21 are long in the axial direction of the down tube 5 and are disposed separately on the upper side and the lower side of the down tube 5, they may interfere with each other. Absent.

In each of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 16, the motor-side connector 42 is disposed below the vehicle body, which is the bottom of the foot space S, and the motor 13 and the motor 13 are located near the motor-side connector 42. Since the control unit 20 is arranged,
There is an advantage that the power supply and signal transmission cables can be prevented from becoming unnecessarily long, and power transmission loss can be suppressed as small as possible.

[0082]

As described above, the electric bicycle according to the present invention has a structure in which the vehicle body frame is provided with a substantially V-shaped foot space by the down tube and the seat tube, and the battery case is elongated. The down tube is detachably provided on the upper side of the down tube so that the longitudinal direction thereof is along the inclined portion of the down tube in a vehicle-mounted state and the rear portion extends to near the bottom of the foot space. A motor unit that integrally includes a gear box that supports a pedal crankshaft, a motor, and an output unit for a rear wheel is fixed below the tube and below a valley bottom of the foot space. When mounting the battery case on or removing it from the vehicle body, the height of lifting the battery case may be approximately the same height as the down tube. Since the time of the case detachably may not lifted to a high position such that the upper rear wheel it, attachment and detachment of the battery case is light work. Moreover, the foot space opened upward can be widely used as a work space for attaching and detaching the battery case, and there is no obstacle to mounting the heavy battery case on the down tube. Therefore, workability when attaching and detaching the battery case to and from the vehicle body is good.

Further, the battery case can be formed in a long shape by using the space on the down tube to the maximum without being interfered with by the motor unit, and can protrude largely upward from the down tube. Absent. For this reason, the battery case can be formed as large as possible without the foot space being significantly narrowed by the battery case. Therefore, it is easy to get on and off the battery case without disturbing the battery case, and the battery capacity can be increased.

An electric bicycle according to another aspect of the present invention is the electric bicycle described above, wherein a substantially horizontal portion is formed at the rear portion of the down tube, and a motor unit is disposed below the horizontal portion. Since the battery case is arranged above the front inclined portion, no large parts are arranged above the horizontal portion of the down tube, so that the space above the horizontal portion is widely opened. Therefore, when getting on and off, the footing can be smoothly performed, and the getting on and off property can be further improved.

[0085] Further the electric bicycle according to another aspect of the present invention is the electric bicycle described above, the longitudinal direction mode the motor
The motor and battery case are both long in the axial direction of the down tube because they are arranged substantially parallel to the axial direction of the down tube in the mounting unit. Therefore, they do not interfere with each other. Therefore, since the motor does not protrude significantly to the side of the vehicle body to avoid interference with the battery case, it is possible to provide a compact electric bicycle in the vehicle width direction.

An electric bicycle according to still another invention is
In the electric bicycle described above, the discharge contact terminal is provided at the lower portion of the battery case in a vehicle-mounted state, and the discharge contact terminal is connected to the lower part of the foot space and on the side of the vehicle body frame with the attachment / detachment operation of the battery case. Because the motor-side contact terminals are separated, the motor-side contact terminals are located in the lower part of the foot space that is open upward, so when connecting the battery case-side discharge contact terminals to this, the connection destination can be easily connected. It can be done while checking. Therefore, the discharge contact terminal can be easily and reliably connected to the motor-side contact terminal without damaging the terminal.

When the battery case is attached to and detached from the vehicle body, the discharge contact terminal is automatically brought into contact with and separated from the motor-side contact terminal. Therefore, the discharge contact terminal and the motor-side contact terminal are connected. No special operation other than the operation of attaching and detaching the battery case is required to remove the battery. For this reason, the attachment / detachment operation of the battery case is simple and easy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an electric bicycle according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a support portion of a battery case support box.

FIG. 3 is a view of the motor unit in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a battery case support box.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a battery case.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view showing a charging port portion of a battery case.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view of a battery case support box.

8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the battery case support box.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a procedure for removing a battery case from a vehicle body.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state when the battery case is removed from the vehicle body and charged.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a state when charging without removing the battery case from the vehicle body.

FIG. 13 is a side view showing another example of the electric bicycle in which the position of the motor unit is changed.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

FIG. 15 is a side view showing another embodiment in which the support box of the electric bicycle on which the motor unit is erected is fixed.

FIG. 16 is a side view showing another embodiment in which the support box of the electric bicycle with the motor unit facing forward is fixed.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electric bicycle, 2 ... Body frame, 2a ... Head pipe, 5 ... Down tube, 2c ... Seat tube, 10
... Outer case, 12 ... Motor unit, 13 ... Motor,
14 ... crankshaft, 15 ... gear box, 21 ... battery case, 25 ... support box, 26 ... discharge connector, 4
2 ... motor side connector, 43 ... support shaft.

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-4-100790 (JP, A) JP-A-57-80977 (JP, A) JP-A-58-89483 (JP, A) JP-A-50-125438 (JP) JP-A-57-74285 (JP, A) JP-A-2-12157 (JP, U) JP-A-58-8637 (JP, Y2) JP-A-60-7995 (JP, Y2) (58) Surveyed field (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B62J 9/00 B62J 11/00

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A structure in which a seat tube extending upward is fixed to a rear portion of a down tube extending downward from a head pipe so as to open a vehicle body frame upward in a substantially V-shape in a side view. The battery case for storing the battery is formed in a long shape,
The battery case is detachably provided above the down tube so that a longitudinal direction thereof is mounted on the down tube along a slope portion of the down tube and a rear portion of the battery case extends to near a valley bottom of the foot space. A motor unit integrally provided with a gear box for supporting a pedal crankshaft, a motor, and an output unit for a rear wheel, below the bottom of the valley bottom of the footing space at a lower side. bicycle. 2. The electric bicycle according to claim 1, wherein a horizontal portion extending substantially horizontally is formed at a rear portion of the down tube, and a motor unit is disposed below the horizontal portion. An electric bicycle in which a battery case is arranged along an inclined portion. 3. The electric bicycle according to claim 1, wherein the motor is disposed such that a longitudinal direction thereof is substantially parallel to an axial direction of a down tube in the motor unit mounting portion. Electric bicycle. 4. The electric bicycle according to claim 1, Car
In the mounted state, a discharge contact terminal is provided at a lower portion of the battery case, and a motor-side contact which comes into contact with and separates from the discharge contact terminal at the lower portion of the foot space and on the vehicle body frame side when the battery case is attached or detached. An electric bicycle having terminals.