JPH05274029A - Remote controller for guided golf cart - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a guided golf cart capable of following the progress speed of a play. CONSTITUTION:The running speed of the golf cart set to the automatic running state by the guide of guide means 31 and 32 can be changed by the remote control of a remote controller 47. When this golf cart is run on a special area like a downward slope, the remote control of the remote controller 47 is disabled, and the running speed of the golf cart is forcibly set to a low speed to secure the running stability.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inductive golf cart for carrying a golf bag while automatically traveling by following an inductive signal in a golf course course, and more particularly to this inductive golf car. The present invention relates to a remote control device that remotely controls the running state of a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, various golf carts are known for carrying a golf bag in a golf course course, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 64-29279. Among them, inductive golf carts capable of automatic traveling are being used frequently. This induction type golf cart includes an electromagnetic induction type, a ferrite induction type, an optical induction type, a magnetic induction type and the like, but in the present text, the electromagnetic induction type will be mainly described. In a golf course that adopts this electromagnetic induction type golf cart, a cart road formed of asphalt, concrete, etc. is extended for each hole, and along this cart road. The guide loop line is buried. When the induction loop wire is energized, it forms a magnetic field around the induction loop wire. The golf cart detects the magnetic field formed around the induction loop wire. It is designed to run while. That is, this type of golf cart is configured to be guided by the guide loop line and automatically run on the above-mentioned cart road. In addition, this inductive golf cart is designed so that the start and stop operations can be performed by remote control using a remote controller of a player or the like.

In general, a golf course has a large ups and downs of the terrain, and accordingly, the above-mentioned cart road has several uphills and downhills. And, in order to ensure the running stability and safety when the golf cart travels on a steep downhill of the cart road,
The traveling speed is set to a low speed (for example, about 6 km / h).

[0004]

However, in the conventional golf carts as described above, since the vehicle is traveling at a low speed even in a region where the undulation of the cart road is small or a flat region, Despite the fact that the player is near the green, the golf cart is still near the teeing ground and the court.
A situation may occur in which the vehicle is running in a midway area. In other words, the situation in which the golf cart does not follow the traveling speed of the play is likely to occur, and in such a case, there is a problem that the smooth progress of the play is hindered due to the golf cart.

The present invention has been made in view of this point, and an object thereof is to obtain an inductive golf cart capable of following the traveling speed of a play.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention makes it possible to change the running speed of a golf cart, and when the traveling speed of the play is faster than the running speed of the golf cart. Has increased the running speed of the golf cart so that it can follow the traveling speed of the play. Specifically, the invention according to claim 1 is a card by guidance by a guidance means.
It is intended for an inductive type golf cart which is capable of automatically traveling on a road and has a remote control means capable of controlling the traveling state by remote control. Further, the remote operation means is constructed so that the traveling speed can be changed by remote operation in a predetermined area of the cart road.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the remote control device for an inductive golf cart according to the first aspect, the car
In a region other than the predetermined region on the road, the vehicle speed control means is provided so that the traveling speed cannot be changed by remote control and the vehicle travels at a traveling speed according to the state of the road.

[0008]

In the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, the following effects can be obtained. According to the first aspect of the invention, the golf cart starts traveling by the traveling start operation of the remote control means. In this traveling state, the golf cart is guided by the guiding means.
Automatically drive on the road. Then, in a predetermined area such as a flat area of the cart road, the traveling speed can be changed by operating the remote operation means. Therefore, the traveling speed according to the demand of the player can be obtained, the golf cart can be made to follow the traveling speed of the player, and the player can smoothly proceed the player.

Further, in the invention described in claim 2, when the golf cart is traveling in a region other than the predetermined region described in claim 1 (for example, a steep downhill), the traveling speed by remote control Of the vehicle speed control means is disabled.
The golf cart is run at a running speed according to the condition of the road. Therefore, it is possible to ensure the running stability and safety in a special area of the cart road.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the golf cart 1 in this example is a vehicle for carrying the golf bag 2 following the guidance signal in the course of the golf course. The vehicle automatically travels while being guided by the cart road 3 formed for each hole. Further, the golf cart 1 in this example has a total of four wheels including two front wheels and two rear wheels, and the wheel width and the wheel diameter of the rear wheel 5 are both the wheel width and the wheel diameter of the front wheel 4. It is set slightly larger. That is, for example, the front wheel 4 has a wheel width of 104 mm and a wheel diameter of 272 mm, while the rear wheel 5 has a wheel width of 122 m.
m, wheel diameter is set to 320 mm. In the golf cart 1, the rear wheels 5 are drive wheels. The left and right wheel spacing (tread) is set equal to 710 mm both front and rear, and the axial distance (wheelbase) between the front and rear wheels 4 and 5 is set to 750 mm, for example. The golf cart 1 according to the present invention is not limited to the wheel widths and wheel diameters of the front and rear wheels 4, 5 and other dimensions shown in this example, and various types can be adopted. Further, not only the rear wheel drive type but also the front wheel drive type or the four wheel drive type may be used.

The main body 1 of the golf cart 1
On the upper surface of a, a mounting fence 1b is provided at the front end and a mounting bar-1c is provided at the rear so that the golf bag 2 can be mounted, and the golf bag 2 is shown in phantom in FIG. It can be placed in the state as shown. In addition, the above-mentioned storage bar
Below the left and right ends of 1c, a club holding cylinder 1d for inserting a golf club (not shown) taken out from the golf bag 2 and an umbrella housing cylinder 1e for housing an umbrella are arranged. Further, a bar handle 6 which is gripped when the golf cart 1 is run by a manual operation is arranged on the rear side of the placing bar-1c. A basket 7 for accommodating small items and an operation box 8 of a manual operation system are arranged between the bar handle 6 and the placing bar-1c.

The golf cart 1 has a four-wheel steering mechanism as its steering system. The steering system will be described below. This operating system, as shown in FIG.
It has a front wheel steering mechanism 9 for steering the front wheels 4 and a rear wheel steering mechanism 10 for steering the rear wheels 5. The front wheel steering mechanism 9
It is connected to a rotary shaft 11a of a steering motor 11 arranged at the center of the cart. More specifically, a substantially fan-shaped steering plate 12 is attached to a rotary shaft 11a of the steering motor 11, and tie rods extending outward in the vehicle width direction are attached to both left and right front ends of the steering plate 12. 13 and 13 are pivotally supported, and this tie rod 1
Knuckle arms 14 and 14 are pivotally supported at the outer ends of 3 and 13. And this knuckle arm 14,14
The bent portion is supported by the support shafts 15 and 15 on the side of the car body 1a, and the outer end is connected to the front wheels 4 and 4. That is, the steering motor 11
When the rotating shaft 11a is driven by the drive mechanism, the steering plate 12 swings, and the tie rod 13 moves in the vehicle width direction with this swing, and this movement causes the knuckle arm 14 to move the support shaft 15a. The front wheel 4 is steered by rotating about. At the rear end of the steering plate 12, there is disposed a front sub rod 16 which is tilted with respect to the front-rear direction of the vehicle body and is attached integrally to the steering plate 12. There is.

On the other hand, the rear wheel steering mechanism 10 also has the same structure as the front wheel steering mechanism 9 described above, and has a substantially fan-shaped steering plate 17 whose front end is pivotally supported by the car body 1a.
Tie rods 18, 18 extending outward in the vehicle width direction are axially supported on both left and right sides of the rear end of the steering plate 17, and knuckle lures are attached to the outer ends of the tie rods 18, 18.
The frames 19, 19 are pivotally supported. The bent portions of the knuckle arms 19 and 19 are supported by the support shafts 20 and 20 on the side of the car body 1a, and the outer ends thereof are connected to the rear wheels 5 and 5. Further, this rear wheel steering mechanism 1
At the front end of the steering plate 17 of No. 0, a rear sub rod 21 is arranged so as to be inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body at a predetermined inclination angle and integrally attached to the steering plate 17.

A connecting rod 22 is installed between the rear end of the front sub-rod 16 of the front wheel steering mechanism 9 and the front end of the rear sub-rod 21 of the rear wheel steering mechanism 10 to connect the steering motor 11 with the connecting rod 22. The driving force is transmitted not only to the front wheel steering mechanism 9 but also to the rear wheel steering mechanism 10. That is, when the steering motor 11 is driven and the rotary shaft 11a thereof is rotated, the rotational force is transmitted to the steering plate 17 of the rear wheel steering mechanism 10 via the front sub rod 16, the connecting rod 22 and the rear sub rod 21. Is also transmitted, and this steering plate 17
Oscillates, and the tie rods 18, 18 move in the vehicle width direction as the knuckle arm 1 moves.
9 and 19 rotate around the support shafts 20 and 20 to rotate the rear wheels 5 and 5.
Is configured to be steered.

The above steering will be described in detail. For example, when the rotary shaft 11a of the steering motor 11 rotates in the clockwise direction (direction of arrow A) in FIG.
Similarly, the steering plate 12 rotates clockwise, and the tie rods 13, 13 of the front wheel steering mechanism 9 move to the right in the vehicle width direction. This movement causes the knuckle arm 14, 13.
14 rotates in the counterclockwise direction (direction of arrow B) in FIG. 5 about the support shafts 15 and 15, and the front wheels 4 and 4 are steered to the left in the traveling direction. At the same time, the connecting rod 22 is pushed in the direction of arrow C by the front sub-rod 16, and the steering plate 1 of the rear wheel steering mechanism 10 is pushed.
7 rotates in the counterclockwise direction (direction of arrow D), whereby the tie rods 18, 18 of the rear wheel steering mechanism 10 move to the right in the vehicle width direction, and this movement causes the knuckle arm 1 to move.
9 and 19 rotate in the clockwise direction (direction of arrow E) about the support shafts 20 and 20, and the rear wheels 5 and 5 are steered to the right in the traveling direction. That is, the front wheels 4 and the rear wheels 5 are steered in opposite phases with the same steering angle. On the contrary, when the rotary shaft 11a of the steering motor 11 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 5, the front wheels 4 are steered to the right side in the traveling direction and the rear wheels 5 are steered to the left side in the traveling direction. Also in this case, the front wheels 4 and the rear wheels 5 are steered in opposite phases with the same steering angle.

The rear wheels 5 are connected by a drive shaft 23 extending in the vehicle width direction, and a drive motor 25 is connected to an intermediate position of the drive shaft 23 via a differential gear box 24. ing. Further, constant velocity ball joints 26, 26 are provided on both left and right sides of the drive shaft 23. As a result, the driving force of the driving motor 25 is distributed to the left and right rear wheels 5, 5 via a differential gear (not shown) in the differential gear box 24, and the rear wheels 5, 5 are driven to rotate. It is configured.

The front end portion of the front sub rod 16 is connected to an electromagnetic induction portion 28 via a connecting rod 27. The electromagnetic induction part 28 has a casing 29 having a rear part of a casing 29 extending in the vertical direction.
It is supported by a. At the front end of this casing 29,
A pair of induction coils 31 and 32 are attached to the left and right sides of the center line of the cart body 1a at equal intervals. On the other hand, the golf course 1 on which the golf cart 1 travels
3 is formed only on the locus of passage of the front wheels 4 and the rear wheels 5, and an induction loop line 33 that forms a magnetic field by being energized is provided in an intermediate portion between the cart roads 3, 3. Are embedded, and the induction coils 31 and 32 detect the strength of this magnetic field. Therefore, the induction coils 31 and 32 and the induction loop wire 33 constitute the induction means in the present invention.

On the other hand, around the bar handle 6, steering levers 34 and 35 for manually running the golf cart 1 are provided.
The steering levers 34 and 35 are provided so as to project from the side surface of the operation box on the front side where the bar handle 6 has a predetermined size, and can be pulled while holding the bar handle 6. A brake handle 36 (see FIG. 3) is arranged below the bar handle 6.

Next, the control system of the golf cart 1 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. The control system of the golf cart 1 is roughly divided into a steering control system and a traveling speed control system. First, the steering control system will be described. In the electromagnetic induction part 28, as described above, the left and right induction coils 31 and 32 for detecting the strength of the magnetic field formed by the induction loop wire 33, and the induction coils 3 respectively.
Rectification / amplification circuit 3 for rectifying and amplifying each signal of 1 and 32
7, 38 and. On the other hand, the manual operation unit 39
Are the left and right steering levers 34, 35, the potentiometers 40, 41 of NO. 1 and No. 2 for converting the operation amounts of the steering levers 34, 35 into electric signals, and the potentiometers of both. A comparator circuit 42 for comparing the outputs of the input / output terminals 40 and 41. The output signals of the electromagnetic induction section 28 and the manual operation section 39 are output to the manual / automatic switching circuit 43 of the operation panel.
After this signal is selected by the manual / automatic switching circuit 43, A
The signal is converted by the / D converter 44 and then input to the microcomputer 45. The microcomputer 45 outputs a steering control signal to control the drive amount of the steering motor 11. Further, a No. 3 potentiometer 46 for detecting the driving amount is connected to the steering motor 11, and the driving amount signal detected by the No. 3 potentiometer 46 is again detected. It is input to the A / D converter 44, and feedback control is performed by the microcomputer 45.

Next, the traveling speed control system will be described. As the traveling speed control system, a remote control system for performing remote control by a remote controller 47 of a player and the like, and a vehicle speed control system for automatically changing the traveling speed according to the ups and downs of the cart road 3 and the like. And made up of.

First, the remote control system will be described. The remote controller 47 includes a start / stop signal transmitting circuit 47a and a vehicle speed control signal transmitting circuit 47b.
By operating the remote controller 47, each transmitting circuit 47a,
The start signal, the stop signal and the vehicle speed control signal transmitted from 47b are transmitted to the receiving unit 48, and the receiving unit 48 inputs each signal to the microcomputer 45. Then, based on the start signal, the stop signal and the vehicle speed control signal, the microcomputer 45 sends the vehicle speed control signal to the drive motor speed control circuit 4.
9, and the driving motor rotation speed control circuit 49 controls the average value of the voltage applied to the driving motor 25 to drive the driving motor 25 at a predetermined rotation speed. It is configured. An encoder 50 for detecting the number of revolutions is connected to the driving motor 25, and the number of revolutions detection signal detected by the encoder 50 is sent to the microcomputer 45. The feedback control is performed by inputting. Therefore, the remote controller 47
The receiving section 48 constitutes the remote control means in the present invention.

Next, the vehicle speed control system will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, magnets 51, 51, ... Are arranged at a plurality of points on the cart road 3. The magnet 51 is arranged at a position where the undulating state of the cart road 3 changes, such as before the downhill of the cart road 3. On the other hand, the car body 1a includes a magnetic detection unit 52 for detecting the polarity and the number of the magnets 51 when the golf car 1 passes through the location where the magnets 51 are arranged.
Is equipped with. When the polarity and the number of the magnets 51 are detected, the magnetic detection section 52 sends the magnetic detection signal to the microcomputer 45. Upon receipt of this magnetic detection signal, the microcomputer 45 transmits a vehicle speed control signal based on this signal to the drive motor rotation speed control circuit 49, which drives the drive motor rotation speed control circuit 49. The average value of the voltage applied to the driving motor 25 is controlled to drive the driving motor 25 at a predetermined rotation speed according to the vehicle speed control signal. Further, in the area where the rotation speed of the drive motor 25 is set by detecting the polarity and the number of the magnets 51 of the magnetism detecting section 52 as described above, the remote controller 4 is used.
The remote operation of the traveling speed by 7 is canceled, and the vehicle speed cannot be changed by the remote operation in this area. That is, the control of the traveling speed by the detection of the magnet 51 is prioritized over the remote operation by the remote controller 47. Therefore, the magnet 51 and the magnetism detection unit 52 constitute the vehicle speed control means in the present invention.

Next, the driving operation of the golf cart 1 constructed as described above will be explained. First, when the golf cart 1 is automatically driven by electromagnetic induction, the star is turned on when an unillustrated start switch of the remote controller 47 is turned on.
A start signal is transmitted from the start / stop signal transmitting circuit 47a, the driving motor 25 is driven, and the golf cart 1
Will start running. In this traveling state, the left and right induction coils 31 and 32 travel on the cart road 3 while detecting the strength of the magnetic field around the induction loop line 33. Further, in this traveling state, when the magnetism detection unit 52 has not yet detected the magnet 51, when a vehicle speed signal is transmitted from the vehicle speed control signal transmission circuit 47b by the operation of the remote controller 47, based on the vehicle speed signal. The rotation speed of the drive motor 25 is changed. That is, the player
The traveling speed of the golf cart 1 can be arbitrarily changed according to the requirement of 1., the golf cart 1 can be made to follow the progress of the play, and the progress of the play can be smoothed.

When the cart path 3 is curved to the left or right, the magnetic field detected by the induction coil on one side becomes stronger as the golf cart 1 goes straight ahead, while the other side The magnetic field detected by the induction coil is weakened. Then, each induction coil 31, 3 that has detected this change in magnetic field
The detection signal No. 2 passes through the rectification / amplification circuits 37 and 38 and the manual / automatic switching circuit 43, and is then converted into a signal by the A / D converter 44 and input to the microcomputer 45. In this microcomputer 45, the magnetic fields detected by the left and right induction coils 31, 32 are equal in strength, that is, the induction loop line 3 of each induction coil 31, 32.
The driving direction and the driving amount of the steering motor 11 are set so that the distances from 3 are the same, and the driving signal is output to the steering motor 11. Specifically, when the guide loop line 33 is curved leftward in the traveling direction as shown in FIG. 5, the rotary shaft 11a of the steering motor 11 is moved in the arrow A direction as described above. The front wheels 4 and 4 are steered to the left and the rear wheels 5 and 5 are steered to the right in opposite phases with a predetermined steering angle. At this time, the steering mode
The driving force of the motor 11 is transmitted to the electromagnetic induction portion 28 via the front sub rod 16 and the connecting rod 27, and the electromagnetic induction portion 28 is rotated leftward in the traveling direction, whereby the induction coils 31 , 32 are moved in the direction in which the strengths of the magnetic fields detected are equal. When the front and rear wheels 4 and 5 are steered in this manner, the passing locus of the front wheel 4 and the passing locus of the rear wheel 5 become the same. That is, the front wheels 4, 4 and the rear wheels 5, 5 have the same vehicle width interval,
By turning the steering angles of the rear wheels 5 and 5 by the same amount in opposite phases, the running loci of the front wheels 4 and the rear wheels 5 run on the same line, and the wheels 4 and 5 pass over the lawn. There is nothing to do. On the other hand, when the golf cart 1 is manually operated, the manual mode is set by a switch (not shown) of the operation box 8. And in this state,
By manipulating the left and right steering levers 34, 35 and the brake handle 36 while gripping the bar handle 6, the golf cart 1 can be arbitrarily run in a region deviated from the cart road 3.

When the golf cart 1 in the automatic running state as described above passes the position where the magnet 51 is arranged on the cart road 3, the magnetic detecting section 52 detects the magnetism of the magnet 1 and determines its polarity. Alternatively, the magnetic detection signal generated by the magnetic detection unit 52 is based on the number of the micro computer 45.
Is input to the driving motor rotation speed control circuit 49, and the driving motor rotation speed control circuit 49 controls the rotation speed of the driving motor 25. To change according to the ups and downs of the road 3. At this time, the rotation speed signal of the driving motor 25 set by the remote control by the remote controller 47 is canceled. More specifically, referring to FIG. 2, when the golf cart 1 passes through the I position, the magnetic detection unit 52 detects the magnetism of the magnet 51, and the polarity of the magnetic detection unit 52 causes the front cart road 3 to move downhill 3a. Is detected.
As a result, the control of the traveling speed, which has been set by remote control by the remote controller 47, is canceled and the rotation speed of the drive motor 25 set by the drive motor rotation speed control circuit 49 is set to a low value. To do. That is, the traveling speed of the golf cart 1 is set to a low speed. In this way, when the golf cart 1 set to the low speed travels down the slope 3a of the cart road 3, the speed does not become too high, and a stable traveling state is obtained. Further, in this traveling state, even if a remote control signal is transmitted from the remote controller 47, the signal is canceled and the speed cannot be changed. Then the car
When reaching the flat area 3b from the downhill 3a of the road 3 and passing the position II in FIG. 2, the magnetic detector 52 again detects the magnetism of the magnet 51, and the polarity of the magnet 51 causes the curve to be detected.
When it is detected that the downhill 3a of the road 3 has ended, the driving motor 25 is rotated again by the control of the canceled traveling speed to increase the traveling speed of the golf cart 1. Then, in this state, the speed can be changed again by the remote operation of the remote controller 47, and the traveling speed according to the request of the player can be obtained. Further, as such a vehicle speed control area, not only the downhill 3a but also the car
The traveling speed is controlled to be low even in a curved portion of the road 3.

As described above, according to the configuration of this embodiment,
Since the traveling speed of the golf cart 1 can be arbitrarily changed by remote control by the remote controller 47 in response to the request of the yare, the golf cart 1 can be made to follow the progress of the play and the progress of the play. Can be facilitated. Not only that, but in a special traveling area such as the downhill 3a, the remote operation is not performed, and the vehicle is driven at a speed according to the state of the cart road 3, so that it is stable. The running condition can be obtained.

Although the remote control device according to the present invention is applied to the electromagnetic induction type golf cart in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and other types of induction type golf carts can be used. The type may be applied to the above-mentioned induction type golf cart such as ferrite induction type, optical induction type and magnetic induction type.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects are exhibited. First, according to the first aspect of the invention, the traveling speed can be changed in a predetermined area of the cart road by operating the remote control means, so that the traveling according to the request of the player is possible. Since the speed can be obtained, the golf cart can be made to follow the traveling speed of the play, and the advance of the play can be smoothed.

According to the second aspect of the invention, when the vehicle is traveling in a region other than the predetermined region according to the first aspect, it is impossible to change the vehicle speed by remote control by the remote control means, Since the golf cart is made to travel at a traveling speed according to the state of the cart road, it is possible to secure running stability and safety in a special area of the cart road. In combination with the effect of the invention described in 1, the running state of the golf cart can be improved over the entire course.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a control system of a golf cart.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a position where magnets are arranged on a cart path.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the golf cart.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the golf cart.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a steering mechanism of the golf cart.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Golf Cart 3 Cart Road 3a Downhill 3b Flat Area 31,32 Induction Coil (Induction Means) 33 Induction Loop Wire (Induction Means) 47 Remote Control (Remote Operation Means) 48 Receiver (Remote Operation Means) 51 Magnet (vehicle speed control means) 52 Magnetic detector (vehicle speed control means)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A guide type golf cart equipped with remote control means capable of automatically traveling on a cart road by guidance by guide means and capable of controlling the traveling state by remote control, said remote control means. Is a remote control device for an inductive golf cart, characterized in that the traveling speed can be changed by remote control in a predetermined area of the cart road. 2. The remote control device for an inductive golf cart according to claim 1, wherein the traveling speed cannot be changed by remote control in a region other than a predetermined region of the car road, and the state of the car road is maintained. Induction type golf car, characterized by comprising vehicle speed control means for causing the vehicle to travel at a traveling speed according to
Remote control device.