JPH092371A - Auxiliary vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To provide an auxiliary power vehicle that not only reduces the rider's load but also provides the same coasting feeling as a normal vehicle that does not use auxiliary power. [Composition] An auxiliary power vehicle which detects human power F _M intermittently applied to the propulsion means, adds auxiliary power corresponding to the human power F _M to the propulsion means, and drives the propulsion means by the human power and the auxiliary power. . Even after the human power F _M for the propulsion means is removed, the auxiliary power is left so that the speed V of the propulsion means after the human power F _M is removed remains.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wheelchair, a bicycle, a rowing boat, etc. for driving by adding a driving force corresponding to the magnitude of human power intermittently applied to the propulsion means to the propulsion means as auxiliary power. Of auxiliary power vehicles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a manual electric wheelchair has been conventionally proposed as an intermediate existence between a manual wheelchair and an electric wheelchair. This manual electric wheelchair detects the human power intermittently applied to the wheels that are the propulsion means, and adds auxiliary power corresponding to the human power to the wheels to reduce the physical burden on the rider who cannot walk. According to this, the rider can operate it like a manual wheelchair,
Mental distress is also alleviated.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional manual electric wheelchair, the auxiliary power is given only while the human power is applied to the wheels, and the human power is removed from the wheels at the same time. It was designed to remove auxiliary power. For this reason, the rider turns wheels at the same pitch as a manual wheelchair, and there is room for improvement from the viewpoint of reducing the burden on the rider. Further, when the auxiliary power is removed, the brake by the motor or the like acts, so that it is not possible to coast like a manual wheelchair.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it goes without saying that the rider's burden can be further reduced, and that the auxiliary power that provides the same coasting feeling as a normal vehicle that does not use the auxiliary power is obtained. The purpose is to provide an expression vehicle.

[0005]

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an auxiliary power vehicle which detects human power intermittently applied to a propulsion means and adds auxiliary power corresponding to the human power to the propulsion means. In the auxiliary power type vehicle that drives the propulsion means by means of the auxiliary power and the auxiliary power, by leaving the auxiliary power even after the human power for the propulsion means is removed, the propulsion means after the human power is removed. The feature is that the speed is kept.

The auxiliary power vehicle according to claim 2 is
In claim 1, the absolute value of the speed is gradually reduced after the human power is removed.

The auxiliary power vehicle according to claim 3 is
In Claim 1 or 2, the speed of the propulsion means changes corresponding to the applied human power, and the human power is changed such that the speed increases as the applied time increases or increases.

The auxiliary power vehicle according to claim 4 is
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the auxiliary power is applied so that the speed of the auxiliary power vehicle is approximately proportional to the integrated value of the applied human power.

The auxiliary power vehicle according to claim 5 is
In any one of Claim 1 thru | or 4, when the said auxiliary | assistant power changes the direction of the human power applied to the said propulsion means,
It is characterized in that the speed is applied so as to change continuously.

The auxiliary power vehicle according to claim 6 is
In any one of Claim 1 thru | or 5, It is characterized by the said auxiliary power being added so that the external influence given to the said auxiliary power type vehicle may be offset.

The auxiliary power vehicle according to claim 7 is
At least any one of the rate of speed change of the auxiliary power type vehicle when the human power is applied and the rate of speed decrease of the auxiliary power type vehicle after the human power is removed according to any one of claims 2 to 6. The feature is that one of them is variable.

The auxiliary power vehicle according to claim 8 is
In any one of claims 1 to 7, the propulsion means are provided on the left and right sides in the traveling direction of the auxiliary power type vehicle, and the speed of each propulsion means can be changed separately.

[0013]

In the auxiliary power vehicle according to the first aspect of the present invention, the auxiliary power remains and maintains the speed of the auxiliary power vehicle even after the human power is removed from the propulsion means. The cruising distance of the auxiliary power type vehicle with respect to the input of the human power per turn becomes long, and the pitch of the human power applied to the propulsion means by the rider can be lengthened.

In the auxiliary power vehicle according to the second aspect, since the absolute value of the speed is gradually reduced after the human power is removed, a feeling of coasting equivalent to that of a manual vehicle can be obtained and the rider feels uncomfortable. Never give.

In the auxiliary power vehicle according to the third aspect of the present invention, since the human power applied to the propulsion means changes so as to increase as the time applied or applied increases, the human power applied to the propulsion means is changed to assist the vehicle. The speed of the powered vehicle can be adjusted.

In the auxiliary power vehicle according to the fourth aspect, the auxiliary power is applied so that the speed of the auxiliary power vehicle is approximately proportional to the integrated value of the applied human power. Acceleration / deceleration can be given.

In the auxiliary power vehicle according to the fifth aspect, the speed of the propulsion means changes continuously when the direction of the human power applied to the propulsion means is changed. You can make changes smoothly.

In the auxiliary power vehicle according to the sixth aspect, even if the load increases due to an external factor, the auxiliary power is applied according to the increase in the load, so that the vehicle can run stably.

In the auxiliary power vehicle according to the seventh aspect, the amount of the auxiliary power can be adjusted according to the physical strength and habituation of the rider, and the needs of the rider can be flexibly met. .

In the auxiliary power type vehicle according to the present invention, the speed of the propulsion means provided on the left and right of the auxiliary power type vehicle can be changed separately, so that not only forward and reverse but also fixed position turning. It is possible to perform a turning motion with an arbitrary radius of curvature including.

[0021]

【Example】

A. First Embodiment (1) Configuration of Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 is a side view of a hand wheelchair of a first embodiment of an auxiliary power vehicle according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of the wheelchair, FIG. 3 is a rear view of the wheelchair in a folded state, and FIG. 4 is the same. FIG. 5 is a cutaway plan view of the wheel portion showing the human power detection unit and the auxiliary power unit of the wheelchair, FIG. 5 is an enlarged cutaway plan view of the wheel unit, FIG. 6 is an outer side view of the wheel, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the state of the spring of the human power detection unit, and FIGS. 9 and 10 are cross-sectional views for explaining the state of the spring of the detection unit when human power is applied.

The wheelchair 1 according to this embodiment is an existing folding manual wheelchair with an auxiliary power unit assembled, and as shown in FIG. 1, a pipe frame-shaped frame 2 thereof.
The front and rear parts of the are a pair of left and right casters 3, wheels (propulsion means) 4
Supported by

A cloth seat 5 (see FIG. 2) on which a rider should sit is stretched at the center of the frame 2. The frame 2 is a pair of front and rear cross members 2a.
And the two cross members 2a having an X shape are pivotally attached at their intersections by a shaft 6. Therefore, the wheelchair 1 can be folded as shown in FIG. 3, and at this time, the seat also bends.

Further, a pair of left and right handle arms 2b is provided upright on the rear portion of the frame 2, the upper end of each handle arm 2b is bent backward, and a grip 7 of an assistant is provided at the bent portion. It is installed.

A pair of left and right armrests 8 for a rider are attached to the upper center of the frame 2, and a pair of left and right steps 9 are attached to the lower front end of the frame 2. Then, at the rear end of the pair of left and right arms 2c extending in the front-rear direction at the lower part of the frame 2, another arm 2d
Is mounted so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, and each arm 2d
A roller 10 is rotatably supported at the rear end of the roller 10.
A pin 11 projecting from the arm 2c is supported by a long hole so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, and this is always urged rearward by a spring (not shown) that is compressed between the arm 11 and the arm 2c. Has been done.

By the way, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, each of the pair of left and right wheels 4 is freely rotatable via ball bearings 14 and 15 to a wheel 13 supported by a bracket 12 attached to the frame 2. On the outside of each wheel 4, there is provided a ring-shaped hand rim 16 on which the rider must turn the wheel by hand. The hand rim 16 is attached to a disc 4 rotatably supported by a bearing 17 on a hub 4a of a wheel 4 via three spokes 19, and therefore the hand rim 16 is attached to the wheel 4 with respect to the wheel 4. Can rotate independently. In addition,
In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a damper 20 is interposed between the hub 4 a of the wheel 4 and the disc 18. In this way, the hand rim 16 is
Three points on the entire circumference are elastically connected to the wheel 4 by the structure shown in FIG.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, springs 22 and 2 having arc-shaped grooves 21a are provided in the space sandwiched by the pair of ribs 4a-1 formed on the hub 4a of the wheel 4.
3 are stored. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 24 is a holding member that prevents the springs 22 and 23 from falling off.

By the way, both ends of the springs 22 and 23 are received by the spring receivers 25 and 26, and in a neutral state where no human power is applied to the hand rim 16, as shown in detail in FIG. , 26 are in contact with the pair of ribs 4a-1 so that the small-diameter spring 23 is compressed with a predetermined preload between the spring receivers 25, 26, while the large-diameter spring 22 has spring ends 25 at both ends. , 26 is slightly detached, and no force is exerted on the spring receivers 25, 26. In addition,
The spring constant of the large-diameter spring 22 is smaller than that of the small-diameter spring 2.
It is set larger than that of 3.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
A pair of pins 27 and 28 are projected inward at three locations on the entire circumference of 8, and each pair of pins 27 and 28 is shown in FIG. 7 in a neutral state in which human power is not applied to the hand rim 16.
And, as shown in FIG. 8, it abuts on the end faces of the spring receivers 25 and 26. One pin 27 is fixed to the inner surface of the disk 18, while the other pin 28 is shown in FIG.
An arc-shaped long hole 1 formed in the disk 18 as shown in FIG.
The pin 28 is fixedly attached to the disk 18 by being tightened by a nut 29 while being in contact with the end surface of the spring receiver 26. Further, the rib 4a-1 is formed with a groove 4a-2 for allowing the movement of the pins 27 and 28.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, a potentiometer 30 for detecting the magnitude and direction of human power applied to the hand rim 16 is fixedly installed on the disk 18 on the hand rim 16 side. One end of a lever 31 is connected to the end of the human power shaft 30a of the potentiometer 30, and the other end of the lever 31 is connected to the hub 4a of the wheel 4.
It is engaged with the pin 32 projecting from the via a rubber cap 33. The cap 33 serves to prevent the rattling of the lever 31.

By the way, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, an auxiliary power unit (only one of which is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5) 40 is provided inside each of the pair of left and right wheels 4. The auxiliary power unit 40 includes a drive motor 4 that generates auxiliary power.
1 and a gear case 42 accommodating the gears G1 to G4 for transmitting the driving force of the drive motor 41 to the wheels 4,
A small-diameter gear G1 is connected to the output shaft end of the drive motor 41. The gear case 42 is held by the axle 13 and fixed to the frame 2 via rubber as shown in FIG.

A counter shaft 43 and a drive shaft 44 are rotatably supported in the gear case 42 in parallel with the axle 13, and the counter shaft 43 has gears G2, G of different sizes.
3, a large-diameter gear G4 is rotatably supported on the drive shaft 44, and a small-diameter gear G5 is connected to the end thereof. The large-diameter gear G2 meshes with the small-diameter gear G1, and the small-diameter gear G3 meshes with the large-diameter gear G4. Further, the gear G5 meshes with a large-diameter ring gear G6 fitted and held on the inner peripheral portion of the hub 4a. The ring gear G6 is held rotatably with respect to the hub 4a, and a plurality of damper members 45 arranged in the circumferential direction are interposed between the ring gear G6 and the hub 4a.

A dog clutch 46 for connecting and disconnecting the large-diameter gear G4 with the drive shaft 44 is provided on the drive shaft 44. The dog clutch 46 is provided at the upper front part of the frame 2. Clutch lever 47
The ON / OFF operation is performed by the turning operation (see FIG. 1). A limit switch 4 for detecting ON / OFF of the dog clutch 46 is provided near the dog clutch 46.
No. 8 is provided, and when the dog clutch 46 is in the OFF state, no current flows to the drive motor 41 described later.

Although the configuration of the auxiliary power unit 40 provided on one wheel 4 side has been described above, the same auxiliary power unit 40 provided on the other wheel 4 side is also used. The mass production effect can be obtained by sharing the parts. Therefore, the pair of left and right auxiliary power units 40 are arranged with point symmetry as shown in FIG. That is,
In each auxiliary power unit 40, the drive motor 41 is offset from the center line of the axle 13, and if such a common auxiliary power unit 40 is arranged with respect to the left and right wheels 4 in a point-symmetrical relationship, The pair of left and right drive motors 41, which are the most convex portions of the embodiment, are arranged with a step in the vertical direction, and both drive motors 41 interfere with each other when the wheelchair 1 is folded as shown in FIG. As a result, the wheelchair 1 can be folded compactly.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, a controller 50 for controlling the drive of the auxiliary power unit 40 is attached to the front side of the frame 2, and a battery 60 is provided above the controller 50. Is attached. The controller 50 may be attached to the cross member 2a of the frame 2 as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control device for one axis in the controller 50, and reference numeral 5 in the figure.
Reference numeral 1 is a target rotation speed calculation means, 52 is a motor control means, and 53.
Is a bipolar power amplification means. The target rotation speed calculation means 51 calculates the target rotation speed of the drive motor 41 in accordance with the human power F _M applied to the hand rim 16 detected by the output voltage of the potentiometer 30, and the motor control means 52 receives the target rotation speed. Output signal ω ^* . The motor control means 52 outputs a current command signal to the bipolar power amplification means 53 in response to the target rotation speed signal ω ^* . The bipolar power amplification means 53 supplies a current to the drive motor 41 based on the input current command signal. The current supplied by the bipolar power amplifier 53 to the drive motor 41 may change its direction in response to the current command signal, so that the drive motor 41 rotates in either forward or reverse directions.

A current detecting means 54 is interposed between the drive motor 41 and the bipolar power amplifying means 53, and a current detection signal iFB indicating the value of the current supplied to the drive motor 41.
Is output to the bipolar power amplification means 53. The bipolar power amplification means 53, based on the current detection signal iFB,
The current supplied to the drive motor 41 is feedback-controlled. Further, the drive motor 41 is provided with a rotation speed detection unit 55 that detects the rotation speed ω. The speed detection signal ωFB of the rotation speed detection means 55 and the target rotation speed signal ω ^* calculated by the target rotation speed calculation means 51 are output to the comparator 56, and the difference δω between these two signals is sent to the motor control means 52. Is output. As a result, the drive motor 41
The rotation speed ω of is controlled by feedback. Here, since the rotation speed ω of the drive motor 41 is equivalent to the vehicle speed, the controller 50 controls the vehicle speed.

(2) Operation of the Embodiment Next, the operation of the wheelchair 1 of the embodiment will be described. First, when the rider applies a force to the pair of left and right hand rims 16 so as to rotate the hand rims 16 in the forward direction, for example,
Until the magnitude of the human power F _M applied to the wheel 4 overcomes the preload of the three small diameter springs 23, relative rotation does not occur between the hand rim 16 and the wheel 4, and at this time, as shown in FIG. The output of potentiometer 30 shows zero. 13 is a diagram showing the output characteristic of the potentiometer 30 with respect to the human power F _M applied to the hand rim 16,
In the figure, F _M0 is the value of human power equal to the preload of the three small diameter springs 23.

After that, when the human power F _M increases beyond F _M0 , as shown in FIG. 9, one pin 27 presses the spring receiver 25 to first compress only the small diameter spring, and the hand rim 16 moves the spring 23. It rotates relative to the wheel 4 by an angle corresponding to the amount of compression. Then, the relative rotation amount of the hand rim 16 is transmitted to the potentiometer 30 via the lever 31, and the potentiometer 30 is shown in FIG.
As indicated by a straight line a, a signal corresponding to the human power F _M applied to the hand rim 16 is output. Since the spring constant of the small-diameter spring 23 is small, the compression amount of the spring 23 with respect to the increase amount of the human power F _M , that is, the hand rim 1
6 has a large rotation amount, and therefore potentiometer 3
The sensitivity of 0 is kept high, which allows the rider to perform delicate operation of the wheelchair 1.

When the value of the human power F _M applied to the hand rim 16 reaches F _M1 shown in FIG. 13, the large-diameter spring 22 also begins to be compressed together with the small-diameter spring 23.
The hand rim 16 rotates relative to the wheel by an angle commensurate with the compression amount of both springs 22 and 23. At this time, the potentiometer 30 corresponds to the human force F _M applied to the hand rim 16 as shown by the straight line b in FIG. Output the signal.

[0041] Then, when the human power F _M applied to the hand rim 16 exceeds a F _M2 shown in FIG. 13, the pin 27 as shown in FIG. 10 comes into contact with the holding member 24, manpower F _M pin 27 Is transmitted directly to the wheel 4 via the holding member 24. At this time, the output voltage of the potentiometer 30 becomes constant as shown by the straight line c in FIG. The output of the potentiometer 30 when the rider applies a force in the opposite direction to the hand rim 16 is the straight lines a ′, b ′,
The dead zone area is represented by c ′ and hatched in FIG. 13. By providing such a dead zone region, it is possible to reliably detect the stationary state while allowing a mechanical error or an electrical error. Human power F _M is intermittently applied to the hand rim 16 as described above, and this human power F _M is detected by the output voltage of the potentiometer 30, and the detection signal V _in is input to the target rotational speed calculation means 51 of the controller 50. Is entered.

When the drive motor rotates in the normal direction as described above, the driving force generated by the drive motor 41 is applied to the wheels 4 as the auxiliary power F _A. That is, the rotation of the drive motor 41 is reduced by one stage by the gears G1 and G2 shown in FIG. 5 and transmitted to the counter shaft 43. When the dog clutch 46 is turned on, the rotation of the counter shaft 43 is divided into two stages by the gears G3 and G4. It is decelerated and transmitted to the drive shaft 44. And
The rotation of the drive shaft 44 is reduced in three stages by the gears G5 and G6, and then transmitted to the wheels 4 through the damper member 45, and the driving force F having a magnitude obtained by adding the auxiliary power F _A to the human power F _M.
The wheels 4 are rotationally driven by (= F _M + F _A ). As a result, the wheelchair 1 moves forward, and the rider can easily operate it with a small driving force (human power) F _M , for example, about 1/2 of the total driving force F.

Here, FIG. 14 shows the relationship between the driving force of human power and the driving force of power and the speed of the wheelchair 1. As shown in FIG. 7A, in this embodiment, the auxiliary power F _A remains even after the human power F _M applied to the hand rim 16 is removed. That is, as the human power F _M increases, the output voltage V _{in of the} potentiometer 30 increases and the auxiliary power F _A also increases accordingly, but when the human power F _M begins to decrease, the auxiliary power F _A has its maximum value. It gradually decreases linearly after passing. That is, the auxiliary power F _A that decreases at a slower rate than the human power F _{M and} remains even after the human power F _M is removed is continuously added to the wheels 4. This allows wheelchair 1
The speed of is maintained while gradually decreasing after the human power F _M is removed, and then gradually decreases to 0 after the auxiliary power F _A becomes 0 due to the resistance of the drive motor 41 or the power transmission mechanism.

In this way, even after the human power F _M has been removed from the wheels 4, the auxiliary power F _A remains and the wheels 4 continue to rotate, so that the wheelchair 1 can continue to travel for one input of the human power F _M. The distance becomes longer. That is, since the rider coasts like a manual wheelchair, the pitch at which the rider turns the wheels 4 is slow, and the rider's physical burden is reduced. In addition, in the present embodiment, since the auxiliary power F _A is added so as to be substantially proportional to the integrated value of the human power F _M applied to the hand rim 16, the rider's burden is further reduced. This action is the controller 5
It is given by the target rotation speed calculation means 51 at zero. The target rotation speed calculation means 51 will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, in order to simplify the description, FIG.
Then, the change in the human power F _M is represented by a straight line.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 15, when the first human power F _M is removed by the input time t ₂ at time t _1, the target rotational speed ω
Is increased and then gradually decreased, and the wheelchair 1 runs so as to coast (hereinafter, such running is referred to as “coasting”). Next, before the coasting of the wheelchair 1 is completed, time t
The following human power F _M in ₃ is entered, the human power F _M is stronger than human power F _M in the previous, moreover applied a long time. Since the auxiliary power F _A to be applied is substantially proportional to the integrated value of the human power F _M applied to the hand rim 16, as shown in FIG. 15, the target rotation speed ω is significantly increased, and the coasting is lengthened accordingly. In this way, the target rotational speed ω becomes faster in accordance with the magnitude of the human power F _M and the added time, and the coasting distance becomes longer, so that the rider's burden is significantly reduced.

Next, at the time t ₅ , when the reverse direction human power F _M is applied to the hand rim 16, the target rotational speed ω of the wheelchair 1 which has been coasting is rapidly reduced and stopped. this is,
This is because the sum of the auxiliary power remaining in the forward direction and the auxiliary power applied in the reverse direction becomes the auxiliary power F _{A in the} reverse direction, which acts as a brake. Next, at time t ₇ , when the manpower F _M in the backward direction is applied to the hand rim 16 and the wheelchair 1 moves backward, at time t ₈ , when the manpower F _M in the forward direction is applied, this acts as a brake and the wheelchair 1 is Stop.

The above operation can be achieved by an integrator as shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the target rotation speed calculation means 51, in which C ₁₃ is a capacitor, D ₁₁ and D ₁₂ are diodes, and R ₁₂ , R ₁₃ , R ₁₅ and R _22.
Is a resistor and OP is an inverting adder. Potentiometer 3
0 is connected to positive and negative power supplies V + and V- whose both ends are stabilized, and is adjusted so that the output voltage becomes 0 when the input of the human power F _M is 0.

Now, when the potentiometer 30 generates a positive voltage due to the input of the manpower F _{M in} the forward direction, the capacitor C ₁₃ is charged. While the human power F _M is being applied, the capacitor C ₁₃ continues to be charged, and the output terminal of the inverting adder OP becomes a voltage corresponding to the total amount of charges charged in the capacitor C ₁₃ . As a result, the voltage output as the target rotation speed signal ω ^* becomes a value substantially proportional to the time integration of the output voltage of the potentiometer 30. Inverting adder OP for the output voltage of potentiometer 30
The output voltage ratio, ie, the integral gain, is the rate of change in vehicle speed with respect to the human power F _M , that is, acceleration, and this acceleration is determined by the resistor R ₁₂ and the capacitor C ₁₃ .

On the other hand, since the capacitor C ₁₃ discharges its electric charge through R ₁₃ , the output terminal voltage of the inverting adder OP decreases with time. As a result, when the human power F _{M in the} forward direction is applied, the auxiliary power F _A is applied so as to give an acceleration determined by the resistance R ₁₂ and the capacitor C ₁₃ while the human power F _M is being input, After that, when the human power F _M is removed, the auxiliary power F _A acts so that the vehicle speed gradually decreases as the capacitor C ₁₃ discharges.
The rate of change of the vehicle speed decrease can be adjusted by the sizes of the capacitor C ₁₃ and the resistor R ₁₃ .

Next, it is assumed that the manpower F _A in the reverse direction is applied to the hand rim 16 while the auxiliary power in the forward direction remains. In this case, the potentiometer 30 generates a negative voltage, and the electric charge charged in the capacitor C ₁₃ is rapidly discharged through the resistor R ₂₂ . Then, when the charge of the capacitor C ₁₃ becomes 0, the value of the target rotation speed signal ω ^* becomes 0, and when the potentiometer 30 continues to generate a negative voltage, the capacitor C ₁₃ is charged to the opposite polarity to the above. To be done. Also in this case, the output terminal voltage of the inverting adder OP is
The value is almost proportional to the time integral of the output voltage of the potentiometer 30. The acceleration with respect to the human power F _{M in the} backward direction is determined by the resistor R ₁₃ and the capacitor C ₂₂ .

[0051] In the wheelchair of the above configuration, because even auxiliary power F _A is maintained the speed of the wheelchair 1 remains after the human power F _M is removed, the wheelchair 1 with respect to the input of one human power F _M The cruising range is increased, and the pitch of the human power F _M applied to the hand rim 16 by the rider can be increased. Therefore, the burden on the rider can be reduced.

In particular, in the above embodiment, since the speed is gradually reduced after the human power F _M is removed, it is possible to obtain a coasting sensation equivalent to that of a manual wheelchair, and the rider will not feel discomfort. In addition, since the speed of the wheelchair 1 increases as the time for which the human power F _M applied to the hand rim 16 is greatly increased becomes longer, the speed of the wheelchair 1 can be adjusted by changing the human power F _M applied to the hand rim 16. Further, since the speed of the wheelchair 1 changes so as to be substantially proportional to the integrated value of the applied human power F _M , a speed change equivalent to that when a force acts on the mass system is obtained, so that the wheelchair 1 is natural. Acceleration / deceleration can be given.

In addition, since the speed of the wheels 4 changes continuously when the direction of the human power F _M applied to the hand rim is changed, the running direction of the wheelchair 1 can be changed smoothly. Moreover, since the rotation speed of the drive motor 41 is feedback-controlled, the speed of the wheelchair 1 is maintained even when going uphill, for example, and stable running is possible.
Further, the above control device corresponds to one auxiliary power unit 40. In the case of a wheelchair, since there are two systems of auxiliary power units on the left and right and the respective speeds can be changed independently, It is possible to perform not only the reverse movement but also a turning motion having an arbitrary radius of curvature including a fixed position turning.

B. Second Embodiment (1) Configuration of Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 19. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the rotation speed is controlled by the voltage applied to the drive motor 41 and the rotation of the drive motor 41 is not feedback-controlled. Therefore, in the following description, only different components will be described.

As shown in FIG. 16, the motor control means 57.
Controls the voltage of the current to be supplied to the drive motor 41 in accordance with the target rotation speed signal ω ^* input from the target rotation speed calculation means 51. The bipolar power amplification means 53 applies the voltage designated by the duty ratio to the drive motor 41 based on the duty command signal input from the motor control means 57. The current detection means 54 is the drive motor 4
1, which is provided for the purpose of clamping the current so that the current does not flow indefinitely.
Connected to the protection circuit.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a circuit of the target rotation speed calculation means 51. When a positive voltage is output from the potentiometer 30, the capacitor C11 is charged with electric charges, and a voltage of reverse polarity proportional to the output voltage is output to the output terminal of the inverting adder OP. After that, since the electric charge is discharged from the capacitor C ₁₁ , the inverting adder O
The absolute value of the output voltage of P gradually decreases. Also, when the output voltage of the potentiometer 30 becomes negative, the capacitor C
₂₁ is charged, and a voltage having a reverse polarity proportional to the output voltage is output to the output terminal of the inverting adder OP.

(2) Operation of the Embodiment FIG. 18 shows the relationship between the rotational speed ω of the drive motor 41 and the torque in this embodiment, where the duty ratio of the voltage instructed by the duty command signal is 100%, The case where the duty ratio is 50% is shown by a solid line and a dotted line. As shown in this figure, the drive motor 41 is given a negative torque characteristic. This torque characteristic can be obtained in a permanent magnet type DC motor, and the one whose characteristic straight line has a steep slope is used. Here, the duty ratio is 100
When it decreases from%, the straight line showing the relationship between the rotation speed ω and the torque moves in parallel to the left side in the figure.

If the wheelchair 1 goes uphill with a voltage duty ratio of 50%, the torque of the drive motor 41 increases. However, in the present embodiment, the drive motor 41 having the rotation speed / torque characteristics as shown in FIG.
Therefore, even if the torque of the drive motor 41 increases, the decrease in the rotation speed ω is small. Therefore, even if the load increases, there is no large speed fluctuation, and the wheelchair 1 can be stably run. When the rotation speed / torque characteristic of the drive motor 41 is not sufficiently inclined, the rotation speed detecting means 55 shown in FIG. 11 may be provided to perform feedback control.

In this embodiment, the rate of change in speed of the wheelchair 1 and the human power F _M when the human power F _M is applied.
At least one of the speed reduction rates of the wheelchair 1 after the removal of the wheelchair can be made variable. For example, as shown in FIG. 19, the rider can freely set the magnitude of the duty command signal with respect to the target rotation speed signal ω ^* input to the motor control means 57 by providing two or more kinds of low speed specifications and high speed specifications. It can be configured to be capable. Alternatively, the magnitude of the duty command signal with respect to the target rotation speed signal ω ^* can be continuously variable. With such a configuration, the magnitude of the auxiliary power F _A can be adjusted according to the physical strength and habituation of the rider, and it is possible to flexibly meet the needs of the rider.

C. Third Embodiment (1) Configuration of Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing the control circuit of the third embodiment. The output voltage of the potentiometer 30 is input to the CPU 61 via the interface 60. The CPU 61 calculates the duty ratio of the current to be supplied to the drive motor 41 from the output voltage of the potentiometer 30, and outputs a duty command signal to the motor driver 62. The motor driver 62 drives the built-in FET at the instructed duty ratio and supplies the drive motor 41 with a current having a value substantially proportional to the output voltage of the potentiometer 30. Further, the rotation speed of the drive motor 41 is detected by a rotation speed detection means 55 such as a rotary encoder, and the speed detection signal ωFB is output to the CPU 61. C
The PU 61 feedback-controls the duty command signal based on the input speed detection signal ωFB.

(2) Operation of the Embodiment The operation of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 21 shows a main routine of the overall operation of the wheelchair 1. First, various memories and timers are reset (step S1), and the CPU 61 waits for interrupt processing (step S2). The interrupt processing by the CPU 61 is shown in FIG.
This is performed according to the subroutine shown in 2. First, the CPU 61 reads the output voltage V _{in of the} potentiometer 30 and the speed detection signal ωFB of the rotation speed detection means 55 (step S10), and sets the target rotation speed of the drive motor 41 (step S11). Next, the rotation speed of the drive motor 41 is controlled according to the set target rotation speed (step S1
2) If there is an abnormality in the control, perform error processing according to it and return to the main routine (step S1).
3).

FIG. 23 is a subroutine showing the target rotation speed setting processing in step S11. First, it is determined whether or not the input signal V _n representing the human power F _M represented by the output voltage of the potentiometer 30 is within a preset range (V _{low to} V _high ) (step S20). Proceed to S13 to perform error processing. On the other hand, when the input signal V _n is within the above range, the application direction of the human power F _M is determined (step S21). That is, step S2
In 1, the calculation of “V _n −V _null ” is performed (see FIG. 24). For example, when the calculation result is larger than 0, it is determined to be the forward direction, and when it is smaller than 0, it is determined to be the backward direction.

Next, when the absolute value of the input signal V _n is greater than or equal to the threshold value h, the process proceeds to step S23 and the calculation shown in the following equation is performed. By performing this calculation each time the processing routine is repeated, the speed signal Y _n obtained by integrating the input signal V _n can be obtained.

## EQU1 ## Y _n = a × V _n + b × Y _n -1

Next, when the applied human power F _M becomes weak and the absolute value of the input signal V _n falls below the threshold value h, the operation proceeds to step S24 and the operation of "Y _n = c × Y _n-1 " I do.
By performing this calculation every time this processing routine is repeated, the velocity signal Y _n is attenuated with a long time constant (c). Next, in order to limit the speed of the wheelchair 1,
_If the absolute value of the speed signal Y _n exceeds Y _max , the speed signal Y _n is set to Y _max (steps S25 and S26).
Next, in step S27, the target rotation speed ω ^* is calculated. The assist ratio is determined by the coefficient k in this calculation. Then, the calculated target speed ω ^* and step S
The drive motor 41 is determined according to the determination of forward or reverse in 21.
The rotation direction and speed are determined, and the CPU 61 determines in step S
12 (see FIG. 22), the rotation of the drive motor 41 is controlled.

In this embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained, of course, and the CPU 61
Since the speed control is performed by the method, there is an advantage that the setting change of the assist ratio and the time constant of the speed attenuation can be performed only by modifying the program or the register.

D. Modifications The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but various modifications are possible. For example, as shown in FIG. 15 (B), when the auxiliary power F _A reaches the maximum value, the maximum value can be maintained for a predetermined time. Further, as shown in FIG. 7C, the gradual decrease ratio may be increased until a predetermined time elapses after the auxiliary power F ^A is gradually decreased, and the gradual decrease ratio may be decreased after the predetermined time elapses. By controlling in this way, the decrease in speed of the wheelchair 1 is moderated, and the vehicle can travel stably. Further, the grip 7 may be provided with a potentiometer for detecting the force applied to the grip 7 by the assistant, and the auxiliary power F _A may be controlled by the output voltage of the potentiometer.

[0067]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Even after the human power is removed from the propulsion means, the auxiliary power remains and maintains the speed of the auxiliary power vehicle, so the cruising range of the auxiliary power vehicle for one input of the human power becomes long, The pitch of human power applied to the propulsion means by the rider can be lengthened (claim 1). Further, since the absolute value of the speed is gradually reduced after the human power is removed, a coasting sensation equivalent to that of a manual vehicle can be obtained and the rider does not feel discomfort (claim 2).

Since the human power applied to the propulsion means changes so that it becomes faster the longer the time is applied, the speed of the auxiliary power vehicle can be adjusted by changing the human power applied to the propulsion means (claim 3). Since the auxiliary power is applied so as to be approximately proportional to the integrated value of the human power to which the speed of the auxiliary power vehicle is applied, the auxiliary power vehicle can be given natural acceleration and deceleration (claim 4).

Since the speed of the propulsion means changes continuously when the direction of the human power applied to the propulsion means is changed, the traveling direction of the auxiliary power type vehicle can be smoothly changed (Claim 5). Even if the load increases due to a physical factor, the auxiliary power is applied according to the increase of the load, so that the vehicle can travel stably (claim 6).

The size of the auxiliary power can be adjusted according to the physical strength and habituation of the rider, and it is possible to flexibly meet the needs of the rider (claim 7). Since the speed of the propulsion means can be changed separately, not only forward and backward movements but also turning motions of arbitrary radius of curvature including fixed position turning can be performed (claim 8).

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a front view of an auxiliary power type wheelchair.

FIG. 3 is a rear view showing a state in which the auxiliary power wheelchair is folded.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a human power detection unit and an auxiliary power generation unit of an auxiliary power type wheelchair.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side sectional view showing a human power detection unit and an auxiliary power generation unit of an auxiliary power type wheelchair.

FIG. 6 is an outside view of the wheels of an auxiliary power wheelchair.

FIG. 7 is an outside view of the rim portion of the wheel of the auxiliary power wheelchair.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a state of a spring of the human power detection unit.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the state of the spring of the detection unit when human power is applied.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the state of the spring of the detection unit when human power is applied.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a control circuit of the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a circuit of a target rotation speed calculation means in the first embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an output characteristic of a potentiometer with respect to human power applied to a hand rim.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a relationship between applied human power and the like and speed.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing changes in human power FM and vehicle speed V.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a control circuit of a second embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a control circuit of a target rotation speed calculation means.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the relationship between the rotational speed of the drive motor and the torque.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a relationship between a target speed and a duty command value.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a control circuit of a third embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the operation of the third embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of operation of the third embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of operation of the third embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a characteristic of an input signal of a potentiometer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Wheelchair (auxiliary power type vehicle) 4 Wheels (propulsion means) 16 Hand rim 30 Potentiometer 40 Auxiliary power unit 41 Drive motor 50 Controller 60 Battery

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An auxiliary power vehicle which detects human power intermittently applied to a propulsion means, adds auxiliary power corresponding to the human power to the propulsion means, and drives the propulsion means by the human power and the auxiliary power. In the above, the auxiliary power vehicle is characterized in that the speed of the propulsion means after the human power is removed is made to remain by allowing the auxiliary power to remain even after the human power for the propulsion means is removed. . 2. The auxiliary power vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the absolute value of the speed is gradually reduced after the human power is removed. 3. The speed of the propulsion means changes in accordance with the applied human power, and the speed increases as the applied human power is increased or the applied time is longer. Auxiliary power vehicle described in. 4. The auxiliary power vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the auxiliary power is applied so that the speed of the auxiliary power vehicle is approximately proportional to the integrated value of the applied human power. 5. The auxiliary power is applied so that the speed thereof continuously changes when the direction of the human power applied to the propulsion means is changed. Auxiliary power vehicle. 6. The auxiliary power vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary power is applied so as to cancel an external influence exerted on the auxiliary power vehicle. 7. At least one of a rate of speed change of the auxiliary power vehicle when the human power is applied and a rate of speed decrease of the auxiliary power vehicle after the human power is removed is made variable. The auxiliary power vehicle according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that: 8. The propelling means is provided on the left and right sides in the traveling direction of the auxiliary power type vehicle, and the propelling means can be turned by separately changing the speeds of the propelling means. The auxiliary power vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 7.