JP2919684B2 - 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 which can be driven by both human power and an electric motor, or can be driven only by human power and an electric motor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this kind of electric bicycle has been
As shown in -10733 publication (B62M 23/02), an electric motor is interposed in the wheel hub, the stator of the electric motor is mounted on the shaft, the rotor is mounted on the wheel side, and the wheel rotates by the rotation of the rotor. And then move forward.

[0003] In such an electric bicycle, for example, even when approaching an uphill, the user is tired if the vehicle runs by human power, and therefore, the user tries to run by relying on the electric motor as much as possible. However, when running like this,
If the slope is a steep uphill, the current flowing through the motor increases, the load on the motor increases, the life of the motor decreases, and the battery consumption increases.

[0004] For this reason, even when the battery is discharged, there is no regulation on overdischarge.
In the case of an i-Cd battery or the like, it discharges more than necessary,
There is a problem that when the battery is charged again, the battery cannot be returned to the original state and the capacity of the battery gradually decreases.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electric bicycle which uses a driving force of human power and a driving of an electric motor in combination, so that the amount of battery discharged can be kept constant and the electric bicycle can travel efficiently. The task is to provide

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a human-powered driving means for driving a driving wheel by human power and an electric driving means for driving a driving wheel by an electric motor. Detecting means for detecting the state of discharge of the battery; and notifying means for notifying when the detecting means detects a first predetermined state of discharge, wherein the remaining amount of the battery is equal to the first state.
The driving of the electric motor is stopped when the detection means detects a second predetermined discharge state smaller than the predetermined discharge state.

[0007]

[0008]

[0009]

[0010]

[0011]

[0012]

When the electric bicycle travels using both the manual driving means and the electric driving means, the electric bicycle is driven while assisting the human driving means while driving the electric driving means. At this time, the discharging state of the running battery is detected by the detecting means, and when the detecting means detects the first predetermined discharge amount, the notification is made by the notifying means, and the human-powered driving means is driven by this notifying. Let them know what you have to do. Then, when the detection means detects a second predetermined discharge state in which the remaining amount of the battery is smaller than the first predetermined discharge state, the driving of the electric motor is stopped.

[0013]

[0014]

[0015]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, reference numeral 1 denotes an electric bicycle main body having a driving wheel 2 driven by a manual driving means 9 or an electric driving means 12 and a front wheel 3 for determining a running direction. The main body 1 is composed of a frame constituted by a standing pipe 4, an upper pipe 5, and a lower pipe 6, and a saddle 7 is provided at an upper end of the standing pipe 4. A handle 8 for determining the direction of the front wheel 3 is provided above a portion where the upper pipe 5 and the lower pipe 6 intersect.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a human-powered driving means for driving the driving wheels 2, and the human-powered driving means 9 includes a pedal similarly to a general bicycle.
The driving wheel 2 is driven by transmitting the driving force to the transmission belt 11 by stepping and rotating the pedal 10 with a foot.

Reference numeral 12 denotes an electric driving means which can be used in combination with the manual driving means 9 and can drive the driving wheel 2 by itself. The electric driving means 12 is provided on the driving wheel 2 and can be charged. Using the battery 13 as a power source, the battery 13 supplies power to an electric motor 14 provided in a hub of the driving wheel 2. The electric drive means 12 reduces the output from the electric motor 14 via a reduction mechanism comprising three gears and transmits the output to the drive wheels 2. The speed control of the drive wheel 2 is performed by rotation of an accelerator 15 provided on the handle 8;
It is possible to travel at a speed desired by the user according to the amount of rotation of the accelerator 15. In this embodiment, the rear wheels are driven by human power or by electric motors, but the front wheels are driven by human power, and the rear wheels are driven by electric motors.
Alternatively, the reverse is possible.

Reference numeral 16 denotes a brake lever for operating a mechanical brake.

Next, the control circuit of this electric bicycle is shown in FIG.
It will be described based on.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a microcomputer for controlling the electric bicycle (hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer).
The voltage 17 is supplied from the battery 13 by passing the voltage from the battery 13 down to 24 V to 5 V by passing through a constant voltage circuit 18.

Reference numeral 19 denotes a power switch for driving the electric bicycle by the electric motor 14.
19 is also shown in FIG.

Reference numeral 20 denotes an accelerator circuit linked to the accelerator 15 which can adjust a traveling speed to a desired speed of a user. The accelerator circuit 20 transmits a signal corresponding to the amount of rotation of the accelerator 15 to the microcomputer. Enter 17

A drive circuit 21 drives the motor 14 based on a signal input from the accelerator circuit 20. The drive circuit 21 controls the number of revolutions of the motor 14 by PWM control.

Reference numeral 23 denotes a thermistor for detecting the temperature of the electric motor 14. The signal from the thermistor 23 changes its resistance value in accordance with a change in temperature, whereby the voltage value is converted and input to the microcomputer 17. You.

The current detection circuit 22 and the thermistor 23
This is referred to as detecting means for detecting the driving state of the electric motor 14.

Reference numeral 24 denotes a voltage detection circuit for detecting a change in the voltage of the battery 13. A signal detected by the voltage detection circuit 24 is once input to the microcomputer 17,
The remaining amount of the battery 13 is calculated by calculating the current value together with the current value detected by the
Display at 25. At this time, the reason why the detection voltage is calculated together with the detection current is that the voltage value of the battery 13 slightly changes depending on the amount of current flowing through the electric motor 14.
That is, even if the remaining amount of the battery 13 is large, the voltage drops when a large amount of current flows. In the present embodiment, the battery 13 having a rating of 24 V is used. For example, when the voltage of the battery 13 is 20 V and the electric current flows through the motor 14 at only 3 A, the remaining amount of the battery 13 is 5% or less. Therefore, the power supply to the electric motor 14 is stopped. However, even if the battery 13 is subjected to a high load and the current value is 24 A even if the voltage value drops to 20 V, it is determined that the remaining amount is 50% or more, and the energization is continued. This is because when the remaining amount of the battery 13 is different, the current value flowing through the electric motor 14 is different even if the voltage value of the battery 13 is the same. Is calculated. Then, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the battery remaining amount display circuit 25 performs the display by the LED. The LED 26 uses green and the LED 27 uses red. The LED 26 is always turned on until the battery 13 is fully charged up to 50%, and the LED 26 is turned off and the LED 27 is blinked at 50% or less. Further, when the remaining amount of the battery 13 becomes 10%, the LED 27 is constantly turned on, and when it is 5% or less, the LED 27 is turned off. Here, the combination of both the current detection circuit 22 and the voltage detection circuit 24 is referred to as detection means for detecting the discharge state of the battery 13.
Further, the battery remaining amount display circuit 25 is referred to as a notification unit.

In the present embodiment, the battery remaining amount display circuit 25 is displayed by an LED, but may be displayed by a needle or the like. A circuit for driving these LEDs 26 and 27 is referred to as the battery remaining amount display circuit 25.

The remaining amount of the battery 13 detected by the voltage detection circuit 24 and the current detection circuit 22 is:
When the remaining 10% is consumed, the LED 27 of the battery remaining amount display circuit 25 is constantly lit and displayed, and when the remaining 5% is reached, the electric power to the electric motor 14 is turned on by the drive circuit 21. It is programmed in the microcomputer 17 in advance so as to cut through. The battery mentioned above
The display when the remaining amount of 13 becomes 10% is for urging the user to run not only by the electric drive unit 12 but also by the manual drive unit 9. At this time, if the human-powered driving means 9 is already used, a warning is issued that the remaining amount of the battery 13 is low. Such an alarm and the stop of energization make the remaining amount always an optimal state in order to enhance the chargeability at the time of charging the battery 13,
This is because the battery 13 can be used for a long time at the next use and the life of the battery 13 is extended.

Reference numeral 28 denotes a buzzer, that is, a notifying means.
Numeral 28 can be used as a general alarm, and also notifies when the current detection circuit 22 and the thermistor 23 detect a first predetermined value. Specifically, the current detection circuit
When a current of 20 A or more flows through the electric motor 14 according to 22, a signal is output from the microcomputer 17 and the buzzer is output.
It is designed to ring 28. Further, when the current exceeds 25 A, the capacity of the electric motor 14 is at its limit. Therefore, the electric motor 14 is stopped, and the user is driven only by the manual driving means 9.

The temperature detection by the thermistor 23 is performed in the same manner.
When the temperature of the electric motor 14 reaches 80 degrees, the buzzer 28
Alarm when the motor reaches 100 degrees.
It is controlled to stop energizing 14.

As described above, the buzzer 28 informs the drive state of the motor 14 when the current value or temperature reaches the first predetermined value, and the user is in an overload state of the motor 14. And prompting the driver to perform driving by human power. When the electric power reaches the second predetermined value, the power supply is stopped to protect the electric motor 14, and the driving is performed only by the manual driving means 9. However, when the electric motor 14 is in a state where the electric motor 14 can run, that is, when the electric current value becomes 20 A or less or the temperature becomes 80 degrees or less, the electric motor 14 is again actuated by an instruction from the accelerator 15 by the user. The power supply 14 can be energized so that the manual drive means 9 and the electric drive means 12 can be used together.

Next, the operation will be described.

When the electric bicycle main body 1 is used, it can be used in the same manner as a general bicycle, and can be run only by the manual driving means 9. In addition, traveling by only the electric driving means 12 can be performed, and the instruction speed can be adjusted by adjusting the rotation of the accelerator 15, and the traveling can be performed by driving the electric motor 14. Further, the human-powered driving means 9 and the electric driving means 12 are used in combination, and
You can also run using. As described above, since the type of the driving means can be selected, for example, on the uphill, the electric driving means 12 is mainly used to use the human-powered driving means 9 as a driving assistance, and on a flat road or downhill, the human-powered driving means 9 is used. It can be used according to the place of use, for example, by using the electric drive means 12 as a driving assistance by mainly using the electric vehicle, so that it is possible to travel while minimizing human labor.

In the case of traveling on an uphill as described above, when the continuous traveling is performed mainly on the electric driving means 12 without using the human driving means 9 as much, the electric motor becomes longer as the traveling time becomes longer.
The load on the motor 14 increases, and the temperature of the electric motor 14 increases. When the temperature of the electric motor 14 reaches 80 degrees, the thermistor
23 detects an overload condition of the motor 14 and gives a buzzer 28 to the user.
Is sounded to use the human-powered driving means 9.

Also, the current flowing through the electric motor 14 becomes large, for example, when the ascending gradient becomes steep, and the electric driving means
When the vehicle travels around 12, the load on the electric motor 14 increases. At that time, the buzzer 28 sounds when the current flowing through the motor 14 reaches 20A, and informs the user that the motor 14 is overloaded and that the human-powered driving means 9 must be further used. The control is such that the power supply to the electric motor 14 is stopped so that the motor 14 is not damaged.

When the overload state due to the above current or temperature is detected, the buzzer 28 is continuously informed,
When the electric drive unit 12 returns to the drivable state, the buzzer 28 stops reporting and the electric motor 14 is controlled to be driven in accordance with the rotation of the accelerator 15 by the user.

When the remaining amount of the battery 13 reaches 10% while the electric bicycle is running, the battery remaining amount display circuit 25 displays that the remaining amount of the battery 13 is low, so that the user can be notified. The user is prompted to run by the manual driving means 9, and the user drives by the manual driving means 9 here. This indicates that the battery 13 is low.

With the above configuration, when the current flowing through the motor 14 becomes 20 A or when the temperature of the motor 14 exceeds 80 degrees, that is, when it reaches the first predetermined value, the buzzer
When the user starts to sound 28 and informs the user that the electric motor 14 must be assisted by the drive by the manual driving means 9, and when the current flowing through the electric motor 14 becomes 25 A or the temperature of the electric motor 14 becomes 100 degrees. In other words, when the second predetermined value is reached, the power supply to the electric motor 14 is stopped, and the control is performed so that only the manual driving means 9 can be driven.
The load on the motor 14 is reduced, and the life of the motor 14 can be extended. Further, a large current continues to flow through the electric motor 14 to increase the temperature, so that damage due to heat can be suppressed.

Thus, the human-powered driving means 9 and the electric-powered driving means 12 can be used successfully, and the user can effectively drive the electric bicycle.

Further, when the remaining amount of the battery 13 reaches 10%, the notification is made, and when the remaining amount reaches 5%, the power supply is stopped, so that the life of the rechargeable battery 13 is not shortened. The travel distance by the electric drive means 12 can be increased, and efficient travel can be achieved.

[0042]

The present invention has a manual driving means for driving driving wheels by human power and an electric driving means for driving driving wheels by an electric motor, and a discharge state of a rechargeable battery which is a driving source of the electric motor. And a notifying means for notifying when the detecting means detects the first predetermined discharge state, wherein the remaining battery power is smaller than the first predetermined discharge state. When the discharge state is detected by the detection means, the driving of the electric motor is stopped. Therefore, when the first predetermined discharge amount is detected, the notification is made by the notification means, and the human-powered driving means must be driven by this notification. When the detection means detects a second predetermined discharge state in which the remaining battery power is smaller than the first predetermined discharge state, the driving of the electric motor is stopped to reduce the battery life. No Rukoto, a travel distance by the electric drive means that can be lengthened, it is possible to perform efficient traveling.

[0043]

[0044]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a control circuit diagram of an electric bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall side view of the main body.

FIG. 3 is a partial top view of the main body.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Drive wheel 9 Manual drive means 14 Electric motor 12 Electric drive means 22 Current detection circuit 23 Thermistor 28 Buzzer 24 Voltage detection circuit 25 Battery remaining amount display circuit

Continuation of the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B62M 23/02 B60K 7/00

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A detection device for detecting a discharge state of a rechargeable battery, which is a driving source of the electric motor, comprising : human-powered driving means for driving the driving wheels by human power; and electric driving means for driving the driving wheels by an electric motor. Means, and notifying means for notifying when the detecting means detects the first predetermined discharge state.
And the remaining battery level is lower than the first predetermined discharge state.
When the detecting means detects a second predetermined discharge state.
An electric bicycle wherein the driving of the electric motor is stopped .