JPH1156918A - Auxiliary motorized wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an auxiliary motorized wheelchair requiring no specification setting for individual users, preventing an increase of the number of part items, capable of reducing a cost and improving the travel performance in a single-hand rowing operation. SOLUTION: This auxiliary motorized wheelchair is provided with hand rims (human power input members) 13 inputted with human power, potentiometers (human power detecting means) 72 judging and detecting the direction and size of the human power applied to the hand rims 13 at the first or second level, motors (auxiliary power sources) 31 applying auxiliary power to wheels 2, and a controller (auxiliary power control means) 100. When the detected human power is at a first level, the motors 31 are controlled so that the auxiliary power becomes the driving power in the turning direction corresponding to the human power input direction. When the detected human power is at a second level, the motors 31 are controlled so that the auxiliary power becomes the driving power in the forward/reverse direction corresponding to the human power input direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an auxiliary powered wheelchair capable of moving a vehicle back and forth with one handed operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A wheelchair with auxiliary power has been proposed as an intermediate between a manual wheelchair and an electric wheelchair. This wheelchair with auxiliary power detects a human power intermittently applied to the left and right wheels, and applies an auxiliary power corresponding to the detected human power to the left and right wheels, thereby enabling a user who has difficulty walking. The physical burden on the user can be reduced, the user can operate the device as if a manual wheelchair is used, and mental pain is reduced.

[0003] However, the above-mentioned conventional wheelchair with auxiliary power is based on the premise that equal human power is applied to the left and right wheels, so that the user has an unbalanced operation force with both hands or one hand. If you can only operate with
The conventional wheelchair with auxiliary power has a problem that operability is low.

For example, when a conventional wheelchair with auxiliary power is operated with one hand (hereinafter referred to as one-handed rowing operation), it is necessary to regulate the traveling direction by kicking the road surface with a foot so that the wheelchair does not meander. As described above, the conventional wheelchair with auxiliary power has a problem in that it is not easy to use a single-row operation when traveling straight.

[0005] In addition, when turning left or right in a one-handed rowing operation, it is necessary to control the turning direction with one foot. Specifically, when turning right, it is necessary to kick the road surface in front of the wheelchair and turn the wheelchair to the right by using the feet as steering means. There is a problem that usability during turning is poor.

In order to solve these problems, the applicant of the present application has proposed that when human power is applied to one wheel, an auxiliary power set based on the human power is applied to one wheel and the other wheel is applied to the one wheel. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-136218 proposes that an auxiliary power equivalent to the sum of the acting human power and the auxiliary power is applied to the other wheel.

In the above proposed device, when the user applies human power to one wheel with one hand, auxiliary power equivalent to the sum of human power and auxiliary power acting on the one wheel is supplied to the other wheel. Therefore, even in the case of a one-handed rowing operation, the vehicle can easily go straight without meandering, and the straight running control by foot can be unnecessary.

In order to improve the usability at the time of turning in the case of one-handed rowing operation, the applicant of the present application provided a foot switch which functions as turning intention detecting means for detecting a user's turning intention at the right step. There has been proposed a device which designates a supply destination of an auxiliary force by the switch to facilitate turning (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-136219).

[0009]

However, in the above-described conventional foot switch, the destination of the auxiliary force is set and the turning direction is designated. In this case, the mounting position of the foot switch is determined by the user's body. It is necessary to individually set according to the characteristic features, and furthermore, since this switch and a control device for the switch operation are required, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost increases accordingly.

Further, in a system in which auxiliary power equivalent to the sum of human power and auxiliary power acting on one wheel is supplied to the other wheel, while the human power is being applied to the hand rim, propulsion is generated from both wheels. The propulsive force of both wheels disappears when the hand rim is changed due to the stroke of the vehicle. There is also a problem that a case may occur where the power becomes smaller than the torque required for the uphill turning and the traveling itself becomes impossible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and can eliminate the need for setting individual specifications for each user, can prevent an increase in the number of parts, and can reduce the cost. It is an object of the present invention to provide an auxiliary power wheelchair capable of improving running performance in operation.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a human input member to which human power is input, a human input detecting means for detecting the direction and magnitude of the human input applied to the human input member, and , An auxiliary power source for supplying auxiliary power to the right wheel,
When the detected manpower is small, the auxiliary power is set such that when the detected manpower is small, the auxiliary power is a driving force in a turning direction corresponding to the manpower input direction. An auxiliary power control means for controlling the driving force in the forward and backward driving directions according to the human power input direction is provided.

Here, in the present invention, the small human power is, for example, from a first threshold value indicating a so-called dead zone in a human power detection sensor to a second threshold value sufficiently smaller than the human power that the user can exert. Can be set in the range of
The large human power can be set, for example, in a range larger than the second threshold. Therefore, in this case, small human power means human power enough to lightly touch the human input member,
Greater human power means greater human power.

In the detection of human power according to the present invention, it is possible to treat human power as a continuous quantity or to treat human power as a fuzzy quantity without setting a threshold value.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, a wheel speed detecting means for detecting a rotational speed of the left and right wheels, and a target of the left and right wheels when the detected human power becomes small. Target speed increasing / decreasing means for setting the speed so as to have a turning component in accordance with the input direction of human power, and for increasing the target speed of the left and right wheels evenly in accordance with the input direction of human power; The power control means performs speed feedback control of the auxiliary power source so that the detected speed of each wheel reaches the target speed.

Here, setting the target speed to have a turning component corresponding to the input direction of the human power means that, for example, when a small human power in the forward direction is input to the left human input member,
This means that the target speed of the left wheel is set higher than the target speed of the right wheel so that the vehicle turns right. To increase or decrease the target speed evenly according to the input direction of the human power means that, for example, when a large human power in the forward direction is input, the target speeds of the left and right wheels are increased by the same amount.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the human power input member and the human power detection means are provided corresponding to the left and right wheels, and the target speed increasing / decreasing means is provided with the small same direction. When the human power is applied to the left and right human input members, the turning component is set smaller than when only one of the human input members is applied, and the large reverse human power is applied to the left and right human input members. The turning component is set to be larger when applied to the input member than when applied to only one input member.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second or third aspect, the human power input member and the human power detecting means are provided corresponding to the left and right wheels, and the target speed increasing / decreasing means comprises:
When the large human force in the same direction is applied to the left and right human input members, the target speed is increased or decreased at a larger rate than when only one of the human input members is applied. When the human power is applied to the left and right human input members, the increase or decrease of the target speed is stopped.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the second to fourth aspects, the target speed increasing / decreasing means sets the target speed to zero.
Otherwise, the absolute value of the target speed is set to 0 over time.
It is characterized by gradually decreasing toward.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the human power input member is a hand rim attached to a drive wheel so as to transmit human power.

The human input member according to the present invention includes:
In addition to the hand rim of claim 6, an on / off switch operated by a user, a grip held by an assistant, and the like are also included.

[0022]

According to the auxiliary power type wheelchair according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the human power input to the human power input member is large, the driving power in the forward and backward direction is supplied as the auxiliary power. If a large amount of human force is applied in the forward direction while the wheelchair is stopped, for example, a driving force in the forward direction is supplied to both wheels, and the wheelchair moves forward straight. Further, when the human power input to the input input member is small, the driving force in the turning direction is supplied as the auxiliary power, so that the wheelchair turns while traveling straight, and turns with a small radius when stopped. I do.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the detected manpower is small, the target speeds of the left and right wheels are set to have a turning component according to the manpower input direction. , The target speed of the right wheel is uniformly increased or decreased in accordance with the input direction of the human power, and the auxiliary power source is speed-feedback controlled so that the detected speed of each wheel becomes the target speed. It is possible to arbitrarily modify the course by operating lightly on the, and to increase or decrease the traveling speed in that direction by applying a large amount of manpower to the manpower input member, to change the course arbitrarily with one hand operation Adjustable vehicle speed.

Further, when the human power becomes large, the auxiliary power source is speed-feedback controlled so that the traveling speed becomes the target speed. Therefore, the target speed is maintained even when an external force due to the road surface condition (such as a slope) acts. Problems such as excessive deceleration during uphill or excessive acceleration during downhill can be avoided.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the small reverse human force is applied to the left and right human input members, the turning component is reduced more than when only one of the human input members is applied. By setting a large value, by applying a small amount of human power in the opposite direction to the left and right human power input members, it is possible to change the magnitude of the turning speed while traveling, and it is also possible to perform stationary turning while stopping It can be used as if it were a normal manual wheelchair.

Also, when the small, same-direction human force is applied to the left and right human input members, the turning component is set smaller than when only one of the human input members is applied. It can avoid discomfort. That is, the user
When inputting human power in the same direction to both human power input members, it is considered that the user does not normally want the turning operation. Therefore, by reducing the turning component in such a case, it is possible to eliminate the sense of incongruity.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the large same-direction human force is applied to the left and right human input members, the ratio is larger than when only one of the human input members is applied. Since the target speed is increased or decreased, the speed in the forward direction can be increased more quickly by applying a large amount of human power in the same direction to the left and right human power input members. Becomes possible.

Further, when the large reverse human force is applied to the left and right human input members, the increase / decrease of the target speed is stopped, so that the user's uncomfortable feeling can be avoided.
That is, it is considered that the user does not normally desire acceleration / deceleration when inputting human power in opposite directions to both human power input members, so that the user does not feel uncomfortable by stopping the increase / decrease of the target speed in such a case. be able to.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the target speed is other than 0, the absolute value of the target speed is gradually reduced toward 0 with the lapse of time. Therefore, when no human power is input, the vehicle speed gradually increases. And eventually stops, so that the wheelchair can be prevented from running on its own without any input operation.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the human input member is a hand rim attached to the drive wheel so as to transmit human power, the hand rim can be turned by lightly touching the hand rim with a power exceeding the dead zone. The vehicle can travel, and can travel forward and backward by operating the hand rim with a large amount of human power, and can travel as if rowing a normal manual wheelchair with one or both hands with less human power.

[0031]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIGS. 1 to 15 are views for explaining an auxiliary power wheelchair according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are side, plan, and rear views of the wheelchair, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a front view showing a state where a cover of a hub portion of a wheel of the wheelchair is removed, and FIG.
6 to 9 are views showing a rotary transformer, FIG.
Fig. 11 is an overall configuration diagram of the wheelchair control system, Fig. 11 is a configuration diagram of the system showing the control operation of the wheelchair, Fig. 12 is a configuration diagram showing a modification of the human power detection means, and Fig. 13 is a diagram showing human power input to the hand rim and input detection. FIG. 14 is a characteristic diagram showing a relationship between a detection signal of a human power to the left wheel and a target speed, and FIG. 15 is a graph showing a relationship between a detection signal of a human power to the left wheel and a target speed. It is map data shown.

The wheelchair with auxiliary power 1 according to the present embodiment comprises:
The existing folding manual wheelchair has an auxiliary power unit (Power Ass
ist System). The wheelchair 1 is configured such that wheels 2 as driving wheels are detachably attached to left and right sides of a vehicle body, and front and rear portions of a pipe frame-shaped frame 3 are movably supported by a pair of left and right casters 4 and wheels 2. I have.

At the center of the frame 3, a cloth seat 5 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) on which an occupant sits is stretched. As shown in FIG. 3, the frame 3 has a pair of front and rear cross members 3a, and the two X-shaped cross members 3a are pivotally connected at their intersections by a shaft 6.

A pair of left and right handle arms 3b is provided upright at the rear of the frame 3.
The upper end of b is bent rearward, and a grip 7 for an assistant is attached to the bent portion. An auxiliary wheel 8 for preventing the wheelchair 1 from falling backward is attached to a lower end of the handle arm 3b.

The handle arm 3b of the frame 3
A pair of left and right arms 3c extending horizontally from the intermediate height 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. A front portion of a pair of left and right arms 3d disposed below the arm 3c extends obliquely downward toward the front of the vehicle body, and has a pair of left and right steps 9 at its extended end (front end). Is attached.

The wheel 2 includes a hand rim assembly 70 to which a rotational force (manual torque) is applied by a user's hand,
A drive unit 20 that outputs a motor driving force (auxiliary power) according to the human-powered torque input from the hand rim assembly 70.

A boss 11 is screwed into the center of the wheel of the frame 3, and is fixedly fastened by a nut 22a. An axle 22 is removably fitted and inserted into the shaft core of the boss 11. The axle 22 is hollow,
A shaft 23 for attaching and detaching wheels is inserted into the shaft core so as to be movable in the axial direction. Heads 23a and 23b larger in diameter than other parts are fixed to both ends of the shaft 23, respectively. A coil spring 24 is disposed at an inner end of the right head 23a, and urges the shaft 23 to the right with respect to the axle 22. Are accommodated in the axle 22 so that the balls 25,.
Each ball 25 is a large diameter portion 2 of the head 23a of the shaft 23.
3c slightly protrudes from the outer periphery of the axle 22 by being spread by the boss 11a.
From getting out of the way. In addition, by moving the shaft 23 relatively to the left side in FIG. 5 with respect to the axle 22, the small diameter portion 23d of the head 23a moves to the position of the ball 25, and the ball 25 can move inward.
Thereby, the axle 22 can be pulled out from the boss 11 to the left side in FIG. 5, and the entire wheel 2 can be removed from the frame 3.

The axle 22 penetrates the center of a stationary plate 30 having a substantially cylindrical shape with a bottom and supports the same.
A detent member (not shown) is attached to the fixing plate 30. The detent member prevents the fixed plate 30 from rotating with respect to the frame 3 by engaging with the frame 3.

The axle 22 rotatably supports a hub 50 as a rotating member having a substantially cylindrical shape with a bottom through a bearing 51. An internal gear 52 is fixed to the inner surface of the hub 50. An intermediate gear 36a integrally formed with the intermediate shaft 36 meshes with the internal gear 52, and the intermediate shaft 36 serves as a fixed member. Fixing plate 3
0 is rotatably supported on the bottom surface. The intermediate shaft 36
Is driven by a drive motor (auxiliary power source) 31 attached to the fixed plate 30 via an intermediate pulley 33 fixed to the hub and a belt, and as a result, the hub 50 rotates.

The hand rim assembly 70 is supported by the hub 50 so as to be relatively rotatable by a predetermined angle. The hand rim assembly 70 has a function of transmitting a tangential force (manpower: unit kg) applied by the user to the hand rim 13 to the hub 50 and detecting the applied manpower. Hereinafter, a configuration for detecting human power applied by the user will be described.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, reference numeral 71 denotes a disk constituting a central portion of the hand rim assembly 70. The disk 71 has an inner ring portion 71a and an outer ring portion 71b integrally formed by three spoke portions 71c. Has a structure connected to
The spoke rim 15 is connected to the hand rim 13. The disk 71 is supported by a boss 50a of the hub 50 via a bush 55 so as to be relatively rotatable. Reference numeral 120 denotes a bolt for attaching the spoke pipe 15 to the disk 71.

The spokes 71c, 7 of the disk 71
Between 1c, a potentiometer 72 is arranged, and is attached to the outer surface of the bottom 50b of the hub 50 so that the position in the radial direction can be adjusted. The input shaft 72a of the potentiometer 72 protrudes from the inner surface of the bottom portion 50b, and a lever 73 having a long hole 73a is attached to the protruding portion.
The pin 53 fixed to the disk 71 is inserted into the long hole 73a of the lever 73. With this configuration, when the relative angle between the hub 50 and the hand rim assembly 70 changes from the reference position, the input shaft 72a of the potentiometer 72
Rotates, and its impedance changes according to the rotation angle.

A spring guide 54 is disposed in a rectangular hole 71d formed in the spoke portion 71c.
A coil spring 56 is accommodated and arranged in the spring guide 54. Both ends of the coil spring 56 are in contact with the inner edge of the rectangular hole 71d of the spoke portion 71c via the slider 57. When the hand rim assembly 70 is rotated relative to the wheel 2 with this configuration, the relative rotation angle is detected by a human power detection device described later.

Reference numeral 58 denotes a resin damper member functioning as a play between the hub 50 and the disk 71. The damper member 58 is mounted inside the convex portion 54a formed on the spring guide 54, faces the outer ring portion 71b of the disk 71, and comes into sliding contact with the outer ring portion 71b by tightening a bolt 58a. The play between the disk 50 and the disk 71 is prevented. Reference numeral 71e denotes a cover that covers the potentiometer 72 and the like, and FIG. 4 shows a state where the cover 71e is removed.

Reference numeral 100 denotes a controller, which will be described later, which controls the auxiliary power of the motor 31 in accordance with the direction and the level (level) of the above-mentioned manpower, which is disposed on the inner surface of the bottom 30b of the fixed plate 30. The CPU 126 of the controller 100 functions as auxiliary power control means of the present invention.

Next, the configuration of the human power detection device will be described. Reference numeral 80 denotes a differential rotary transformer, which includes an outer transformer 81 attached to the boss 30a at the center of the fixed plate 30 and a boss 50a at the center of the movable plate 50.
And an inner transformer 82 attached to the main body.

In the outer transformer 81, two winding grooves 83a and 83b are formed in the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical bobbin 83 made of a non-magnetic material and an insulating resin.
The primary coils 84a and 84b are wound around 3b.

In the inner transformer 82, two holding grooves 85a and 85b are formed in the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical core 85 made of a magnetic material (for example, metal such as soft iron), and the holding grooves 85a and 85b are formed. Inside, bobbins 86 and 87 around which secondary coils 89a and 89b are wound are attached to winding grooves 86a and 87a made of resin and formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof.

It should be noted that the bobbins 86, 87b are 86b, 87b.
The slits 90 are terminals and 90 is a terminal.
The ends 89a ', 89b' of the next coils 89a, 89b are drawn out through the slits 86b, 87b,
It is wound around the terminal 90.

Here, since the outer transformer 81 does not have a magnetic core having a function of blocking an external magnetic field, it is desirable to arrange the outer transformer 81 so as to suppress magnetic imbalance due to the influence of the external metal. In the present embodiment, the magnetic distance from the primary coil 84a to the bottom 50b of the hub 50 (the distance when magnetic effects are taken into account),
In order to make the magnetic distance from the primary coil 84b to the bottom 30b of the fixed plate 30 as uniform as possible, the center line D in the width direction of the outer transformer 81 is positioned on the fixed plate 30 side with respect to the center line B in the wheel width direction. It is displaced by the dimension C.

That is, generally, the center D in the width direction of the outer transformer 81 is made to coincide with the center B in the wheel width direction. In this case, the distance from the primary coil 84a to the bottom 50b of the hub 50 is reduced by one. The difference from the distance from the next coil 84b to the bottom 30b of the fixed plate 30 increases.

The left and right potentiometers 72, 72
The human power to the left and right wheels 2, 2 detected by the controller 100 is transmitted via the left and right rotary transformers 80, 80 to the controller 100.
The controller 100 controls the current supplied to the motor 31 so as to obtain the auxiliary power according to the human power according to a predetermined processing procedure.

A battery 38 is detachably mounted on the right wheel 2 side of the auxiliary power wheelchair 1, and a wire to which power is supplied from the battery 38 is mounted on the vehicle body (frame) 3 side. A harness 43 is provided.

As described above, since the left and right wheels 2 have the same structure, when they are mounted on the vehicle body, they are arranged in a point-symmetrical positional relationship around the center in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Become. By arranging the left and right wheels 2 having the same structure in this way, as shown in FIG. 3, the drive motors 31 projecting inwardly of the left and right wheels 2 are arranged with a step in the vertical direction. When the wheelchair 1 is folded, the two drive motors 31 do not interfere with each other, so that the wheelchair 1 can be compactly and easily folded.

After the left and right wheels 2 are attached to the vehicle body in the above-described manner, as shown in FIG. 3, a coupler 37 attached to the fixed plate 30 of each wheel 2 is connected to the wire harness installed on the vehicle body side. When the coupler 43a is connected, the battery 38 arranged on the right wheel 2 is connected.
Power is supplied to the drive motor 31 provided on the left wheel 2 and the controller 100 via the wire harness 43.

The hand rims 13 of the left and right wheels 2, 2
The direction and the magnitude of the human power applied to 13 are detected by left and right potentiometers 72, 72, and the detection signals are input to the controllers 100, 100.

Next, the configuration of the controller 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the left and right controllers 100. Each of the controllers 100 transmits the human power information applied to the hand rim 13 and indicating the direction and the magnitude of the human power detected by the potentiometer 72 to the rotary transformer 80. , A CPU 126 for calculating a target value (target torque) of auxiliary power based on the input human power and a motor rotation speed described later, and an output and rotation speed of the motor 31. A motor driver 128 for feedback-controlling a current value supplied to the motor 31 so as to attain the calculated target torque;
And a communication I / F 129 connecting the two 126s. Tx is a transmission register for storing transmission data,
Rx indicates a reception register for storing reception data.

The detection of human power by the potentiometer 72 is performed based on a predetermined first threshold value (S1) and a second threshold value (S2). This threshold S1
Is set to a size that indicates the dead band of the human power detection sensor, and S2 is set to a value sufficiently smaller than the maximum operation force of the user. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, when the input direction (hand rim operation direction) is the “forward direction”, if the operation force is less than the first threshold value (S1), the human power is at the dead zone level. Detection signal "0" indicating
Is greater than or equal to the first threshold (S1) and is equal to or greater than the second threshold (S2)
If less than this, a detection signal "1" indicating that the human power is at the first level is output, and if not less than the second threshold value (S2), a detection signal "2" indicating that the human power is at the second level is output. Is done.

When the manpower input direction (operation direction) is the "backward direction", "0" is set when the operation force is less than the first threshold value (S1), and when the operation force is less than the first threshold value (S1). When the value is smaller than the second threshold value (S2), “−1” is set to the second threshold value (S2).
At this time, "-2" is output. In FIG. 16, the human input direction and the detection signal are positive in the forward direction.

The CPU 126 stores map data indicating the relationship between the detection signal indicating the input direction and the magnitude of the human power and the control target of the auxiliary power shown in FIG. Input direction and size (level)
The control shown in the map data is performed based on the signal.

The left and right communication I / Fs 1 of this embodiment
29 and 129 are connected to each other by a serial cable 130, and the magnitudes of the left and right human powers and the motor rotational speeds input as described above are transmitted to the left and right controllers 100 and 100 via the communication I / Fs 129 and 129, respectively. It is supposed to be.

Next, the auxiliary power control of the above embodiment will be described. First, the input direction and the magnitude of the human power input through the hand rim 13 are detected by the potentiometer 72, and the direction detection signals FL and FR are detected.
Is output. As shown in FIG. 13, when the operation force in the forward direction is input, the direction detection signals FL and FR receive +1, +2 according to the magnitude of the operation force, and the operation force is input in the reverse direction, as shown in FIG. In the same manner as above, -1 and -2 are shown, and when no front or rear operation force of a predetermined magnitude is input, 0 is shown. It should be noted that the detection of the input direction of the human power is performed as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, a forward direction SW and a marching direction SW that are turned on when human power is input in the forward direction and the marching direction, respectively, may be provided, and the input direction may be detected by an on / off signal from the switch.

Then, a detection signal FL indicating the direction and magnitude (any of the dead zone level, the first level, and the second level) of the human power input to the hand rim 13 of the left wheel is output from the left side functioning as human power detecting means. A detection signal FR of human power input from the potentiometer 72 to the left controller 100 and input to the right wheel hand rim 13 is input from the right controller 100 via the registers Tx and Rx, and the two detection signals FL and FR are output. Is set based on the map data shown in FIG.

In this case, the forward / backward speed increment ΔV set based on the detected human power FL, FR is added by the target speed increasing / decreasing means of the controller 100, and the target center of gravity vehicle speed ωm * is limited by the speed limiter. Set within. Further, by the function of the controller 100 as a temporal damping means, when the vehicle speed target value is not 0, the absolute value of the target center-of-gravity vehicle speed ωm * is set so as to gradually decrease toward 0 with the passage of time. The auxiliary power running is prevented from continuing for a long time after the stop of the vehicle.

The function of the controller 100 as a vehicle speed detecting means causes the left and right drive motors 3 to operate.
The rotation speed of 1 is detected as the substantial traveling speed of the vehicle based on the electromotive force information of the motor.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, the motor current value i and the voltage Em are determined by a rotation speed detection circuit 100a including a winding resistance R, an LPF (low-pass filter), a 1 / K × τ arithmetic circuit, and the like. Based on the left and right motor rotation speeds ωL,
ωR is calculated, and each rotation speed is set as the speed FB.

Then, the set target center-of-gravity vehicle speed ωm
*, The supply current value to the drive motor 31 is set based on the difference between the turning speed component θz * and the detected speed FB. That is, the current command i * is obtained within the limit of the current limiter by the difference between the set target center-of-gravity vehicle speed ωm * and the turning speed component θz * and the detected center-of-gravity speed FB, and the speed gain G, and supplied to the motor 31. The current i is the current command i *
Feedback control is performed so that As described above, since each wheel is feedback-controlled based on the respective speed target values ωL * and ωR *, it is robust against disturbance.

Here, the relationship between the direction detection signals detected from the left and right wheels and the contents of the auxiliary force control will be specifically described with reference to FIG. In the following description, the description of the control in which the center-of-gravity target vehicle speed gradually decreases with time when no human power is input is omitted.

I. When neither the left or right hand rim is operated (the area in FIG. 15), the left and right direction detection signals are both "0", and .DELTA.v (the speed in the forward and backward directions before and after the control). (The amount of change) = 0, and θz (turning torque for changing the direction to the left or right) = 0, and control is performed so as to continue the forward / backward linear motion at the same speed. II. When the first-level human power is input to either one of the left and right wheels in the forward direction or the marching direction (area), only the direction detection signal of the input wheel is "1" or "1". −1 ”, the other becomes“ 0 ”, and there is no speed change in the forward and backward direction as Δv = 0, and θ
As z = cw or ccw, control is performed so as to turn right or left with a small torque difference. III. When the first level human power in the same direction is input to both the left and right wheels (area)
Indicates that the direction detection signals of both wheels are "1" or "-1",
When Δv = P or Δv = N, the speed is largely increased in the forward direction or the reverse direction, and control is performed so that θz = 0 to prevent turning.

IV. When the first-level human power in the opposite direction is input to the left and right wheels (area), the direction detection signal becomes “1”.
The control is performed such that there is no speed change in the forward and reverse directions when Δv = 0, and the vehicle turns right or left with a large torque difference when θz = Cw or CCw.

V. When a second level of human power is input in either the forward or reverse direction to only one of the left and right wheels, and the other is not operated (area), only the direction detection signal of the input-side wheel is input. "2" or "-2", the other "0",
When Δv = p or Δv = n, the vehicle speed is slightly increased in the forward direction or the reverse direction, and control is performed so that θz = 0 so as not to turn.

VI. When the second-level human power is input to one of the left and right wheels and the first-level human power is input to the other in the same direction (area), the direction detection signals are "2" and "2". 1 ”or“ −2 ”,“ −1 ”, Δv = P or Δv = N, the speed is largely increased in the forward direction or the reverse direction, and control is performed so that θz = 0 to prevent turning.

VII. If the second level human power is input to one of the left and right wheels and the first level human power is input to the other in the reverse direction (area), the direction detection signals are "2" and "2". -1 "
Alternatively, control is performed such that Δv = p or Δv = n to slightly increase the speed in the forward or reverse direction, and θz = cw or ccw to turn right or left with a small torque difference. Is done.

VIII. When the second-level human power is input to both the left and right wheels in the same direction (area), the direction detection signal is “2”, “2”, or “−2”, “−”. 2 ”and Δ
When v = P or Δv = N, the vehicle speed is greatly increased in the forward direction or the reverse direction, and control is performed so that θz = 0 so as not to turn.

IX. When the second level human power is input to both the left and right wheels in the reverse direction (area), the direction detection signal is “2”, “−2”, or “−2”, “−2”. 2 ”and Δv
= 0, no speed change in the forward and reverse directions, θz = C
It is controlled so as to turn right or left with a large torque difference as w or CCw.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the input direction and magnitude of the human power input to the hand rims 13 and 13 of the left and right wheels are determined and detected at the first and second levels, and based on the detection signals. Therefore, the following effects can be obtained because the speed is adjusted in the forward and backward directions and the turning operation is performed.

(A) Hand rims 13 and 1 of left and right wheels
When no 3 is operated (region), the speed change and the turning operation in the forward and backward directions are not performed, and the first level human power is input in the forward direction or the marching direction to only one of the left and right wheels ( (Region) is a case where the vehicle turns right or left with a small torque difference without giving a speed change in the forward / reverse direction, and furthermore, a second-level human power is input to only one of the left and right wheels (region). ) Slightly increases the speed in the forward / rearward direction and does not turn, so that the course can be changed by operating only one of the hand rims 13 lightly, and the forward / backward speed can be adjusted by operating the hand rim 13 slightly. Traveling with one-handed rowing operation can be easily performed.

(B) When the first-level human power is input to both the left and right wheels in the same direction (region), the speed is greatly increased in the forward or reverse direction, and no turning operation is given. , When the second level of human power is input to both of the right wheels in the same direction (area), the speed is greatly increased in the forward direction or the reverse direction and the vehicle is prevented from turning.
By operating both the left and right hand rims lightly or slightly in the same direction, the forward / reverse speed can be adjusted at a large rate.

(C) When the first-level human power is input to the left and right wheels in the reverse direction (region), the vehicle turns right or left with a large torque difference without changing the speed in the forward or reverse direction. When the second level of human power is input to the left and right wheels in the reverse direction (region), the vehicle turns right or left with a large torque difference without changing the speed in the forward or reverse direction. Therefore, by operating both hand rims in opposite directions, a turning operation with a small diameter can be performed.

(D) When the second level manpower is input to one of the left and right wheels and the first level manpower is input to the other in the same direction (area), the speed is greatly increased in the forward or reverse direction. When the human power of the second level is input to one of the left and right wheels and the human power of the first level is input to the other in the reverse direction (region), the power slightly increases in the forward direction or the reverse direction. Since the vehicle is turned rightward or leftward with a small torque difference, the speed can be changed by operating both hand rims in different directions in the same direction, and the course can be changed by operating the hand rims in the opposite direction.

Next, the control when the user supplies the handle rim 13 of the left wheel with human power will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 17 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the direction detection signal of human power to the left wheel hand rim 13 and the target center of gravity vehicle speed.

For example, when a relatively large operating force (manpower) indicated by a broken line A is applied to the left wheel hand rim 13, a solid line B
Is output, and the target center-of-gravity vehicle speed ωm * shown by the solid line C is set, and the current supplied to the motor is controlled so that the traveling speed becomes the target center-of-gravity vehicle speed ωm *.

More specifically, if the human power (operating force) exceeds the second threshold value S2 of the potentiometer 72 in the forward direction (second level) as shown by a broken line A1, The direction detection signal becomes +2, and the target center of gravity vehicle speed increases in proportion to the input time as indicated by the solid line C1. If the human power exceeds the threshold value S2 in the reverse direction (second level) as shown by the broken line A2, the direction detection signal becomes -2, and the target center of gravity vehicle speed becomes as shown by the solid line C2. Decreases in proportion to input time.
When the operation force is not input, the target center-of-gravity velocity gradually decreases as indicated by a solid line C3.

When a small operating force A3 of the potentiometer 72 in the range of the first threshold value S1 or more and less than the second threshold value S2 (first level) is input to the left wheel hand rim 13 in the forward direction, When the direction detection signal is +1 and the target speed of the left wheel is increased as indicated by D1, the vehicle turns right, and when a small operation force A4 is input to the hand rim 13 of the left wheel in the reverse direction, The direction detection signal becomes -1, the target speed of the left wheel is reduced as indicated by D2, and the vehicle turns leftward.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the second level human power is input to one of the hand rims 13, the driving force in the forward / rearward direction is supplied as auxiliary power, and when the first level human power is input, the vehicle turns. Since the driving force is supplied in the forward direction, the user can move the wheelchair straight forward by operating the left hand rim 13 in the forward direction with relatively large human power in the forward direction. Is controlled in terms of speed, so that the vehicle does not turn even if a large amount of human power is input to one wheel. In addition, by operating the left hand rim 13 in the forward direction with light human power, it is possible to turn rightward if the wheelchair is traveling straight, and it is possible to correct the direction by applying a light input to the hand rim while traveling. If the vehicle is stopped, the vehicle can be turned with a small radius. Thus, one hand rim 13
When a single-handed rowing is performed, the motor output is supplied so that a substantially equal speed is generated from both wheels in response to a large input of human power to the two wheels, and a speed difference is generated between both wheels by input of relatively small human power. Can improve the straight running performance of
It is possible to improve the feeling of use of a user who has a difference in the left and right operation forces.

For example, when the input to the left hand rim 13 is at the second level, the target speeds of the left and right wheels are uniformly increased or decreased so that the actual running speeds of the left and right wheels become equal to the target center of gravity speed. Since the above-mentioned auxiliary power source is controlled by speed feedback, the traveling speed in that direction can be increased or decreased by operating the hand rim with a large force during traveling, and the traveling speed can be easily adjusted to an arbitrary traveling speed.

Further, since the speed feedback control is performed so that the substantial traveling speed becomes the target center of gravity speed, the target speed is maintained even when an external force due to the road surface condition (such as a hill) acts. It is possible to avoid a problem that the speed is increased excessively when descending a slope.

Further, the left and right hand rims 13
When the level operation force is input in the same direction (area)
Since Δv = P or N, the target speed is increased / decreased at a larger rate than when the operating force is applied to only one of the hand rims (region, Δv = 0). By lightly touching both of them, the speed in the forward and backward direction can be increased more quickly, and the mobility of the vehicle according to the physical function of the pilot can be obtained.

In the first level, the human power in the opposite direction is left,
When added to the right hand rim (area), Δv =
0 to stop increasing or decreasing the target speed, and θz = Cw
Alternatively, since the turning motion is performed with a large torque difference as CCw, it is possible to avoid a user's discomfort and to improve the usability of the wheelchair. That is, when the user inputs opposing operating forces to both hand rims, it is considered that the user does not usually want to accelerate or decelerate, but rather wants a turning motion. In addition to stopping the increase and decrease, the vehicle can be turned with a relatively large torque difference, so that the user can use the vehicle with a feeling close to a normal wheelchair without feeling uncomfortable.

When the first-level operation force is input to one of the hand rims (area), control is performed so that a turning operation is performed. (Area) is θ
Assuming that z = Cw or CCw, the difference between the driving torques of the left and right wheels is made larger than when the first-level operating force is applied to only one of the hand rims. Can be increased, and stationary rotation can be performed while the vehicle is stopped, so that the device can be used as if it were a normal manual wheelchair.

When the target speed is other than 0, the absolute value of the target speed is gradually decreased toward 0 with the lapse of time. Therefore, when no human power is input, the vehicle speed gradually decreases, and finally, Stops, so that it is possible to prevent the problem that the wheelchair continues to run without input operation.

Here, in the above embodiment, the case where the speed feedback control of the left and right wheels is performed as shown in FIG. 11 has been described. However, instead of the feedback control based on this speed, FIGS. Thus, the motor 31 may be controlled by the voltage value control method.

In this case, predetermined target rotation speeds ωL * and ωR * are set based on the target center-of-gravity vehicle speed ωm * and the turning speed component θz * set in the same manner as in the above embodiment.
The power supplied to the motor 31 is controlled to Em based on the target value.

In this configuration, the function of maintaining the wheel speed is inferior to that of the above-described speed feedback control. However, the configuration is simple, and sufficient constant speed traveling can be realized when the reduction ratio is high.

In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which a threshold value is provided for the input level and the map data in FIG. 15 is described as a discrete value. However, the input is treated as a continuous amount or the input is treated as a fuzzy amount. May be described as a smooth change amount.

18 and 19 are examples in which the map data (forward-backward speed change amount Δv, turning speed θz) of FIG. 15 is described as a smooth change amount. 18 and 19, only the forward direction is displayed for the left wheel input signal.
Each data is point-symmetric with respect to the point where the left and right wheel inputs are both zero.

In the above embodiment, the case where the seated person operates the hand rim 13 to input the human power has been described.
The output of the motor 31 may be controlled so that assist power is obtained based on the human power of the caregiver when the caregiver moves the wheelchair 1 with the grip 7. In this case, the burden on the caregiver As described above, the straight running performance and the turning performance can be improved, and the usability can be improved.

[0098]

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the wheelchair.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the wheelchair.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state where a cover of a hub portion of a wheel of the wheelchair is removed.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a front view of a rotary transformer portion of the wheelchair.

FIG. 7 is a sectional side view of a rotary transformer portion of the wheelchair.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a rotary transformer portion of the wheelchair.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a rotary transformer portion of the wheelchair.

FIG. 10 is an overall configuration diagram of the wheelchair control system.

FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a system of the wheelchair auxiliary power control device.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a modification of the human power detection means.

FIG. 13 is a characteristic diagram showing a relationship between an input (operation force) and a direction detection signal.

FIG. 14 is a characteristic diagram illustrating a relationship between a direction detection signal and a target vehicle speed for explaining the control operation.

FIG. 15 is a map data diagram showing a relationship between left and right wheel direction detection signals and auxiliary power.

FIG. 16 is a configuration diagram of a modified example of the wheelchair auxiliary power control device.

FIG. 17 is a characteristic diagram showing a relationship between a motor rotation speed and a torque in a voltage value control method.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a modified example of map data indicating a relationship between input detection signals of left and right wheels and an auxiliary force (amount of change in speed in forward and backward directions).

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a modified example of map data indicating a relationship between input detection signals of left and right wheels and an auxiliary force (turning speed).

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Auxiliary power wheelchair 2 Wheel 13 Hand rim (manual input member) 31 Motor (auxiliary power source) 72 Potentiometer (human power detection means) 100 Controller (auxiliary power control means, vehicle speed detection means)

Claims (6)

[Claims] A human input member to which human power is input, human power detection means for detecting the direction and magnitude of the human power applied to the human input member, an auxiliary power source for supplying auxiliary power to the wheels, When the detected human power is large, the auxiliary power is set such that the auxiliary power becomes a driving force in a turning direction corresponding to the human power input direction when the detected human power is small. An auxiliary power type wheelchair, comprising: auxiliary power control means for controlling the driving force in the forward / rearward direction in accordance with the input direction of human power. 2. The wheel speed detecting means according to claim 1, wherein said wheel speed detecting means detects the rotational speed of each of the left and right wheels, and sets the target speed of the left and right wheels to a human power input direction when the detected human power becomes small. And target speed increasing / decreasing means for uniformly increasing / decreasing the target speeds of the left and right wheels in accordance with the input direction of the human power when the turning power increases. An auxiliary power wheelchair, wherein the auxiliary power source is speed feedback controlled so that the detected speed of each detected wheel becomes a target speed. 3. The human-power input member and the human-power detection means are provided corresponding to the left and right wheels, respectively, and the target speed increasing / decreasing means is provided with the small human power in the same direction as the left and right wheels. The turning component is set smaller when applied to both right input members than when applied to only one input member, and the small input force in the opposite direction is applied to the left and right input members. An auxiliary powered wheelchair characterized in that when turned on, the turning component is set to be larger than when turned on only one of the human input members. 4. The human-power input member and the human-power detection means according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the human-power input member and the human-power detection means are provided corresponding to the left and right wheels, respectively, When applied to the left and right input members, the target speed is increased or decreased at a greater rate than when applied to only one input member. An auxiliary powered wheelchair characterized in that when applied to an input member, the increase or decrease in the target speed is stopped. 5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the target speed increasing / decreasing means gradually decreases the absolute value of the target speed toward zero with the passage of time when the target speed is other than zero. Auxiliary powered wheelchair. 6. An auxiliary power wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein said human power input member is a hand rim mounted on a drive wheel so as to transmit human power.