JPH09104379A - Battery unit mounting structure for bicycle with drive assisting force - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate the battery unit removing operations by forming a battery unit in a thin, long box, installing it in such a way as lying on the main pipe of a body frame of bicycle, and furnishing a turn stopper at the front extremity of the battery unit and a lock mechanism at the tail. SOLUTION: When a battery unit 30 is to be removed, a lock mechanism 53 is put in disengaged condition by operation from a key 57, and a grip 35 is pulled up. This causes the tail of battery unit 30 to separate upward, and the whole unit 30 rotates up from the fixing position A on the main pipe 4 round a fulcrum which is a turn stopper part 38 (hitch shaft). Because the unit 30 is made movable backward in Position B where the unit rotation angle attains the specified angle α, the hitch shaft of the turn stopper part 38 is pushed out by a spring to the protrusive position. Thus a hook at the front of the unit 30 is made separable to over the hitch shaft, and it is possible to take out the battery unit 30.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drive assisting bicycle in which a battery unit serving as a drive power source for an electric motor for generating drive assisting force is mounted on a vehicle body frame. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a battery unit mounting structure for a bicycle with a driving assist force that is attached to and detached from a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a large number of bicycles with a driving assisting force have been developed and sold which are equipped with an electric motor on the body of a bicycle and assist the pedaling force by the driving assisting force of the electric motor so that the bicycle can travel easily. . A battery unit serving as a power source of an electric motor is provided in the vehicle body of such a bicycle with driving assistance force. This battery unit is detachably provided from the vehicle body, and when charging the battery unit, the battery unit can be detached from the vehicle body and brought into the house for easy charging work.

As such a structure for removably attaching the battery unit to the vehicle body, there are those disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-7995 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-270867. In these battery unit mounting structures, a storage space is provided between the frame pipe that supports the saddle and the rear wheel, and the battery unit is vertically inserted and removed there.

[0004]

However, if the battery unit is arranged between the frame pipe supporting the saddle and the rear wheel and the battery unit is taken in and out in the vertical direction, the battery is inevitably taken. Since the shape of the unit is vertically long, when attaching or detaching the battery unit, it is necessary to grasp the handle provided on the top of the battery unit and lift the hand considerably upwards, which makes the work difficult because it is a heavy item. Is. In addition, since the battery unit is vertically long, the lower portion of the battery unit may hit the floor, walls, stairs, or the like and be damaged during transportation.

Further, particularly in the case of the structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-270867, the saddle must be tilted forward before removing the battery unit, which requires time and effort for attachment and detachment.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a battery unit mounting structure for a bicycle with drive assisting force, which facilitates attachment and detachment work of the battery unit. And

Another object of the present invention is to facilitate transportation of the removed battery unit and prevent damage.

Further, another object of the present invention is to increase the overall height of the battery unit when providing the power source terminal on the vehicle body side and the battery terminal on the battery unit side connected to the power source terminal. It is to prevent and facilitate the getting on and off of a bicycle with a driving assist force, and to enable a reliable connection between a power supply terminal and a battery terminal.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a battery unit mounting structure for a bicycle with drive assisting force according to the present invention holds a front fork rotatably left and right as described in claim 1. The vehicle body frame is provided with a main pipe that extends obliquely downward and rearward from the head pipe, and a battery unit serving as a drive power source for the electric motor for generating the drive assistance force is detachably mounted on the body frame. In a bicycle, the battery unit is formed in an elongated box shape and arranged so as to lie on the main pipe, and a rotation locking portion is provided on the front end side of the battery unit and a lock mechanism portion is provided on the rear end side thereof. The rotation locking portion is configured so that the battery unit as a whole can rotate upward from a fixed position on the main pipe with the rotation locking portion as a fulcrum, and the rotation thereof. While the front end of the battery unit when the corner becomes a predetermined angle from the fixed position is configured to be detachable from the pivot hook member, the locking mechanism,
In the locked state, the rear end of the battery unit is fixed to the vehicle body frame side, and in the unlocked state, the rear end of the battery unit can be detached upward.

Further, in the battery unit mounting structure for a bicycle with driving assist force according to the present invention, as described in claim 2, a handle for transportation is provided on the upper surface of the battery unit, and the handle has a center of gravity of the battery unit. Placed above.

Further, in the battery unit mounting structure for a bicycle with driving assist force according to the present invention, as described in claim 3, the turning hook portion is installed at a front portion on the main pipe. A pivot shaft extending in the width direction and a latch shaft that is parallel to each other with a gap between the pivot shaft and rotatable around the pivot shaft, and biases the latch shaft in a direction to rotate upward. A biasing member and a stopper for keeping the latch shaft biased by the biasing member at a projecting position projecting to the battery unit side are provided, while the front end of the battery unit extends forward and its tip is downward. A bent hook is provided at the bottom, and the thickness of the hook is set so that the hook can be densely inserted into the gap.

Further, in the battery unit mounting structure for a bicycle with driving assistance force according to the present invention, as described in claim 4, a pair of power supply terminals connected to the electric motor side sandwiches the main pipe from both left and right sides. On the underside of the battery unit, a pair of left and right battery terminals are provided corresponding to the positions of the power supply terminals, and when the battery unit is mounted on the vehicle body, the battery terminals are above the power supply terminals. It is configured to be pressed.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a left side view of a bicycle with a driving assistance force according to the present invention.

The body frame 2 of the bicycle 1 with driving assistance force has a thick main pipe 4 extending obliquely rearward and downward from a head pipe 3 located at the front of the body, and the main pipe 4 is provided.
A pair of left and right bridge pipes 5 extending substantially horizontally rearward from the vicinity of the rear end are connected to an intermediate portion of a vertically arranged seat pipe 6, and a pair of left and right seats extending diagonally rearward and downward from the upper end of the seat pipe 6. The stay 7 and a pair of left and right chain stays 8 extending rearward from the lower end of the seat pipe 6 are connected via a rear end 9.

A front fork 12 supporting a front wheel 11 is pivotally supported on the head pipe 3 together with a handle bar 13, a basket 14 and the like, and a rear wheel 15 is supported on the rear end 9 at the rear end of the body frame 2. Is pivotally supported. A saddle 16 is attached to the upper end of the seat pipe 6.

On the other hand, the main pipe 4 and the bridge pipe 5
Between the suspension plate 17 provided at the connection part of the and the suspension plate 18 provided at the lower end of the seat pipe 6, a drive assist device 20 having an electric motor built therein is fixed by bolts,
The drive assist device 20 itself also serves as a reinforcing member for the vehicle body frame 2.

A crankshaft 21 extending in the vehicle width direction is rotatably supported by the drive assist device 20, cranks 22 are fixed to both ends of the crankshaft 21, and a pedal 23 is provided at the tip of the crank 22. . In addition, the crankshaft 21 has a drive assist device.
A drive sprocket 24 located on the right side of 20 is axially mounted, and a chain 26 is wound between the drive sprocket 24 and the driven sprocket 25 provided on the rear wheel 15.

The crankshaft 21 is rotationally driven in a direction indicated by an arrow when an occupant seated on the saddle 16 depresses the pedal 23 with his / her foot. In addition, the drive assist device 20 has a built-in force producing device together with the electric motor, and this force producing device synthesizes the rotational force of the crankshaft 21 and the drive assisting force of the electric motor, and the resultant force is applied to the drive sprocket 24. It is designed to output. Drive sprocket 24 is crankshaft
It rotates in the same direction as 21, and this rotation is transmitted to driven sprocket 25 via chain 26, and rear wheel 15 is driven.
A control device 27 for adjusting the output of the electric motor is provided above the drive assist device 20.

A battery unit 30, which is a power source for driving the electric motor, is mounted on the vehicle body frame 2. The battery unit 30 is, for example, 15 small batteries 31 sealed in a battery case 32 made of synthetic resin, and is entirely formed in an elongated box shape and arranged on the main pipe 4. .

The main pipe 4 of the vehicle body frame 2 and the drive assisting device 20 are covered with a frame cover 33 made of synthetic resin or the like to improve the aesthetic appearance of the drive assisting bicycle 1. Has been. The frame cover 33 is provided with a battery accommodating recess 34 which is recessed downward along the longitudinal direction on the main pipe 4, and the battery unit 30 is fitted into the battery accommodating recess 34. .

As shown in FIG. 2, the battery unit 30 is attachable to and detachable from the vehicle body frame 2, and during charging, the battery unit 30 can be removed to perform a charging operation inside a house or the like. A handle 35 for transportation is provided on the upper surface of the battery unit 30, and the handle 35 is arranged above the center of gravity of the battery unit 30. The handle 35 is provided in a recess 36 formed on the upper surface of the battery case 32 (see FIG. 7).

A rotation hook 38 is provided on the front end side of the battery unit 30. FIG. 3 is a left side view of the vicinity of the rotation engaging portion 38, which is an enlarged view of the III portion of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a view of further enlarging the IV portion of FIG. FIG. 5 is a view on arrow V in FIG. The rotation hook 38 has the following structure.

First, a reinforcing member 39 which is bent in a substantially V shape is fixed to a joint portion between the head pipe 3 and the main pipe 4, and an upper portion of the reinforcing member 39 has a hooking bracket.
41 is fixed with screws 42 or the like. A pivot shaft 43 extending in the vehicle width direction is installed at the tip of the latch bracket 41, and a pair of left and right latch levers 45 are pivotally supported by the pivot shaft 43 via a spacer pipe 44. A latch shaft 46 is installed between the free ends. Therefore, the hanging shaft
46 is a space L between the pivot shaft 43 (spacer pipe 44)
Are arranged in parallel with each other and are rotated around the pivot shaft 43 as the latch lever 45 is rotated.

Further, springs 47 as biasing members for biasing the latch shaft 46 in the direction of rotating upward are provided at both ends of the pivot shaft 43, and the latch 47 biased by the spring 47 is further provided. A stopper 48 is provided for keeping the stop shaft 46 at a protruding position 46a (see FIG. 4) protruding toward the battery unit 30 side. The stopper 48 is formed, for example, to stand upright from the base of the latch lever 45 toward the side of the vehicle body.
At the projecting position 46a of 46, the stopper 48 abuts on the stepped portion 49 formed on the outer peripheral portion of the latch bracket 41, so that the latch lever 45 and the latch shaft 46 cannot be rotated further upward.

[0025].

A hook 51 is provided at the front end of the battery unit 30 (battery case 32). The hook 51 extends forward from the front surface of the battery unit 30, and the tip thereof is bent downward, and the thickness of the hook 51 is close to the gap L between the pivot shaft 43 and the hook shaft 46. It has a thickness that can be inserted into. A member 52 indicated by a symbol in FIG. 3 is a main switch of the bicycle 1 with driving assist force.

On the other hand, a lock mechanism portion 53 is provided on the rear end side of the battery unit 30. FIG. 6 is a left side view of the lock mechanism portion 53 in which the VI portion of FIG. 1 is enlarged. The lock mechanism portion 53 is provided at a rear end of a lock bracket 54 fixed so as to straddle the left and right bridge pipes 5 of the vehicle body frame 2, and includes a lock striker 55 protruding toward the battery unit 30. There is. The tip of this rock striker 55 is formed in a slope shape,
55 is urged by an urging member (not shown) built in the lock mechanism portion 53 and is always kept in a protruding state. Further, a striker 56 hole with which the lock striker 55 is engaged is formed on the rear surface of the battery case 32.

Normally, the lock mechanism 53 is a lock striker.
Although 55 is maintained in a locked state protruding, for example, by inserting the key 57 for operating the main switch 52 into the lock mechanism portion 53 and twisting, the lock striker 55 can be retracted into the lock mechanism portion 53, This state is the unlocked state of the lock mechanism unit 53.

When the battery unit 30 is removed from the vehicle body, the latching shaft 46 of the rotation latching portion 38 causes the spring 47 to move.
By the action of the stopper 48, it is kept at the protruding position 46a shown in FIG. When attaching the battery unit 30 to the vehicle body, first, the hook 51 at the front end of the battery unit 30 is hooked on the hook shaft 46 of the rotation hook 38 from above, and the handle 35 of the battery unit 30 is lowered. The latch shaft 46 is pushed down by the self-weight of the battery unit 30, and the latch shaft 46 rotates around the pivot shaft 43 together with the latch lever 45 to come to the lock position 46b.

In this state, the pivot shafts 43 arranged vertically are
Since the hook 51 is sandwiched between the hook and the hook shaft 46, and the left and right hook levers 45 prevent the hook 51 from slipping laterally.
The movement of the front end of the battery unit 30 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is restricted. At the same time, the battery unit 30
Since the whole is fit in the battery storage recess 34 of the frame cover 33, the lock striker 55 of the lock mechanism portion 53 engages with the striker hole 56 on the rear end surface of the battery case 32, and the rear end of the battery unit 30 also moves vertically and horizontally. Is restricted and the battery unit 30 is fixed to the vehicle body.

When the battery unit 30 is removed, the lock mechanism 53 is unlocked by operating the key 57, and the handle 35 of the battery unit 30 is pulled upward. As a result, as shown in FIG.
The rear end of the battery unit 30 separates upward, and the entire battery unit 30 rotates upward from the fixed position A on the main pipe 4 with the rotation locking portion 38 (locking shaft 46) as a fulcrum.

Then, at the position B where the rotation angle of the battery unit 30 reaches a predetermined angle α, the battery unit 30
Can be moved rearward, so that the locking shaft 46 of the rotation locking portion 38 can be moved.
Is pushed to the protruding position 46a by the urging force of the spring 47. Therefore, the hook 51 at the front end of the battery unit 30 can be detached above the hook shaft 46, and the battery unit 30 can be removed.

Since the battery unit 30 is formed in the shape of an elongated box and is mounted on the main pipe 4 so as to lie on the main pipe 4, it is not necessary to lift the hand holding the handle 35 to a large extent when removing the battery unit 30. The removal work is very easy.

Also, when the battery unit 30 is attached, the battery unit 30 is locked from the front end (obliquely above) to the vehicle body side, and at that time, the locking shaft 46 of the rotation locking portion 38 is easily visible from the outside. The latching hook 51 of the battery unit 30 can be easily hooked at the projecting position 46a, and the latching shaft 46 is pushed down by the own weight of the battery unit 30 and naturally rotates to the lock position 46b. Is fixed, and the battery unit 30 fits in the battery storage recess 34 of the frame cover 33 at the position where the hand gripping the handle 35 is naturally lowered, and the lock mechanism 53 does not need to be operated by the key 57. Since the battery unit 30 is automatically locked, the battery unit 30 can be easily mounted with one hand, and the mounting work is very easy.

Moreover, since the handle 35 is arranged above the center of gravity of the battery unit 30, the battery unit 30 can be carried in a substantially horizontal state when the removed battery unit 30 is carried, and the battery unit 30 can be carried. There is no risk of damage to the floor, walls, stairs, etc. and it is easy to transport.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG.
In the vicinity of the rear part of the main pipe 4, a pair of power supply terminals 61 connected to the electric motor side (for example, the controller 27) is provided.
Are symmetrically provided such that they are sandwiched from both sides. These power supply terminals 61 are fixed to the wing portions of a terminal bracket 62 fixed so as to straddle over the main pipe 4, for example, with an insulating member 64 with screws 63, and fixed to the insulating member 64 with nuts 65. On the other hand, the bottom surface of the battery unit 30 has a power supply terminal.
A pair of left and right battery terminals 66 are provided corresponding to the positions of 61. These battery terminals 66 are formed, for example, in the shape of leaf springs, and have screws 67 and nuts on the bottom surface of the battery case 32.
It is fixed at 68.

The height of the battery terminal 66 is set to be lower than the height of the top of the power supply terminal 61 when the battery unit 30 is attached to the vehicle body. Therefore, when the battery unit 30 is attached to the vehicle body, the free end side of the battery terminal 66 is pressed against the top of the power supply terminal 61 by spring elasticity. Then, the current of the battery unit 30 is supplied to the electric motor via the control device 27.

As described above, if the power supply terminal 61 and the battery terminal 66 are provided so as to sandwich the main pipe 4 from the left and right, the power supply terminal 61 and the battery terminal 66 occupy a space between the main pipe 4 and the battery unit 30. Since the battery unit 30 is brought closer to the main pipe 4 to lower the upper surface of the battery unit 30,
Easy to get on and off, and power terminal
61 and the battery terminal 66 can be reliably connected.

[0039]

As described above, in the bicycle with driving assistance force according to the present invention, the battery unit is formed in the shape of an elongated box and is arranged so as to lie on the main pipe of the vehicle body frame. On the side,
A lock mechanism is provided on each of the rear ends of the battery unit so that the battery unit as a whole can be rotated upward from a fixed position on the main pipe with the rotation locking unit as a fulcrum, and its rotation angle. Is configured so that the front end of the battery unit can be disengaged from the rotation hook when the predetermined angle is reached from the fixed position. It is characterized in that the rear end of the battery unit can be detached upward in the unlocked state.

According to this structure, when the battery unit is detached from the vehicle body, it is not necessary to lift the hand largely upward, and therefore the detaching work becomes very easy. Also,
Even when installing the battery unit, it is easy to install because the battery unit is hooked to the vehicle body from the front end and the battery unit fits on the main pipe when the hand holding the battery unit is naturally lowered. You can

Further, in the battery unit mounting structure for a bicycle with driving assist force according to the present invention, since the handle for transporting is provided on the upper surface of the battery unit and the handle is arranged above the center of gravity of the battery unit, the battery unit removed. When transporting the battery unit, the battery unit can be transported in a substantially horizontal state, and there is no fear of damaging the battery unit by hitting the floor, walls, stairs, etc., and the transport can be facilitated.

Further, in the battery unit mounting structure for a bicycle with driving assist force according to the present invention, the rotation engaging portion is provided at a front portion on the main pipe, and the pivot shaft extends in the vehicle width direction. A locking shaft that is parallel to the pivot shaft and is rotatable around the pivot shaft, a biasing member that biases the locking shaft in a direction to rotate upward, and a biasing member. On the other hand, the stopper shaft that is biased to
A hook that extends forward and has a tip bent downward is provided at the front end of the battery unit, and the thickness of the hook is set so that it can be densely inserted into the gap.

According to this structure, when the battery unit is attached, the hooking shaft of the rotation hooking portion is located at the projecting position where it can be easily seen from the outside, and the hooking hook at the front end of the battery unit can be easily hooked up. Is pushed down by the weight of the battery unit and naturally rotates to the lock position, and the hook is clamped between the pivot shaft and the hook shaft to fix the front end of the battery unit. Can be easy.

Further, in the battery unit mounting structure for a bicycle with driving assist force according to the present invention, as described in claim 4, a pair of power supply terminals connected to the electric motor side sandwich the main pipe from both left and right sides. On the underside of the battery unit, a pair of left and right battery terminals are provided corresponding to the positions of the power supply terminals, and when the battery unit is mounted on the vehicle body, the battery terminals are above the power supply terminals. Since it is configured to be pressed against each other, the total height of the battery unit is prevented from increasing due to the power supply terminal and the battery terminal, and it becomes easy to get on and off the bicycle with the driving assist force, and the power supply terminal and the battery terminal are securely connected. Can be connected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a left side view of a bicycle with a driving assistance force according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a left side view of the vicinity of the battery unit showing the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a part III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of an IV portion in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a view on arrow V in FIG.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion VI in FIG. 1;

7 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Bicycle with driving assistance force 2 Body frame 3 Head pipe 4 Main pipe 12 Front fork 20 Drive auxiliary device 30 Battery unit 35 Handle 38 Rotating latching part 43 Pivot shaft 46 Latching shaft 47 Spring as biasing member 48 Stopper 51 Locking hook 53 Lock mechanism 61 Power terminal 66 Battery terminal

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle body frame (2) having a main pipe (4) extending obliquely rearward and downward from a head pipe (3) that holds a front fork (12) rotatably left and right. In the bicycle with driving assistance force 1 in which the battery unit 30 serving as the driving power source is detachably mounted, the battery unit 30 is formed in the shape of an elongated box and arranged on the main pipe 4. A rotation stopper 38 is provided on the front end side of the unit 30 and a lock mechanism portion 53 is provided on the rear end thereof, and the rotation stopper 38 is rotated from the fixed position A on the main pipe 4 by the entire battery unit 30. It is possible to rotate upward with the movement stopping portion 38 as a fulcrum, and when the rotation angle reaches a predetermined angle α from the fixed position A, the front end of the battery unit 30 can be separated from the rotation stopping portion 38. On the other hand, in the lock mechanism portion 53, the rear end of the battery unit 30 is fixed to the vehicle body frame 2 side in the locked state, and the rear end of the battery unit 30 can be detached upward in the unlocked state. A battery unit mounting structure for a bicycle with driving assistance force, characterized in that 2. The battery unit mounting structure for a bicycle with drive assist force according to claim 1, wherein a handle 35 for transportation is provided on an upper surface of the battery unit 30, and the handle 35 is arranged above a center of gravity of the battery unit 30. . 3. A pivot shaft 43 which is provided at the front portion of the main pipe 4 and extends in the vehicle width direction, wherein the rotation hooking portion 38 is provided.
And a gap L between the pivot shaft 43 and the
A latching shaft 46 that is rotatable around the pivot shaft 43, and this latching shaft
A biasing member (for example, a spring 47) that biases 46 in a direction to rotate upward, and a stopper 48 that keeps the latch shaft 46 biased by the biasing member at a protruding position 46a that projects toward the battery unit 30 side. And a battery unit 30
2. The drive assist according to claim 1, wherein a hook hook 51 extending forward and having a tip bent downward is provided at a front end of the hook, and the hook hook 51 has a thickness that allows the hook hook 51 to be closely inserted into the gap L. Battery unit mounting structure for power bicycle. 4. A pair of power supply terminals 61 connected to the electric motor side are symmetrically provided so as to sandwich the main pipe 4 from both left and right sides, while the lower surface of the battery unit 30 corresponds to the position of the power supply terminals 61. And a pair of left and right battery terminals
The battery unit mounting for a bicycle with driving assistance force according to claim 1, wherein the battery unit 30 is provided with 66, and the battery terminal 66 is pressed against the power supply terminal 61 when the battery unit 30 is mounted on the vehicle body. Construction.