JP7142265B2 - Electric bicycle and control method of electric bicycle - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to an electric bicycle and a control method for an electric bicycle.

Conventionally, there is an electric bicycle that includes an electric motor that outputs an assist force that assists the pedal effort and an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration of the vehicle, and that controls the electric motor so as to output an assist force corresponding to the pedal effort applied to the pedals. (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

WO2017/175529

In a conventional electric bicycle, depending on the state of the electric bicycle, the auxiliary driving force (assist force) may become inappropriate when the user starts pedaling the electric bicycle. For example, when the electric bicycle is started on flat ground, the auxiliary driving force becomes excessive, resulting in a sudden increase in the speed of the electric bicycle, or when the auxiliary driving force is insufficient on an uphill slope.

Accordingly, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an electric bicycle and a control method for the electric bicycle that can make the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle appropriate when rowing.

In order to achieve the above object, an electric bicycle according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an electric bicycle including an electric motor, and includes a first sensor that detects a force applied by a user to a pedal, and a vehicle speed of the electric bicycle. Assistance by the electric motor calculated according to the state of the electric bicycle based on the second sensor, the human power driving force based on the pedaling force detected by the first sensor, and the vehicle speed detected by the second sensor a control unit for adding a driving force to the human-powered driving force, and the state of the electric bicycle includes an inertia running state in which the electric bicycle is traveling by inertia and a stopped state in which the electric bicycle is stopped. and the control unit determines whether the electric bicycle is in the coasting state or the stopped state based on the vehicle speed detected by the second sensor .

Further, an electric bicycle according to an aspect of the present disclosure is an electric bicycle including an electric motor, which includes a first sensor that detects a force applied by a user to a pedal; a second sensor that detects a vehicle speed of the electric bicycle; Based on the human power driving force based on the pedaling force detected by the first sensor and the vehicle speed detected by the second sensor, an inertia running state in which the electric bicycle is running by inertia, and the electric bicycle a control unit for determining whether the vehicle is in a stopped state, wherein the control unit controls the auxiliary driving force of the electric motor to be added to the human-powered driving force if the vehicle is in the inertia running state. Auxiliary drive of the electric motor added to the human-powered driving force based on the magnitude of the depression force so that the vehicle speed approaches the expected value in the stopped state so that the vehicle speed approaches the expected value. control power.

Further, an electric bicycle according to an aspect of the present disclosure is an electric bicycle including an electric motor, which includes a first sensor that detects a force applied by a user to a pedal; a second sensor that detects a vehicle speed of the electric bicycle; a control unit that determines, based on the vehicle speed detected by the second sensor, that the electric bicycle is in an inertia running state in which the electric bicycle is running by inertia; When the application of the pedaling force to the pedal is detected, the control unit controls an auxiliary driving force to be added to the human-powered driving force based on the pedaling force so that the vehicle speed approaches an expected value. Based on the driving force and the vehicle speed, it is specified that the electric bicycle is in a stopped state, and when the first sensor detects that the pedal force is applied to the pedal in the stopped state, the The auxiliary driving force added to the human driving force is controlled so that the vehicle speed approaches the expected value .

Further, a method for controlling an electric bicycle according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a method for controlling an electric bicycle including an electric motor, and includes detecting a force applied to a pedal by a user, and detecting a vehicle speed of the electric bicycle. and adding to the human-powered driving force an auxiliary driving force by the electric motor calculated according to the state of the electric bicycle based on the detected pedaling force and the detected vehicle speed. and the state of the electric bicycle includes an inertia running state in which the electric bicycle is coasting and a stop state in which the electric bicycle is stopped, and a second detecting the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle Based on the vehicle speed detected by the sensor, it is determined whether the electric bicycle is in the coasting state or the stopped state .

According to the electric bicycle and the like according to the present disclosure, it is possible to make the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle appropriate when rowing.

FIG. 1 is a side view of an electric bicycle according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a handle and an operating portion of the electric bicycle according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electric bicycle according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a correlation function when the electric bicycle according to the embodiment is in an inertia running state. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a correlation function when the electric bicycle according to the embodiment is in a stopped state. FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the flow of the electric bicycle control method according to the embodiment.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that each of the embodiments described below is a specific example of the present disclosure. Therefore, the numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement and connection of components, steps, order of steps, etc. shown in the following embodiments are examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Therefore, among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, constituent elements that are not described in independent claims representing the highest concept of the present disclosure will be described as optional constituent elements.

Each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily strictly illustrated. Therefore, for example, the scales and the like do not necessarily match in each drawing. Moreover, in each figure, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected about the substantially same structure, and the overlapping description is abbreviate|omitted or simplified.

In the following description, "forward" is the direction in which the electric bicycle travels, and "backward" is the opposite direction. Specifically, the handle side is "forward" with respect to the saddle of the electric bicycle. A “left-right direction” is a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction.

(Embodiment)
[Constitution]
First, the configuration of the electric bicycle 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 1 is a side view of an electric bicycle 1 according to an embodiment.

The electric bicycle 1 includes a vehicle body 10 , a motor drive unit 20 attached to the vehicle body 10 , an operating section 40 , a battery 50 , a headlight 60 and a transmission 80 .

The vehicle body 10 includes a frame 11 , front wheels 12 , rear wheels 13 , handlebars 14 , saddle 15 , cranks 16 , pedals 17 , sprockets (not shown), and chains 19 .

The frame 11 includes a head pipe 111 , a main frame 112 , a standing pipe 113 , a fork 114 and chain stays 115 . The head pipe 111 supports a fork 114 supporting the front wheel 12 and a handle 14 so as to be rotatable around the axis of the head pipe 111 . By turning the handle 14 left and right, the direction of the front wheel 12 supported by the fork 114 can be turned left and right.

The main frame 112 is a portion that connects the head pipe 111 and the standing pipe 113 . A crank 16 and a motor drive unit 20 are attached to the lower end of the main frame 112 . The electric bicycle 1 according to the present embodiment is a so-called center unit type electric bicycle in which the crank 16 and the motor drive unit 20 are integrated, but is not limited to the center unit type.

The standing pipe 113 detachably supports the saddle 15 . Specifically, a seat post that supports the saddle 15 is inserted into and fixed to the standing pipe 113 . In this embodiment, the battery 50 is detachably attached to the standing pipe 113 .

The fork 114 rotatably supports the front wheel 12 . A headlamp 60 is attached to the fork 114 that supports the front wheel 12 . Chain stay 115 rotatably supports rear wheel 13 .

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the handle 14 and the operating portion 40 of the electric bicycle 1 according to the embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the handle 14 is provided with a pair of grips 141 and a pair of brake levers 142 on the left and right. A pair of grips 141 are portions that are held by hands when the vehicle is ridden in an appropriate posture. Also, the pair of grips 141 are grasped by hands when walking while pushing or supporting the electric bicycle 1 and receive a forward pushing force. At least one of the pair of grips 141 may be provided with a grip sensor that detects gripping force or pressing force.

A pair of brake levers 142 are operation levers of a brake device (not shown) attached to each of the front wheel 12 and the rear wheel 13 . By operating one brake lever 142 , the brake device attached to the front wheel 12 is driven to apply mechanical braking force to the front wheel 12 . By operating the other brake lever 142 , the brake device attached to the rear wheel 13 is driven to apply mechanical braking force to the rear wheel 13 .

A brake sensor is provided on the brake lever 142 , and the brake sensor detects the operation of the brake lever 142 .

An operation unit 40 is provided near one of the pair of brake levers 142 (the left brake lever 142 in this embodiment). The operation unit 40 is a terminal device including a light switch (not shown) for turning on the headlamp 60, a manual switch 42, and the like. The operation unit 40 also includes a mechanical manual switch 42 . Manual switch 42 accepts a push-walking operation for executing the second mode. The manual switch 42 is, for example, a momentary switch. Specifically, while the manual switch 42 is being pressed by the user, the operation unit 40 continues to output a second mode ON signal for executing the second mode to the control device 22 (described later). On the other hand, the operation unit 40 does not output the second mode ON signal to the control device 22 while the manual switch 42 is not pressed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the saddle 15 is the part on which a person (user) sits when the user is in a proper posture.

The crank 16 has a crankshaft 161 and a pair of crank arms 162 . One crank arm 162 is provided on each side of the main frame 112 and fixed to both ends of a crank shaft 161 extending in the left-right direction. One end of the crank arm 162 is fixed to the crankshaft 161, and the pedal 17 is rotatably fixed to the other end. When a pedaling force is applied to the pedal 17 , the crank arm 162 rotates about the crankshaft 161 , and the human power driving force generated by this rotation is transmitted to the rear wheel 13 via the sprocket and the chain 19 . When operating in the first mode, the human-powered driving force based on the pedaling force and the first auxiliary driving force by the electric motor 21 added to the human-powered driving force are transmitted to the rear wheels 13 .

The motor drive unit 20 is unitized by housing an electric motor 21 and a control device 22 in a housing made of resin or metal.

The electric motor 21 is driven by receiving power from the battery 50 under the control of the control device 22 . Rotational torque of the electric motor 21 is transmitted to the sprocket of the rear wheel 13 to rotate the rear wheel 13 . Rotational torque means the first auxiliary driving force and the second auxiliary driving force. Further, the electric motor 21 can perform regenerative operation to generate regenerative electric power and charge the battery 50 during non-drive in which no motor output is produced, and can operate as a regenerative brake.

The electric motor 21 is a motor that serves as a first auxiliary driving force and a second auxiliary driving force. The electric motor 21 adds the first auxiliary driving force to the human-powered driving force based on the force applied to the pedal 17 during execution of the first mode. In addition, the electric motor 21 adds the second auxiliary driving force to the power of pushing or supporting the electric bicycle 1 while the second mode is being executed.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electric bicycle 1 according to the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the electric bicycle 1 further includes a crank rotation sensor 31 , a current sensor 32 , a pedaling force sensor 33 , a vehicle speed sensor 34 and a transmission measuring section 71 .

The electric motor 21, the crank rotation sensor 31, the current sensor 32, the pedal force sensor 33, the vehicle speed sensor 34, the transmission measuring unit 71, the manual switch 42, the operation unit 40, the battery 50, and the headlight 60 are connected to the control device 22. be done. The control device 22 controls the operation of the electric motor 21 based on sensing information from sensors such as the crank rotation sensor 31, the pedaling force sensor 33, the current sensor 32, the vehicle speed sensor 34, the transmission measuring section 71, and the like. Further, the control device 22 receives input of operation signals for each switch and sensing information, which is the detection result of each sensor. Sensing information is a general term including information indicating the rotation speed of the crank 16, information indicating the rotation speed of the electric motor 21, information indicating the torque of the electric motor 21, pedaling force information, speed information, and information indicating the transmission 80. be.

In the present embodiment, the control device 22 is housed inside the housing of the motor drive unit 20, but it is not limited to this. The control device 22 may be provided separately from the motor drive unit 20 .

The crank rotation sensor 31 and the pedaling force sensor 33 are arranged near the crankshaft 161 . The current sensor 32 is arranged near the rotating shaft of the electric motor 21 .

The crank rotation sensor 31 detects the rotation speed of the crank 16 per unit time. The crank rotation sensor 31 is realized by having a gear-shaped rotating body and a photodetector having a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion arranged so as to sandwich the teeth of the rotating body. The crank rotation sensor 31 outputs information indicating the rotation speed of the crank 16 to the control device 22 . Note that the crank rotation sensor 31 may have any configuration as long as it can detect the rotation speed of the crank 16 .

The current sensor 32 is a circuit that calculates the value of current flowing through the electric motor 21, and outputs current information indicating the current value. The current sensor 32 has a motor rotation sensor 32a and a motor torque sensor 32b. The current sensor 32 calculates a current value using the rotation speed of the electric motor 21 per unit time detected by the motor rotation sensor 32a and the torque of the electric motor 21 detected by the motor torque sensor 32b. The current value can be calculated by the motor rotation sensor 32a and the motor torque sensor 32b independently. Therefore, it is not always necessary to use both the motor rotation sensor 32a and the motor torque sensor 32b to calculate the current value.

The motor rotation sensor 32a has a magnet that rotates integrally with the rotating shaft of the electric motor 21, and a Hall IC. The Hall IC detects the number of rotations of the magnet per unit time, that is, the number of rotations of the electric motor 21, by detecting a change in the magnetic field that changes according to the rotation of the magnet. Note that the motor rotation sensor 32a may have any configuration as long as it can detect the rotation speed of the electric motor 21 . The motor rotation sensor 32 a outputs information indicating the rotation speed of the electric motor 21 to the control device 22 .

The motor torque sensor 32b can detect the torque of the electric motor 21. FIG. The motor torque sensor 32b is, for example, a magnetostrictive, strain gauge, or optical torque sensor, but is not limited to these, and may be of any configuration as long as the torque of the electric motor 21 can be detected. The motor torque sensor 32 b outputs information indicating the torque of the electric motor 21 to the control device 22 .

The pedaling force sensor 33 is a magnetostrictive torque sensor, and detects a human-powered driving force generated by rotating the crankshaft 161 based on the human-powered driving force applied to the pedals 17 . The pedal force sensor 33 has a coil and a magnetostriction generator. For example, when a pedaling force is applied to the pedal 17 to generate a human-powered driving force, distortion occurs in the magnetostrictive portion. The magnetostrictive portion has a portion where the magnetic permeability increases and a portion where the magnetic permeability decreases. By detecting the inductance difference between the coils, the human power driving force is detected. The pedaling force sensor 33 outputs pedaling force information to the control device 22 . The configuration of the pedal force sensor 33 is not particularly limited, and any configuration may be used as long as it can detect the human power driving force applied to the pedal 17 . The pedaling force sensor 33 is an example of a first sensor.

The vehicle speed sensor 34 is provided at the lower end of the fork 114, for example. The vehicle speed sensor 34 is, for example, a speed sensor or the like. The vehicle speed sensor 34 detects the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle 1 from the rotation of the front wheel 12 and outputs speed information indicating the vehicle speed to the control device 22 . The vehicle speed sensor 34 may be, for example, a wheel sensor or the like, but may also be a cycle computer that calculates ground speed, and may have any configuration as long as it can detect the speed of the electric bicycle 1 . Vehicle speed sensor 34 is an example of a second sensor.

The transmission measurement unit 71 measures the speed of the transmission 80 of the rear wheel 13 and transmits information indicating the transmission 80 to the control device 22 . The gear of the transmission 80 may be measured by, for example, outputting information indicating the transmission 80 output by the transmission switching device to the control unit 221 .

The control device 22 controls the operation of the electric motor 21, i.e., appropriate first assistance, based on sensing information from sensors such as the crank rotation sensor 31, the current sensor 32, the pedaling force sensor 33, the vehicle speed sensor 34, and the transmission measuring unit 71. It controls the output of the electric motor 21 for applying the driving force and the second auxiliary driving force. In the present embodiment, the control device 22 is housed inside the housing of the motor drive unit 20, but it is not limited to this. The control device 22 may be provided separately from the motor drive unit 20 .

The control device 22 supplies power supplied from the battery 50 to the electric motor 21, the headlight 60, and the like.

The control device 22 has a control section 221 . The controller 221 drives the electric motor 21 according to the operation mode of the electric bicycle 1 . Specifically, the control unit 221 has a first mode and a second mode, switches between the first mode and the second mode, and executes each operation mode.

The first mode is an assist mode in which a first auxiliary driving force by the electric motor 21 is added to the human power driving force based on the force applied to the pedal 17 to run. The first mode is executed when the user is riding the electric bicycle 1 after the manual switch 42 has been pressed to turn on the power. Specifically, the first mode is executed when the force applied to the pedal 17 detected by the force sensor 33 is greater than a predetermined threshold.

The second mode is a mode in which a second auxiliary driving force by the electric motor 21 is added to the pushing force on the vehicle body 10 to push, or a mode in which the second auxiliary driving force is added and self-propelled (push-walking mode or self-propelled mode). ). In other words, the push-walking mode is a mode in which the electric motor 21 applies the second auxiliary driving force to the vehicle body 10 when the user pushes the electric bicycle 1 while the power is on. The push-walking mode is executed when the user is not riding the electric bicycle 1 and walks while pushing the body 10 of the electric bicycle 1 .

The self-propelled mode is a mode in which the electric bicycle 1 is supported by the user, and the electric motor 21 applies the second auxiliary driving force to the vehicle body 10 to allow the electric bicycle 1 to propel itself. Similar to the push-walking mode, the self-propelled mode is executed when a person is not riding the electric bicycle 1 and walks while supporting the body 10 of the electric bicycle 1 . In the self-propelled mode, the user does not apply force to push the vehicle body 10 forward.

It should be noted that the push-walking mode and the self-propelled mode can be distinguished by the presence or absence of forward pushing force on the vehicle body 10 . For example, the control unit 221 may detect the presence or absence of a forward pushing force by a grip sensor or the like provided in the grip 141 or the like, and switch between the push-walking mode and the self-running mode according to the detection result. . Alternatively, the control unit 221 may execute the second mode in which the second auxiliary driving force is applied without distinguishing between the push-walking mode and the free-running mode.

When executing the first mode, the control unit 221 determines the magnitude of the first auxiliary driving force generated by the electric motor 21 based on the force applied to the pedal 17 and the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle 1 . The force applied to the pedal 17 is obtained from the detection result of the force sensor 33 . The vehicle speed of the electric bicycle 1 is obtained by a vehicle speed sensor 34, a motor rotation sensor 32a, and the like.

When executing the first mode, the control unit 221 determines the state of the electric bicycle 1 when the user begins pedaling the pedals 17 . Specifically, the control unit 221 determines the state of the electric bicycle 1 based on the human power driving force based on the pedaling force detected by the pedaling force sensor 33 and the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 34 and the motor rotation sensor 32a. More specifically, depending on the vehicle speed, the control unit 221 controls an inertia running state (an example of the state of the electric bicycle 1) in which the electric bicycle 1 is running by inertia, and a stop state in which the electric bicycle 1 is stopped ( One example of the state of the electric bicycle 1) is determined. Furthermore, in the stopped state, the control unit 221 determines whether or not the pedaling force is equal to or greater than the threshold value, and determines whether the pedaling force is in a first state (an example of the state of the electric bicycle 1) with a large pedaling force or a second state with a small pedaling force in which the pedaling force is less than the threshold value. 2 state (an example of the state of the electric bicycle 1) is determined.

Here, the coasting state is a state in which the user does not apply any force to the pedals 17 , that is, a state in which the electric bicycle 1 is running without the user pedaling the pedals 17 . The term "stopped state" as used herein means a state in which the electric bicycle 1 is stopped while the user is not pedaling the pedals 17 . For these reasons, the state in which the user applies a force to the pedals 17 and the electric bicycle 1 is running does not correspond to the stopped state or the inertial running state.

The control unit 221 controls the state in which the user does not apply a pedaling force to the pedal 17 (the pedaling force in the sensing information obtained from the pedaling force sensor 33 is 0) and the electric bicycle 1 is running (the vehicle speed is 0). larger value), it is determined to be in the inertia running state. In the inertial running state, the control unit 221 controls the first auxiliary driving force of the electric motor 21 added to the human driving force so that the vehicle speed approaches the expected value. Here, the reference output is the default value of the first auxiliary driving force actually output by the electric motor 21 before performing control to weaken or strengthen the first auxiliary driving force. Therefore, the reference output differs from the expected value, which is the ideal output value of the first auxiliary driving force that the electric motor 21 adds to the human driving force.

If the user is not applying force to the pedals 17 and the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle 1 is 0 (m/s), the control unit 221 determines that the electric bicycle 1 is stopped. The control unit 221 determines whether the pedaling force is equal to or greater than a threshold value, and controls the first auxiliary driving force of the electric motor 21 to be added to the human driving force so that the vehicle speed approaches the expected value according to the determination result. .

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the expected value for each of the inertial running state and the stopped state is determined by the correlation function between the time from when the pedal force is applied to the pedal 17 and the vehicle speed. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a correlation function when the electric bicycle 1 according to the embodiment is in an inertia running state. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a correlation function when the electric bicycle 1 according to the embodiment is in a stopped state. The correlation functions in FIGS. 4 and 5 are examples and are not limited to FIGS.

For example, the controller 221 weakens the first auxiliary driving force below the reference output so that the vehicle speed approaches the expected value (the correlation function is ), can be the curve of the "Middle gear" indicated by the thick solid line. In addition, by the control unit 221 weakening the first auxiliary driving force below the reference output, the curve of "Low gear at the reference output" indicated by the thin dashed line is indicated by the thick dashed line so that the vehicle speed approaches the expected value. It can be a "low gear" curve.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the control section 221 further has a timer section 222 and a storage section 223 . The clocking unit 222 clocks the time (driving time) during which the pedaling force is applied to the pedal 17 and outputs information indicating the time to the control unit 221 of the control device 22 . Thereby, the control unit 221 compares the vehicle speed at the present time (driving time) with the expected value corresponding to the time in the correlation function. Further, the control unit 221 performs control to bring the first auxiliary driving force by the electric motor 21 close to the reference value only for a predetermined period.

The storage unit 223 stores information indicating an expected value when the pedaling force is applied to the electric bicycle 1 in the inertial running state (hereinafter referred to as a correlation function of the inertial running state), and information indicating the pedaling force applied to the electric bicycle 1 in the stopped state. Information indicating an expected value (hereinafter referred to as a correlation function in a stopped state) is stored.

The battery 50 is a storage battery that stores electric power for driving the electric motor 21 . The battery 50 is, for example, a secondary battery, but may be a capacitor or the like. Battery 50 is electrically connected to electric motor 21 . Specifically, the battery 50 supplies power to the electric motor 21 and charges regenerated power from the electric motor 21 .

The transmission 80 is composed of a well-known transmission mechanism such as planetary gears and multi-stage gears having a plurality of driving force transmission paths with gear ratios different from each other. By switching the driving force transmission path, the transmission 80 can shift to, for example, a low speed stage (Low gear), a middle speed stage (Middle gear), a high speed stage (Top gear), and the like.

[How to control an electric bicycle]
FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the flow of the control method for the electric bicycle 1 according to the embodiment.

Here, the control processing of the electric bicycle 1 will be described assuming that the manual switch 42 is turned on in advance, the first mode is executed, and a constant pedaling force is continuously applied to the pedals 17 .

First, when the user applies a pedaling force to the pedal 17 of the electric bicycle 1 (starts pedaling the pedal 17), the pedaling force sensor 33 detects the pedaling force on the pedal 17 (S11) and outputs the pedaling force information to the control device 22. . Thereby, the control device 22 starts the electric motor 21 .

Next, the control device 22 starts driving the electric motor 21 with the first auxiliary driving force to be added to the human driving force (S12).

Next, the controller 221 determines whether the speed of the electric bicycle 1 is 0 (m/s) (S13). Specifically, the controller 221 determines 0 (m/s) based on the vehicle speed calculated from the information indicating the rotation speed of the electric motor 21 from the motor rotation sensor 32a and the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 34. determine whether

When the control unit 221 determines that the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle 1 is 0 (m/s) (Yes in S13), it specifies that the electric bicycle 1 is in a stopped state. The control unit 221 can calculate the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle 1 as 0 (m/s) from the information indicating the rotation speed of the electric motor 21, and when the speed indicated by the speed information is also 0 (m/s), the electric bicycle 1 stops. state.

Next, the control unit 221 applies the correlation function (expected value) of the stopped state stored in (S14).

Next, the control unit 221 acquires information indicating the rotation speed of the electric motor 21 from the motor rotation sensor 32a, and calculates the first vehicle speed of the electric bicycle 1 from the information indicating the rotation speed of the electric motor 21 (S15). ). This is calculated from the number of revolutions of the electric motor 21 in order to accurately measure the vehicle speed when the pedals 17 are pedaled. The control unit 221 controls the first auxiliary driving force output by the electric motor 21 so as to approach the expected value indicated by the correlation function of the stopped state in FIG. 5 .

Next, the control unit 221 determines whether or not the pedaling force indicated by the pedaling force information acquired from the pedaling force sensor 33 is greater than or equal to the first threshold (S16).

When the control unit 221 determines that the pedaling force indicated by the pedaling force information is less than the first threshold value (No in S16), it means that the user is in the second state in which the pedaling force applied to the pedal 17 is small. In this case, the control unit 221 determines whether the first vehicle speed calculated in step S<b>15 is equal to or higher than the vehicle speed (expected value) of the correlation function in the stopped state stored in the storage unit 223 . Specifically, the control unit 221 determines that the first vehicle speed in the drive time after the electric motor 21 starts rotating (after the user starts pedaling the pedal 17) is the same drive time indicated by the correlation function in the stopped state. (hereinafter referred to as a second vehicle speed) or higher (S17). The second vehicle speed is an example of an expected value.

When the control unit 221 determines that the first vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the second vehicle speed (Yes in S17), the control unit 221 sets the first auxiliary driving force to the output T1 that is significantly weakened from the reference output (S18). . This means that the electric bicycle 1 has detected an increase in speed in a short period of time from a stopped state, and thus is the case, for example, when the electric bicycle 1 is going downhill. If the pedaling force is less than the first threshold, the first auxiliary driving force is not so large, but the control unit 221 sets the first auxiliary driving force to be substantially larger than the reference output so as not to cause the electric bicycle 1 to suddenly increase in speed. weaken to And the control part 221 progresses to step S19.

Further, when the control unit 221 determines that the first vehicle speed is less than the second vehicle speed (No in S17), the control unit 221 sets the first auxiliary driving force to the output R1 stronger than the reference output (S20). . This means that a gradual increase in speed from a stopped state has been detected, and therefore is the case, for example, when the electric bicycle 1 is running on flat ground. Since the first auxiliary driving force added to the pedaling force becomes small if the pedaling force is less than the first threshold value, the control unit 221 increases the first auxiliary driving force more than the reference output. And the control part 221 progresses to step S19.

In steps S18 and S20, in the second state, the magnitude of weakening the first auxiliary driving force of the electric motor 21 from the reference output is greater than the magnitude of strengthening the first auxiliary driving force from the reference output. In other words, there is a relationship of (output T1-reference output)>(output R1-reference output).

On the other hand, when the control unit 221 determines that the pedaling force indicated by the pedaling force information is equal to or greater than the first threshold value (Yes in S16), it means that the user is applying a large pedaling force to the pedal 17 in the first state. In this case, the control unit 221 determines whether the first vehicle speed is higher than the second vehicle speed (S21).

When the control unit 221 determines that the first vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the second vehicle speed (Yes in S21), the control unit 221 sets the first auxiliary driving force to the output T2 weakened from the reference output (S22). This means that the speed increases in a short period of time from a stopped state and that the pedaling force is large. It is the case that it is loaded. In this case, the control unit 221 moderately weakens the first auxiliary driving force from the reference output to the extent that the first auxiliary driving force does not become insufficient. And the control part 221 progresses to step S19. Note that the output T2 is an output smaller than the output T1 and includes the output 0 as well.

Further, when the control unit 221 determines that the first vehicle speed is less than the second vehicle speed (No in S21), the control unit 221 sets the first auxiliary driving force to an output R2 that is significantly stronger than the reference output ( S23). This means that the speed of the electric bicycle 1 is gradually increased from the stopped state, and the pedaling force is large. and so on. If the pedaling force is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, even if the first auxiliary driving force is large, the vehicle speed does not increase so much on an uphill slope. And the control part 221 progresses to step S19. Note that the output R2 is an output larger than the output R1.

In steps S22 and S23, in the first state, the magnitude of increasing the first auxiliary driving force of the electric motor 21 above the reference output is greater than the magnitude of weakening the first auxiliary driving force from the reference output. In other words, there is a relationship of (output R2-reference output)>(output T2-reference output).

Next, the control unit 221 acquires information indicating the time since the electric motor 21 started rotating (after the user started pedaling the pedal 17) from the clock unit 222 . The control unit 221 determines whether a predetermined period of time has passed since the electric motor 21 started rotating (S19).

When the control unit 221 determines that the predetermined period of time has not passed since the electric motor 21 started rotating (No in S19), the control unit 221 returns the processing to step S15 and performs the same processing. conduct. The predetermined period is a period of rowing when the force applied to the pedals 17 begins to be applied. Depending on the road environment, the total weight of the electric bicycle 1, and other factors, problems such as a sudden increase in vehicle speed and insufficient first auxiliary driving force are likely to occur. The driving force is added to the human driving force. The predetermined period is, for example, several seconds, several tens of seconds, or the like.

If the controller 221 determines that the predetermined period has passed since the electric motor 21 started rotating (Yes in S19), the controller 221 terminates this process. Then, when the application of the force to the pedals 17 of the electric bicycle 1 is stopped again, the control unit 221 performs the same processing.

It returns to description of step S13. When the control unit 221 determines that the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle 1 is greater than 0 (m/s) (No in S13), it specifies that the electric bicycle 1 is in the inertia running state. The control unit 221 controls the first auxiliary driving force output by the electric motor 21 so as to approach the expected value indicated by the correlation function of the inertial running state in FIG. 4 .

Next, the control unit 221 applies the correlation function (expected value) of the coasting state stored in the storage unit 223 (S24).

Next, the control unit 221 acquires speed information (information indicating the first vehicle speed) of the electric bicycle 1 from the vehicle speed sensor 34 that detects the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle 1 (S25).

Next, the control unit 221 determines that the first vehicle speed for the driving time after the user starts pedaling the pedal 17 is greater than or equal to the second vehicle speed for the same driving time indicated by the correlation function of the inertial running state stored in the storage unit 223 . (S26).

When the control unit 221 determines that the first vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the second vehicle speed (Yes in S26), the control unit 221 sets the first auxiliary driving force to the output T3 weakened from the reference output (S27). This means that an increase in speed has been detected in a short period of time from the coasting state, and therefore is the case, for example, when the electric bicycle 1 is traveling on flat ground. If the speed of the electric bicycle 1 further increases in the inertial running state, the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle 1 becomes too high, so the control unit 221 weakens the first auxiliary driving force below the reference output. And the control part 221 progresses to step S29.

Further, when the control unit 221 determines that the first vehicle speed is less than the second vehicle speed (No in S26), the control unit 221 sets the first auxiliary driving force to the output R3 stronger than the reference output (S28). . This means that a significant increase in speed is not detected in spite of the user applying force to the pedals 17 in the inertia running state. This is the case, for example, when the bicycle 1 is traveling on flat ground. Therefore, since the vehicle speed is not so high, the control unit 221 increases the first auxiliary driving force more than the reference output. And the control part 221 progresses to step S29.

Next, the control unit 221 acquires information indicating the time since the electric motor 21 started rotating (after the user started pedaling the pedal 17) from the clock unit 222 . The control unit 221 determines whether a predetermined period of time has passed since the electric motor 21 started rotating (S29).

When the control unit 221 determines that the predetermined period of time has not passed since the electric motor 21 started rotating (No in S29), the control unit 221 returns the processing to step S25 and performs the same processing. conduct.

If the controller 221 determines that the predetermined period has elapsed since the electric motor 21 started rotating (Yes in S29), the controller 221 terminates this process. Then, when the application of the force to the pedals 17 of the electric bicycle 1 is stopped again, the control unit 221 performs the same processing.

[Effect]
Next, the effects of the electric bicycle 1 and the control method for the electric bicycle 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

As described above, the electric bicycle 1 according to this embodiment includes the electric motor 21 . The electric bicycle 1 includes a pedaling force sensor 33 that detects the pedaling force of the user on the pedals 17 , a vehicle speed sensor 34 that detects the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle 1 , human power driving force based on the pedaling force detected by the pedaling force sensor 33 , and the vehicle speed sensor 34 . and a control unit 221 for adding the first auxiliary driving force by the electric motor 21 calculated according to the state of the electric bicycle 1 based on the detected vehicle speed to the human driving force.

According to this configuration, when the user starts pedaling the pedals 17, the first auxiliary driving force corresponding to the state of the electric bicycle 1 can be added to the human-powered driving force.

Therefore, with this electric bicycle 1, the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle 1 can be made appropriate at the beginning of rowing. As a result, when the pedals 17 are started to be pedaled, it is possible to suppress a wheelie caused by the first auxiliary driving force becoming too large, and to realize a strong start on an uphill. As a result, the electric bicycle 1 can improve safety and comfort.

The electric bicycle 1 according to the present embodiment also includes an electric motor 21 . The electric bicycle 1 includes a pedaling force sensor 33 that detects the pedaling force of the user on the pedals 17 , a vehicle speed sensor 34 that detects the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle 1 , human power driving force based on the pedaling force detected by the pedaling force sensor 33 , and the vehicle speed sensor 34 . and a control unit 221 that determines whether the electric bicycle 1 is in an inertia running state or a stopped state in which the electric bicycle 1 is stopped, based on the detected vehicle speed. In the inertia running state, the control unit 221 controls the first auxiliary driving force of the electric motor 21 to be added to the human-powered driving force so that the vehicle speed approaches the expected value. Based on the magnitude of the pedaling force, the first auxiliary driving force of the electric motor 21 added to the human driving force is controlled so as to approach the expected value.

The electric bicycle 1 according to the present embodiment also includes an electric motor 21 . The electric bicycle 1 is inertially controlled based on a pedaling force sensor 33 that detects the pedaling force of the user on the pedals 17, a vehicle speed sensor 34 that detects the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle 1, and the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 34. and a control unit 221 that specifies that the vehicle is in an inertia running state. Then, when the pedaling force sensor 33 detects the application of the pedaling force to the pedal 17 in the inertia running state, the control unit 221 controls the first auxiliary driving force to be added to the human-powered driving force based on the pedaling force so that the vehicle speed approaches the expected value. to control.

Also, the method for controlling the electric bicycle 1 according to the present embodiment is a method for controlling the electric bicycle 1 including the electric motor 21 . The control method of the electric bicycle 1 includes detecting the force applied to the pedals 17 by the user, detecting the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle 1, manpower driving force based on the detected pedaling force, and controlling the electric power based on the detected vehicle speed. It includes adding the first auxiliary driving force by the electric motor 21 calculated according to the state of the bicycle 1 to the human-powered driving force.

Also in these, there exists an effect similar to the above-mentioned.

In addition, in the electric bicycle 1 according to the present embodiment, the state of the electric bicycle 1 includes an inertia running state in which the electric bicycle 1 runs by inertia and a stopped state in which the electric bicycle 1 stops. Based on the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 34, the control unit 221 determines whether the electric bicycle 1 is in the coasting state or the stopped state.

According to this configuration, the control unit 221 can determine the state of the electric bicycle 1 when no pedaling force is applied to the pedals 17 of the electric bicycle 1, that is, whether it is in a stopped state or an inertial running state. Therefore, the control section 221 can more appropriately control the first auxiliary driving force according to the state of the electric bicycle 1 .

In addition, in the electric bicycle 1 according to the present embodiment, the state of the electric bicycle 1 includes a first state in which the pedaling force is large and a second state in which the pedaling force is smaller than the first state when the electric bicycle 1 is stopped. Further, in the inertial running state, the control unit 221 controls the first auxiliary driving force by the electric motor 21 added to the human driving force so that the vehicle speed approaches the expected value. Then, if the control unit 221 is in the stopped state, it determines whether the pedaling force is equal to or greater than the threshold. The driving force is controlled so that the vehicle speed approaches the expected value, and if the pedaling force is less than the threshold value, the second state is entered and the first auxiliary driving force by the electric motor 21 added to the human-powered driving force is applied so that the vehicle speed approaches the expected value. to control.

According to this configuration, the control unit 221 can change the first auxiliary driving force to an output suitable for each of the inertial running state and the stopped state. In addition, the control unit 221 further determines whether the state is the first state or the second state in the stopped state, so that when the pedal 17 is pushed out from the stopped state, the vehicle speed increases rapidly, the first auxiliary driving force becomes insufficient, and the like. can be suppressed. Therefore, the control unit 221 automatically adjusts the first auxiliary driving force of the electric motor 21, so that the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle 1 can be made more appropriate when rowing.

Further, in the electric bicycle 1 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 221 determines whether or not the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the expected value, and if the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the expected value, controls the electric motor so that the vehicle speed approaches the expected value. 21 is made weaker than the reference output, and if the vehicle speed is less than the expected value, the first auxiliary driving force by the electric motor 21 is made stronger than the reference output so that the vehicle speed approaches the expected value.

According to this configuration, the control unit 221 suppresses a sudden increase in vehicle speed when pedaling the pedal 17, a shortage of the first auxiliary driving force, etc. by weakening or increasing the first auxiliary driving force more than the reference output. can do. As a result, the control unit 221 automatically adjusts the first auxiliary driving force of the electric motor 21, so that the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle 1 can be made more appropriate when rowing.

Further, in the electric bicycle 1 according to the present embodiment, in the first state, the magnitude of increasing the first auxiliary driving force of the electric motor 21 from the reference output is greater than the magnitude of weakening the first auxiliary driving force from the reference output. Further, in the second state, the magnitude of weakening the first auxiliary driving force from the electric motor 21 below the reference output is greater than the magnitude of increasing the first auxiliary driving force from the reference output.

According to this configuration, the state of the electric bicycle 1 can be analyzed in more detail based on the magnitude of the pedaling force and the magnitude of the vehicle speed. Therefore, the control section 221 can more appropriately control the first auxiliary driving force according to the state of the electric bicycle 1 . Thereby, the control unit 221 can make the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle 1 more appropriate when rowing.

Further, in the electric bicycle 1 according to the present embodiment, the expected value is determined by the correlation function between the time after the pedal force is applied to the pedal 17 and the vehicle speed.

According to this configuration, the control section 221 can more appropriately control the first auxiliary driving force of the electric motor 21 based on the correlation function. The vehicle speed of the electric bicycle 1 when pedaling the pedals 17 can be set to an ideal speed.

Further, the electric bicycle 1 according to the present embodiment further includes information indicating an expected value (information indicating a correlation function in the inertia state) when a pedaling force is applied to the electric bicycle 1 in the inertia state, A storage unit 223 is provided for storing information indicating an expected value (information indicating a correlation function in a stopped state) when pedaling force is applied to the electric bicycle 1 in the state.

According to this configuration, since the storage unit 223 stores the expected value for each state of the electric bicycle 1, the control unit 221 can more appropriately control the first auxiliary driving force according to the state of the electric bicycle 1. can do.

Further, in the electric bicycle 1 according to the present embodiment, the control section 221 controls the first auxiliary driving force by the electric motor 21 for a predetermined period.

According to this configuration, the control for strengthening or weakening the first auxiliary driving force with respect to the reference output is stopped after the predetermined period has elapsed, so that the processing load on the control section 221 can be reduced.

Further, in the electric bicycle 1 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 221 identifies that the electric bicycle 1 is in a stopped state based on the human power driving force and the vehicle speed, and detects the pedal force sensor in the stopped state. When 33 detects the addition of the pedaling force to the pedal 17, it controls the first auxiliary driving force added to the human driving force so that the vehicle speed approaches the expected value.

According to this configuration, the stopped state is specified, so the control unit 221 can control the first auxiliary driving force more appropriately.

(others)
As described above, the electric bicycle and the method for controlling the electric bicycle according to the present disclosure have been described based on the above embodiments, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments.

For example, in the electric bicycle and electric bicycle control method of the above embodiments, the timing unit is provided in the control device, but may be provided in the control unit, or may be provided outside the control device. good too.

Further, in the electric bicycle and electric bicycle control method of the above embodiments, the control unit adds the first auxiliary driving force to the human-powered driving force when the first auxiliary driving force generated by the electric motor reaches or exceeds a specified output. You may stop an electric motor so that it may not carry out.

Further, in the electric bicycle and electric bicycle control method of the above-described embodiments, a table in which the rotation speed of the crank and the speed of the electric bicycle are associated in advance may be stored in the storage unit of the control device. The control unit may determine the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle from the rotation speed of the crank by referring to the table.

Further, in the above embodiments, all or part of the components of the control device may be configured with dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. good. Each component may be implemented by a program execution unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or processor reading and executing a software program recorded in a recording medium such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a semiconductor memory. good.

Also, the components of the controller may consist of one or more electronic circuits. Each of the one or more electronic circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

One or more electronic circuits may include, for example, a semiconductor device, an IC (Integrated Circuit), or an LSI (Large Scale Integration). An IC or LSI may be integrated on one chip or may be integrated on a plurality of chips. Although they are called ICs or LSIs here, they may be called system LSIs, VLSIs (Very Large Scale Integration), or ULSIs (Ultra Large Scale Integration) depending on the degree of integration. An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) that is programmed after the LSI is manufactured can also be used for the same purpose.

Also, general or specific aspects of the disclosure may be implemented in a system, apparatus, method, integrated circuit, or computer program product. Alternatively, it may be realized by a computer-readable non-temporary recording medium such as an optical disk, HDD, or semiconductor memory storing the computer program. Also, any combination of systems, devices, methods, integrated circuits, computer programs and recording media may be implemented.

In addition, it is realized by arbitrarily combining the constituent elements and functions of each embodiment without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Forms are also included in this disclosure.

1 Electric bicycle 17 Pedal 21 Electric motor 33 Pedal force sensor (first sensor)
34 vehicle speed sensor (second sensor)
221 control unit 223 storage unit

Claims (10)

An electric bicycle comprising an electric motor,
a first sensor that detects the user's force applied to the pedal;
a second sensor that detects the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle;
The auxiliary driving force by the electric motor calculated according to the state of the electric bicycle based on the human driving force based on the pedaling force detected by the first sensor and the vehicle speed detected by the second sensor, A control unit that is added to the human power driving force ,
The state of the electric bicycle includes an inertia state in which the electric bicycle is coasting and a stopped state in which the electric bicycle is stopped,
The control unit determines whether the electric bicycle is in the coasting state or the stopped state based on the vehicle speed detected by the second sensor.
Electric bicycle. The state of the electric bicycle includes, in the stopped state, a first state in which the pedaling force is large and a second state in which the pedaling force is smaller than that in the first state,
The control unit
In the inertial running state, controlling the auxiliary driving force by the electric motor to be added to the human-powered driving force so that the vehicle speed approaches an expected value;
If it is in the stopped state, it is determined whether or not the pedaling force is equal to or greater than a threshold. The vehicle speed is controlled to approach an expected value, and if the pedaling force is less than a threshold value, the second state is set so that the auxiliary driving force by the electric motor added to the human-powered driving force is adjusted so that the vehicle speed approaches the expected value. The electric bicycle according to claim 1 , wherein the electric bicycle is controlled to The control unit
determining whether the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than the expected value;
if the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the expected value, weakening the auxiliary driving force of the electric motor below a reference output so that the vehicle speed approaches the expected value;
3. The electric bicycle according to claim 2 , wherein if the vehicle speed is less than the expected value, the auxiliary driving force of the electric motor is made stronger than the reference output so that the vehicle speed approaches the expected value. in the first state, the magnitude of increasing the auxiliary driving force of the electric motor above the reference output is greater than the magnitude of weakening the auxiliary driving force from the reference output;
4 . The electric bicycle according to claim 3 , wherein in the second state, the magnitude of weakening the auxiliary driving force of the electric motor from the reference output is larger than the magnitude of increasing the auxiliary driving force from the reference output. The electric bicycle according to any one of claims 2 to 4 , wherein the expected value is determined by a correlation function between the time after the pedaling force is applied to the pedal and the vehicle speed. Further, information indicating an expected value when the pedaling force is applied to the electric bicycle in the inertia running state and information indicating an expected value when the pedaling force is applied to the electric bicycle in the stopped state are stored. The electric bicycle according to any one of claims 2 to 5 , further comprising a storage unit for The electric bicycle according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the control section controls the auxiliary driving force of the electric motor for a predetermined period. An electric bicycle comprising an electric motor,
a first sensor that detects the user's force applied to the pedal;
a second sensor that detects the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle;
Based on the human power driving force based on the pedaling force detected by the first sensor and the vehicle speed detected by the second sensor, an inertia running state in which the electric bicycle is running by inertia, and the electric bicycle A control unit that determines which of the stopped states is stopped,
The control unit
In the inertia running state, controlling the auxiliary driving force of the electric motor added to the human-powered driving force so that the vehicle speed approaches an expected value;
An electric bicycle, in which, in the stopped state, the auxiliary driving force of the electric motor to be added to the human-powered driving force is controlled based on the magnitude of the pedaling force so that the vehicle speed approaches an expected value. An electric bicycle comprising an electric motor,
a first sensor that detects the user's force applied to the pedal;
a second sensor that detects the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle;
a control unit that determines, based on the vehicle speed detected by the second sensor, that the electric bicycle is in an inertia running state,
When the first sensor detects the addition of the pedaling force to the pedal in the inertial running state, the control unit performs auxiliary driving to add human-powered driving force based on the pedaling force so that the vehicle speed approaches an expected value. control the power,
The control unit
identifying that the electric bicycle is in a stopped state based on the human-powered driving force and the vehicle speed;
When the first sensor detects the addition of the pedaling force to the pedal in the stopped state, the auxiliary driving force added to the human driving force is controlled so that the vehicle speed approaches an expected value.
Electric bicycle. A control method for an electric bicycle having an electric motor, comprising:
detecting the user's pedaling force;
detecting the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle;
adding to the human-powered driving force the auxiliary driving force by the electric motor calculated according to the state of the electric bicycle based on the detected pedaling force and the detected vehicle speed. fruit,
The state of the electric bicycle includes an inertia state in which the electric bicycle is coasting and a stopped state in which the electric bicycle is stopped,
Based on the vehicle speed detected by the second sensor that detects the vehicle speed of the electric bicycle, it is determined whether the electric bicycle is in the coasting state or the stopped state.
How to control an electric bicycle.

Images