JPH0223007A - Motorized wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To protect the body from collision against an obstacle by braking the body automatically when the obstacle is detected through an obstacle detection sensor during travel. CONSTITUTION:An obstacle detection sensor 14 transmits ultrasonic pulse wave through a transmitter/receiver 19 and receives the wave reflected by an obstacle existing in the transmitting direction through the transmitter/receiver 19. The distance is judged through a distance judging circuit 23 based on the time interval between transmission and reception of the ultrasonic pulse wave. A drive control section 24 controls a rotation control circuit 28 corresponding to an advancing direction switching signal fed from an operating switch 10, speed set data fed from a speed controller 11 and distance judging data fed from the obstacle detection sensor 14. Furthermore, an electromagnetic brake 6 is controlled corresponding to the operating data for a brake operating unit 13 and the distance judging data.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] The present invention relates to a power wheelchair.

[Prior Art] Conventional WE wheelchairs include those seen in Japanese Utility Model Application No. 193881/1981 and Japanese Utility Model Application No. 45922/1989. These electric wheelchairs can move forward and backward,
A drive unit consisting of an operation unit that sets and operates the speed, etc., a drive control unit that is operated by the operation and controls the running of the vehicle, a motor controlled by the drive control unit, and a braking unit that applies braking. This is a wheelchair that uses a battery as a driving power source.

[Problem to be solved by the invention] Wheelchairs are originally intended for people with physical disabilities and the elderly, and there are concerns not only about the safety of the user (passenger) but also about the risk of collision with passersby. It is necessary to give sufficient consideration. However, in the conventional example described above, avoidance of obstacles was performed by the user's operation, so there was a problem in that safety for not only the user but also passersby was low.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to prevent collisions with obstacles such as passersby,
The purpose of the wheelchair is to provide an electric wheelchair that can be driven safely for both the user and passersby.In addition, the object detection sensor that detects obstacles is always aligned with the direction of the handle and is located in the direction of travel. The purpose is to provide an electric wheelchair that can reliably detect obstacles.

To provide an electric wheelchair that can apply smoother braking and can be pulled out safely even from crowded places or narrow places.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention includes an operating section that performs driving-related operations such as switching the vehicle forward or backward and setting speed, a driving section that drives the wheels, and a drive section that operates the vehicle body by the operating section. The vehicle is characterized by comprising a drive control unit that controls running, and an object detection sensor whose detection direction is directed in the running direction of the vehicle body, and when the object detection sensor detects an object, the drive control unit applies braking to the running of the vehicle body. It is something.

The electric wheelchair according to claim 2 is characterized in that an object detection sensor is mounted on a handle portion for controlling the traveling direction of the vehicle body so that the detection direction and the traveling direction of the vehicle body match.

Further, the electric wheelchair according to claim 3 is characterized in that the drive control section is controlled in accordance with the distance detected by the object detection sensor to apply braking to the traveling of the vehicle body.

Further, in the electric wheelchair according to claim 4, the object detection sensor detects the distance to the obstacle, and the drive control section controls the traveling speed so that the closer the obstacle is, the lower the traveling speed is. It is characterized by:

Furthermore, the electric wheelchair according to claim 5 is characterized in that when the distance to the obstacle detected by the object detection sensor falls within a certain distance, the wheelchair stops traveling for a certain period of time, and after the certain period of time has elapsed, it is possible to start driving at a low speed. That is.

[Function] In the electric wheelchair of the present invention, when an obstacle is detected by the object detection sensor while the wheelchair is running, the drive control section automatically applies a brake to the running of the vehicle. That's why I'm disabled! This can prevent the vehicle body from colliding with F objects.

In particular, in the electric wheelchair according to claim 2, when the user operates the handle, the detection direction of the object detection sensor is directed in the direction of travel according to the movement of the handle, so that obstacles present in the direction of travel can be reliably detected.

Further, in the electric wheelchair according to claim 3, since the drive control section applies braking to the traveling of the vehicle body according to the distance of the obstacle detected by the object detection sensor, smooth braking can be performed, and in particular, the electric wheelchair according to claim 4 In this case, if the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle is short, the vehicle speed will be reduced, so that smooth braking can be achieved without giving a shock to the user.

In addition, the electric wheelchair according to claim 5 can stop for a certain period of time when an obstacle is detected within a certain distance, and then resume traveling at a low speed, so it can be used in crowded places with many passersby or in narrow places. It can be safely removed.

[Example 1] Figures 1 and 2 show the appearance of an example. This electric wheelchair has a three-wheeled configuration, and the inside of the vehicle body 1 is located under the rotatable seat 2 provided at the rear of the vehicle body 1. As shown in FIG.
A drive section consisting of an electromagnetic brake 6 that applies braking by pinching the axle of the electric wheelchair is provided, and a battery (not shown) that serves as a power source for driving the electric wheelchair is also installed inside. A handle 9 is connected to the front wheel 7 at the front of the vehicle body 1, and includes a handle 9 that changes the running direction of the front wheel 7 when rotated in the horizontal direction, and a handle 9 fixed to the upper end of the handle shaft 8. At the top of the handle 9, there is a speed controller 1 consisting of an operation switch 10 for changing the traveling direction and a variable resistor for controlling the traveling speed.
The operating section 12 includes an operating knob 1, a brake operating device 13, etc., and an object detection sensor 14 is installed at the front of the handle shaft 8 so that the detection direction coincides with the running direction of the front wheel 7.
This is provided. Further, a light 16 for driving at dusk is attached to the upper part of the front wheel cover 15 that covers the front wheel 7.

FIG. 4 shows the circuit configuration of one embodiment. In the embodiment, the object detection sensor 14 is composed of a pulse type ultrasonic sensor, and the oscillation signal oscillated from the oscillation circuit 17 is transmitted to the amplifier 18.
This amplified signal drives the transducer 19 to emit an ultrasonic pulse wave, and the transducer 19 receives the reflected wave reflected by an object in the emission direction and converts it into an electrical signal. The received signal obtained by this conversion is sent to the amplifier 20.
After amplifying the wave, the wave is detected by the detector 21, and based on this detection output and oscillation output, the detection circuit 22 detects the time from when the wave is transmitted until the wave is passed and detected, and from this detection time, the distance discrimination circuit The distance is determined at 23, and this distance determination data is taken into a control circuit 25 of the drive control section 24, which will be described later, in synchronization with the detection output of the detection circuit 22.

The drive control unit 24 controls the motor 5 and electromagnetic brake 5 of the drive unit.
The speed control circuit 26 reads the switching signal of the operation switch 10 and outputs a signal for switching the traveling direction, and the speed controller 11 sets the speed controller 11, and the A/D converter 27 converts the speed into digital. The speed control function unit 25a that takes in speed setting data and distance discrimination data of the object detection sensor 14 and generates a signal to control the PWM rotation speed control circuit 28, the operation data of the brake operating device 13, and distance discrimination. Brake control function section 25b that controls the electromagnetic brake 6 based on data
A control circuit 25 with
By inputting the signal of a and the signal of the traveling direction switching circuit 26, the power supplied to the motor 5 is controlled based on the signal from the speed control function section 25a to control the rotation speed of the motor 5, and the traveling direction is switched. The direction of the drive current for the motor 5 is switched based on the signal from the circuit 26.

The two circuit sections composed of the drive control section 24, the rotation speed control circuit 28, and the A/D converter 27 configured in this way are disposed within the vehicle body 1 as shown in FIG. In order to run the electric wheelchair, the user (passenger) first turns on a start switch (not shown) provided on the operating section 12 to put the two circuit sections and the object detection sensor 14 into operation.

After this starting operation, when the speed controller 11 is operated to gradually increase the speed, the setting data set by this operation is taken into the motor control function section 2a of the control circuit 25 through the A/D converter 27. Then, the motor control function section 25a generates a signal to control the rotation speed control circuit 28 so that the rotation speed of the motor 5 is obtained based on the setting data.

The rotational speed control circuit 28 controls the driving power of the motors according to the signal from the control circuit 25 to increase the rotational speed of the motor 5, and the motor 5 drives the rear wheels 4 through the reducer 3 to start running. . When the vehicle starts traveling in this manner, the user appropriately operates the speed controller 11 to adjust the speed to a desired traveling speed.

Next, to stop running, speed controller 1
1 gradually toward a lower speed and finally to zero, and when the speed has decreased to a certain extent, operating the brake operating device 13 allows the vehicle to stop traveling smoothly. In other words, when the brake operating device 13 is operated, the control circuit 25 activates the brake control function unit 26 to operate the electromagnetic brake 6, thereby controlling the rotation of the rear wheel 4, which is rotating due to inertia after the drive current of the motor is cut off. It is possible to forcibly stop the vehicle and stop the vehicle from running.

Now, while driving, the motion detection sensor 14 constantly sends ultrasonic pulse waves in the driving direction, that is, in FIGS. 5(a) and (b).
), it detects whether there are obstacles such as passersby in the direction of travel by emitting light in the direction that the handlebar 9 is facing, and when the reflected wave is received, the reflected wave is It is designed to determine the distance of an object that reflects an ultrasonic pulse wave.

In order to apply braking in response to the detection of the obstacle A, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
For example, the distance Ml from O to 1m (Lo to L+), 1m
2 m from (L+~Lx), 2 m to 3 m (Lz
The vehicle is divided into three sections from L3> to L3>, and if an obstacle A exists in these sections, braking is applied according to each section.

In other words, the speed control function section 25a of the control circuit 25 takes in the distance discrimination data from the object detection sensor 14, and outputs a rotation speed control signal to reduce the rotation speed of the motor 5 when the obstacle A is in these sections. It is output to the f11 circuit 28. In this embodiment, the rotation speed control circuit 28 is controlled to change the speed in stages as shown in FIG. 6(b) in order to reduce the traveling speed as the section approaches the vehicle body 1.

However, when an obstacle A is detected while the vehicle is traveling at a certain speed ■, and the distance l from the obstacle A increases as shown in FIG. The traveling speed is further reduced to one level, and when the distance l enters the area from L2 to L, the traveling speed is further reduced to one level, and the distance! Then, when the vehicle reaches the interval ~L0, the traveling speed is further reduced to one level, and just before the distance l becomes zero, the brake control function section 25b of the control circuit 25 operates to apply a drive control signal to the electromagnetic brake 6 (the brake control section 25b). At the same time, the speed control function section 25a stops the operation of the rotation speed control circuit 28 and stops the power supply to the motor 5.In this way, the closer the distance Ml between the vehicle body 1 and the obstacle A is, the closer the obstacle A is. Since the traveling speed is reduced, there is no shock to the user, and the vehicle can smoothly stop automatically before colliding with the obstacle A.

It should be noted that the speed controller 11 c/ gives priority to the travel control based on the detection of the obstacle A over the set speed, and in order to restart the travel control, the operation of the drive control section 24 is reset by turning off the start switch. good.

Furthermore, if the operating knob of the speed controller 11 is configured like a joystick, which returns to the initial state when the operating force is released, it is possible to prevent a sudden start at the time of resetting.

Incidentally, in the above embodiment, the speed is reduced in stages, but the speed may be reduced continuously in a straight line as shown in FIG. 6(c).

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6(d), when the distance l between the vehicle body 1 and the obstacle A reaches a certain distance, the electromagnetic brake 6 is driven to apply the brake, and at the same time the motor 5 from the rotation speed control circuit 28 is
Of course, the vehicle body 1 may be stopped at a position a certain distance away from the obstacle A by stopping the power supply to the obstacle A.

FIG. 7 shows a circuit configuration of another embodiment of the present invention,
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6(c) above, in the control to stop the obstacle A when it reaches a certain distance, running is started at a low speed after a certain period of time after the obstacle A has stopped. 4 is constructed by adding a timer circuit 30 to the drive control section 24 of the embodiment shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, the timer circuit 30 is operated from the time when the object detection sensor 14 detects the obstacle A and the control circuit 29 stops the vehicle, that is, from the time when the electromagnetic brake 6 is activated. , a certain period of time t from its stop. When the timer circuit 30 times up, the speed control function section 25a of the control section N25 controls the rotation speed control circuit 28 to resume running at a low speed from that point on. In other words, it makes it easier to resume driving in crowded or narrow spaces, making it easier to overtake.

Although each of the above embodiments employs rear wheel drive, it is of course possible to employ front wheel drive. Further, the speed control may be carried out by providing a speed detecting means, detecting the current traveling speed based on the feedback signal from the speed detecting means, and controlling the number of times control circuit 28 so that the set speed is maintained. Of course, the speed control based on obstacle detection may be controlled stepwise or continuously based on the speed detection, and the object detection sensor 14 may use light, radio waves, etc. other than ultrasonic waves. It may be the one you used.

[Effects of the Invention] The present invention includes an operating section that performs driving-related operations such as switching the vehicle forward or backward and setting speed, a driving section that drives the wheels, and a driving section that is operated by the operating section to control the running of the vehicle. It is equipped with a drive control section and an object detection sensor whose detection direction is directed in the running direction of the vehicle body, and when the object detection sensor detects an object, the drive control section applies a brake to the running of the vehicle body. When an obstacle is detected, the drive control unit can automatically apply brakes to stop the vehicle from running, thereby preventing collisions with obstacles and providing benefits for both users and passersby. This has the effect of providing a safe electric wheelchair.

In addition, in the electric wheelchair according to claim 2, the object detection sensor is attached to the handle part that controls the running direction of the vehicle body so that the detection direction and the running direction of the vehicle body match, so that when the user operates the handle, the object detection sensor The detection direction of the object detection sensor can be directed in the direction of travel according to the movement of the vehicle, which has the effect of reliably detecting obstacles present in the direction of travel.

Furthermore, since the electric wheelchair according to claim 3 controls the drive control unit according to the distance detected by the object detection sensor to apply braking to the traveling of the vehicle body, smooth braking can be performed, and in particular, the electric wheelchair according to claim 4 The object detection sensor detects the distance to the obstacle, and the drive control unit controls the vehicle so that the closer the obstacle is, the slower the traveling speed becomes. The effect is that the speed is lowered and smoother braking can be performed without giving a shock to the user.

Furthermore, the electric wheelchair according to claim 5 stops traveling for a certain period of time when the distance to the obstacle detected by the object detection sensor is within a certain distance, and after the certain period of time has elapsed, the electric wheelchair can start driving at a low speed. This has the effect of not only preventing collisions with obstacles, but also allowing safe and easy extraction even in crowded places with many passersby or in narrow spaces.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the same, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the same, FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of the same, and FIG. 5 is the operation of the same. FIG. 6 is a time chart for explaining the operation, FIG. 7 is a circuit configuration diagram of another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a time chart for explaining the operation. 1 is Hi (4C 8 is the handle shaft 9 is the handle 12 is the operation part 14 is the object detection sensor 1 is the vehicle body, 5 is the motor, 6 is the electromagnetic brake, 8 is the handle shaft, 9 is the handle, 12 is the operation part , 14 is an object detection sensor, 24 is a drive control section, 28 is a rotation speed control circuit, 30
is a timer circuit. Agent Patent Attorney Ishi 1) Chief 7 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 5 (b)

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) an operating section that performs driving-related operations such as switching the vehicle forward or backward and setting speed; a driving section that drives the wheels; and a drive control section that is operated by the operating section and controls the running of the vehicle; What is claimed is: 1. An electric wheelchair comprising: an object detection sensor whose detection direction is directed in the direction in which the vehicle body travels; and when the object detection sensor detects an object, a drive control section applies braking to the vehicle body. (2) The electric wheelchair according to claim 1, characterized in that an object detection sensor is attached to a handle portion that operates the running direction of the vehicle body so that the detection direction and the running direction of the vehicle body match. (3) The electric wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the drive control unit is controlled in accordance with the distance detected by the object detection sensor to brake the traveling of the vehicle body. (4) A claim characterized in that the object detection sensor detects the distance to the obstacle, and the drive control unit controls the traveling speed so that the closer the obstacle is, the lower the traveling speed is. The electric wheelchair described in 3. (5) When the distance to the obstacle detected by the object detection sensor falls within a certain distance, the vehicle will stop traveling for a certain period of time;
The electric wheelchair according to claim 4, wherein the electric wheelchair can start traveling at a low speed after the predetermined period of time has elapsed.