ELECTRIC VEHICLE

Abstract

In order to enable a user to clearly perceive the switch between a small electric vehicle mode and an electric walking assistance vehicle mode, a mobile base (21) is proposed, comprising a front base (25) with front wheels (5) and a rear base (24) with rear wheels (4), the front and rear bases being connected so as to be extendable in a front-to-back direction of a vehicle; a seat (7) configured to be mobile between a sitting position (7) and a folded position (7') on the mobile base, operating mechanically with an expansion and contraction operation of the front and rear bases; a motor (40) that drives the front wheel and / or the rear wheel; a sensor that detects the sitting position and the folded position; a display (80) whose function is to display to the user information relating to the sitting or folded position detected by the sensor;and a control unit (10) which controls the motor according to the operation of a moving part (83, 33) and which can execute a command such that the operation of the motor driven by the moving part (83, 33) is deactivated when the sensor does not detect the sitting position or the folded position.Fig. 1;

Description

Title of the invention: ELECTRIC VEHICLE technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric vehicle and, more particularly, relates to a small electric vehicle which can also be used as an electric walking aid vehicle. Previous technique

[0002] Conventionally, a small electric vehicle such as an electric wheelchair or a walker-type electric walking aid is used as a vehicle for a user to carry a load while walking. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an electric vehicle having a walking mode in which an attendant, or similar person, maneuvers the vehicle while walking in a state where the user is seated, in addition to a mode in which the user maneuvers the vehicle while seated on it. However, in this electric vehicle, use as a walking aid in which the user maneuvers the vehicle has not been envisaged.

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-233007 A Technical problem

[0004] A small electric vehicle includes a seat and, consequently, has a longer wheelbase compared to electric walking aids, making it difficult to maneuver for use as an electric walking aid. Preferably, an electric walking aid has a short vehicle length and a small turning radius. Therefore, the inventors have developed an electric vehicle with a body that is extendable forwards and backwards and a folding seat suitable for use in both small electric vehicle and electric walking aid modes.

[0005] In this electric vehicle, the operation of a control element is disabled since a control during the switchover between the small electric vehicle mode and the electric walking assistance vehicle mode is not suitable for operation. However, if a user cannot clearly perceive the completion of the switchover, the convenience of switching between modes may be impaired.

[0006] The present invention is made taking this element into account, and an object of the present invention is to enable the user to clearly perceive the switching between the small electric vehicle mode and the electric walking assistance vehicle mode. Technical solution

[0007] In order to solve the problem, an electric vehicle according to the present invention comprises:

[0008] a mobile base comprising a front base having front wheels and a rear base having rear wheels, the front base and the rear base being connected so as to be extendable in a front-to-rear direction of a vehicle;

[0009] a seat configured to be mobile between a sitting position and a folded position on the mobile base operating mechanically with an expansion and contraction operation of the front base and the rear base;

[0010] a motor that drives the front wheel and / or the rear wheel;

[0011] a sensor that detects the sitting position and the folded position;

[0012] a display whose function is to show the user information relating to the seated or folded position detected by the sensor; and

[0013] a control unit which controls the motor according to the operation of a moving part and which can execute a command in such a way that the operation of the motor driven by the moving part is deactivated when the sensor does not detect the sitting position or the folded position.

[0014] The electric vehicle may also have the following characteristics, taken individually or in combination:

[0015] - the front base and the rear base are connected by sliding in the forward direction- at the rear of the vehicle, the seat is supported to pivot around an axis in a direction of the width of the vehicle by an upper frame of the rear base, and a leg extending downwards beyond a pivoting support part of the seat is connected to the pivoting and sliding front base, the seat is designed to be in the seated position when the movable base is in an extended position in which the front base and the leg are positioned on one side away from the rear base, and the seat is in the folded, forward-leaning position when the movable base is in a shortened position in which the front base and the leg are positioned on the side of the rear base;

[0016] - the display includes a first display mode for displaying information relating to the sitting or folded position and a second display mode to show a drive operation by the operating part during the first display mode, and the second display mode includes a display indicating that the control unit is disabling the drive operation by the operating part;

[0017] - the display further includes a third display mode for displaying a state battery charging;

[0018] - the sensor is arranged so as to detect a phase of a connecting part mechanics of the seat and the mobile base corresponding to the sitting position and the folded position and / or a phase in a part of the movable support of the seat corresponding to the sitting position and the folded position;

[0019] - the operating part includes a configured seat operating part to be operable by a user seated in the seat, and a rear operating mechanism configured to be operable by the user when standing and walking from the rear of the seat, and the control unit can execute a command such that an operation of the seat operating mechanism is activated when the sensor detects the seated position, while an operation of the rear operating mechanism is activated when the sensor detects the folded position. Benefits provided

[0020] As described above, in the electric vehicle according to the present invention, a sensor that detects the seated and folded positions is provided, and a display is provided for showing the user information relating to the seated or folded position detected by the sensor. Consequently, the user can clearly perceive the switching between the small electric vehicle mode and the walking assistance electric vehicle mode, and can benefit from the convenience of switching between modes. Brief description of the drawings

[0021] Other features, details and advantages of the invention will become apparent from reading the detailed description below and from analyzing the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1

[0022] [Fig.1] is a side view illustrating an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2

[0023] [Fig.2] is a front view illustrating the electric vehicle according to the mode of embodiment of the present invention, in which a lower portion is omitted; Fig. 3

[0024] [Fig.3] is a perspective view of an operating part of the electric vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention, in diagonal view from the top and rear; Fig. 4

[0025] [Fig.4] is a block diagram illustrating an electric vehicle control system according to the embodiment of the present invention. Description of the implementation methods

[0026] Below, an embodiment of the present invention is described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0027] In [Fig.1], an electric vehicle 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention comprises a vehicle body 2 consisting of a movable base 21 (a lower support) and an upper frame 22 placed vertically at the rear of the movable base 21 (a rear base 24), and can be used in small electric vehicle mode (1), illustrated by solid lines on [Fig.1], and in electric walking assistance vehicle mode (1'), illustrated by dashed lines on [Fig.1].

[0028] The mobile base 21 comprises a rear base 24 (a main part of the body) equipped with right and left rear wheels 4 (drive wheels) and the upper frame 22, and a front base 25 equipped with right and left front wheels 5 (driven wheels), and the front base 25 is slidingly coupled in a front-to-back direction to a front side of the rear base 24 and the mobile base 21 is constituted such that a wheelbase is extensible.

[0029] The right and left rear wheels 4 are driven independently by right and left motors 40 (40L, 40R) installed on the rear base 24. The right and left front wheels 5 consist of "omni" wheels (omnidirectional wheels) comprising a number of rollers 50 capable of rotating about a circumferential axis at a ground contact portion. Furthermore, steering and drive control operations of the electric vehicle 1 can be performed solely by controlling the motors 40L, 40R using a control piece 83 (a seat control piece) or rear control pieces 33, which will be described later.

[0030] The upper frame 22 has an inverted U or portal shape, wherein the upper ends of a pair of right and left frame elements (side frame elements) extending upwards from the right and left side portions of the rear base 24 are coupled by an upper end frame element 26 extending in a direction of the vehicle's width and, furthermore, a rear cover frame element 28 is arranged to extend in the direction of the vehicle's width while being spaced from one lower side of the upper end frame element 26. In addition, a rod support portion 23 penetrating through the upper end frame element 26 so as to extend upwards is positioned at a center in a direction of the width of the upper end frame element 26 and the rear cover frame element 28.

[0031] The rod support portion 23 has a hollow cylindrical shape in which a lower end portion of a rod 31 of a rear handlebar 3 is slidably supported in an up-down direction and fixed by a locking means (not shown) in a height-adjustable manner. As illustrated in [Fig. 2], the rear handlebar 3 has a T-bar shape comprising a pair of rear operating parts 33 extending to the right and left from a connecting part 32 with an upper end of the rod 31. These rear maneuvering parts 33 are maneuvering parts used when a user operates the vehicle in electric walking assistance vehicle mode, and when an attendant or similar person is maneuvering the electric vehicle in a state in which the user is seated on the seat 7.

[0032] In the upper frame 22, a lower end portion of a seat back 6 (6a), a leg 71 of the seat 7 (a seat cushion) (7a) and a base portion of the armrest 8 (8a) are all pivotally supported by axes 6a, 7a, 8a which are parallel to the direction of the width of the vehicle, while a lower end of the leg 71 is pivotally and slidingly coupled to the front base 25 (pin) via a coupling portion 7b (a slot).

[0033] With the above configuration, when the seat 7 is pivoted forward and downward so as to move it into a folded position 7' ​​as illustrated by the dotted lines on the figures from the small electric vehicle mode illustrated by solid lines on the figures, the front base 25 is moved by sliding backward and the movable base is shortened, which puts the vehicle into electric walking assistance vehicle mode in which the user can maneuver by means of the rear maneuvering parts 33 while standing and walking.

[0034] In this case, when the seat back 6 is tilted forward to move into a folded position 6', an upper surface (a rear surface) of the seat back 6' can be used as a support surface for packages, and the armrest 8 can be used as a fall-arresting element for the supported packages. Furthermore, upper surfaces 24b, 25b of the rear base 24 and the front base 25 can be used as a platform for supporting packages.

[0035] Furthermore, in the electric vehicle walking assistance mode illustrated by the dotted lines on the figures, the seat back 6' is raised to return to a seating position 6, and the seat 7' is then pivoted backwards to return to a seating position 7, as illustrated by the solid lines on the figures, the front base 25 is moved forward by sliding and the movable base 21 is extended, which puts the vehicle into small electric vehicle mode in which the user sits on the seat 7 to allow autonomous movement by actuation of the operating part 83 of the armrest 8.

[0036] As illustrated in [Fig. 3], the operating member 3 is located at an end portion 82 of the armrest 83, and consists of a handle or lever extending diagonally forward and upward from the end portion 82. The operating member 83 may be an operating member comprising a system in which the right and left motors 40L, 40R are associated with the right and left handles in order to perform a forward movement, a backward movement, a rotation and a pivot to the right or left, or an operating member comprising a lever system in which either of the right and left handles performs a forward movement, a backward movement and a rotation to the right or left and, furthermore, a display 80 for displaying various information is placed at the level of a terminal part of at least one of the operating parts 33.

[0037] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating a vehicle control system electric. In addition to maneuvering data entered via the maneuvering part 83 of the armrest 8 and the rear maneuvering parts 33, various types of information, such as seating / folding position information detected by a frame position sensor 70, passenger information detected by a seat sensor 72, vehicle behavioral information such as acceleration or tilt detected by a gyroscopic sensor 20 and a remaining amount of energy from a battery 9 (state of charge, or SOC), are entered into a control unit 10 and displayed on the display 80.

[0038] The frame position sensor 70 consists of a contact / non-contact type sensor, a switch and similar provided at each lateral end of a movable range in order to detect a pivoting position of a pivoting support part 7a of the seat 7 (a leg 71) relative to a frame side mounting part 27, a position of the front base 25 relative to a coupling part 7b at a lower end of the leg 71 or a sliding position of the front base 25 relative to the rear base 24, and detects information relating to the sitting / folded position of the seat 7.

[0039] In the control unit 10, when the seating position of the seat 7 is detected by the frame position sensor 70 and the seat sensor 72 detects that the user is seated, actuation of the operating part 83 of the armrest 8 is permitted, and an "autonomous mode" is displayed on the display 80. Furthermore, in this state, if a switch to an "assisted mode" is made while the user is on board by actuation of the rear operating parts 33, the "assisted mode" is displayed on the display 80. When the seating position of the seat 7 is not detected by the frame position sensor 70, the actuation of the operating part 83 is deactivated.

[0040] Conversely, when the folded position of the seat 7 is detected by the frame position sensor 70, actuation of the rear operating parts 33 is permitted, and a "walking assistance mode" is displayed on the display 80. Furthermore, when the seat 7 is positioned halfway between the sitting / folded positions and neither the sitting nor the folded position is detected by the frame position sensor 70, actuation of the armrest 8 operating part 83 and actuation of the rear operating parts 33 are deactivated, and the display 80 shows that the Seat 7 is moving. In this case, a warning such as a flashing screen or an alternating sound may also be used.

[0041] When the electric vehicle 1 is activated and the setting of the control unit 10 is completed, a remaining amount of battery energy is displayed on the display 80. In addition, when any of the frame position sensors 70 detects a sitting / folded position, a remaining amount of battery energy is displayed on the display 80, which allows the user to obtain confirmation that the transformation of the frame is complete.

[0042] Furthermore, as a display 80, it is preferable to use a light-emitting unit such as an LED, LCD, or OLED. In addition, the display 80 can be arranged on a surface 84 of the armrest 8 or on an arm-forming portion 81 of the armrest 8 other than a high surface of the control piece 83. The high surface of the control piece 83 or the surface 84 of the armrest 8 can also be easily seen from the rear control pieces 33.

[0043] Furthermore, although a case in which omnidirectional wheels are used as front wheels 5 is illustrated in the embodiment above, a driven wheel supported in an orientable manner by a pivoting support system or similar may be used.

[0044] As described above, although one embodiment of the present invention has been detailed, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and, additionally, various modifications and changes may be made on the basis of the technical concept of the present invention. List of reference signs

[0045] - 1 Electric vehicle

[0046] 2 Vehicle body

[0047] 3 Rear handlebar

[0048] 4 Rear wheel

[0049] 5 Front wheel

[0050] 6 Seat file

[0051] 7 Seat

[0052] 8 Armrest

[0053] 10 Control Unit

[0054] 21 Mobile base

[0055] 22 Upper frame

[0056] 23 Rod support part

[0057] 24 Back Base

[0058] 25 Front Base

[0059] 26 Upper end frame element

[0060] 28 Rear cover frame element

[0061] 31 Stem

[0062] 33 Rear operating part

[0063] 40 Engine

[0064] 80 Display

[0065] 70 Frame position sensor

[0066] 72 Seat sensor

[0067] 83 Operating part List of documents cited Patent documents

[0068] For all intents and purposes, the following patent document is cited: - [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-233007 A.

Claims

Demands

1. Electric vehicle (1) comprising: a mobile base (21) which includes a front base (25) having front wheels (5) and a rear base (24) having rear wheels (4), the front base (25) and the rear base (24) being connected so as to be extendable in a front-to-rear direction of a vehicle; a seat (7) configured to be mobile between a seated position and a folded position (7') on the mobile base (21) operating mechanically with an expansion and contraction operation of the front base (25) and the rear base (24); a motor (40) which drives the front wheel and / or the rear wheel; a sensor (70) which detects the seated position and the folded position (7'); a display (80) having the function of displaying to the user information relating to the seated position or the folded position (7') detected by the sensor (70); a control part (83,33) comprising a seat operating part (83) configured to be actuated by a user seated on the seat (7) and a rear operating part (33) configured to be actuated by the user when standing and walking from the rear of the seat (7), a control unit (10) which controls the motor (40) according to the operation of the operating part (83, 33) and which is capable of executing a command such that the operation of the motor (40) driven by the operating part (83, 33) is deactivated when the sensor (70) does not detect the seated or folded position (7'), wherein the control unit (10) is capable of executing a command such that an operation of the seat operating part (83) is activated when the sensor (70) detects the seated position, while an operation of the rear operating part (33) is activated when the sensor detects the folded position (7').,

2. Electric vehicle (1) according to claim 1, wherein the front base (25) and the rear base (24) are slidably connected in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle, the seat (7) is pivotally supported about an axis in a direction of the width of the vehicle by an upper frame (22) of the rear base (24), and a leg (71) extending downwards beyond a pivoting support part (7a) of the seat (7) is connected to the pivoting and sliding front base (25); - the seat (7) is designed to be in the seated position when the movable base (21) is in an extended position in which the front base (25) and the leg (71) are positioned on one side away from the rear base (24), and the seat (7) is in the folded position (7'), inclined forwards, when the movable base (21) is in a shortened position in which the front base (25) and the leg (71) are positioned on one side of the rear base (24).

3. Electric vehicle (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display (80) is configured to display, in a first display mode, information relating to the seated position or the folded position (7') and is configured to display, in a second display mode, a drive operation by the operating part (83, 33) during the first display mode, and the second display mode includes a display indicating that the control unit (10) deactivates the drive operation by the operating part (83, 33).

4. Electric vehicle (1) according to claim 3, wherein the display (80) is further configured to display, in a third display mode, a state of charge of a battery (9).

5. Electric vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sensor (70) is arranged to detect a phase of a mechanical linkage part of the seat (7) and the movable base (21) corresponding to the sitting position and the folded position (7') and / or a phase in a movable support part of the seat (7) corresponding to the sitting position and the folded position (7').

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