WO2019171137A1

WO2019171137A1 - Electrically-assisted golf trolley

Info

Publication number: WO2019171137A1
Application number: PCT/IB2018/051478
Authority: WO
Inventors: Cyril Beaulieu
Original assignee: Hit The Green Sàrl
Priority date: 2018-03-07
Filing date: 2018-03-07
Publication date: 2019-09-12

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrically assisted golf trolley comprising a structure (1, 2, 3) that allows the retaining and securing of a golf bag (10, 11), at least one wheel, at least one electric motor (8, 9) acting on at least some the wheels, a power supply source (13), at least one sensor generating at least one position signal according to the relative position of a user, and a control logic unit arranged so as to control the at least one electric motor according to said position signal and to move the trolley in such a way as to maintain a predetermined spatial relationship with the user, characterised in that the at least one sensor comprises a pulsed or modulated light source, a photosensitive element, and a distance-measuring circuit arranged so as to determine a time delay relating to the propagation of the light from the light source to the user, and from a point of reflection on the user to the photosensitive element.

Description

Golf Trolley with Electric Assistance

Technical area

The present invention relates to wheeled vehicles capable of autonomous movement on uneven ground, in relation to the movements of a user, and in particular to an automatic trolley for transporting golf bags.

State of the art

Conventional golf carts do not have engines the user must push or pull manually on the golf course.

[0003] Golf trolleys with a source of energy and an electric motor for autonomous movement are also known. Speed

of progress and direction are determined by the user by means of control devices on the handle of the carriage, or by a

remote control. These electric assist devices exempt

the user of the tasks to push or tow the cart, but their use can result uncomfortable: the user must determine the forward speed and the direction of the truck by actions on the command, which can be inconvenient on rough tracks or sinuous.

In a golf course, the walk of the user can vary greatly in speed and direction according to the slope and the conformation of the ground. This leads to the need for a constant adjustment of the trolley.

The remotely controlled carriages also have specific limitations and problems: the remote control must be stored after each use. In addition, it is difficult to steer the truck along an exact path negotiating possible unstable, slippery areas, or to steep slope, where the truck can turn around or change direction unexpectedly.

The documents FR2868560 and WO2015121797 describe golf carts equipped with infrared or ultrasonic proximity sensors, arranged to determine the relative position of a user, and to move autonomously while maintaining a predetermined distance relationship with the user. 'user. These devices however have several limitations: the proximity sensors used have a maximum range of detection, beyond which they are unable to

determine the position of the use. Even when the user is near, various sources of error, including the temperature, the sun, the color or the texture of the user's clothes, may affect or distort the measurement of his distance, resulting in irregularities in walking or trajectory errors. The present invention proposes to overcome these disadvantages by providing an automatic autonomous trolley without the limitations of known trolleys.

Brief summary of the invention

The object of the invention is in particular obtained by a carriage having the features of the main claim, the dependent claims concerning advantageous embodiments.

This object is achieved in particular by the subject of the main claim, namely by an electric assistance golf cart,

comprising a structure for holding and securing a golf bag, one or more wheels, one or more electric motors acting on at least a portion of the wheels, a power source, one or more sensors generating a position signal or more position signals, depending on the relative position of a user, and a control logic unit arranged to drive the electric motor or the motor according to said position signal and move the carriage to maintain a predetermined spatial relationship with the user, characterized in that the sensor or the sensors comprise a pulsed or modulated light source, a photosensitive member, and a light source circuit. distance measurement arranged to determine a time delay related to the propagation of light from the light source to the user, and a point of reflection on the user to the photosensitive member.

The dependent claims refer to optional variants of the invention, including a carriage whose measuring circuit comprises a compensation unit arranged to correct an undesirable effect generated by the scattered or reflected light on the photosensitive element without touch the user, as well as a carriage with a structure provided with articulations to fold it; a base member whose height does not exceed the highest point of the wheels comprising a lower support that can receive the base of a golf bag; a height-developing central element connected to the base element and a handle connected to the central element, oriented posteriorly with respect to the normal running direction of the carriage at a height suitable for being grasped by a standing user, and a attaches to the central element connectable to the upper part of a golf bag; a steering unit for driving the carriage along desired curved paths, either by acting on the differential speed of rotation of two drive wheels by any other means.

The optional aspects of the invention also include the presence of control elements, for example a button, wheel, handle or joystick, communicating with the control unit to control the carriage, rotate it and / or advance and / or back and / or stop, either on the handle or remote in a remote control, and the fact that the structure is made at least in part of a composite material, for example containing carbon fibers, or in a light alloy comprising aluminum and / or titanium and / or magnesium. Brief description of the figures

Examples of implementation of the invention are indicated in the description illustrated by the appended figures in which:

• Figure 1 illustrates a golf cart assisted according to one aspect of the invention; FIG. 2 schematically illustrates the logical structure of one embodiment of the invention, and

• Figure 3 schematically illustrates the operation of a proximity sensor to measure time of flight.

Example (s) of embodiment of the invention

Figure 1 shows an example of a carriage according to one aspect of the invention comprising a low base structure 10 on which are fixed four wheels, the two rear 6, 7 are driving wheels, driven by two electric motors. 8, 9. In the illustrated example, the electric motors 8, 9 are coaxial with the hubs of the drive wheels 6, 7 and each drive the respective driving wheel, directly or through a reducing group.

In the example shown, the driving wheels 6, 7 are at the rear of the truck (propulsion mode) However, the invention includes variants in which the drive wheels are in front (traction mode).

This independence of the drive wheels, each driven by an independent motor, is advantageous because it allows to rotate the carriage to the right and left by acting on the rotational speeds of the driving wheels, without adding other mechanical elements of direction.

This is not, however, an essential feature of the invention which could also include variants in which the drive wheels are driven by a common motor, and the path changes are managed by a known type of steering system.

Compared to the normal direction of travel, indicated by the arrow 23, the driving wheels are the rear wheels and the two non-driving wheels are the front wheels. Non-driving wheels are free to rotate around the common axis m. In the example shown, the axis of rotation of the non-driving wheels 5 is rigidly secured to the base member thanks to the fork 12, other solutions are however possible and included in the scope of the invention.

According to a variant not shown, the carriage of the invention could comprise a single non-driving wheel, and two rear drive wheels. The solution presented is however preferable when the truck has to negotiate rough terrain. The steering system, when required, can affect the orientation of the non-driving wheels 5 and / or the driving wheels 6, 7.

The trolley of the invention can use any suitable electric motor. Motors without permanent magnet brushes, however, are preferred for their efficiency and compactness.

The base member 10 is positioned as low as possible, and its height does not exceed, preferably, that of the wheels, to obtain a center of gravity as low as possible, and maximum stability. The upper face of the base member is shaped to accommodate the base of a golf bag.

Still for the purpose of concentrating the heavy elements in the lowest part of the carriage, the base element 10 also preferably contains a battery 13 for powering the motors, and a logic unit of control who is responsible for receiving and integrating signals from different engines and controlling motors 8, 9, (and the steering actuators, if present) so as to guide the carriage along a desired path, following the movements of the user.

In the example illustrated in the figure, the base 10 carries a substantially vertical central element 20 which supports at its upper end a handle 30 with a handle 32 at a suitable height to be grasped by a standing user, and a fastener on the central element connectable to the upper part of a golf bag. The central element and the handle are in the rear part of the carriage (with respect to the normal running direction), because the carriage is programmed to precede the user in his movements on a golf course, as will be explained by the Following, but the invention also provides variants in which the carriage is programmed to follow a user, and in which central post is handle are in the front part. It is also conceivable variants of the invention devoid of vertical upright and handle.

Preferably the structure of the carriage is made of lightweight materials, such as composites or metal alloys (aluminum, titanium, magnesium, etc.) and has joints between the various elements of the carriage, including the connection 21 between the base 10 and the central upright 20 and al to the connection 31 between the upright 20 and the handle 30 made by pivot joint or ball joint, allowing the folding of the structure to reduce the volume and facilitate storage. These connections can be made by bearings, ball joints or bearings or any other technical solution allowing the function.

Figure 2 shows a simplified diagram of the logical organization of the autonomous movement system of the golf cart of the invention.

A control unit 40 receives and integrates the signals from a plurality of sensors 55, 60.

The sensors of the carriage of the invention comprise one or more proximity sensors 55. The proximity sensors 55 allow determining the distance, and preferably also the relative direction, between the carriage and the user. This information is encoded in a proximity signal, possibly a vector signal which encodes the information obtained from a plurality of sensors, which is read by the control unit.

The control unit determines the movements of the carriage mainly according to the information provided by the proximity sensors 55. However, it can integrate other sensors and information sources 60, for example:

• clinometer or accelerometer to determine cart tilt

• positioning sensor, for example a GPS receiver for

determine the instantaneous position of the carriage.

• wheel rotation sensors, to determine the speed of travel and estimate the trajectory of the truck

• wireless communication interface, for example a

Bluetooth © receiver / transmitter, or any other

known receiver / transmitter, allowing the exchange of

information with and receive commands from a remote unit.

The control unit 40 drives the motors 8, 9 by the control circuit 70 which allows to obtain the desired rotational speeds. The control unit is programmed to move the carriage so that the relative position of the carriage relative to the user remains within a certain range. This navigation mode ensures that the truck fits

constantly its pace depending on the user's movements, while remaining close to it. Preferably, the proximity sensors are positioned on the rear of the carriage, for example on the handle 30 or the handle 32. Other arrangements are possible, for example in the base 10.

In a preferred embodiment, the control unit is programmed to move the carriage while keeping a distance.

predetermined, so as to precede it automatically in its movements. The distance between the carriage and the user is between the values d _m in and d _ma x which represent the lower and upper range limits of the proximity sensor 55 and is preferably between 20 cm and 2 meters, more preferably between 20 and 2 meters, more preferably between 20 and 2 meters, more preferably between 20 and 2 meters. cm and 1 meter.

FIG. 3 illustrates a simplified diagram of a position sensor with determination of the flight time used in the context of the invention. The sensor comprises a light source 1 10, for example an infrared laser or other suitable light source, which emits a modulated or pulsed light beam in the direction of the user. The light reflected by a user or object in proximity 120 is collected by the photosensitive member 130 and analyzed by the measuring circuit 140 which determines a delay between the emission of light and its reception. This delay is used to determine the distance of the user.

Preferably, the proximity sensor of the invention has an active volume 100, a region of the space in which the sensor is able to determine the position of the user. The shape and extension of the active volume 100 are determined by the directionality and the range of the sensor. In the example shown in the figure, the boundaries of the sensitivity region are defined laterally by the angle α and, in the direction of the axis, by the maximum detection distance d _ma x and the minimum distance d _m in .

In time-of-flight sensors there is always the risk that part of the light hits the photodetector by a parasitic path 106, considerably shorter, and therefore faster, This can happen, for example, when elements close to the sensor return scattered light or are sources of parasitic reflections. Preferably the measuring circuit 140 is arranged to compensate for the measurement error generated by these parasitic paths.

The inventors have realized that an exact control of the movements of the carriage, requires a relatively narrow angle a, typically between 20 ° and 50 ° and a detection distance d _max greater than or equal to 40 cm, preferably 1 meter or more.

As illustrated in Figure 2, a variant of the carriage of the invention comprises a pair of proximity sensor 55a and 55b whose active regions is superimposed at least partially. The control unit can determine, by comparing the signals of the two sensors, not only the distance of the user, but also its angular position with respect to the axis of the carriage. Preferably, the control unit uses this information to act on direction control means which makes it possible to turn the carriage to the right or to the left and to control the carriage along a curved trajectory which corresponds to the travel path. the user.

According to a possible and preferred variant of the invention, the steering control acts on the rotation speed differential of two driving wheels 6, 8 to rotate the carriage to the right and left, according to the desired trajectory. In another possible embodiment, the steering unit rotates the carriage to the right and to the left by acting on the orientation of the driving wheels or non-driving wheels.

In another possible variant, the control unit decides whether to rotate the carriage to the right or left based on signals obtained from other different sensors of the proximity sensor flight time 55. These sensors can be contactless, for example ultrasound, or photocells etc. The invention may also include control elements, such as push buttons, a wheel, a joystick or so on, whereby the user can directly drive the truck by making turns in the one direction or the other, and preferably also stop it, move forward or backward at a desired speed.

The control elements can be fixed on the carriage, for example on the handle, or in a remote control unit worn by the user. They may also include virtual elements displayed on a touch screen of a telephone or other portable device.

As mentioned above, the carriage of the invention preferably comprises sensors and auxiliary devices 60, driven or read by the control unit, and / or a communication interface 90 (visible in FIG. link with a server or a remote device, for example a modem for a cellular telephone network. These elements allow the implementation of additional advantageous functions, part of which is indicated below; the list, however, is not exhaustive.

security

The control unit can be programmed to integrate the signals from a clinometer and / or an accelerometer to determine if the carriage may turn around, or if it turned around, and put in implement compensation or safety measures such as: reducing the speed, stopping the motors, generating an acoustic or visual signal, transmitting an alert signal to another device or to a remote server via the communication interface 90. Positioning and Navigation

In this possible variant, the carriage comprises sensors for determining its position on a golf course or in a global coordinate system. This may include a satellite geolocation receiver, for example a receiver

GPS / Galileo / Glonass, or a receiver for a GPS system

local positioning, for example LoRa, or any other positioning system.

The control unit is programmed to determine the position of the truck based on these location sensors, and uses this information to determine the trajectory of the truck. The navigation unit may determine that the user is traversing a known path connecting two points of the terrain, for example, predict the movements that will necessarily be made to reach the destination of the path, and drive the carriage accordingly. The control unit could also be able to determine if the truck is approaching a prohibited area (green, bunker, body of water, or land boundaries), and implement measures to avoid it.

Management

It is conceivable that a management company holds a set of trolleys according to the invention to offer rental to athletes practicing on a golf course. In this case the carriage of the invention equipped with an interface 90 can communicate information (position, battery charge level, etc.) to a centralized management server. The cart may also include a touch display, or other device for interacting with the user and serving as a mobile terminal. This function can be used to facilitate any kind of transactions between the user and the managing company, or a third party including, for example, truck rental, access to land, and related payments.

Statistics and telemetry

The carriage the invention may also include other

auxiliary equipment intended for the practice of sport, for example: swing radar, rangefinder, distance meter and so on. In a preferred embodiment, the auxiliary devices communicate with, or are strictly integrated with, the control logic unit, so that the user can obtain, through the communication interface 90, synoptic data on his performances.

Reference numbers used in the figures

[0045]

8 engine

9 engine

10 basic structure

12 fork

13 battery

15 axis

20 central amount

21 articulation

23 direction of walk

30 round

31 articulation

32 handle

40 control unit

55 proximity sensor

55a proximity sensor

55b proximity sensor

60 auxiliary sensors

70 driving engines

90 interface

100 sensitive volume

105 measuring runs

106 parasitic path

110 laser, light source or infrared

120 items

130 photodetector

140 measuring circuit

Claims

claims

An electric assistance golf cart, comprising a structure (1,2,3) for holding and securing a golf bag (10,11), one or more wheels, one or more electric motors (8, 9) acting on at least a portion of the wheels, a power source (13), one or more sensors generating a position signal or a plurality of position signals, dependent on the relative position of a user, and a logic unit of controlled control for driving the electric motor or the motor according to said position signal and moving the carriage in such a way as to maintain a predetermined spatial relationship with the user, characterized in that the sensor or the sensors comprise a pulsed light source or modulated, a photosensitive member, and a distance measuring circuit arranged to determine a time delay related to the light propagation of the light source to the user, and a point of reflection on the u user to the photosensitive element.

2. Electric assistance golf cart according to the claim

previous, the measuring circuit comprising a compensation unit arranged to correct an undesirable effect generated by the light scattered or reflected on the photosensitive member without touching the user.

Electric assist golf cart according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the structure comprises articulations (12, 13) for folding.

An electrically assisted golf cart according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the wheels are connected to a base member whose height does not exceed the highest point of the wheels, the base member comprising a support lower that can receive the base of a golf bag.

Electric assist golf cart according to the claim

previous, comprising a height-developing central element connected to the base element and a handle connected to the central element, oriented posteriorly with respect to the normal running direction of the carriage at a height suitable for being grasped by a standing user , and a clip on the central element connectable to the upper part of a golf bag.

Electric assist golf cart according to one of claims 4 to 5, wherein the base element comprises the electric motor (s) and / or the power source and / or the control unit.

7. Electric assistance golf cart according to one of the preceding claims comprising a steering unit for driving the carriage along desired curved paths, the control unit being arranged to act on the steering unit according to the position signal or position signals.

Electric assist golf cart according to the claim

previous, characterized in that the steering unit allows to drive the carriage along the desired curved paths by acting on the differential speed of rotation of two driving wheels (6, 8).

9. Electric assistance golf cart according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a control element, for example a knob, knob, handle or joystick, communicating with the control unit to control the carriage, rotate it and / or move forward and / or backward and / or stop.

Electric assist golf cart according to the preceding claim when it depends on claim 4, wherein the

command is on the handle.

The electric assist golf cart according to claim 6, wherein the control element is on a remote control unit communicating with the control unit via a wireless data link.

Electric assist golf cart according to one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one wheel is connected to the base member by a pivot connection.

Electric assistance golf cart according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the structure is made at least partly of a composite material, for example containing carbon fibers, or of a light alloy comprising aluminum and / or titanium. and / or magnesium.