JPH04308401A - small electric car - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a small electric vehicle mainly used by elderly people and people with walking disabilities.
The present invention relates to a small electric vehicle in which an accelerator lever for setting the traveling speed of the vehicle body is disposed near a grip portion of a steering handle so that the accelerator lever can be gripped and operated together with the grip portion.

0002

[Prior Art] Conventionally, the above-mentioned small electric vehicle is configured to detect the operation amount of the accelerator lever with a potentiometer, and drive-control the electric motor for driving the vehicle body based on the detected value. Some devices are designed to turn off the main switch for driving the electric motor and stop the vehicle from moving when the user releases the hand from the electric motor (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 1-311776 filed by the present applicant).

0003

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] The above-mentioned conventional structure prevents the driver from releasing his hand from the accelerator lever due to tension in an emergency situation such as when there is a risk of collision with an external object while the vehicle is moving. In such cases, the vehicle automatically stops to ensure driving safety.

However, in the above-mentioned emergency situation, when the operator becomes nervous, he or she often inadvertently grips the steering wheel tightly rather than letting go of the steering wheel, which can be dangerous. The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned disadvantages.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] A characteristic configuration of the present invention is that in the small electric vehicle mentioned at the beginning, a treading detection means for detecting that treading is performed at a predetermined pressure or higher is provided on the step. Along with the detection operation by the stepping detection means,
The vehicle is equipped with a travel stopping means for stopping the vehicle from traveling.

[0006]

[Effect] When an emergency situation occurs, such as when there is a risk of collision with an external object while driving the vehicle while gripping the accelerator lever together with the grip of the steering wheel, you can instantly Therefore, the detecting means detects the strong stepping, and the vehicle body automatically stops.

[0007]

[Effects of the Invention] Therefore, even if the operator makes a sudden mistake in making a grip operation in a tense state, the vehicle body will stop.
Driving safety can now be ensured more reliably.

[0008]

[Example] Hereinafter, an example will be explained based on the drawings. Figure 1
shows a small electric vehicle. This small electric vehicle has one front wheel 2 in a non-driven state that can be steered by operating a steering handle 1, and a pair of left and right rear wheels 3 in a driven state. A driver's seat 5 is provided, and a battery 6 and a driving control device 7 are arranged inside a vehicle body case 4.

Next, the traveling drive mechanism of the vehicle body will be explained. The rear wheel 3 is configured to be driven by an electric motor 8 with a speed reducer, and the running speed is determined by the grip operation amount of an accelerator lever 9 provided near the steering wheel 1 so that it can be gripped together with the grip portion 1a of the steering wheel 1. It is configured to be controlled based on. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, an accelerator lever 9 that can be rotated integrally around the horizontal axis is disposed near the left and right grip portions 1a of the steering handle 1, and the amount of rotation operation of the accelerator lever 9 is provided. A potentiometer PM for detecting the electric motor 8 is disposed inside the control panel 10, and the control device 7 is configured to change and control the rotational speed of the electric motor 8 in accordance with the detected value of the potentiometer PM. Further, the control device 7 controls the accelerator lever 9.
is in a non-operating state, the electric motor 8 is stopped, and the electromagnetic brake 11 interposed between the electric motor 8 and the rear wheel 3 is controlled to be set to a braking state.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a limit switch SW1 is provided inside the front vehicle body case 4 to detect when the steering handle 1 is turned by a predetermined angle or more. That is, a hollow-shaped cam member 13 is attached to the upper surface of the front wheel support stay 12, and the leaf spring type detection piece 14 of the limit switch SW1 is abutted and engaged with the cam member 13 via the guide roller 15. The detection piece 14 is activated by a steering operation of a predetermined angle or more, and the limit switch SW1 is turned on and activated. This limit switch SW1 is connected to the control device 7, and the control device 7 controls the limit switch SW1 while the vehicle is running.
When activated, the speed is controlled to be decelerated to a predetermined low speed regardless of the speed set by the accelerator lever 9.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, an auxiliary disk 21 made of hard rubber or plastic can be attached to the wheel portion of the rear wheel 3 from the outside, so that it can be used in case the rear wheel 3 gets punctured or air leaks. In such a case, by attaching this auxiliary disk 21, the vehicle can be moved without damaging the rear wheels 3. At this time, the auxiliary disk 21
The installation state of the vehicle is detected by a contact switch SW4 (a photoelectric sensor may be used) connected to the control device 7, and when moving using the auxiliary disk 21, the travel speed for transition to travel is limited to a predetermined low speed. It is configured like this.

Further, on the front right side of the steering handle 1, there is a brake lever 16 for operating a manually operated friction brake interposed between the electromagnetic brake 11 and the rear wheel 3.
is provided. Further, a brake operation detection switch SW2 is provided near the rotational base end of the brake lever 16 to detect that the lever 16 has been operated, and this detection switch SW2 is connected to the control device 7. The control device 7 is configured to control the speed so that when the brake operation detection switch SW2 is detected and activated, the speed is gradually reduced from the traveling speed at that time (t0), as shown in FIG. A delay drive circuit 19 is provided that shuts off the relay circuit 18 interposed in the main power supply circuit 17 for the control device 7 after a predetermined period of time (T) has elapsed from the time when the output is given, thereby ensuring reliable braking operation. This prevents shocks caused by sudden stops.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 1, on the step 20 of the vehicle body where the left and right feet are placed when seated and maneuvered, a predetermined pressure or more, which is greater than the foot-rest pressure during normal driving, is applied. A pair of pressure-sensitive sensors SW3 (an example of stepping detection means) are provided, which become electrically conductive when detecting the presence of a foot, and are connected to the control device 7. Although not shown, the pressure-sensitive sensor SW3 is embedded inside an elastic sheet, and is constructed by sandwiching a pressure-sensitive conductive rubber between a pair of switch electrode plates. And pressure sensor S
W3 is connected to the control device 7 in parallel with the brake operation detection switch SW2, and as the pressure sensor SW3 becomes conductive, the control device 7 detects the state at the time of the conduction operation in the same way as when the brake is activated. The speed is controlled so that the speed is gradually lowered from the running speed, and after a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the time of the conduction operation, the delay drive circuit 19 controls the control device 7.
Relay circuit 18 interposed in main power supply circuit 17 for
It is configured to block the The control device 7, the delay drive circuit 19, and the relay circuit 18 constitute a traveling stop means. With this configuration, in an emergency such as when there is a risk of a collision with an external object while the vehicle is moving, if the operator hurriedly presses his foot hard without releasing the accelerator lever, this strong foot press will not be detected. Based on this, the vehicle can stop reliably without experiencing a strong shock.

[0014] The pedal detection means is such that running is enabled when the pedal is depressed with a small pressure, and running is stopped when the pedal is depressed strongly at a predetermined pressure or higher or when the pedal is released. It may also be configured as follows.

[0015] Note that although reference numerals are written in the claims for convenience of comparison with the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the structure of the accompanying drawings by such entry.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

[Fig. 1] Side view of a small electric vehicle according to the present invention

[Figure 2] Plan view of the control section

[Figure 3] Cutaway side view of limit switch installation part

[Figure 4]
Plan view of the contact action part of the limit switch

[Figure 5] Control block diagram

[Figure 6] Speed control characteristic diagram

[Figure 7] Partially cutaway rear view showing the rear wheels during emergency driving

[Explanation of symbols]

１　　　　　　Control handle 1a Grip part 9 Accelerator lever 20 steps SW3 Trampling detection means

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A small electric motor vehicle, in which an accelerator lever (9) for setting the traveling speed of the vehicle body is disposed near a grip part (1a) of a steering handle (1) so that it can be gripped and operated together with the grip part (1a). A stepping detection means (SW3) is provided on the step (20) for detecting that the stepping pressure is higher than a predetermined pressure in a vehicle, and as the stepping detecting means (SW3) operates, A small electric vehicle equipped with a means to stop the vehicle from moving.