JPH10318859A - Bicycle with auxiliary electric power device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bicycle with an auxiliary electric power device wherein an auxiliary power is accurately provided according to pedal's stepping power during an extended use. SOLUTION: A conversion means 200 wherein a stamping power on a pedal is converted into a mechanical variation is provided with a first driven gear 210 which, engaged with a first driving gear 56 attached to a hollow shaft 70, comprises a rotary shaft 212, a second driven gear 220 which contacts to/ parts from the first driving gear 56. A tip end of the rotary shaft 212 is allowed to contact, in almost point contact state, to a tip end surface of an actuator 140 of a stamping-power detector 100 (a stamping-power detection means) so that wear and surface-deflection of the rotary shaft 212 and the actuator 140 are prevented, thus, an accurate power assistance is provided according to a stamping-power on a pedal even during an extended use.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bicycle with an electric auxiliary power device that assists the driving force of the electric motor in accordance with the pedaling force of the pedal, that is, the power assisted bicycle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, bicycles with an electric auxiliary power unit have been developed and used, in which the running force of the electric motor is assisted, that is, the power is assisted, in accordance with the pedaling force of the pedal, so that the vehicle can travel easily. This type of bicycle with an electric assistive power unit uses the pedaling force of a crank pedal provided at both ends of a crankshaft to control the rotation of the crankshaft, the rotational force of the crankshaft, and the speed reduction mechanism of the electric motor. Means for converting the difference between the rotational force (power) and the rotational force of the hollow shaft to be transmitted to a mechanical change amount (hereinafter simply referred to as conversion means) is converted into a mechanical change amount, and this change amount is detected as torque. Means, and outputs an output value corresponding to the pedaling force of the pedal by transmitting the pedaling force to the pedaling force detecting means, and controls the output of the electric motor in accordance with the output of the pedaling force detecting means by the control means. The driving force is assisted by the turning force according to the pedaling force, so that the vehicle can travel comfortably.

[0003] The applicant has disclosed one form of conversion means for detecting a difference in rotational force between a crankshaft and a hollow shaft.
No. 2,296,709, which is incorporated herein by reference. The conversion means described in this application together with the power unit will be described with reference to FIGS. The reference numerals in FIGS. 8 to 11 are different from those used in the specification and drawings of the above-mentioned application.

As shown in FIG. 8, a power unit C1 is provided with a motor 440 attached to a case 430 comprising a case body 431 and a case lid 432, and is disposed in the case 430 to transmit the torque of the motor 440. Power transmission means 45
0, and the power transmission means 4
50 is a gear 442, a large-diameter gear 451, and a gear 45 attached to the tip of the output shaft 441 of the electric motor 440.
2. Gear 453a and bevel gear 4 integrated with gear 453a
53b, bevel gear 454, gear 45
The gear 455 is provided with a driving gear 456 in mesh therewith.

On the side surface of the gear 456 on the case lid 432 side, three projections 457 (FIGS. 8 and 9) concentrically arranged on the outer periphery of the shaft hole 456a as shown in FIGS.
In FIG. 10, only one protrusion is formed. The protrusion 457 is directed upward in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 10, that is, in the direction in which the drive gear 456 rotates during traveling as shown in FIG. A gradually rising inclined surface 457a is formed. Further, the case cover 43 of the drive gear 456 is provided.
As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG.
An L-shaped regulating member 458 that regulates one end side of three (one in FIG. 8 and only two in FIG. 9) drive springs 460 arranged concentrically with 6a is formed. .

A hollow shaft 470 having a through hole 471 therein and transmitting the power of the electric motor 440 transmitted through the power transmission means 450 to the sprocket 418 is fitted into the drive gear 456. Is attached,
The hollow shaft 470 is attached to the case main body 431 via a ball bearing 477.

The hollow shaft 470 is rotatably attached to the hanger lug 401 of the vehicle body B 1, and a through hole 471 of the hollow shaft 470 is provided with a crank shaft 480.
The crankshaft 480 has a left crank 481 at one end and a right crank 48 at the other end.
2 and the crankshaft 480
The drive gear 45 attached to the hollow shaft 470
One-way clutch 4 attached to the part close to 6
A drive plate 490 is attached via 85. It should be noted that the one-way clutch 485 is connected to the drive plate 4 when the crankshaft 480 rotates in the traveling direction during manual traveling.
When the crankshaft 480 rotates in the opposite direction, the crankshaft 480 rotates idle.
A circular flange portion 491 is formed on the case cover 432 side of the driving plate 490 at a predetermined distance so as to form a space between the driving plate 456 and a side surface of the driving gear 456. On the surface of the drive gear 491 on the drive gear 456 side, as shown in FIG. 9, a compression portion 492 is formed which abuts on the other end of the drive spring 460 to compress. The drive spring 460 is housed between the L-shaped regulating member 458 and the compression portion 492. The magnitude of the biasing force of the drive spring 460 is
When the rotational force applied to the drive plate 490 via the crankshaft 480 and the one-way clutch 485 during the manual running exceeds a predetermined value, the size is set to a value at which compression starts.
In other words, during manual driving, when the rotational force of the drive plate 490 that rotates together with the one-way clutch 485 with the rotation of the crankshaft 480 exceeds a predetermined value, the drive gear 456 is driven.
And the size at which relative movement occurs. Therefore, when the rotational force applied to the crankshaft 480 does not exceed a predetermined value, the drive spring 460 is maintained in a state where the drive plate 490 is hardly compressed.
, And rotates in synchronization with the drive gear 456.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, a through hole 49 is formed in a flange portion 491 of the drive plate 490 at a position corresponding to a protrusion 457 formed on the side surface of the drive gear 456.
3 is formed, and the eccentric plate 4
95 are attached. The eccentric plate 495 is integrally attached to each of the through holes 493, and has a slide shaft 496 provided with a flange 496a at a front end thereof.
96 is passed through the through hole 493, and the biasing plate 495 is normally urged between the inner surface of the flange portion 491, that is, the surface facing the drive gear 456 and the flange portion 496 a in a direction of pressing the displacement plate 495 against the flange portion 491. The eccentric plate 495 is attached to the flange portion 491 so as to be able to approach and separate through the coil spring 497.

The driving plate 490 and the eccentric plate 495 constitute a converting means for converting the rotational force of the crankshaft 480 into an axial force. In other words, this converting means reduces the pedal effort by the pedal. This is converted into the amount of deflection in the axial direction of the deflection plate 495 that is deflected by the difference in the rotational force between the crankshaft 480 and the hollow shaft 470 caused by the pedaling force.

The operation of converting the rotational force of the crankshaft 480, that is, the pedal pressing force into an axial force to shift the deflection plate 495 is performed as follows.

First, when a rotational force in the traveling direction by the cranks 481 and 482 is applied to the crankshaft 480 by depressing the pedal, the rotational force is transmitted to the drive plate via a one-way clutch 485 attached to the crankshaft 480. 490, the drive plate 490 rotates, and the drive plate 4
The rotation of the drive plate 490 is transmitted to the drive gear 456 via the drive spring 460 with the rotation of the gear 90, and the rotation is transmitted to the hollow shaft 470 via the drive gear 456, and the sprocket 418 is rotated. The rear wheel is driven via the chain 419, and the bicycle runs.

When the vehicle is running on an uphill or the like during running, the pedal must be depressed more strongly than before, and the crankshaft 480 which is rotated by depressing the pedal more strongly is required. One-way clutch 48
5, a drive plate 490 and a hollow shaft 4
Relative movement will occur between 70 and the driving gear 456 that rotates together. As a result, the slide shaft 49 of the deflection plate 495 provided so as to be able to contact and separate from the drive plate 490 is provided.
6 moves upward along the inclined surface 457a of the projection 457 provided on the drive gear 456, and with this movement, the coil spring 497 is compressed and the eccentric plate 49 is moved.
5 moves in the direction away from the drive gear 456, that is, in the axial direction of the crankshaft 480. That is, the pedaling force of the pedal is generated by the crankshaft 480 and the hollow shaft 470 generated by the pedaling force.
This is converted into a mechanical change amount of the deflection plate 495 in the axial direction caused by a difference in the rotational force.

The amount of mechanical change, that is, the amount of deviation is transmitted to the operating body 540 of the torque detector 500 attached to the case main body 431 as shown in FIG. Note that the torque detector 500 is the same as that shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG.
0, a case body 501 including an upper case 520, a strain gauge 530 disposed in the case body 501, and an operating body 5 which receives the acting force of the detected torque.
40 and a coil spring 550 for transmitting the acting force received by the operating body 540 to the strain gauge 530. The strain gauge 530 has an insulating coating on the surface of a strain generating body 531 made of, for example, aluminum. And four resistors (not shown) each formed of a thin film are connected to form a bridge via the thin film, and an output corresponding to the amount of distortion of the strain generating element 531 is sent to the control means. The electric motor 440 is controlled in accordance with the following.

The driving plate 4 constituting the conversion means
90 and the deflection plate 495 both rotate together with the crankshaft 480 when the vehicle is running with the pedal depressed, while the torque detector 500 is attached and fixed to the case body 431, Also, the portion of the deflection plate 495 that presses the operating body 540 is
Since the driving gear 456 is provided on the hollow shaft 470, it is necessary to provide the driving gear 456 at a portion that does not interfere with the outer periphery of the driving gear 456, and the outer periphery of the deflection plate 490, that is, the center of rotation of the crankshaft 480. Since the portion has a large radius, the peripheral speed is increased, and the tip of the deflection plate 495 and the working body 540, that is, wear of the steel ball 544 provided at the tip is promoted.

Further, since the portion of the deflection plate 495 that presses the operating body 540 of the torque detector 500 needs to be provided at a portion that does not interfere with the outer periphery of the drive gear 456, the outer shape of the deflection plate 495 must be large. As a result, it is necessary to increase the accuracy of the flatness of the deflection plate 495. If the accuracy of the flatness is reduced, the deflection of the deflection plate 495, particularly the outer peripheral portion, that is, the axial center of the crankshaft 480 and A deviation in the axial direction with respect to the same plane orthogonal to the plane occurs, and if this plane runout occurs, the deviation also depends on the difference between the rotational forces of the hollow shaft 470 and the crankshaft 480, that is, according to the pedaling force of the pedal. The displacement amount does not become the displacement amount, but the displacement amount changes periodically as the displacement plate 495 rotates. Since the actuating body 540 of 00 is operated, the torque detector 500 periodically outputs a different output value from the normal output value corresponding to the initially set pedal depression force. , Resulting in the motor 4
From 40, a situation occurs in which the normal rotational force according to the pedaling force is not assisted.

[0016]

The conversion means for converting the pedal depression force into a mechanical change amount by a difference in rotation force between the crankshaft and the hollow shaft includes a crankshaft rotation force generated by the pedal depression force and a hollow force. It is desirable that the difference between the rotational force of the shaft and the shaft can be accurately converted into a mechanical change amount, and that an error due to aging due to wear or the like does not occur. The conversion means composed of the driven plate and the eccentric plate wears during use for a long period of time, and as a result, the torque detector outputs a value different from the normal output value corresponding to the initially set pedaling force. Is output, and as a result, a situation occurs in which the motor does not assist the normal rotational force according to the pedaling force. In addition, since the outer shape of the eccentric plate must be increased, it is necessary to increase the flatness, which is not preferable in terms of productivity. The displacement amount periodically changes with the rotation of the displacement plate, and the operating body of the torque detector operates due to the different displacement amount. The normal output value according to the pedaling force is different from the normal output value, and as a result, a situation occurs in which the motor does not support the normal rotational force according to the pedaling force. Become.

[0017]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a first aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle having a front wheel and a rear wheel, a housing, and a housing. Motor, a speed reduction mechanism composed of a plurality of gears and transmitting the rotational force of the motor, a first drive gear meshing with the last stage gear of the speed reduction mechanism, one end rotatably provided on a hanger lug provided on the vehicle body A hollow shaft attached to the first drive gear and provided with a sprocket at the other end, a crank having a pedal at both ends passing through the hollow shaft and a second drive gear provided via a one-way clutch. An electric auxiliary power unit including a crankshaft, a first driven gear having a rotation axis and meshing with the first drive gear, and having the same axis as the rotation axis of the first driven gear. Having a rotation axis A second driven gear meshing with the second drive gear, the first driven gear and the second driven gear are moved in accordance with the relative movement in the rotational direction between the second driven gear and the first driven gear generated according to the pedaling force of the pedal. A converting means for converting the pedaling force of the pedal into a mechanical change amount, comprising a contacting / separating means for relatively moving the second driven gear in and out of the axial direction, and a tip driven by the first driven gear or the second driven gear. An operating body that contacts the tip of one of the rotating shafts that moves in the axial direction among the gears and moves following the movement of the rotating shaft, and outputs an output value corresponding to the amount of movement of the operating body. A bicycle with an electric auxiliary power unit is provided, which comprises a detecting portion and a pedaling force detecting means for detecting the pedaling force of the pedal.

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the first drive gear provided on the hollow shaft and having the rotating means having the rotation shaft having the hollow shaft and the axis parallel to the axis of the crankshaft is provided. A first driven gear that meshes, a second driven gear that has a rotation axis having the same axis as the rotation axis of the first driven gear and that meshes with a second drive gear provided on the crankshaft, The first driven gear and the second driven gear relatively approach and separate in the axial direction according to the relative movement of the second driven gear and the first driven gear in the rotational direction generated according to the treading force of the second driven gear. The tip of one of the first driven gear or the second driven gear of the converting means, the tip of one of the rotating shafts moving in the axial direction, and the tip of the operating body of the treading force detecting means. Abuts on the tip of the operating body because the pedaling force is detected. The tip of the rotating shaft that rotates in the contact state has a low peripheral speed, so that its wear can be reduced and surface run-out hardly occurs. Therefore, accurate detection of treading force over a long period of time is possible. This has the effect that the normal rotational force, that is, the power can be assisted.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the distal end surface of the operating body is flat, and the first driven gear or the second driven gear is in contact with the flat surface. This is a bicycle with an electric auxiliary power device in which the tip of the rotating shaft of the gear is formed as a convex spherical surface.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the distal end surface of the operating body is made flat, and the first driven gear or the second driven gear or the second driven gear which comes into contact with this flat surface is used. Since the tip of the rotating shaft of the driven gear is formed as a convex spherical surface, the tip of the rotating rotating shaft surely rotates the tip surface of the operating body in a substantially point contact state with the flat surface. Therefore, the wear can be further reduced, and the run-out can be reliably prevented. Therefore, the pedaling force can be accurately detected over a long period of time, and the normal rotation force, that is, the power can be assisted. .

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in the figure,
Bicycle with electric auxiliary power unit (hereinafter simply referred to as bicycle) A
Is composed of a vehicle body B and an electric auxiliary power device (hereinafter simply referred to as a power device) C attached to the vehicle body B. The vehicle body B is a general bicycle, that is, a general-purpose bicycle that is generally commercially available.
A vertical pipe 2 and a lower pipe 3 having one end fixed to
A frame 6 comprising an upper pipe 5 having one end fixed to a head pipe 4 fixed to the other end of the lower pipe 3 and the other end fixed to a lower portion of the upright pipe 2; A chain stay 7 having a fixed side, a front fork 8 attached to the head pipe 4, a handle 9 attached to an upper end of the front fork 8, a front wheel 10 attached to a lower end of the front fork 8, Pipe 2
Back fork 11, one end of which is fixed to the upper part of the vehicle, and the other end of which is fixed to the other end of the chain stay 7 via a rear pawl (not shown), a rear wheel 12 attached to the other end of the chain stay 7 A saddle 13 attached above the standing pipe 2 and a loading table 1 provided above the rear wheel 12
4 and so on. The front wheel 10 and a part of the rear wheel 12 are covered by covers 10a and 12a, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2, the hanger lug 1 is provided with a hollow shaft 70 to be described later and a crankshaft 80 penetrating the hollow shaft 70 so as to be freely rotatable. 82
The left crank 81 and the right crank 82 provided with “a” are attached. A battery case 15a is attached to the receiving table 14, and a battery 15 is housed in the battery case 15a so as to be insertable and removable. Further, a control box 16a, in which a control means 16 including a control circuit including a microcomputer is housed, is attached to the vertical pipe 2. The battery 15 and the control means 16 are connected by a lead 17a, and the control means 16 and a motor 40 described later are connected by a lead 17b.
Further, a chain 19 is mounted on a sprocket 18 for transmitting the rotational force during traveling and a sprocket (not shown) of the rear wheel 12. In addition, the control box 16a
Is provided with a drive switch (not shown) for electrically connecting the electric motor 40, the control means 16, and the battery 15.

Next, the structure of the power unit C will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the power unit C is a motor 40 mounted on a case 30 serving as a housing, and the rotational force of the motor 40 is disposed in the case 30. Mechanism 50 that transmits the
0, the first drive gear 56 meshing with the last stage gear, and a hollow shaft 7 having one end attached to the first drive gear 56.
0, crankshaft 8 provided through hollow shaft 70
0, a second drive gear 90 attached to one end of the crankshaft 80, and the like.

Then, the case 30 is connected to the case main body 3.
1 and a case lid 32, and a case main body 31 is formed with a mounting portion 31a for mounting the electric motor 40, a first bearing mounting portion 31b, and a second bearing mounting portion 31d having a through hole 31c in the center. The case cover 32 has a bearing mounting portion 32a and a through hole 32b corresponding to the first bearing mounting portion 31b and the through hole 31c, respectively. Then, the case body 31 and the case lid 32
Means a plurality of mounting screws 3 with the speed reduction mechanism 50 and the like stored therein.
3 are integrally connected. The case main body 31 is provided with a storage portion 35 which is located on a side of the second bearing mounting portion 31d and stores and mounts a rotational force detector 100 as a treading force detecting means which will be described later. Is formed in a concave shape with a bottom having an opening 35 a on the side of the lid case 32, and a bearing 36 is attached to the opening 35 a of the storage portion 35. Further, the bearing 36 has a hollow shaft 70 whose axial center is mounted to the second bearing mounting portion 31d via a ball bearing 77 described later, and a through hole 71 of the hollow shaft 70.
And is attached to the bearing portion 35a in parallel with the axis of the crankshaft 80 provided at the bottom.

Next, the speed reduction mechanism 50 includes a large-diameter gear 51 that meshes with a gear 42 attached to the tip of an output shaft 41 of the electric motor 40, and a small-diameter gear provided coaxially with the gear 51. 52, a gear 53 composed of a large-diameter gear 53a rotatably attached to the fixed shaft 53c and meshing with the gear 52, and a bevel gear 53b integral with the gear 53a;
Bevel gear 54 meshing with bevel gear 53b;
Final stage gear 55 attached to the same shaft 54a as
The first drive gear 56 is meshed with the gear 55. Bearings 54c and 54d made of ball bearings are attached to both ends of a shaft 54a to which the bevel gear 54 and the gear 55 are attached, and these bearings 54c and 54d are connected to the case body 31.
And first bearing mounting portions 31b, 32a provided on the case lid 32, respectively. The gear 55 is attached to the shaft 54a via a one-way clutch 54b. The one-way clutch 54b rotates the gear 55 so as to transmit the rotational force of the electric motor 40, that is, the rotational force, to the first drive gear 56 so that the bicycle normally travels, that is, travels in the forward direction. , Functioning to spin in the opposite direction. In other words, the one-way clutch 54b is connected to the crank 8 to which the pedals 81a and 82a are attached during manual driving, which will be described later.
When the wheels 1 and 82 rotate in the running direction, they function so as to idle.

A shaft hole 56a is formed in the center of the first drive gear 56, and an uneven groove 56c is formed in the shaft hole 56a along the axial direction. Also,
On the side surface of the first drive gear 56 on the case lid 32 side,
As shown in FIG. 3, an L-shape that regulates one end side of a plurality of drive springs 60 (three are provided in the embodiment, and only two are illustrated in FIG. 3), which are arranged concentrically with the shaft hole 56 a, described later. A regulating member 58 is formed.

Next, the first drive gear 56 is fitted and attached to a shaft hole 56a formed in the first drive gear 56, and the speed reduction mechanism 50 is mounted.
The hollow shaft 70 that transmits the power of the electric motor 40 transmitted through the sprocket 18 to the sprocket 18 will be described. The hollow shaft 70 has a through hole 71 inside, and a concave / convex ridge 72 for engaging with the concave / convex ridge 56c formed in the shaft hole 56a is formed on one end side. By the engagement of the ridges 56c, 72, it is prevented from rotating in the circumferential direction and rotates integrally with the first drive gear 56. Also, an uneven strip 73 is formed on the outer periphery of the other end, and the uneven strip 73 is formed on the mounting member 18a to which the sprocket 18 is mounted.
It is formed so as to match. Also, this hollow shaft 7
Reference numeral 0 denotes a portion of the ball bearing 77, which is formed by press-fitting the vicinity of the protrusion 72 formed on the one end side into the inner race of the ball bearing 77. The hollow shaft 70 passes through a through hole 31c provided in the case body 31. The outer ring of the ball bearing 77 is press-fitted into the second bearing mounting portion 31d provided on the case main body 31, so that the case main body 3
1 can be attached.

Next, a description will be given of a crankshaft 80 which is mounted so as to penetrate through the through hole 71 of the hollow shaft 70. At one end of the crankshaft 80, a mounting portion 83 including a fitting portion 83a having an outer periphery formed in a prismatic shape and a screw portion 83b protruding from the fitting portion 83a is provided. Attachment portions 84 each having a fitting portion 84a whose outer periphery is formed in a prismatic shape and a screw portion 84b protruding from the fitting portion 84a are formed. The attachment portions 83 and 84 are formed in shapes and dimensions that match the fitting portions 81b and 82b of the left crank 81 and the right crank 82 of the general bicycle.

A one-way clutch 85 is attached to the crankshaft 80 at a position close to the first drive gear 56 attached to the hollow shaft 70. A second drive gear 90 having the same number of teeth as the first drive gear 56 is mounted on the outer periphery of the shaft 80. The one-way clutch 85 is connected to the cranks 81, 8 to which the pedals 81a, 82a are attached when the crankshaft 80 is driven manually.
When the crankshaft 80 rotates in the running direction via the second drive gear 90, the second drive gear 90 rotates, and when the crankshaft 80 rotates in the opposite direction, the second drive gear 90 rotates.
An annular recess 91 is formed in the second drive gear 90 so as to form a space between the second drive gear 90 and the side surface of the first drive gear 56.
Are formed. On the surface of the annular concave portion 91 on the first drive gear 56 side, as shown in FIG. 3, a compression portion 92 is formed which abuts on the other end side of the drive spring 60 and compresses. The drive spring 60 is housed between the L-shaped regulating member 58 and the compression section 92.

The magnitude of the urging force of the drive spring 60 is determined by the rotational force based on the pedaling force applied to the second drive gear 90 via the crankshaft 80 and the one-way clutch 85 during manual driving. When the value exceeds a predetermined value, the size is set to start compression. That is, during traveling, the rear wheels 1
Pedal 8 to which a large load is applied and which is depressed against this
The rotation force, ie, the pedaling force, due to 1a, 82a is the crank 81,
The second drive gear 90, which rotates with the crankshaft 80 via the one-way clutch 85, gradually compresses the drive spring 60 by being applied to the crankshaft 80 via It is set to a size that rotates and moves relatively earlier.
In other words, during manual driving, when the rotational force of the second drive gear 90 that rotates together with the one-way clutch 85 with the rotation of the crankshaft 80 exceeds a predetermined value, the second drive gear 90 moves relative to the first drive gear 56. Is generated so that the second drive gear 90 rotates synchronously while relatively moving with the first drive gear 56. When the rotational force applied to the second drive gear 90 is removed, the second drive gear 90 is driven by the drive spring 6.
The state is returned to the initial state by the urging force of 0.

Therefore, if the rotational force applied to the crankshaft 80 does not exceed a predetermined value, the second drive gear 90
Is rotated in synchronization with the first drive gear 56 via the drive spring 60 in a state where it is hardly compressed, that is, in a state where no relative movement occurs.

Next, the converting means 200 for converting the pedaling force of the pedals 81a and 82a into a mechanical change will be described.

The conversion means 200 comprises a first driven gear 210 meshed with the first drive gear 56, a second driven gear 220 meshed with the second drive gear 90, As the second driven gear 220 moves relatively by leading or returning to the first driven gear 210, the first driven gear 210 and the second driven gear 220 move closer to and away from each other. Means. Next, the respective components will be described.

First, the first driven gear 210 is
11 and a rotating shaft 21 provided at the center of the gear portion 211
The rotating shaft 212 is rotatably supported while being axially slidably mounted on a bearing 36 mounted on the case body 31. The rotating shaft 212 is provided with a guide hole 213 along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 212.
A plurality of projections 215 (three provided in the embodiment, only one shown in FIG. 2) are formed concentrically around the axis of the guide hole 213 on the second surface. As shown in FIG. 4, the second drive gear 90 meshes with the second drive shaft 90 when the second drive gear 90, which will be described in detail later, rotates in the direction of rotation during traveling, as shown in FIG.
The inclined surface 215 gradually descends toward the lower left side as shown in FIG. 4 along the direction of rotation in the direction of the arrow in FIG.
a is formed. The tip of the rotating shaft 212 is formed on the convex spherical surface 213a, and the convex spherical surface 213a is formed.
Reference numeral 3a abuts against a distal end surface of an operating member 140 of the rotational force detector 100 described later, and is urged toward the case lid 32 in FIG. 2 by a coil spring 150 which urges the operating member 140 in a protruding direction. ing.

Next, the second driven gear 220 is composed of a gear part 221 having the same number of teeth as the first driven gear 210, and a rotating shaft 222 protruding from the center of the gear part 221. The rotation shaft 222 is fitted in a guide hole 213 formed in the rotation shaft 212 so as to be slidable and rotatable along the axial direction. In addition, a surface of the gear portion 221 facing the gear portion 211 of the first driven gear 210 has a slope corresponding to the projection 215 formed on the first driven gear 210 and formed on the projection 215. Three protrusions 225 having an inclined surface 225a that is in sliding contact with the surface 215a are formed.

The projection 225 having the inclined surface 225a and the projection 2 having the inclined surface 215a are formed.
15, the drive spring 60 and the coil spring 150 that urges the rotating shaft 212 of the first driven gear 210 via an operating body 140, which will be described later, constitute contact / separation means.

A shaft 226 is provided on the case lid 32 side of the second driven gear 220. The shaft 226 is rotatable by a bearing 227 mounted on the case lid 32 and restricts movement to the case lid 32 side. Being pivoted. The inclined surface 225a of the projection 225 provided on the second driven gear 220 is provided on the first driven gear 210 which is urged toward the second driven gear 220 by the coil spring 150. Inclined surface 215 of projection 215
and the first driven gear 210 and the second driven gear 220 are stationary, that is, there is no relative movement between the first driven gear 210 and the second driven gear 220 without the drive spring 60 being compressed. In the state, the first driven gear 210
And the second driven gear 220 are mutually inclined surfaces 215a and 215
The contact is made at an intermediate position of 25a.

When the pedaling force of the pedals 81a and 82a increases, the drive spring 60 is compressed, and the second drive gear 90 provided on the crankshaft 80 via the one-way clutch 85 and the second drive gear 90 provided on the hollow shaft 70. One drive gear 5
6 and the second driven gear 90 with respect to the first driven gear 210 meshing with the first driving gear 56.
And the second driven gear 220 meshed with the second driven gear 220. That is, the second driven gear 220 rotates ahead of the first driven gear 210, and when this relative movement occurs, the inclined surface 225a of the projection 225 provided on the second driven gear 220 One driven gear 2
10, the first driven gear 210 urged toward the second driven gear 220 by the coil spring 150 is indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. As shown by, the movement is made in the direction approaching the second driven gear 220 side by the amount of movement L corresponding to the pedaling force. With this movement, the rotating shaft 212 of the first driven gear 210 moves toward the second driven gear 220 while rotating inside the bearing 36, and moves along with the movement from the bearing 36 of the rotating shaft 212. Is reduced. Conversely, when the pedaling force of the pedals 81a, 82a decreases, the second drive gear 90 is returned to the initial state, that is, a state without a phase difference by the restoration of the drive spring 60, and the first driven gear 210 Moves away from the second driven gear 220, and the amount of protrusion of the rotating shaft 212 from the bearing 36 increases.

The operation of the converting means 200 constructed as described above while the bicycle is running, that is, the pedals 81a, 82
A description will be given of an operation in which the pedaling force a is converted into a mechanical change amount. First, during running of the bicycle, when the bicycle is running in a uniform acceleration state on a flat ground or the like, the pedals 81a, 8
Since the pedaling force 2a is extremely small, the rotational force applied to the crankshaft 80 does not exceed a predetermined value, and the second drive gear 90 is driven through the first drive spring 60 through the drive spring 60 which is maintained in a state where it is hardly compressed. From this state, the vehicle is running in synchronization with the drive gear 56, for example, running on an uphill or running with acceleration. When the pedals 81a, 82a are strongly depressed, the pedaling force applied to the pedals 81a, 82a increases, and this large pedaling force is applied. As a result, a difference is generated between the rotating force of the rotating crankshaft 80 and the rotating force of the hollow shaft 70 rotating while receiving a load from the rear wheel 12. Drive gear 90 has a phase difference due to relative movement with respect to the first drive gear 56, that is, the preceding drive gear 56, and when this phase difference occurs, the phase difference Proportional phase difference second driven gear 2
20 and the first driven gear 210, and the first driven gear 210 moves with respect to the second driven gear 220 in accordance with the phase difference between the second driven gear 220 and the first driven gear 210. And move closer to each other in the axial direction. That is, the magnitude of the pedaling force of the pedals 81a and 82a is converted into an axial movement amount of the rotating shaft 212 that moves with the axial movement of the first driven shaft 210, that is, a mechanical change amount. become.

When traveling on a flat surface from traveling on an uphill, that is, when the pedaling force is no longer applied to the pedals 81a and 82a,
The drive spring 60 returns to the initial state by the restoring force, and the relative movement between the second drive gear 90 and the first drive gear 56 and between the second driven gear 220 and the first driven gear 210 disappears. The inclined surface 215 a of the projection 215 of the driven gear 210 is the projection 225 of the second driven gear 220.
The first drive gear 210 moves along the inclined surface 225a of
Rotates while being kept in an initial state separated from the second driven gear 220.

Next, in response to the axial movement of the rotation shaft 212 of the first driven gear 210, the crankshaft 80
The rotational force detector 100 for detecting the rotational force of the pedals 81a and 82a will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 5, the rotational force detector 100 is
10 and an upper case 120 attached to the lower case 110, and a strain gauge 13 as a detection unit disposed in the case main body 101.
0, an operating body 140 that receives the operating force of the rotating shaft 212 of the first driven gear 210 and an operating body that transmits the operating force received by the operating body 140 to the strain gauge 130 and
A coil spring 150 and the like press the rotation shaft 212 via 40 to urge the first driven gear 210 toward the second driven gear 220.

The lower case 110 is provided with a concave board mounting portion 112a for mounting a printed wiring board 112 surrounded by an outer peripheral wall 111 provided on the outer peripheral portion. Has a plurality of mounting holes 113 (only two are shown in FIG. 5). In the drawing of the through hole 113, an annular positioning portion 114 is formed on the outer periphery of the upper opening. The lower case 110 has lead wires 135a to 135a.
A drawing hole (not shown) for drawing 5d is formed.

Next, the upper case 120 is mounted on the bottom wall 1.
21 is formed in the shape of a box with a bottom having an outer peripheral wall 122 formed on the outer periphery thereof.
A fitting wall 124 is formed on the outer periphery of the flange portion 123 so as to fit on the outer periphery of the outer peripheral wall 111 of the lower case 110. A cylindrical portion 125 is formed on the bottom wall 121, and a part of the cylindrical portion 125 is formed to protrude inside and outside the bottom wall 121, respectively. A guide hole 126 is formed in the cylindrical portion 125 from the outer end to the substantially middle portion,
A guide hole 126 is provided in a portion from the intermediate portion to the inner end.
A larger diameter hole 127 is formed. This large hole 1
27 is a hole 1 when the coil spring 150 expands and contracts.
The diameter is made large so as not to interfere with the peripheral wall 27.

A fitting hole 128 is formed in the flange 123 so as to fit into the positioning part 114 provided on the outer peripheral wall 111 of the lower case 110.

Next, the strain gauge 130 is formed by attaching four resistors R1 to R4 made of a thin film to the surface of a strain generating body 131 made of, for example, aluminum or the like with an insulating film interposed therebetween or by using a so-called semiconductor technique. At the same time, these four resistors R1 to R4 are connected by printed wiring to form a bridge W as shown in FIG. The connection point between the resistors R1 and R3 of the bridge W and the resistor R
4 and R2 are connected to lead wires 132a and 132b.
The connection point between the resistors R1 and R4 and the connection point between the resistors R2 and R3 form an output end, and the output from the output end, that is, the magnitude of the pedaling force The electrical output corresponding to the current is supplied to the leads 133a and 133a.
3b, and is sent to the amplifier 136.
The amplified output from is sent to the control means 16,
The control means 16 controls the electric motor 40 according to this output.

The free end 131a of the strain body 131
Is located below the inner end of the cylindrical portion 125 and extends so as to correspond to the guide hole 126, and a pin 134 having an axis coincident with the axis of the guide hole 126 is provided at this end. The pin 134 is provided with an annular flange 134a for receiving the other end of the coil spring 150.

The tip of the operating body 140 has a flat surface 1
41, the center of the flat surface 141 is in contact with the leading end of the rotating shaft 212 of the first driven gear 210, that is, the leading end of the convex spherical surface 213a, in a press-contact state by the urging force of the coil spring 150. . Although the rotation shaft 212 rotates together with the first driven gear 210, the rotation shaft 212 is in contact with the center of the flat surface 141 by the tip formed on the convex spherical surface, so that the flat surface 141 is rotated. Above, it rotates in a substantially point contact state, and wear due to friction is extremely small. Further, since the tip of the rotating shaft 212 is formed as a convex spherical surface, even if the axis of the rotating shaft 212 does not coincide with the center of the flat surface 141, that is, the axis of the operating body 140, the rotating shaft is Numeral 212 always rotates in a substantially point contact state, so that wear due to friction can be extremely reduced irrespective of whether it coincides with the axis of the operating body 140 or not.

A step 145 for receiving the end of the coil spring 150 is formed at the tip of the operating body 140. The step 145 and the annular flange 134a of the pin 134 are formed.
In the meantime, a state in which the coil spring 150 is compressed by a predetermined amount, that is, a predetermined bending force is applied to the strain body 131, and the first driven gear 210 is moved through the operating body 140 and the rotation shaft 212 to the second position. The second driven gear 220 is compressed and disposed so as to be urged toward the second driven gear 220 side.

The rotational force detector 100 thus configured is mounted on the case main body 31 and mounted in the storage section 35 through mounting holes (not shown) through the through holes 113. When the power unit C is mounted on the vehicle body B, the operating body 140 of the rotational force detector 100
Are supported in the guide hole 126 in the horizontal direction. Since the operating body 140 is supported in the horizontal direction in this way, the front wheel 10 or the rear wheel 1
2 falls, and the vehicle body receives sudden vertical vibrations, that is, shocking vibrations.
The reference numeral 40 does not move in a direction in which a bending force is applied to the flexure element 131. Therefore, even if the vehicle body B receives shocking vibration, the turning force detector 1
00 does not malfunction, and the malfunction of the power plant C can be prevented from occurring due to the malfunction.

Next, the operation of the rotational force detector 100 will be described. The rotational force detector 100 operates on the same principle as a rotational force detector using a conventionally known strain gauge. That is, the pedaling force of the pedals 81a and 82a is changed by the conversion means 200, that is, the first driven gear 2
The moving amount of the rotating shaft 212 is converted into the amount of movement in the axial direction, and the operating body 140 is operated by the moving rotating shaft 212, that is, the operating body 140 is moved in the axial direction, and the bending force is transmitted to the flexure element 131. By applying or releasing, the resistor R
By changing the resistance values of 1 to R4, an electric output from the bridge W is taken out according to the change of the resistance value.

In this embodiment, the output from the bridge W when the maximum bending force is applied to the flexure element 131 is used as a reference value, and the bridge W changes by gradually decreasing from the maximum bending force. Is configured to control the electric motor 40 by the control means 16 in accordance with the electrical output output from the controller 40. Specifically, a state in which the depression force of the pedals 81a and 82a does not exceed a predetermined value during the manual driving, that is, the first driving gear 56 and the second driving gear 90
In the state where no relative movement has occurred, that is, in the state where no relative movement has occurred between the first driven gear 210 and the second driven gear 220, the first driven gear 210
In this state, the flexure 131 is subjected to the maximum bending force via the rotating shaft 212, the operating body 140 and the coil spring 150, and is output from the bridge W at this time. The electric output is set as a reference value, and the electric motor 40 is controlled by the control means 16 so that the electric motor 40 is stopped at the reference value. Further, as in the case of traveling on an uphill or the like, the depressing force of the pedals 81a and 82a increases, and when the depressing force, that is, the depressing force exceeds a predetermined value, the first drive gear 56
And the second driven gear 90 cause relative movement, which causes a relative movement between the first driven gear 210 and the second driven gear 220, and the first driven gear 210 approaches the second driven gear 220. At the same time, the rotating shaft 212 is
0, the bending force of the flexure element 131 applied via the actuating body 140 and the coil spring 150 decreases, and the flexure element 13
1 is restored, so that the resistors R1 to R
4, the electrical output corresponding to this change is output from the bridge W, and this output is amplified by the amplifier 136 and sent to the control means 16.

The actuating body 140 does not directly press the strain-generating body 131 but presses it via the coil spring 150 which is an elastic body.
31 is not bent suddenly, that is, instantaneously, and is unlikely to cause metal fatigue. Therefore, it is possible to prevent breakage or the like caused by the metal fatigue. Also, it is possible to prevent the resistors R1 to R4 from peeling off from the strain element 131. Can be prevented.

Next, the rear wheel 1 of the driving force of the electric motor 40 will be described.
2 will be described.

When the vehicle travels on an uphill or the like by manual driving, as described above, when the pedaling force of the pedals 81a and 82a increases and exceeds a predetermined value, the second driving gear 90 is moved relative to the first driving gear 56. The first driven gear 21 of the conversion means 200
0, the second driven gear 220 rotates in advance and the two move relative to each other, and the first driven gear 210 approaches the second driven gear 220 and the rotating shaft 212 moves away from the operating body 140. Moving. As a result, the maximum bending force applied to the flexure element 131 via the operating body 140 and the coil spring 150 is reduced, and the flexure element 131 is restored. With this restoration, the resistance values of the resistors R1 to R4 of the bridge W are restored. Is changed, and an electric output corresponding to the change is sent to the control means 16 via the amplifier 136. According to the magnitude of the electric output, the electric motor 40 is controlled by the control means 16 to drive or rotate. I do.

When the electric motor 40 rotates, the rotational force of the electric motor 40 is transmitted to the hollow shaft 70 via the speed reduction mechanism 50 and the first drive gear 56, and the sprocket 18 and the chain 19 attached to the hollow shaft 70. Through the rear wheel 1
2 is transmitted. That is, the pedals 81a, 82
By stepping on "a", the rotational force of the electric motor 40 is added to or assisted by the rotational force of the manual power transmitted to the crankshaft 80, and the bicycle A runs.

Next, how to assemble the power unit C will be described. A one-way clutch 85 to which the second drive gear 90 is attached in advance is prepared with the crankshaft 80 attached.

The output shaft 41 is connected to the case body 31.
A motor 40 with a gear 42 is attached to
The gears 51 to 55 constituting the speed reduction mechanism 50 are disposed at predetermined positions on the case main body 31, and the rotational force detector 100 is attached to the storage section 35 by the mounting screws (not shown) as described above. After the bearing 36 is attached to the bearing portion 35a in the opening of the storage portion 35, the first driven gear 210 is attached, and the second driven gear 2
20 is disposed by inserting its rotating shaft 222 into the guide hole 213 of the first driven gear 210, and the hollow shaft 70 into which the ball bearing 77 is press-fitted in advance is connected to the ball bearing 77 by the second bearing mounting portion. 31 d and press-fit into the case body 31. Then, the concave and convex ridges 56c of the drive gear 56 are fitted into the concave and convex ridges 72 formed on the hollow shaft 70, and the crankshaft 80 is connected to the through holes 7 of the hollow shaft 70.
1 is inserted through the needle bearings 73a and 73b. At the time of this insertion, the drive spring 60 is
6 and a compression part 92 formed on the second drive gear 90. Then, the case cover 32 is inserted into the case body 31 in this state, the crankshaft 80 is inserted into the through hole 32b, and the case body 31 is attached to the case body 31 with the screw 33.
0, assembled with the conversion means 200 attached.

Next, the power device C assembled as described above is mounted on the bicycle B, that is, a general bicycle, as follows. First, a bearing 1 made of a needle bearing is provided at both ends of the hanger lug 1 of the vehicle body B.
Attachment members 161 and 162 equipped with 61a and 162b are attached, respectively, and a hollow shaft 70 projecting from a side wall of the case body 31 of the assembled power unit C is supported by the bearings 161a and 162b. Then, the sprocket 18 is attached to the concave and convex strips 73 formed on the hollow shaft 70 via the attaching member 18a. Next, the mounting plate is attached to the case main body 31 with an attachment screw (not shown) so as to sandwich the chain stay 7 between an attachment portion 31d formed behind the case main body 31 and an attachment plate (not shown). This allows
The power unit C includes a mounting member 1 mounted on the hanger lug 1.
A hollow shaft 70 supported by 61 and 162 and a case body 31 mounted on the chain stay 7 via the mounting plate.
Is attached to the vehicle body B with the attaching portion 31d. After the power unit C is mounted on the vehicle body B, the pedals 81a, 82 are attached to the mounting portions 83 and 84 of the crankshaft 80.
Left crank 81 and right crank 8 with a
By assembling 2, all the assembly is completed.

Next, the bicycle A constructed as described above
Will be described. First, a drive switch (not shown) provided on the control box 16a is closed.

Then, ride on the bicycle and drive. And
In the state where the pedaling force is hardly applied to the pedals 81a and 82a as in the case of traveling on a flat ground or a downhill,
As described above, since the rotational force applied to the first drive gear 56 via the crankshaft 80 does not exceed a predetermined value, it is disposed between the first drive gear 56 and the second drive gear 90. The driving spring 60 is not compressed, so that the first driving gear 56 and the second driving gear 90 rotate synchronously without any relative movement, and the second driven gear 220 also rotates Since the rotating shaft 212 does not move in the axial direction because the rotating shaft 212 does not move in the axial direction because the rotating shaft 212 does not move relative to the one driven gear 210 and does not move relative to the first driven gear 210, the operating body 140, drive spring 1
The maximum bending force is applied via 50,
Resistors R1 to R4 determined by the maximum bending stress
Is output from the bridge W, and the control means 16 controls the motor 40 to stop according to the output. That is, in this state, the rotational force, that is, the power from the electric motor 40 is not assisted, and the pedals 81a, 82
a, the rotational force of the crankshaft 80 applied via the cranks 81 and 82 is applied to the first drive gear 5.
6. The power is transmitted to the rear wheel 12 via the hollow shaft 70, the sprocket 18, and the chain 19, and the vehicle runs manually.

When traveling on an uphill, a large torque is required, and as a result, the pedals 81a, 82a
Is strongly depressed, the pedaling force of the pedals 81a and 82a increases, and the rotational force applied to the crankshaft 80 and the second drive gear 90 increases to exceed a predetermined value.
On the other hand, the load applied to the first drive gear 56 on the hollow shaft 70 that transmits the rotational force to the sprocket 18 that transmits to the rear wheel 12 via the chain 19 increases, so that the pedal 81
The second drive gear 90 rotates faster than the rotation of the first drive gear 56 due to the strong depression of the first and second drive gears 90a and 82a. And the first drive gear 56 moves relative to the first drive gear 56, and rotates in synchronization with the first drive gear 56 in this state. When the second drive gear 90 moves relative to the first drive gear 56 in advance, the second driven gear 220 moves to the first driven gear 2.
10, the first driven gear 210 moves toward and approaches the second driven gear 220 side, and the rotating shaft 212 of the first driven gear 210
Since it moves in the direction away from zero, the flexure element 131
Is reduced, and the flexure element 131 is restored, that is, deformed.
In addition, the resistance value of R4 changes, and an electrical output corresponding to the change is output from the bridge W, and the control means 16 controls and drives the electric motor 40 according to the output. Electric motor 4
When 0 is driven, this rotational force, that is, the power,
The power is transmitted to the rear wheel 12 via the hollow shaft 70, the sprocket 18, and the chain 19 via the first drive gear 56.
The rotational force from the electric motor 40 is added to the rotational force transmitted to the crankshaft 80 when the pedals 81a and 82a are depressed, that is, the rotational force due to human power. In other words, the power of the electric motor 40, that is, the power of the power device C is assisted when the rotational force due to human power exceeds a predetermined value. Therefore, even when a large rotational force such as an uphill is required, the vehicle can travel easily. is there.

As described above, when the vehicle is traveling on a level ground or a downhill while traveling manually, the power is not assisted by the electric motor 40, that is, the power unit C, the traveling is performed only by the human power, and the vehicle is driven uphill. When traveling, the electric motor 40
That is, since the power of the power plant C is assisted, the vehicle can easily travel on an uphill.

The conversion means 200 provided in the power unit C for converting the pedaling force of the pedals 81a and 82a into a mechanical change amount is provided by the first driving gear 56 which meshes with the first driving gear 56 and moves in the axial direction. The driven gear 210 has the same axis as the rotating shaft 212 of the first driven gear 210, and is rotatably fitted to the guide hole 213 of the rotating shaft 212 while moving in the axial direction. A second driven gear 220 having a driving shaft 222 and meshing with the second driving gear 90;
20 according to the relative movement that occurs with respect to the first driven gear 210 in response to the pedaling force of the pedal 20.
A rotating shaft provided on a first driven gear 210 that moves in the axial direction by moving toward and away from the second driven gear 220, Since the distal end of the actuator 212 is brought into contact with the distal end surface of the operating body 140 of the rotational force detector 100, the operating body 140
Rotating shaft 212 that rotates in contact with, or in contact with, the distal end surface of
Since the tip has a low peripheral speed, its wear can be reduced, and since it abuts in a point contact state, there is almost no runout, and therefore accurate detection of treading power over a long period of time Can be detected and normal rotational force, that is, power can be assisted.

Further, the distal end face of the operating body 140 is
1 and the rotating shaft 2 of the first driven gear 210
12 is formed as a convex spherical surface, the tip of the rotating shaft 212 of the rotating first driven gear 210 is surely in substantially point contact with the flat surface 141 of the tip of the operating body 140. Since the abutment rotates, the wear can be further reduced and the runout can be reliably prevented. Therefore, the accurate detection of the treading force can be detected over a long period of time, and the regular rotating force, that is, the power can be assisted. Things.

Since the rotating force detector 100 is mounted on the vehicle body B such that the operating body 140 is oriented horizontally, the operating body is oriented horizontally even when the vertical impact is applied. It does not slide in the up and down direction, so that the rotation force detector 100 can be prevented from malfunctioning.

The rotational force detector 100 is configured not to transmit the action of the detected rotational force to the flexure element 131 directly from the operating body 140 but to transmit it via the coil spring 150. Since the flexure element 131 is not suddenly subjected to a bending force, breakage due to metal fatigue or the like can be prevented, and the resistors R1 to R4 can be prevented from peeling from the flexure element.

In the above embodiment, the urging of the first driven gear 210 toward the second driven gear 220 is
The rotation force detector 100 is constituted by a coil spring provided, for example, as shown in FIG. 2 by a two-dot chain line, between the bearing 36 and the gear portion 211 of the first driven gear 210. The coil spring 150a described above may be used, but in the case of the above-described embodiment, there is an advantage that the coil spring 150 can be shared. In the above embodiment, the output of the bridge W in a state where the maximum bending force is applied to the flexure element 131 of the rotational force detector 100 is set as a reference value, and the motor 40 is stopped at the reference value. On the contrary, the output of the bridge W in a state where there is no bending stress applied to the flexure element 131 is set as a reference value, and when the reference value is reached, the motor 40 is stopped and the bridge in a state where a bending force is applied. The motor 40 may be driven by the output of W. In this case, the urging of the first driven gear 210 toward the second driven gear 220 is performed by the rotational force detector 100.
It is sufficient to urge the coil spring 150a described above without using the same coil spring 150.

In the above embodiment, the first driven gear 210 constituting the conversion means 200 is moved toward and away from the second driven gear 220 so that the first driven gear 21
0 rotating shaft 212 is attached to the operating body 140 of the rotational force detector 100.
The second driven gear 220 is moved toward and away from the first driven gear 210, and the rotation axis of the second driven gear 220 is moved to the tip of the operating body 140. You may make it contact a surface. In this case, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the outer ring of the ball bearing 36a is fixed to the opening 35a of the storage portion 35 by using a ball bearing 36a as a bearing, and the first driven gear 21
And a guide hole 213a penetrating the rotation shaft 212a.
6a is press-fitted into the inner ring to restrict the movement in the axial direction, and is attached to the second driven gear 220 through the through-hole 213a.
And a rotating shaft 222 having a convex spherical end.
The pivot shaft 222a is rotatably fitted to the through hole 213a while moving in the axial direction.
A coil spring 150b for urging the second driven gear 220 toward the first driven gear 210 is disposed between the first driven gear 210 and the gear portion 221 of the second driven gear 220. And an inclined surface 215 a on the opposing surface of the respective gear portions 211 and 221 of the second driven gear 220.
And a projection 225 having an inclined surface 225a. The rotation of the first driven gear 220 according to the relative movement generated between the second driven gear 220 and the first driven gear 210. What is necessary is just to move the shaft 222a in the axial direction to operate the operating body 140.

In this case, the contact / separation means is constituted by the coil spring 150b, the drive spring 60, and the projections 215 and 225.

[0070]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first drive gear provided on a hollow shaft, wherein the conversion means has a rotating shaft having an axis parallel to the axis of the hollow shaft and the crankshaft. A first driven gear that meshes with a second driven gear that has a rotation axis having the same axis as the rotation axis of the first driven gear and that meshes with a second drive gear provided on the crankshaft; The first driven gear and the second driven gear are brought into relative axial contact with each other in accordance with the relative movement of the second driven gear and the first driven gear in the rotational direction generated according to the pedaling force of the pedal. The first driven gear or the second driven gear of the conversion means, the tip of one of the rotating shafts moving in the axial direction and the operating body of the treading force detecting means. Since the pedal depression force is detected by contacting the tip, Since the tip of the rotating shaft that rotates in the tactile state has a low peripheral speed, its wear can be reduced and surface run-out hardly occurs, so that accurate detection of treading force over a long period of time is possible. This has the effect that the normal rotational force, that is, the power can be assisted.

The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the invention according to claim 1 is
Since the tip surface of the operating body is a flat surface, and the tip of the rotation shaft of the first driven gear or the second driven gear abutting on the flat surface is formed as a convex spherical surface, it rotates. Since the tip of the rotating shaft surely rotates the tip end surface of the operating body in a substantially point contact state with the flat surface, the wear thereof can be further reduced and the surface run-out can be reliably prevented, and therefore, for a longer period of time. Thus, there is an effect that the pedaling force can be detected accurately and the regular rotational force, that is, the power can be assisted.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a bicycle with an electric auxiliary power device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a state in which an auxiliary power unit is attached to the bicycle body according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of a part of the auxiliary power unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of a driven gear which is a part of the conversion means in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a rotational force detector as a pedaling force detecting means of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an electric circuit of the rotational force detector.

FIG. 7 is an essential part cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the conversion means of the above embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a conventional auxiliary power device of a bicycle with an auxiliary power device.

FIG. 9 is a side view in which a part of the conventional auxiliary power unit is sectioned.

FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view of the conventional conversion means.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the conventional rotational force detector.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A Bicycle with auxiliary power device B Bicycle body (body) 30 Case (housing) 40 Electric motor 50 Power transmission means 56 First drive gear 60 Drive spring (part of contact / separation means) 70 Hollow shaft 80 Crankshaft 81 Left crank 82 Right crank 90 Second drive gear 100 Rotational force detector (pedal force detecting means) 140 Actuator 150 Coil spring (part of contact / separation means) 200 Conversion means 210 First driven gear (part of conversion means) 212 Rotating shaft 215 Projection (part of contact / separation means) 220 Second driven gear (part of conversion means) 222 Rotation shaft 225 Projection (part of contact / separation means)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle body provided with a front wheel and a rear wheel, a housing, an electric motor disposed in the housing, a speed reduction mechanism including a plurality of gears for transmitting a rotational force of the electric motor, and a final mechanism of the speed reduction mechanism. A first drive gear meshing with the gear of the step, a hollow shaft rotatably provided on a hanger lug provided on the vehicle body, having one end attached to the first drive gear and the other end provided with a sprocket, penetrating this hollow shaft An electric auxiliary power unit comprising a crankshaft provided with a crank having a pedal at both ends and a second drive gear provided via a one-way clutch, and a first drive gear having a rotating shaft. A first driven gear that meshes, a second driven gear that has a rotation axis having the same axis as the rotation axis of the first driven gear, meshes with the second drive gear, Said second driven following A contact / separation means for relatively moving the first driven gear and the second driven gear relative to each other in the axial direction according to the relative movement of the car and the first driven gear in the rotational direction; Conversion means for converting into a mechanical change amount;
An actuating body whose tip abuts on the tip of one of the first driven gear or the second driven gear that moves in the axial direction and moves following the movement of the turning shaft; A bicycle with an electric assistive power unit, comprising: a detecting unit that outputs an output value corresponding to the moving amount of the operating body; and a pedaling force detecting unit that detects a pedaling force of a pedal. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the distal end surface of the operating body is a flat surface, and the distal end of the rotation shaft of the first driven gear or the second driven gear contacting the flat surface is formed as a convex spherical surface. The bicycle with an electric auxiliary power unit according to claim 1, wherein