JPH11180376A - Bicycle with auxiliary motive power - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bicycle with auxiliary motive power of a low enegy consumption type which realizes the more efficient use of the auxiliary motive power, as well as simplifies an automatic speed change gear by reducing the detecting parameters. SOLUTION: In an bicycle with auxiliary motive power composed to obtain an auxiliary motive power while changing the speed of a speed change gear 33 automatically, the system is composed to change the automatic ratio from the auxiliary motive power 30 according to the crankshaft rotational number. And the system is composed to increase the auxiliary ratio from the auxiliary motive power 30 according to the increase of the crankshaft rotational number or the shift-up following the automatic speed change the starting.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bicycle with auxiliary power which is configured to automatically shift a transmission and to obtain auxiliary power.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the advantages of bicycles are being reviewed from the viewpoint of the global environment, and the development of more comfortable and easy-to-use bicycles and the development of bicycles with auxiliary power useful for short-distance shopping and the like are expected. . Under such circumstances, the technology of automatic shifting, which can automatically shift gears, is becoming widespread in bicycles. There is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-16316. On the other hand, bicycles with auxiliary motors are also spreading, mainly among women and girls. In general, the shifting operation of such a bicycle with an auxiliary power is manually performed by a passenger.

[0003]

Therefore, since the automatic transmission in the conventional bicycle and the transmission in the auxiliary powered bicycle do not have any particular connection,
The gearshift operation is performed regardless of the characteristics and state of the auxiliary power motor, and the auxiliary power motor is used in a low efficiency range, which consumes excessive electric power. Was not growing. Therefore, the applicant of the present application detects the torque generated on the pedal by the running speed of the bicycle and the human power and the drive current of the auxiliary power motor, and operates the rear wheel transmission in a direction in which the efficiency of the auxiliary power motor is higher. An automatic transmission for an auxiliary powered bicycle is proposed (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-240568).
In the automatic transmission according to the present applicant, as a parameter for monitoring the efficiency of the auxiliary power motor during traveling, a torque mainly generated by a pedal by human power is further added to both a traveling speed, that is, a rotational speed of a crankshaft. Was detected. Further, during the upshifting due to the automatic shifting after the start, the assisting rate of the power from the assisting power motor is set to be constant (usually, the assisting rate is 1 for 1 human power).

[0004] Generally, due to legal restrictions, the upper limit of the running speed of a bicycle by applying auxiliary power is 24 km / km.
h, the auxiliary ratio from the auxiliary power motor after shifting to high-speed running by the top gear by the transmission is configured to gradually decrease.
In the speed range within a certain range, the assist ratio is constant as described above, so that the pedaling force may be too light, especially at a low start, causing an uncomfortable riding feeling. It could be said that it provided assistance, but it was wasteful in terms of energy efficiency.

Accordingly, the present invention is to further improve the automatic transmission for an auxiliary powered bicycle by the applicant of the present invention, to reduce the detection parameters and simplify the automatic transmission, and to use the auxiliary power more efficiently. It is an object of the present invention to provide a low-energy-consumption type auxiliary powered bicycle that achieves the above.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a bicycle with an auxiliary power which is configured to automatically shift the transmission and to obtain auxiliary power. The rate is changed. The present invention also provides a bicycle with auxiliary power configured to automatically shift the transmission and to obtain auxiliary power, in which the auxiliary power is increased according to an increase in the crankshaft rotation speed after starting or an upshift accompanying the automatic transmission. In which the auxiliary rate is increased. The present invention also relates to a bicycle with auxiliary power configured to automatically shift the transmission and to obtain auxiliary power, wherein the transmission is controlled so that the efficiency of the auxiliary power unit is in a predetermined range of the crankshaft rotation speed. It is characterized by automatic shifting. The present invention also provides a bicycle with an auxiliary power which is configured to automatically shift a transmission and to obtain auxiliary power. The transmission is automatically shifted so that the efficiency of the auxiliary power unit is within a predetermined range of the crankshaft rotation speed. Means.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 6 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an overall side view of an auxiliary powered bicycle of the present invention equipped with an automatic transmission, and FIG. 2 is a transmission system in a hanger portion thereof. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional plan view of FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a torque detecting unit in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a transmission drive unit. 6 is a side view showing a rear wheel and a rear wheel transmission. As shown in FIG. 1, a battery 32 is mounted along a handle post on an upper part of a hanger part of the bicycle with auxiliary power of the present invention, and an auxiliary power drive unit 30 such as an auxiliary power motor is mounted on the hanger part. Crankshaft sprocket 2 receiving power and combining with the manual driving force of pedal
A transmission case that outputs a driving force from the rear wheel 2 to the rear wheels and a shift drive unit 31 that detects a pedal torque by human power and automatically shifts a shift hub 33 that is a rear wheel transmission are provided.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a power supply from a battery 32 is supplied to a transmission case (reducer) including a main body 1, side parts 2, 3 and a bottom part 4 installed on a hanger part. Auxiliary power motor 56 driven and received
The sprocket 22 is rotated by the rotational driving force of the crankshaft 9 connected to the pedal, and the driving force is transmitted to the rear wheels via the chain. The driving force from the auxiliary power motor 56 is transmitted from the belt pulley 13 to the C
The power is transmitted to the belt pulley 14 of the gear 15. The rotation is transmitted from the belt pulley 14 to the C gear 15 via a one-way clutch, and only the driving force from the auxiliary power motor 56 is transmitted to the C gear 15 side. It is configured not to be driven. The driving force from the C gear 15 is transmitted to the E gear via the D gear 16.
The power is transmitted from the gear 18 to the driven disk 7.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rotational driving force from the crankshaft 9 connected to the pedal by human power is transmitted to the driving disk 6 via the ratchet 10,
Further, a pair of torque plates 8A, 8
The driven disk 7 is driven via B. Thus, as described above, the driven disk 7 that has also received auxiliary power from the auxiliary power motor 56 via the E gear 18 rotates, and the sprocket 22 screwed to the outer periphery of the driven disk 7 rotates, The driving force is transmitted to the rear wheels via the chain. FIG.
As shown in the figure, the driving force transmitted through the chain is
After being transmitted to the rear wheel sprocket 35, the rear wheel is rotationally driven via an internal transmission installed in the rear wheel hub.

When the torque applied to the crankshaft 9 by the pedaling by the human power increases while the bicycle is running, the driving disk 6 and the driven disk 7 are displaced to cause relative rotation, and these driving disks are driven. The U-shaped torque plates 8A and 8B disposed between the disk 6 and the driven disk 7 bend and their both ends approach. On the other hand, a face cam cone 5 is fitted on the rear side of the drive disk 6 in the crankshaft 9, and is urged toward the driven disk 7 by a coil spring 20. The face cam cone 5
A human-power-detecting torque sensor 23 for detecting the amount of movement in accordance with the axial movement of the face cam cone 5 is disposed on the back of the face cam cone 5 by a coil spring 24. According to the amount of relative rotation of the driven disk 7 with respect to the driving disk 6, that is, the magnitude of the torque which is the pedaling power of the pedal by human power applied to the crankshaft 9, the cam projection 7 </ b> C on the outer periphery of the driven disk 7 The cam action of the cam cone 5 with the cam portion 5C causes the face cam cone 5 to move axially outward (to the left in FIG. 3) by a predetermined amount. Thereby, the detector of the human power detection torque sensor 23 abutting on the back surface of the face cam cone 5 is retracted by a predetermined amount to detect the magnitude of the torque of the crankshaft 9 and responds to the signal of the crankshaft rotation speed sensor. Then, as will be described later, the auxiliary ratio from the auxiliary power motor 56 is changed to obtain a parameter for automatically shifting the transmission hub 33 as the rear wheel transmission.

As shown in FIG. 5, in response to an input from the human-power detecting torque sensor 23, a speed change motor 43 disposed in a case 44 of the speed change drive unit 31 is rotated by an appropriate angle and is transmitted through a speed reduction gear 42. The pulley 41 is rotated to pull the speed change wire 38. The winding amount of the speed change wire 38 at this time is detected by the speed change motor rotation sensor 40, and the speed position is read. As shown in FIG. 6, when the speed change wire 38 is pulled, the speed change wire fixing nut 3 fixed to the end of the speed change wire 38.
6 operates the speed change pulley 37 mounted on the bracket 39 to automatically change the speed of an internal type speed change device such as changing the meshing combination of the speed change gear device by axial movement of the rear wheel hub shaft.

Although not shown, the crankshaft rotation sensor 50 (FIG. 8) for detecting the number of rotations of the crankshaft 9 employed in the present invention includes a magnet provided on a rotating part and a lead provided on a fixed part. A method of counting the number of pulses generated between the switches may be adopted, but the installation location may be in the vicinity of the crankshaft 9 shown in FIG. 3 or because the shift is performed by the shift hub 33 of the rear wheel. The rotation speed of the rear wheel sprocket 35 before the shift may be detected.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the control unit of the assisted powered bicycle according to the present invention constructed as described above. When the power from the battery 32 is turned on and the power switch 57 is turned on, the crankshaft is turned on. Rotation sensor 50, transmission motor rotation sensor 40, and human power detection torque sensor 2
The control circuit provided with the microcomputer 51 and the like receives the respective inputs from the control unit 3 and appropriately drives and controls the speed change motor 55 and the auxiliary power motor 56 via the motor driver 53 and the motor driver 54, respectively. Code 5
Reference numeral 2 denotes a shift stage display LED connected to the microcomputer 51.

FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the auxiliary ratio of the auxiliary power motor, the unit efficiency of the auxiliary power motor, the crankshaft rotational speed, and the torque of the crankshaft before and after the shift and the auxiliary ratio in the present invention. FIG. 7B shows that, in general, regardless of the magnitude of the torque applied to the crankshaft by the power from the auxiliary power motor, the rotational speed of the crankshaft with the best efficiency as a unit is in the predetermined range X4 to X5. FIG. FIG. 7 (A) clearly shows the auxiliary ratio of the driving force from the auxiliary power motor from the time of starting up to the rotation speed range of the predetermined range X1 to X2 of the crankshaft with high efficiency as such a unit. The hatched portion is an auxiliary portion provided by the auxiliary power motor. Due to legal restrictions, the crankshaft rotation speed at which the upper limit of the running speed at which the auxiliary power can be applied is 24 Km / h is X3, and it is necessary to gradually reduce the auxiliary ratio by the auxiliary power motor up to the crankshaft rotation speeds X2 to X3. .

From the start (crankshaft rotation speed X0), the crankshaft rotation speed ranges X1 to X are high in efficiency as a unit.
Until the number reaches 2, since the auxiliary ratio by the auxiliary power motor is 1 for human power 1 as shown by the dotted line in the proposal of the present applicant, a high auxiliary ratio is not required when starting with the low-speed gear, Although the addition of extra auxiliary force causes waste of energy, in the improved invention, as indicated by the hatched portion in FIG. It is configured to increase the auxiliary rate. FIG. 7 (C) shows the relationship between the torque of the crankshaft and the auxiliary ratio before and after the shift, and the torque generated on the crankshaft for each revolution occupies the combined force of the auxiliary power and the human power while repeating increase and decrease. The pedaling force, that is, the ratio of human power, decreases as the crankshaft rotation speed increases. This is nothing less than an increase in the assistance rate.

FIG. 9 is a control flow chart of the control circuit such as the microcomputer 51 for optimizing the unit efficiency of the auxiliary power motor as described above according to the present invention. After determining whether there is an abnormality in the crankshaft, the crankshaft rotation speed is detected, and then the magnitude of the crank torque is detected by a human-power-detecting torque sensor. The motor driver 54 that drives the auxiliary power motor 56 to supply the power is operated (FIG. 8). In the assist processing section, FIG.
Control is performed to gradually increase the auxiliary ratio at X0 to X1 after the start, and the auxiliary power motor sets the auxiliary ratio to zero or a very low value in a portion where the crankshaft rotational speed is low, such as at the time of start, to increase the unit speed. The auxiliary power motor 56 is controlled so that the auxiliary rate is gradually increased below a predetermined value until the crankshaft rotation speed at which the efficiency is increased. Here, the shift stage read by the shift motor rotation sensor 40 in FIG. 5 is input to increase the assist ratio from the auxiliary power motor 56 in accordance with the upshift. That is, control is performed to drive the motor driver 54 in FIG. 8 to gradually increase the driving force generated by the auxiliary power motor 56.

Next, regarding the automatic transmission, which is another important configuration of the present invention, the crankshaft rotation speed is reduced by watching only the crankshaft rotation speed, as shown in FIGS.
In the case where the speed deviates from the optimum value in the range of X4 to X5 in the above, if the value is larger than the optimum value, the gear should be set to the high-speed gear. If the gear is not the top gear, the gear is shifted up. If the rotational speed of the crankshaft is smaller than the optimum value, the gear should be set to the low gear, and if the gear is not the low gear, the gear is downshifted.

FIG. 10 shows a detailed control flow of the shift-up or shift-down processing section in the control flow of FIG. 9 described above. When the running speed decreases when the bicycle approaches a turning angle or a slope, the current gear position is changed. After determining that the predetermined unit efficiency is not satisfied and the shift position is appropriate, the setting of the jump speed is also determined, and the pulse motor is constituted by the amount required on the plus side or the minus side according to the moving amount. By driving the speed change motor 43, the automatic speed change is performed to the optimum gear. When the speed decreases and the automatic transmission shifts down,
When the vehicle stops, it reaches the low gear, and when it restarts, it can start in the low gear.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, within the scope of the present invention, the type of the auxiliary power motor, the type of the speed reducer, the method of detecting the torque of the crankshaft, the type of the automatic transmission, and the Speed change method by speed change motor, etc.
The method of detecting the number of revolutions of the crankshaft and the like can be appropriately selected.

[0020]

As described above in detail, according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, in a bicycle with an auxiliary power, which is configured to automatically shift a transmission and to obtain auxiliary power, The auxiliary ratio from the auxiliary power is increased in accordance with an increase in the crankshaft rotation speed or an upshift accompanying an automatic transmission, so that the efficiency as a unit of the motor as the auxiliary power after the start is high. In the meantime, the auxiliary rate can be gradually increased from zero to the maximum auxiliary rate according to the increase in the crankshaft rotation speed after starting or the shift up accompanying automatic transmission, and unnecessary jumping at the time of starting can be prevented. In addition to this, the auxiliary power can be reduced from low speed to the maximum auxiliary rate, so that the motor current can be reduced to reduce the cost of motor brushes, etc. The size of the battery can be reduced and the mileage can be improved, and the part with a low assist ratio is set to the low gear by the automatic transmission, which prevents the pedaling force from increasing like a non-optimal gear position and provides a light feeling. can get. This can be said to simultaneously satisfy low power consumption and lightness. Furthermore, the driving feeling by the auxiliary power is also natural and the feeling of discomfort is eliminated.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in a bicycle with auxiliary power configured to automatically shift the transmission and obtain auxiliary power, the auxiliary power unit has a crankshaft rotation speed in a predetermined range in which the efficiency of the auxiliary power unit is the best. As described above, the transmission is automatically shifted, so that the transmission is automatically shifted so that the vehicle can travel in a place where the unit efficiency of the auxiliary power motor is high by watching only the crankshaft rotation speed. As a result, the automatic transmission can be simplified, the consumption of the battery can be reduced, the running distance can be increased, and running with an appropriate gear ratio can effectively eliminate the insufficient torque and the insufficient number of revolutions of the auxiliary power motor.

Further, in the bicycle with auxiliary power configured to integrate the first, second, and third inventions to automatically shift the transmission and to obtain auxiliary power, the crankshaft rotation after the start is started. The auxiliary power unit is configured to increase an auxiliary ratio from the auxiliary power in accordance with an increase in the number of gears or an upshift accompanying an automatic transmission, and the speed change is performed so that the efficiency of the auxiliary power unit falls within a predetermined range of the crankshaft rotation speed. By automatically shifting the machine, the effects of the above-described inventions are synergistically provided, and a more excellent bicycle with auxiliary power is provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an auxiliary powered bicycle according to the present invention, and is an overall side view of the auxiliary powered bicycle of the present invention equipped with an automatic transmission.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a transmission case (reduction gear) which is a transmission system of the bicycle with auxiliary power according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional plan view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a torque detector of the transmission system of the bicycle with auxiliary power according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a transmission drive unit of the transmission system of the bicycle with auxiliary power according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a rear wheel and a rear wheel transmission of the bicycle with auxiliary power according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the auxiliary ratio of the auxiliary power motor and the crankshaft rotation speed of its unit efficiency in the present invention, and the diagram showing the relationship between the torque of the crankshaft and the auxiliary ratio before and after shifting.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a control unit in the bicycle with auxiliary power according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a control flowchart of a control unit in the bicycle with auxiliary power according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a detailed control flow chart of a shift-up or shift-down processing unit in the control flow of FIG. 9;

[Explanation of symbols]

 1-4 Transmission case 5 Face cam cone 6 Driving disk 7 Follower disk 8 Torque plate 9 Crank shaft 10 Ratchet 11 Ratchet spring 13, 14 Belt pulley 15 C gear 16 D gear 18 E gear 20 Coil spring 21 Stopper plate 22 Sprocket Reference Signs List 23 Human power detection torque sensor 24 Coil spring 30 Auxiliary power drive unit 31 Transmission drive unit 32 Battery 33 Transmission hub 35 Rear wheel sprocket 36 Transmission wire lock nut 37 Transmission pulley 38 Transmission wire 39 Bracket 40 Transmission motor rotation sensor 41 Pulley 42 Reduction gear 43 speed change motor 44 speed change drive unit case 50 crankshaft rotation sensor 51 microcomputer 52 display LED 53, 54 motor driver 56 auxiliary power motor 57 power switch

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Toshiharu Furukawa 3-1-1 Nakatsuma, Ageo-shi, Saitama Bridgestone Cycle Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yuki Sato 3-1-1 Nakatsuma, Ageo-shi, Saitama Bridge Toncycle Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An auxiliary power-assisted bicycle configured to automatically shift a transmission and to obtain auxiliary power, wherein an auxiliary ratio from the auxiliary power is changed in accordance with a crankshaft rotation speed. Characteristic bicycle with auxiliary power. 2. A bicycle with auxiliary power configured to automatically shift the transmission and to obtain auxiliary power, wherein the auxiliary power is used in response to an increase in the crankshaft rotation speed after starting or a shift-up accompanying the automatic transmission. An auxiliary powered bicycle, characterized in that the auxiliary rate is increased. 3. A bicycle with auxiliary power configured to automatically shift the transmission and to obtain auxiliary power, wherein the transmission is controlled so that the efficiency of the auxiliary power unit is within a predetermined range of crankshaft rotation speed. An auxiliary powered bicycle characterized by automatic shifting. 4. An auxiliary power-assisted bicycle configured to automatically shift a transmission and to obtain auxiliary power, wherein the auxiliary power is increased in response to an increase in crankshaft rotation speed after starting or an upshift accompanying the automatic shift. A bicycle with auxiliary power, wherein the transmission is automatically shifted so that the auxiliary power unit has a high efficiency within a predetermined range of crankshaft rotation speed.