JP4492905B2 - Electric assist bicycle - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a battery-assisted bicycle, and more particularly to a battery-assisted bicycle having a vehicle body frame structure that can increase the degree of freedom in designing a vehicle body.
[0002]
[Prior art]
There is known a battery-assisted bicycle including a human-powered drive system for transmitting a pedaling force applied to a pedal to a rear wheel, and a motor-driven system capable of adding auxiliary power to the humanpowered driving system according to the pedaling force. ing. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-105758 discloses a battery-assisted bicycle in which a frame is foldable so that a battery can be inserted and removed from a fold opening of the frame.
[0003]
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-164185 discloses a battery-assisted bicycle in which an assist unit in which a human power drive system and a motor drive system are integrated is fastened with bolts and nuts and suspended on the assist unit. An arrangement in which a battery for supplying power to the unit is arranged is disclosed. In this battery-assisted bicycle, the battery is electrically connected to the assist unit and is fixed to the vehicle body frame using a locking tool. The vehicle body frame includes a main frame, a seat pipe, a rear frame, and the like, which are integrally formed by welding or the like.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the battery-assisted bicycle, a stay has to be provided as a locking tool for attaching the assist unit and the battery, and many processes such as processing and joining to the body frame are required. In particular, when providing various types of vehicles, it is inevitable that the integrated body frame will be a dedicated frame for each vehicle type, and the shape and mounting manner of the stay must be set for each dedicated frame. Don't be. For this reason, the number of man-hours for processing and joining the body frame is remarkably increased, and it is not easy to increase the number of vehicle variations.
[0005]
In view of the above-described conventional problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a battery-assisted bicycle having a body frame that can reduce the number of man-hours by eliminating a locking tool for attaching an assist unit or a battery, and can easily cope with an increase in variations of vehicle types. Is to provide.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a power assist system including a human power drive system that transmits a pedal force applied to a pedal, and a motor drive system that adds auxiliary power to the human power drive system according to the pedal force. In a bicycle, a battery comprising an assist unit for combining and outputting the power generated by the human power drive system and the motor drive system, and a casing for holding the assist unit, wherein the casing supplies electric power to the motor drive system. There is a first feature in that a battery housing portion is formed.
[0007]
Further, in the present invention, the casing includes a left portion located on the left side of the vehicle body and a right portion located on the right side of the vehicle body, and the battery housing portion is disposed in an upper portion of a space surrounded by the left portion and the right portion. There is a second feature in that a storage portion of the assist unit is formed in a lower portion of the space, the battery storage portion is opened upward, and a lid is provided in the open portion.
[0008]
According to the 1st and 2nd characteristics, a battery can be hold | maintained with a casing with an assist unit, without using the latching member for hold | maintaining a battery case to a vehicle body, such as a stay. In particular, according to the second feature, since the casing is divided into the left and right parts, these parts can be easily manufactured by die casting, for example. Further, since the battery housing portion can be formed integrally with the housing portion of the assist unit, high rigidity is obtained and the battery is easily protected from external force.
[0009]
In addition, the present invention has a third feature in that the lid is provided with a protruding portion that contacts the upper surface of the battery accommodated in the battery accommodating portion and fixes the battery in the battery accommodating portion. According to the third feature, the battery is secured in the battery housing portion by the protruding portion.
[0010]
The present invention further includes a contact member that electrically connects the battery and the control unit of the assist unit, the contact member being sandwiched between the left part and the right part of the casing, and the battery on the lower surface of the battery. There is a fourth feature in that they are arranged so that they can be connected to each other. The contact member can be easily held against the casing when the casing is assembled. Further, the contact member can maintain a good electrical connection with the battery pressed downward by the protruding portion of the lid.
[0011]
Further, the present invention has a fifth feature in that a seat post holding portion is integrally formed on the casing, and a connecting portion for detachably connecting a front frame and a rear frame is provided on the casing. There is a sixth feature.
[0012]
According to the fifth or sixth feature, the seat post or the rear frame can be easily connected to the casing as long as only the connecting portion coincides with the casing side. The degree of freedom in designing the shape and structure of the rear frame is increased, and variations in the body can be easily developed.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of a battery-assisted bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention. The battery-assisted bicycle 1 includes a front assembly 2, a center assembly 3, a rear assembly 4, and a seat assembly 5. The front assembly 2 includes a head pipe 20 positioned in front of the vehicle body and a pipe-shaped front frame 21 that is joined to the head pipe 20 and extends substantially horizontally rearward. A front fork 22 is rotatably held on the head pipe 20 via a shaft portion formed on an upper portion thereof. A handle post 24 is coupled to the upper end of the shaft portion via a joint 23, and a steering handle 25 is coupled to the upper portion of the handle post 24. The joint 23 can be loosened by operating the knob 26 and the lever 27, and the handle post 24 can be folded around the joint 23 by these operations. A front wheel WF is rotatably supported at the lower end of the front fork 22.
[0014]
A front brake wire 28 extending downward from a brake lever (not shown) provided at both ends of the steering handle 25 is connected to a front brake 29 provided on the front fork 22. Further, one wire (rear brake wire) 40 is coupled to the brake lever. The rear brake wire 40 extends rearward along the vehicle body and is coupled to the rear brake 44. The rear brake wire 40 is held by a stopper 60 provided on the front frame 21 so as not to hang down.
[0015]
The central assembly 3 includes a casing 30 that forms a space for individually accommodating a drive unit (assist unit) 31 of the battery-assisted bicycle and a battery 6 that supplies power to the assist unit 31. That is, the casing 30 integrally constitutes a small chamber (drive unit housing) that accommodates the assist unit and a small chamber (battery case) that accommodates the battery 6. The casing 30 is configured as a split frame made of a pair of left and right aluminum die-cast products.
[0016]
The assist unit 31 includes a power transmission mechanism for each of the human power drive system and the motor drive system. The manual driving system includes a crankshaft 32 for inputting human power, a crank 33 coupled to both ends of the crankshaft 32, and a transmission gear mechanism for input human power. On the other hand, the motor drive system includes a motor 34 and a motor power transmission gear mechanism. These gear mechanisms will be further described later.
[0017]
The casing 30 has a connecting portion 35 to the front frame 21 at the front, a connecting portion 36 to the seat assembly 5 at the front upper portion, and a connecting portion 37 to connect the rear assembly 4 to the rear. The connecting portion 35 will be further described later.
[0018]
The rear assembly 4 includes a rear frame 41 coupled to the central assembly 3 by a connecting portion 37, a bearing portion 42 provided at the rear end of the rear frame 41, a driven sprocket 43 and a rear wheel WR supported by the bearing portion 42. Have. The rear frames 41 are provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle body to form a pair, and a rear brake 44 is mounted on the upper part. The driven sprocket 43 is connected to a drive sprocket (described later) provided in the central assembly 3 by a chain 45.
[0019]
The seat assembly 5 includes a seat post 50 and a seat 51 provided at the upper end of the seat post 50, and a reflector 52 is attached to the seat post 50.
[0020]
A boss for holding the seat post 50 and a clamper for fastening the boss are provided in the connecting portion 36 provided at the upper front portion of the central assembly 3. The seat post 50 is attached to the casing 30 by fastening the boss with the clamper. Holds securely. By loosening the clamper, the seat post 50 can move up and down, and the height of the seat 51 mounted on the upper end of the seat post 50 can be adjusted.
[0021]
The casing 30 is provided with a plurality of bosses for penetrating bolts that fasten and fix the divided left and right casings, and the bosses 38 are positioned on the extension line of the seat post 50 so that the front upper portion and the outer periphery of the seat post 50 are disposed. It is provided so as to contact each other. With such an arrangement, when a load is applied to the seat 51, it is possible to prevent the lower end of the seat post 50 from being displaced in the clockwise direction in FIG. It can be reliably supported.
[0022]
The connecting portion 35 between the front frame 21 and the casing 30 has a hinge jump lock device having a pivot extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle body, and the vehicle body is folded at the hinge pivot by releasing the lock of the lock device. It is also possible to separate the front assembly 2 and the central assembly 3 from each other by further uncoupling the hinges.
[0023]
A connecting portion 37 between the rear frame 41 and the casing 30 includes a boss formed on both the rear frame 41 and the casing 30, a bolt passing through the boss, and a nut screwed to the bolt (bolts and nuts are illustrated). Not composed of).
[0024]
2 is a cross-sectional view of the central assembly 3, and FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line AA of FIG. In both figures, the casing 30 is composed of a left portion 30L and a right portion 30R, and both portions are combined and joined by bolts and nuts to form the casing 30. A space for accommodating the assist unit 31 is formed in the lower part of the casing 30 and the battery 6 is formed in the upper part. A pedal force input gear (crank gear) G1 is coupled to the crankshaft 32 of the assist unit 31 via a one-way clutch (not shown), and the pedal force input gear G1 meshes with the small gear portion G21 of the composite gear G2. On the other hand, a large gear portion G41 of an auxiliary power gear (assist gear) G4 is provided in mesh with the pinion G3 of the motor 34, and a small gear portion G42 that rotates integrally with the large gear portion G41 is a large portion of the synthetic gear G2. It meshes with the gear part G22. The large gear portion G22 of the composite gear G2 meshes with the output gear G5 fixed to the shaft of the drive sprocket 39.
[0025]
The crankshaft 32, the output shaft 14 and the shaft (not shown) to which the gears are attached are supported on the casing 30 by bearings 61, and the bearings 61 are sealed by dust seals.
[0026]
Thus, the rotation of the motor 34 is transmitted to the composite gear G2 through the pinion G3 and the assist gear G4, and the pedaling force input from the crankshaft 32 is transmitted to the composite gear G2 through the pedaling force input gear G1. The pedaling force and the auxiliary power are combined by the composite gear G2 and transmitted to the drive sprocket 39, and further transmitted to the rear wheel WR via the driven sprocket 43. The controller 7 disposed below the assist unit 31 in the casing 30 controls the rotation of the motor 34 based on a pedaling force value input from a pedaling force detection unit (not shown).
[0027]
A support member 8 for the battery 6 is provided at the center of the casing 30, and the battery 6 is supported on the support member 8. A connection contact member 9 is provided adjacent to the support member 8. The connection contact member 9 is sandwiched and fixed between the left portion 30L and the right portion 30R of the casing 30, and is positioned so as to be connected to a terminal on the battery 6 side when the battery 6 is placed on the support member 8. The controller 7 and the connection contact member 9 are electrically connected by a harness 10 so that a current can be supplied from the battery 6 to the controller 7.
[0028]
A lid 11 for the battery 6 is provided on the upper portion of the casing 30. The lid 11 is supported by a hinge 61 and can be opened and closed around the hinge 61 in the direction of the arrow R1. The lid 11 is provided with a key 62 that can be locked to the upper end engaging portion of the casing 30. A rib 13 is provided on the back surface of the lid 11 at a position where it abuts against the top of the battery 6 accommodated. When the lid 11 is closed, the battery 6 is pressed by the rib 13 to ensure stability. The rib 13 may be an elastic member such as rubber or a leaf spring joined to the lid 11.
[0029]
A boss is formed on the front right outer surface of the casing 30 to hold a pivot 66 (pin) 66 for hooking the hook 71 of the front frame 21 to connect the front frame 21 and the central assembly 3.
[0030]
A window 15 is provided on the side of the casing 30. With this window, the presence or absence of the battery 6 can be confirmed without opening the lid 11, and the casing 30 itself has a design effect in terms of weight reduction and appearance.
[0031]
A pedal 12 is attached to an end portion of the crank 33, and the pedal 12 can be folded from the hinge portion 63 so as to be along the crank 33 when not in use. Near the lower rear of the casing 30 is provided a boss 63 for rotatably mounting a stand (not shown) for raising the vehicle body when the vehicle is stopped. A power switch 65 for supplying current from the battery 6 to the assist unit 31 or the like is attached to the front portion of the boss 64 formed to hold the seat post 50 on the upper surface of the casing 30.
[0032]
Next, the hinge part which connects the front frame 21 and the center assembly 3 is demonstrated in detail. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view of the rear end portion of the front frame 21 including the hinge portion, and FIG. 5 is a rear view thereof (viewed from the rear of the vehicle body). The rear end portion can be constituted by a part (hereinafter referred to as an “end block”) that is integrated with a pipe-like part that is a main body of the front frame 21 by welding. In both figures, a hook 71 is formed on the end block 70, and the size and position of the hook 71 are set so that the hook 71 can be engaged with the pin 66 provided on the casing 30. A lock plate 72 is provided at a position to close the opening (notch) of the hook 71 so that the pin 66 cannot escape. The lock plate 72 has an operation portion 72 a that can be hooked by a finger and a lock portion 72 b that closes the notch, and is pivotally supported by the end block 70 with a pin 73.
[0033]
A torsion coil spring 74 is engaged with the lock plate 72 so that a force acts in a direction in which the operation portion 72 a is brought closer to the end block 70, in other words, in a direction in which the lock portion 72 b is separated from the end block 70.
[0034]
With this configuration, the lock plate 72 is biased by the spring 74 and the opening portion of the hook 71 is blocked by the lock portion 72 b, so that the pin 66 on the central assembly 3 side cannot escape from the hook 71. That is, both are foldably connected around the pin 66.
[0035]
Apart from this hinge mechanism, the connecting portion 35 having a fastening structure with bolts and nuts is provided on the left side of the vehicle body. The connecting portion 35 includes a bolt that fits in a U-shaped groove 75 a of an overhang portion 75 formed in the lock block 70 and a nut that engages with the overhang portion 75. In FIG. 4, the bolt 76 is supported by the casing 30 with an eccentric shaft 77 and engaged with the projecting portion 75 with a nut 78. The position and the amount of eccentricity of the eccentric shaft 77 are set so that when the eccentric shaft 77 is rotated, the bolt 76 is biased toward the casing 30 and the nut 78 is pressed against the protruding portion 75.
[0036]
The front frame 21 and the casing 30 are coupled to each other by hooking the nut 78 to the overhanging portion 75 and rotating the eccentric shaft 77. When releasing the mutual connection, the eccentric shaft 77 is rotated to the opposite side to the tightening to loosen the contact state between the nut 78 and the overhanging portion 75, and then the bolt 76 is rotated in the direction of the arrow R. The tightness between the nut 78 and the engaging portion 75 can be adjusted by the position of the nut 78 with respect to the bolt 76.
[0037]
If the lock of the connecting portion 35 is released, the vehicle body can be folded around the pin 66. In order to facilitate the rotation of the eccentric shaft 77 and simplify the folding of the vehicle body, it is preferable to provide an operation lever on the eccentric shaft 77.
[0038]
After releasing the connecting portion 35 and folding the vehicle body, when the finger is hooked on the operation portion 72 a and pulled in a direction away from the end block 70 (arrow RR direction), the lock portion 72 b of the lock plate 72 is moved into the escape portion 79. It retracts and the opening part of the hook 71 is opened. Then, the pin 66 can escape from the hook 71, and the front assembly 2 and the central assembly 3 can be completely separated.
[0039]
When assembling the separated vehicle body again, the pin 66 is pressed against the lock portion 72 b to retract the lock portion 72 b into the escape portion 79. If the pin 66 is received in the hook 71, the pressing force of the pin 66 on the lock portion 72b is released. As a result, the locking portion 72b is rotated in the opposite direction to the arrow RA by the urging force of the spring 73, and the opening portion of the hook 71 is closed.
[0040]
【The invention's effect】
As apparent from the above description, according to the first to sixth aspects of the invention, since the battery can be accommodated by the casing that accommodates the assist unit, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated locking member for retaining the battery. Accordingly, when developing variations of the vehicle body, it is not necessary to secure dedicated battery holding means according to the variations, so that processing and assembly are not complicated.
[0041]
In particular, according to the invention of claim 2, since the rigidity of the battery housing portion is increased, the protection performance of the battery against an external force is enhanced. According to the invention of claim 3, the battery can be reliably held in the housing portion, and according to the invention of claim 4, the electrical connection between the battery and the contact member can be made more reliable.
[0042]
Furthermore, according to the fifth and sixth aspects of the present invention, the casing that accommodates the assist unit and the battery can be used as the core portion, and the front frame and the rear frame can be connected via the connecting portion. Therefore, for example, variations can be easily developed such that a common core can be used for vehicles having different wheel sizes.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view of a battery-assisted bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the central assembly.
3 is an AA arrow view of FIG.
FIG. 4 is a plan sectional view of an essential part of a front frame.
FIG. 5 is a rear view of the front frame.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Motor-assisted bicycle, 2 ... Front assembly, 3 ... Center assembly, 4 ... Rear assembly, 5 ... Seat assembly, 6 ... Battery, 7 ... Controller, 9 ... Connection contact member, 10 ... Harness, 21 ... Front frame, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30 ... Casing, 31 ... Assist unit, 32 ... Crankshaft, 33 ... Crank, 34 ... Motor, 35, 36, 37 ... Connection part, 41 ... Rear frame, 50 ... Seat post

Claims (6)

In a battery-assisted bicycle including a human-powered driving system that transmits a pedaling force applied to a pedal, and a motor driving system that adds auxiliary power to the human-powered driving system according to the pedaling force,
An assist unit (31) for combining and outputting the power generated by the human power drive system and the motor drive system;
The battery is partitioned into an upper small chamber serving as a battery accommodating portion for holding a battery (6) for supplying electric power to the motor drive system, and a lower small chamber serving as an assist unit accommodating portion for accommodating the assist unit (31). A casing (30) configured integrally ;
The casing (30) includes connecting portions (35, 36, 37) for independently connecting the front frame (21), the rear frame (41), and the seat post (50) constituting the body frame,
Of the connecting parts, connecting parts (35, 37) for connecting the front frame (21) and the rear frame (41) are arranged at positions sandwiching the casing (30) from the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. Electric assist bicycle. The casing (30) includes a left portion (30L) located on the left side of the vehicle body and a right portion (30R) located on the right side of the vehicle body,
The battery housing part is formed in the upper part of the space surrounded by the left part (30L) and the right part (30R) , and the housing part of the assist unit (31) is formed in the lower part of the space, respectively.
2. The battery-assisted bicycle according to claim 1, wherein an upper part of the battery housing part is opened, and a lid (11) is provided at the open part. Wherein the lid (11), the upper surface of the battery (6) which is accommodated in the battery accommodating portion in contact with the protruding portion of the battery (6) is fixed to the battery accommodating portion (13) is provided The battery-assisted bicycle according to claim 2. Battery control unit (6) and the assist unit (31) (7) and provided with a contact member (9) for electrically connecting the, said contact member (9) is, the left part of the casing (30) (30L) and it is clamped in the right part (30R), and motor-assisted bicycle according to claim 2 or 3, wherein that are arranged so as to be connected to the battery (6) on the lower surface of the battery (6). The casing (30) is provided with a boss (38) that is positioned on an extension line of the seat post (50) and that abuts the front upper portion of the seat post (50) with the outer periphery. The battery-assisted bicycle according to claim 1. Motor-assisted bicycle according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is disposed across the housing portion of the battery housing portion and the assist unit (31), characterized in Rukoto of the rear frame (41).

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