JPH11139381A - Auxiliary power device for improved bicycle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reinforce the foot pedalling driving force with the driving force by an electric motor later by directly friction-rotating a rear wheel tire or a front wheel tire with an electric motor for generating the auxiliary power and a cylindrical driving wheel to be rotated by the rotation driving force of the electric motor through a one-way clutch. SOLUTION: A cam handle grip is pushed forward so that a driving wheel 8 contacts with a tire at an appropriate pressure, and a power source breaker is closed. When an appropriate pedalling force is applied to a pedal, detecting signal from a pedalling force sensor provided near a larger sprocket is sent to a control circuit 7a. A speed sensor 7c for detecting the number of revolution of the driving wheel 8 detects passing of a vane of an arrow-wheel like speed detecting vane 7b, and sends the speed signal to the control circuit 7a. The control circuit 7a decides the surrent to be sent to an electric motor 6a on the basis of the pedalling force signal and the speed signal, and sends it. The electric motor 6a is thereby rotated, and the rotary driving force of an output shaft 6b is transmitted to a driving shaft 8 through a one-way clutch 5c, and the ahead power is given to the tires.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION An auxiliary power device which is easily attached to a known stepping bicycle by retrofitting, and which assists a stepping driving force by a driving force of an electric motor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An electric bicycle or an auxiliary power unit that runs with an electric motor and a storage battery mounted on a bicycle using a foot pedal is well known and has been put to practical use, but there is a problem that the mechanism is complicated and expensive. Was. As means for solving these problems, there is a prior invention (Japanese Patent Application No. 7-54951) having components similar to the present invention. The present invention improves the prior invention and adds a mechanism. It is organized and gives inventiveness.

[0003]

(A) There is a large difference in required torque between traveling on a flat ground and traveling on a slope, so a transmission is required. However, a simple and inexpensive apparatus that can be used for bicycles There is a problem that there is no. (B) In the conventional method, a driving force transmitting means for transmitting the power of the electric motor to the wheels, a mechanical transmission means for changing the torque,
In addition, the speed change means and the like are complicated, and it is necessary to make significant design changes or modifications to the conventional bicycle, so that the final price as a whole is significantly higher than that of the conventional bicycle. Was. Therefore, there is a need to realize a simple and inexpensive auxiliary power unit that can be easily attached by retrofitting without adding a special design change or modification to a conventional bicycle. (C) It is necessary to be able to easily select either a treading force travel using only the treading force or a combined travel in which the treading force is supplemented with auxiliary power. (D) It is necessary to prevent the electric motor and its peripheral devices from becoming a load and wasting labor when traveling with pedaling force. (E) In the case of combined driving, the output of the auxiliary power is increased or decreased according to the applied pedaling force or other conditions, so that the vehicle can be driven with a natural pedaling feeling with a comfortable pedaling force, and the required power is below a certain value. In such a case, it is necessary to eliminate the output of the auxiliary power to prevent wasteful power consumption. (F) In traveling operation, in order to secure the traveling safety by holding down the excessive speed, it is necessary to set an upper limit on the rotation speed of the electric motor when combined driving and to obtain the traveling speed higher than that only by the pedaling force. There is. (G) Improve the industrial effect by further improving the consistency with the vehicle body, the smartness of the appearance, and the easiness of operation, and further promoting the safety of driving, the easiness of manufacturing, and the lower price. There is a need.

[0004]

Means for Solving the Problems (a) A storage battery, a control circuit for controlling a supply current from the storage battery to supply a current to a motor connected to the next stage, an electric motor for generating auxiliary power, Simple and inexpensive by adopting a system in which a cylindrical driving wheel that is rotationally driven by a rotational driving force via a one-way clutch is used as a basic component, and a method of directly frictionally rotating a rear wheel or a front wheel tire with the driving wheel is used. A means for realizing the device is obtained. (B) When the vehicle is used in combination with the pedaling power and the auxiliary power, the vehicle is provided with the one-way clutch described in the preceding paragraph, the pedaling force detection means provided at an appropriate position of the vehicle body, and the rotation speed of the drive wheels, that is, the vehicle speed detection means. A transmission means for transmitting the detection results is provided, and a current control means for controlling a current supplied to the electric motor based on a signal from the transmission means to appropriately increase or decrease or cut off the rotational driving force of the electric motor in the control circuit. Thus, a simple and inexpensive means that can eliminate the need for mechanical speed change means and manual speed changing means and can prevent wasting of treading power or power is obtained. (C) When the required power is equal to or less than a certain value during the combined traveling, an electric circuit for interrupting the supply current to the electric motor is provided in the control circuit, thereby obtaining a means for preventing power waste. (D) A pedestal equipped with means for easily attaching it to a conventional bicycle body by providing a column and screw holes, etc., is provided with a power supply unit and a drive unit, and the power supply unit is provided with a power storage and other components. A battery box for storing required parts, etc., and a drive unit including a chassis, an electric motor, a control circuit, and drive wheels, and a means for pressing or detaching the drive wheels from / to the tires. And a means for easily and inexpensively transmitting the auxiliary power to the wheels can be obtained. (E) A cam mechanism and a handle arm and a handle connected to the cam mechanism are provided between the chassis and the gantry, and a spring against the pressing force of the cam is provided, so that the side abdomen of the drive wheel contacts the tire. Thus, it is possible to provide a means for easily selecting whether to make the contact or non-contact operation, thereby saving power consumption when the auxiliary power is not used. Alternatively, the pressing force of the driving wheel against the tire can be easily adjusted by making the shape of the cam square. (F) A motor at one end of the chassis, a control circuit at the other end,
The drive unit is provided in the center and the drive unit is integrated to improve the ease of assembly, the ease of installation of speed detection means, the smart appearance, and the attachment to the vehicle body,
Cost can be reduced. (G) By adopting a system in which the power supply unit and the drive unit are mounted on separate frames, the compatibility with various vehicle bodies can be further improved.

[0005]

Since the above-mentioned object is entirely solved by the above-mentioned means, the following various operations occur. (B) Compared with the conventional device, an auxiliary power device having a very simple structure and an inexpensive power can be realized. (B) There is no need for any design changes or modifications to existing bicycles,
The existing bicycle can be effectively used, and the overall weight can be significantly reduced. This has a synergistic effect of further reducing the weight of the storage battery and increasing the mileage. (C) A device that can be operated extremely easily without the need for a special driving operation, and that consumes less labor and power is obtained. (D) It is possible to select either the traveling with the treading force only by stepping on the pedal or the combined traveling in which the assisting power is added to the treading force by an extremely simple operation. (E) When combined driving, power supply to the electric motor can be limited or stopped according to the running speed, so running safety is ensured, and it is in the category of bicycles, and it is not necessary to hold a driver's license or wear a helmet. Is obtained.
(F) The smartness of the appearance, the productivity, and the improvement of the attachment to the vehicle body can be realized.

[0006]

1 to 4 are explanatory views of the entire left side, an external perspective view of a driving part, a left side view of a driving part mounting part, and a driving part when an embodiment of the present invention is added to a conventional bicycle. FIG. 4 is an explanatory cross-sectional view, in which other well-known parts are omitted and not shown. In the illustrated embodiment, the gantry 2 includes a U-shaped drive unit mounting bracket 2a fixed to the gantry 2 with bolts or the like.
The driving unit 4 includes a driving unit mounting arm 4 a and a driving unit mounting pin 4.
It is rotatably mounted within a predetermined angle via b. Further, the drive unit mounting bracket 2a and the drive unit 4 are pulled upward by the force of a spring (not shown), that is, in a direction away from the tire 10 on which the drive wheel 8 is to be driven. On the other hand, the tip of a cam 2c fixed to the drive shaft mounting bracket 2a via the cam shaft 2b rotates the cam handle arm 2d and the handle 2e counterclockwise in FIG. Thereby, the side surface of the chassis 5 is pressed, and the side surface of the drive wheel 8 is pressed against the driving tire 10. The tip of the cam 2c is provided with two types of pressing surfaces.
Can adjust the pressing force of the tire 10. The power supply unit 3 includes a drawer-type battery box, and the battery box is provided with accessories such as a power supply disconnector, a storage battery fuel gauge, and a locking mechanism in addition to a storage battery.

The operation of the apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. First, the cam handle 2e is pushed forward so that the driving wheel 8 comes into contact with the tire 10 by appropriate pressing. Connect the disconnector. When an appropriate pedaling force is applied to the pedal in such a state, a detection signal of the pedaling force sensor 11 provided around the large sprocket is sent to the control circuit 7a. A speed sensor 7c for detecting the number of revolutions of the drive wheel 8 detects the passage of the speed detection blade 7b in the shape of an arrow wheel and sends a speed signal to the control circuit 7a. The control circuit determines a current to be sent to the electric motor 6a from the pedaling force signal and the speed signal, and sends out the current. Thus, the electric motor 6a rotates, and the rotational driving force of the output shaft 6b is transmitted to the driving wheels 8 via the one-way clutch 5c.
Thus, a forward force is applied to the tire 10. In the present embodiment, the drive unit and the power supply unit are mounted on one mount, but if the drive unit and the power supply unit are mounted on separate mounts, the degree of freedom of the mounting position with respect to the vehicle body can be further increased. If the camshaft 2b is activated by a motor, a solenoid, or the like, and the control is performed by the bicycle handle, the operation of contacting and separating the drive wheels 8 can be performed by remote control. Further, if the pedal force sensor is omitted and a device for generating a signal equivalent thereto is provided in the bicycle handle portion and the device is manually operated, the auxiliary power can be manually increased or decreased regardless of the pedal force.

[0008]

As described above, it is possible to obtain a means for traveling by using only the pedaling force of the pedal and a means for traveling by adding the auxiliary power by the electric motor to the pedaling force. The vehicle can travel by inertia with the motor load disconnected. When the pedaling force including inertial running is equal to or less than a certain value and when the running speed is equal to or more than a certain value, no auxiliary power is generated, so that the running distance can be greatly increased and the driving safety can be improved. When traveling with both human power and auxiliary power, the optimal auxiliary power is automatically generated according to the applied pedaling force, so that it can be run with little pedaling power on both flat ground and uphill, and manual operation during driving such as speed control is possible. Since it is unnecessary, there is an effect that driving becomes easy. It can be easily attached to existing foot bikes by retrofitting, and it has a smart appearance, wearability, body fit,
There is an effect that a simple and inexpensive auxiliary power unit whose productivity is remarkably improved as compared with the conventional system can be obtained.

[0009]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall explanatory view of a left side surface of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a driving unit of the embodiment (a view as viewed from the front).

FIG. 3 is a left side view of a driving unit mounting portion of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory sectional view of a driving unit according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 (1) is a conventional bicycle (2) is a stand (2a) is a driving unit mounting bracket (2b) is a cam shaft (2c) is a cam (3) is a battery box (4) is a driving unit (4a) is a driving unit mounting The arm (4b) is a drive unit mounting shaft (4c) is a drive unit mounting hole (5) is a chassis (5a) is a bearing (5b) is a seal material (5c) is a one-way clutch (5d) is a cable duct (6) Is a motor cover (6a) is a motor (6b) is a motor drive shaft (7) is a control circuit cover (7a) is a control circuit (7b) is a speed detection blade (7c) is a speed sensor (8) is a drive wheel ( 9) Cable exit hole (10) Tire to be driven (11) Tread force sensor

Claims (2)

[Claims] A well-known bicycle comprising a large sprocket driven by a foot pedal, a small sprocket driving a rear wheel shaft via a one-way clutch, and a chain hooked between the two large and small sprockets. An improved auxiliary power device for a bicycle, characterized by having the following requirements: (B) A base is provided at an appropriate position on the vehicle body near the rear or front wheel to be driven by the bicycle, which is easily added and fixed by appropriate means such as screwing. (B) A power supply section including a battery box detachably mounted on the mount via a locking mechanism or the like, and a drive section support rotatably mounted at an appropriate angle on the mount via a rotating shaft or the like. A drive unit including a frame (hereinafter referred to as a chassis). (C) The battery box is provided with a storage battery and appropriate accessories such as a power supply disconnector, a battery remaining fuel gauge, and a locking mechanism. (D) an electric motor is provided at one end of the chassis, and a control circuit for controlling a current supplied from the storage battery to the electric motor, a drive wheel rotational speed detecting means, and other appropriate accessories are provided at the other end; A cylindrical drive wheel is provided at the center. (E) The driving wheel is coupled to the output shaft via a cylindrical one-way clutch that transmits rotational driving force of the output shaft of the electric motor in only one direction, and a side surface of the driving wheel is connected to the gantry and the chassis. The tire is rotated and driven by the contact friction force generated by closely pressing the outer peripheral surface or side surface of the tire to be driven by the action of the contact / separation mechanism provided between the tire and the bicycle to generate the forward force of the bicycle. Is done. (F) The contact / separation mechanism provided at an appropriate position between the gantry and the chassis has a cam mechanism and a spring mechanism, and functions to freely press or detach the drive wheel and the tire as well as to provide a pressing force. It has the function of adjusting. The cam mechanism includes a cam shaft for manually or electrically operating the cam, and a handle or an electric coupling portion. (G) The control circuit includes a tread force signal introduced from tread force detection means (means for detecting a tread force generated by stepping) provided separately in a large sprocket portion and the like, and a drive wheel separately provided in a drive wheel portion and the like. An electronic circuit is provided for appropriately changing or interrupting the supply current to the electric motor based on the speed signal introduced from the rotation speed detecting means. 2. The improved bicycle according to claim 1, wherein said mount is divided into a drive mount mount and a power supply mount mount to increase the degree of freedom of the mounting position of each mount with respect to the vehicle body. Auxiliary power unit.