Electric vehicles

Abstract

This electric vehicle can charge its auxiliary battery while driving, and when the main battery level becomes low, it can switch from the main battery to the auxiliary battery to continue driving. [Solution] The electric vehicle according to the present invention comprises a drive motor that rotates the drive wheels, a generator motor that generates electricity by the rotation of the driven wheels, a main battery that supplies power to the drive motor, a sub-battery capable of storing the power generated by the generator motor, a battery state detection unit that measures the remaining charge of the main battery and the sub-battery, a changeover switch that switches the power supply to the drive motor between the main battery and the sub-battery, and a cutoff switch that cuts off charging to the sub-battery. When the power of the main battery falls below a threshold due to the vehicle's operation, the cutoff switch cuts off charging to the sub-battery, and the changeover switch switches from the main battery to the sub-battery.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to an electric vehicle, and more specifically, to an electric vehicle that includes a power generation motor on the front wheels to exclusively charge a sub-battery, and when the storage capacity of the main battery decreases, switches to the sub-battery to further travel.

Background Art

[0002] ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The object of the present invention is to provide an electric vehicle that, when the vehicle is running, converts the rotational energy of the wheels into electricity and stores it in a sub-battery, and when the main battery driving the wheels becomes low, switches from the main battery to the sub-battery to continue driving the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The electric vehicle according to the present invention is an electric vehicle in which one of the front wheels and the other rear wheel is a drive wheel and the other is a driven wheel, and comprises a drive motor for rotating the drive wheel, a generator motor for generating electricity by the rotation of the driven wheel, a main battery for supplying power to the drive motor, a sub-battery capable of storing the power generated by the generator motor, a battery state detection unit provided in the main battery and the sub-battery respectively for measuring the remaining charge, a changeover switch for switching the power supply to the drive motor between the main battery and the sub-battery, and a cutoff switch for cutting off the charging from the generator motor to the sub-battery, wherein when the power of the main battery falls below a threshold due to the operation of the vehicle, the cutoff switch cuts off the charging to the sub-battery and the changeover switch switches from the main battery to the sub-battery.

[0007] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that a large-diameter drive wheel is attached to the driven wheel so as to rotate coaxially, a small-diameter driven wheel is attached to the rotating shaft of the power generation motor, and the drive wheel and the driven wheel are connected by a transmission belt.

[0008] Furthermore, the main battery and the sub-battery are characterized by being rechargeable from an external source via charging terminals. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The electric vehicle according to the present invention is equipped with two batteries, a main battery and a sub-battery. A generator motor converts the rotational energy of the wheels into electrical energy, which is stored in the sub-battery. Therefore, when the remaining charge of the main battery becomes low, the system can switch from the main battery to the sub-battery to supply power to the drive motor, thereby allowing the vehicle to continue running.

[0010] A large-diameter wheel is mounted on the driven wheel to rotate coaxially, and a small-diameter wheel is mounted on the rotating shaft of the power generation motor. The two are connected by a transmission belt, allowing the rotor of the power generation motor to rotate at a higher rotational speed (revolutions / minute) than the rotational speed (revolutions / minute) of the driven wheel. This enables the generation of a large amount of electricity.

[0011] The main battery and auxiliary battery can be charged externally via charging terminals. For example, (1) if the main battery runs out, the vehicle can be driven again by charging it externally. (2) The auxiliary battery can also be charged and the vehicle can be driven. This ensures that the driving range is equal to the combined amount of electricity in the main battery and auxiliary battery. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a structural diagram of an electric vehicle according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the battery configurations for electric vehicles. [Figure 3] This diagram shows that a large-diameter drive wheel on the front wheel and a small-diameter driven wheel on the power generation motor are connected by a belt. [Figure 4] This diagram shows the relationship between the battery and the drive motor while the vehicle is running. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows the switching between the main battery and the auxiliary battery while the vehicle is in operation. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram showing how to charge the main battery and sub-battery 7 using an external charger. [Figure 7]This diagram illustrates how the vehicle alternates between driving the main motor with the main battery and charging the auxiliary battery with the generator motor, and driving the main motor with the auxiliary battery and charging the main battery with the generator motor. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the electric vehicle 100 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] Figure 1 is a structural diagram of the electric vehicle 100 according to the present invention. The electric vehicle 100 in this embodiment is an electric two-wheeled vehicle. However, it is not limited to this and can also be applied to electric three-wheeled vehicles and electric assist bicycles with pedals. The electric vehicle 100 is equipped with a main body 3, a front wheel 1 that is rotated by a handle, and a rear wheel 2 driven by a three-phase AC drive motor 5. A three-phase AC power generator motor 4 is attached to the front wheel 1. The electricity generated by the power generator motor 4 is stored in the sub-battery 7 if the sub-battery 7 is not fully charged. The drive motor 5 rotates by receiving power from the main battery 6 or the sub-battery 7. A warning lamp 22 indicating that the power of the main battery 6 has fallen below a threshold and a warning lamp 23 indicating that the power of the sub-battery 7 has fallen below a threshold are provided on the top of the handle.

[0015] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the battery configuration of the electric vehicle 100. The battery consists of a main battery 6 and a sub-battery 7. The main battery 6, drive motor 5, and rear wheels 2 form the drive system, and in addition, the sub-battery 7, generator motor 4, and front wheels 1 form the driven system, and there is a switching system to switch between the main battery 6 and the sub-battery 7. In this configuration, the rear wheels 2 are the drive wheels and the front wheels 1 are the driven wheels.

[0016] When the electric vehicle 100 is driven by the power of the main battery 6, power is supplied from the main battery 6 to the drive motor 5 via the changeover switch 13. The drive motor 5 rotates, and its rotation is transmitted to the rear wheels 2. When the rear wheels 2 rotate, the front wheels 1, which are driven wheels, rotate, and the electric vehicle 100 travels. The main battery 6 has a charging terminal and is a battery that can be charged from the outside.

[0017] The sub-battery 7 is charged by the power generation motor 4 that generates electricity by the rotation of the front wheels 1. Since the power generation motor 4 is a three-phase AC motor, the converter 17 converts the alternating current into direct current and sends it to the sub-battery 7 via the cutoff switch 12. When charging is sufficiently performed and the sub-battery 7 is in a fully charged state, the cutoff switch 12 is cut off by the switching control unit 8 and charging is stopped. The sub-battery 7 is provided with a sub-battery state detection unit 14B that detects the charging state (measures the voltage and determines whether there is power), and the state of the sub-battery 7 is sent to the switching control unit 8 by a detection signal. The sub-battery 7 also has a charging terminal like the main battery 6 and can be charged from the outside.

[0018] The changeover switch 13 switches whether the power supplied to the drive motor 5 is from the main battery 6 or the sub-battery 7. The main battery 6 is provided with a main battery state detection unit 14A that detects the charging state, and the state of the main battery 6 is sent to the switching control unit 8 by the output signal of the main battery state detection unit 14A. As an example, when the power of the main battery 6 becomes smaller than the threshold value, the switching control unit 8 switches the changeover switch 13 from the main battery 6 to the sub-battery 7.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing that a large-diameter drive wheel 9 provided on the front wheel 1 and a small-diameter driven wheel 10 provided on the power generation motor 4 are connected by a belt 16. The drive wheel 9 is attached to the shaft 15 of the front wheel 1, and the driven wheel 10 is attached to the rotating shaft 11 of the power generation motor 4. According to this, since the small-diameter driven wheel 10 is connected to the large-diameter drive wheel 9, the number of rotations per unit time of the rotor of the power generation motor 4 can be made larger than the number of rotations of the front wheel 1, and a large amount of electric power can be generated. On a downhill slope, since the front wheel 1 rotates at high speed, the charging of the sub-battery 7 also proceeds efficiently.

[0020] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the battery and the drive motor during vehicle travel. (A) shows that the drive motor 5 is driven by the main battery 6 and the electric vehicle 100 is running. At this time, the rotational energy of the front wheel 1 is converted into electric power by the power generation motor 4 and stored in the sub-battery 7. (B) shows that the drive motor 5 is driven by the sub-battery 7 and the electric vehicle 100 is running. At this time, since the cut-off switch 12 cuts off between the power generation motor 4 and the sub-battery 7, the sub-battery 7 is not charged by the power generation motor 4.

[0021] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the switching between the main battery 6 and the sub-battery 7 during vehicle travel. When the electric vehicle 100 is instructed to travel by a lever provided on the steering wheel, the drive motor 5 is driven by the power of the main battery 6 and the travel is started (S10). As a result, the rear wheel 2 rotates and the electric vehicle 100 travels (S11). It is assumed that the main battery 6 is charged from the outside before traveling. When the electric vehicle 100 travels a certain distance, since the power of the main battery 6 decreases, it is checked by the switching control unit 8 whether the power of the main battery 6 has become smaller than the threshold value (S12).

[0022] If the power of the main battery 6 falls below a threshold, the warning lamp 22 on the top of the handlebars (see Figure 1) illuminates (S13). Then, the changeover switch 13 is switched from the main battery 6 to the sub-battery 7 (S14). Also, charging of the sub-battery 7 by the generator motor 4 is stopped (S15). Charging of the sub-battery 7 is stopped by shutting off the cutoff switch 12. Since power is supplied to the drive motor 5 from the sub-battery 7, the electric vehicle 100 can continue to run (S16).

[0023] When the electric vehicle 100 travels a certain distance, the power of the sub-battery 7 decreases, so the switching control unit 8 checks whether the sub-battery 7 has fallen below a threshold (S17). If the sub-battery 7 is below the threshold, the warning lamp 23 (see Figure 1) lights up (S19). The vehicle can no longer travel, so the operation ends here.

[0024] Returning to the S12 judgment, if power remains in the main battery 6, it is checked whether the sub-battery 7 is fully charged or not (S20). If the sub-battery 7 is not fully charged, the generator motor 4 charges the sub-battery 7 (S22). If the sub-battery 7 is fully charged, the generator motor 4 stops charging the sub-battery 7 (S21). This is done by turning on the cutoff switch 12.

[0025] Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating how to charge the main battery 6 and sub-battery 7 externally. The main battery 6 and sub-battery 7 of the electric vehicle 100 have charging terminals 19, 19, and are charged by connecting cables 21, 21 from the external charger 20, 20. Alternatively, the main battery 6 and sub-battery 7 may be removed from the main unit 3 and charged. When the electric vehicle 100 is to be driven over a long distance, the main battery 6 and sub-battery 7 should be charged in advance. This allows the vehicle to travel a distance equivalent to the power of the main battery 6 and sub-battery 7. This allows for a longer distance to be traveled than when only the main battery 6 is charged and the sub-battery 7 is empty. When the electric vehicle 100 is driven after charging the main battery 6 and sub-battery 7, the drive motor 5 is initially driven by the power of the sub-battery 7. When the power of the sub-battery 7 falls below a threshold, the vehicle switches to the main battery 6 for driving. At this time, the sub-battery 7 is charged by the generator motor 4. Therefore, if the power of the main battery 6 falls below a threshold, the vehicle can continue to run using the power stored in the sub-battery 7. In this embodiment, the storage capacity of the sub-battery 7 cannot exceed the capacity of the main battery 6, so it can have a smaller capacity than the main battery 6.

[0026] In this embodiment, a configuration was described in which the power generation motor 4 is connected to the sub-battery 7 via a cutoff switch 12. However, it is also possible to configure the system so that the power generation motor 4 is connected to the main battery 6 when the cutoff switch 12 cuts off the connection between the power generation motor 4 and the sub-battery 7. As shown in Figure 2, this can be achieved by providing a line 24 that connects the power generation motor 4 and the main battery 6 via the cutoff switch 12. With this configuration, the main battery 6 can be charged by the power generation motor 4. As shown in Figure 7, it is possible to alternately perform driving operations in which the main battery 6 drives the drive motor 5 and the power generation motor 4 charges the sub-battery 7, and driving operations in which the sub-battery 7 drives the drive motor 5 and the power generation motor 4 charges the main battery 6. [Industrial applicability]

[0027] The electric vehicle of the present invention is equipped with a main battery 6 and a sub-battery 7, and the sub-battery 7 is charged by a generator motor 4 that generates electricity from the rotation of the front wheel, making it suitable for electric motorcycles and the like. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0028] 1. Front wheel (driven wheel) 2 Rear wheels (drive wheels) 3 Main unit 4. Generating motor 5. Drive motor 6 Main Battery 7. Sub-battery 8 Switching control unit 9 drive wheels 10 Driven wheels 11 Rotation axis 12. Disconnection switch 13. Changeover switch 14A Main Battery Status Detection Unit 14B Sub-battery status detection unit 15 Front wheel axle 16 belts 17 Converters 18 Inverters 19 Charging terminal 20 External charger 21 Cables 22 Warning light A 23 Warning light B 24 lines 100 Electric Vehicles

Claims

1. An electric vehicle in which one of the front wheels and one of the rear wheels are drive wheels and the other is a driven wheel, A drive motor for rotating the aforementioned drive wheels, A power generation motor that generates electricity by the rotation of the driven wheel, A main battery that supplies power to the aforementioned drive motor, A sub-battery capable of storing the electricity generated by the aforementioned power generation motor, The main battery and the sub-battery are each provided with a battery state detection unit that measures the remaining charge, A changeover switch for switching the power supply to the drive motor between the main battery and the sub-battery, The system includes a cutoff switch for cutting off the charging from the power generation motor to the sub-battery, An electric vehicle characterized in that, when the power of the main battery falls below a threshold due to the vehicle's operation, the cut-off switch cuts off charging to the sub-battery, and the changeover switch switches from the main battery to the sub-battery.

2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that a large-diameter drive wheel is attached to the driven wheel so as to rotate coaxially, a small-diameter driven wheel is attached to the rotating shaft of the power generation motor, and the drive wheel and the driven wheel are connected by a transmission belt.

3. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the main battery and the sub-battery can be charged from an external source via charging terminals.

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