JPH11278359A - Bicycle with electrically-driven auxiliary power device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bicycle with a miniaturized electrically-driven auxiliary power device. SOLUTION: In a bicycle with an electrically-driven auxiliary power device applying power from a motor via a deceleration mechanism in compliance with a pedal depressing force for assisting running, a plurality of gears including at least a gear 55 in the tail end in a plurality of gears 51-55 constituting the deceleration mechanism are arranged on the substantially same straight line L1. At the same time, a driving gear 56 is arranged on a crossing line L2 passing through the axial center of the gear 55 in the tail end and crossing the straight line L1 V-shapedly. In this way, the plurality of gears including at least the gear 55 in the tail end and the driving gear 56 are arranged in the V-shape. In the area surrounded by the gears arranged in the V-shape, a housing part for housing electric equipment is formed on the side, in which a hollow shaft of a case body matching the area is protruded, so that miniaturization can be accomplished.

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 which assists power running from an electric motor in accordance with the pedaling force of a pedal so that the bicycle can travel easily.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, a bicycle with an electric auxiliary power unit has been developed and actually used, which assists the running of a motor by assisting the rotational force, that is, the power, of the electric motor in accordance with the pedaling force during traveling. .

[0003] This type of bicycle with an electric auxiliary power unit is manufactured by manufacturing a dedicated vehicle body and installing the electric auxiliary power unit on the vehicle body. There are disadvantages such as poor properties.

[0004] In order to solve such a problem, the applicant has directly and easily attached an electric auxiliary power unit to a generally used general-purpose bicycle body via a hanger lug of the general-purpose bicycle, thereby reducing the cost and cost. We have developed a lightweight bicycle with an electric auxiliary power unit, and have already filed an application as Japanese Patent Application No. 7-296709.

By the way, the bicycle with the electric auxiliary power unit, in which the electric auxiliary power unit is directly attached to the body of this general-purpose bicycle, is made as small as possible and assembled from the viewpoint of driving. Therefore, it is desirable to easily assemble them.

[0006]

As described above, it is desirable that the electric auxiliary power unit be made as small as possible from the viewpoint of operation and the like. It is necessary to reduce the dimension in the direction, that is, the longitudinal direction, the dimension in the left-right direction, that is, the width direction, and the dimension of the upright pipe, that is, the height dimension.

Therefore, the inventor examined factors that increase the dimension in each direction. The factor that increases the length in the longitudinal direction constitutes a speed reduction mechanism that reduces the rotational speed of the electric motor. A plurality of gears, the factor resulting from the manner of arrangement for sequentially meshing with the driving gear meshing with the last stage gear of the plurality of gears is large, and among the gears arranged in the longitudinal direction, the driving gear is Since the diameter is large, it has a great effect on the factor in which the longitudinal dimension is increased, and the width dimension or the height dimension is determined by an electronic component and a circuit board constituting control means for controlling the electric motor. It has been found that the location of the storage section for the electrical components such as the above is the factor.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a first aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle having a front wheel and a rear wheel, a housing, and a housing. A motor, a speed reduction mechanism composed of a plurality of gears and transmitting the rotational force of the motor, a drive gear meshing with the last gear of the speed reduction mechanism, and one end rotatably provided on a hanger lug provided on the vehicle body. A hollow shaft attached to the drive gear and having the other end protruding from the side wall of the housing and provided with a sprocket, a crankshaft penetrating the hollow shaft and having a crank attached with pedals at both ends, and one-way with the crankshaft An electric auxiliary power unit comprising: a drive unit attached via a clutch and transmitting a pedaling force to the driving gear while relatively moving with the driving gear according to the pedaling force of the crankshaft; A pedal force detection means for detecting a pedaling force applied to the crank shaft, the electric auxiliary power unit Bicycles for assisting power from the electric motor according to pedal force applied to the crank shaft by the depression of the pedal,
A plurality of gears including at least the last gear among the plurality of gears constituting the speed reduction mechanism are arranged on substantially the same straight line, and pass through the axis of the last gear so as to intersect with the straight line in a substantially rectangular shape. By arranging the driving gears on the intersecting straight line, a plurality of gear trains including at least the final stage gear and the driving gears are arranged in a letter shape, and are surrounded by the gears arranged in the letter shape. A bicycle with an electric auxiliary power device, wherein a storage portion for storing electrical components is formed on the side of the housing corresponding to the region where the hollow shaft protrudes.

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, among the plurality of gears constituting the speed reduction mechanism, a plurality of gears including at least the last gear are arranged on substantially the same straight line,
By arranging the drive gear on an intersecting straight line passing through the axis of the final stage gear and intersecting the straight line in a substantially rectangular shape, at least a plurality of gears including the final stage gear and the drive gear are formed into a rectangular shape. Since the housing for housing the electrical components is arranged on the side where the hollow shaft of the housing projects, corresponding to the area surrounded by the gears arranged in the shape of a letter, the reduction mechanism is provided. Since the plurality of gears and the driving gears are not linearly arranged along the longitudinal direction, the length of the gears and the driving gears can be reduced, and at least a plurality of gears including the final gear and the driving gears are used. Since the housing portion for housing the electrical component is formed on the side where the hollow shaft of the housing corresponding to the region formed in the shape of a letter protrudes, it has an effect that the longitudinal direction and the height dimension can be reduced. is there.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a partition wall for partitioning each of the gears and the electrical component is formed in a region surrounded by the gears arranged in a V shape. This is a bicycle with an electric auxiliary power unit.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a partition wall for partitioning the gears and the electrical components is provided in a region surrounded by the gears arranged in a letter-like shape. Since it is formed, in addition to the function of the first aspect, it is possible to prevent the oil scattered by the rotation of each gear from adhering to the electrical component, so that the electronic component can be surely prevented from deteriorating. .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle body provided with a front wheel and a rear wheel, a housing, an electric motor disposed in the housing, and a plurality of gears for transmitting the torque of the electric motor. A reduction gear, a drive gear meshing with a gear at the last stage of the reduction mechanism, a hollow shaft rotatably provided on a hanger lug provided on the vehicle body, one end of which is attached to the drive gear and the other end of which is provided with a sprocket. A crankshaft with a crank that penetrates the shaft and has pedals at both ends, is attached to this crankshaft via a one-way clutch, and moves relative to the drive gear in accordance with the pedaling force of the crankshaft to the drive gear. An electric auxiliary power unit comprising a driving body for transmitting a pedaling force, and a pedaling force detecting means for detecting a pedaling force applied to the crankshaft. In the bicycle with an electric assist power device that assists power from the electric motor in accordance with the pedaling force applied to the crankshaft, the housing is provided, the plurality of gears and the drive gear are arranged on one side, and the electric motor is arranged on the other side. A substrate case, a first lid case attached to the one side of the substrate case and covering the plurality of gears and the driving gears,
A second lid case is attached to the other side of the board case and covers the motor.A mounting screw for attaching the motor to the board case is provided inside the outer peripheral wall of the motor frame. A bicycle with an electric auxiliary power unit, wherein the second lid case is attached to the substrate case through the intermediary of the bicycle.

As described above, the invention according to claim 3 is a board case in which the housing of the electric auxiliary power unit is provided with the plurality of gears and drive gears arranged on one side and the motor arranged on the other side.
A first lid case attached to the one side of the substrate case and covering the plurality of gears and the driving gears, and a second lid case attached to the other side of the substrate case and covering the electric motor. Since the mounting screw for attaching the motor to the board case is provided on the motor on the frame inside the outer peripheral wall, and the second lid case is attached to the board case via this mounting screw,
Since there is no need to form a mounting portion on the substrate case and the second lid case, the mounting portion does not protrude outward from the outer periphery of the substrate case and the second lid case, so that downsizing can be achieved. It also has the function of facilitating assembly.

[0014]

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

The battery 15 and control means 16 comprising a microcomputer or the like to be described later, and an electric motor 40
Means that power is supplied through the lead wire 17a. 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.

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

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the power unit C includes a housing 30, a motor 40 mounted in the housing 30, and a rotational force of the motor 40 disposed in the housing 30. , A drive gear 56 that meshes with a gear at the last stage of the speed reduction mechanism 50, a hollow shaft 70 having one end attached to the drive gear 56, and a hollow shaft 70.
, A crankshaft 80 provided through the
The gear 90 includes a gear 90 and the like as a driving body attached to one end side of the motor.

The housing 30 is mounted on the board case 3.
1, a first lid case 32 attached to one side of the substrate case 31 and a second lid case 33 attached to the other side.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the board case 31 has a substantially egg-shaped board 31a, and a peripheral wall formed on one side of the board 31a, that is, an outer peripheral edge on the left crank side. 31b and the lower side of FIG.
And a groove-shaped storage portion 3 for storing the electric component 110 including the electric motor 40 and the control means 16.
1c.

The board 31a occupying the bottom area of the storage section 31c constitutes a partition wall for partitioning a gear constituting a reduction mechanism to be described later and the electrical component 110.

A fitting hole 31e for fitting a fitting portion 43 of the electric motor 40, which will be described in detail later, is provided in a front portion of the board 31a, that is, the storage portion 31c on the front wheel 10 side. A third shaft mounting portion 31h is formed from 31f, a second shaft mounting portion 31g, and a through hole. Also,
A mounting boss 31m having a screw hole is formed on a front upper side of the peripheral wall 31d of the storage portion 31c.

Further, a through hole 31i is formed in the board case 31 at a side of the third bearing mounting portion 31h and through which an operating rod 102 of a rotational force detector 100 as treading force detecting means described later is inserted. In addition, a bearing 36 whose axis is aligned with the center of the through hole 31i is attached to the substrate 31a. The axis of the bearing 36 is parallel to the axis of a hollow shaft 70 mounted on the third bearing mounting portion 31h via a bearing 77 described later and a crankshaft 80 provided in a through hole 71 of the hollow shaft 70. The one that is attached.

The second lid case 32 has a bottom wall 32a.
And the substrate case 3 formed on the outer peripheral portion of the bottom wall 32a.
Peripheral wall 3 having a joining edge joined to the edge of one peripheral wall 31b
2b. Then, on the bottom wall 32a, corresponding to the first bearing mounting portion 31f, the second shaft mounting portion 31g, and the third shaft mounting portion 31h formed on the substrate 31a of the substrate case 31, respectively. A first bearing mounting portion 32c, a second shaft mounting portion 32d, and a through hole 32e are formed.

The board case 31 and the first lid case 32 are integrally connected by a plurality of mounting screws 39 in a state in which a reduction mechanism 50 and the like described in detail below are housed. Further, the substrate case 31 and the second lid case 3
3 means that after the electrical component 110 and the electric motor 40 are stored in the storage portion 31c,
The unit is integrally connected or attached via an attachment screw 48 attached to the unit.

Next, the speed reduction mechanism 50 includes a gear 51 attached to the tip of the output shaft 41 of the electric motor 40,
A large-diameter gear 52 meshed with the gear 51,
Gear 53 provided on the same axis 52a as the gear 5
3, a large diameter gear 54 meshing with the gear 3,
The driving gear 56 meshes with the small-diameter gear 55, which is a small gear 55, which is the last gear provided in FIG.

And, bearings 53a and 53b made of ball bearings are attached to both ends of the shaft 52a.
These bearings 53a, 53b are mounted on first bearing mounting portions 31f, 32c provided on the board case 31 and the first lid case 32, respectively. Also, the shaft 54a
Bearings 55a, 55 made of ball bearings
The bearings 55a and 55b are mounted on second bearing mounting portions 31g and 32d provided on the substrate case 31 and the first lid case 32, respectively.

The gear 52 is mounted on the shaft 52a via a one-way clutch 52b. The one-way clutch 52b rotates the gear 52 so as to transmit the rotational force of the electric motor 40, that is, the rotational force to the drive gear 56 so that the bicycle travels normally, that is, travels in the forward direction. It functions so as to spin. That is, the one-way clutch 52b functions so as to run idle when the cranks 81, 82 to which the pedals 81a, 82a are attached rotate in the traveling direction during manual driving, which will be described later.

Further, among the gears constituting the speed reduction mechanism 50, the gear 55 of the last stage and the coaxial 54a
A straight line L passing through the shaft centers P1 and P2 of the shafts 54a and 52a of the gear 53 meshed with the gear 54 attached to the
1, a straight line L2 passing through the shaft 54a of the gear 55 and the axis P3 of the hollow shaft 70, which is the shaft of the drive gear 56, intersect in a substantially rectangular shape as shown in FIG. That is, a plurality of gears including at least the last gear 55 among the gears constituting the speed reduction mechanism 50, that is, the gears 55 and 54 and the gear 5
The gear trains 3 and 52 and the gear 56 are arranged so as to be substantially in the shape of a letter. The output shaft 4 of the electric motor 40
The one axis P4 is located slightly on the straight line L1 although it is slightly deviated from the straight line L1.

As a result, the area occupied by the gears 51 to 55 and the drive gear 56 in the substrate case 31 can be reduced, and the size of the case 30 in the front-rear direction and the height direction can be reduced.

The gear train of the gears 55 and 54 and the gears 53 and 52 and the gear 5
6, the gears 55 and 54 and the gear 5
The gear trains 3 and 52, the gear 56 and the board case 31
As shown in FIG. 6, on the side of the second lid case 33 of the substrate case 31 corresponding to the area surrounded by the lower side, that is, the lower side, that is, the side where the hollow shaft 70 protrudes as shown in FIG. A groove-shaped storage section 31c surrounded by 31d is formed.

The dimension between the hollow shaft 70 and the facing peripheral wall 31d forming the storage portion 31c is set to a size in which the hanger lug 1 of the vehicle body B can be inserted. When the housing 30, that is, the power device C is attached to the vehicle body B by inserting the housing 70 into the hanger lug 1, the portion of the storage portion 31 c and the storage portion 31
The side wall of the second lid case 33 covering c is located below the hanger lug 1 and the lower pipe 3, and does not cause any trouble during operation. That is,
The storage portion 31c is located in a region serving as a dead space (a space below the hanger lug 1 and the lower pipe 3 when the vehicle body is projected from above) when the power unit C is mounted on the vehicle body B. It is.

Next, a shaft hole 56a is formed in the center of the drive gear 56, and an uneven groove 56c is formed in the shaft hole 56a along the axial direction. Further, on the side surface of the drive gear 56 on the side of the lid case 32, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality (three in the embodiment, concentrically arranged with the shaft hole 56a, and only two in FIG. 3) An L-shaped regulating member 58 that regulates one end side of a drive spring 60 to be described later is formed.

Next, the power of the electric motor 40, which is fitted and mounted in the shaft hole 56a formed in the drive gear 56 and transmitted through the speed reduction mechanism 50, is transmitted to the sprocket 18
Will be described. This hollow shaft 7
Reference numeral 0 denotes an uneven ridge 7 having a through hole 71 therein and engaging with an uneven ridge 56c formed in the shaft hole 56a at one end.
2 is formed, and in the state of being fitted in the shaft hole 56a, it is prevented from rotating in the circumferential direction by the engagement of the two concavo-convex strips 56c, 72, and is rotated integrally with the drive gear 56. Further, an uneven ridge 73 is formed on the outer periphery of the other end, and the uneven ridge 73 is formed so as to match the uneven ridge 18b formed on the mounting member 18a to which the sprocket 18 is mounted.

The hollow shaft 70 is mounted so as to be supported by a bearing 77 press-fitted into the third bearing mounting portion 31h in the vicinity of the one end formed with the concave and convex strips 72. It has become.

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

A one-way clutch 85 is attached to the crankshaft 80 at a position close to the drive gear 56 attached to the hollow shaft 70, and is connected to the crankshaft 80 via the one-way clutch 85. A gear 90 as a driving body having the same number of teeth as the driving gear 56 is mounted on the outer periphery of the gear. The one-way clutch 85
The pedal 81 is used when the crankshaft 80 is driven manually as described later.
When rotating in the traveling direction via the cranks 81, 82 to which the gears a and 82a are attached, the gear 90 is rotated,
When the crankshaft 80 rotates in the opposite direction, the crankshaft 80 functions to idle. The gear 90
Is formed with an annular concave portion 91 so as to form a space between itself and the side surface of the drive gear 56.

The driving gear 56 of the annular concave portion 91
On the side surface, as shown in FIG.
A compression portion 92 is formed to abut on the other end of the drive member and compresses the drive spring. The drive spring 60 is housed between the compression portion 92 and the L-shaped regulating member 58.

The magnitude of the urging force of the drive spring 60 is such that the rotational force based on the pedaling force applied to the gear 90 via the crankshaft 80 and the one-way clutch 85 during manual driving exceeds a predetermined value. Is set to the size to start compression. That is, a large load is applied to the rear wheel 12 during traveling, and the pedals 81a,
When the rotational force, i.e., the pedaling force, is applied to the crankshaft 80 via the cranks 81 and 82, the gear 90 rotating together with the crankshaft 80 via the one-way clutch 85 gradually compresses the drive spring 60. It is set to a size that rotates before the drive gear 56 and relatively moves.

In other words, during manual driving, when the rotational force of the gear 90 that rotates together with the one-way clutch 85 with the rotation of the crankshaft 80 exceeds a predetermined value, the drive gear 5
6, the gear 90 is set to have such a size as to cause relative movement, so that the gear 90 rotates synchronously while relatively moving with the drive gear 56. Also,
When the rotational force applied to the gear 90 is removed, the gear 90 is returned to the initial state by the urging force of the drive spring 60.

Therefore, when the rotational force applied to the crankshaft 80 does not exceed a predetermined value, the gear 90 is maintained in a state where it is hardly compressed, that is, synchronized with the drive gear 56 via the drive spring 60 in a state where no relative movement occurs. And rotate.

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

The conversion means 200 is provided by the driving gear 56.
The first driven gear 210 meshes with the first driven gear 210, the second driven gear 220 meshes with the gear 90, and the second driven gear 220 advances or returns with respect to the first driven gear 210 according to the magnitude of the pedaling force. As a result, the protrusions 215 and 2 having inclined surfaces for moving the first driven gear 210 and the second driven gear 220 toward and away from each other as they relatively move.
25.

The first driven gear 210 has a gear portion 211 and a rotating shaft 2 provided at the center of the gear portion 211.
12 and is connected to the substrate case 31
The bearing 36 is rotatably supported while being slid in the axial direction, and is mounted on the bearing 36 attached thereto. Further, the rotation shaft 212
Is provided with a shaft hole 213 extending in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 212.
A plurality of (three in the embodiment, only one is shown in FIG. 2) projections 215 having inclined surfaces concentrically arranged about the axis of the shaft hole 213 are formed on the side surface. Have been.

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. A bearing 22 having a rotating shaft 222 slidably and rotatably fitted in a shaft hole 213 formed in the rotating shaft 212 and the other end provided in the second lid case 32.
6 is attached with its movement in the axial direction restricted. The surface of the gear portion 221 facing the gear portion 211 of the first driven gear 210 is provided with the first driven gear 21.
Three protrusions 225 are formed, each of which has an inclined surface corresponding to the protrusion 215 formed at 0 and slidingly contacting the inclined surface formed at the protrusion 215. When the pedaling force of the pedals 81a and 82a increases, the drive spring 6
0 is compressed and the one-way clutch 8
A relative movement occurs between the gear 90 provided through the gear 5 and the driving gear 56 provided on the hollow shaft 70, and the first driven gear 210 meshed with the driving gear 56 meshes with the gear 90. A relative movement occurs between the second driven gear 220 and 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 of the projection 225 provided on the second driven gear 220 The first driven gear 210 is opposed to the inclined surface of the protrusion 215 provided on the driven gear 210, and the first driven gear 210 is opposed to the urging force of the operating rod 102 of the rotational force detector 100. The rotating shaft 212 moves rightward in FIG. 2 while rotating in the bearing 36, and the rotating shaft 21 moves with the movement.
2 protrudes from the bearing 36. Conversely, when the pedaling force of the pedals 81a, 82a decreases, the 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 21
The phase difference between 0 and the second driven gear 220 is reduced, and the first driven gear 210 moves in the direction approaching the second driven gear 220 by the urging force of the operating rod 102 of the rotational force detector 100 to rotate. The moving shaft 213 moves to the left in FIG. 2 and the amount of protrusion of the rotating shaft 212 from the bearing 36 decreases.

The operation of the converting means 200 constructed as described above during running of the bicycle, that is, the pedals 81a, 82
A description will be given of an operation in which the pedaling force a is converted into a mechanical change amount. First, during running of the bicycle, when the bicycle is running in a uniform acceleration state on a flat ground or the like, the pedals 81a, 8
Since the pedaling force of 2a is extremely small, the rotational force applied to the crankshaft 80 does not exceed a predetermined value, and the gear 90 is synchronized with the drive gear 56 via the drive spring 60 which is kept almost in a compressed state. From this state, the vehicle is running, for example, on an uphill or running with acceleration. When the pedals 81a, 82a are strongly depressed, the pedaling force applied to the pedals 81a, 82a increases. The hollow shaft 70 that rotates while receiving a rotational force and a load from the rear wheel 12
The driving spring 60 is compressed in accordance with the magnitude of the difference, and the gear 90 moves relative to the driving gear 56, that is, the driving gear 56 precedes it, so that a phase difference is generated. When this occurs, a phase difference that is directly proportional to this phase difference occurs between the second driven gear 220 and the first driven gear 210, and the phase difference between the second driven gear 220 and the first driven gear 210 depends on the phase difference. As a result, the first driven gear 210 moves away from the second driven gear 220. That is, the magnitude of the pedaling force of the pedals 81a and 82a is converted into an axial movement amount of the rotating shaft 212 that moves with the axial movement of the first driven shaft 210, that is, a mechanical change amount. become.

When the vehicle travels on a flat surface after traveling on an uphill, that is, when no pedaling force is applied to the pedals 81a and 82a,
The drive spring 60 returns to the initial state by the restoring force, and the gear 90, the drive gear 56 and the second driven gear 22
0 and the first driven gear 210 no longer moves relative to each other, and the inclined surface of the projection 215 of the first driven gear 210 moves along the inclined surface of the projection 225 of the second driven gear 220 to return to the original state. Return.

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. The rotational force detector 100 includes a strain gauge (not shown), which is a detecting unit disposed in the case main body 101, and the first driven gear 210.
And a first driven gear that transmits the acting force received by the operating body 102 to the strain gauge and presses the rotating shaft 212 via the operating body 102. It comprises an elastic member (not shown) that urges the 210 toward the second driven gear 220.

In the strain gauge, four resistors R1 to R4 made of a thin film are attached to a surface of a strain generating body made of, for example, aluminum or the like with an insulating film interposed therebetween, or provided by so-called semiconductor technology. , These four
The resistors R1 to R4 are connected by printed wiring to form a bridge W as shown in FIG.

Then, the resistors R1 and R
3 and the connection point between the resistors R4 and R2 are connected to a power supply via lead wires 103a and 103b,
Also, the connection point between the resistors R1 and R4 is
A connection point between R3 and R3 is an output terminal, and an output from the output terminal, that is, an electric output corresponding to the magnitude of the pedaling force is supplied to the amplifier 105 via the leads 104a and 104b.
And the amplified output from the amplifier 105 is
The control unit 16 is sent to the control unit 16 and controls the electric motor 40 in accordance with the output.

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 moving body 102 is moved by the moving rotating shaft 212, that is, the operating body 102 is moved in the axial direction to apply or release a bending force to the strain generating body. To change the resistance value of the resistors R1 to R4, and change the bridge W
To extract the electrical output from the

More specifically, the pedals 81a, 81
The state where the stepping force of 2a does not exceed a predetermined value, that is, the state where the relative movement between the driving gear 56 and the gear 90 does not occur, that is, the state where the relative movement between the first driven gear 210 and the second driven gear 220 does not occur. Then, the first driven gear 21
0 is in the initial state without moving in the direction away from the second driven gear 220, and in this state, the rotating shaft 21
2. No bending force is applied to the flexure element via the operating body 102 and the elastic member, and the electric output output from the bridge W at this time is used as a reference value, and the electric motor 40 stops at this reference value. It is controlled by the control means 16 so as to be in a state. Further, as in the case of traveling on an uphill or the like, the depressing force of the pedals 81a and 82a becomes large, and when the depressing force, that is, the depressing force exceeds a predetermined value, a relative movement occurs between the drive gear 56 and the gear 90. A relative movement occurs between the one driven gear 210 and the second driven gear 220, the first driven gear 210 is separated from the second driven gear 220, and together with this, the rotating shaft 212 presses the operating body 102. The actuator 102 moves, and the bending force applied to the flexure element increases because the operating body 102 presses the flexure element against the urging force of the elastic member, and the flexure element is bent with the increase in the bending force. Deforms and consequently the resistor R1 of the bridge W
The resistance value of R4 changes from R4, and an electrical output corresponding to this change is output from the bridge W.
5 and is sent to the control means 16.

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

When the vehicle travels on an uphill or the like by manual driving, as described above, when the pedaling force of the pedals 81a and 82a increases and exceeds a predetermined value, the driving gear 56
0 rotates first to cause relative movement between the two, and as a result, the second driven gear 220 rotates first relative to the first driven gear 210 of the conversion means 200 to cause relative movement between the two. One driven gear 210 is separated from the second driven gear 220, and the rotating shaft 212 moves in a direction to press the operating body 102. As a result, the bending force applied to the strain body by being pressed by the operating body 102 increases and the strain body is deformed, and with this deformation, the resistance values of the resistors R1 to R4 of the bridge W change,
An electric output corresponding to this change is sent to the control means 16 via the amplifier 105, and the electric motor 40 is controlled by the control means 16 to drive, that is, rotate, according to the magnitude of the electric output.

When the electric motor 40 rotates, the torque of the electric motor 40 is transmitted to the hollow shaft 70 via the speed reduction mechanism 50 and the driving gear 56, and is transmitted through the sprocket 18 and the chain 19 attached to the hollow shaft 70. This is transmitted to the rear wheel 12. That is, when the pedals 81a and 82a are depressed, the turning force of the electric motor 40 is added to or assisted by the turning force of the human power transmitted to the crankshaft 80, so that the bicycle A runs.

As shown in FIG. 2, the motor 40 has bearings (not shown) attached to both ends in the axial direction of a frame 42. Inside the frame 42, a stator (not shown) and the two bearings are mounted. A rotor (not shown) is supported by the output shaft 41. A fitting protrusion 43 is formed at one end of the frame 42 so as to fit into a fitting hole 31e formed in the board case 31. One of the bearings is attached to the fitting protrusion 43. The gear 51 is attached to the output shaft 41 which is supported through the bearing.

In the outer peripheral portion of the frame 42, a plurality of (only one is shown in FIG. 2) screw insertion holes 44 penetrating in the axial direction to the outer peripheral wall of the frame 42, that is, a portion inside the outermost peripheral side wall. Is formed.

The motor 40 is connected to the fitting projection 4
3 is fitted into the fitting hole 31 e of the board case 31 and positioned, and a mounting screw 48 is inserted from the tip side into the screw hole 31 k provided in the board case 31 and the screw insertion hole 44 provided in the frame 43. Are attached to the substrate case 31 by tightening the nuts 49a.

Next, how to assemble the power unit C will be described.

A one-way clutch 85 to which a gear 90 is previously attached is prepared with the crankshaft 80 attached.

Then, the electric motor 40 with the gear 51 attached to the output shaft 41 is inserted from the storage portion 31c, the fitting convex portion 43 is fitted into the fitting hole 31e, and the mounting screw 48 is attached.
And a nut 49a.

A bearing 36 is attached to the through hole 31i formed in the substrate case 31 with a screw (not shown), and the rotational force detector 100 is inserted from the housing portion 31c side, and the operating rod 102 is moved. It is attached to the board case 31 with a screw (not shown) through the through hole 31i. Further, in the storage portion 31c, a microcomputer constituting the control means 16, a memory for storing a control program, and a circuit board or the like incorporating a drive circuit for driving the electric motor 40 under the control of the control means are provided. The part 110 is stored and attached. Further, the bearing 77 is attached to the third bearing attachment portion 31h.

Then, the speed reduction mechanism 5 is mounted on the substrate case 31.
0 is arranged at a predetermined position, the first driven gear 210 is attached through the bearing 36, and the second driven gear 220
To the shaft hole 21 of the first driven gear 210.
3 and place it.

Then, the concave and convex ridges 56c of the driving gear 56 are fitted to the concave and convex ridges 72 formed on the hollow shaft 70, and the crankshaft 80 is inserted into the through holes 71 of the hollow shaft 70 via needle bearings 73a and 73b. Insert. At the time of this insertion, the drive spring 60 is disposed between the regulating member 58 formed on the drive gear 56 and the compression section 92 formed on the gear 90. Then, the lid case 32 is inserted into the board case 31 in this state, and the crankshaft 80 is inserted into the through hole 32e, and the cover case 32 is attached to the board case 31 with the screw 39. Also,
The opening edge of the second lid case 33 is joined to the opening edge of the peripheral wall 31d of the storage portion 31c while the tip of the mounting screw 48 is inserted into the mounting hole 33a, and the nut 49b is tightened to tighten the nut 49b. 33 is attached to the board case 31. In this way, the power unit C is assembled with the rotational force detector 100 and the conversion unit 200 attached.

Since the second lid case 33 is attached using the attachment screws 48 for attaching the electric motor 40 to the board case 31, screws for attaching the second lid case 33 are used. Is unnecessary, and it is not necessary to provide a mounting portion such as a screw hole for mounting the screw in the substrate case 31 and the second lid case 33, so that the structures of the substrate case 31 and the lid case 33 can be simplified. You can do it.

Since the mounting screw 48 is provided inside the outer peripheral wall of the frame 42 of the electric motor 40, the mounting screw 48 is projected outside the outer peripheral walls of the substrate case 31 and the second lid case 33 to form a screw hole or the like. Since there is no need to provide an attachment portion, the outer shapes of the board case 31 and the second lid case 33 can be reduced.

Next, the power device C assembled as described above is attached to the bicycle B, that is, the general bicycle, in the following manner. First, a bearing 1 made of a needle bearing is provided at both ends of the hanger lug 1 of the vehicle body B.
The mounting members 121 and 122 to which 21b and 122b are mounted are mounted, respectively, and then the hollow shaft 70 protruding from the side wall of the board case 31 of the assembled power unit C is supported by the bearings 121b and 122b and mounted. Then, the sprocket 18 is attached to the concave and convex strips 73 formed on the hollow shaft 70 via the attaching member 18a. Next, a mounting boss 31m formed in front of the substrate case 31 is mounted on a mounting plate 3a mounted on the lower pipe 3 by a mounting screw 37.

As a result, the power plant C is mounted on the hanger lug 1 by mounting the hollow shaft 70 supported by the mounting members 121 and 122 and the board case 31 mounted on the pipe 3 via the mounting plate 3a. It is attached to the vehicle body B by the boss 31m. After the power unit C is mounted on the vehicle body B, the left crank 81 and the right crank 82 with the pedals 81a, 82a mounted on the mounting portions 83 and 84 of the crankshaft 80, thereby completing all the assembly.

As described above, the power unit C includes the speed reduction mechanism 5
0, a plurality of gears including at least the last gear 55 among the plurality of gears 51 to 55 constituting substantially the same straight line L1.
By disposing the drive gear 56 on the intersection straight line L2 passing through the axis of the gear 55 of the last stage and intersecting the straight line L1 in a substantially rectangular shape, at least the gear 55 of the last stage is arranged. Including a plurality of gears and the drive gear 56
And a housing portion 31c for housing the electrical component 110 on the side of the housing 30 where the hollow shaft protrudes corresponding to the area surrounded by the gears arranged in the shape of a letter.
Is provided, the plurality of gears 51 to 55 and the drive gear 56 constituting the speed reduction mechanism 50 are not linearly arranged along the longitudinal direction, so that the size in the longitudinal direction can be reduced. A housing portion 31c for housing the electrical component 110 is formed on the side of the housing 30 where the hollow shaft 70 protrudes, corresponding to a region formed in a letter-like shape by a plurality including the stepped gear 55 and the drive gear 56. As a result, the longitudinal direction and the height dimension can be reduced.

Further, since each gear and the electrical component 110 are divided by the substrate 31c in a region surrounded by the gears arranged in the shape of a letter, the electrical component 110 of oil scattered by the rotation of each gear is provided. Therefore, it is possible to surely prevent the electronic components from deteriorating.

The casing 30 of the power unit C is composed of a board case 31 in which the plurality of gears 51 to 55 and the driving gear 56 are arranged on one side and the motor 40 is arranged on the other side. A first lid case 32 attached to the one side to cover the plurality of gears 51 to 55 and the drive gear 56; a first cover case attached to the other side of the board case 31 to cover the electric motor 40 and the electrical component 110; And a mounting screw 48 for attaching the motor 40 to the board case 31.
Is inside the outer peripheral wall of the frame 42 of the electric motor 40,
Since the second cover case 33 is attached to the board case 31 by the attachment screws 48, it is necessary to form an attachment portion projecting outward on the outer walls of the board case 31 and the second cover case 33. Therefore, the board case 31 and the second lid case 33 can be reduced in size, and the mounting screws 48 for attaching the electric motor 40 to the board case 31 can be changed to the board case 3 of the second lid case 33.
1 can be used in common with the screw for mounting to the device 1, so that the number of mounting screws can be reduced and the assembly becomes easy.

In the above-described embodiment, the housing 30 corresponds to an area formed in a letter shape by the plurality of gear trains including at least the final stage gear 55 and the drive gear 56 in the housing portion 31c. Is formed by projecting a peripheral wall 31d on the side where the hollow shaft 70 protrudes, but this may be such that a storage portion is formed on the lower side of the gear, that is, on the lower side of the gear. In this case, the dimension in the width direction can be further reduced.

In the above embodiment, the mounting screws 48 for attaching the motor 40 to the board case 31 are used.
Is provided in the frame 42 of the electric motor 40 with a screw insertion hole 44 penetrating in the axial direction.
The mounting screws 48 are positioned inside the outer peripheral wall of the frame 42 by penetrating the frame case 42 so that the mounting portions projecting outward are not formed on the outer walls of the board case 31 and the second lid case 33. I tried to make
As shown in FIG. 8, screw holes 44a and 44b are formed in the frame 42 of the motor 40 at both ends at positions inside the outer wall of the frame 42, and the motor 40 is screwed into the screw holes 44a with screws 49c. Together,
The second lid case 33 may be attached to the board case 31 by screwing the screws 49d into the screw holes 44b. Also in this case, it is possible to reduce the size by preventing the mounting portions projecting outward on the outer walls of the substrate case 31 and the second lid case 33.

[0073]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, among the plurality of gears constituting the speed reduction mechanism, a plurality of gears including at least the last stage gear are arranged on substantially the same straight line, and the last stage gear is provided. By arranging the drive gear on an intersecting straight line passing through the axis and intersecting the straight line in a substantially rectangular shape,
At least a plurality of gears including the last stage gear and the drive gear are arranged in a letter-like shape, and the hollow shaft of the housing corresponding to a region surrounded by the gears arranged in the letter-like shape has a side protruding therefrom. Since the storage unit that stores the electrical components is located in
Since the plurality of gears and the driving gears that constitute the reduction mechanism are not linearly arranged along the longitudinal direction, the size in the length direction can be reduced, and a plurality including at least the last stage gear and the driving gear are included. Since the housing portion for housing the electrical components is formed on the side of the housing corresponding to the region formed in the shape of a letter and on which the hollow shaft of the housing protrudes, there is an effect that the longitudinal direction and the height dimension can be reduced. It is.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a partition wall for partitioning the gears and the electrical components is formed in a region surrounded by the gears arranged in a V shape. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, the present invention has an effect of reliably preventing the deterioration of the electronic component which can prevent the oil scattered by the rotation of each gear from adhering to the electrical component, and the like.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric auxiliary power unit comprising: a housing for mounting the plurality of gears and driving gears on one side and an electric motor on the other side; A first lid case attached to the one side and covering the plurality of gears and the drive gears, and a second lid case attached to the other side of the board case and covering the electric motor, Since the mounting screws for attaching the motor to the substrate case are provided on the frame of the motor inside the outer peripheral wall of the motor and the second lid case is attached to the substrate case via the mounting screws, the substrate case and the second lid case are used. Since it is not necessary to form a mounting portion on the base case, the mounting portion can be reduced in size without protruding outward from the outer periphery of the substrate case and the second lid case. Moni assembly and has a effect is facilitated.

[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 partial cross-sectional view showing a state where 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 diagram showing an arrangement relationship between gears and drive gears constituting a reduction mechanism of the auxiliary power unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an arrangement relationship between a gear and a drive gear constituting a reduction mechanism of the auxiliary power unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state where the electric motor and the electric components are stored in the storage section of the auxiliary power unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of a pedaling force detection unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment in which the second lid case of the auxiliary power unit of the above embodiment is attached to a substrate case.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A Bicycle with auxiliary power device B Bicycle main body (body) 1 Hanger lug 18 Sprocket 30 Case (housing) 31 Board case (part of housing) 31c Storage part 32 First lid case 33 Second lid case 40 Electric motor 50 Reduction mechanism 51 to 55 Gear constituting the reduction mechanism 56 Drive gear 70 Hollow shaft 80 Crank shaft 81 Left crank 81a Pedal 82 Right crank 82a Pedal 90 Gear 100 Rotational force detector (pedal force detecting means) 110 Electrical parts

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A speed reducing mechanism comprising a body provided with a front wheel and a rear wheel, a housing, an electric motor disposed in the housing, and a plurality of gears for transmitting a rotational force of the electric motor, A driving gear that meshes with the gear of the last stage, a hollow shaft rotatably provided on a hanger lug provided on the vehicle body, having one end attached to the driving gear, the other end projecting from the side wall of the housing, and a sprocket provided. A crankshaft through which a crank having a pedal is mounted at both ends and penetrating through the hollow shaft, mounted on the crankshaft via a one-way clutch, and driven relative to the drive gear in accordance with the pedaling force of the crankshaft; An electric auxiliary power unit comprising a driving body for transmitting a pedaling force to the pedal, and a pedaling force detecting means for detecting a pedaling force applied to the crankshaft; In the bicycle with an electric assist power device that assists the power from the electric motor in accordance with the pedaling force applied to the crankshaft, a plurality of gears including at least the last gear of the plurality of gears constituting the reduction mechanism are substantially the same. A plurality of gear trains including at least the final stage gear by arranging the drive gear on a cross line that passes through the axis of the final stage gear and intersects the straight line in a substantially rectangular shape while being arranged on a line. And the drive gears are arranged in a V-shape, and a housing portion for housing electrical components on a side of the housing corresponding to a region surrounded by the gears arranged in the H-shape, on the side where the hollow shaft protrudes. A bicycle with an electric auxiliary power unit, characterized by forming: 2. The electric assist according to claim 1, wherein a partition wall for partitioning each of the gears and the electrical component is formed in a region surrounded by the gears arranged in a V shape. Powered bicycle. 3. A deceleration mechanism comprising a body provided with front wheels and rear wheels, a housing, an electric motor disposed in the housing, and a plurality of gears for transmitting a rotational force of the electric motor. A drive gear that meshes with the gear of the last stage, a hollow shaft rotatably provided on a hanger lug provided on the vehicle body, one end of which is attached to the drive gear and a sprocket is provided at the other end, and a pedal at both ends passing through the hollow shaft. A crankshaft having a crank attached thereto, and a driving body which is attached to the crankshaft via a one-way clutch and transmits the pedaling force to the driving gear while relatively moving with the driving gear according to the pedaling force of the crankshaft. And a pedaling force detecting means for detecting a pedaling force applied to the crankshaft, wherein the pedaling force applied to the crankshaft by depressing the pedal is A bicycle with an electric assist power device that assists power from the electric motor according to the present invention, wherein the housing is a board case in which the plurality of gears and drive gears are arranged on one side and the motor is arranged on the other side. A first lid case attached to the one side and covering the plurality of gears and the drive gears, and a second lid case attached to the other side of the board case and covering the electric motor, A bicycle with an electric auxiliary power unit, wherein a mounting screw for mounting an electric motor to the substrate case is provided inside an outer peripheral wall of a frame of the electric motor, and the second lid case is mounted to the substrate case via the mounting screw.