Driver-riding-type drive assist electric device

Abstract

To provide a drive assist electric device which allows a person who pushes a manually propelled vehicle to ride and operate it.SOLUTION: A drive assist electric device for assisting drive of various types of manually propelled vehicles, the drive assist electric device includes a drive part for rotating at least one wheel, a control part for controlling rotation of the wheel by the drive part, and a steering part for steering a movement direction of the drive assist electric device and operating the control part, a step on which a driver of the drive assist electric device can ride, a sensor for detecting obstacles in a periphery of the drive assist electric device, a sensor for measuring a location of the drive assist electric device, a sensor for measuring a level difference, an inclination, etc. of a sidewalk, a service road, etc. through which drive assist electric device passes, a radio communication device for transmitting and receiving various pieces of information between the drive assist electric device and servers such as cloud, a control function based on real time information and accumulation information, a map information generation function such as the sidewalk and the service road acquired by various types of sensors and the radio communication device, and attachment devices for various types of manually propelled vehicles.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drive assist electric device that can be attached to and detached from various manually propelled vehicles, can be operated by a driver riding on the vehicle, and can be controlled using various information from various sensors, various wireless communication devices, etc. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are many electric wheelchairs that are operated by the wheelchair user himself. There are also power-assist electric devices that can be attached to and detached from existing hand-pushed wheelchairs and operated by the wheelchair user himself. However, the number of electric devices that can be operated by a caregiver is extremely limited, and the options are limited. In addition, there are no power-assist electric devices that can be attached and detached to existing hand-pushed wheelchairs that can be used by a caregiver. Furthermore, there are no power-assist electric devices that can be controlled based on road surface information such as steps and slopes on sidewalks and side roads.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses "an auxiliary power unit that is detachable from a wheelchair and power-assists the wheelchair, the drive means being an electric motor, and further comprising load detection means for detecting the load state, and stopping the drive when the load becomes greater than a predetermined value after starting displacement." Patent Document 2 discloses "an electric assisting machine that is composed of electric wheels that rotate when driven by a motor, and an electric circuit that applies voltage to the motor of the electric wheels."

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 3 discloses a "two-seater electric wheelchair operated by a caregiver, characterized by having a step at the rear of the electric wheelchair that allows the caregiver to ride alongside while standing, and a control device that can be operated by the caregiver."

[0005] The "auxiliary power units" and "electric assisting machines" described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are equipped with an electric assisting function using a motor and battery to assist in the driving of a push wheelchair, but they are designed with the expectation that the wheelchair user will operate them themselves, which has the disadvantage that they cannot be operated by a caregiver.

[0006] In addition, the step described in Patent Document 3 enables a caregiver to ride on the wheelchair, and the control device described in Patent Document 3 allows the caregiver to operate the electric functions while riding on the wheelchair. However, although the operator has been changed from the wheelchair user to the caregiver, a conventional four-wheeled electric wheelchair has been changed to a two-seater, which has the disadvantage that the wheelchair itself has become larger, heavier, and more expensive. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-327544 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2010-207454 A [Patent Document 3] Utility Model Registration No. 3131746 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] For various types of existing manually propelled vehicles, such as pushchairs, if it were possible to make the steps detachable, operable by a caregiver, and for the caregiver to ride on the steps together with the operator, and if it were possible to control the drive using various types of information from various sensors and various wireless communication devices, the convenience of operating various manually propelled vehicles could be improved.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a drive-assist electric device that can be retrofitted to various manually propelled vehicles, allows the operator to ride on the step to operate it, and can also be controlled using various information from various sensors, various wireless communication devices, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a drive-assist electric device that electrically assists and controls the drive of various manually propelled vehicles such as wheelchairs, and is characterized by comprising a drive motor that rotates drive wheels, a control device that controls the rotation of the drive motor, a steering device that allows a pilot to operate the control device and steer left and right, a battery that supplies power to the drive motor, the control device, the steering device, various sensors, and a wireless communication device, a step that allows the pilot to ride along with the vehicle, various sensors that measure the vehicle's position and road surface conditions, and various wireless communication devices that send and receive position information and road surface information to and from servers such as the cloud.

[0011] Mobility In one embodiment of the present invention, the drive-assist electric device has drive wheels to assist the drive of various manually propelled vehicles and has a step, and the operator may ride on the step to operate the drive-assist electric device, or the operator may fold the step without riding on it and push the wheelchair using the electric assist function of the drive-assist electric device. Also, if the step is not attached to or detached from various manually propelled vehicles, the device may be a standalone electric transportation device in which the operator rides on the step.

[0012] Obstacle Detection The drive assist electric device may further include various sensors such as ultrasonic sensors, millimeter wave radar, image sensors, TOF sensors, radar, LiDAR, etc. that can detect obstacles in the direction of travel and around the vehicle, and the control device may be equipped with a collision avoidance function that controls the wheel rotation speed generated by the drive motor based on the obstacle information detected by the various sensors.

[0013] Road surface information The drive assist electric device may be equipped with various sensors such as a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, an image sensor, a TOF sensor, a laser, LiDAR, etc., and may have a function of collecting and reporting road surface information by measuring and recording steps and slopes on sidewalks, side roads, etc. that the drive assist electric device passes over.

[0014] Location information The drive assist electric device may further include various wireless communication devices such as GPS, IMES, BEACON, Wi-Fi, RFID, UWB, Qupa, ultrasonic, geomagnetism, etc., and may have a location information collection function that measures and records the location of the drive assist electric device.

[0015] Wireless Communication The drive assist electric device may further be equipped with various wireless communication devices such as 3G, 4G, 5G, LPWA, ZigBee (registered trademark), Wi-Fi, BlueTooth (registered trademark), NFC, RFID, UWB, etc., and may be equipped with a detailed map generation function that adds road surface information to the position information of the path passed by the drive assist electric device, and a wireless communication function that transmits, receives, stores, and updates the detailed map information with servers such as a cloud or other drive assist electric devices.

[0016] Control Function The drive assist electric device may have a function of controlling the drive assist electric device based on the measured and received position information and road surface information to select a route according to steps and road surface conditions, and a control function of adjusting speed and torque. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the drive assist electric device of the present invention, the drive assist electric device can be attached and detached to various manually propelled vehicles such as wheelchairs, allowing the operator to operate the drive assist electric device, and since a step is provided that allows the operator to ride on board while operating the device, the operator can also ride on the device and move around.

[0018] Furthermore, by being equipped with an obstacle detection sensor, a position sensor, and a road surface sensor, not only can the drive assist electric device be automatically controlled based on signals from the various sensors, but by being equipped with a wireless communication device, position information and road surface information can be sent and received, and this can be provided and used as accumulated map information not only between drive assist electric devices but also to other devices. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is an external view showing the mechanism of a drive-assist electric device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram of a configuration example of a drive assist electric device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic side view of a drive-assist electric device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic rear view of a drive-assist electric device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a drive-assist electric device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view, a schematic rear view, and a schematic top view showing the mounting position of a drive assist electric device 1 of one embodiment of the present invention with a rear wheel axle of a wheelchair, which is an example of various manually propelled vehicles, when one drive wheel 100 and no auxiliary wheels 200 are used, as well as a schematic top view showing steering, the drive wheel 100, and the three movement directions of the wheelchair. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view and a schematic rear view showing an example of a steering reversal function between the steering device 20 and the driving wheel 100 when the driving assist electric device 1 of one embodiment of the present invention has one driving wheel 100 and two auxiliary wheels 200, and a schematic top view showing the three directions of steering, the driving wheel 100, and the wheelchair. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is an external view showing the tip structure of the mounting fixture of a drive-assist electric device 1 of one embodiment of the present invention, and a schematic side view and a schematic rear view of the drive-assist electric device 1 of one embodiment of the present invention when it is attached to a wheelchair, which is an example of various manually propelled vehicles, with one drive wheel 100 and two auxiliary wheels 200. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In one embodiment of the present invention, a drive-assist electric device 1 can be provided that is detachable from the rear of various manually propelled vehicles and that assists the driving of the manually propelled vehicle, is operated by an operator who pushes the manually propelled vehicle, and has a step for the operator to board, allowing the operator to travel with the vehicle. The various manually propelled vehicles are, in particular, wheelchairs, baby strollers, shopping carts, airport trolleys, cargo dollies, or similar manually propelled vehicles.

[0021] Fig. 1 is an external view showing the mechanism of a drive assist electric device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the drive assist electric device 1 includes a step 10, a steering device 20, a control device 30, a battery 40, a drive motor 50, a wireless communication device 60, a position sensor 70, an obstacle detection sensor 80, a road surface sensor 90, drive wheels 100, and auxiliary wheels 200. Note that, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, for example, the drive wheels 100 may be one or two wheels, and the auxiliary wheels 200 may be two, one, or none.

[0022] The step 10 is a step stool intended for the operator of the drive-assist electric device 1 to stand on, and is supported by drive wheels 100 and auxiliary wheels 200. In one embodiment of the present invention, the drive-assist electric device 1 is movable with the operator operating the drive-assist electric device 1 on it. In addition, when the operator does not stand on the step 10, the step 10 may be in a lifted up state, and the operator may push various manually propelled vehicles while operating the drive-assist electric device 1. The step 10 is, for example, a durable step stool capable of withstanding weight, and is made of, for example, metal or synthetic resin, but is not limited to these examples, and may be made of any durable material.

[0023] The steering device 20 includes, for example, a steering wheel, a joystick, etc., and enables control of the drive motor 50 of the drive-assisted electric device 1 through the control device 30. In one embodiment of the present invention, the operator of the drive-assisted electric device 1 can move the drive-assisted electric device 1 overall in all directions, forward / backward and left / right, by operating the steering wheel, joystick, etc. of the steering device 20. For example, when connecting to a wheelchair, as shown in Figure 9, by mounting the drive wheel 100 on the same straight line between the rear wheel axles of the wheelchair and in the same rotational direction as the rear wheels of the wheelchair, the operator can use the steering device 20 to steer the front casters of various manually propelled vehicles such as a wheelchair. Also, for example, when connecting to a wheelchair, if the drive wheels 100 are not attached in the same straight line between the rear wheel axles of the wheelchair, as shown in Figure 10, a steering reversal function such as a gear can be provided between the steering device 20 and the drive wheels 100, allowing the operator to steer various manually propelled vehicles such as a wheelchair in the same direction as the steering device 20.

[0024] Based on various instructions from the control device 20, the control device 30 notifies the drive motor 50 of a control signal for driving in accordance with the instructions, and controls the rotation of the drive wheel 100. For example, the control device 30 determines the rotation speed based on the instructions from the control device 20, and notifies the drive motor 50 of a control signal for rotating at a predetermined rotation speed.

[0025] The battery 40 supplies power to the steering device 20, the drive motor 50, the wireless communication device 60, the position sensor 70, the obstacle detection sensor 80, and the road surface sensor 90 through the control device 30. The battery 40 may be charged by regeneration of the drive motor. The battery 40 may be any type of battery, such as a rechargeable storage battery or a replaceable battery.

[0026] The drive motor 50 can control the rotation of the drive wheel 100 based on a signal from the control device 30. The drive motor 50 rotates idly when the power is off, allowing the operator to manually push the drive-assisted electric device 1. The drive motor 50 can, for example, control the rotation on a downhill slope to suppress speed, and can also charge the battery 40 through the control device 30 by regeneration.

[0027] The wireless communication device 60 has a function of transmitting and receiving the position information and road surface information measured by the position sensor 70 and the road surface sensor 80, for example, to servers such as a cloud or other drive assist electric devices 1. The wireless communication device 60 is, for example, a wireless communication device of various types such as 3G, 4G, 5G, LPWA, ZigBee, RFID, Wi-Fi, BlueTooth, NFC, UWB, etc.

[0028] The position sensor 70 has a function of measuring the position of the drive assist electric device 1. For example, outdoor or indoor map generation or position matching may be performed based on the position information measured by the position sensor 70. For example, the position sensor 70 may guide the drive assist electric device 1 to a destination. The position sensor 70 is, for example, a GPS, IMES, BEACON, Wi-Fi, RFID, UWB, Qupa, ultrasonic, geomagnetic, or other various sensors.

[0029] The obstacle detection sensor 80 has a function of detecting, for example, obstacles that exist mainly in the traveling direction and around the drive assist electric device 1. Obstacle information detected by the obstacle detection sensor 80 is output to the control device 30, and is simultaneously output to the control device 20 so that the operator is notified of the obstacle information. The obstacle detection sensor is, for example, an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter wave radar, an image sensor, a TOF sensor, a radar, a LiDAR, or other various sensors.

[0030] The road surface sensor 90 has a function of measuring, for example, steps and inclinations of sidewalks, side roads, etc. on which the drive assist electric device 1 passes. For example, the drive motor 50 can be controlled via the control device 30 based on road surface information such as steps and inclinations of sidewalks, side roads, etc. measured by the road surface sensor 90. The road surface sensor 90 is, for example, a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, an image sensor, a TOF sensor, a laser, a LiDAR, or other various sensors.

[0031] The driving wheels 100 are wheels for transmitting the power of the driving motor 50 and for moving the driving assist electric device 1, and the auxiliary wheels 200 are wheels for supporting the step 10. For example, when there is only one drive wheel 100, the drive wheel 100 may be physically steered to face left or right relative to the traveling direction of the drive assist electric device 1. Furthermore, for example, when there are two drive wheels 100, two drive motors 50 are provided, and the difference in rotation speed between the left and right can be instructed to the control device 30 from a joystick or the like of the steering device 20, thereby changing the traveling direction of the drive assist electric device 1 to the left or right. The drive wheels 100 and the auxiliary wheels 200 can be made of various types of tires, such as resin tires.

[0032] The right part of Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the drive function and control function of the drive assist electric device 1. As shown in the right part of Fig. 5, the steering device 20, the control device 30, the battery 40, and the drive motor 50 are configured to provide the drive function and control function, which are basic functions of an electric device that assists the drive of various manually propelled vehicles.

[0033] 5 is a block diagram showing the sensing and wireless communication functions of the drive assist electric device 1. As shown in the left part of Fig. 5, the position sensor 70, the obstacle detection sensor 80, and the road surface sensor 90 have a function of notifying the control device 30 of a signal.

[0034] 5, position information measured by the position sensor 70 and road surface information such as steps and slopes of sidewalks, side roads, etc. measured by the road surface sensor 90 can be superimposed and transmitted to and from servers such as a cloud or other driving assist electric devices via the wireless communication device 60. In one embodiment of the present invention, the traveling direction of the driving assist electric device 1 and the surrounding road surface conditions can be predicted from the accumulated information received from the wireless communication device 60.

[0035] The control device 30 is controlled based on the pilot's steering information from the steering device 20, but it is also possible to control the drive motor 50 based on various real-time information from, for example, a position sensor 70, an obstacle detection sensor 80, and a road surface sensor 90, and further, based on accumulated information from, for example, a wireless communication device 60.

[0036] In one embodiment of the present invention, the control device 30 can determine whether to slow down or stop the drive-assist electric device 1 by predicting obstacles and road conditions in the direction of travel and around the drive-assist electric device 1 from accumulated information detected by the obstacle detection sensor 80, road surface sensor 90, and position sensor 70 or received from the wireless communication device 60. For example, if the control device 30 detects in real time an obstacle, step, etc. in the direction of travel of or around the drive assist electric device 1, it determines that the drive assist electric device 1 should be decelerated or stopped, and sends a deceleration or stop signal to the drive motor 50. In addition, for example, when the control device 30 approaches within a certain distance of an obstacle, step, etc. in the direction of travel of the drive assist electric device 1 and in the surrounding area based on accumulated information received from the wireless communication device 60, it calculates the time required to decelerate or stop the drive assist electric device 1, and requests the drive motor 50 to decelerate or stop within that time. The drive motor 50 controls the rotation of the drive wheels 100 in response to a request from the control device 30, and is capable of decelerating or stopping the drive assist electric device 1 within a requested time period.

[0037] In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 10, the drive-assist electric device 1 is attached to the frame, handlebars, etc. of various manually propelled vehicles at a total of four or more points on the top, bottom, left and right from the rear. The upper part may be fixed, or may be attached so that the drive wheels 100 are directly steered left and right. The lower part is attached so that the drive wheels are placed in contact with the road surface. The mounting fixture for the drive-assist electric device 1 may, for example, be extendable in length so that it can be attached to various manually propelled vehicles, and may also be movable up, down, left and right, and, for example, the tip may be structured to clamp and tighten around the frame or handlebars to make it easy to attach and detach.

[0038] Although the present invention has been described based on the drawings and examples, those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and corrections based on the present disclosure. Please note that these modifications and corrections are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the functions included in each means, stage, step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to cause logical contradictions, and multiple means, stages, steps, etc. can be combined into one or divided. In addition, the configurations shown in the above embodiments may be appropriately combined. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1. Drive assist electric device 10 Steps 20. Controls 30 Control device 40 Battery 50 Drive motor 60 Wireless communication equipment 70 Position Sensor 80 Obstacle Detection Sensor 90 Road surface sensor 100 Drive Wheel 200 Training Wheels

Claims

1. A drive assist electric device for assisting the drive of various manually propelled vehicles, A drive unit that rotates at least one wheel, A control unit that controls the rotation of the wheel by the drive unit, The control unit is operated by the control unit and the control unit steers the direction of movement of the various manually propelled vehicles. The drive unit, the control unit, and the battery that supplies power to the control unit, It is equipped with steps that the operator can board, The aforementioned drive assist electric device further, The drive wheels, which are arranged on the same straight line between the rear axles of the various manual-propelled vehicles, are rotated in the same direction as the rear wheels of the various manual-propelled vehicles when the vehicles are moving forward. A detachable drive assist electric device that can be attached to all types of manually driven vehicles.

2. The drive assist electric motor further comprises a position sensor unit capable of measuring its own position, The aforementioned drive assist electric device further comprises a road surface sensor unit capable of measuring steps or slopes on sidewalks or roads through which the electric device passes, The system is characterized by generating map information by combining the location information or road surface information measured by the location sensor unit or the road surface sensor unit. Furthermore, it is equipped with a wireless communication unit, The drive assist electric device according to claim 1, characterized in that it transmits, receives, stores, analyzes, predicts, and controls the map information with servers such as clouds or other drive assist electric devices.

3. The aforementioned drive assist electric device is further equipped with an obstacle detection sensor unit capable of detecting obstacles present in the direction of travel and around it. The control unit controls the rotation speed of the wheels by the drive unit based on the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection sensor unit or the map information. Furthermore, based on the map information, the steering by the control unit and the rotation speed of the wheels are controlled to guide the drive assist electric device to the destination. The drive assist electric device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The steering function, in which the steering direction by the control unit and the direction of movement of the various manually propelled vehicles are the same, and the reversal function, in which the steering direction is reversed between the control unit and the drive unit, can be selected depending on the mounting position or direction of the drive unit. The drive assist electric device according to claim 3, characterized by the following:

5. In the method for mounting the various manual propulsion vehicles and the electric drive assist device, The direction or location of attachment to the various impulse-propelled vehicles, etc. The mounting mechanism or mounting structure of the aforementioned drive assist electric device, The drive assist electric device according to claim 4, characterized by the following:

6. The drive assist electric device is The drive assist electric device according to claim 5, characterized in that it is attached to the frame or handle of the aforementioned various manually propelled vehicles from the rear, in the up, down, left, and right directions.

7. The drive assist electric device is The drive assist electric device according to claim 6, characterized in that its length is extendable and retractable.

8. The mounting fixture for the drive assist electric device is: The drive assist electric device according to claim 7, characterized in that it is movable up, down, left, and right.

9. The mounting fixture for the drive assist electric device is: The drive assist electric device according to claim 8, characterized in that its tip has a structure that clamps onto the frame or handle of the various manual propulsion vehicles, and is detachable from the various manual propulsion vehicles.

10. The drive assist electric device is The drive assist electric device according to claim 9, characterized in that it is attached to the various manual propulsion vehicles such that the lower part of the drive wheel is in contact with the road surface.

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