JP3509434B2 - Small electric car - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a small electric vehicle for simple movement, which is operated by, for example, an elderly person or a handicapped person. The steering handle is provided with a pair of left and right fixed handle grips. About small electric cars.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in this kind of small electric vehicle,
For example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-140201, in order to perform acceleration / deceleration operation of traveling, a pair of left and right fixed handle grips are held together with an accelerator lever that can swing around a horizontal axis console box. It is known that it is provided in.

[0003]

However, in the conventional structure described above, when the accelerator lever is gripped together with the fixed handle grip, the gripped portion of the accelerator lever swings around the horizontal axis. Since it is configured to come close to the fixed handle grip in the front-rear direction, there is a high possibility that the fingertip of the hand holding the accelerator lever will be caught between the accelerator lever and the fixed handle grip. In addition, in order to avoid pinching of the fingertip, it may be possible to separate the accelerator lever far ahead of the fixed handle grip in the conventional structure, but this makes it difficult to grasp the accelerator lever, so acceleration / deceleration It had problems such as difficulty in operation.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a small electric vehicle capable of favorably setting acceleration / deceleration in a state of avoiding pinching a fingertip with an accelerator lever.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

(Structure) In the small electric vehicle according to claim 1 of the present invention, a pair of left and right fixed handle grips are provided on the steering handle, and acceleration / deceleration operation can be performed by pressing down the fixed handle grips with a hand. Attach the accelerator lever so that the rear surface of the console box equipped with the steering handle can be swung around the front and rear axis , and
The fixed handle grip with the shaft center in the left-right direction
The accelerator lever is provided at a position further apart
The human hand operation part in the left and right direction with the fixed handle
It is characterized in that it is provided on the side close to the grip .

(Operation) According to the configuration of claim 1 of the present invention, since the rear surface of the console box is mounted on the crook so that the accelerator lever can swing around the longitudinal axis, the accelerator lever is manually pressed. Become a place
The manual operation part can prevent the manual operation part of the accelerator lever from approaching the fixed handle grip part in the front-rear direction regardless of the acceleration / deceleration operation, and the fixed front / rear distance makes it easy for the operator to press down manually. Can be set between the grip. Also, because the accelerator lever is operated by pressing it down, the operable range of the accelerator lever can be set larger than the operable range of the conventional gripping and operating the accelerator lever. It can be easily set. Furthermore, if the moving surface drawn by the manual operation part of the accelerator lever is set in advance to a surface close to the front surface of the fixed handle grip, the front-rear spacing itself between the surfaces is narrow, so that it is between the accelerator lever and the fixed handle grip. Makes fingers more difficult to pinch. On the other hand, if the gap between the moving surface drawn by the manual operation part of the accelerator lever and the fixed handle grip is set to a large value, there will be no pinching of the finger if it is large enough that the finger is not caught in the first place. . And if the distance between the moving surface drawn by the manual operation part of the accelerator lever and the fixed handle grip is set to the middle of the above two,
As described above, the front-rear distance between the accelerator lever and the fixed handle grip is constant regardless of the operation of the accelerator lever, and it is difficult to squeeze the accelerator lever downward and operate it so that it is difficult for your fingertips to get caught in the accelerator lever. It is difficult to pinch your fingertip between the fixed handle grip and the fixed handle grip when operating the accelerator.

(Effect) Therefore, according to the structure of claim 1 of the present invention, the problem that the fingertip is caught by the acceleration / deceleration operation of the accelerator lever is eliminated, and
The acceleration / deceleration operation can be easily performed.

(Structure) A compact electric vehicle according to a second aspect of the present invention is the compact electric vehicle according to the second aspect, wherein the single accelerator lever has a right-hand operating posture and a left-hand operating posture with respect to the console box. The characteristic configuration is that it can be replaced.

(Operation) According to the configuration of claim 2 of the present invention, since the single accelerator lever is configured to be interchangeable between the right hand operating posture and the left hand operating posture with respect to the console box, the accelerator is It is not necessary to prepare two types of levers, one for right hand operation and the other for left hand operation.

(Effect) Therefore, according to the structure of claim 2 of the present invention, there is an advantage that the cost of parts of the accelerator lever can be reduced.

(Structure) A compact electric vehicle according to claim 3 of the present invention is the compact electric vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the accelerator lever is provided at a position overlapping with the fixed handle grip in the front-rear direction .
A pressure sensor is provided on a surface of the manual operation section opposite to the fixed handle grip side in a state where the manual operation section is operated, and based on pressure detection of a predetermined or more by the pressure sensor. A characteristic feature is that a braking actuation means for actuating braking for traveling is provided.

[0012] (Operation) In the state according to the configuration in claim 3, the manual operation section of the accelerator lever in a position overlapping the fixed handle grip and the front and rear is operated according to the invention
Since a pressure sensor is provided on the surface of the manual operation section opposite to the fixed handle grip side, and a braking actuation means for activating braking for traveling is provided based on the pressure detection by the pressure sensor above a predetermined level. Even if the driver suddenly slams the human operation part strongly due to some trouble during traveling, the driver does not accelerate the vehicle unnecessarily and the vehicle is forcibly stopped to stop the vehicle. Can be secured.

(Effect) Therefore, according to the structure of claim 3 of the present invention, even if the operator mistakenly squeezes the accelerator lever strongly, the traveling can be forcibly stopped, so that an abnormal traveling is performed. This eliminates the need for it and improves driving safety.

(Structure) A compact electric vehicle according to claim 4 of the present invention is the compact electric vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a limiting means for limiting a swingable range of the accelerator lever is provided. This is a characteristic configuration.

(Operation) According to the configuration of claim 4 of the present invention, since the restricting means for restricting the swingable range of the accelerator lever is provided, the accelerator lever exceeds its normal swing range and is unjustified. It does not swing to.

(Effect) Therefore, according to the structure of claim 4 of the present invention, the swingable range of the accelerator lever is limited by providing a simple limiting means such as a hitting structure. Since the acceleration / deceleration can be set, it is possible to reduce the cost, and it is possible to solve the problem that the accelerator lever is unduly rocked excessively and the accelerator lever structure is damaged.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 8 shows a small electric vehicle. This small electric vehicle is a vehicle body supported by a single-wheel front wheel 2 that is steered by a steering handle 1 as a steering handle, and a pair of left and right rear wheels 4, 4 that are driven by an electric motor 3. The frame 5 is equipped with a boarding seat 6, a battery 7, a control device 8 and the like.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the steering wheel 1 is connected to an upper end of a handle shaft 10 which is integrally formed with a fork member 9 which supports the front wheels 2.
Further, on the upper end portion of the handle shaft 10, an indicator (indicator) 11 for displaying the remaining capacity of the battery 7 by a plurality of light emitting diodes, a forward / reverse switching switch 12,
A console box 15 provided with a selection switch 13 for selectively setting the maximum vehicle speed in three stages of high, middle, and low, and a main key switch 14 for turning on the power is installed. More specifically, with the handle rod 16 of the steering handle 1 integrally connected to the upper end of the handle shaft 10, the handle rod 16 is provided to extend laterally from the left and right of the console box 15 and its extension. The respective left and right handle rods 16 and 16 are once curved so as to be oriented in opposite directions in the left and right direction, and fixed handle grips 17 and 17 are provided at their ends. That is, the left and right handle rods 16 and 16 are each formed in a U-shape in plan view as shown in FIG.

An accelerator lever 18 is attached to a rear surface portion of the console box 15 on which the forward / reverse switching switch 12 and the like are provided so as to be swingable around a longitudinal axis along the longitudinal direction. The accelerator lever 18 can be selectively attached to two places, that is, a rightward portion and a leftward portion of the rear surface 15a of the console box 15, and will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. As shown, on the rear surface 15a of the console box 15,
A pair of left and right through holes 1 for mounting the accelerator lever 18
9L and 19R are drilled. Then, at positions facing the front and rear through holes 19L and 19R in the console box 15, they are rotatably supported around front and rear axis X2 and X1, respectively, and elastically biased downward by springs S and S, respectively. The rocking base ends of the pair of accelerator operation arms 20L and 20R are provided, and when the accelerator lever 18 is used for the right hand, the accelerator operation arm 20R is passed through the right-and-forth front-rear through hole 19R. The base end portion 20a of the accelerator lever 18 is attached to the base end portion 20a of the pivot side.
A is fastened and fixed with bolts 21 and left and right through-hole 19L
Attach the cap 22 to and close it. When using the accelerator lever 18 for the left hand, the front and rear through hole 19 on the left side
The base end 18a of the accelerator lever 18 is attached to the base end 20a of the accelerator operating arm 20L through the L through the bolt 2
Fasten and fix with 1 and cap 2 on the front and rear through hole 19R.
Attach 2 and close. Therefore, by providing the accelerator lever 18 rotatably around the front-rear axis X1 as the swing center of the right accelerator operation arm 20R, the manual operation portion 18b of the accelerator lever 18 is fixed to the right fixed handle grip 17. It is located near,
The accelerator lever 18 is rotatable around the front-rear axis X2 as the swing center of the left accelerator operation arm 20L.
Since the manual operation portion 18b of the accelerator lever 18 is located near the fixed handle grip 17 on the left side, the accelerator lever 18 can be replaced according to the dominant hand.

As shown in FIG. 4, the free ends of the pair of left and right accelerator operating arms 20L and 20R are positioned so as to overlap with each other at the center of the console box 15 in the left-right direction. To each pivot side base end 2
0a, 20a, and elongated holes 20b, 20b are formed at each free end. Further, a potentiometer 23 for detecting the swing operation amount of the accelerator lever 18 is provided inside the console box 15, and an operation arm A integrated with an operation shaft 23a extending in the left-right direction of the potentiometer 23 is provided. A pin 24b supported by a support member 24a that moves up and down in a linked manner is inserted into both the long holes 20b, 20b. Therefore, due to the swing displacement of the accelerator operating arms 20R, 20L swinging around the front and rear axis X1, X2 integrally with the accelerator lever 18, the operating shaft 23a of the potentiometer 23 is rotated via the operating arm A, the pin 24b and the like. By the dynamic operation, the accelerator operation amount can be detected for the accelerator lever 18 located on either the left or the right.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, at the end of the right accelerator operating arm 20R facing the right lateral side wall 15b in the console box 15, the lateral side wall 15b is provided. On the other hand, while allowing the rocking operation of the accelerator lever 18 within the range between the operation start position corresponding to the zero speed of the accelerator lever 18 and the maximum speed setting position, the rocking operation of the accelerator lever 18 exceeding the range is allowed. The side wall 15b is provided with contact edge portions 25, 25 that are in contact with the side wall 15b. This contact edge 2
5, 25 and the lateral side wall 15b constitute a limiting means 26 for limiting the swingable range of the accelerator lever 18.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the manual operation portion 18b of the accelerator lever 18 is constituted by a lever main body 18c made of a metal rod and a synthetic resin material coated relatively thickly. When the accelerator lever 18 in the synthetic resin material portion of the manual operation portion 18b is pushed down, the fixed handle grip 17 is manually placed in a state of being positioned immediately before the fixed handle grip 17 (corresponding to the maximum vehicle speed setting position). A pressure sensor 27 capable of detecting the gripping pressure when strongly gripped is embedded in the front surface of the manual operation part 18b, that is, on the surface opposite to the fixed handle grip 17 side. The detection signal of the pressure sensor 27 is input to the control device 8 and the detection signal of the potentiometer 23 is also input to the control device 8. With this configuration, FIG.
As shown in (b), when the operator depresses the accelerator lever 18, the accelerator lever 18 is around the front-rear axis X1 for the right hand, and the front-rear axis X2 for the left hand.
The potentiometer 23 detects and operates in response to the amount of rocking, and inputs the detection signal to the control device 8. Based on the result of detection of the accelerator operation amount, the control device 8 causes the electric motor 3 to move. Drive control. Further, when the driver strongly grips the accelerator lever 18 together with the fixed handle grip 17 at the time of operating the accelerator (see FIG. 6B), if the pressure-sensitive sensor 27 has a grasping pressure higher than a predetermined value, Since the grasped state is detected, the control device 8 prohibits the normal vehicle speed control based on the detection result, immediately stops the electric motor 3, and operates the electromagnetic brake provided in the traveling drive system. The control to stop is performed. Here, the control device 8, the electric brake, and the like constitute a braking actuation unit that actuates braking for traveling based on the pressure detection by the pressure sensor 27 that is equal to or higher than a predetermined pressure.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a rear view showing a steering handle portion.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a steering handle portion.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway side view showing a steering handle portion.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a linkage mechanism between an accelerator lever and a potentiometer.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a structure for mounting an accelerator lever.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an initial state (a) of operation of the accelerator lever and a maximum speed setting state (b).

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional rear view showing the initial state (a) of the accelerator lever operation and the maximum speed setting state (b).

FIG. 8 is an overall side view showing a small electric vehicle

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Steering Handle 15 Console Box 17 Fixed Handle Grip 18 Accelerator Lever 18b Manual Operation Section 26 Limiting Means 27 Pressure Sensitive Sensor

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Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A steering handle is provided with a pair of left and right fixed handle grips, and an accelerator lever is provided which is capable of accelerating and decelerating by pressing down the fixed handle grips with a hand holding the fixed handle grips. The rear surface of the console box is mounted so that it can swing freely around the longitudinal axis, and the longitudinal axis is fixed in the left-right direction.
Provided at a position apart from the handle grip and in front
In the left-right direction, move the accelerator lever
Provided on the side close to the fixed handle grip
A small electric car. 2. The small electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the single accelerator lever is configured to be interchangeable between a right-hand operating posture and a left-hand operating posture with respect to the console box. 3. A pressure sensor is provided on a surface of the manual operation section opposite to the fixed handle grip side in a state where the manual operation section of the accelerator lever is operated at a position overlapping with the fixed handle grip in the front-rear direction. With the provision
The small electric vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a braking actuating means for actuating braking for traveling on the basis of detection of a predetermined pressure or more by the pressure sensitive sensor. 4. The small electric vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a limiting means for limiting a swingable range of the accelerator lever.