JPH11286294A - Power assist type vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power assist type vehicle capable of performing a delicate operation at starting or in a crowded place or narrow place, easy to handle, and capable of reducing the load of a rider. SOLUTION: In a power assist type vehicle having a manual driving system and a power assist driving system in parallel to drive wheels by the man power added to the manual driving system and the assist power according to the man power supply, the vehicle comprises a pedal switch 28 as a man power detecting means for detecting the man power added to the manual driving system, a vehicle sensor 18 or rotating speed sensor 29 as a traveling speed detecting means for detecting the traveling speed of the vehicle, and a controller as an assist power control means for leaving the assist power after the stop of man power supply is detected by the man power detecting means, and changing the remaining time of the assist power according to the traveling speed detected by the traveling speed detecting means.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an auxiliary power type vehicle such as a bicycle or a wheelchair in which wheels are driven by human power applied to a human power drive system and auxiliary power from an auxiliary power drive system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a current corresponding to a human power applied to a human drive system is supplied from a battery to an electric motor, and a resultant force of the driving power (auxiliary power) of the electric motor and the above-mentioned human power is transmitted to wheels. Electric assisted vehicles such as electric assisted bicycles or electric wheelchairs have been put to practical use.

[0003] The conventional auxiliary power type vehicle includes a control unit for calculating and controlling the value of the current supplied to the electric motor based on the level of human power, and the auxiliary power proportional to the level of human power is supplied to the wheels. It is supposed to be.

In the above conventional auxiliary power type vehicle, after the supply of human power is stopped, the supply of auxiliary power is also stopped. Therefore, the cruising distance by one human input is short, and the driving pitch of the rider must be increased. Absent. Therefore, there is a configuration in which the supply of the auxiliary power is continued for a certain period of time even after the supply of the manual power is stopped, so that the auxiliary power remains (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-1).
No. 68506).

[0005]

However, in the above-described conventional method of retaining the auxiliary power, the remaining time of the auxiliary power is constant, and the auxiliary power is left behind at the time of starting, in a crowded place, in a narrow place, or the like. However, there is a problem that delicate operation is difficult to perform, handling is not sufficient, and when running at high speed, human power must be supplied frequently.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can perform delicate operations at the time of starting, in a crowded place, in a narrow place, etc., and can be easily handled and reduce the burden on the rider. It is an object to provide an auxiliary power type vehicle.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a human-powered drive system and an auxiliary power-drive system are provided in parallel, and the wheels are driven by the human power applied to the human-powered drive system and the auxiliary power according to the human supply. In an auxiliary power type vehicle that is driven, a human power detection unit that detects a human power applied to the human power drive system,
The traveling speed detecting means for detecting the traveling speed of the vehicle and the human power detecting means allow the auxiliary power to remain even after the stop of the human power supply is detected, and the remaining time of the auxiliary power to be detected by the traveling speed detecting means. And an auxiliary power control means for changing the driving power in accordance with the set traveling speed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the human power detecting means is an on / off switch for detecting the presence or absence of human power, and the auxiliary power control means detects the start of human power supply by the human power detecting means. When the supply of the auxiliary power is started, the auxiliary power remains even after the stop of the manual power supply is detected, and the remaining time of the auxiliary power is changed according to the traveling speed detected by the traveling speed detecting means. It is characterized by.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the human power detecting means is a continuous human power detection sensor for continuously detecting the magnitude of the human power, and the auxiliary power control means is provided for detecting the auxiliary power during the manual power supply. The magnitude is changed according to the magnitude of the human power, the auxiliary power remains even after the stop of the human power supply is detected, and the remaining time of the auxiliary power is determined according to the traveling speed detected by the traveling speed detecting means. It is characterized by changing.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to third aspects, the auxiliary power control means gradually increases the auxiliary power remaining time as the traveling speed increases.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, the auxiliary power control means starts and stops the auxiliary power remaining time.
It is characterized in that it is set to 0 when traveling at extremely low speeds.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first to fifth aspects, the auxiliary power control means changes the magnitude of the auxiliary power in accordance with a traveling speed.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sixth aspect, the auxiliary power control means makes the magnitude of the auxiliary power at the time of starting and extremely low speed traveling larger than the magnitude of the auxiliary power at the time of low speed traveling. And

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth and sixth aspects, the auxiliary power control means makes the magnitude of the auxiliary power during high-speed traveling larger than the magnitude of the auxiliary power during medium-speed traveling. Features.

[0015]

According to the auxiliary power type vehicle according to the first to third aspects of the present invention, the auxiliary power remains even after the supply of human power is stopped, and the remaining time of the auxiliary power depends on the traveling speed of the vehicle. As a result, the handleability can be improved and the burden on the rider can be reduced.

For example, it is difficult to perform a delicate operation if the auxiliary power is always left for a certain time at the time of starting, traveling in a crowded place, or a narrow place at a low speed. Since the remaining time is changed according to the running speed of the vehicle, the operability can be improved and the burden on the rider can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the human power detecting means is an on / off switch for detecting the presence or absence of human power, the structure can be simplified as compared with a device for detecting the magnitude of human power itself. Cost can be reduced.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the auxiliary power remaining time is gradually increased as the traveling speed increases, it is possible to suppress the drive pitch from increasing as the traveling speed increases. Can be reduced.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the remaining time of the auxiliary power is set to 0 when the vehicle is started and running at extremely low speed. Therefore, when the vehicle is started, the auxiliary power is applied only when the rider inputs, so that the vehicle behaves unexpectedly. The operability is further improved.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the magnitude of the auxiliary power is changed according to the traveling speed, so that the auxiliary power according to the traveling speed can be obtained during traveling, and the burden on the rider can be reduced. I can do it.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the magnitude of the auxiliary power at the time of starting and extremely low speed running is made larger than at the time of low speed running, the burden on the rider at the time of starting can be reduced. Unnecessary battery consumption can be suppressed by suppressing the magnitude of the auxiliary power during low-speed running.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the magnitude of the auxiliary power during high-speed running is controlled to a value larger than that during medium-speed running. Can be compensated for by an increase in auxiliary power,
The burden on the rider can be reduced.

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIGS. 1 to 8 show a first embodiment.
FIG. 1 is a view for explaining an electric assisted bicycle (auxiliary power type vehicle) according to an embodiment of the inventions 2, 4 to 8, wherein FIG. 1 is a side view of the electric assisted bicycle, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the auxiliary power supply device, and FIGS.
FIG. 6 is a time chart for explaining the operation of the auxiliary power supply device, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are characteristic diagrams for explaining the operation of the auxiliary power supply device.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an electric assist bicycle as an auxiliary power type vehicle of the present invention,
Is a head pipe 3, a down tube 4 extending obliquely downward from the head pipe 3 rearward of the vehicle body, and a seat tube 5 extending substantially upright from the rear end of the down tube 4.
And a pair of left and right chain stays 6 extending substantially horizontally rearward from the rear end of the down tube 4, and left and right connecting the rear ends of the chain stays 6 and the upper end of the seat tube 5. The vehicle includes a pair of seat stays 7 and a horizontal tube 11 extending horizontally from the head pipe 3.

A front fork 8 is pivotally supported on the head pipe 3 so as to be rotatable left and right. A front wheel 9 is pivotally supported at the lower end of the front fork 8, and a steering handle 10 is fixed at the upper end. A saddle 12 is attached to the upper end of the seat tube 5. Further, a rear wheel (wheel) 13 is supported at the rear end of the chain stay 6.

At the lower end of the vehicle body frame 2, a pedaling force (manpower) input to a pedal 16 b via a crank arm 16 a attached to a projecting portion of the crankshaft 16 at both ends, and a power from a built-in electric motor 17. A power unit 15 that outputs a resultant force with the auxiliary power is mounted. The output from the power unit 15 is
Is transmitted to the rear wheel 13 via

As described above, the electric assist bicycle 1 of the present embodiment
Has a human power drive system and an auxiliary power drive system in parallel,
When the main switch is turned on, the vehicle can travel with the combined force of human power and auxiliary power. When the main switch is turned off or when the battery is over-discharged, the vehicle can travel using only the manual drive system.

The power unit 15 includes the electric motor 17 described above, a speed reducer for reducing the rotation of the electric motor 17, and a controller 22 functioning as auxiliary power control means for variably controlling the auxiliary power from the electric motor 17. Built-in.

A battery 21 serving as a power source for the electric motor 17 and the like is disposed along the rear surface of the seat tube 5 and sandwiched between the left and right seat stays 7,7. The battery 21 has a configuration in which a large number of cells are housed in a rectangular parallelepiped case.

In the power unit 15, a pedal switch (human power detecting means) 28 is mounted. The pedal switch 28 is used to detect whether or not a pedaling force (manpower) is input to the pedal 16b, that is, to detect whether or not human power is supplied. The pedal switch 28 is turned on when the pedaling force exceeds a predetermined value a. Turns off when the value falls below a predetermined value b.

As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 22 includes a signal indicating whether or not a human power is supplied from the pedal switch 28 input through the I / F 51 and a rotational speed sensor 2.
MPU 50 to which the motor rotation speed signal from the CPU 9 is input
It has. The MPU 50 estimates the traveling speed based on the input signals and the built-in map data, calculates the magnitude of the auxiliary power, the remaining time, and the like, and outputs a current corresponding to the calculation result from the battery 21 to the electric motor 17. A control signal to be supplied is output to the motor driver 66.

Instead of estimating the running speed from the signal of the motor speed sensor 29, the speed of the human-powered driving system may be detected and the running speed may be estimated from the detected speed. The traveling speed may be determined directly from the rotation of the wheels. The rotation speed sensor 29 and the vehicle speed sensor 18 constitute traveling speed detection means.

Here, the magnitude of the auxiliary power from the motor 17 and the remaining time are controlled by the controller 22 according to the traveling speed. Specifically, the magnitude of the auxiliary power is controlled using the vehicle speed V-auxiliary power P characteristic diagram of FIG. 7, and the remaining time is the vehicle speed V-remaining time tf of FIG.
It is controlled based on the characteristic diagram. Note that the speed divisions of start / extremely low speed, low speed, medium speed, and high speed shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 are for convenience of explanation, and are not necessarily limited to these speed divisions.

As shown by the characteristic line A in FIG.
Is set so that the vehicle speed V (km / h) gradually decreases at the time of starting and extremely low-speed running with 0 <V ≦ 5.
At the time of low-speed running of 5 <V ≦ 10, control is performed so as to be almost flat and slightly increased, and at the time of medium-speed running of 10 <V ≦ 15, it is controlled to increase as the vehicle speed increases. Although the characteristic line A is a smooth continuous line in the present embodiment, the characteristic line A does not necessarily have to be continuous and may change stepwise in each of the above speed ranges.

As shown by the characteristic line B in FIG. 8, the remaining time tf of the auxiliary power is set to zero when the vehicle starts and runs at an extremely low speed where 0 <V ≦ 5, and is proportional to the vehicle speed after the low speed operation. And is controlled to be linearly longer. Note that the characteristic line B is not necessarily required to be a proportional line, and the characteristic line B '
As shown by, it may change stepwise in each speed range.

The magnitude of the auxiliary power P and the remaining time tf will be described in more detail. When the vehicle speed V is rowing at 0 <V ≦ 5 (starting / extremely low-speed running), FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, when the pedaling force of one of the left and right pedals exceeds a, the pedal switch 28 is turned on, the supply of the auxiliary power of the magnitude P1 is started, and when the pedaling force falls below b, the pedal switch 28 is turned off. The supply of the auxiliary power is stopped.

During the above-mentioned start and extremely low-speed running (0 <V ≦ 5), the assist power at the time of the initial pedal depression force input is controlled to be maximum. The auxiliary power is controlled so as to be P1 ', P1'', so that the vehicle can be started smoothly. In addition, the magnitude of the auxiliary power during low-speed running with 5 <V ≦ 10 is controlled to be substantially constant. However, the auxiliary power is not allowed to remain at the time of starting and extremely low speed of 0 <V ≦ 5, but the auxiliary power is left at the time of low speed running of 5 <V ≦ 10.

When the vehicle speed V is in the middle speed range of 10 <V ≦ 15, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), when the pedal depression force exceeds a and the pedal switch 28 is turned on, the magnitude P
2 is started, and the remaining time t starts from the point in time when the pedal depression force falls below b and the pedal switch 28 is turned off.
The supply of the auxiliary power is continued until f1 elapses.

In this case, the magnitude and the remaining time of the auxiliary power P2 are controlled based on the characteristic diagrams shown in FIGS. 1 above
The second auxiliary power P2 is constant until the remaining time tf1 elapses, and as the vehicle speed increases in the second and third times, the auxiliary power increases to P2 'and P2 ", and the remaining times tf1' and tf1". It becomes big. If the vehicle speed is constant, the auxiliary power and the remaining time will be constant.

When the vehicle travels at a high speed of 15 <V, as shown in FIG. 4 (c), when the pedal depression force exceeds a and the pedal switch 28 is turned on, the magnitude P3
Of the auxiliary power is started, and is stopped after a lapse of the remaining time tf2 from the point when the pedal switch 28 is turned off below b.

Also in this case, the auxiliary power P3 is equal to the remaining time tf2.
Is constant until the end of. As the vehicle speed increases, the remaining time increases to tf2 'and tf2'', and the auxiliary power P increases to P3' and P3 ''. If the vehicle speed is constant, both the auxiliary power and the remaining time are constant.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a predetermined remaining time tf1, tf from the time when the pedal depression force falls below b is used.
.. or tf2, tf2 ′,... when the supply of the auxiliary power is stopped, the magnitude of the auxiliary power during the remaining time may be gradually reduced. When the magnitude of the power is reduced during the remaining time, a more natural running feeling can be realized.

Next, an auxiliary power supply control operation in the electric assist bicycle 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. First, the current traveling speed is determined based on a signal from the rotation speed sensor 29 or the vehicle speed sensor 18 (step S1).

Next, it is determined whether the pedal switch 28 is on or off (step S2). If the pedal switch 28 is on, the on / off of the pedal switch in the previous process is determined (step S3). If it is not ON, that is, if the manual power supply is started at the present time, the auxiliary power P (t) is calculated based on the detected vehicle speed (step S4), and the auxiliary power P (t) is calculated. Is supplied from the motor 17 (step S
5).

If it is determined in step S3 that the pedal switch 28 in the previous process was ON, that is, if the human power supply state is continuing, the auxiliary power P set in the previous process is set. (T) is adopted as the current auxiliary power (step S6), and this auxiliary power is supplied from the motor 17 (step S5).

If the pedal switch 28 has not been turned on in step S2 and the pedal switch has been turned on in the previous processing, that is, if the human power supply has been stopped at the present time, the value set in the previous processing is set. The auxiliary power P (t) is adopted as the initial value Po (step S8).

Then, the remaining time tf of the auxiliary power at the current running speed is calculated from the vehicle speed detected in step S1 and the characteristic diagram of FIG. 8 (step S9), and further, the calculation formula P (t) of the auxiliary power Pt is calculated. ) = F (P0, tf) is set (step S10).
(T) is calculated (step S11). The calculated auxiliary power is supplied from the motor 17 (step S5).

In step S7, if the pedal switch 28 was not turned on in the previous process, that is, during the remaining time or when no auxiliary power is supplied, the calculation formula used in the previous process is used. The auxiliary power is calculated from P (t) = f (Po, tf), and this P (t) is supplied from the motor 17 (step S12).

The equation P (t) is set to P (t) = 0 immediately after the power is turned on, and no auxiliary power is supplied until the pedal switch is turned on for the first time after the power is turned on. Further, the above-described control processing is repeatedly performed in a cycle sufficiently shorter than the rotation cycle of the pedal pedaled by the rider.

As described above, in the electric assist bicycle according to the present embodiment, the magnitude of the auxiliary power is changed according to the running speed of the vehicle, and the auxiliary power is retained even after the supply of human power is stopped. Since the remaining time of the auxiliary power is changed according to the traveling speed of the vehicle, it is possible to improve the handleability and reduce the burden on the rider.

Specifically, the remaining time of the auxiliary power is
Since it was set to 0 when traveling at extremely low speeds, when traveling at very low speeds when starting, in a crowded place, or in a narrow place, the auxiliary power only works when the rider inputs, and the auxiliary power does not remain. A delicate operation can be easily performed without exhibiting unexpected behavior, and operability can be further improved. And, since the auxiliary power remaining time is gradually made longer as the traveling speed increases, it is possible to suppress the drive pitch from becoming faster as the traveling speed increases,
The burden on the rider can be reduced.

Further, since the magnitude of the auxiliary power at the time of starting and extremely low speed traveling is made larger than at the time of low speed traveling, the burden on the rider at the time of starting can be reduced. Unnecessary consumption of the battery can be suppressed by suppressing the power consumption. Furthermore, since the magnitude of the auxiliary power is changed according to the traveling speed, and the magnitude of the auxiliary power at the time of high-speed traveling is made larger than that at the time of medium-speed traveling, the auxiliary power according to the traveling speed is obtained at the time of traveling, The increase in the running resistance according to the increase in the running speed from the middle speed range to the high speed range can be compensated for by the increase in the auxiliary power, and the burden on the rider can be reduced.

Further, since the human power detecting means is an on / off switch for detecting the presence or absence of human power, the structure can be simplified and the cost can be reduced as compared with a means for detecting the magnitude of human power itself.

In the above-described embodiment, whether or not human power is being supplied is detected by turning on / off the pedal switch, and the auxiliary power is allowed to remain even after the supply of human power is stopped. Further, the magnitude of the auxiliary power depends on the vehicle speed. We explained how to set the remaining time.However, the magnitude of human power is continuously detected, and the magnitude of the auxiliary power during human power supply is changed according to the magnitude of human power. In addition to the power remaining, the remaining time of the auxiliary power can be changed according to the traveling speed of the vehicle. This is the invention of claim 3.

Furthermore, the magnitude of the auxiliary power set according to the magnitude of the human power can be further changed according to the traveling speed. Specifically, the magnitude of the auxiliary power at the time of starting / extremely low speed traveling is made larger than the magnitude of the auxiliary power at the time of low speed traveling. Make it larger than the power. This is the invention of claims 6 to 8.

[0056]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an electric assist bicycle as an auxiliary power type vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the auxiliary power supply device for a bicycle.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the auxiliary power supply device.

FIG. 4 is a time chart for explaining the operation of the auxiliary power supply device.

FIG. 5 is a time chart for explaining an operation of a modification of the auxiliary power supply device.

FIG. 6 is a time chart for explaining the operation of the modified example device.

FIG. 7 is a vehicle speed-auxiliary power characteristic diagram of the auxiliary power supply device.

FIG. 8 is a vehicle speed-remaining time characteristic diagram of the auxiliary power supply device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 1 auxiliary power type vehicle 13 rear wheel (wheel) 18 vehicle speed sensor (traveling speed detecting means) 22 controller (auxiliary power controlling means) 28 pedal switch (human power detecting means) 29 rotation speed sensor (traveling speed detecting means)

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An auxiliary power type vehicle having a human power drive system and an auxiliary power drive system in parallel, wherein wheels are driven by human power applied to the human power drive system and auxiliary power corresponding to the human power supply. Human power detection means for detecting the human power applied to the human power drive system, traveling speed detection means for detecting the traveling speed of the vehicle, and auxiliary power remaining even after the stop of the human power supply is detected by the human power detection means And an auxiliary power control means for changing a remaining time of the auxiliary power in accordance with the traveling speed detected by the traveling speed detecting means. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said human power detection means is an on / off switch for detecting the presence or absence of human power, and said auxiliary power control means is configured to output auxiliary power when said human power detection means detects the start of human power supply. Auxiliary power supply is started, the auxiliary power remains even after the stop of human power supply is detected, and the remaining time of the auxiliary power is changed according to the traveling speed detected by the traveling speed detecting means. Powered vehicle. 3. The human power detection means according to claim 1, wherein said human power detection means continuously detects the magnitude of human power, and said auxiliary power control means converts the magnitude of auxiliary power during human power supply to the magnitude of human power. The auxiliary power remains even after the stoppage of human power supply is detected, and the remaining time of the auxiliary power is changed according to the traveling speed detected by the traveling speed detecting means. Powered vehicle. 4. The auxiliary power type vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said auxiliary power control means gradually increases said auxiliary power remaining time as the traveling speed increases. 5. The auxiliary power control means according to claim 4, wherein the auxiliary power remaining time is set to 0 when the vehicle starts and travels at an extremely low speed.
An auxiliary power type vehicle characterized by the following. 6. An auxiliary power type vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said auxiliary power control means changes the magnitude of said auxiliary power according to a traveling speed. 7. The auxiliary power control system according to claim 6, wherein the auxiliary power control means makes the magnitude of the auxiliary power at the time of starting and extremely low speed traveling larger than the magnitude of the auxiliary power at the time of low speed traveling. vehicle. 8. The auxiliary power control device according to claim 5, wherein the auxiliary power control means makes the magnitude of the auxiliary power during high-speed traveling larger than the magnitude of the auxiliary power during medium-speed traveling. Type vehicle.