JPH10167145A - Electric assisted bicycle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent travelling impossibility due to remainder shortage of a main battery by furnishing a main battery storage part to store the main battery to feed electricity to an electric motor to assist leg-power by a crank pedal and a spare battery storage part to store a spare battery free to insert and remove. SOLUTION: A main battery storage part 39 is arranged on a back surface part of a front basket 38 and a main battery 40 to supply electric power to an electric motor 30 is stored in it free to insert and remove on a device to electrically assist leg-force by a crank pedal 32 by controlling work of the electric motor 30 by a controller 37. Additionally, a spare battery storage part 39' to store a spare battery 40' free to insert and remove in the vertical direction is arranged on a front surface part of a rear basket 38' installed on a rear carrier 29. Consequently, it is possible to use the spare battery 40' in place of the main battery 40 when required and to travel an electric assisted bicycle without worrying about remainder of the main battery 40.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric assist bicycle equipped with an electric motor for assisting the pedaling force of a crank pedal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, such an electric assisted bicycle is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. Hei 6-237535 and Hei 7-40.
It is already well known in US Pat.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional electric assist bicycle, a main battery for supplying electric power to the electric motor is stored in a storage box fixedly arranged on the rear side of the seat post below the seat. If the main battery is discharged, the assist power by the electric motor cannot be obtained unless the main battery is charged.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides an electric assist bicycle capable of immediately coping with a situation in which it becomes difficult to supply power to an electric motor due to a shortage of a remaining amount of a main battery. The purpose is to do.

[0005]

According to one aspect of the present invention, a main battery for supplying power to an electric motor is provided in an electric assist bicycle including an electric motor for assisting pedaling force by a crank pedal. And a spare battery storage portion for storing a spare battery in a removable manner.

According to such a configuration, when it becomes difficult to supply electric power to the electric motor due to a shortage of the remaining amount of the main battery, the spare battery stored in the spare battery storage section is used, so that the electric motor can be used. Assist power can be obtained, and the battery-assisted bicycle can be driven without concern for the remaining amount of the main battery. In addition, since a spare battery storage is provided separately from the main battery storage, The main battery storage unit can be configured to be easy to use in attaching and detaching, and the usability of the main battery in the main battery accommodation unit and the detachable structure are not adversely affected.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, the spare battery accommodating portion is capable of inserting / removing the spare battery by setting the direction of insertion / removal of the spare battery in the vertical direction. Since the spare battery storage portion is formed in a box shape and at least the lower portion of the spare battery storage portion is supported by the rear carrier, the operation of attaching and detaching the spare battery to and from the spare battery storage portion is easy, and the strength of the spare battery storage portion is also improved. It can be sufficiently secured.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first or second aspect of the present invention, the spare battery is formed in the same shape as the main battery.
An electrical connection can be obtained by storing a spare battery in the main battery storage section, and thus there is no need to provide an electrical connection section for the spare battery on the spare battery storage section side.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of any one of the first to third aspects, the spare battery storage unit is configured such that the spare battery cannot be detached by operating a key. By being configured to be in a key lock state, the spare battery can be securely stored in the spare battery storage section by preventing the theft of the spare battery, and the spare battery can be stored when the spare battery is not stored. It becomes possible to key-lock luggage and the like stored in the department.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on one embodiment of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings.

1 to 16 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a side view of an electric assisted bicycle, FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional side view of a motor unit, and FIG. 3 is an arrow 3 in FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3, and FIG.
6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 3, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG.
8 is a front view of the battery, FIG. 9 is a side view of FIG.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a simplified internal configuration of the battery.
1 is a sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 4, and FIG.
13 is a plan view of the charger, and FIG.
3 is a sectional view taken along line 14-14, and FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken along line 15-15 in FIG.
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a simplified internal configuration of the charger.

Referring to FIG. 1, the electric assisted bicycle includes a vehicle body frame 21 having a substantially U-shape in a side view.
Front fork 23 to the head pipe 22 at the front end of the body frame 21 is steerably supported, the front wheel W _F at the lower end of the front fork 23 is rotatably supported, the bar handle 24 is provided on the upper end of the front fork 23. A motor unit 31 having an electric motor 30 is provided at a lower portion of the body frame 21. The motor unit 31 extends rearward and downward from the body frame 21 above a rear portion of the motor unit 31 and extends substantially horizontally behind the motor unit 31. left issued, the rear wheel W _R is rotatably supported to the right pair of rear forks 25 ... between both rear fork 25 ... and the vehicle body frame 2
A pair of left and right stays 26 are provided between the rear portions of the pair. Further, a seat post 28 having a seat 27 at an upper end is mounted on the rear portion of the body frame 21 so that the vertical position of the seat 27 can be adjusted, and a rear carrier 29 is fixedly disposed behind the seat 27.

Referring also to FIG. 2, the motor unit 3
The first casing 135 is provided with a pair of hanger portions 21 a and 21 b provided at a lower portion of the body frame 21 with bolts 13.
6,137, and crank pedals 3 at both ends.
A crankshaft 33 having two shafts 2 and 32 is rotatably supported by the casing 135. This crankshaft 33
And the electric motor 30
Drive sprocket 3 that can also apply assist force from
4, the driven sprocket 3 provided on the axle of the rear wheel W _R
5 and an endless chain 36 is wound.

A power transmission system 138 provided between the electric motor 30 and the driving sprocket 34
The power transmission system 138 is accommodated in a drive gear 139 fixed to the rotating shaft 30 a of the electric motor 30.
And a casing 13 having an axis parallel to the rotation shaft 30a.
A first intermediate gear 141 fixed to one end of a first idle shaft 140 rotatably supported by the first gear 5 and meshed with the drive gear 139; a second intermediate gear 142 provided integrally with the first idle shaft 140; A third intermediate gear 143 meshed with the second intermediate gear 142, and rotatably supported by the casing 135 having an axis parallel to the first idle shaft 140 and arranged coaxially with the third intermediate gear 143. The second idle shaft 144, the third intermediate gear 143 and the second
One-way clutch 145 provided between idle shafts 144
And a fourth intermediate gear 146 provided integrally with the second idle shaft 144, and a driven gear 147 meshed with the fourth intermediate gear 146, and the driven gear 147 is coupled to the driving sprocket 34.

In such a power transmission system 138, the torque accompanying the operation of the electric motor 30 is reduced and transmitted to the drive sprocket 34. However, when the operation of the electric motor 30 is stopped, the one-way clutch 145 The operation allows the second idle shaft 144 to idle, and the rotation of the drive sprocket 34 due to the pedaling force of the crank pedals 32 is not hindered.

A power transmission system (not shown) is provided between the crankshaft 33 and the drive sprocket 34. The power transmission system includes a torsion bar that is twisted according to the input torque from the input pedals 32, 32. Step on the crank pedals 32, 32
The input torque at the time of the forward rotation of the
And a one-way clutch which allows the crankshaft 33 to rotate in the reverse direction when the crankshaft 33 is rotated in the reverse direction.

The operation of the electric motor 30 is controlled by a controller 37 fixedly supported on the lower side of the body frame 21 in front of the motor unit 31 as shown in FIG. The operation of the electric motor 30 is controlled based on the rotation speed of the electric motor 30 and the input torque from the input pedals 32, 32. Thus, as clearly shown in FIG. 2, in order to detect the number of rotations of the electric motor 30, a reluctor 148 having a protrusion 148 a on the outer periphery is fixed to the rotating shaft 30 a of the electric motor 30, and Detects the protrusion 148a and detects the
8, ie, an electromagnetic pickup type sensor 149 for detecting the rotation speed of the electric motor 30 is attached. The input torque by the input pedals 32, 32 is detected by means (not shown) for detecting the amount of torsion of the torsion bar in the power transmission system between the crankshaft 33 and the drive sprocket 34.

A front basket 38 is attached to the head pipe 22. In addition, a main battery storage section 39 disposed on the back of the basket 38 is also attached to the head pipe 22, and a main battery 40 for supplying electric power to the electric motor 30 can be inserted into and removed from the main battery storage section 39. Is stored in.

The rear carrier 29 behind the seat 27
A rear basket 38 ', which is the same as the front basket 38 mounted on the head pipe 22, is mounted on the upper side with the front and rear reversed. A spare battery accommodating portion 39 'for accommodating the spare battery 40' so as to be insertable / removable in the same vertical direction is arranged. A support stay 279 is fastened to the front of the rear carrier 29, and the rear basket 3 is supported by the mounting stay 279 and the rear carrier 29.
8 'is arranged on the rear carrier 29, and at least the lower part of the spare battery storage 39'
9 and supported by the mounting stay 279, and is disposed at the front of the rear basket 38 '.

A large part of the body frame 21 is covered with a cover 41, and a main switch 42 for supplying electric power from the battery 40 to the controller 37 and the electric motor 30 is disposed above the cover 41. You.

Referring also to FIGS. 3 to 7, a concave portion 38a is provided on the back surface of the front basket 38, and the main battery storing portion 39 is configured such that a part thereof is stored in the concave portion 38a. It is arranged on the back of the basket 38.

The main battery storage section 39 is configured so that the main battery 40 can be inserted and removed in the same vertical direction as the direction in which the luggage is inserted into and removed from the front basket 38 so that the main battery 40 can be inserted and removed. A storage case main body 44 that is opened upward to receive the main battery 40 in a removable manner, and a lid 45 that closes an upper end opening of the storage case main body 44 so that the main battery 40 can be opened and closed. The lid 45 is connected to the back of the upper end of the storage case body 44 via a pair of pivots 46, 46.

A bracket 47 extending forward is attached to the head pipe 22.
The storage case body 44 of the main battery storage portion 39 is fixedly supported by a support frame 48 mounted on the front frame 38, and the front basket 38 is fixed by the support frame 48 and a pair of mounting stays 49, 49 fastened to the support frame 48. Supported.

The support frame 48 is provided with an upper support rod portion 48a extending substantially horizontally in the left-right direction of the vehicle body frame 21, and substantially horizontally in the left-right direction of the body frame 21 at a position spaced downward from the upper support rod portion 48a. Extending lower support rod 48b
Connecting rods 48c, 4 extending in the vertical direction by connecting both ends of the upper supporting rod 48a and the lower supporting rod 48b, respectively.
8c, a substantially U-shaped front extension portion 48d extending forward to support the bottom portion of the front basket 38 by connecting both ends to the lower ends of the connecting rod portions 48c, 48c, and an upper support rod portion. A mounting plate portion 48e provided between the lower support rod portion 48a and the lower support rod portion 48b; upper support plate portions 48f, 48f provided at both ends of the upper support rod portion 48a and at a continuous portion of the connecting rod portions 48c, 48c; A lower support plate portion 48g provided at the front end of the extension portion 48d. The connecting rods 48c, 48c and the front extending rod 48d are formed by bending a single pipe, and the upper supporting rod 4 made of a pipe is formed.
Upper ends of both connecting rods 48c, 48c are welded to both ends of 8a, and both ends of a lower supporting rod 48b made of a pipe are welded to an intermediate part of both connecting rods 48c, 48c. The mounting plate 48e is fastened to the bracket 47 by two sets of bolts 50 and nuts 51.

Storage case body 44 of battery storage section 39
A pair of engaging portions 52, 52 formed in a substantially J-shape to be engaged with a lower supporting rod portion 48b of the supporting frame 48 from above, and upper supporting plate portions 48f, 48f of the supporting frame 48 are provided on the back surface of the supporting frame 48. Are integrally provided with a pair of stays 53 facing each other from the outside. The pair of mounting stays 49, 49 are formed in a substantially L-shape with front ends bent at right angles, and the rear ends of these mounting stays 49, 49, the stays 53, 53 of the storage case body 44, and Are fastened to the upper support plate portions 48f, 48f by two pairs of screw members 54, 54, respectively.

The mounting stays 49, 49, the rear ends of which are fastened to the upper support plates 48f, 48f, extend through the storage case body 44 to the front of the storage case body 44. That is, two pairs of rectangular holes 55... 56 are provided on the rear wall and the front wall of the storage case body 44, and the mounting stay 4 is inserted through the holes 55.
9, 49 are extended forward. Moreover, both mounting stays 4
At the front end of the mounting members 49, 49, the mounting stays 49, 49 are provided.
With both ends of the cross member 57 extending between the front ends of
The back surface of the front basket 38 is fastened by screw members 58, 58. Further, the bottom of the front basket 38 is attached to the lower support plate 48 g of the support frame 48 by a screw member 5.
9.

8 to 10, the main battery 40 is configured by storing a battery assembly 61 in which a large number of Ni-Cd batteries 60 are connected in series in a battery case 62. Thus, the battery case 62 is formed by connecting the front case half 63 and the rear case half 64 to each other. It is formed in a flat rectangular box shape for storage.

On the upper surface of the battery case 62, a grip portion 65 connected to the rear case half 64 is provided so as to protrude upward at the center in the width direction of the battery case 62, and has a built-in shunt resistor 66 (see FIG. 10). Remaining indicator 6
7 is provided closer to one side than the grip portion 65. Further, on the upper surface of the remaining amount indicator 67, a push button 68 for causing the remaining amount indicator 67 to perform a display operation is disposed with the operation direction thereof being the up and down direction.

By the way, at the front of the lid 45 in the main battery storage 39, when the lid 45 is opened to insert and remove the main battery 40 as shown in FIG. 7, the grip 65 of the main battery 40 is grasped. A notch 45a is provided so that the finger F does not catch on the lid 45.
Further, the lid 45 has a window 69 for enabling the remaining amount indicator 67 to be visually recognized from above while the upper end opening of the storage case body 44 is closed, and for enabling operation of the push button 68. Provided.

The cover 45 is provided with locking means 72 which can be switched by a key 71 between a state in which it is engaged with a locking hole 73 provided in the upper part on the front side of the storage case body 44 and a state in which the engagement is released. The lid 45 in which the upper opening of the storage case main body 44 storing the main battery 40 is closed can be locked by the locking means 72. An elastic member 74 is adhered to the inner surface of the lid 45, and when the upper end opening of the storage case main body 44 storing the main battery 40 is closed by the lid 45, the elastic member 74 is The main battery 40 is elastically held in the battery storage section 39 by abutting the main battery 40. Thereby, the main battery storage unit 3 in the traveling state
The vibration of the main battery 40 in the battery 9 can be effectively absorbed, and a stable connection between the main battery 40 and discharge terminals 89 and 90 described later can be maintained.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the main battery 40 includes first to third connection terminals 75, 76,
77, and the first connection terminal 75 is connected to the shunt resistor 6.
6, the second connection terminal 76 is connected to the plus terminal side of the battery assembly 61, and the third connection terminal 77 is used for detecting the temperature of the battery assembly 61. Assembly 61 via the thermistor 78
Is connected to the negative terminal side of

On the front side of the battery case 62 of the main battery 40, that is, on the front case half 63, a guide portion 79 protruding forward at the center in the width direction is provided extending vertically. The connection terminals 75, 76, and 77 correspond to the corners where the bottom wall 62 a of the base 62 and the front wall of the guide portion 79, that is, the front wall 62 b of the battery case 62 intersect.
It is arranged in.

The first connection terminal 75 includes a flat terminal plate 80 having a rear end fixed and resiliently abutting against an inner bottom surface of the battery case 62, and a discharge contact riveted to the lower surface of the terminal plate 80. 75a and a flat charging contact 75b, which is connected to the front end of the terminal plate 80 at a substantially right angle and resiliently abuts on the inner surface of the front part of the battery case 62. The discharge contact 75a is formed in an L shape.
Is a silver contact, and the charging contact 75b is plated with Ni (or silver).

The first connection terminal 75 is disposed at a position corresponding to one side in the width direction of the guide portion 79, and a circular opening formed on the bottom wall of the battery case 62 so that the discharge contact 75a faces the bottom wall surface 62a. 81 are provided, and the guide portion 79 includes
Slit 82 for allowing charging contact 75b to face front wall surface 62b
Are vertically long so that the upper end is closed and the lower end is opened.

The second connection terminal 76 has a discharge contact 76a and a charging contact 76b, and is substantially L-shaped like the first connection terminal 75, but formed to be narrower than the first connection terminal 75. Is done. The second connection terminal 76 is disposed at a position corresponding to the other side in the width direction of the guide portion 79, and a discharge contact 76 a is provided on the bottom wall of the battery case 62.
The guide portion 79 is provided with a slit 83 for allowing the charging contact 76b to face the front wall surface 62b so as to close the upper end and open the lower end so as to extend vertically. Can be

The third connection terminal 77 is connected to the first connection terminal 7.
Although it is formed in a substantially L-shape similarly to the fifth and second connection terminals 76, it has no contact facing the bottom wall surface 62 a of the battery case 62, and corresponds between the first connection terminal 75 and the second connection terminal 76. The third connection terminal 77 is provided in the guide portion 79 with the front wall surface 62.
The slit 84 facing b is vertically long so as to close the upper end and open the lower end.

Further, between the slits 82 and 84 and between the slits 83 and 84, there are provided guide grooves 85 and 85 extending vertically upward and downward while closing the upper end and opening the lower end. Are fitted into the guide grooves 85, 85 from below, respectively, and
The fitting protrusions 86 are provided to determine the position in the width direction in the storage case body 44 of the No. 0.

A terminal box 88 is provided at the bottom of the housing case body 44.
Are attached to the terminal box 88. A first discharge terminal 89 connected to the discharge contact 75a of the first connection terminal 75 of the main battery 40 stored in the main battery storage portion 39, and a second connection terminal And a second discharge terminal 90 connected to the discharge contact 76a.

At the bottom of the storage case body 44, the discharge contact 75a of the first connection terminal 75 is exposed.
An opening 91 corresponding to the opening 81 provided on the bottom wall of the second box 2 is provided. The terminal box 88 has an upper end fitted into the opening 91 and an end plate 93 at the lower end. A bottom cylindrical terminal support portion 92 is provided. The first discharge terminal 89 is formed in a rod shape, penetrates the end plate 93 movably in the axial direction, and is disposed coaxially in the terminal support portion 92. Further, a retainer 94 slidably fitted in the terminal support portion 92 is fixed to an intermediate portion of the first discharge terminal 89, and the retainer 94 and the washer 97 in contact with the inner surface of the end plate 93 are provided. In the meantime, the spring 95 is contracted. Thereby, the first discharge terminal 89 has its upper end connected to the first connection terminal 7.
5 is resiliently urged in a direction to contact the discharge contact 75a,
A retaining ring 96 that is in contact with the lower surface of the end plate 93 and that restricts the upper limit of the first discharge terminal 89 is fitted to the lower end of the first discharge terminal 89.

The terminal box 88 of such a first discharge terminal 89
According to the arrangement structure, when the main battery 40 is stored in the storage case main body 44, the upper end of the first discharge terminal 89 is elastically brought into contact with the discharge contact 75a of the first connection terminal 75. As a result, the contact between the discharge contact 75a and the first discharge terminal 89 can be effectively held against the vibration of the main battery 40 during traveling.

The second discharge terminal 90 is also provided in the terminal box 88 in the same structure as the first discharge terminal 89, and when the main battery 40 is stored in the storage case body 44, the second discharge terminal 90 is closed. The upper end of the second discharge terminal 90 is resiliently abutted on the discharge contact 76a of the connection terminal 76, and the discharge contact 76a and the second
The contact of the discharge terminal 90 is effectively held.

The first and second discharge terminals 89, 90
Are connected to cords for supplying electric power to the electric motor 30, and these cords are connected to the terminal box 88.
Drawn from. In order to cover both sides of the terminal box 88 so that the terminal box 88 is difficult to see from the outside, cover portions 44a, 44a extending downward are integrally provided on both lower ends of the storage case main body 44. The appearance can be beautifully displayed.

13 to 15, the charger 100 for charging the main battery 40 taken out of the main battery storage section 39 has the same direction as the direction in which the main battery 40 is inserted into and removed from the main battery storage section 39. That is, the main battery 40 can be mounted with the vertical direction as the mounting / removing direction.

The body 101 of the charger 100 is mounted on a flat floor surface 99, and a lower portion 102 whose height from the floor surface 99 is relatively low, and a lower portion 102 from the floor surface 99. Is made of a synthetic resin having a height higher than the lower portion 102 and a higher portion 103 connected to the lower portion 102, and is formed of a substantially rectangular shape having a width smaller than the width of the main battery 40. It is formed in a box shape.

The high portion 103 has a side surface 104 extending vertically on the side of the low portion 102, a side surface 105 extending vertically opposite the side surface 104, and a horizontal bottom surface 106 connecting lower ends of the side surfaces 104 and 105. With this, the mounting groove 107 which is open at the upper side and both sides is formed.
The main battery 40 can be attached to the battery 07 from above. Moreover, when the main battery 40 is mounted in the mounting groove 107, the push button 68 of the fuel gauge 67 disposed on the upper surface of the main battery 40 is positioned at least in a position corresponding to the bottom surface 106. Is set.

The both side surfaces 104 and 105 of the mounting groove 107
Are formed so as to be inclined and tapered so as to be separated from each other as going upward to facilitate mounting of the main battery 40 in the mounting groove 107. Mounting groove 107
A pair of ribs 108 that can contact the front surface of the main battery 40 on both sides of the guide portion 79 provided on the front surface of the main battery 40 are provided at the lower portion of the side surface 104 facing the front surface of the main battery 40 in the mounted state. , 108 are elongated and protruded in the vertical direction. Further, on the side surface 105 facing the rear surface of the main battery 40 in the mounting state in the mounting groove 107, a plurality of, for example, three ribs 109 which can contact the rear surface of the main battery 40 are provided between the upper and lower ends of the side surface 105. It is protruded. These ribs 108 ..., 109 ...
Similarly, the two side surfaces 104 and 105 are formed in a tapered shape that is inclined outward toward the upper side, but the inclination angle is set smaller than the inclination angles of the both side surfaces 104 and 105. Therefore, the mounting and pulling out of the mounting groove 107 of the main battery 40 is facilitated by the inclined side surfaces 104 and 105 and the respective ribs 108. Ribs 108..., 10 with small angles set
9, both the front and rear surfaces of the main battery 40 are effectively supported, and rattling in the front and rear directions in the mounting groove 107 of the main battery 40 is prevented.

Further, on the side surface 104, a guide recess 110 is provided in which a guide portion 79 protruding from the battery case 62 of the main battery 40 can be inserted and removed from above.
Are provided to open upward, and this guide recess 11 is provided.
0 of the guide recess 1
In order to facilitate the insertion of the guide portion 79 into the upper portion 10, the guide portion 79 is tapered so as to be inclined away from each other as it goes upward.

In the guide recess 110, the main battery 4
The fitting projections 111, 111 that fit into the guide grooves 85, 85 on the front surface at 0 are protruded, and by fitting these fitting projections 111, 111 into the guide grooves 85, 85,
The rattling in the width direction in the mounting groove 107 of the main battery 40 is prevented.

Referring to FIG. 16, a charger 100 includes a power supply circuit 1 connected to an AC power supply through a connector 114.
15. a control circuit 116 comprising a microcomputer;
A drive circuit 117, a MOS-FET 118, a transistor 119, a diode 120, and the like are provided.

The first charging terminal 1 is connected to one end of the power supply circuit 115.
21 is connected to the other end of the power supply circuit 115.
FET 118, transistor 119 and diode 1
The second charging terminal 122 is connected via the terminal 20. The control circuit 116 has a transistor 125 connected to the gate of the MOS-FET 118, and the base of the transistor 125 is connected to the thermistor terminal 123. A control signal for current switching is input from the control circuit 116 to the power supply circuit 115, and the power supply circuit 115
2 is input to the control circuit 116. Further, the output terminal of the drive circuit 117 is connected to the base of the transistor 119 for controlling the conduction and cutoff of the transistor 119. The input terminal of the drive circuit 117 is connected to the battery detection terminal 124.

By the way, the higher part 10 of the body 101
In the lower portion 102 and the lower portion 102 of the mounting groove 107, the substrate 11 is positioned so as to be located below the main battery 40 mounted in the mounting groove 107.
3 are housed and arranged on this substrate 113.
Are mounted. By mounting substrate 113 on body 101 so as to be located on the lower side of main battery 40 mounted in mounting groove 107, the mounting position of main battery 40 on charger 100 can be changed. As low as possible, the mounting state of the main battery 40 to the charger 100 can be stabilized.

Protrusions 126, 127, and 128 that fit into the slits 82, 83, and 84 on the front surface of the main battery 40, respectively, protrude below the guide recess 110 provided on the side surface 104 of the mounting groove 107. Is done. Thus, the first charging terminal 121 and the battery detection terminal 124
Are made of wires, and the mounting grooves 107
The bent portions of both terminals 121 and 124 project from opening 129 provided in projection 126 so that when main battery 40 is attached to charging terminal 75 b of first connection terminal 75 in a resilient manner. I'm sick. The second charging terminal 122 made of a wire is connected to the charging terminal 7 of the second connection terminal 76 when the main battery 40 is mounted in the mounting groove 107.
6b is projected from the protruding portion 127 so as to resiliently come into sliding contact with the thermistor terminal 123.
The protruding portion 1 is configured to resiliently contact the third connection terminal 77 when the main battery 40 is mounted in the mounting groove 107.
28.

By the way, the case where the main battery 40 is charged by being attached to the charger 100 has been described. In some cases, it is desired to connect the main battery 40 to a connector connected to a DC power supply to perform charging. Yes,
In order to cope with such a case, a concave portion 130 is provided in advance on the upper inner side surface of the battery case 62 of the main battery 40 as shown by a broken line in FIG. As shown in the figure, a connector 131 can be provided in the battery case 62 corresponding to the recess 130.

The spare battery storage 39 'has basically the same structure as the main battery storage 39, except that the spare battery storage 39' has no portion that does not electrically connect to the spare battery 40 '. . Therefore, the spare battery storage portion 39 'is formed in a box shape for storing the spare battery 40' so that the spare battery 40 'can be inserted and removed with the insertion / removal direction of the spare battery 40' in the vertical direction. Can be set to a key lock state that cannot be detached. The spare battery 40 'has the same shape as the main battery 40.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. A main battery storage portion 39 is fixedly arranged on the back of a front basket 38 attached to the head pipe 22, and is inserted into and removed from the main battery storage portion 39. Since the main battery 40 is housed in such a manner that the main battery 40 can be inserted and removed, the main battery 4
Removal of 0 and installation to electric assist bicycle,
It is very easy to insert and remove luggage from the front basket 38.

Further, a remaining amount indicator 67 is provided on the upper surface of the battery case 62 of the main battery 40, and a window through which the remaining amount indicator 67 can be visually recognized from above is provided on the lid 45 of the main battery storage 39. Since 69 is provided, the remaining amount indicator 67 can be easily visually recognized even when the bicycle occupant is sitting on the seat 27, and the remaining amount of the main battery 40 can be easily checked. Also, the remaining amount is displayed on the remaining amount display system 67 only when the push button 68 is pressed, so that the remaining amount indicator 67 does not consume wasteful power and does not obstruct the operation.

The first and second connection terminals 75 and 76 provided on the main battery 40 are used both at the time of discharging and at the time of charging, and are provided with connection terminals dedicated to discharging and dedicated to charging. As compared with the above, the number of parts can be reduced and the wiring structure in the battery case 62 can be simplified.

By the way, the current flowing when the main battery 40 is discharged, that is, when the power is supplied to the electric motor 30, is relatively large, whereas the current that flows when the main battery 40 is charged is relatively small. For this reason, when electrical connection is made to the same location of the first and second connection terminals 75 and 76 during discharging and charging, both connection terminals 75 and 76 are set to have a large capacitance. In advance,
The charging terminal on the side of the charger 100 also needs to be set to one having a large electric capacity. However, the discharge contacts 75a, 76a to which the first and second discharge terminals 89, 90 are connected.
And the charging contacts 75b and 76b to which the first and second charging terminals 121 and 122 are connected are provided at mutually different portions of the first and second connection terminals 75 and 76, so that during discharging and charging, The first and second connection terminals 75,
Even if 76 is shared, it is possible to satisfy the electrical characteristics required at the time of discharging and charging. That is, at the time of discharge in which a large current flows, the discharge contacts 75a and 76a formed of silver contacts are used.
And the first and second discharge terminals 89 and 90 are resiliently contacted with the pressing direction being coaxial, thereby reducing wear at the time of contact and coping with the flow of a large current. When charging the battery, the first and second charging terminals 121 and 122 made of wires wipe the charging contacts 75b and 76b when the main battery 40 is inserted to wipe off dust and the like on the surfaces of the charging contacts 75b and 76b. In addition, a structure in which a contact failure does not occur can cope with the flow of a small current.

The discharge contacts 75a, 76a of the first and second connection terminals 75, 76 are disposed facing the bottom wall surface 62a of the battery case 62 of the main battery 40, while the charge contacts 75b, 76b are Since it is arranged facing the front wall surface 62b orthogonal to the bottom wall surface 62a, it is possible to prevent erroneous connection from occurring during discharging and charging.

The main battery 40 is mounted on the charger 100 in the same direction as the insertion / removal direction into / from the battery housing portion 39 when mounted on the vehicle body, that is, with the vertical direction as the mounting / removing direction. In addition, since the charging is performed, the connecting operation at the time of charging is unnecessary, and the charging operation can be facilitated.

Further, the wall on which the own weight of the main battery 40 acts, that is, the mounting groove 107 when the main battery 40 is mounted on the charger 100.
The terminals 121 to 124 are disposed on a side surface 104 which is a wall surface different from the bottom surface 106 of the main battery 40. The terminals 121 to 124 are connected to the charging contacts 75 b and 76 b facing the front side of the main battery 40 and the third connection terminal 77. Because of the connection, the weight of the relatively heavy main battery 40 is reduced by the terminals 121 to 121.
It is possible to configure each terminal 121 to 124 of the charger 100 as a lightweight and compact one while avoiding the influence on the terminal 124.

A remaining amount indicator 67 is provided on the upper surface of the main battery 40 so that the remaining amount indicator 67 can be visually recognized from above when the main battery 40 is mounted on the charger 100. In addition, since the push button 68 for operating the display of the remaining amount indicator 67 is operated in the vertical direction, a force in the contact release direction is exerted on the terminals 121 to 122 by the pressing force on the push button 68. There is no.

Furthermore, since the spare battery 40 'is stored in the spare battery storage 39' provided on the front of the rear basket 38 ', the main battery 4'
When it becomes difficult to supply electric power to the electric motor 30 due to a shortage of the remaining amount of 0, the electric motor 3 is replaced with the spare battery 40 'stored in the spare battery storage section 39'.
0, the assist power can be obtained, and the battery-assisted bicycle can be driven without concern for the remaining amount of the main battery 40.
9 can be configured without adversely affecting the usability of the main battery 40 in the main battery storage 39 and the detachable structure.

The spare battery storage 39 ′ is, like the main battery storage 39, a spare battery 40 ′.
The spare battery 40 'is formed in a box-like shape so that the spare battery 40' can be inserted and removed with the insertion direction of the spare battery 40 'in the vertical direction.
9, the spare battery 40 'can be easily attached to and detached from the spare battery storage 39', and the strength of the spare battery storage 39 'can be sufficiently secured.

Moreover, since the spare battery 40 'is formed in the same shape as the main battery 40, the spare battery 40' can be stored in the main battery storage section 39 and electrical connection can be obtained. There is no need to provide an electrical connection for the spare battery 40 'on the side of the storage section 39', and the spare battery storage section 39 '
By being configured so that the key lock state of the spare battery 40 'can not be detached, the spare battery 40' is prevented from being stolen and the spare battery 40 'is securely stored in the spare battery storage section 39'. In addition to this, when the spare battery 40 'is not stored, it is possible to key-lock luggage and the like stored in the spare battery storage section 39'.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design changes can be made without departing from the present invention described in the appended claims. It is possible to do.

[0067]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a spare battery different from the main battery is stored in the spare battery storage section, so that the spare battery is used instead of the main battery. The main battery storage section can be configured so that the battery-assisted bicycle can be driven without concern for the remaining amount of the main battery, and the main battery storage section is configured to be easy to use when attaching and detaching the main battery. It does not adversely affect the usability of the main battery in the section or the detachable structure.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the operation of attaching and detaching the spare battery to and from the spare battery storage section is easy, and the strength of the spare battery storage section can be sufficiently ensured.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to store the spare battery in the main battery storage section and obtain an electrical connection. Therefore, the electrical connection section for the spare battery is provided in the spare battery storage section. There is no need to provide

Further, according to the present invention, the spare battery can be securely stored in the spare battery storage portion by preventing the spare battery from being stolen.
When the spare battery is not stored, it is possible to key-lock luggage and the like stored in the spare battery storage unit.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an electric assisted bicycle.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional side view of a motor unit.

FIG. 3 is a plan view as viewed in the direction of arrow 3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 6 in a state where a battery storage case is opened.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the battery.

FIG. 9 is a side view as viewed in the direction of arrow 9 in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a simplified internal configuration of a battery.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the charger.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line 14-14 of FIG.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken along line 15-15 of FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a simplified internal configuration of a charger.

[Explanation of symbols]

 29 rear carrier 30 electric motor 32 crank pedal 39 main battery storage 39 'spare battery storage 40 main battery 40' spare battery 71 ··Key

Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Kenji Kawaguchi 1-4-1 Chuo, Wako-shi, Saitama

Claims (4)

[Claims] In an electric assist bicycle including an electric motor (30) for assisting a pedaling force by a crank pedal (32), a main battery storage section (40) for storing a main battery (40) for supplying electric power to the electric motor (30). 3
9) and a spare battery storage section (39 ') for storing the spare battery (40') in a removable manner. 2. A spare battery storage portion (39 ') is formed in a box shape for inserting and removing the spare battery (40') so that the spare battery (40 ') can be inserted and removed with the insertion direction of the spare battery (40') being the vertical direction. The battery-assisted bicycle according to claim 1, characterized in that at least a lower part of the spare battery storage (39 ') is supported by a rear carrier (29). 3. The battery-assisted bicycle according to claim 1, wherein the spare battery has the same shape as the main battery. 4. The spare battery storage section (39 ') is configured so that the spare battery (40') can be brought into a non-removable key lock state by operating a key (71). The electric assisted bicycle according to any one of claims 1 to 3.