JPH08142963A - Power assist tricycle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To sufficiently secure the volume of a basket, and to improve the traveling stability by arranging a battery in the space surrounded by a front frame, a seat tube and the basket, and supporting the battery by a rear frame. CONSTITUTION: A battery 52 is arranged in the space surrounded by a front frame 4, a seat tube 6 and a basket 20, and supported by a rear frame 5. The battery 52 which is relatively large in size and heavy in weight can be arranged by making effective use of an empty space of a bicycle body. Because the battery 52 is arranged in front of the basket 20, the battery 2 is arranged closer to the center of gravity of the bicycle body compared with the case where the battery is arranged below the basket, and the cornering performance is improved in particular, and the traveling position can be stabilized.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a power assisted three-wheeled bicycle in which an auxiliary driving force corresponding to the pedaling force of a pedal is supplied to a rear wheel by a motor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A large pedaling force is required when riding a bicycle, for example, on an uphill road, in a headwind, or while carrying a load. In order to reduce such a burden during running, a power assisted three-wheeled bicycle equipped with a power assist unit that gives an auxiliary driving force according to the pedaling force of the pedal has been proposed (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-21179). reference). This power assist unit is composed of a motor that rotationally drives the rear wheels, a battery that supplies power to the motor, and a controller that controls the driving force of the motor according to the torque applied to the pedal and the vehicle speed.

When the power assist unit is mounted on a three-wheeled bicycle, the volume of the battery, motor, etc.,
The layout of the relatively heavy components is important.
As an example of such an arrangement structure, in the above-mentioned conventional publication,
It is proposed that a box containing a battery and a controller be placed on the rear frame under the cargo basket.

[0004]

However, in the conventional structure in which the battery is arranged in the lower portion of the cargo basket, there is a problem that the volume of the cargo basket is reduced by the amount of the battery, and the battery of the heavy load is used for the vehicle body weight. Since the vehicle is located further rearward, the cornering characteristics are not particularly satisfactory, and improvement in running stability is required.

The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a power assisted three-wheeled bicycle which can secure a sufficient volume of a cargo basket and can improve running stability.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, the front fork for supporting the front wheels is pivotally supported at the front end, and the rear end portions of the front frame in which the seat tube is erected at the substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction are provided in a pair of left and right. A body frame that pivotally supports the rear wheel and is swingably connected to a rear frame that supports a cargo basket; a motor mounted on the body frame for rotating the rear wheel; and supplying power to the motor In a power-assisted three-wheeled bicycle including a battery, and a power assist unit including a controller that controls the driving force of the motor according to the pedaling force of the pedal, the battery is surrounded by the front frame, the seat tube, and the luggage basket. It is characterized in that it is arranged in a closed space and is supported by the rear frame.

The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that the battery is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, and the battery is horizontally placed on the front surface of the cargo basket with its long side portion facing the vehicle width direction in plan view. The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the long side portion of the battery is vertically arranged on the front surface of the cargo basket in the vehicle front-rear direction.

Further, the invention of claim 4 is characterized in that a bulging portion surrounding the left and right side surfaces of the battery is integrally formed on the front wall of the cargo basket.

[0009]

According to the power assisted three-wheeled bicycle of the present invention, since the battery is arranged in the space surrounded by the front frame, the seat tube, and the cargo basket, a relatively large and heavy battery is used as an empty space in the vehicle body. Can be effectively used for arrangement, and thus the volume of the cargo basket can be sufficiently secured. Also, since the battery is placed in front of the cargo basket, the battery is located closer to the center of gravity of the vehicle compared to the case where it is placed under the conventional cargo basket, which improves cornering performance and stabilizes the running posture. it can.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the battery is horizontally placed on the front surface of the cargo basket, the battery does not interfere with the front seat or the like, and when performing the charging work and the battery attaching / detaching work at the time of maintenance. There's nothing in the way,
Work can be performed easily.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since the battery is vertically arranged on the front surface of the luggage basket, the battery does not overhang in the vehicle width direction, and it is possible to prevent the foot from interfering with the battery during pedaling. . Further, by vertically arranging the battery, even if the saddle is located above the front portion of the battery, the battery can be easily attached and detached by swinging the front frame to the left and right.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the bulging portion surrounding the battery is formed on the front wall of the cargo basket, the volume of the cargo basket can be further increased by the amount of the bulging portion.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 to 7 are views for explaining a power assisted three-wheeled bicycle according to an embodiment of the invention of claims 1 and 2, and FIGS. 1 to 3 are a plan view and a side view of the power assisted three-wheeled bicycle, respectively. , Partial sectional side view, FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the rear wheel drive unit, FIG. 5 is a sectional side view showing the swinging unit of the front frame, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 5, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the operation.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a power-assisted three-wheeled bicycle of this embodiment, and a body frame 2 of the three-wheeled bicycle 1.
Connects a rear end portion 4a of a front frame 4 extending obliquely downward and rearward from the head pipe 3 to a rear frame 5 so that the rear frame 5 can swing, and a saddle 6a on which an occupant is seated is seated at a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction of the front frame 4. Of the structure in which the seat tube 6 mounted with is installed upright, and the seat tube 6 and the front frame 4 are
The rear part is connected by a reinforcing frame 7.

A steering shaft 8a of a front fork 8 is pivotally supported by the head pipe 3, a front wheel 9 is pivotally supported at a lower end of the front fork 8, and a handle 10 is fixedly secured at an upper end thereof. Furthermore, the front fork 8
A front basket 11 is attached to this via a bracket.

The rear frame 5 includes a lower frame 15 having a generally U-shape in a plan view and an upper frame 16 having a generally U-shape in a plan view and arranged in parallel thereabove. And the left and right side portions of the upper frame 16 are bent downward in a V shape to integrally form the bearing portion 16a. A reinforcing plate 18 extending in the vehicle width direction is bridged and joined to the lower frame 15, and two reinforcing plates 19, 19 extending in the vehicle body front-rear direction are bridged and joined to the upper frame 16. . A rear basket 20 is placed on the upper surface of the upper frame 16, and the basket 20 is bolted and fixed to the reinforcing plate 19.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a swing shaft 22 is fixed to the rear end portion 4a of the front frame 4 through a pair of brackets 21 and 21. Both ends 22a of the swing shaft 22 are cylindrical, and the central portion 22b is a square prism. Both ends 22a are rotatably supported by the reinforcing plate 18 via bearings 18a. Further, a bearing pipe 23 in the shape of a rectangular tube fixed to the reinforcing plate 18 is mounted on the swing shaft 22.
A Nyquid rubber 24 is disposed between the shaft 3 and the swing shaft 22. As a result, the front frame 4 is swingable to the left and right, and is returned to the original vertical position by the elastic force of the Nyquid rubber 24.

Rear wheels 3 are provided on the left and right outer portions of the rear frame 5.
0, 30 are arranged, and the axle 30a of the rear wheel 30 is pivotally supported by the left and right bearing portions 16a of the upper frame 16 and the bearing portion 15a of the lower frame 15, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 4, a driven sprocket 32 is coupled to the inner ends of the axles 30a with a one-way clutch 31 interposed therebetween. An intermediate shaft 33 is arranged in front of both axles 30a in parallel with the axles 30a, and the intermediate shaft 33 is rotatably supported by the lower frame 15 via a bearing (not shown). Drive sprockets 34 and 35 are connected to both ends of the intermediate shaft 33, and the sprockets 34 and 35 are connected to the driven sprockets 32 and 32 through chains 37 and 37, respectively. A motor sprocket 38 is connected to the intermediate shaft 33 with a one-way clutch 39 interposed.

A boss portion 4b is formed on the base portion of the seat tube 6 of the front frame 4. A pedal shaft 40 is rotatably inserted in the boss portion 4b, and pedals 42 are attached to both ends of the pedal shaft 40 via cranks 41. A drive sprocket 4 is attached to the pedal shaft 40.
3, the sprocket 43 is fixed to the driven sprocket 3 of the intermediate shaft 33 via the pedal chain 44.
6, the sprocket 36 is connected to the intermediate shaft 33 via a one-way clutch 80. In this embodiment, the power from the pedal 42 is simultaneously transmitted to the left and right rear wheels 30 via the intermediate shaft 33. Therefore, the one-way crack 31 absorbs the rotation difference between the two wheels during turning. Become.

A power assist unit 50 of this embodiment is arranged on the vehicle body frame 2. The power assist unit 50 includes a motor 5 for rotating both rear wheels 30.
1, a battery 52 that supplies power to the motor 51,
The controller 53 controls the driving force of the motor 51, and a torque sensor 54 and a vehicle speed sensor 55 are connected to the controller 53.

The torque sensor 54 detects the phase difference between the pedal shaft 40 and the chain sprocket 43 by elastic deformation of an elastic member (not shown) interposed between the pedal shaft 40 and the chain sprocket 43, and the detected value is detected. Is output to the controller 53. The vehicle speed sensor 55 is configured to detect the number of rotations of the rear wheel 30 and output the detected value to the controller 53.

The motor 51 is disposed on one side of the center of the intermediate shaft 33 in the axial direction with the output shaft 51a thereof facing inward, and the lower frame 1 is supported by the support bracket 56.
It is fixed at 5. A sprocket 57 is fixed to the output shaft 51a of the motor 51.
7 is connected to the motor sprocket 38 of the intermediate shaft 33 via a chain 58.

The battery 52 and the controller 53 are housed in a rectangular parallelepiped battery box 60 which is long in the vertical direction, and the controller 53 is provided at the bottom of the box 60.
However, two 12V batteries 52 are vertically stacked on top of each other and connected in series. The battery box 60 is arranged so as to abut on the front surface of the front wall 20a of the rear basket 20, whereby the battery 52 is provided on the seat tube 6, the rear portion of the front frame 4, and the front wall 20a of the rear basket 20. It is located in the enclosed space. Further, the battery 52 is arranged horizontally in a plan view with its long side portion oriented in the vehicle width direction. This horizontal placement creates a space between the battery box 60 and the saddle 6a.

The battery box 60 is held by the support plate 61 fixed to the front surface of the front wall 20a of the rear basket 20 and the support plates 61 and the support pipes 62 and 63 fixed to the upper frame 16. It is supported by and is removable in the upward direction.

The controller 53 is the torque sensor 5
The magnitude of the torque (pedaling force) generated in the pedal 42 is obtained from the detected value of No. 4, the vehicle speed is obtained from the detected value of the vehicle speed sensor 55, the auxiliary driving force is calculated based on the built-in map, and the auxiliary driving force is calculated. It is configured to supply a corresponding current from the battery 52 to the motor 51. This auxiliary driving force is set to less than 1 with respect to the pedal effort 1 of the occupant, and gradually decreases when the vehicle speed exceeds 15 km / h, and becomes zero when the vehicle speed reaches 24 km / h. Is set to.

Further, although not shown, a main switch for operating the power assist unit, an outlet for charging the battery, a warning lamp for displaying a battery voltage drop and a system abnormality of the controller are provided around the battery box 60. There is.

Next, the function and effect of this embodiment will be described. The power assist unit 50 of the present embodiment supplies a larger auxiliary driving force as the occupant pedaling force is larger when the vehicle train is at a predetermined value (for example, 15 km / h) or less, and when the speed exceeds the predetermined value, the speed is increased. The auxiliary driving force is decreased as it rises, and when the speed exceeds the maximum value (for example, 24 km / h), the auxiliary driving force is made zero. In this way, labor can be reduced when climbing uphill, headwinds, loading luggage, and starting. The one-way clutches transmit the rotational force from the pedal shaft / motor shaft side to the rear wheel side, but do not transmit the rotational force in the opposite direction.

In this embodiment, since the battery 52 is arranged on the rear frame 5 so as to contact the front wall of the rear basket 20, the empty space surrounded by the front frame 4, the seat tube 6 and the rear basket 20 is effective. The battery 52 can be installed by utilizing it. Further, the volume of the rear basket 20 can be increased as compared with the case where the rear basket 20 is arranged in the lower part of the conventional case, and the heavy battery 52 can be arranged near the seat tube 6 which is the center of gravity of the vehicle. The stability can be improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, the batteries 52 are mounted one on top of the other, and are arranged horizontally with their long sides oriented in the vehicle width direction in plan view, so that charging work and battery box 60 removal work can be performed. The saddle 6a does not get in the way when performing, and the work can be easily performed.

In the above embodiment, the controller 53
However, in the present invention, the controller placement position is not limited to this, and may be placed independently on the lower surface of the lower frame 16 of the rear frame 5, or the motor 51 may be placed independently. It may be arranged near the support bracket 56 of FIG.

In the above embodiment, the motor 51 is located on one side of the center of the intermediate shaft 33 in the axial direction. However, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. It may be arranged in the central part and the output shaft 51a of the motor 51 may be arranged outside. In this case, it is possible to avoid the interference of the feet when pedaling.

9 and 10 are views for explaining a power assisted three-wheeled bicycle according to an embodiment of the invention of claim 3, wherein the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 3 designate the same or corresponding parts. Show.

In this embodiment, a rectangular parallelepiped battery box 60 accommodating a battery 52 and a controller 53.
Is disposed in a space surrounded by the seat tube 6, the front frame 4, and the front wall 20a of the rear basket 20 and is supported by the rear frame 5, and the basic configuration is the same as that of the above embodiment.

The battery box 60 is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped that is long in the vertical direction, and is arranged so as to contact the front surface of the front wall 20a of the rear basket 20, and the batteries 52 are stacked vertically and in a plane. The long sides are arranged vertically with the long side facing the front-rear direction of the vehicle. Further, the battery box 60 corresponds to the front wall 2 of the rear basket 20.
It is supported by a support plate 61 fixed to the front surface of 0a and support pipes 62 and 63 fixed to the support plate 61 and the upper frame 16, and is detachable in the upward direction.

According to the present embodiment, the rear basket 20 can have a large volume and the running stability can be secured, as in the above embodiments. Further, in the present embodiment, since the battery box 60 and thus the battery 52 are arranged vertically, a space is created behind the pedal 42 in a plan view, and it is possible to prevent the foot from hitting the battery box 60 when pedaling, and As shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 9, the frame 2 can be swung to the left or right to facilitate the battery attaching / detaching operation.

11 to 15 are views for explaining a power assisted three-wheeled bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 3 denote the same or corresponding parts. Show.

11 and 12 show a battery box 60.
Is an example of horizontally arranged so as to contact the front surface of the front wall 70a of the rear basket 70. And in this embodiment,
Bulging portions 70b surrounding the left and right side surfaces of the battery box 60 on the left and right side portions of the front wall 70a of the rear basket 70,
70c is integrally formed.

In this embodiment, since the bulging portions 70b and 70c are formed on the left and right of the front wall 70a of the rear basket 70,
The cargo loading volume can be increased by the amount corresponding to the bulging portions 70b and 70c.

13 to 15 show a battery box 60.
Is vertically arranged on the front surface of the front wall 71a of the rear basket 71, and the bulging portion 7 surrounding the left and right side surfaces of the battery box 60 is provided on the left and right side portions of the front wall 71a of the rear basket 71.
This is an example in which 1b and 71c are integrally formed.

In the present embodiment, the volumes of the bulging portions 71b, 71c on the left and right sides can be increased by the length of the battery box 60 placed vertically, and the overall volume of the rear basket 71 can be further increased. In this case, by swinging the front frame 4, the battery box 60
Can be easily removed (see FIG. 15).

[0042]

As described above, according to the power assisted three-wheeled bicycle of the present invention, the battery is arranged in the space surrounded by the front frame, the seat tube, and the cargo basket, and is supported by the rear frame. There is an effect that the battery can be mounted by effectively utilizing the vacant space of the frame and the volume of the cargo basket can be secured, and that the battery can be arranged near the center of gravity of the vehicle to improve traveling stability.

According to the second aspect of the invention, since the battery is laterally arranged on the front surface of the cargo basket, there is an effect that the charging work and the battery removing work at the time of maintenance can be easily performed.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since the battery is vertically arranged on the front surface of the luggage basket, it is possible to avoid the foot from hitting the battery when pedaling, and the front frame can be easily swung to the left and right. There is an effect that desorption work can be performed.

According to the invention of claim 4, since the bulging portion surrounding the battery is formed on the front wall of the cargo basket, the volume of the cargo basket can be further increased by the amount corresponding to the bulging portion.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view for explaining a power-assisted tricycle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the tricycle according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view in which a rear portion of the tricycle according to the embodiment is cross-sectioned.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a rear wheel drive mechanism of the above-described three-wheeled bicycle.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view showing a swinging portion of the front frame of the above-described three-wheeled bicycle.

6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5 showing the swinging portion.

FIG. 7 is a block configuration diagram of a power assist unit of the tricycle according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a rear wheel drive mechanism according to a modified example of the above embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a power-assisted three-wheeled bicycle according to an embodiment (second embodiment) of the invention of claim 3;

FIG. 10 is a side view of the second embodiment tricycle.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a power-assisted tricycle according to an embodiment (third embodiment) of the invention of claim 4;

FIG. 12 is a side view of the third embodiment three-wheeled bicycle.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a power-assisted tricycle according to a modified example of the above embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the modified three-wheeled bicycle.

FIG. 15 is a plan view showing a swinging state of a front frame of the modified three-wheeled bicycle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 power assist three-wheeled bicycle 2 vehicle body frame 4 front frame 5 rear frame 6 seat tube 8 front fork 20,70,71 rear basket (carrying basket) 70b, 70c bulging portion 71b, 71c bulging portion 30 rear wheel 50 power assist unit 51 motor 52 battery 53 controller

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A front fork for supporting a front wheel is rotatably supported at a front end, and a rear end of a front frame having a seat tube erected at a substantially central portion in a longitudinal direction is rotatably supported by a pair of left and right rear wheels. A vehicle body frame swingably connected to a supporting rear frame, a motor mounted on the vehicle body frame for rotationally driving the rear wheels, a battery for supplying power to the motor, and a pedaling force according to a pedaling force of a pedal. In a power assisted three-wheeled bicycle including a power assist unit including a controller that controls a driving force of a motor, the battery is arranged in a space surrounded by the front frame, a seat tube, and a luggage basket, and the rear frame. A power-assisted three-wheeled bicycle characterized by being supported by. 2. The battery according to claim 1, wherein the battery is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, and the battery is laterally arranged on the front surface of the cargo basket with its long side portion facing the vehicle width direction in plan view. A power assisted three-wheeled bicycle. 3. The battery according to claim 1, wherein the battery is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, and the battery is vertically arranged on the front surface of the cargo basket with the long side portions thereof facing the front-rear direction of the vehicle body in plan view. A power assisted three-wheeled bicycle. 4. The power-assisted three-wheeled bicycle according to claim 1, wherein the front wall of the cargo basket is integrally formed with bulging portions surrounding the left and right side surfaces of the battery.