JP3333943B2 - Electric scooter - 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 scooter which runs by using an electric motor as a drive source.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a scooter having a structure in which a rear wheel is driven by an electric motor has attracted attention. In this type of electric scooter, an electric motor is mounted instead of an engine, and a plurality of batteries for supplying power to the electric motor are mounted on a vehicle body. In this type of electric scooter, the rotation speed of the electric motor is increased or decreased by rotating a throttle grip rotatably provided on a steering handle. In order to convert the amount of rotation of the throttle grip into an electric signal, a rotary position sensor such as a potentiometer has been mainly used.

[0003]

However, in this type of electric scooter, the mounting position of the potentiometer is a problem. This is because to transmit the rotation of the throttle grip to the potentiometer with high precision, it is necessary to bring the potentiometer as close as possible to the throttle grip, but the signal cable becomes longer as the mounting position approaches the throttle grip. This is because the power transmission loss increases.

If the potentiometer is provided integrally with the throttle grip in order to maximize the detection accuracy of the potentiometer, the potentiometer must be covered with a cover so that the waterproof and dustproof properties must be enhanced. The size of the potentiometer must be increased, or the structure of the potentiometer itself must be a complicated structure with high sealing performance.

[0005]

In the electric scooter according to the present invention, a rotary shaft of a potentiometer is connected to a throttle grip rotatably provided on a steering handle via an operation wire, and a rear wheel drive is connected to the potentiometer. And a control device for controlling the electric power unit for the vehicle, wherein the potentiometer is disposed near the head pipe of the vehicle body frame and surrounded by a cover forming the vehicle body outer shape.

[0006]

The potentiometer and the throttle grip are connected via a relatively short operation wire, and the signal cable for the potentiometer is shortened by the operation wire as compared with the case where the potentiometer is mounted on the throttle grip. Further, the cover forming the outer shape of the vehicle body is a substantial waterproof and dustproof cover of the potentiometer.

[0007]

1 to 11 show an embodiment of the present invention.
This will be described in detail. 1 is a side view of an electric scooter according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a vehicle body frame of the electric scooter according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the vehicle body frame and a battery box, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of the box support portion.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of a potentiometer mounting portion, FIG. 6 is a plan view of the potentiometer mounting portion, and FIG. 7 is a front view of the same. 8 is an enlarged side sectional view showing a head pipe portion of the electric scooter according to the present invention, FIG. 9 is an enlarged side sectional view showing a mudguard plate portion, and FIG. 10 is a plan view of the mudguard plate portion. FIG. 10 is a view as viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 9. 9 shows a cross section taken along line IX-IX in FIG. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electric system of the electric scooter according to the present invention.

In these figures, reference numeral 1 denotes an electric scooter according to the present invention. The electric scooter 1 has a low-floor footrest 4 formed between a steering handle 2 and a seat 3.
Further, a vehicle body cover 5 is provided below the seat 3, and a storage box 6 that opens upward in the vehicle body cover 5 is mounted. The front end of the seat 3 is pivotally supported by the storage box 6, and the rear opening of the seat 3 is lifted upward from the state shown in FIG. 1 so that the upper opening of the storage box 6 is exposed. Is configured. Reference numeral 7 denotes a helmet stored in the storage box 6.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a locking device for the seat 3. The locking device 8 is supported and fixed to a rear seat receiver of a body frame, which will be described later, and a key insertion hole is exposed to the left side of the vehicle body through the vehicle body cover 5. .

Reference numeral 9 denotes a vehicle body frame of the electric scooter 1. The vehicle body frame 9 comprises the steering wheel 2 and the front wheels 1
And a main pipe 13 extending downward from the head pipe 12 and extending below the footrest 4 to extend below the seat 3. , Two right and left rear pipes 14 connected to the rear end of the main pipe 13,
14 and so on.

The main pipe 13 is bent so that the portion below the footrest 4 is substantially horizontal, and the rear side of the seat 3 is inclined upward and backward from just below the front end of the seat 3. The rear pipes 14 are connected to the rear end portion inclined upward and rearward through connecting members 15.

The rear pipe 14 is formed of a pipe formed in a straight line, and is welded to the connecting member 15 so as to incline upward. The rear ends of the left and right rear pipes 14 are connected to each other by a cross member 16 as shown in FIG. In addition, these rear pipes 14
Between each other, a front seat receiver 17, a rear seat receiver 18, and a carrier bracket 19 formed in a substantially gate shape in a front view are welded. The storage box 6 and the seat 3 include a front seat receiver 17 and a rear seat receiver 18.
It is supported by.

A power unit 20 serving as a power source of the electric scooter 1 is connected to the rear pipe 14 so as to be vertically swingable. The power unit 20 has a unit swing structure in which a front upper portion is pivotally supported by the rear pipe 14 via a horizontal support shaft 21 and a rear end of the power unit 20 cantileverly supports a rear wheel 22. The support shaft 21 is attached to the engine bracket 23 of the left and right rear pipes 14.
It is supported by being bridged over.

A rear cushion unit 24 is interposed between the rear part of the power unit 20 and the left rear pipe 14. The upper end of the rear cushion unit 24 is pivotally supported by a mounting bracket 16a provided on the cross member 16.

The power unit 20 has almost the same structure as a unit swing type engine used in a conventional motorcycle except for the difference between the configuration of the engine and the electric motor. Transmission case 2 to support
0a and the electric motor 2 mounted in the transmission case 20a.
0b and a V-belt type automatic transmission 20c.

The electric motor 20b is positioned substantially at the center in the vehicle width direction, as shown in FIG. 11, and its rotating shaft supporting the rotor is a so-called horizontal type which is oriented in the vehicle width direction. . The coil, which is the stator of the electric motor 20b, is supplied with power from a battery described later via a controller. Note that an encoder 20d for detecting the number of rotations of the electric motor 20b is attached to a shaft end of the electric motor 20b on the right side of the vehicle body.

A battery serving as a power source for the power unit 20 is mounted below the footrest unit 4. Reference numeral 25 denotes a battery. The battery 25 is inserted into a battery box 26 supported by the main pipe 13.

The battery box 26 is integrally formed of a synthetic resin, and has a structure in which a pair of left and right battery storage portions 26a formed in a box shape opening upward as shown in FIG. 3 are connected via a plate-like connection portion 26b. It has been. Further, the left and right battery storage portions 26a are formed to have dimensions to accommodate the batteries 25 in a line in front and back.
Notches 26c for passing a battery cable (not shown) and electrical cables are formed in the front and rear wall portions.

Then, this battery box 26
The main pipe 13 is located between the left and right battery storages 26a.
Is placed on a box receiver 27 provided on the main pipe 13 and bolted to the box receiver 27. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the box receiver 27 is formed in a plate shape extending in the vehicle width direction, and is fixed to the main pipe 13 via left and right stays 28 extending downward from the main pipe 13. The box receiver 27 and the stay 28 are connected to the battery box 26.
The main pipe 13 is provided two by two so as to support the front and rear portions of the main pipe 13.

That is, when the battery box 26 is used, the batteries 25 are mounted on the left and right sides of the main pipe 13 along the main pipe 13, and two batteries 25 are provided on one side of the main pipe 13, and four batteries are combined on the left and right sides. Can be mounted.

In FIG. 4, a member indicated by reference numeral 29 located above the main pipe 13 is a footrest plate forming a floor of the footrest part 4. The foot rest plate 29 is supported by the main pipe 13 via gate-shaped stays 30, 31 and a plate-shaped bracket 32. The stays 30, 31 are arranged at positions corresponding to the battery box supporting stays 28 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and project upward from the main pipe 13, respectively. A plate-shaped bracket 32 is provided on the upper end of each of the stays 30 and 31.
Are screwed respectively. Further, the plate-shaped bracket 32 is attached in the same manner as the box receiver 27 with its longitudinal direction directed in the vehicle width direction.

A member indicated by reference numeral 33 attached to the lower surface of the plate-shaped bracket 32 is a rubber pressing member for contacting the upper surface of the battery 25 and holding the battery 25 in the battery box 26.

Reference numeral 34 denotes the electric motor 20 of the power unit 20.
This is a controller for controlling the rotation of b. The controller 34 is configured to control the amount of current supplied from the battery 25 to the electric motor 20b in accordance with the amount of rotation of the steering handle 2 with the right throttle grip 2a. A potentiometer is used to convert the amount of rotation of the throttle grip 2a into an electric signal. The potentiometer is shown at 35 in the figure.

The potentiometer 35 is formed as shown in FIGS. 5 to 9, and is mounted on the front side of the head pipe 12 via a bracket 36. A rotation input section 35 a as a rotation shaft of the potentiometer 35 is connected to a right throttle grip 2 a of the steering handle 2 via a wire drive mechanism 37.

The wire drive mechanism 37 is constructed by rotatably supporting a support shaft 39 on the bracket 36, and connecting an operation lever 40 and a connecting member 41 to the support shaft 39. The operation lever 40 is engaged with an operation wire 42 that is pulled or loosened in accordance with the turning operation of the throttle grip 2a, and the connecting member 41 is connected to the turning input portion 35a of the potentiometer 35 via the claw piece 41a. Is engaged. Reference numeral 43 denotes an outer stopper on which the outer (not shown) of the operation wire 42 is hung, which is formed integrally with the bracket 36. The connection structure between the throttle grip 2a and the operation wire 42 is the same as that used for a conventional engine-driven scooter, and a detailed description is omitted here.

That is, when the throttle grip 2a is rotated, the operation lever 40 and the connecting member 41 are rotated
9, the pawl 41a of the connecting member 41 rotates the rotation input portion 35a of the potentiometer 35. For this reason, a signal corresponding to the amount of rotation of the throttle grip 2a is output from the potentiometer 35 to the controller 34. By operating the throttle grip 2a, the rotation speed of the electric motor 20b changes.

In FIG. 8, reference numeral 44 denotes a front fender, 45 denotes a leg shield, and 46 denotes an inner fender. The front fender 44 and the leg shield 45 are connected to each other and formed so as to surround the head pipe 12 of the vehicle body. The inner fender 46 is provided at the lower opening of the space surrounded by the inner fenders.
Is positioned.

That is, the potentiometer 35 is located near the head pipe 12 and the front fender 4
4, leg shield 45 and inner fender 46
, Etc., are arranged at a portion surrounded by a cover forming the outer shape of the vehicle body.

As shown in FIG. 9, a heat sink 47 is attached to the lower part of the controller 34, and is fixed to the vehicle body frame 9 via the heat sink 47. The heat sink 47 has a cooling fin (not shown), and a front part thereof is screwed to a stay 48 of the rear seat receiver 18. The rear portion is screwed to a controller bracket 49 which is installed at the rear ends of the left and right rear pipes 14 so as to connect the two rear pipes 14 to each other.

By fixing the heat sink 47 in contact with the metal member of the vehicle body frame 9 as described above, the heat generated by the controller 34 can be conducted to the vehicle body frame 9 via the heat sink 47, and the controller 34 can be efficiently operated. It can be cooled. Although the heat sink 47 is surrounded by the body cover 5,
The louvers 5a and 5b for guiding air are provided in the vehicle body cover 5 so that the inside of the vehicle body cover 5 is easily ventilated. When the cooling efficiency of the controller 34 increases, a small heat sink can be used, and the durability of the controller 34 itself increases.

Further, when the controller 34 controls the motor 20b of the power unit 20, the motor 20b
It is necessary to perform tuning adjustment with the encoder 20d of b, but with this controller 34, it is possible to perform adjustment by inserting a driver through an adjustment hole (not shown) of the storage box 6 with the seat 3 opened. It is configured as follows.

Here, the configuration of the electric system of the electric scooter 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The controller 34 is connected to a power relay 50 as a power switch in addition to the power unit 20 and the potentiometer 35 described above, and is connected to the battery 25 via the power relay 50 and the fuse 51. Reference numeral 52 connected to the power relay 50 is a start indicator for switching ON and OFF of the power relay 50.

Reference numeral 53 denotes a charger for charging the battery 25. The charger 53 is a power outlet (not shown).
, And is supported and fixed to the connecting member 15 of the vehicle body frame 9 as shown in FIG. The connection plug 53a is configured to be able to be pulled out of the vehicle body cover 5 by opening a lid (not shown) of the vehicle body cover 5.

Further, in the electric scooter 1, since the operating voltage of the power unit 20 and the operating voltage of electric parts such as a head lamp and a flasher lamp are different, a DC-DC converter 54 is provided between the electric parts and the battery 25. Is interposed. Note that the DC-DC converter 5
A main switch 55 between the battery 4 and the battery 25;
A fuse 56 is interposed, and a DC-DC converter 54
A fuse 57 is interposed between and the electric component. 58 is a headlamp, 59 is a dimmer switch, 6
0 is a tail / stop lamp, 61 is a stop switch, 62 is a horn, 63 is a horn switch, 64 is a flasher lamp, 65 is a flasher relay, 66 is an audio pilot, and 67 is a speedometer lamp.

The electric components such as the power relay 50, the DC-DC converter 54, and the fuses 51 and 57 are arranged in a concentrated manner in a portion between the right and left rear pipes 14 as shown in FIGS. . A mudguard plate 68 is attached to the rear wheels 22 of the left and right rear pipes 14, and the electrical components are fixed on the mudguard plate 68. The mudguard plate 68 is formed so as to be bridged between the left and right rear pipes 14. The front portion is screwed to the connecting member 15 of the vehicle body frame 9, and the rear portion is screwed to the cross member 16.

An opening 70 for passing a connection cable 69 for connecting the controller 34 to the power unit 20 is formed in the mudguard plate 68 at a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction. The openings 70 are formed at two places on the left and right as shown in FIG.

The electric scooter 1 configured as described above
When the main switch 55 is operated and the start indicator 52 is turned on to rotate the throttle grip 2a, a current corresponding to the amount of rotation of the throttle grip 2a is supplied to the electric motor 20b of the power unit 20. When the output shaft of the electric motor 20b rotates, the rotational force is transmitted to the rear wheels 22 via the V-belt type automatic transmission 20c, and the electric vehicle 20 runs. The charging of the battery 25 is performed by inserting the connection plug 53a of the charger 53 into a power outlet (not shown).

Further, to attach and detach the battery 25,
This is performed in a state where the footrest plate 29 and the plate-shaped bracket 32 are removed. That is, the foot plate 29 and the plate-shaped bracket 32 are removed to expose the upper opening of the battery box 26. When the battery 25 is mounted, the battery 25 is inserted into the battery storage portion 26a from above. 25 is lifted upward from the battery storage section 26a.

Therefore, the electric scooter 1 according to the present invention
Since the potentiometer 35 is supported by the head pipe 12 and connected to the throttle grip 2a via the operation wire 42, the potentiometer 35 and the throttle grip 2a are connected via the relatively short operation wire 42 and connected to the potentiometer 35. The signal cable is shorter by the operation wire 42 than when the potentiometer 35 is mounted on the throttle grip.

Further, since the potentiometer 35 is disposed at a portion surrounded by a cover that forms the outer shape of the vehicle body such as the front fender 44, the leg shield 45, and the inner fender 46, these covers become substantially waterproof covers of the potentiometer 35.

As shown in this embodiment, the controller 34
Is disposed in the vehicle body cover 5 behind the seat 3, the controller 34 is surrounded by the seat 3, the vehicle body cover 5 and the mudguard plate 68, so that the waterproof effect and the dustproof effect are enhanced.

[0043]

As described above, in the electric scooter according to the present invention, the rotary shaft of the potentiometer is connected to the throttle grip rotatably provided on the steering handle via the operation wire, and the rear wheel is connected to the potentiometer. A control device for controlling the electric power unit for driving is connected, and the potentiometer is arranged near the head pipe of the vehicle body frame and surrounded by a cover forming the vehicle body outer shape. The potentiometer signal cable is connected via a relatively short operation wire, and the signal cable for the potentiometer is shortened by the operation wire as compared with the case where the potentiometer is mounted on the throttle grip.

Therefore, the precision deterioration caused by the use of the operation wire is suppressed as small as possible.
Power transmission loss can be reduced by shortening the signal cable.

Further, since the cover forming the outer shape of the vehicle body serves as a substantial waterproof and dustproof cover of the potentiometer, a high waterproof and dustproof effect can be obtained without increasing the sealing performance of the potentiometer itself. Therefore, an inexpensive off-the-shelf product can be used as the potentiometer, and the manufacturing cost can be kept low. In addition, the parts of the throttle grip can be the same as those of the conventional engine-type scooter, which is economical.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a vehicle body frame of the electric scooter according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a body frame and a battery box of the electric scooter according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an IV- of the battery box supporting portion in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view showing a potentiometer mounting portion.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a potentiometer mounting portion.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a potentiometer mounting portion.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged side sectional view showing a head pipe portion of the electric scooter according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged side sectional view showing a mudguard plate portion.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a mudguard plate portion.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electric system of the electric scooter according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric scooter 2a Throttle grip 9 Body frame 12 Head pipe 13 Main pipe 14 Rear pipe 20 Power unit 20b Electric motor 20c V-belt type automatic transmission 22 Rear wheel 24 Rear cushion unit 25 Battery 34 Controller 35 Potentiometer 35a Rotation input part 37 Wire Drive mechanism 42 Operation wire 44 Front fender 45 Leg shield 46 Inner fender

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60L 15/00 B62J 11/00

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A rotary shaft of a potentiometer is connected to a throttle grip rotatably provided on a steering handle via an operation wire, and a control device for controlling an electric power unit for driving rear wheels is connected to the potentiometer. An electric scooter, wherein the potentiometer is arranged near a head pipe of a vehicle body frame and surrounded by a cover forming a vehicle body outer shape.