Electric cart

Abstract

To provide an electric cart which is relatively compact and may be smoothly deformed into a walking mode or a self-propelled mode.SOLUTION: An electric cart 10 comprises a lock mechanism 50 for locking operation handle means 30 in a state in which the operation handle means 30 is displaced. The operation handle means 30 is attached to a vehicle body 20 so as to be rotatable in a front-rear direction Z. The lock mechanism 50 has: an operation lever 80 positioned on the operation handle means 30 and having an engagement protrusion 80a; and a lock plate 70 which is positioned on the vehicle body 20, facing the operation lever 80. The operation lever 80 is constantly biased toward the lock plate 70. The lock plate 70 has: a first engagement groove 71 with which the engagement protrusion 80a is engaged; and a second engagement groove 72 positioned rearward of the first engagement groove 71.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric cart used when moving on roads, golf courses, supermarkets, shopping malls, etc.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, shopping carts and golf carts that can accommodate luggage and move are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a push-type shopping cart having a cart body, front and rear wheels attached to the cart body, and a loading platform located on the front side of the cart body. Also, Patent Document 2 discloses a single-seater electric golf cart having a vehicle body structure similar to that of an electric wheelchair.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] According to the push-type shopping cart disclosed in Patent Document 1, since it can move with luggage held on the loading platform, it is convenient for shopping and moving on the road. However, when the user is an elderly person or when there is a large amount of luggage, there is a limit to moving by pushing.

[0005] According to the electric golf cart disclosed in Patent Document 2, since golf equipment or the like can be placed on the loading platform and the user can move the golf cart by self-driving in a seated state, there is no physical burden. However, it is relatively large, and for daily use, the moving space is limited and the cost burden is also large. Furthermore, since it is relatively large, it is difficult to secure a storage space, and a more compact electric cart has been demanded.

[0006] An object of the present invention is an improvement over the prior art, and to provide an electric cart that is relatively compact and can be smoothly deformed between a walking mode and a self-driving mode.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to solve the technical problems, the present invention relates to an electric cart including a vehicle body main body having a vertical direction and a front-rear direction and front and rear wheels that can be driven and controlled by a control board, and an operation handle means.

[0008] The electric cart according to the present invention includes a lock mechanism for locking the operation handle means in a displaced state, the operation handle means is attached to the vehicle body main body so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction, the lock mechanism is located in the operation handle means, and has an operation lever having a locking projection and a lock plate located opposite to the operation lever on the vehicle body main body, the operation lever is constantly biased toward the lock plate, and the lock plate has a first locking groove in which the locking projection is locked and a second locking groove located behind the first locking groove.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to one or more embodiments of the electric cart according to the present invention, it can be freely and easily deformed between a walking mode and a self-driving mode by a lock mechanism having a simple structure, and since the footrest is relatively wide, the user can board stably.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010] The drawings show specific embodiments of the electric cart according to the present invention, including not only the essential configurations of the invention but also optional and preferred embodiments.

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Referring to the attached FIGS. 1 to 12, the details of the electric cart 10 according to the present invention will be described as follows. Further, the following embodiments include, in addition to the essential requirements indispensable to the present invention, optional requirements that can be selectively adopted and requirements that can be appropriately combined.

[0012] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the electric cart 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention has a vertical direction Y, a lateral direction X, and a longitudinal direction Z, and includes a vehicle body main body 20, an operation handle means 30 rotatably attached to the vehicle body main body 20 in the longitudinal direction Z, a front region 21 having a pair of left and right front wheels 2, 2 that are steered by the operation handle means 30, a rear region 22 having a pair of left and right rear wheels 3, 3, and an intermediate region 23 located between the front and rear regions 21, 22. The electric cart 10 is four-wheel drive, and the front and rear wheels 2, 3 are driven by a control device having an electric motor. Further, fenders 29 for mud removal are attached to the front and rear wheels 2, 3.

[0013] The control board 5 is disposed on the lower surface of the flat portion 16 of the footrest 15, and is composed of a microcomputer, a RAM, a ROM storing programs and data for causing the microcomputer to execute control processing, an input / output interface, and the like. The electric cart 10 is provided with components related to the drive of a general electric cart. For example, it has components related to power supply such as a battery 9, and components related to drive such as a motor and an axle with an electromagnetic brake installed therein. As components related to power supply, a battery 9 and a charger are provided, and by connecting the charger to a commercial power supply, it can be charged, so it can be charged at home or the like.

[0014] The operation handle means 30 is provided with a power switch 30a. The operation handle means 30 includes a self-propelling handle 31 having a pair of grip portions used in the electric self-propelling mode by the control board 5, a walking handle 32 extending annularly upward and used in the non-electric walking mode, and an auxiliary handle 33 protruding forward. In the self-propelling mode, when the self-propelling handle 31 is rotated, the motor is controlled to be driven, and when the brake lever 31a is pulled, the driving of the motor is released and the electric cart 10 stops.

[0015] The operation handle means 30 is provided with a display 38 on which elements related to the power supply and driving of the electric cart 10, such as the traveling speed, traveling distance, remaining amount of the battery, forward / backward switching, and drive control of each wheel, are displayed. Also, although not shown, a holder for holding a mobile phone and a drink holder may be provided.

[0016] The front area 21 has a luggage holding means 40. The luggage holding means 40 includes a support rod 41, a holding arm 42 protruding forward from the upper side of the support rod 41, a loading platform 43 protruding forward from the lower side of the support rod 41, and a support plate 44 attached to the support rod 41 between the holding arm 42 and the loading platform 43. The holding arm 42 is attached to the support rod 41 so as to be vertically movable.

[0017] The front area 21 further includes a lock mechanism 50 for displacing and fixing the operation handle means 30, a pair of cylindrical saddle holding portions 25 detachably attached to the vehicle body main body 20 and located on both sides in the lateral direction X of the luggage holding means 40 for storing the saddle 8, and a battery housing portion (charger) 26 for storing the battery 9. A parasol 28 is stored in one of the saddle holding portions 25. Also, the battery housing portion 26 is provided with charging terminals, and it is possible to directly charge the battery 9 stored in the battery housing portion 26 by transmitting power from an external power supply device.

[0018] The operation handle means 30 further includes a pipe-shaped support column portion 35 that is rotatably attached to a fixing portion 34 that extends upward from the front cover 6 in the vehicle body main body 20, and a support frame 36 that is located at the tip of the support column portion 35.

[0019] Referring to FIG. 3, the walking handle 32 is fixed to the support frame 36 via bolts 12. Further, the handle bar of the self-propelled handle 31 and the auxiliary handle 32 are integrally formed, and the handle bar is arranged to extend in the lateral direction X in an arrangement recess located above the support frame 36.

[0020] The self-propelled handle 31 is connected to the support frame 36 via a pair of connecting covers 37. The connecting cover 37 has a front cover 37A and a rear cover 37B, and the front and rear covers 37A and 37B are separably connected to each other via a fixture including bolts 12, washers 13, and nuts 14 that penetrate through the through holes of the handle bar of the self-propelled handle 31. In the connected state by the connecting cover 37, the handle bar is inserted through the upper openings located on both sides of the connecting cover 37, and the bolts for fixing the walking handle 32 are exposed from the lower openings.

[0021] Referring to FIG. 4(a), below the power switch 30a, there are arranged an adjusting means 30b for adjusting the illuminance of a light (not shown) located in front of the vehicle body main body 20, and an alarm button 30c for emitting an alarm sound (horn). Further, referring to FIG. 4(b), at the proximal end of the self-propelled handle 31, there is arranged a speed adjusting means 31b for stepwise adjusting the accelerator. Furthermore, referring to FIG. 4(c), on the walking handle 32, there is located a secondary speed adjusting means 32a for adjusting the traveling speed of the electric cart 10 to match the speed of the pedestrian. When the user grips the walking handle 32 and walks, while pushing the button of the speed adjusting means 32a with the thumb, the electric cart 10 is adjusted to the walking traveling speed, and it stops when the thumb is released.

[0022] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the intermediate region 23 is formed by a footrest 15 extending rearward from the front region 21. The footrest 15 has a flat portion 16 and hanging portions 17 extending downward from both sides of the flat portion 16. The width dimension (lateral dimension) W1 of the footrest 15 is 400 to 600 mm, and the dimension L1 in the front-rear direction Z is 450 to 650 mm, having a relatively large area. On the lower surface of the footrest 15, electrical components related to electricity and driving such as electrical cords from the control board 5 extend to a rear-wheel drive unit 7 for driving the rear wheels 3.

[0023] Thus, since the area of the footrest 15 is relatively large, even a user with a relatively large body can stably drive the electric cart 10 with their feet placed on the footrest 15, and there will be no wobbling due to inability to shift the center of gravity at curves in the passage. Also, all electrical and driving-related components such as electrical cords extending to the rear-wheel drive unit 7 can be arranged to crawl on the lower surface of the footrest 15, so there is no risk of damage if stepped on by the user or getting wet in the rain and causing electric leakage.

[0024] The rear region 22 has a rear cover 60 and a rear-wheel drive unit 7 for driving the rear wheels 3 covered by the rear cover 60.

[0025] The rear cover 60 has a front portion 61 extending rearward and obliquely upward from the footrest 15, a flat portion 62 extending flatly rearward from the front portion 61, and a rear portion 63 extending downward from the flat portion 62. The flat portion 62 has a central through-hole 62a and a pair of mounting holes 62b located on both sides thereof.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 8, the rear region 22 has a saddle attachment / detachment mechanism for detachably attaching the saddle 8. The saddle attachment / detachment mechanism is located on the lower surface of the flat portion 62 of the rear cover 60 and has a cylindrical insertion portion 64 for inserting the cylindrical downward extension portion 8a of the saddle 8, and a connecting member 65 for fixing the downward extension portion 8a of the saddle 8 to the insertion portion 64.

[0027] The connecting member 65 has a gripping portion 65a and an insertion portion 65b that can be inserted into the through hole 63a of the rear surface portion 63. The insertion portion 64 has an opening 64a that communicates with the central through hole 62a located in the flat portion 62, and an opening 64b that communicates with the opening 8b located in the downward extending portion 8a of the saddle 8.

[0028] By inserting the insertion portion 64 of the connecting member 65 into the through hole 63a of the rear surface portion 63, the opening 64b of the insertion portion 64 that communicates therewith, and the opening 8b of the downward extending portion 8a of the saddle 8, the saddle 8 can be mounted on the vehicle body main body 20. When the user pulls and removes the connecting member 65, the saddle 8 can be easily removed from the vehicle body main body 20.

[0029] In this way, by the saddle attaching / detaching mechanism composed of the insertion portion 64 and the connecting member 65, the saddle 8 can be easily attached and detached according to the usage mode. In addition to the illustrated example, the saddle attaching / detaching mechanism may be configured such that, for example, when the user grips and rotates the gripping portion 65a of the connecting member 65, the connection between the insertion portion 64 and the downward extending portion 8a is released.

[0030] Also, a luggage basket 67 is attached to the flat portion 62 of the rear cover 60 via a pair of fixtures 68. Specifically, the fixture 68 has a substrate and a bolt that penetrates through holes provided in the substrate, and by inserting the bolt into the mounting holes (not shown) of the luggage basket 67 and the mounting holes 62b of the flat portion 62, the luggage basket 67 is detachably attached to the vehicle body main body 20.

[0031] In the illustrated example, the luggage basket 67 is attached, but a clar box may be arranged, and the luggage basket 67 can conveniently accommodate luggage that could not be placed in the luggage holding means located in the front region 21, as well as small items such as a handbag and a wallet.

[0032] Referring to FIG. 5, the locking mechanism 50 includes a locking plate 70 and an operating lever 80 having a locking projection 81 that can be locked to the locking plate 70. The locking plate 70 has both end edges, an inner edge that is concave upward, a tooth-shaped outer edge, a central through hole 70a, a circular first pin hole 70b, and an elliptical second pin hole 70c.

[0033] The outer edge of the locking plate 70 is curved and has a first locking groove 71 where the locking projection 81 of the operating lever 80 is locked, a second locking groove 72 located behind the first locking groove 71, and an intermediate portion 73 located between the first locking groove 71 and the second locking groove 72.

[0034] The locking plate 70 is fixed to the fixing portion 34 via a fixing tool composed of a shaft (rotating shaft) 18 and a nut that penetrate through the central through hole 70a, the through hole 35a of the protruding portion located at the lower end of the support portion 35 of the operating handle means 30, and the through hole 39a of the fixing plate 39 located at the upper end of the fixing portion 34.

[0035] A circular rod-shaped first pin 39b and an elliptical cross-section second pin 39c protrude from the fixing plate 39 of the fixing portion. In a state where the locking plate 70 is fixed to the fixing portion 34, the first pin 39b is inserted into the first pin hole 70b, and the second pin 39c is inserted into the second pin hole 70c.

[0036] In such a connection mode, the support portion 35 is attached to the fixing portion 34 so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction Z with the shaft 18 as the rotation axis. Therefore, the operating handle means 30 including the support portion 35 can rotate so as to fall backward from the upright state. Although not shown, an insertion hole into which a protrusion 34a protruding from the upper end of the fixing portion 34 is inserted is formed on the bottom surface of the support portion 35.

[0037] On the other hand, since the first and second pins 39b and 39c are inserted into the first and second pin holes 70b and 70c of the locking plate 70 as rotation stoppers, the operating handle means 30 does not rotate together even when it rotates.

[0038] The outer surface of the lock plate 70 is covered by a protective cover 79. The protective cover 79 has through holes corresponding to the central through hole 70a and the first and second pin holes 70b, 70c of the lock plate 70, and is fixed together with the lock plate 70. Since the protective cover 79 covers the first and second locking grooves 71, 72 of the lock plate 70, it is possible to prevent a user's finger from being pinched in the first and second locking grooves 71, 72 or dust from clogging.

[0039] The operation lever 80 is fixed to the support column 35 via a lever holding portion 90. Specifically, the lever holding portion 90 has a fixed side portion 91 having a plurality of insertion holes and a covering portion 92 having a through hole 92a extending in its longitudinal direction. The lever holding portion 90 is fixed to the support column 35 via a plurality of bolts 19 that are inserted through the insertion holes of the fixed side portion 91 and inserted into the through hole 35a of the protruding portion 35b of the support portion 35.

[0040] The operation lever 80 includes a rod-shaped shaft portion 81 disposed in the through hole 92a of the lever holding portion 90, an operation portion 82 inserted into the upper end of the shaft portion 81, and a lower end portion 83 separate from the shaft portion 81. A flange-shaped spring receiving portion 84 is located at the lower end of the shaft portion 81, and a spring member 85 is disposed in a spring-loaded state so as to wind around the shaft portion 81 between the operation portion 82 and the spring receiving portion 84 of the shaft portion 81. The lower end portion 83 has a flange-shaped mounting portion 83a and a locking projection 80a extending from the mounting portion 83a, and is fixed to each other via a plurality of fixing pins 86 that pass through a through hole (not shown) of the mounting portion 83a and a through hole (not shown) of the spring receiving portion 84 of the shaft portion 81.

[0041] In a state where the operation lever 80 is accommodated in the circular cross-sectional through hole 92a of the lever holding portion 90, the operation portion 82 protrudes from the upper end of the lever holding portion 90, and the locking projection 80a protrudes from the lower end of the lever holding portion 90. The operation lever 80 is located facing the lock plate 70 and is constantly biased toward the lock plate 70 by the elasticity of the spring member 85. The operation portion 82 has a lower end into which the upper end of the shaft portion 81 is inserted and a convexly curved finger contact portion, and the finger contact portion is in contact with the upper end of the lever holding portion 90 by the biasing of the spring member 85.

[0042] Also, when the shaft portion 81 of the operation lever 80 is accommodated in the cylindrical through hole 92a of the lever holding portion 90, the spring receiving portion 84 and the mounting portion 83a can function as a slider that moves while slidingly contacting the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 92a. Since these portions function as a slider, the shaft portion 81 can be locked to the first or second locking grooves 71, 72 without displacement.

[0043] Referring to FIGS. 6(a), 7(a), 8, and 9, in the self-propelled mode of the electric cart 10, when the user stands with their feet placed on the footrest or sits on the saddle 8, the locking projection 80a of the operation lever 80 of the operation handle means 30 is locked to the first locking groove 71 of the lock plate 70, and the operation handle means 30 is locked in an upright state.

[0044] Since the operation handle means 30 is in an upright state, a user in a standing or sitting position can reach forward with their hands and drive while firmly gripping the self-propelling handle 31 of the operation handle means 30 with both hands.

[0045] Referring to FIGS. 6(b) and 7(b), in order to deform from such a self-propelled mode to a walking mode, the user 1 pulls the operation lever 80 to disengage the locking projection 80a from the first locking groove 71. Further, while the user 1 grips the walking handle 32 and / or the self-propelling handle 31, the operation handle means 30 is rotated so as to fall backward, and the locking projection 80a of the operation lever 80 abuts against the intermediate portion 73 located between the first locking groove 71 and the second locking groove 72.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 12, when operating the operation lever 80 of the locking mechanism 50, the user can smoothly perform the switching operation of the locking mechanism 50 without losing balance by operating the operation lever 80 with one hand while gripping the auxiliary handle 33 of the operation handle means 30 with the other hand.

[0047] Referring to FIGS. 6(c) and 7(c), when the user 1 further tilts the operation handle means 30 rearward, the locking projection 80a of the operation lever 80 moves rearward along the intermediate portion 73 and is locked in the second locking groove 72, and the operation handle means 30 is locked in the tilted rearward state.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 10, in such a walking mode, since the walking handle 32 is located in the rear area 22, the power of the electric cart 10 is turned off, and the user 1 can hold the walking handle 32 in a state of being located behind the electric cart 10 and walk while pushing the vehicle body main body 20, and can be used as a walking cart.

[0049] Further, since the operation handle means 30 is tilted and the transverse portion of the walking handle 32 is at a position overlapping the rear end of the rear area 22, that is, the rear surface portion 63 of the rear cover 60 in the vertical direction Y, the user 1 will not hit the rear cover 60 and / or the rear wheel 3 with the toes during walking. Also, different from the illustrated example, in the walking mode, in order for the user 1 to further secure a walking space, the transverse portion of the walking handle 32 may be located further rearward from the rear area 22 of the vehicle body main body 20.

[0050] According to the electric cart 10 according to the present invention, since the displacement of the operation handle means 30 in the self-propelled mode and the walking mode is performed only by the operation of the operation lever 80 of the locking mechanism 50, it can be said that a simple and quick mode change is possible. Further, since the locking mechanism 50 has a simple structure and can fix the operation handle means 30, compared with the case having a complicated mechanical structure by electric drive, the manufacturing cost can be suppressed, the possibility of failure is low, and even if it fails, parts replacement and the like can be easily performed.

[0051] The above-described present invention can include at least the following embodiments. The embodiments can be adopted separately or in combination with each other. (1) The locking plate has an intermediate portion located between the first locking groove and the second locking groove, and the intermediate portion is curved. (2) The operation handle means includes a self-propelling handle having a pair of grip portions, a walking handle extending obliquely rearward from the self-propelling handle, and an auxiliary handle protruding forward from the self-propelling handle. (3) The operation handle means is pivotally attached to the vehicle body main body via a shaft, and the lock plate is non-pivotally attached to the vehicle body main body via the shaft. (4) It is provided with a detachable saddle, and a saddle holding portion for accommodating the saddle is located in front of the operation handle means.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0052] 2 Front wheel 3 Rear wheel 5 Control device 8 Saddle 10 Electric cart 18 Shaft 20 Vehicle body main body 25 Saddle holding portion 30 Operation handle means 31 Self-propelling handle 32 Walking handle 33 Auxiliary handle 50 Lock mechanism 70 Lock plate 71 First locking groove 72 Second locking groove 73 Intermediate portion 80 Operation lever 80a Locking projection Y Vertical direction Z Front-rear direction

Claims

1. An electric cart including a vehicle body having front and rear wheels that can be driven and controlled by a control board and having an up-down direction and a front-rear direction, and an operation handle means, comprising a locking mechanism for locking the operation handle means in a displaced state, wherein the operation handle means is pivotally attached to the vehicle body in the front-rear direction, the locking mechanism includes an operation lever located at the operation handle means and having a locking projection, and a locking plate located opposite the operation lever on the vehicle body, the operation lever is constantly biased toward the locking plate, and the locking plate has a first locking groove for locking the locking projection and a second locking groove located behind the first locking groove. The electric cart is characterized by this.

2. The electric cart according to claim 1, wherein the locking plate has an intermediate portion located between the first locking groove and the second locking groove, and the intermediate portion is curved.

3. The electric cart according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the operation handle means includes a self-propelling handle having a pair of grip portions, a walking handle extending obliquely rearward from the self-propelling handle, and an auxiliary handle protruding forward from the self-propelling handle.

4. The electric cart according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the operation handle means is pivotally attached to the vehicle body via a shaft, and the locking plate is pivotally immovably attached to the vehicle body via the shaft.

5. The electric cart according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a detachable saddle, and a saddle holding portion for accommodating the saddle is located in front of the operation handle means.

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