JPH11342159A - Assisting power type wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an assisting power type wheelchair capable of traveling with sharp turns in a room, making a comfortable travel outdoor, easily ascending a slope, stably descending a slope, and backing without fear by securing coasting quantity in accordance with need. SOLUTION: In an assisting power type wheelchair 1 comprising an electric motor, a potentiometer 27 as a manpower detection means to detect manpower applied to a wheel 2, and a controller 31 as a control means to control the electric motor in accordance with detected manpower, in which assisting power in accordance with the size of manpower is added to the wheel 2 to drive rotation of it, a time damping ratio of assisting power is set larger as manpower is smaller, and it is set smaller as manpower is larger. Coasting quantity of the wheelchair 1 can thus be restrained to be small to fine move in a room to enable fine move with sharp turns in a room, sufficient coasting quantity is secured in traveling outdoor to enable comfortable traveling on a flat ground, and a slope of a sharp slant can be easily ascended, thereby physical burden on a user can be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an auxiliary power system in which auxiliary power corresponding to the magnitude of human power applied to left and right wheels is applied to each wheel, and the wheels are driven to rotate by the combined force of human power and auxiliary power. It relates to a power wheelchair.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Such an auxiliary power wheelchair is located between a manual wheelchair and an electric wheelchair, detects human power intermittently applied to a pair of left and right wheels, and provides an auxiliary power corresponding to the detected human power. By applying power to the left and right wheels, the physical burden on the occupant is reduced.

In this type of assistive power wheelchair, assistive power is intermittently supplied every time human power applied to each wheel is detected by an occupant. Are attenuated over time so that a feeling of coasting is imparted to the running of the wheelchair (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-168506).

However, in a conventional auxiliary power wheelchair, the time decay rate of the auxiliary power is always set to be constant irrespective of the human power, the magnitude of the traveling speed, or the traveling direction (forward or backward). If the coasting amount is too large, the road surface with low running resistance will unexpectedly go too far, and if the coasting amount is insufficient, small turns will not work. There was a problem that it was not possible to drive easily on a gentle slope.

[0005] In addition, when the user rides over a step or the like with a wheelchair, the wheelchair may unexpectedly coast after getting over the vehicle.

[0006] Furthermore, coasting of the wheelchair at the time of reversing gives an occupant an unnecessary fear. On the other hand, when the amount of coasting is insufficient, for example, when going down a steep hill, the vehicle reversely rotates the wheels. In some cases, a stable braking force cannot be obtained even when an attempt is made to generate a braking force by applying human force in the direction.

[0007] Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to secure a required amount of coasting so that the vehicle can be turned around indoors, traveled outdoors comfortably, easily climbed up, stable downhill, It is an object of the present invention to provide an auxiliary power wheelchair capable of relieving fear of reversing.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 comprises an electric motor for generating auxiliary power, human power detecting means for detecting human power applied to left and right wheels, and a human power detecting means. An assisting means for controlling the electric motor in accordance with the human power detected by the detecting means, and applying an auxiliary power corresponding to the magnitude of the human power detected by the human power detecting means to each wheel to rotationally drive the wheels; In a powered wheelchair, the control means generates auxiliary power when the human power detection means detects human power, attenuates the auxiliary power over time, and changes the time decay rate according to running conditions. The electric motor is controlled.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the time decay rate of the auxiliary power is changed according to the magnitude of the human power.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the invention, the time decay rate of the auxiliary power is set to be larger as the human power is smaller, and to be smaller as the human power is larger.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second or third aspect of the invention, the time decay rate of the auxiliary power can be arbitrarily adjusted by an adjustment switch.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first to third or fourth aspects of the present invention, there is provided a speed detecting means for detecting a running speed and a running direction detecting means for detecting a running direction. Is changed according to the magnitude of the traveling speed.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect of the invention, the time decay rate of the auxiliary power during forward movement is set to be larger as the traveling speed is lower, and to be smaller as the traveling speed is higher.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the fifth or sixth aspect, the time decay rate of the auxiliary power in the reverse direction at the time of reverse is set to be greater than that in the forward direction at the time of forward travel. .

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the fifth, sixth or seventh aspect, the time decay rate of the auxiliary power in the reverse direction during forward movement is smaller than that of the auxiliary power in the reverse direction during reverse movement. It is characterized by the following.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the first to seventh or eighth aspects of the present invention, there is provided a speed detecting means for detecting a running speed and a running direction detecting means for detecting a running direction. Speed deviation detecting means for storing a traveling speed at the time when the vehicle speed is removed and detecting a deviation between the traveling speed and the current traveling speed, wherein a time decay rate of the auxiliary power is at least one of a speed deviation and a time integral value of the speed deviation. It is characterized in that it is changed according to.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the ninth aspect of the present invention, the time decay rate of the auxiliary power is set to be larger as at least one of the speed deviation and the time integral of the speed deviation is larger, and to be smaller as the smaller. It is characterized by.

Therefore, according to the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to secure a necessary coasting amount according to the running condition of the wheelchair. Specifically, since the time decay rate of the auxiliary power is increased as the human power becomes smaller, the coasting amount of the wheelchair is suppressed to a small amount, for example, for the fine movement in the room, and the fine movement with a small turn in the room becomes possible. Therefore, the convenience of the occupant can be improved. In addition, the larger the manpower, the smaller the time decay rate of the auxiliary power, so that the amount of coasting is sufficiently secured when traveling outdoors, and comfortable traveling on flat ground is possible, and it is easy to climb especially on steep slopes. And the physical burden on the occupant can be further reduced.

According to the first, fifth or sixth aspect of the present invention,
The required coasting amount can be secured according to the running condition of the wheelchair. Specifically, the time decay rate of the auxiliary power is set to be larger as the traveling speed is smaller, and set smaller as the traveling speed is larger. In addition to being able to improve the convenience of the occupant by making small movements with a small turn, it is possible to secure a sufficient amount of coasting when traveling outdoors and to be able to travel comfortably on level ground. When riding over the vehicle, the time decay rate becomes large because the traveling speed is low, and the wheelchair does not coast unexpectedly after overstepping the step, so that the occupant can be given a sense of stability.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the time decay rate of the auxiliary power in the reverse direction when the vehicle is moving backward is set to be greater than that in the forward direction when the vehicle is moving forward. It does not give useless fear.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the time decay rate of the auxiliary power in the reverse direction during forward movement is smaller than that of the auxiliary power in the reverse direction during reverse movement. When a braking force is generated by applying a human force in the reverse direction to reverse this, the braking force is sufficiently left in the reverse direction, so that a stable downhill is possible.

According to the ninth or tenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to secure a necessary coasting amount according to the running condition of the wheelchair. Specifically, the larger the speed deviation and the time integral value of the speed deviation are, the larger the value is and the smaller the value is, the smaller the value is, the smaller the value is. Speed can be prevented. Further, it is possible to prevent an unexpected increase in speed after the start at the time of starting which requires a large operating force even on a road surface with a small running resistance, according to the inventions of the first to fourth aspects. As compared with the invention described in the sixth aspect, a sufficient coasting amount is secured even on a steep slope with a low running speed, and it is possible to achieve both suppression of the coasting amount on a flat road with a small running resistance.

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Embodiment 1> An auxiliary power wheelchair 1 according to the present embodiment applies an auxiliary power corresponding to the magnitude of human power applied to left and right wheels 2 to each wheel 2 to rotate the wheels. This is configured by detachably attaching wheels 2 as driving wheels to the left and right sides of the body of an existing foldable manual wheelchair, and the front and rear portions of a pipe frame-shaped body frame 3 have a pair of left and right casters. 4 and wheels 2 so as to be movable.

At the center of the vehicle body frame 3, a cloth seat 5 on which an occupant sits is installed. still,
As shown in FIG. 3, the body frame 3 has a pair of front and rear cross members 3a, and two X-shaped cross members 3a.
a is pivotally connected at its intersection by a shaft 6 so that the vehicle body can be folded around the shaft 6.

Further, a pair of left and right back pipes 3b is provided upright at the rear part of the body frame 3, and the upper end of each back pipe 3b is bent rearward, and the bent part has a grip for an assistant. 7 is attached. A wheelie bar 8 for preventing falling is attached to the inside of each wheel 2 to extend obliquely downward toward the rear of the vehicle body (to the right in FIG. 1).

The back pipe 3 of the body frame 3
A pair of left and right elbow pipes 3c extending horizontally from the intermediate height position b to the front of the vehicle body have their front ends bent at substantially right angles and extend vertically downward, and the casters 4 are rotatably supported at their lower ends. . The front portions of the pair of left and right seat pipes 3d disposed below the elbow pipe 3c extend obliquely downward toward the front of the vehicle body, and have a pair of left and right steps 9 at their extended ends (front ends). Is attached.

Each of the pair of left and right wheels 2 is rotatable via a ball bearing 12 on an axle 11 whose hub 2a is supported by an axle mounting boss 10 welded to the body frame 3 as shown in FIG. A ring-shaped hand rim 13 is provided on the outside of each wheel 2 so that the occupant can turn the wheel by hand. This hand rim 1
The hand rim 3 is attached to a disk-shaped disk 14 rotatably supported by a boss formed integrally with the hub 2a of the wheel 2 by means of bolts 16 via three spokes 15. 13 can rotate independently of the wheels 2. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a seal ring 17 made of an elastic material is interposed between the hub 2a of the wheel 2 and the disk 14, and the disk 14 is connected to the seal ring 17. Is covered by the cover 18. The seal ring 17 also functions as a friction damper that suppresses circumferential vibration due to the inertia of the disk 14 together with the sealing function.

The hand rim 13 is elastically supported at all three locations on the entire periphery thereof so as to be rotatable in two directions relative to the wheel 2 by the structure shown in FIGS.

That is, as shown in FIG.
4 are formed in three places on the entire circumference of the wheel 4, and concave parts 2 a-1 having a semicircular cross section formed in each of the rectangular holes 14 a and three places on the end face of the hub 2 a of the wheel 2 are shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, springs 19 and 20 having large and small diameters are contracted, and both ends of the springs 19 and 20 are connected to the hub of the wheel 2 by two bolts 23 as shown in FIGS. In the neutral state where the hand rim 13 is held by the retainer 24 attached to the hand rim 13 and no human power is applied, the small-diameter spring 20
While the spring 19 is compressed with a predetermined preload between the spring receivers 21 and 22, both ends of the large-diameter spring 19 are slightly separated from the spring receivers 21 and 22 and do not exert any force on the spring receivers 21 and 22. The spring constant of the large diameter spring 19 is set to be larger than that of the small diameter spring 20.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS.
The wheel 2 (hub 2a) and the hand rim 13
A potentiometer 27 for detecting the magnitude and direction of the human force applied to the hand rim 13 based on the relative rotation amount and the relative rotation direction with respect to the (disk 14)
a is attached so as to be position-adjustable by a bolt 25 inserted into the potentiometer 27 (see FIG. 4), and one end of a lever 28 is connected to an end of the input shaft of the potentiometer 27.
The other end of the lever 28 is connected to a pin 2
9 is engaged with a long hole.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, a disk-shaped fixing plate 30 is provided on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of each of the hubs 2a of the pair of left and right wheels 2 so as to be connected to the axle 11. The fixed plate 30 is provided with a controller 31 constituting control means and an electric motor 32 as a drive source.

A space surrounded by the fixed plate 30 is formed inside each wheel 2, and the space is divided into a chamber S1 and a chamber S2 by a ring-shaped partition wall 33, and the space S1 is formed in the chamber S1. Represents the controller 31. The rotary transformer 34 transmits signals between the controller 31 and the potentiometer 27.

The auxiliary power generated by the electric motors 32 is transmitted to the wheels 2 via the power transmission means. The power transmission means includes the belt transmission mechanism G1 and the gears G2, G3. It is configured.

The input detecting means constituted by the springs 19 and 20 and the potentiometer 27 described above, the signal transmitting means constituted by the rotary transformer 34, the control means constituted by the controller 31, the electric motor 32 and the belt transmission mechanism G1 The power transmission means including the gears G2, G3 and the like constitutes the auxiliary power unit, which is a hub 2a of each wheel 2.
Are arranged intensively in the radial direction and the axial direction around the axle 11, and thus the auxiliary power unit is connected to the hub 2a.
The pair of left and right wheels 2 incorporated therein are detachably attached to the vehicle body as described above.

Incidentally, in the auxiliary powered wheelchair 1 according to the present embodiment, a main switch (not shown) is built in the hub 2a of the right wheel 2, and the main switch is provided with a lever 35 shown in FIG. ON / OFF by rotating operation
It is turned off. That is, the lever 35 is pivotally mounted on the axle 11 so as to be rotatable, and a gear 35a is partially formed at a base end thereof. The gear 35a is a sector for turning on / off the main switch. It is in mesh with the gear 36. An LED (light emitting diode) (not shown) for ON / OFF display of the main switch is embedded at the tip of the lever 35, and a lead wire 37 derived from the LED is electrically connected to a battery 38 described later. ing.

In the auxiliary power wheelchair 1 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, a battery 38 is detachably provided on the right wheel 2 side. That is, as shown in FIG.
A bracket 39 is attached to the bracket 0 by bolts 40, and a battery holder 41 is attached to the upper part of the bracket 39 by screws 42. A battery 38 is detachably attached to the battery holder 41.

Thus, the battery 38 is
When the main switch is turned on by the turning operation of the lever 35 in a state where the battery 38 is
Supplies power to the auxiliary power units provided on the left and right wheels 2 via the wire harnesses 52 and 43, respectively, to drive the respective auxiliary power units.

As shown in FIG. 7, the wire harnesses 43 and 52 are electrically connected to each other by couplers 44a and 44b.
One end of 3 is electrically connected to the auxiliary power unit of the right wheel 2, and the other end of the wire harness 43 is electrically connected to the auxiliary power unit of the left wheel 2 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, a coupler 45 is attached to the fixed plate 30 of the left wheel 2, and the wire harness 43 couples a coupler 46 attached to an end of the coupler 45 to the coupler 45. Thereby, the electrical connection of the left wheel 2 to the auxiliary power unit is easily made with one touch.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the zero point adjustment of the potentiometer 27 is performed by loosening the bolt 25 shown in FIG. Is provided with an LED 47 (see FIGS. 4 and 6) which is turned on when the potentiometer 27 is adjusted to the zero point.
Then, as shown in FIG.
A circular adjustment window 33a facing the LED 47 is formed at a position facing the D47, and a circular transparent member 48 is fitted in the adjustment window 33a. Although the transparent member 48 is provided in the present embodiment, the entirety of the partition wall 33 may be made transparent, or the LED 47 can be visually recognized even if the portion of the partition wall 33 facing the LED 47 is made thin and translucent.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG.
D47, adjustment window 33a and transparent member 48 are formed at large and small openings 2a-2 formed at four places on the entire circumference of the end face of hub 2a and three places at the whole circumference of disk 14 according to the rotational position of wheel 2. Of the axle 11
Are arranged so as to be aligned with each other in the directions. Therefore,
When adjusting the zero point of the potentiometer 27, the cover 18
If (see FIG. 6) is removed, as shown in FIG. 4, the lighting state of the LED 47 (that is, the zero point adjustment state of the potentiometer 27) can be visually recognized from the outside of each wheel 2.

Next, the operation of the auxiliary power type wheelchair 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described below with reference to FIG.

When the occupant applies a force to turn the pair of left and right hand rims 13, for example, in the forward direction, until the magnitude of the human force applied to each hand rim 13 overcomes the preload of the three small diameter springs 20. Between hand rim 1
Reference numeral 3 denotes a stationary state, and no relative rotation occurs between the hand rim 13 and the wheel 2, and at this time, the output of the potentiometer 27 indicates zero.

Thereafter, when the human power increases, the disk 14
First, only the small diameter spring 20 is compressed, and the hand rim 13 rotates relative to the wheel 2 by an angle corresponding to the amount of compression of the spring 20. The relative rotation amount of the hand rim 13 is enlarged by a lever 28 and transmitted to a potentiometer 27,
Outputs a signal corresponding to the amount of human power applied to the hand rim 13, and this signal is transmitted to the control unit of each controller 31 via the rotary transformer 34. Since the spring constant of the small diameter spring 20 is small, the compression amount (that is, the hand rim 13
Is large, and therefore the sensitivity of the potentiometer 27 is kept high, so that the occupant can perform a delicate operation of the wheelchair 1.

When the magnitude of the human force applied to the hand rim 13 reaches a predetermined value, the large-diameter spring 19 starts to be compressed together with the small-diameter spring 20, and the hand rim 13 is rotated by an angle corresponding to the compression amount of the two springs 19, 20. Only relative to the wheel 2, and at this time, the potentiometer 27 outputs a signal corresponding to the magnitude of the human power applied to the hand rim 13.

Thereafter, when the magnitude of the manpower applied to the hand rim 13 increases beyond a predetermined value, the two spring receivers 21 and 22 come into contact with each other, so that the manpower is directly transmitted to the wheel 2 and at this time, the output of the potentiometer 27 is output. Is constant.

Thus, human power is intermittently applied to the hand rim 13, and the human power is detected by the potentiometer 27 as described above, and the detection signal is output from the rotary transformer 3.
4 to the controller of the controller 31.

The controller of the controller 31 determines the amount of human power applied to the hand rim 13 based on the input signal output from the potentiometer 27, and supplies a current corresponding to the amount of human power to the electric motor 32. The electric motor 32 is rotationally driven to generate required auxiliary power. Note that a current control method (torque control method) is employed for the auxiliary power control in the present embodiment, and the auxiliary power generated by the electric motor 32 is controlled by a constant voltage by setting a limit on the duty ratio in the current control loop. A control method according to characteristics is adopted.

Here, the control operation of the controller 31 provided on the left wheel 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 9, but since the control operation of the right controller 31 is the same, the description thereof will be omitted.

The human power FL applied to the hand rim 13 of the left wheel 2 is detected by the potentiometer 27 as described above, and a signal thereof is input to the dead zone processing unit 101 of the controller 31, and the detected human power FL is set as a dead zone. If the value exceeds the set threshold, the amplification ratio setting unit 102 sets the amplification ratio KL. Then, the turning component setting means 103 obtains a turning torque iL as a component that generates a turning motion from the product (FL · KL) of the human power FL and the amplification ratio KL.

In the center-of-gravity component setting means 104, the sum (FL · KL + FR · F) of the product (FL · KL) of (FR · KL) and (FR · KR) of the left human force FL and the right human force FR and the corresponding amplification ratios KL and KR is obtained. KR) and center of gravity component setting means 10
The center-of-gravity torque iG as a component that causes the linear motion is obtained based on the time decay rate map set in FIG.
Although only one type of time decay rate map may be provided, a plurality of types may be prepared and may be arbitrarily selected by the adjustment switch 110.

The target torque iR is obtained by adding the turning torque iL and the center-of-gravity torque iG. The target current iREF required for the electric motor 32 to generate the target torque iR in the current limiter 105 is obtained. Can be Then, the target current iREF and the current iF actually flowing detected by the current detection sensor 109 are output.
After a correction amount is obtained by the PID control circuit 106 based on the difference from B (| iREF-iFB |), a voltage check is performed by the duty limiter 107 and a predetermined control signal (duty ratio) is output. This control signal (duty ratio) is converted into an actual current by the bipolar power amplifier 108, a predetermined current is supplied to the electric motor 32, and the human power is detected as shown in FIG. The corresponding desired auxiliary power is generated in the electric motor 32. Incidentally, as shown in FIG.
The auxiliary power attenuates at a predetermined time decay rate after the human power is removed.

When the electric motor 32 is driven as described above to generate a desired auxiliary power, the rotation of the electric motor 32 is transmitted through the power transmission means including the belt transmission mechanism G1 and the gears G2, G3 to the left and right. It is transmitted to each of the wheels 2. Then, the left and right wheels 2 are rotationally driven by the driving force of the magnitude obtained by adding the auxiliary power to the human power, whereby the wheelchair 1 is advanced, and the occupant can easily move with a small force of, for example, about 1/2 of the total driving force. The wheelchair 1 can be operated.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the potentiometer 27 detects the human power and simultaneously generates the auxiliary power, and controls the electric motor 32 so that the auxiliary power attenuates as time elapses. The time decay rate of the auxiliary power is changed according to the level of human power. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, the time decay rate of the center-of-gravity torque of the auxiliary power is a human power (F
The smaller the value of L · KL + FR · KR, the larger the human power (FL
(KL + FR · KR) is set smaller as the value is larger, and the value can be arbitrarily adjusted by the adjustment switch 110.

As described above, by increasing the time decay rate of the auxiliary power as the human power becomes smaller, for example, the amount of coasting of the wheelchair 1 for small movements indoors can be suppressed to a small value. Fine and quick movements are possible, and the convenience of the occupant can be improved.

Further, as the human power is larger, the time attenuation rate of the auxiliary power is reduced, so that the amount of coasting is sufficiently ensured in outdoor running where relatively large human power is input, and comfortable running on flat ground is possible. In particular, it is possible to climb easily even on a steep slope, and the physical burden on the occupant can be further reduced.

Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The basic structure of the auxiliary powered wheelchair according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the auxiliary powered wheelchair according to the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.
In FIG. 12, the same elements as those shown in FIG. 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The auxiliary powered wheelchair according to the present embodiment has a speed detecting means for detecting a running speed and a running direction detecting means for detecting a running direction (forward or backward) (specifically, a vehicle speed calculating means 111 to be described later). ), And the time decay rate of the auxiliary power is changed according to the magnitude of the traveling speed and the traveling direction (forward or reverse) and the direction of the auxiliary power (forward or reverse).

Here, a method of obtaining the running speed (center of gravity speed) will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 12, the controller 31 is provided with a vehicle speed calculating means 111. In the vehicle speed calculating means 111, the current iFB detected by the current detecting sensor 109 and the output from the duty limiter 107 are output. The speed (rotation speed) ωL of the left wheel 2 is calculated based on the control signal (duty ratio) and the motor constant (motor resistance, electromotive force coefficient, etc.), and the speed of the right wheel 2 obtained in the same manner as the speed ωL The center of gravity speed (rotation speed) ωG is obtained by halving the sum (ωL + ωR) with (rotation speed) ωR, and this center of gravity speed ωG is output to the center of gravity component setting means 104. In FIG. 12, reference numeral 112 denotes a power supply voltage observation unit.

Thus, in the present embodiment, FIG.
As shown in the figure, when the traveling speed V at the time of forward traveling becomes equal to or higher than V ₀ , the time decay rate of the auxiliary power in the forward direction and the reverse direction becomes smaller as the traveling speed V becomes larger, and becomes larger as the traveling speed V becomes smaller. The time decay rates of the auxiliary power in the forward direction and the reverse direction at the time of low speed and reverse when V is less than V ₀ are set to be large. In the present embodiment, the time decay rate of the auxiliary power in the forward direction and the reverse direction at the time of reverse travel is set to a constant value, but may be set to increase as the speed at the time of reverse travel increases.

The time decay rate of the auxiliary power in the reverse direction at the time of backward movement is set to be greater than that of the auxiliary power in the forward direction at the time of forward movement. Is set smaller than that of the auxiliary power.

As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to secure a necessary coasting amount according to the traveling state of the wheelchair 1. Specifically, the time decay rate of the auxiliary power is the traveling speed V
Is smaller and the traveling speed V is smaller, so that the wheelchair 1 can be prevented from moving finely in a room, for example.
The amount of coasting can be kept small, making it possible to make small and sharp movements indoors and improve the convenience of occupants.Also, when traveling outdoors, the amount of coasting is sufficiently secured and comfortable on flat ground When the wheelchair 1 climbs over a step or the like, the traveling speed V is low and the time decay rate becomes large.
Can avoid unexpected coasting and give the occupant a sense of stability.

Further, since the time decay rate of the auxiliary power in the reverse direction at the time of backward movement is set to be longer than that in the forward direction at the time of forward movement, the wheelchair 1 does not coast excessively at the time of backward movement and gives an occupant an unnecessary fear. Nothing.

Further, since the time decay rate of the auxiliary power in the reverse direction when the vehicle is moving forward is smaller than that of the auxiliary power in the reverse direction when the vehicle is moving backward, the wheel 2 reverses the rotation when the vehicle descends on a steep slope. When a braking force is generated by applying human power, a sufficient descending braking force remains in the reverse direction, so that a stable downhill is possible.

<Third Embodiment> Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The basic structure of the wheelchair of the auxiliary power type according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the wheelchair of the auxiliary power type according to the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.
In FIG. 14, the same elements as those shown in FIG. 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The auxiliary powered wheelchair according to the present embodiment
As shown in FIG. 14, the input (FL ·
Speed storage means 113 for storing the running speed (center-of-gravity speed ωG) at the time point when KL + FR · KR) is removed, and a deviation between the running speed stored by the speed storing unit 113 and the current running speed (center-of-gravity speed ωG) A speed deviation PI control circuit 114 for detecting ΔωG and obtaining a time integral value of the speed deviation ΔωG is provided.
4 is output to the center-of-gravity component setting means 104.

In this embodiment, the auxiliary power (the center-of-gravity torque i) is determined by the time integral of the speed deviation ΔωG.
G) is characterized in that the time decay rate is changed as shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 15, the time decay rate of the auxiliary power is set to be larger as the time integral value of the speed deviation ΔωG is larger, and to be smaller as the time integrated value is smaller.

Here, the temporal change of the human power and the auxiliary power, the running speed, the integral value of the speed deviation and the time decay rate of the auxiliary power in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG.₀ At each wheel 2
When human power is applied, auxiliary power corresponding to the human power is applied to each wheel.
2, and the running speed gradually increases. And when
Interval t ₁ When the human power is removed at
Numeral 3 stores the running speed at that time and stores the speed deviation PI control cycle.
The road 114 is the travel stored by the speed storage means 113
Time integral of deviation between speed and current running speed (speed deviation
Integral value). Thus, the integral value of the speed deviation becomes a predetermined value.
(At time t in FIG. 16)_Two ) At auxiliary power
The time decay rate is increased by a quadratic curve.
The auxiliary power is attenuated according to the rate as shown. This result
As a result, the running speed was suppressed to its maximum value, and then decreased.
With this, the rate of increase of the speed deviation integral with time gradually decreases.
Down. Then, the traveling speed is stored in the speed storage unit 113.
Running speed (time t when human power is removed)₁ At
(Time t)_Three ) At speed
The integral value of the deviation and the time decay rate of the auxiliary power show the maximum value.
Later, both gradually decrease as the traveling speed decreases.

When the control of the present embodiment as described above is not adopted, the traveling speed and the integral value of the speed deviation are calculated as shown in FIG.
As shown by a broken line in FIG.

As described above, in this embodiment, the time decay rate of the auxiliary power is set to be larger as the speed deviation integrated value is larger and smaller as the speed deviation integrated value is smaller. Can be prevented.

Further, it is possible to prevent an unexpected increase in speed after the start at the time of starting which requires a large operating force even on a road surface having a small running resistance as compared with the first embodiment. A sufficient coasting amount is ensured even on a steep slope with a slower running speed than that of 2, and it is possible to suppress the coasting amount on a flat road with a small running resistance.

In this embodiment, the time decay rate of the auxiliary power is changed according to the time integral of the speed deviation. However, the time decay rate of the auxiliary power may be changed according to the speed deviation.

Further, the time decay rate of the auxiliary power is determined according to the first embodiment.
In the second embodiment, the third embodiment depends on the magnitude of human power, and in the second embodiment, the traveling speed and the traveling direction and the input direction of the human power.
In the above, each was changed by the integral value of the speed deviation (or the speed deviation), but these parameters (the magnitude of human power,
The time decay rate of the auxiliary power may be changed by an arbitrary combination of the traveling speed, the traveling direction, the input direction of the human power, and the integral value (or the speed deviation) of the speed deviation.

[0078]

As is apparent from the above description, claim 1
According to the inventions described in (1) to (4), it is possible to secure a necessary coasting amount according to the running condition of the wheelchair. Specifically, since the time decay rate of the auxiliary power is increased as the human power becomes smaller, the coasting amount of the wheelchair is suppressed to a small amount, for example, for the fine movement in the room, and the fine movement with a small turn in the room becomes possible. Therefore, the convenience of the occupant can be improved. In addition, the larger the manpower, the smaller the time decay rate of the auxiliary power, so that the amount of coasting is sufficiently secured when traveling outdoors, and comfortable traveling on flat ground is possible, and it is easy to climb especially on steep slopes. Therefore, the physical load on the occupant can be further reduced.

According to the first, fifth or sixth aspect of the present invention,
The required coasting amount can be secured according to the running condition of the wheelchair. Specifically, the time decay rate of the auxiliary power is set to be larger as the traveling speed is smaller, and set smaller as the traveling speed is larger. In addition to being able to improve the convenience of the occupant by making small movements with a small turn, it is possible to secure a sufficient amount of coasting when traveling outdoors and to be able to travel comfortably on level ground. When riding over a vehicle, the time decay rate becomes large because the traveling speed is low, and the effect of being able to give a sense of stability to the occupant by preventing the wheelchair from unexpectedly coasting after overtaking a step is obtained. can get.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the time decay rate of the auxiliary power in the reverse direction when the vehicle is moving backward is set to be greater than that in the forward direction when the vehicle is moving forward. The effect of not giving unnecessary fear to the user is obtained.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the time decay rate of the auxiliary power in the reverse direction during forward movement is smaller than that of the auxiliary power in the reverse direction during reverse movement. When a braking force is generated by applying a human force in the reverse direction to reverse this, an effect is obtained in that the braking force is sufficiently left in the reverse direction and a stable downhill is possible.

According to the ninth or tenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to secure a necessary coasting amount according to the running condition of the wheelchair. Specifically, the larger the speed deviation and the time integral value of the speed deviation are, the larger the value is and the smaller the value is, the smaller the value is, the smaller the value is. Speed can be prevented. Further, it is possible to prevent an unexpected increase in speed after the start at the time of starting which requires a large operating force even on a road surface with a small running resistance, according to the inventions of the first to fourth aspects. Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the invention described in the sixth aspect, a sufficient coasting amount is ensured even when climbing a steep slope with a low traveling speed, and it is possible to achieve both suppression of coasting amount on a flat road with small traveling resistance. Is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an auxiliary power wheelchair according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the auxiliary power wheelchair according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the auxiliary power wheelchair according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state where a cover of a hub portion of a wheel of the auxiliary power wheelchair according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is removed.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an inner side view of a right wheel of the auxiliary power wheelchair according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an inner side view of the left wheel of the auxiliary power wheelchair according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system of the auxiliary power wheelchair according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing temporal changes in human power and auxiliary power.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a relationship between a time decay rate of auxiliary power and human power.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system of an auxiliary power wheelchair according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a relationship between a time decay rate of auxiliary power, a traveling speed, and a traveling direction.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system of an auxiliary power wheelchair according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a relationship between a time decay rate of an auxiliary power and a speed deviation integral value.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing temporal changes in human power and auxiliary power, a running speed, a speed deviation integral value, and a time decay rate of auxiliary power.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Auxiliary power wheelchair 2 Wheel 27 Potentiometer 31 Controller (control means) 32 Electric motor 110 Adjustment switch 111 Vehicle speed calculating means (Speed detecting means)

Claims (10)

[Claims] An electric motor for generating auxiliary power, a human power detecting means for detecting human power applied to left and right wheels, and a control means for controlling the electric motor in accordance with the human power detected by the human power detecting means. In an auxiliary power wheelchair having an auxiliary power corresponding to the magnitude of the human power detected by the human power detecting means and rotating and driving each wheel, the control means, when the human power detecting means detects human power An auxiliary power type wheelchair, wherein auxiliary electric power is generated, the auxiliary power is attenuated with the passage of time, and the electric motor is controlled by changing a time decay rate according to a running situation. 2. An auxiliary powered wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the time decay rate of the auxiliary power is changed according to the level of human power. 3. The auxiliary powered wheelchair according to claim 2, wherein the time decay rate of the auxiliary power is set to be larger as the human power is smaller, and to be smaller as the human power is larger. 4. The wheelchair of claim 2, wherein the time decay rate of the auxiliary power can be arbitrarily adjusted by an adjustment switch. 5. A vehicle comprising a speed detecting means for detecting a traveling speed and a traveling direction detecting means for detecting a traveling direction, wherein at least a time decay rate of the auxiliary power during forward movement is changed according to the magnitude of the traveling speed. The auxiliary power wheelchair according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein 6. An auxiliary powered wheelchair according to claim 5, wherein the time decay rate of the auxiliary power during forward movement is set to be larger as the traveling speed is lower, and to be smaller as the traveling speed is higher. 7. The auxiliary powered wheelchair according to claim 5, wherein the time decay rate of the auxiliary power in the reverse direction at the time of reverse travel is set to be greater than that of the auxiliary power in the forward direction at the time of forward travel. 8. An auxiliary powered wheelchair according to claim 5, wherein the time decay rate of the auxiliary power in the reverse direction during forward movement is smaller than that of the auxiliary power in the reverse direction during reverse movement. . 9. A traveling speed detecting means for detecting a traveling speed and a traveling direction detecting means for detecting a traveling direction, wherein the traveling speed at the time when the human power applied to the wheels is removed is stored and the current traveling speed is stored. 9. A speed deviation detecting means for detecting a deviation from the speed difference, wherein a time decay rate of the auxiliary power is changed according to at least one of a speed deviation and a time integral value of the speed deviation. Auxiliary powered wheelchair. 10. The auxiliary powered wheelchair according to claim 9, wherein the time decay rate of the auxiliary power is set larger as at least one of the speed deviation and the time integral value of the speed deviation is larger, and smaller as the value is smaller.