JPH11227669A - Bicycle with electrically assisting power device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the power of a battery from being wastefully consumed by operating a motor with approx. the maximum efficiency always during the run. SOLUTION: A bicycle with an electrically assisting power device is composed of a body on which a front wheel and a rear wheel are mounted and a reduction gear device 300 having a motor 40 and a gear ratio adjusting mechanism 350, and is equipped with an electric assisting power device attached to th body, a motor drive circuit to adjust the input to the motor 40, an adjusting mechanism driving means (stepping motor 330 etc.), to adjust the gear ratio, a bicycle speed sensing means to sense the speed of bicycle, and a stamping force sensing means (torque sensor 100) to sense the stamping force of the pedal. Using the motor drive circuit and adjusting mechanism driving means, the input to the motor 40 and the gear ratio of the reduction gear device 300 are regulated in accordance with the bicycle speed and stamping force varying during the run so that the efficiency of the motor 40 maximizes substantially, and the motor 40 is operated always with the max. efficiency so as to prevent the battery power from being wastefully consumed.

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 Recently, a bicycle with an electric assisted power device (hereinafter simply referred to as a bicycle) has been developed and used which assists the running of the electric motor by assisting the rotational force, that is, the power, of the electric motor in accordance with the pedaling force of the pedal. I have. And this kind of bicycle is
The depression force of the pedals of the cranks provided at both ends of the crankshaft is converted into the rotation force of the crankshaft, the rotation force of the crankshaft, and the rotation of the hollow shaft to which the rotation force (power) of the electric motor is transmitted via the reduction gear. The difference from the force is converted into a mechanical change by a means for converting the difference into a mechanical change (hereinafter simply referred to as a converting means), and this change is transmitted to a torque detecting means, that is, a pedal force detecting means, and the pedal force of the pedal is transmitted. The output of the motor is controlled by the control means in accordance with the output of the pedaling force detecting means, and the control means controls the output of the electric motor to assist in the turning force in accordance with the pedaling force of the pedal depressed during running. It is something that can be done.

[0003] An electric auxiliary power unit (hereinafter simply referred to as a power unit) is composed of an electric motor and a reduction gear comprising a plurality of gears and the like, and the reduction ratio of the reduction gear is constant, that is, fixed. It is said that.
On the other hand, while the bicycle is running, the running speed and the force of depressing the pedal, that is, the stepping force, change depending on the condition of the running road surface such as uphill, downhill, flat surface, etc. In many cases, the drive is performed in an inefficient state because the drive, that is, the drive is performed.

When the battery is driven in an inefficient state as described above, a storage battery (hereinafter referred to as a battery) for supplying electric power to the electric motor.
Power is wasted, and power consumption is increased. This means that the running time is shortened by one charging, and the charging must be performed frequently.

[0005]

As described above, in the conventional bicycle, since the reduction ratio of the reduction gear is set to be constant, the traveling speed and the pedaling force change depending on the condition of the traveling road surface and the like, so that the electric motor is not used. Since the load is driven in a light load or overload state, that is, an inefficient state, battery power is wasted, and
Since the power consumption is increased, there is a problem that the running time in one charging is shortened and the charging must be performed frequently.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the invention according to claim 1 is driven by supplying power from a storage battery to a vehicle body provided with front wheels and rear wheels. A speed reducer having an electric motor and a speed reduction ratio adjustment mechanism mounted on the vehicle body; an adjustment mechanism driving means for adjusting the speed reduction ratio of the speed reduction ratio adjustment mechanism; and a motor drive for controlling the electric motor by adjusting the input of the electric motor. A circuit, a vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a vehicle speed, a pedaling force detecting means for detecting a pedaling force of the pedal, and a control means, wherein the control means adjusts the electric motor driving circuit in accordance with the vehicle speed and the pedaling force which change during traveling. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bicycle with an electric auxiliary power unit configured to control an input of the electric motor and a reduction ratio of a reduction gear so as to maximize a motor efficiency by controlling a mechanism driving unit.

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the reduction gear is provided with the reduction ratio adjusting mechanism, the adjustment mechanism driving means for adjusting the reduction ratio of the reduction ratio adjusting mechanism is provided, and the input of the electric motor is adjusted. An electric motor drive circuit for controlling the electric motor is provided, and the electric motor drive circuit and the adjusting mechanism drive so as to maximize the efficiency of the electric motor in accordance with the vehicle speed and the pedaling force detected by the vehicle speed detecting means and the pedaling force detecting means that change during traveling. Since the input of the motor and the reduction ratio of the reduction gear are adjusted by the means, the motor has an effect that the motor can always be driven with almost maximum efficiency during traveling.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a speed reducer mounted on a vehicle body having a vehicle body provided with a front wheel and a rear wheel, an electric motor driven by supply of electric power from a storage battery, and a reduction ratio adjusting mechanism. Adjusting mechanism driving means for adjusting the reduction ratio of the reduction ratio adjusting mechanism; an electric motor driving circuit for controlling the electric motor by adjusting the input of the electric motor; a vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the vehicle speed; and detecting a pedaling force of the pedal. Stepping force detection means, and first storage means storing reduction ratio data that maximizes the efficiency of the electric motor, which is obtained in advance corresponding to the vehicle speed and the pedaling force of the vehicle speed detection means and the pedaling force detection means, A second storage means for storing the input data of the motor that maximizes the efficiency of the motor, which is obtained in advance corresponding to the vehicle speed and the treading force of the vehicle speed detecting means and the pedaling force detecting means, respectively. And a control means, and the control mechanism drives the speed reduction ratio data stored in the first storage means corresponding to the vehicle speed from the vehicle speed detection means running and the treading force from the treading force detection means to the adjusting mechanism driving means. To the road,
By outputting the input data stored in the second storage means to the motor drive circuit, the speed of the motor is controlled in accordance with the running vehicle speed and the pedaling force which change by adjusting the reduction ratio of the reduction ratio adjusting mechanism and the input of the motor. This is a bicycle with an electric auxiliary power unit that always maximizes efficiency.

As described above, according to the second aspect of the present invention, a speed reduction device is provided with a speed reduction ratio variable mechanism, an adjustment mechanism driving means for adjusting the speed reduction ratio of the speed reduction ratio adjustment mechanism is provided, and the input of the electric motor is adjusted. A motor drive circuit for controlling the motor is provided, and the speed reduction ratio data at which the efficiency of the motor obtained in correspondence with the vehicle speed and the treading force of the vehicle speed detecting means and the treading force detecting means is maximized is stored in the first storage in the means storage. Store,
The input data of the electric motor is stored in the second storage means, and the control means stores the input data in the first storage means corresponding to the vehicle speed and the treading force based on the vehicle speed from the vehicle speed detection means and the treading force from the treading force detection means. The speed reduction ratio data output to the adjustment mechanism driving means, the input data stored in the second storage means is output to the motor drive circuit, and the speed reduction ratio of the speed reduction ratio adjustment mechanism and the input of the motor are adjusted. Therefore, the present invention has an effect that the electric motor can always be driven with substantially the maximum efficiency during traveling.

A third aspect of the present invention provides a speed reducer mounted on a vehicle body having a vehicle body provided with a front wheel and a rear wheel, an electric motor driven by supply of electric power from a storage battery, and a reduction ratio adjusting mechanism. Adjusting mechanism driving means for adjusting the reduction ratio of the reduction ratio adjusting mechanism; an electric motor driving circuit for controlling the electric motor by adjusting the input of the electric motor; a vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the vehicle speed; and detecting a pedaling force of the pedal. Treading force detecting means, and calculating means for calculating the following equation based on the changing vehicle speed and treading force to obtain input data and reduction ratio data of the motor,

(Equation 4)

[0011]

(Equation 5)

[0012]

(Equation 6)

The reduction ratio obtained by the calculation by the calculation means is output to the adjustment mechanism driving means, and the input data is output to the motor drive circuit to adjust the reduction ratio of the reduction ratio adjustment mechanism and the input of the motor. Thus, the present invention provides a bicycle with an electric auxiliary power device that always maximizes the efficiency of the electric motor in accordance with the changing vehicle speed and pedaling force during traveling.

As described above, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the reduction gear is provided with the reduction ratio adjusting mechanism, the adjustment mechanism driving means for adjusting the reduction ratio of the reduction ratio adjusting mechanism is provided, and the input of the electric motor is adjusted. An electric motor drive circuit for controlling the electric motor is provided, and input data and reduction ratio data of the electric motor are obtained based on the vehicle speed and the pedaling force which are changed by the calculating means. Since the output to the means and the input of the motor and the reduction ratio data of the reduction ratio adjusting mechanism are adjusted, the motor has the effect that the motor can always be driven with almost maximum efficiency during traveling.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the bicycle A includes a vehicle body B and a power unit C attached to the vehicle body B. And the vehicle body B
Is a general-purpose bicycle, that is, a general-purpose bicycle that is generally commercially available, and includes a standing pipe 2 and a lower pipe 3 having one end fixed to a hanger lug 1 and a head pipe 4 fixed to the other end of the lower pipe 3. A frame 6 comprising an upper pipe 5 having one end fixed to the head pipe 4 and the other end fixed to a lower portion of the standing pipe 2; a chain stay 7 having one end fixed to the hanger lug 1; A front fork 8 attached to the head pipe 4, a handle 9 attached to the upper end of the front fork 8,
The front wheel 10 is attached to the lower end of the vehicle, and one end is fixed to the upper part of the standing pipe 2 and the other end is the chain stay 7.
, A rear wheel 12 attached to the other end of the chain stay 7, a saddle 13 attached above the standing pipe 2, Receiving pedestal 14 provided above wheel 12
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. 82a
A left crank 81 and a right crank 82 (see FIG. 1) provided are attached. A battery case 15a is attached to the loading table 14, and a battery (hereinafter referred to as a battery) 15 is housed in the storage battery case 15a so as to be insertable and removable. Further, the vertical pipe 2 has a control box 16a in which a control means 400 including a control circuit including a microcomputer is housed.
Is attached. Battery 15 and control means 400
Is connected with the lead wire 17a, and the control means 400
And the electric motor 40 described later are connected by a lead wire 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. The control box 16a is provided with a drive switch (not shown) for electrically connecting the electric motor 40, the control means 400, and the battery 15.

Next, the configuration of the power plant C will be described.

The power unit C is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an electric motor 4 attached to a case 30 as a housing.
0, a reduction gear 300 including a reduction mechanism 50 and a reduction ratio adjusting mechanism 350 disposed in the case 30 for transmitting the rotational force of the electric motor 40, and a final gear of the reduction mechanism 50 of the reduction gear 300; First drive gear 5 to be meshed
6, a hollow shaft 70 having one end attached to the first drive gear 56, a crankshaft 80 provided through the hollow shaft 70, and a second drive gear 90 attached to one end of the crankshaft 80. And so on.

The case 30 is provided in the case main body 3.
1 and a case lid 32, and a case body 31 has a mounting portion 31 a for mounting the electric motor 40, a bearing mounting portion 31.
b, a bearing mounting portion 31d having a through hole 31c in the center,
A bearing mounting portion 31g is provided, and the bearing cover 31b, the through hole 31c,
Bearing mounting parts 32 respectively corresponding to the bearing mounting parts 31g
a, a through hole 32b, and a bearing mounting portion 32g. The case body 31 and the case lid 32 are integrally connected by a plurality of mounting screws 33 in a state where the speed reduction mechanism 50, the speed reduction ratio adjustment mechanism 350, and the like are housed. The case body 31 has a bearing mounting portion 31.
d, a storage portion 35 for storing and mounting a rotational force detector 100 as a treading force detecting means, which will be described later, is provided. The storage portion 35 has an opening 35a at the lid case 32 side.
A bearing 36 is attached to the opening 35 a of the storage section 35. The bearing 36 is attached to the bearing portion 35a with its axis parallel to the axes of the hollow shaft 70 and the crankshaft 80.

Next, the reduction ratio adjusting mechanism 350 will be described. The speed reduction ratio adjusting mechanism 350 is
51, a driven pulley 355, a drive pulley 351, and a V-belt 325 around which the driven pulley 355 is hung.

The drive pulley 351 is connected to a fixed pulley 352 formed integrally with the output shaft of the electric motor 40, that is, the rotary shaft 41 (or may be formed separately). Movable pulley 353
It is composed of Then, the fixed pulley 352
Is formed with a shaft 352a having a shaft center, that is, a concave / convex ridge 352b formed in the outer periphery along the axial direction while being coincident with the axis of the rotary shaft 41. The movable pulley 353 is formed with a shaft 354 protruding on the opposite side to the fixed pulley 352 side, and the movable pulley 353 is provided with a fixed shaft extending over the movable pulley 353 and the shaft 354. Shaft hole 354a opening on the side of pulley 352
Are formed along the axial direction on the inner wall of the shaft hole 354a.
2b with ridges 354 slidably fitted along the axial direction
b is formed.

The surfaces of the fixed pulley 352 and the movable pulley 353 facing each other are made closer to each other toward the center so that V-shaped belt grooves 351a are formed by the both facing surfaces.

The movable pulley 353 approaches and separates from the fixed pulley 352 by sliding its shaft hole 354a in the axial direction of the shaft 352a. Fixed pulley 35
The groove width of the belt groove 351a formed by the opposed surfaces of the movable pulley 2 and the movable pulley 353 is variable, that is, adjustable.

The mounting shaft 35 is provided on the bottom wall of the shaft 354.
4d is provided, and the inner ring of the ball bearing 310 is press-fitted into the mounting shaft 354d, and the ball bearing 310 is prevented from coming off by a screw 331 mounted on the tip of the mounting shaft 354d.

The outer ring of the ball bearing 310 is press-fitted into the open inner periphery of a bottomed cylindrical bearing case 320 having one end, that is, the movable pulley 353 opened. A detection piece 322 is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the bottom wall of the bearing case 320.
Reference numeral 2 denotes a state in which a stepping motor 330 described later rotates and is located at a home position, that is, a movable pulley 353.
Is farthest from the fixed pulley 352, and the belt groove is 351a.
When the groove width becomes the largest, it is located at the rightmost position in FIG. 2 (the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2).

A support projection 32d is provided on the case lid 32, and a position sensor 260 is provided at a tip of the support projection 32d. When the stepping motor 330 is located at the home position, and outputs a detection signal
The information is output to 401.

Next, the driven pulley 355 is
7 includes a fixed pulley 356 formed integrally with (or may be configured as a separate body of) a movable pulley 358 that approaches and separates from the fixed pulley 356.

A gear 3 is provided at one end of the shaft 357.
57a is provided, and the inner ring of the ball bearing 312 is press-fitted into its end.

The other end of the shaft 357, on the side of the fixed pulley 356, is formed along the axial direction with a plurality of ridges 357b. The inner ring of the bearing 313 is press-fitted.

The movable pulley 358 has a central portion formed with a through hole 358c formed with an uneven ridge 358a slidably fitted to an uneven ridge 357b formed on the shaft 357. The opposing surfaces of the fixed pulley 356 and the movable pulley 358 are made closer toward the center so that a V-shaped belt groove 355a is formed by the opposing surfaces.

The movable pulley 358 can approach / separate from the fixed pulley 358 because the concave / convex shape 358a formed in the through hole 358c slides in the axial direction with the concave / convex ridge 357b formed on the shaft 357. The width of the belt groove 355a formed by the opposing surfaces of the fixed pulley 356 and the movable pulley 358 opposing each other can be varied by the approach / separation.

The driven pulley 355 press-fits the outer ring of the ball bearing 312 press-fitted into one end of the shaft 357 into the bearing mounting portion 31g provided in the case body 31, and also has the other end. The outer ring of the ball bearing 313 press-fitted into the
At the time of coupling, the bearing mounting portion 32g is press-fitted and is mounted in the case 30. When the ball bearing 313 is press-fitted into the shaft 357, the movable pulley 358 is disposed so as to face the fixed pulley 36 through the shaft 357 in the through hole 358c, and the movable pulley 358 is connected to the other end of the other end. The movable pulley 358 is fixed to the fixed pulley 35 between the ball bearing 313 and the fixed pulley 35.
A coil spring 359 that is constantly biased is arranged on the sixth side.

The belt groove 351a of the driving pulley 351 and the belt groove 355a of the driven pulley 355 have V
The belt 325 is hung, and the rotational force of the driving pulley 351 is transmitted to the driven pulley 355 via the V-belt 325.

The diameter of the belt groove 351a of the driving pulley 351 on which the V-belt 325 is suspended is determined by the distance that the movable pulley 353 approaches the fixed pulley 352.
The amount of separation, that is, the fixed pulley 352 of the movable pulley 353
When the diameter of the belt groove 351a of the fixed pulley 351 is determined, the tension of the V-belt 325 rotated by this diameter changes, and the change in the tension of the V-belt 325 causes the coil spring 359 to change. The movable pulley 358 urged by the
The belt groove 35 moves so as to approach and separate from the belt groove 35.
The width of the groove 5a changes, and the V belt 325 of the belt groove 355a changes.
Also, the diameter over which the bridge is formed changes, and the reduction ratio also changes.

Next, the speed reduction mechanism 50 which constitutes one of the speed reduction devices is provided with a gear 54 meshing with a gear 357a provided on a shaft 357 of the driven pulley 355, and a gear 54a which is the same as the gear 54. The first drive gear 56 is meshed with the gear 55. The gear 54 and the gear 55
The ball bearings 54c and 54d are attached to both ends of the shaft 54a to which the
c and 54d are attached to first bearing attachment portions 31b and 32a provided on the case body 31 and 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. That is, the one-way clutch 54b is operated by the pedals 81a and 82a during the manual driving described later.
When the cranks 81 and 82 to which are mounted are rotated in the traveling direction, they function so as to idle.

Next, adjustment mechanism driving means for adjusting the reduction ratio of the reduction ratio adjusting mechanism 350 will be described.

The adjusting mechanism driving means comprises a stepping motor 330, a speed reducer 331, a jack 340, the bearing case 320 and the like.

The stepping motor 330 is attached to the case lid 32, and the stepping motor 330 is connected to the jack 340 via the speed reducer 331.
Is rotated. The base and the tip of the rotary shaft 341 are rotatably supported by bearings (not shown) provided at the tips of the bearing posts 32h and 32i provided on the case lid 32. A right-hand screw 341a extends from the center to the base, and a left-hand screw 341 extends from the center to the base.
Further, moving bodies 343 and 344 having female screws formed to be screwed into the right-hand screw 341a and the left-hand screw 34b are provided on the rotating shaft 341 at a predetermined distance from each other.

When the rotating shaft 341 rotates clockwise, the moving bodies 343 and 344 move along the rotating shaft 341 in a direction away from each other.
Are rotated counterclockwise, the moving bodies 343 and 344
Move along the rotation axis 341 in a direction approaching each other.

One end of operating rods 345 and 346 are rotatably attached to the moving bodies 343 and 344, and both ends of the other ends of operating rods 345 and 346 are provided on a coupling plate 348. The connecting plate 348 is fixedly attached to the bottom wall of the bearing case 320.

The stepping motor 330
Is rotated clockwise, the rotation shaft 341 of the jack 340 is also rotated clockwise via the speed reducer 331. In this case, the two moving bodies 343 and 344 of the jack 340 are rotated.
Are separated from each other, and when the stepping motor 330 rotates counterclockwise, the rotation shaft 341 of the jack 340 also rotates counterclockwise.
3 and 344 are close to each other.

Therefore, the stepping motor 330
Are rotated clockwise, the two moving bodies 343 and 34
4 are separated from each other, the coupling plate 348 is
The movable pulley 353 moves in a direction approaching the rotary shaft 341 through the shafts 45 and 346, thereby moving the bearing case 320 in a direction approaching the rotary shaft 341, so that the movable pulley 353 moves away from the fixed pulley 352. As a result, the belt groove 351 of the drive pulley 351 becomes wide, and conversely, when the stepping motor 330 rotates counterclockwise, the two-time moving bodies 343 and 344 move in directions approaching each other. The coupling plate 3
48 is a rotary shaft 341 via operating rods 345 and 346.
, The bearing case 320 also moves in a direction away from the rotating shaft 341 with the movement of the coupling plate 348, and the movable pulley 353 is fixed to the fixed pulley 352.
Side, and as a result, the belt groove 35 of the driving pulley 351
1 is becoming narrower.

Next, the operation of adjusting the reduction ratio of the reduction ratio adjusting mechanism 350 by the adjusting mechanism driving means will be described.

Assuming that the stepping motor 330 is rotated clockwise a predetermined number of steps, the moving bodies 343 and 344 of the jack 340 are separated from each other by a predetermined distance. As a result, the connecting plate 348 is connected to the operating rod 3.
The movable pulley 353 moves away from the fixed pulley 352 by a predetermined distance via the 45 and 346 through the predetermined distance, and the groove width of the belt groove 351a is widened and the diameter of the V belt 325 is reduced. As a result, the tension applied to the V belt 325 decreases, and the driven pulley 35
5, that is, the acting force applied to the opposing surfaces of the fixed pulley 356 and the movable pulley becomes smaller, and the movable pulley 358 approaches the fixed pulley 356 side by the urging force of the coil spring 359, and the diameter of the V groove 355a of the belt groove 355a is hung. growing. As a result, the deceleration ratio decreases.

Conversely, the stepping motor 33
If 0 is rotated a predetermined number of steps in the counterclockwise direction, the moving bodies 343 and 344 of the jack 340 approach each other by a predetermined distance. This allows the coupling plate 34
8 moves in a direction away from the rotation shaft 341 by a predetermined distance via operating rods 345 and 346, and
Also moves a predetermined distance to the fixed pulley 352 side, and the belt groove 35
The width of 1a is reduced and the diameter on which the V-belt 325 is hung is increased. As a result, the tension applied to the V-belt 325 increases, the acting force applied to the opposing surface between the fixed pulley 356 of the driven pulley 355 and the movable pulley increases, and the movable pulley 358 resists the urging force of the coil spring 359. , And the diameter of the belt groove 355a on which the V-belt 359 is hung becomes smaller. As a result, the deceleration ratio increases.

That is, the stepping motor 330
By controlling the rotation direction and the rotation step, the diameter around which the drive pulley 351, the driven pulley 356, and the V-belt 325 are hung can be changed, whereby the reduction ratio can be changed or adjusted.

A shaft hole 56a is formed at the center of the first drive gear 56 which meshes with the gear 55 of the speed reduction mechanism 50. The shaft hole 56a has an uneven groove 56c extending in the axial direction. Are formed. Also, the first drive gear 5
6, a plurality of (three in the embodiment, only two in FIG. 3 shown) concentrically arranged with the shaft hole 56a as shown in FIG. An L-shaped regulating member 58 for regulating one end of the driving spring 60 is formed.

Next, the power of the electric motor 40, which is fitted and attached to the shaft hole 56a formed in the first drive gear 56 and transmitted through the reduction ratio adjusting mechanism 350 and the reduction mechanism 50, is transmitted by a sprocket. The hollow shaft 70 transmitting to the shaft 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 at one end side.
In the state in which the first drive gear 56 is fitted into the first drive gear 56, the first drive gear 56 is prevented from rotating in the circumferential direction by the engagement of the concave and convex strips 56c and 72.

An uneven ridge 73 is formed on the outer periphery of the other end. The uneven ridge 73 is formed on the mounting member 18a to which the sprocket 18 is mounted.
It is formed so as to match b. Further, the hollow shaft 70 is mounted by press-fitting the vicinity of the concave and convex strips 72 formed on the one end side into the inner ring of the ball bearing 77, and the hollow shaft 70 is provided with a through hole provided in the case main body 31. The ball bearing 77 is attached to the case main body 31 by passing the outer ring of the ball bearing 77 into the second bearing mounting portion 31d provided on the case main body 31 while press-fitting the outer ring of the ball bearing 77.

Next, a description will be given of a crankshaft 80 which penetrates the through hole 71 of the hollow shaft 70 and is mounted via bearings 73a and 73b. At one end of the crankshaft 80, a fitting portion 8 having an outer periphery formed in a prismatic shape is provided.
At the other end side, a fitting portion 84a having a prismatic outer periphery and a fitting portion 84a projecting from the fitting portion 84a are formed. The mounting portions 84 are respectively formed by the provided screw portions 84b. 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. 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 first drive gear 56 Therefore, the second drive gear 90 rotates synchronously with the first drive gear 56 while relatively moving. Also, the second drive gear 90
Is removed, the second drive gear 90 is returned to the initial state by the urging force of the drive spring 60.

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 a direction in which the second driven gear 220 rotates during traveling.
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.
3a is in contact with the 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 150a which urges the operating member 140 in the protruding direction. ing.

Next, the second driven gear 220 is composed of a gear portion 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 portion 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.

The surface of the gear portion 221 that faces the gear portion 211 of the first driven gear 210 corresponds to the projection 215 formed on the first driven gear 210 and is formed on the projection 215. Three projections 225 having an inclined surface 225a that is in sliding contact with the formed inclined 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 150a which urges the rotating shaft 212 of the first driven gear 210 via an operating body 140, which will be described later, constitute a contacting / separating 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 attached to 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 150a. Inclined surface 21 of protrusion 215
The first driven gear 210 and the second driven gear 220 are stationary, that is, no relative movement occurs between the first driven gear 210 and the second driven gear 220 without compressing the drive spring 60. In the state, the first driven gear 21
The zero driven gear 220 and the second driven gear 220 contact each other at an intermediate position between the inclined surfaces 215a and 225a.

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 150a 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. The amount of protrusion from the bearing 36 decreases. Conversely, when the pedaling force of the pedals 81a and 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 2
10 is separated from the second driven gear 220 and the rotating shaft 212
Projecting 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
The operation of converting the pedaling force a into a mechanical change amount will be described.

First, during running of the bicycle, when the vehicle is running at an equal acceleration state on flat ground or the like, the pedal 81a,
Since the pedaling force of the crankshaft 82a is extremely small,
Does not exceed a predetermined value, and the second drive gear 90 is rotating in synchronization with the first drive gear 56 via the drive spring 60 which is kept almost in a non-compressed state. From this state, for example, the vehicle travels uphill or travels to accelerate, and the pedals 81a, 82a
The pedaling force applied to the pedals 81a and 82a increases, and the difference between the rotational force of the crankshaft 80 rotated by the large pedaling force and the rotational force of the hollow shaft 70 rotating while receiving a load from the rear wheel 12 is increased. The driving spring 60 is compressed in accordance with the magnitude of the difference, and the second driving gear 90 moves relative to the first driving gear 56, that is, the second driving gear 90 moves ahead, so that a phase difference occurs. When this phase difference occurs, a phase difference that is directly proportional to the phase difference occurs between the second driven gear 220 and the first driven gear 210, and the second driven gear 220 and the first driven gear 210 The first driven gear 210 is turned into the second driven gear 220
Will move so as to approach in the axial direction.
That is, the magnitude of the pedaling force of the pedals 81a and 82a is
This 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.

When running on a flat surface from running 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 driving gear 210 rotates while being kept in an initial state separated from the second driven gear 220.

Next, the crankshaft 80 is moved in accordance with the axial movement of the rotation shaft 212 of the first driven gear 210.
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
A case main body 101 composed of a lower case 110 and an upper case 120 attached to the lower case 110, a strain gauge 130 as a detection unit disposed in the case main body 101, and a rotation axis of the first driven gear 210 21
2 and the operating body 14
A coil spring that transmits the acting force received by the first driven gear 210 to the strain gauge 130 and presses the rotating shaft 212 via the operating body 140 to urge the first driven gear 210 toward the second driven gear 220. 150 and the like.

The lower case 110 is formed 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, and a diameter larger than the guide hole 126 is formed in the portion from the middle to the inner end. Hole 127 is formed. The large-diameter hole 127 has a large diameter so as not to interfere with the peripheral wall of the hole 127 when the coil spring 150 expands and contracts.

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

Next, the four strain gauges R1 to R4 made of a thin film are attached to the surface of a strain generating body 131 made of, for example, aluminum, with an insulating film interposed therebetween, or the strain gauge 130 is arranged by 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 resistors R1 and R1 of the bridge W
3 and the connection point between the resistors R4 and R2 are connected to a power supply via lead wires 132a and 132b.
Also, the connection point between the resistors R1 and R4 is
A connection point between R3 and R3 is an output end, and an output from this output end, that is, an electrical output corresponding to the magnitude of the treading force, that is, the treading force, is sent to the amplifier 136 via the lead wires 133a and 133b. The amplified signal from the amplifier 136 is sent to the control means 400.

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. .

A step 145 for receiving the end of the coil spring 150 is formed at the distal end 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 configured as described above is provided on the case main body 31 and is mounted in the storage section 35 through a through hole 113 by a mounting screw (not shown).

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, the electrical output from the bridge W, that is, the pedaling force, which accompanies the change in the resistance value, is taken out.

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. At this reference value, the motor 40 is controlled by the control means 400 and a motor drive circuit 404 to be described later so as to be in a stopped state.

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 5
6 and the second drive gear 90, a relative movement occurs between the first driven gear 210 and the second driven gear 220, and the first driven gear 210 is moved to the second driven gear 220. When approaching, the rotating shaft 212 moves with the operating body 1
The flexure element 131 moves away from the actuator 40 and is applied via the operating body 140 and the coil spring 150.
Of the flexure element 1 with the decrease of the bending force.
31 is restored, and as a result, the resistance values of the resistors R1 to R4 of the bridge W change, and an electrical output corresponding to the change is output from the bridge W. This output is amplified by the amplifier 136 and transmitted to the control means 400. Sent.

As shown in FIG. 3, the power unit C is provided with a speed detector 250 as a vehicle speed detecting means, and this speed detector 250 uses a well-known magnetic sensor. The detection unit (not shown) of the detector 250 is disposed close to the teeth of the drive gear 56, and the pulse per unit time of the pulse signal generated each time the teeth of the drive gear 56 approaches the detection unit by the rotation of the drive gear 56. The vehicle speed is detected based on the number, and the output, that is, the vehicle speed value is output to the control unit 400.

Next, the control of the motor 40 and the reduction ratio of the reduction ratio adjusting mechanism 350 are adjusted based on the pedaling force from the torque detector 100 and the vehicle speed from the speed detector 250, so that the efficiency of the motor 40 is always improved. A control configuration for controlling in the best state will be described.

First, FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the bicycle A. In the figure, reference numeral 400 denotes control means, and this control means 400 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit).
401, ROM (read only memory) 402 storing various control programs, RAM (random access memory) 403 storing various data and the like
And so on.

The motor 40 according to the present embodiment
Is a type in which the input current is controlled by controlling the pulse width of the input to control the output (hereinafter referred to as PWM control). The input current is controlled by varying the pulse width of a pulse having a frequency of 10 KHz. Variable output control.

The RAM 403 is provided with a first file 410 as a first storage unit, a second file 420 as a second storage unit, and a third file 430 as a third storage unit. The first file 410 stores the vehicle speeds (Km) as shown in Table 1.
/ H) of 2 Km / h to 12 Km / h, and the pulse width as input data for determining the input to be supplied to the electric motor 40 corresponding to the pedal force (Kg) of 9.4 Kg to 31.3 Kg. 0.21 to 1.00
(For example, the pulse width corresponding to the vehicle speed of 6 km / h and the pedaling force of 31.3 kg is 0.74).

[0088]

[Table 1]

Further, as shown in Table 2, the second file 420 has values of 2 Km / h to 12 Km / h for each vehicle speed (Km / h) and 9.4 K for the pedal effort (Kg) of the pedal.
g to 31.3 Kg, corresponding to reduction gear ratio values 111 to 165 as reduction gear ratio data of the reduction gear 300 (for example, a vehicle speed of 6 km / h and a pedaling force of 31.3 K).
The reduction ratio corresponding to g is set to 191).

[0090]

[Table 2]

Note that the pulse width and the reduction ratio values in Table 1 and Table 2 correspond to the pulse width values and the reduction ratio values corresponding to the motors used in Table 1 and Table 2 when the vehicle speed and the pedaling force are used. Then, the motor operates at a substantially high efficiency, and is set by actually obtaining a motor having the same characteristics.

Here, how to find the pulse width and the reduction ratio will be described.

First, in a motor controlled by PWM,
FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the torque and the rotation speed for each pulse width of the input current. FIG. 7 shows torque (Kg-c) on the horizontal axis.
m), the vertical axis represents the number of revolutions, and the pulse width is 20% (when the energization is 20% in one palace width), 40%, 6%
Curves when 0%, 80% and 100% are set, a curve a is a pulse width of 20%, and a curve b is a pulse width of 4%.
0%, curve c is a curve with a pulse width of 60%, curve d is a pulse width with a pulse width of 80%, and curve e is a curve with a pulse width of 100%.

The approximate expressions of the curve a having a pulse width of 20% and the curve e having a pulse width of 100% are obtained as follows: N = -149.6T + 730.9, N =
-165.41T + 1779.3, N = -186.13
T + 2898.6, N = -214.7T + 3670.
3, N = −233.13T + 5178.4.

FIG. 8 shows the characteristics of the efficiency with respect to the torque of the motor depending on the pulse width. FIG. 8 shows the curve a when the pulse width of the input current is 20%, and the curve b shows the pulse width when the pulse width is 20%. 40%, curve c has a pulse width of 60%, curve d has a pulse width of 80%, and curve e has a pulse width of 100%.
It is a curve in case of.

Then, the torque of the motor at the point of maximum efficiency at each pulse width is obtained from FIG. 8, and the relationship between the pulse width and the torque is shown by a curve a in FIG. Is obtained, the following equation (1) is obtained, and this approximate curve is a curve b in FIG. In Equation (1), P is a pulse width, and T is a torque (Kg-cm).

[0097]

(Equation 7)

Further, the torque at the maximum efficiency obtained in FIG. 8 is substituted into the above-described approximate expressions obtained in FIG. 7 to obtain the torque at the point of maximum efficiency of the electric motor and the number of rotations thereof. Fig. 1 shows a plot with the horizontal axis and the number of rotations as the vertical axis.
0, or an approximate expression of this curve is the following expression (2), and this approximate curve is a curve b in FIG. In the equation (2), N is a rotation speed (rpm),
T is the torque (Km-cm).

[0099]

(Equation 8)

If the pedaling force of the current person and the assisting force of the electric motor are set to 1: 1, the required output W (watt) of the electric motor is expressed by the following equation (3). In equation (3), N is the number of revolutions (rpm), T is the torque (Km-cm), and η is the mechanical efficiency.

[0101]

(Equation 9)

Here, assuming that the mechanical efficiency η is 0.83, the above equation (3) becomes the following equation (3-1).

[0103]

(Equation 10)

The vehicle speed S (Km / h) of the bicycle is a constant determined by the rotational speed of the electric motor N (rpm), the reduction ratio K, the diameter of the bicycle wheel, and the ratio between the sprocket and the rear wheel gear. If α is given, it can be expressed by the following equation (4).

[0105]

[Equation 11]

The pedaling force F (Kg) of the human pedal can be expressed by the following equation (5), where T (Km-cm) is the torque of the electric motor, K is the reduction ratio, and β is the length of the crank of the bicycle. .

[0107]

(Equation 12)

The value of α was 0.378 (when the diameter of the wheel was 26 inches, the number of teeth of the sprocket was 32, and the number of teeth of the rear wheel was 14), and the value of β was 16.5 cm. From the equations (3-1), (4), and (5), the relationship among the required output W, the vehicle speed S, and the pedaling force F of the electric motor can be expressed as the following equation (6).

[0109]

(Equation 13)

Next, Table 3 shows the required output W of the motor obtained from the vehicle speed S and the pedaling force F according to the equation (6).

[0111]

[Table 3]

From Table 3, for example, the pedaling force is 31.3K.
g, the required motor output at a vehicle speed of 6 km / h is 1
0. 18 watts. And, the output of the motor is 1
Curve c in FIG. 10 shows the relationship between the torque and the number of revolutions at a constant value of 0. 18 watts. The approximate expression of the curve c can be expressed by the following expression (7), and the curve of the approximate expression (7) is a curve d in FIG.

[0113]

[Equation 14]

As described above, since the approximate curve of the maximum efficiency of the motor is the curve b in FIG. 10, the curve b and the curve d
From the intersection, that is, the coordinates, or if the above equation (2) is equal to the equation (7), the pedaling force is set to 31.3K.
g, the torque T at the maximum efficiency of the electric motor when the required output is obtained at a vehicle speed of 6 km / h is 2.7 (Kg-c
m), and the rotation speed N is obtained as 3030 (rpm).

Further, the torque T is 2.7 (Kg-c
By substituting the value of m) into the above equation (1), a pulse width of 0.74 at this time can be obtained, and 3030 (rpm) is substituted for the rotation speed N in the equation (4), or
Alternatively, the reduction ratio 191 can be obtained by substituting 2.7 (Kg-cm) into the torque T in the equation (5).

Similarly, the required output W of the motor when the pedaling force F and the vehicle speed S are obtained, and the pulse widths corresponding to the vehicle speed S and the pedaling force F are shown in Table 1 above. Table 2 shows the ratio.

That is, while the bicycle A is traveling, the vehicle speed detector 2
According to the vehicle speed detected at 50 and the pedaling force detected by the torque detector 100, the pulse width of the maximum efficiency of the electric motor 40 corresponding to the vehicle speed and the pedaling force is shown in Table 1 and the reduction ratio is shown in Table 2.
Can be determined from

In the first file 410, an input for maximizing the efficiency of the motor 40 at this time is determined in accordance with the contents of Table 1 above, that is, the values of the vehicle speed S and the pedaling force F, respectively. In the second file 420, the efficiency of the electric motor 40 at this time corresponds to the contents of Table 2 above, that is, the values of the vehicle speed S and the pedaling force F. The value of the reduction ratio that determines the input that maximizes the efficiency is set.

Further, the CPU 401 is supplied with respective detection values from the torque detector 100, the speed detector 250 and the position sensor 260. The position sensor 260 detects the position of the home position of the stepping motor 330 by detecting the detected piece 322 as described above, and
01, and when the power supply to the motor 40 is stopped for some reason, when the stepping motor 330 has not returned to the home position, that is, the movable pulley 353 is farthest from the fixed pulley 352. When it is not at the depressed position, the CPU 401 returns the stepping motor 330 to the home position, moves the movable pulley 353 of the driving pulley 351 to the position farthest from the fixed pulley 352, and the state where the reduction ratio is the smallest. (The diameter of the driving pulley 351 over which the V belt 325 is hung is the smallest, and the V belt 325 of the driven pulley 355 is the smallest.
In a state where the diameter of the bridge is the largest). As a result, after the power supply to the electric motor 40 is stopped during traveling, it is possible to prevent a rapid start when the power is supplied again.

In the third file 430, the number of steps of the stepping motor 330 is set in correspondence with the value of the reduction ratio set in the second file 420. In order to obtain a reduction ratio set corresponding to the vehicle speed value and the pedaling force value from the speed detector 250 and the pedaling force detector 100 during traveling or the like, that is, a reduction ratio between the driving pulley 351 and the driven pulley 355, The driving pulley 351 is set so that the movable pulley 353 moves toward or away from the fixed pulley 352.
That is, the CPU 401 reads out the reduction ratio set in the second file 420, and reads out the third file 430
From the above, the number of steps set corresponding to the read reduction ratio is read, and the number of steps currently rotating from the current home position of the stepping motor 330 is added or subtracted from the number of steps, and the number of steps is clockwise or counterclockwise. By rotating clockwise, the drive pulley 35
1 and the reduction ratio of the driven pulley 355 is used as the read reduction ratio.

This reduction ratio is a reduction ratio at which the electric motor 40 is driven at the maximum efficiency.

The CPU 401 is a motor driving circuit 4 constituted by a well-known PWM control circuit (not shown).
The pulse width read out from the first file 410, that is, the input data is output to 04, and the motor drive circuit 404 controls the motor 40 by the current of the pulse width.

The CPU 401 is a stepping motor driving circuit 40 which constitutes a part of an adjusting mechanism driving means comprising a well-known stepping motor driving circuit (not shown).
5, the step number corresponding to the reduction ratio is output, and the stepping motor drive circuit 405 controls the stepping motor 330 based on the step number.

Next, the operation of the bicycle A will be described.

During the traveling of the bicycle A, the pedaling force and the vehicle speed applied to the pedals 81a and 82a change every moment depending on the road conditions. Then, the changing pedaling force is detected by the torque detector 100, and the vehicle speed is detected by the vehicle speed detector 250. The detected pedaling force and vehicle speed are sent to the CPU 401 of the control means 400. When receiving the pedaling force and the vehicle speed, the CPU 401 reads out the pulse width set corresponding to the pedaling force and the vehicle speed from the first file 410, that is, determines the input data, and outputs the input data to the motor drive circuit 404.
Then, the motor drive circuit 404 supplies the input current having the read pulse width to drive the motor 40. The input current at this time is a value at which the electric motor 40 is driven at the maximum efficiency.

When the CPU 401 receives the pedaling force and the vehicle speed, the CPU 401 reads from the second file 420 the value of the reduction ratio set in correspondence with the pedaling force and the vehicle speed, that is, the reduction ratio data. Is read from the third file. Then, the number of steps from the home position of the stepping motor 330 to the current position is added to or subtracted from this number of steps, and output to the stepping motor drive circuit 405,
The stepping motor drive circuit 405 causes the movable pulley 353 to approach or separate from the fixed pulley 352 by rotating the stepping motor 330 clockwise or counterclockwise by the number described above.
The diameter of 51 is changed. As a result, the driven pulley 35
The reduction ratio with 5 is the read reduction ratio. Also,
This reduction ratio is a reduction ratio at which the electric motor 40 is driven at the maximum efficiency.

That is, the vehicle speed and the pedaling force, which change momentarily according to the road condition and the driving condition of the driver during traveling, are detected by the speed detector 250 and the torque detector 100, and are sent to the CPU 401.
01 reads from the first file 410 the pulse width at which the electric motor 40 corresponding to the respective vehicle speed and pedaling force is driven at the maximum efficiency, and drives the electric motor 40 by inputting this pulse width. And the speed reduction ratio corresponding to the pedaling force are read from the second file 420, and the stepping motor 33 corresponding to this speed reduction ratio is read out.
The number of steps for driving 0 is read out, and the number of steps currently being rotated from the home position of the stepping motor 330 is added or subtracted from the number of steps to rotate the motor clockwise or counterclockwise by the number of steps. The output, that is, the power of the electric motor 40 is assisted via the speed reducer 300 as a reduction ratio at which 40 is driven at the maximum efficiency.

The assistance of the power from the electric motor 40 is as follows.
Since the electric motor 40 is always driven with the maximum efficiency, the electric power of the battery 15 is not wasted, so that a long time operation is possible by one charge. It does not require frequent charging.

In the above-described embodiment, the pulse width and the reduction ratio to be input, which become the maximum efficiency of the electric motor 40, are determined in advance in accordance with the vehicle speed and the pedaling force, and are set in the first file 410 and the second file 420. That is, the stored pulse width and the reduction ratio corresponding to the vehicle speed and the pedaling force that change during traveling are read out, and the input of the electric motor 40 and the reduction ratio of the reduction ratio adjusting mechanism 350 of the reduction gear 300 are determined. Is the CPU 4 according to the vehicle speed and the pedaling force.
At 01, the pulse width and the reduction ratio may be obtained by calculation, and the reduction ratio of the electric motor 40 and the reduction ratio adjusting mechanism 350 may be adjusted based on the pulse width and the reduction ratio.

In this case, first, the following equation (8) is obtained from the above equations (3-1) and (6).

[0131]

(Equation 15)

From the equations (8) and (2), the equation (9) is obtained.
Ask for.

[0133]

(Equation 16)

An arithmetic program for calculating equation (9), equations (1) and (2) representing the pulse width as a function of torque, and equation (5) representing the number of revolutions as a function of torque is provided. It is stored in the ROM 401 or the RAM 403.

When the CPU 401 receives the vehicle speed and the pedaling force from the speed detector 250 and the torque detector 100, the CPU 401 functions as a calculating means.
First, a calculation is performed by substituting the values of the vehicle speed and the pedaling force into Equation (9), and a torque value in the case of the vehicle speed and the pedaling force is obtained.
Next, the pulse width is obtained by calculating equation (1) based on the torque value. Further, the torque value and the value of the pedaling force are substituted to calculate Expression (5), and the reduction ratio in the case of the vehicle speed and the pedaling force is obtained.

Then, based on the pulse width and the reduction ratio thus determined, the motor 40 and the stepping motor 330 are used.
, The motor 40 can always be driven at the maximum efficiency even when the vehicle speed and the pedaling force change during traveling. In the case where the pulse width and the reduction ratio are obtained by the calculation in this manner, compared to the case of the above embodiment, the RAM
There is an advantage that the memory capacity of 403 can be reduced.

In the case where the pulse width and the reduction ratio are stored in a file as in the above embodiment, the pulse width and the reduction ratio can be set, that is, rewritten by the input means. In this case, there is an advantage that motors having different characteristics can be handled by setting the pulse width and the reduction ratio.

In the above embodiment, the input data for determining the input current to the electric motor is the pulse width. However, this is not limited to adjusting the pulse width. Alternatively, the input data in this case is the phase angle.

[0139]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the reduction gear is provided with a reduction ratio adjusting mechanism, and an adjustment mechanism driving means for adjusting the reduction ratio of the reduction ratio adjusting mechanism is provided, and the input of the electric motor is adjusted. An electric motor drive circuit for controlling the electric motor, and the motor drive circuit and the adjusting mechanism for maximizing the efficiency of the electric motor according to the vehicle speed and the pedaling force detected by the vehicle speed detecting means and the pedaling force detecting means which change during running. Since the input of the motor and the reduction ratio of the reduction gear are adjusted by the driving means, the motor can always be driven with almost maximum efficiency during traveling.

Further, according to the present invention, a speed reduction device is provided with a speed reduction ratio variable mechanism, and an adjustment mechanism driving means for adjusting the speed reduction ratio of the speed reduction ratio adjustment mechanism is provided. And a reduction ratio data in which the efficiency of the motor obtained in accordance with the vehicle speed and the treading force of the vehicle speed detection means and the treading force detection means is maximized, is stored in the first storage in the means storage. Then, the input data of the electric motor is stored in the second storage unit, and the control unit stores the input data in the first storage unit corresponding to the vehicle speed and the treading force based on the vehicle speed from the vehicle speed detection unit and the treading force from the treading force detection unit. The stored reduction gear ratio data is output to the adjustment mechanism driving means, and the input data stored in the second storage means is output to the motor drive circuit to adjust the reduction gear ratio of the reduction gear ratio adjustment mechanism and the input of the motor. From what has been the so that, but always in the electric motor driving an effect that can be driven at approximately maximum efficiency.

Further, according to the present invention, the speed reduction device is provided with a reduction ratio adjusting mechanism, and when the reduction ratio of the reduction ratio adjusting mechanism is adjusted, an adjustment mechanism driving means is provided, and the input of the motor is adjusted to adjust the motor input. A motor drive circuit is provided for controlling the motor speed, and the input data and the reduction ratio data of the motor are obtained based on the vehicle speed and the pedaling force which are changed by the calculating means. Since the output to the means is adjusted to adjust the input of the motor and the reduction ratio of the reduction ratio adjusting mechanism, the motor can always be driven with almost maximum efficiency during traveling.

[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 a view showing an output characteristic curve of the electric motor according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an efficiency characteristic curve of the electric motor according to the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a relationship between torque and input data (pulse width) with respect to the maximum efficiency of the electric motor of the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a relationship between a maximum efficiency and an output characteristic of the electric motor according to the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a control block diagram showing a control configuration of the bicycle according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

A Bicycle with auxiliary power device B Bicycle body (body) 30 Case (housing) 40 Electric motor 50 Reduction mechanism (part of reduction gear) 100 Rotational force detector (pedal force detecting means) 250 Speed detector (vehicle speed detecting means) 300 Reduction gear 330 Stepping motor (part of adjustment mechanism driving means) 331 Reduction gear 340 Jack (part of adjustment mechanism driving means) 350 Reduction gear ratio adjustment mechanism 351 Drive pulley (part of reduction gear ratio adjustment mechanism) 325 V belt (deceleration) 355 driven pulley (part of reduction ratio adjusting mechanism) 400 control means 401 CPU (control means, arithmetic means) 410 first file (first storage means) 420 second file (first part) Second storage means)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle having a front wheel and a rear wheel, a motor driven by the supply of electric power from a storage battery, and a reduction device having a reduction ratio adjustment mechanism attached to the vehicle body; Adjusting mechanism driving means for adjusting the reduction ratio, an electric motor driving circuit for controlling the electric motor by adjusting the input of the electric motor, vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the vehicle speed, pedaling force detecting means for detecting the pedaling force of the pedal, and control means With
The control means controls the motor drive circuit and the adjusting mechanism drive means in accordance with the vehicle speed and the pedaling force which change during traveling, and adjusts the input of the motor and the reduction ratio of the reduction gear so as to maximize the efficiency of the motor. A bicycle with an electric auxiliary power unit, characterized in that: 2. A vehicle equipped with a front wheel and a rear wheel, an electric motor driven by supply of electric power from a storage battery, and a reduction gear mounted on the vehicle having a reduction ratio adjusting mechanism, Adjusting mechanism driving means for adjusting the reduction ratio, an electric motor driving circuit for controlling the electric motor by adjusting the input of the electric motor, vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the vehicle speed, pedaling force detecting means for detecting the pedaling force of the pedal, and the vehicle speed First storage means for storing reduction ratio data that maximizes the efficiency of the electric motor, which is obtained in advance corresponding to the vehicle speed and the treading force of the detection means and the treading force detection means, A second storage unit that stores input data of the motor that maximizes the efficiency of the motor, which is obtained in advance corresponding to each vehicle speed and pedaling force, and a control unit, The control means outputs the road speed reduction ratio data stored in the first storage means corresponding to the vehicle speed from the vehicle speed detection means running and the treading force from the treading force detection means to the adjusting mechanism driving means, and outputs the data to the second storage means. By outputting the input data stored in the means to the motor drive circuit, the efficiency of the motor is always substantially maximized in accordance with the changing vehicle speed and the pedaling force that are changed by adjusting the reduction ratio of the reduction ratio adjusting mechanism and the input of the motor. A bicycle with an electric auxiliary power unit, characterized in that: 3. A speed reducer mounted on the vehicle body having a vehicle body provided with front wheels and rear wheels, an electric motor driven by supply of electric power from a storage battery, and a speed reduction ratio adjusting mechanism, An adjusting mechanism driving means for adjusting a reduction ratio, an electric motor driving circuit for controlling the electric motor by adjusting an input of the electric motor, a vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a vehicle speed, and a pedaling force detecting means for detecting a pedaling force of a pedal. Calculating means for calculating input data and reduction ratio data of the motor by calculating the following equation based on the vehicle speed and the pedaling force; (Equation 2) (Equation 3) The reduction ratio data obtained by the calculation of the calculation unit is output to the adjustment mechanism drive unit, and the input data is output to the motor drive circuit to adjust the reduction ratio of the reduction ratio adjustment mechanism and the input of the motor. A bicycle with an electric auxiliary power unit, wherein the efficiency of the electric motor is always maximized in accordance with the changing vehicle speed and treading force during running.