JPH09198137A - Golf cart - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the safety of a golf cart by providing a sensor to detect the revolving directions of cart wheels by stopping the cart when the sensor detects the backward traveling of the cart in its automatic forward traveling mode. SOLUTION: A sensor which detects the revolving directions of wheels of a golf cart is built in a trans-accelerator to detect the backward traveling of the cart. When the sensor detects a backward traveling of the cart in its automatic forward traveling mode, the brake and the accelerator of the cart are set in the stop sequences. Then the engine and the steering control are discontinued, so that the drive of the cart is stopped by a backward traveling control operation. In other words, the right-left steering direction control is carried out in the direction opposite to the forward traveling of the cart by a steering motor of control system of a steering part 4 when the sensor detects the backward traveling of the cart in its forward traveling mode. Thus the golf cart can be prevented from getting out of a guide line.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a golf cart capable of automatic running having an automatic mode and manual running.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various types of golf carts for golf courses have been provided. For example, a hand-push type that uses human power by a caddy as a power source, and a non-ride type or a ride type that uses an electric motor or an engine as a driving force are widely used.

In response to the shortage of caddies, there are more and more so-called self-plays in which a player operates a golf cart to make a round.
On the other hand, the location conditions of golf courses are becoming more and more severe, and there are many cases where golf courses are opened in the mountains, and the courses are often up or down. Therefore, in the case of self-play, it is desired that the player himself / herself be able to ride in a golf cart and move. Especially for elderly players, a riding golf cart is indispensable. Therefore, recently, a two-seater golf cart or a four-seater golf cart has come into service.

FIG. 1 is an external view of a four-seater type riding golf cart developed by the present applicant. This riding golf cart is an engine-driven type with automatic and manual switching means, and two people can ride in each of the front and rear. And, a golf bag can be loaded in the rear part, and a roof for sun protection and rain protection is installed in the upper part.

A control system diagram of an engine type golf cart is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. 2 and 3 are diagrams in which the microcomputer 2 of the control box 1 is divided into left and right,
The overall diagram of the control system diagram is a combination of both diagrams. The control system is roughly composed of the microcomputer 2 of the control box 1, the operation unit 3, the steering unit 4, the sensor unit 5,
It is composed of a power supply unit 6, an engine unit 7, a parking unit 8 and a main brake unit 9.

When the passenger golf car having such a structure is automatically driven, the automatic driving mode is set by setting the automatic operation switching lever to "automatic". At that time, it detects the induced current flowing in the loop line buried along the cart road, reads the magnet, and runs on the cart road while performing automatic piloting, automatic acceleration / deceleration, and automatic stop. You can also start and stop at any place using the remote control or the send / stop button. In addition, when a danger is detected by various safety devices, an emergency stop is made. When the automatic operation switching lever is set to "manual", the manual traveling mode is set, and the player can operate forward or backward by operating the steering wheel (steering) as in a normal riding cart.

[0007]

Due to the structure of the engine-type riding golf cart, engine power is transmitted to the wheels via an automatic centrifugal clutch or the like. Of course, when the golf cart starts, it is controlled so that it will not move backward, but, for example, the belt slips in the automatic centrifugal clutch section due to a sudden load change due to an engine stall or a large number of people getting in, and at worst, malfunction of the clutch. There is a high possibility that the golf cart will retreat as compared to the electric motor type golf cart due to the fact that the golf cart runs out or the belt runs out. And, the retreat of the golf cart is very dangerous for the occupants.

Further, although the steering control direction at that time is also affected, the steering wheel is swung backward in the opposite direction because the wheels are swinging to either direction when the vehicle is stopped even in the straight traveling state. It will be controlled in the direction away from the guide wire, which will be an even more dangerous condition. In the case of engine stall, it is possible by detecting the engine speed, but usually it will be detected at several hundred rpm or less, and therefore the minimum detection time of several hundred milliseconds is required.
During a steep climb, the golf cart will move backward during this period.

Further, the backward movement due to the belt / clutch system cannot be detected, and even a situation of derailment may occur. Therefore, the present invention is to provide a highly safe golf cart that prevents the golf cart from stopping even if an unexpected situation such as the backward movement of the golf cart occurs, or prevents the golf cart from leaving the guide line even if the golf cart retracts. .

[0010]

A golf cart according to claim 1 of the present invention is provided with a sensor for detecting the rotational direction of wheels, and stops when the sensor detects that the vehicle has moved backward during automatic forward driving. This is achieved by performing reverse control.

A golf cart according to claim 2 of the present invention comprises:
A steering coil, a steering motor, a pickup coil for detecting an induced current, and a sensor for detecting the direction of rotation of the wheels are provided. When the sensor detects that the vehicle has moved backward during automatic forward operation, the steering motor controls left-right steering direction control in the forward direction. It is achieved by going in the opposite direction of time.

A golf cart according to claim 3 of the present invention is
A steering coil, a steering motor, a pickup coil that detects an induced current, and a sensor that detects the direction of rotation of the wheel are provided, and when the sensor detects that the vehicle has moved backward during automatic forward operation, the steering motor control of the left and right steering directions is stopped. Achieved by

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, description will be given of the control at the time of retreat of a golf cart of the present invention by taking an engine type golf car as an example. FIG. 4 shows a control system of the steering section. The induction sensor is composed of the first sensor, the second sensor, and the third sensor, 10 is a torque sensor linked to the steering wheel, 11 is a steering motor, and 12 is a steering motor drive. The bridge circuit, 13 is a current detecting means. Although not shown, respective switches are arranged for responding to the rotation of the handle to the left or to the right.

The operation during automatic traveling will be described below. The induction signals are detected by the left and right induction sensors (No. 1 and No. 2 sensors), amplified and detected, passed through a differential amplifier, a differential output is obtained, and analog input to the microcomputer 2. When a left shift is detected, among the four FETs forming the bridge circuit 12, is turned "ON" to rotate the steering motor 11 in the right direction. When a right shift is detected, the FET is turned "ON". The steering motor 11 is rotated to the left to perform steering control so that the loop line is always located at the center of the induction sensor. At this time, the lower FET is pulse-driven, and the pulse width is set to P depending on the amount of deviation.
The duty is controlled by the WM (pulse width modulation) method to control the rotational force of the motor and smooth the steering movement. Further, in order to quickly track a curve or the like, the PID calculation according to the vehicle speed is performed by the differential output to determine the rotation direction and the duty.

A sensor for detecting the rotation direction of the wheel is provided, for example, in the transaxle to detect the backward movement of the golf cart. As the sensor for detecting the rotation direction of the wheel, for example, a type that detects a speed and a direction using a two-phase encoder, a torque sensor, an acceleration sensor, a tachometer, or the like is used. When the sensor that detects the direction of rotation of the wheels detects that the golf cart has moved backward during automatic forward operation, the brakes and accelerators of the engine-type riding golf cart are set as a stop sequence, and then the engine and steering control are stopped. Then, the backward control is performed so that the golf cart is stopped.

Such backward control may be applied not only during automatic traveling but also during backward traveling of the golf cart during manual traveling. Further, when the sensor for detecting the rotation direction of the wheels detects that the golf cart has moved backward during the automatic forward operation, as described with reference to FIG. 4, the left and right steering direction control by the steering motor of the steering system is advanced. To prevent the golf cart from moving away from the guide line, go in the opposite direction of the direction.

Next, the backward movement control of the engine type golf cart during automatic traveling will be described with reference to the sequence of FIG. When the automatic running of the golf cart is started in step S1, the engine is started and the steering is controlled automatically in step S2. Step S3
Determines whether the engine start status is "OK".
If "NG", the engine is stopped and the automatic steering control is turned off in step 9, and the automatic running of the golf cart is ended in step S10.

In step S3, the engine starting state is "O".
If "K", the speed of the golf cart is controlled by the brake and the accelerator to automatically drive the golf cart in step S4. Subsequently, in step S5, it is determined whether or not the golf cart is moving backward. If "YES", the golf cart is moving backward. Therefore, in step S8, the brake and accelerator stop sequence is operated, and the steering motor is operated in the left-right steering direction. The control is performed in the direction opposite to that in the forward traveling, the engine is stopped and the steering is turned off thereafter, and the automatic traveling of the golf cart is ended in step S10.

In step S5, it is judged whether or not the golf cart is moving backward, and if "NO", it means that the golf cart is moving backward. In the next step S6, it is judged whether or not there is a command to stop the golf cart. If the result is "NO", it means that the golf cart is continuously driven. Therefore, while the operations of steps S5 and S6 are repeated, the speed control by the brake and the accelerator is continuously performed, and the golf cart automatically travels.

In step S6, it is judged whether or not there is a command to stop the golf cart, and if "YES", it means that the traveling is stopped. Therefore, in step S7, the operation of the brake and accelerator stop sequence, Subsequently, the engine is stopped and the steering is turned off, and the automatic running of the golf cart is ended in step S10.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention, in the golf cart having the automatic mode, the golf cart is stopped when the golf cart moves backward during the automatic running. In addition, when the sensor that detects the direction of rotation of the wheels during automatic traveling detects that the golf cart has moved backward during automatic forward operation, the steering system control motor of the steering unit controls the left and right steering direction to To provide a highly safe golf cart that, by performing in the opposite direction, stops the golf cart even if an insufficient situation occurs such that the golf cart moves backward, or prevents the golf cart from leaving the guide line even if the golf cart moves backward. You can

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a riding golf cart.

FIG. 2 is a control system diagram of a riding golf cart.

FIG. 3 is a control system diagram of a riding golf cart.

FIG. 4 is a control system of a steering unit.

FIG. 5 is a sequence of backward control of the engine type golf cart.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Control box 2 ... Microcomputer 3 ... Operation part 4 ... Steering part 5 ... Sensor part 6 ... Power supply part 7 ... Engine part 8 ... Parking part 9 ...・ Main brake unit ・ ・ Torque sensor 11 ・ ・ Steering motor 12 ・ ・ Motor drive bridge circuit 13 ・ ・ Current detection means

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Tomohiro Yamada 2-5-5 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Koji Morimoto, 2-5 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture No. 5 Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazuhisa Matsumoto 2-5-5 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (5) No. 5 Inventor, Michio Koji 2 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture 5-5, Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A golf cart, comprising a sensor for detecting a rotation direction of a wheel, and performing reverse control so as to stop the vehicle when the reverse movement is detected by the sensor during automatic forward operation. 2. A steering, a steering motor, a pickup coil for detecting an induced current, and a sensor for detecting a rotating direction of a wheel are provided, and when the sensor detects that the vehicle has moved backward during automatic forward driving, the steering motor steers left and right. A golf cart characterized in that direction control is performed in a direction opposite to that when traveling in a forward direction. 3. A steering motor, a steering motor, a pickup coil for detecting an induced current, and a sensor for detecting a rotation direction of a wheel are provided, and when the sensor detects that the vehicle has moved backward during automatic forward operation, the steering motor steers left and right. A golf cart characterized by stopping direction control.