JPH04367008A - Self-traveling cart mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To ensure the automatic run of an engine-driven cart along a guide line set on the traveling course of the cart by providing a removable radio manipulator and an automatic/manual changeover lever. CONSTITUTION:A golf cart is driven by an engine and can be manipulated by radio. The cart is also provided with a radio manipulator and can stop at an optional position. Furthermore an automatic/manual, changeover lever 99 is provided at a position near the base part of a steering handle 11. When an operator operates the lever 99, this operation signal is applied to a main controller via 8 switch sensor. When the lever 99 is set in a manual mode, the rotation of the handle 11 is transmitted. Meanwhile the revolution of a steering motor is transmitted when the lever 99 is set in an automatic mode. An obstacle sensor mechanism consisting of e mobile bumper 17 is provided at the tip of the cart body. Thus the cart stops when the bumper 17 touches an obstacle.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a braking mechanism for a cart that is capable of automatically steering along guide lines buried underground in a cart passageway.

0002

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventionally, carts that are powered by batteries have been known. For example, there is a technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-49408. It is also known that the cart is equipped with an engine and that the cart is driven and driven by the installed engine.

0003

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the case of the battery-powered cart mentioned above, wireless control using a guide wire is possible, but since the battery capacity is small, it requires charging from a commercial power source for a long time after finishing work every day. The problem was that this work required a lot of effort. In addition, in the case of battery-powered carts, it is impossible to obtain large horsepower due to the charging capacity, so it is impossible to drive with a caddy or player on board, and the caddy cannot walk for long periods of time. Because it is necessary,
If battery carts were used, there was a problem in that it was difficult to find caddies.

Furthermore, when the cart is driven by an on-board engine, it is possible to increase the horsepower and allow caddies and players to ride together. There was a problem with the fairway grass being severely damaged due to the possibility of people running around on it. Also, in order to prevent carts from running on the fairway with caddies and players on board, it is necessary for the cart to run unmanned on a cart path away from the fairway. Remote control is easy, but in the case of engine-driven carts, it is necessary to stop the engine when stopping, so it is difficult to make engine-driven carts wirelessly controllable along guide lines. It was.

[0005] Furthermore, in order to enable unmanned operation of a cart that can be ridden as is, it is necessary to provide a dual control device and braking mechanism, and great consideration must be given to safety. Therefore, it was a difficult technology. The present invention thus relates to a special braking mechanism for an engine-driven cart that can be wirelessly steered along a guide line, and in which a player can ride a caddy.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The problems to be solved by the present invention are as described above, and next, the means for solving the problems will be explained. That is, the cart is configured to be driven by a mounted engine, and the engine-driven cart can automatically travel along a guide line laid along a cart path. Additionally, the cart is equipped with a seat that allows the cart to be ridden, and it is also possible to drive the cart manually while riding. Further, a movable bumper is provided at the tip of the body so as to protrude from the tip of the body frame, and the obstacle detection switch is configured to operate even if an obstacle comes into contact with one side of the movable bumper.

[0007]

[Operation] Next, the operation of the present invention will be explained. Since the cart of the present invention is driven by engine E, it has high horsepower and can be ridden by caddies and players. In addition, conventionally engine-driven carts
Automatic steering along the guide line is impossible because it may be dangerous, but in the present invention, automatic steering is possible while driving the vehicle while the engine is driving the vehicle. In such a case, there is a possibility that danger may occur while automatically steering the vehicle while riding.
In this case, an obstacle sensor mechanism consisting of a movable bumper is provided at the tip of the aircraft body, and the aircraft is configured to stop if an obstacle comes into contact with the movable bumper.

[0008] Furthermore, the movable bumper has a large width, and if an obstacle collides with one side, the movable bumper does not rotate as a whole, so the obstacle detection switch may not operate. In the invention, even if an obstacle collides with one side of the movable bumper, the movable bumper is tilted and the obstacle detection sensor is activated.

[0009]

[Example] Next, an example of the present invention will be described. Although carts can be used for various purposes, in this embodiment, a cart used at a golf course will be described. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of the golf cart of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an overall side view. In a golf course, a cart path is provided outside the fairway, so a guide line is buried under the cart path. Automatic stopping positions for automatically stopping the guide line are determined on the sides of the tee shot position, second shot/third shot position, and green position. Furthermore, although the golf cart of the present invention is driven by an engine, it is capable of radio control, and is equipped with a separately removable radio control device. The radio controller allows the vehicle to be stopped at any location.

The front wheels 14, 14 are steering wheels, and the rear wheels 15, 15 are driving wheels. An engine E and a transmission case M are arranged inside the engine room 6. At the front end of the aircraft frame, an obstacle sensor mechanism is installed on the movable bumper 1.
A non-contact sensor 16 is disposed below the movable bumper 17 to detect obstacles in a non-contact manner. Also behind it is the swing sensor rod 8.
An electromagnetic induction sensor 81 fixed to 4 and a non-contact sensor 82 for detecting a fixed point detection object are arranged so as to be rotatable with the rotation of the steering wheel.

Further, a seat 10 is arranged above the engine compartment 6, and at the rear of the seat 10, a bag mounting frame 12 for mounting four sets of golf bags 7 and four putters are inserted. A putter insertion tube 13 is provided in a protruding manner. The bag placement frame 12 includes two support rods 24 that protrude from the seat 10 and two support rods 25 that protrude from the rear of the aircraft.
It is supported by Also, from the aircraft frame upwards,
One rear roof support 19 and two front roof supports 22 at the front are arranged. A front roof 21 is placed on the front part of the front roof support 22, and a ceiling roof 20 is placed on the upper part. The front roof 21 and the ceiling roof 20 are all made of transparent resin plates.

A steering column 5 is installed upright in front of the seat 10, and a steering handle 11 is connected from the steering column 5.
is protruding diagonally. Also, between the steering handle 11 and the front roof 21, there is a storage compartment 23 for small items.
is located. Further, an automatic manual switching lever 99 is arranged near the base of the steering handle 11. An accelerator pedal 8 and a brake pedal 9 are arranged below the automatic manual switching lever 99. Also seat 10
The forward/reverse switching lever 7 is located below the engine compartment 6.
0 is placed.

Next, FIG. 3 will be explained. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the body frame of the golf cart with the engine compartment 6 and steering column 5 removed. An obstacle sensor mechanism constituted by a movable bumper 17 is disposed at the front end of the aircraft body, and a non-contact sensor 16 is disposed below the movable bumper 17. Also, between the front wheels 14,
Left and right knuckle arms 38 and 37 are arranged, and are steered by a steering handle 11 and a steering motor Mo. A steering power unit 36 is arranged in front of the steering motor Mo. Furthermore, an accelerator pedal 8 and a brake pedal 9 are arranged at the rear of the steering motor Mo.

Further, a remote control receiver 27, a main controller 28, and a steering controller 35 are arranged on the lower surface of the step portion where the operator places his/her feet. An engine E is arranged in the center inside the engine room 6, a fuel tank 33 is arranged on the fuselage frame F on the left side of the engine E, and a fuel pump is connected from the fuel tank 33 to the engine E. Oil is supplied by 68. Further, a muffler 52 is arranged on the right side of the engine E, and the upper part is covered with a muffler cover 51.

Furthermore, a battery B is placed on the right side of the muffler cover 51. The battery B transmits power to the starting motor 97 of the engine E. In addition, the battery B is powered by a generator 55 placed above the engine E
is charging. Further, the engine E is supported by a drive frame 42 so as to be able to pitch and roll to a certain extent, and a transmission case M is also placed on the drive frame 42. Axles 1.1 protrude left and right from the transmission case M, and a rear wheel 15 is disposed at the outer end of the axle 1.1.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the engine E and the vicinity of the transmission case M, FIG. 5 is a left side view, FIG. 6 is a right side view, and FIG. 7 is a rear view. As shown in FIG. 5, the fuselage frame F is bent upward from a position to the side of the engine E, and extends linearly rearward from the bent position. An engine compartment frame 50 on which the engine compartment 6 is placed projects upward from a position just before the fuselage frame F bends. The engine room frame 50 and the fuselage frame F
are integrally constructed. Shock absorbers 44, 44 are interposed between the rear end of the engine compartment frame 50 and the axles 1, 1.

Further, the front ends of drive frames 42 are pivotally supported on a part of the body frame F at a pivot portion 43. The drive frame 42 can pitch up and down around the pivot 43, and since the pivot 43 is supported by an elastic cylinder, the drive frame 42 can be rotated left and right to some extent. It allows rolling. However, in order to prevent the drive frame 42 from excessively rolling left and right, a lateral link 45 is interposed between the drive frame 42 and the fuselage frame F, as shown in FIG.

The engine E is supported on the drive frame 42 in a vibration-proof manner by four vibration-proof devices 41, 41, 41, 41. Further, a brake guard 40 protrudes from the rear end of the drive frame 42 to the left and right to protect the parking brake mechanism disposed inside the wheel wheel 32 of the rear wheel 15 from coming into contact with obstacles on the ground. ing. Also, the mission case M located at the rear of engine E
An operating wire 69 from the forward/reverse switching lever 70 extends therein, and an automatic braking wire 49 for pressing the brake disc extends to the disc brake mechanism 46. Furthermore, an air cleaner 76 and an accelerator actuator 39 are arranged above the engine E as shown in FIG. The starting motor 97 is arranged between the air cleaner 76 and the drive frame 42.

An automatic transmission drive pulley 48 is disposed on the crankshaft of the engine E, and an automatic transmission input pulley 47 is interposed on the input shaft of the transmission case M. A biasing spring 55 is interposed in the automatic speed change input pulley 47 . Further, a mechanism for operating an automatic braking wire 49 for the emergency brake mechanism and soft brake mechanism is configured in the upper part of the transmission case M. Further, a travel speed detection gear 53 is fixed between the automatic transmission input pulley 47 and the transmission case M, and is fixed to the automatic transmission input pulley 47.
A running speed detection sensor 54 detects the rotation of the teeth of the
is provided.

Furthermore, the braking mechanism includes three types of braking mechanisms: a parking brake mechanism disposed at the rear wheel 15, a soft brake mechanism in which the brake disc 2 is operated by the brake actuator 3, and an emergency brake mechanism. There is. In the case of stopping using a normal radio control device or stopping at a fixed point, the soft brake mechanism will stop the vehicle. When an emergency situation is detected by the sensor mechanism or the non-contact sensor 16, the vehicle is configured to be stopped by an emergency brake mechanism.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the cart of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a rear view thereof. The ceiling roof 20 is supported by two front roof supports 22 and one rear roof support 19, and the ceiling roof 20 and the front roof 2
It is constructed of a transparent resin plate separate from 1. Further, the front roof 21 is supported by two front roof supports 22. The lower end of the front roof 21 is the accessory compartment 2
3 to the front of the steering column 5.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the configuration of the electromagnetic induction sensor 81 and the non-contact sensor 82, and FIG. 11 is a side view thereof. The electromagnetic induction sensor 81 and the non-contact sensor 82
is fixed to a swing sensor rod 84 connected to the knuckle arms 37 and 38 by an interlocking link 83. The electromagnetic induction sensor 81 is composed of left and right sensors, and the left and right electromagnetic induction sensors 81 detect the position of the guide line in the center, and drive the steering motor Mo. The steering angle sensor 80 detects the rotational positions of the knuckle arms 37 and 38 and the swing sensor rod 84, and provides feedback to the main controller 28. The non-contact sensor 82 detects a signal from a solenoid embedded near the guide wire, and is used to stop the vehicle at a predetermined position or reduce the speed.

FIG. 12 shows the steer rig gearbox and 98
FIG. 13 is a side view of the automatic manual switching lever 99. The automatic manual switching lever 99, the steering gear box 98, and the steering motor Mo are arranged inside the steering column 5. When the operator switches the automatic/manual switching lever 99 between automatic and manual, this signal is detected by the switching sensor 100 and transmitted to the main controller 28. The steering wheel gearbox 98 is provided with a manual input shaft 78 connected to the steering handle 11 and an output shaft 79. Therefore, when switching to manual mode, the rotation of the steering handle 11 is transmitted, and when switching to automatic mode, the rotation of the steering motor Mo is transmitted.

FIG. 14 is a side sectional view of the obstacle sensor mechanism constituted by the movable bumper 17, and FIG. 15 is a plan view thereof. As shown in FIG. 3, the movable bumper 17 is pivotally supported at two points on the left and right by a pivot shaft 90, so that even if an obstacle collides with one side, the movable bumper 17 can be moved backward in a tilted state. The movable bumper 17 can be slid back and forth by an outer cylinder 91 and an inner cylinder 92 at the tips of the left and right body frames F, and a guide pin 87 and a biasing spring 86 are arranged inside. A bracket 93 is fixed to the tip of the inner cylinder 92, and a pivot shaft 90 is inserted between it and a bracket 94 at the rear of the movable bumper 17. Also bracket 93
A sensor rod 89 is provided protruding from the portion, and is configured to operate an obstacle sensor 88. The obstacle sensors 88 are also provided on the left and right sides, and are fixed to the lower surface of a sensor bracket protruding from the outer periphery of the outer cylinder 91.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of automatic and manual control of the automatic traveling cart mechanism of the present invention. At the start, initial settings are made and the guidance signal is detected according to the guidance signal detection mode. Next, the brake is released according to the brake release mode. Next, the switching sensor 100 detects whether it is automatic or manual, and shifts to the startup mode. In the automatic case, a signal from the electromagnetic induction sensor 81 and a signal from the non-contact sensor 82 are detected according to the steering operation mode.

[0026]

Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, a cart is configured to be driven by a mounted engine, and the engine-driven cart is automatically run along a guide line laid along a cart path. This also makes it possible to achieve the following effects. In other words, by being engine-driven, it is possible to obtain sufficient horsepower for a caddy or a player to ride. In addition, unmanned operation is difficult when the cart is driven by an engine, but the present invention enables unmanned operation even though it is engine-driven, so the cart no longer runs on the fairway.

According to claim 2, the cart is provided with a seat that allows the user to ride on the cart, and it is also possible to drive the cart manually while riding in the cart. , you can also drive manually,
When storing cars in a storage room after a game, they can now move away from the guide lines and drive freely.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a movable bumper is provided at the tip of the fuselage frame so as to protrude from the tip of the fuselage frame, and the obstacle detection switch is configured to operate even when an obstacle comes into contact with one side of the movable bumper. Even if one side of the obstacle sensor mechanism 17 collides with an obstacle, only one side of the obstacle sensor mechanism 17 retreats, so that the obstacle sensor 8 on one side
8, it is now possible to detect obstacles even when they do not collide with the center.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a cart of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall side view.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the body frame of the cart with the engine compartment 6 and steering column 5 removed.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the vicinity of the engine E and the mission case M.

FIG. 5 is a left side view as well.

FIG. 6 is a right side view as well.

FIG. 7 is a rear view as well.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the cart of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is also a rear view.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the configuration of an electromagnetic induction sensor 81 and a non-contact sensor 82.

FIG. 11 is also a side view.

FIG. 12 is a front view of the steer rig gearbox 98 and automatic manual switching lever 99.

FIG. 13 is a side view as well.

FIG. 14 is a side sectional view of the obstacle sensor mechanism constituted by the movable bumper 17.

FIG. 15 is a plan view as well.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of automatic and manual control of the automatic traveling cart mechanism of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

F　Airframe frame 3 Braking actuator 4 Manual automatic switching lever 5 Steering column 15 Rear wheel 16 Non-contact sensor 17 Movable bumper 81 Electromagnetic induction sensor 82 Non-contact sensor 88 Obstacle sensor 99 Automatic manual switching lever 100 Switching sensor

Claims (3)

[Claims] [Claim 1] The cart is configured to be driven by a mounted engine, and the engine-driven cart is also capable of automatically running along a guide line laid along a cart path. Self-driving cart mechanism. 2. The automatically traveling cart mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the cart is provided with a seat that allows the cart to be ridden, and the cart can also be driven manually while the cart is being ridden. 3. The self-driving cart mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a movable bumper is provided at the tip of the body so as to protrude from the tip of the body frame, and an obstacle detection switch is activated even when an obstacle comes into contact with one side of the movable bumper. An automatic traveling cart mechanism configured to operate.