Drive unit

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of storing and releasing energy at arbitrary timing in a driving device applied to a human-powered vehicle.SOLUTION: A driving device includes a driving shaft provided so as to transfer only rotation in a first direction between the rotation in the first direction and rotation in a second direction of an opposite direction from the first direction to a driven shaft, a storage part for storing energy to rotate the driving shaft in the first direction by rotating the driving shaft in the second direction, an operation part to be operated to rotate the driving shaft in the second direction, a rotor part attached to the driving shaft, a clutch part for allowing the driving shaft to rotate in the second direction to the rotor part and regulating rotation of the driving shaft in the first direction to the rotor part, and a rotation suppression part for making rotation suppression and suppression release of the rotor part in the first direction switchable.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drive device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a spring-type drive device has been known as a power source for operating machinery. A spring-type drive device is configured to store energy (biasing force) by winding up a built-in spring, and to generate rotational torque by releasing the energy of the spring. In this regard, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a spring-type drive device that is mounted on a bicycle and stores energy when braking. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-229595 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-029893 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Because a power spring can only store a small amount of energy, in order to keep the machine running continuously, it is necessary to frequently wind it up to store energy. However, conventional power spring drives can only store energy when braking, and are not able to store energy while the machine is running.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a technology that can store and release energy at any timing in a drive device applied to a human-powered vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A drive device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a drive shaft that is provided so that only the rotation in the first direction of a rotation in a first direction and a rotation in a second direction opposite to the first direction is transmitted to a driven shaft; a power storage unit that stores energy for rotating the drive shaft in the first direction as a result of the drive shaft rotating in the second direction; an operating portion that is operated to rotate the drive shaft in the second direction; a rotor portion attached to the drive shaft; a clutch unit that allows rotation of the drive shaft relative to the rotor unit in the second direction and restricts rotation of the drive shaft relative to the rotor unit in the first direction; The rotor unit includes a rotation suppressing unit that can switch between suppressing rotation of the rotor unit in the first direction and releasing the suppression.

[0007] In the present invention, The energy storage unit may include a spiral spring that stores the energy by being wound up by rotation of the drive shaft in the second direction.

[0008] In the present invention, the rotor portion has a disk-shaped plate portion that protrudes radially outward from the drive shaft, The rotation suppressing portion may suppress rotation of the rotor portion in the first direction by clamping the plate portion from an axial direction of the drive shaft.

[0009] The drive device according to the present invention comprises: The power transmission device may further include a pulley attached to the drive shaft for transmitting power of the drive shaft to the driven shaft.

[0010] The drive device according to the present invention comprises: The electric power transmission device may further include a gear mechanism attached to the drive shaft for transmitting power of the drive shaft to the driven shaft.

[0011] In the present invention, The operation unit includes: a pinion gear attached to the drive shaft so as to transmit only the rotation in the second direction out of the rotation in the first direction and the rotation in the second direction to the drive shaft; a rack gear having engaging teeth arranged vertically to mesh with the pinion gear, the rack gear being lowered by a depression operation to rotate the pinion gear in the second direction; The lever may further include a biasing portion that biases the rack gear, which has been lowered by the depression operation, upward to return it to its original position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, in a drive device applied to a vehicle powered by human power, energy can be stored and released at any timing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a drive device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a left side view of the drive device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a top view of the drive device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a left side view of a bicycle equipped with a drive unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a drive device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a drive device according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative positions of the components described in the following embodiments are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified.

[0015] The vehicle to which the drive device according to the present invention is applicable is not particularly limited as long as it uses human power as its power source, and may be a car or a ship. The vehicle to which the present invention is applicable may be, for example, a land vehicle such as a bicycle or a kick scooter, or a water vehicle such as a pedal boat or a float boat. Furthermore, the vehicle to which the present invention is applicable may also use a power source other than human power, such as electricity. "Using human power as its power source" also includes cases where the drive device according to the present invention is operated by human power and used as auxiliary power, and may also use a power other than human power as its primary power source. An example of such a vehicle is an electric motorcycle primarily powered by electricity.

[0016] In addition, in this specification, the type of one-way clutch is not particularly limited, and a sprag type, a cam type, or the like can be adopted.

[0017] <Embodiment 1> [Schematic configuration] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a drive unit 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the drive unit 100. FIG. 1 also shows the "front-rear direction," "up-down direction," and "left-right direction" of the drive unit 100. These directions correspond to the "front-rear direction," "up-down direction," and "left-right direction" of a vehicle when the drive unit 100 is applied to the vehicle. However, these directions merely indicate the relative positional relationships of the components of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a left side view of the drive unit 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a top view of the drive unit 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0018] The drive unit 100 according to the first embodiment can be applied to a bicycle, an example of a human-powered vehicle. FIG. 1 illustrates a bicycle 200 (see FIG. 2) to which the drive unit 100 is applied, including a rear wheel 20, a driven pulley 60, a chain 70, a driven shaft 80, and a one-way clutch 201. The driven shaft 80 is a shaft member extending in the left-right direction and is rotatable about an axis A2. The rear wheel 20 is provided to rotate integrally with the driven shaft 80. Here, the rotation direction of the driven shaft 80 about the axis A2 when the vehicle (the bicycle 200 in this example) moves forward is referred to as a forward rotation direction R3, and the rotation direction when the vehicle moves backward is referred to as a backward rotation direction R4. The drive unit 100 is configured to transmit power to the driven shaft 80, thereby rotating the driven shaft 80 in the forward rotation direction R3. Also, reference numeral 10 in FIGS. 2 and 3 denotes the main body of the bicycle 200. In this specification, the "main body of a vehicle" refers to the main structure of the vehicle. If the vehicle is a car, the main body is the body, and if the vehicle is a ship, the body is the hull. The main body 10 in this embodiment is specifically the frame that constitutes the body of the bicycle 200. The drive unit 100 is attached to the main body 10.

[0019] 1, the drive device 100 includes a drive shaft 1, a power storage unit 2, an operation unit 3, a brake rotor 4 (an example of a "rotor unit" according to the present invention), a one-way clutch 5 (an example of a "clutch unit" according to the present invention), a brake caliper 6 (an example of a "rotation suppressing unit" according to the present invention), and a drive pulley 7. Each component of the drive device 100 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0020] [Drive shaft 1] The drive shaft 1 is a shaft member extending in the left-right direction. The drive shaft 1 is rotatable around an axis A1 in a first direction R1 and a second direction R2 opposite to the first direction R1. As will be described in detail later, the drive shaft 1 is arranged so that, of the rotation in the first direction R1 and the rotation in the second direction R2, only the rotation in the first direction R1 is transmitted to the driven shaft 80. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the term "axial direction" refers to the extension direction of the drive shaft 1 (i.e., the left-right direction in this example). The drive shaft 1 is rotatably supported on the main body 10 of the bicycle 200. Both ends of the drive shaft 1 extend from the main body 10.

[0021] [Power storage section 2] The force accumulating unit 2 is a device that accumulates energy (biasing force) for rotating the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1 when the drive shaft 1 rotates in the second direction R2. The force accumulating unit 2 is configured as a so-called spiral motor, for example. Specifically, the force accumulating unit 2 has a spiral spring 21 attached to the drive shaft 1 and a case 22 that houses the spiral spring 21.

[0022] The power spring 21 is formed by winding a plate-shaped elastic member spirally around the drive shaft 1, and its end on the central side is fixed to the drive shaft 1. When the drive shaft 1 rotates in the second direction R2, the power spring 21 is wound up and elastically deformed, thereby storing energy that acts as a biasing force on the drive shaft 1. This energy is specifically the elastic energy of the power spring 21. When the drive shaft 1 is allowed to rotate in the first direction R1 in the wound-up state, the power spring 21 elastically returns to its original state, and the stored energy is restored. The energy is released (discharged). As a result, the drive shaft 1 rotates in the first direction R1 using the released energy as power.

[0023] The power storage unit 2 also has a reverse winding prevention mechanism (not shown) that prevents the spiral spring 21 from being wound in the opposite direction when the spiral spring 21 is unwound and the number of windings becomes zero due to rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1. Known technology can be used for the reverse winding prevention mechanism.

[0024] The case 22 is a housing that houses the spiral spring 21, and is fixed to the main body 10 of the vehicle as shown in FIG.

[0025] [Operation unit 3] The operating unit 3 is a device that is operated by a user (e.g., a driver of a vehicle) to rotate the drive shaft 1 in the second direction R2. As shown in Fig. 2, the operating unit 3 has a pinion gear 31, a rack gear 32, a biasing unit 33, a pedal 34, a one-way clutch 35, a rail member 36, and a slide member 37.

[0026] The pinion gear 31 is a spur gear attached to the drive shaft 1 via a one-way clutch 35 and is rotatable around the drive shaft 1. The one-way clutch 35 is interposed between the drive shaft 1 and the pinion gear 31. The one-way clutch 35 allows the pinion gear 31 to rotate (idle) in a first direction R1 relative to the drive shaft 1, and restricts the pinion gear 31 from rotating in a second direction R2 relative to the drive shaft 1. As a result, the pinion gear 31 is attached to the drive shaft 1 such that, of the rotation in the first direction R1 and the rotation in the second direction R2, only the rotation in the second direction R2 is transmitted to the drive shaft 1. Therefore, the rotation of the pinion gear 31 in the second direction R2 is transmitted to the drive shaft 1, causing the pinion gear 31 and the drive shaft 1 to rotate integrally, while the rotation of the pinion gear 31 in the first direction R1 is not transmitted to the drive shaft 1, causing the pinion gear 31 to idle. Moreover, the one-way clutch 35 may be built in on the drive shaft 1 side or on the pinion gear 31 side.

[0027] The rail member 36 is a rod-shaped member that extends in the vertical direction, and is fixed to the case 22 of the energy accumulation unit 2. The slide member 37 is a member that is attached to the rail member 36 and is slidable in the vertical direction along the rail member 36.

[0028] The pedal 34 is a rod-shaped member extending in the left-right direction, is fixed to the slide member 37, and moves up and down integrally with the slide member 37. The pedal 34 extends to the side (to the left in this example) and can be depressed by the user. When the pedal 34 is depressed, the slide member 37 slides downward.

[0029] The rack gear 32 is a member that extends in the vertical direction and can mesh with the pinion gear 31. The pinion gear 31 and the rack gear 32 form a rack-and-pinion mechanism. The rack gear 32 is fixed to a slide member 37 and moves up and down integrally with the slide member 37. Engagement teeth 32a that mesh with the pinion gear 31 are arranged vertically on the side of the rack gear 32. When the pedal 34 is depressed while the rack gear 32 is meshed with the pinion gear 31, the rack gear 32 moves down together with the slide member 37, causing the pinion gear 31 to rotate in the second direction R2.

[0030] The biasing portion 33 is an elastic member interposed between the rail member 36 and the slide member 37 and capable of expanding and contracting in the vertical direction. As an example, the biasing portion 33 is formed by a spring extending in the vertical direction. When the pedal 34 is lowered by pressing down, the biasing portion 33 is elastically deformed and compressed in the vertical direction, and when the pressing down operation is released, the biasing portion 33 is elastically restored and the slide member 37 is lowered. The rack gear 32 is urged upward via the stepping member 37. As a result, the urging portion 33 returns the rack gear 32, which has been lowered by the depression operation, to its original position (initial position shown in FIG. 3).

[0031] [Brake rotor 4] As shown in Figure 1, the brake rotor 4 is a member attached to the drive shaft 1 via a one-way clutch 5 and is rotatable around the drive shaft 1. The brake rotor 4 has a disk-shaped plate portion 41 that protrudes radially outward from the drive shaft 1.

[0032] [One-way clutch 5] The one-way clutch 5 is interposed between the drive shaft 1 and the brake rotor 4. The one-way clutch 5 allows rotation (idling) of the drive shaft 1 relative to the brake rotor 4 in the second direction R2, and restricts rotation of the drive shaft 1 relative to the brake rotor 4 in the first direction R1. The brake rotor 4 is attached to the drive shaft 1 such that, of the rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1 and the rotation in the second direction R2, only the rotation in the first direction R1 is transmitted to the brake rotor 4. Therefore, the rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1 is transmitted to the brake rotor 4, and the drive shaft 1 and the brake rotor 4 rotate integrally, while the rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the second direction R2 is not transmitted to the brake rotor 4, causing the drive shaft 1 to spin idly. The one-way clutch 5 may be built into either the drive shaft 1 side or the brake rotor 4 side.

[0033] [Brake caliper 6] The brake caliper 6 is fixed to the vehicle body 10 and, together with the brake rotor 4, constitutes a brake mechanism. As shown in FIG. 3, the brake caliper 6 has a pair of brake pads 61, 61 arranged on both axial sides of the plate portion 41 of the brake rotor 4. The brake caliper 6 is connected to the handlebars 40 (see FIG. 4) of the bicycle 200, for example, via a wire 202, and can switch between clamping and releasing the plate portion 41 with the brake pads 61, 61 in response to the user's operation of the handlebars 40. Hereinafter, the state in which the brake caliper 6 is activated and the plate portion 41 is clamped by the brake pads 61, 61 will be referred to as the "brake activated state." Additionally, the state in which the brake caliper 6 is not activated and the brake pads 61, 61 release the plate portion 41 will be referred to as the "brake released state." In the brake applied state, the plate portion 41 is clamped axially by the brake pads 61, 61, and friction between the brake pads 61, 61 and the plate portion 41 restricts rotation of the brake rotor 4. In the brake released state, the brake rotor 4 is rotatable. This allows the brake caliper 6 to switch between restricting and releasing the restriction of rotation of the brake rotor 4 in the first direction R1. By switching from the brake released state to the brake applied state while the drive shaft 1 and the brake rotor 4 are rotating integrally in the first direction R1, the rotation of the drive shaft 1 is braked.

[0034] [Drive pulley 7] As shown in Figure 1, the drive pulley 7 is a disk-shaped member that is attached to the drive shaft 1 and extends radially outward from the drive shaft 1 to transmit the power of the drive shaft 1 to the driven shaft 80. The drive pulley 7 is fixed to the drive shaft 1 and rotates integrally with the drive shaft 1. For example, a chain 70 of a bicycle 200 is hung on the drive pulley 7, and the drive pulley 7 and the driven pulley 60 of the bicycle 200 are connected via the chain 70.

[0035] [Basic operations] Next, a description will be given of the basic operation of the driving device 100. The main operations of the driving device 100 are a power storage operation for storing energy for rotating the driving shaft 1 in the first direction R1, and a power storage operation for storing energy for rotating the driving shaft 1 in the first direction R2. and a release operation in which the stored energy is released to rotate the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1.

[0036] [Power storage operation] The force accumulation operation is performed by manually depressing the operation unit 3 one or more times. When the operation unit 3 is not being depressed, the slide member 37 is supported by the biasing portion 33, and the rack gear 32 is held in the initial position shown in FIG. 3 . In the initial position, the rack gear 32 is positioned above the pinion gear 31 so that the rack gear 32 and the pinion gear 31 do not mesh with each other. When the pedal 34 of the operation unit 3 is depressed against the elastic force of the biasing portion 33, the rack gear 32 descends together with the slide member 37, and the biasing portion 33 is compressed in the vertical direction. As the rack gear 32 descends, the pinion gear 31 rotates in the second direction R2. The one-way clutch 35 transmits the rotation of the pinion gear 31 in the second direction R2 to the drive shaft 1, causing the drive shaft 1 to rotate together with the pinion gear 31 in the second direction R2. When the drive shaft 1 rotates in the second direction R2, the spiral spring 21 of the energy storage unit 2 is wound up, and energy for rotating the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1 is stored.

[0037] Here, when one depression operation is completed and the depression operation is released, the biasing portion 33 elastically returns, causing the rack gear 32, which had been lowered by the depression operation, to rise and return to its initial position. At this time, the pinion gear 31 rotates in the first direction R1 due to engagement with the rack gear 32. However, because the one-way clutch 35 does not transmit the rotation of the pinion gear 31 in the first direction R1 to the drive shaft 1, the pinion gear 31 rotates (idles) in the first direction R1 relative to the drive shaft 1. This prevents the rotation of the pinion gear 31 when the rack gear 32 returns to its initial position from causing the drive shaft 1 to rotate in the first direction R1. In other words, the spiral spring 21 is prevented from unwinding and releasing energy. Therefore, energy can be stored in the spiral spring 21 with each depression operation.

[0038] By repeatedly performing the depression operation multiple times, the amount of winding up of the spiral spring 21 can be increased, and the energy stored in the energy storage unit 2 can be increased.

[0039] When the spiral spring 21 is wound up and energy is stored, a biasing force acting on the drive shaft 1 to rotate it in the first direction R1 is exerted by the elasticity of the spiral spring 21. At this time, the energy stored in the spiral spring 21 by the energy storing operation can be retained in the spiral spring 21 by placing the brake caliper 6 in a brake actuation state. More specifically, placing the brake caliper 6 in a brake actuation state suppresses rotation of the brake rotor 4 in the first direction R1. As described above, the one-way clutch 5 restricts rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1 relative to the brake rotor 4, and therefore rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1 is also suppressed. This suppresses rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1 due to the biasing force of the spiral spring 21. As a result, the spiral spring 21 is prevented from unwinding and releasing energy, and the energy can be retained. Note that the power storage operation may be performed with the brakes applied, or the power storage operation may be performed with the brakes released and then switched to the brake applied state after the power storage operation is completed. When the power storage operation is performed with the brakes applied, the one-way clutch 5 restricts rotation of the drive shaft 1 relative to the brake rotor 4 in the first direction R1 while allowing rotation in the second direction R2, so that the power storage operation can be performed while restricting rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1.

[0040] [Release operation] The release operation is performed by the brake caliper 6 with energy stored in the mainspring 21. This is achieved by switching the brake caliper 6 from a brake applied state to a brake released state. When the handle 40 is operated to switch the brake caliper 6 from a brake applied state to a brake released state, the brake rotor 4 becomes capable of rotating in the first direction R1. This allows the drive shaft 1, which had been restricted by the brake caliper 6 via the brake rotor 4, to rotate in the first direction R1. As a result, the energy stored in the spiral spring 21 is released, and the drive shaft 1 rotates in the first direction R1.

[0041] [Bicycle 200] Next, an example in which the drive unit 100 according to the first embodiment is applied to a bicycle 200 will be described. Fig. 4 is a left side view of the bicycle 200 equipped with the drive unit 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the bicycle 200 includes a main body 10, which is the vehicle body, a rear wheel 20, which is the drive wheel, a front wheel 30, which is the steering wheel, a handlebar 40 for driving operations, a saddle 50 on which the rider of the bicycle 200 sits, and a wire 202 that transmits the braking operation of the handlebar 40 to the brake caliper 6 of the drive unit 100. Also as shown in Fig. 1, the bicycle 200 includes a driven pulley 60, a chain 70, a driven shaft 80, and a one-way clutch 201.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 1 , rear wheel 20 is fixed to driven shaft 80 and rotates integrally with driven shaft 80. Driven pulley 60 is a disk-shaped member attached to driven shaft 80 via one-way clutch 201, and is connected to drive pulley 7 of drive unit 100 via chain 70. Chain 70 transmits power from drive unit 100 to driven pulley 60.

[0043] When the drive shaft 1 rotates in the first direction R1, the driven pulley 60 rotates in a forward direction R3, and when the drive shaft 1 rotates in the second direction R2, the driven pulley 60 rotates in a backward direction R4. Here, the one-way clutch 201 interposed between the driven shaft 80 and the driven pulley 60 allows the driven pulley 60 to rotate (idle) in the backward direction R4 relative to the driven shaft 80, and restricts the rotation of the driven pulley 60 in the forward direction R3 relative to the driven shaft 80. As a result, the driven pulley 60 is attached to the driven shaft 80 such that, of the rotation of the driven pulley 60 in the forward direction R3 and the rotation in the backward direction R4, only the rotation in the forward direction R3 is transmitted to the driven shaft 80. As a result, of the rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1 and the rotation in the second direction R2, only the rotation in the first direction R1 is transmitted to the driven shaft 80. Therefore, when the drive shaft 1 rotates in the first direction R1, the driven pulley 60 and the driven shaft 80 rotate together in the forward rotation direction R3. On the other hand, the rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the second direction R2 is not transmitted to the driven shaft 80, and the driven pulley 60 rotates freely in the backward rotation direction R4.

[0044] [Driving operations] The following describes how to drive a bicycle 200 equipped with a driving unit 100, with reference to Figures 1 to 4. However, the driving operations described below are merely examples, and the driving operations of a vehicle to which the present invention is applied are not limited to the following.

[0045] First, when bicycle 200 is at a standstill before riding begins (hereinafter referred to as the stopped state), no energy is stored in spiral spring 21 of energy storage unit 2 due to winding, and rack gear 32 of operating unit 3 is maintained in the initial position shown in Fig. 3 so as not to mesh with pinion gear 31. Also, brake caliper 6 is in a brake-released state.

[0046] Next, the rider gets on the bicycle 200 (more specifically, sits on the saddle 50) and performs the energy storage operation described above, storing energy in the spiral spring 21 of the energy storage unit 2. In the energy storage operation, the rack gear 32 moves downward due to the pedaling operation, causing the drive shaft 1 to rotate in the second direction R2, winding up the spiral spring 21 and storing energy. The rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the second direction R2 is transmitted to the driven pulley 60 of the bicycle 200 via the drive pulley 7 and chain 70, causing the driven pulley 60 to rotate in the backward direction R4. However, Therefore, as described above, one-way clutch 201 prevents rotation of driven pulley 60 in the backward rotation direction R4 from being transmitted to driven shaft 80, causing driven pulley 60 to spin freely. In this way, rotation of drive shaft 1 in second direction R2 is not transmitted to driven shaft 80, preventing the driven shaft 80 from rotating in the backward rotation direction R4 due to the power storage operation and causing bicycle 200 to move backward. Furthermore, during the power storage operation when the bicycle is stopped, brake caliper 6 may remain in the brake-released state or may be in the brake-applied state. By repeatedly depressing the brake pedal multiple times, the stored energy can be increased.

[0047] By placing brake caliper 6 in a brake-activated state at least after the energy storage operation is completed, rotation of drive shaft 1 in first direction R1 is suppressed, and energy is maintained stored in spiral spring 21. This allows bicycle 200 to be ridden by the release operation described above.

[0048] Next, with energy stored in the spiral spring 21, a release operation is performed to release the stored energy and cause the bicycle 200 to travel (move forward). In the release operation, the handlebars 40 are operated to switch the brake caliper 6 from a brake-activated state to a brake-released state. This releases the energy stored in the spiral spring 21, causing the drive shaft 1 to rotate in the first direction R1. The rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1 is transmitted to the driven pulley 60 of the bicycle 200 via the drive pulley 7 and chain 70, causing the driven pulley 60 to rotate in the forward rotation direction R3. As described above, the one-way clutch 201 transmits the rotation of the driven pulley 60 in the forward rotation direction R3 to the driven shaft 80. Therefore, the driven pulley 60, the driven shaft 80, and the rear wheel 20 rotate integrally in the forward rotation direction R3, causing the bicycle 200 to travel forward. In this way, the bicycle 200 begins traveling (powered traveling) using the power of the drive unit 100. During driving, the pinion gear 31 rotates integrally with the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1, and the rack gear 32 waits in the initial position.

[0049] As the drive travel continues, the mainspring 21 unwinds, and when the stored energy is used up, the bicycle 200 transitions to inertial travel, where it continues to move forward due to inertia. During inertial travel, the drive shaft 1 stops rotating, and the rear wheel 20 rotates in the forward rotation direction R3 due to the inertia acting on the bicycle 200. At this time, the driven shaft 80 also rotates in the forward rotation direction R3 together with the rear wheel 20, but the one-way clutch 201 causes the driven shaft 80 to rotate freely relative to the driven pulley 60, so the rotation of the driven shaft 80 in the forward rotation direction R3 is not transmitted to the drive shaft 1.

[0050] As the inertial running continues, the bicycle 200 gradually loses speed due to a loss of inertia. To apply power to the bicycle 200 and accelerate it while it is running by inertia, the bicycle can be shifted to power running by performing the power storage operation described above. The power storage operation while running by inertia is performed with the brake caliper 6 in a brake-activated state to suppress rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1. After the power storage operation is completed, the brake caliper 6 is switched to a brake-released state, which releases the energy stored in the spiral spring 21 through the power storage operation and shifts to power running.

[0051] The power storage operation may be performed during power running before transitioning to inertial running. By storing additional energy through the power storage operation while the spiral spring 21 continues to release its energy during power running, it is possible to continuously provide power to the bicycle 200. This allows power running to continue and increases the cruising distance. The power storage operation during power running is performed with the brake caliper 6 in the brake release state in order to allow the drive shaft 1 to rotate in the first direction R1 and continue power running.

[0052] As described above, when riding the bicycle 200 equipped with the driving unit 100, energy can be stored and released at any time. By engaging and releasing the brake, the bicycle 200 can continue to travel, enabling it to travel long distances. To stop the bicycle 200 from traveling, a brake mechanism (not shown) for stopping the bicycle 200, which is separately provided on the bicycle 200, is activated to brake the bicycle 200. This causes the bicycle 200 to stop traveling.

[0053] [Actions and Effects] As described above, the drive device 100 according to the first embodiment includes the drive shaft 1, the force storage unit 2, the operation unit 3, the brake rotor 4, the one-way clutch 5, and the brake caliper 6. The drive shaft 1 is provided such that, of the rotation in the first direction R1 and the rotation in the second direction R2, only the rotation in the first direction R1 is transmitted to the driven shaft 80. The force storage unit 2 stores energy for rotating the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1 as the drive shaft 1 rotates in the second direction R2. The operation unit 3 is operated to rotate the drive shaft 1 in the second direction R2. The one-way clutch 5 allows the drive shaft 1 to rotate in the second direction R2 (idling) relative to the brake rotor 4 and restricts rotation in the first direction R1. The brake caliper 6 is capable of switching between restricting and releasing the rotation of the brake rotor 4 in the first direction R1.

[0054] According to the drive device 100, while the rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1 is restrained by the brake caliper 6, the energy for rotating the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1 can be stored in the power storage unit 2. Furthermore, while the energy is stored in the power storage unit 2, the brake caliper 6 can release the energy by releasing the restraint of the rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1. This allows the energy to be stored or released while the vehicle is stopped or running by operating the operating unit 3. In other words, according to the drive device 100, it is possible to store or release energy at any timing. As a result, it is possible to drive the vehicle continuously.

[0055] In the above embodiment, the driven shaft 80 is configured to rotate in the forward rotation direction R3 when the drive shaft 1 rotates in the first direction R1, but the driven shaft 80 may be configured to rotate in the backward rotation direction R4 when the drive shaft 1 rotates in the first direction R1. In other words, the vehicle may move backward when the drive shaft 1 rotates in the first direction R1.

[0056] Furthermore, the energy storage unit 2 according to this embodiment has a power spring 21 that stores energy by being wound up by rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the second direction R2. This allows energy to be stored by rotating the drive shaft 1 in the second direction R2. Note that the means by which the energy storage unit according to the present invention stores energy is not limited to a power spring.

[0057] Furthermore, the brake rotor 4 according to this embodiment has a disk-shaped plate portion 41 that protrudes radially outward from the drive shaft 1, and the brake caliper 6 can clamp the plate portion 41 in the axial direction of the drive shaft 1. This makes it possible to suppress rotation of the brake rotor 4 in the first direction R1.

[0058] The driving device 100 according to this embodiment further includes a driving pulley 7 attached to the driving shaft 1. This allows the power of the driving shaft 1 to be transmitted to the driven shaft 80.

[0059] The operating unit 3 according to this embodiment also includes a pinion gear 31, a rack gear 32, and an urging unit 33. The pinion gear 31 is attached to the drive shaft 1 so that, of the rotation in the first direction R1 and the rotation in the second direction R2, only the rotation in the second direction R2 is transmitted to the drive shaft 1. The rack gear 32 has engagement teeth 32a arranged vertically to mesh with the pinion gear 31, and rotates the pinion gear 31 in the second direction R2 by descending when the rack gear 32 is depressed. The urging unit 33 urges the rack gear 32, which has descended when the rack gear 32 is depressed, upward, thereby returning it to its initial position (original position). By configuring the operating unit 3 as described above, the amount of force applied to the operating unit 3 by depression is reduced. By performing this operation, the drive shaft 1 can be rotated in the second direction R2. In addition, the rack gear 32 is returned to its initial position by the biasing portion 33, so it is possible to perform the depression operation multiple times. By performing the depression operation multiple times, the energy stored in the energy storage portion 2 can be increased.

[0060] <Embodiment 2> Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a drive device 100A according to embodiment 2. Fig. 5 shows a schematic diagram of the drive device 100A. Hereinafter, the drive device 100A according to embodiment 2 will be mainly explained in terms of differences from the drive device 100 according to embodiment 1, and the same reference numerals will be used to denote the same parts as the drive device 100, and detailed explanations thereof will be omitted.

[0061] The driving device 100A according to the second embodiment can be applied to a ship that uses a water wheel as a propeller, which is an example of a human-powered vehicle. An example of a ship that uses a water wheel as a propeller is a paddlewheel ship.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 5, the driving device 100A differs from the driving device 100 described above in that it includes a water turbine 8 and a one-way clutch 9 instead of the drive pulley 7. The water turbine 8 is attached to the drive shaft 1 via the one-way clutch 9 and is rotatable around the drive shaft 1. The water turbine 8 has a shaft portion 81 attached to the drive shaft 1 and blades 82 provided on the outer periphery of the shaft portion 81. The shaft portion 81 corresponds to the "driven shaft" according to the present invention. Since the shaft portion 81 is arranged coaxially with the drive shaft 1, in the second embodiment, the first direction R1 corresponds to the forward rotation direction R3 in the first embodiment, and the second direction R2 corresponds to the reverse rotation direction R4 in the first embodiment. The one-way clutch 9 is interposed between the drive shaft 1 and the shaft portion 81 of the water turbine 8. The one-way clutch 9 allows the drive shaft 1 to rotate (idle) in the second direction R2 relative to the water turbine 8 and restricts the rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1 relative to the water turbine 8. As a result, of the rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1 and the rotation in the second direction R2, only the rotation in the first direction R1 is transmitted to the water turbine 8. Therefore, when the drive shaft 1 rotates in the first direction R1, the water turbine 8 rotates in the first direction R1 together with the drive shaft 1. On the other hand, the rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the second direction R2 is not transmitted to the water turbine 8, and the drive shaft 1 spins freely.

[0063] During the power storing operation of the drive unit 100A, depression of the pedal 34 causes the drive shaft 1 to rotate in the second direction R2, which winds up the power spring 21 of the power storing unit 2 and stores energy for rotating the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1. At this time, the one-way clutch 9 causes the drive shaft 1 to rotate freely relative to the water turbine 8, so the rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the second direction R2 is not transmitted to the water turbine 8. Therefore, rotation of the water turbine 8 in the second direction R2 during the power storing operation and the vessel moving backward are prevented.

[0064] When energy is stored in the power spring 21, a release operation is performed to release the stored energy and rotate the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1. At this time, the one-way clutch 9 transmits the rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1 to the water turbine 8, so that the drive shaft 1 and the water turbine 8 rotate together in the first direction R1. As a result, forward thrust is generated by the blades 82 of the water turbine 8, and the vessel moves forward.

[0065] The drive unit 100A may also include a clutch switching mechanism that switches the restricting direction of the one-way clutch 9, and an external power transmission mechanism for operating the water turbine 8 to rotate using external power. The clutch switching mechanism can switch, for example, by operating a switch, between a state in which only the rotation in the first direction R1 is transmitted to the water turbine 8, out of the rotation in the first direction R1 and the rotation in the second direction R2 of the drive shaft 1, in which only the rotation in the first direction R1 is transmitted to the water turbine 8 (forward rotation state), and a state in which only the rotation in the second direction R2 is transmitted to the water turbine 8 (reverse rotation state). The external power transmission mechanism may include, for example, a handle for manually rotating the water turbine 8. The one-way clutch 9 can be switched between the reverse rotation state and the reverse rotation state by the clutch switching mechanism. The water turbine 8 can then be manually rotated in the second direction R2 by an external power transmission mechanism, thereby moving the vessel backward.

[0066] <Embodiment 3> Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a drive device 100B according to embodiment 3. Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of the drive device 100B. Hereinafter, the drive device 100B according to embodiment 3 will be mainly explained in terms of differences from the drive device 100 according to embodiment 1, and the same reference numerals will be used to denote the same parts as the drive device 100, and detailed explanations thereof will be omitted.

[0067] The drive unit 100B according to the third embodiment can be applied to a vessel that uses an impeller as a propulsion device, as an example of a human-powered vehicle. FIG. 6 illustrates a driven shaft 80 and an impeller 90, which are components of a vessel to which the third embodiment is applied. The driven shaft 80 of the third embodiment extends in the fore-and-aft direction and is perpendicular to the drive shaft 1 of the drive unit 100. The impeller 90 is fixed to the rear end of the driven shaft 80 and rotates integrally with the driven shaft 80. The vessel moves forward when the impeller 90 rotates in a forward rotation direction R3, and moves backward when the impeller 90 rotates in a reverse rotation direction R4.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 6, the driving device 100B differs from the driving device 100 described above in that it includes a gear mechanism 101 and a one-way clutch 102 instead of the driving pulley 7. The gear mechanism 101 is a mechanism for transmitting power from the driving shaft 1 to the driven shaft 80. The gear mechanism 101 includes a first bevel gear 101a attached to the driving shaft 1 and a second bevel gear 101b attached to the driven shaft 80. The first bevel gear 101a and the second bevel gear 101b are arranged so that their axes are perpendicular to each other, and transmit rotation between the driving shaft 1 and the driven shaft 80. The first bevel gear 101a is attached to the driving shaft 1 via the one-way clutch 102 and is rotatable around the driving shaft 1. The second bevel gear 101b rotates integrally with the driven shaft 80. The one-way clutch 102 is interposed between the driving shaft 1 and the first bevel gear 101a. The one-way clutch 102 allows the drive shaft 1 to rotate (idle) in the second direction R2 relative to the first bevel gear 101a, and restricts the rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1 relative to the first bevel gear 101a. As a result, of the rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1 and the rotation in the second direction R2, only the rotation in the first direction R1 is transmitted to the first bevel gear 101a. Therefore, when the drive shaft 1 rotates in the first direction R1, the first bevel gear 101a rotates integrally with the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1. On the other hand, the rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the second direction R2 is not transmitted to the first bevel gear 101a, and the drive shaft 1 rotates idly.

[0069] During the power storing operation of the drive unit 100B, depression of the pedal 34 causes the drive shaft 1 to rotate in the second direction R2, thereby winding up the spiral spring 21 of the power storing unit 2 and storing energy for rotating the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1. At this time, the one-way clutch 102 causes the drive shaft 1 to rotate freely relative to the first bevel gear 101a, so the rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the second direction R2 is not transmitted to the impeller 90. Therefore, during the power storing operation, the impeller 90 is prevented from rotating in the reverse direction R4 and causing the boat to move backward.

[0070] By performing a release operation while energy is stored in the spiral spring 21, the stored energy is released and the drive shaft 1 is rotated in the first direction R1. At this time, the one-way clutch 102 transmits the rotation of the drive shaft 1 in the first direction R1 to the first bevel gear 101a, so that the drive shaft 1 and the first bevel gear 101a rotate together in the first direction R1. The rotation of the first bevel gear 101a in the first direction R1 is transmitted to the driven shaft 80 via the second bevel gear 101b, so that the driven shaft 80 and the impeller 90 rotate together in the forward rotation direction R3. As a result, forward thrust is generated by the impeller 90, and the boat moves forward.

[0071] The driving device 100B is a one-wheel drive mechanism interposed between the driven shaft 80 and the second bevel gear 101b. The vessel may further include a one-way clutch, a clutch switching mechanism for the one-way clutch, and an external power transmission mechanism for rotating the impeller 90 using external power. The clutch switching mechanism can switch, for example, by operating a switch, between a state in which only the rotation in the forward direction R3 of the second bevel gear 101b is transmitted to the driven shaft 80 (forward rotation state) and a state in which only the rotation in the reverse direction R4 is transmitted to the driven shaft 80 (reverse rotation state). The external power transmission mechanism may include, for example, a handle for manually rotating the impeller 90. The vessel can be reversed by placing the one-way clutch in the reverse rotation state using the clutch switching mechanism and manually rotating the driven shaft 80 in the reverse rotation direction R4 using the external power transmission mechanism.

[0072] <Other> The drive device according to the present invention may be capable of releasing residual energy stored in the power storage unit while the vehicle is stopped, when the vehicle, such as a bicycle or a boat, has finished operating, i.e., when the vehicle is stopped. That is, the drive device may be provided with a mechanism (residual energy release mechanism) that releases residual energy from the power storage unit while the vehicle is stopped. The residual energy release mechanism may release residual energy by, for example, causing the drive shaft to idle using a one-way clutch. The location where the residual energy release mechanism is installed is not particularly limited, and it may be installed on the drive shaft, the power storage unit, or the driven shaft, for example.

[0073] Although the embodiments of the drive device according to the present disclosure have been described above, each aspect disclosed in this specification can be combined with any other feature disclosed in this specification. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1. Drive shaft 2... Energy storage section 3...Operation unit 4. Brake rotor (an example of a rotor part) 5. One-way clutch (an example of a clutch section) 6. Brake caliper (an example of a rotation suppression part) 80,81...driven shaft 100 Drive unit

Claims

1. A drive device applied to a human-powered vehicle, a drive shaft provided such that, of rotation in a first direction and rotation in a second direction opposite to the first direction, only rotation in the first direction is transmitted to a driven shaft; a power storage unit that stores energy for rotating the drive shaft in the first direction as a result of the drive shaft rotating in the second direction; an operating portion that is operated to rotate the drive shaft in the second direction; a rotor portion attached to the drive shaft; a clutch unit that allows rotation of the drive shaft relative to the rotor unit in the second direction and restricts rotation of the drive shaft relative to the rotor unit in the first direction; a rotation suppression unit that can switch between suppressing rotation of the rotor unit in the first direction and releasing the suppression, Drive unit.

2. the energy storage unit includes a spiral spring that is wound up by rotation of the drive shaft in the second direction to store the energy; The drive device according to claim 1 .

3. the rotor portion has a disk-shaped plate portion that protrudes radially outward from the drive shaft, the rotation suppressing portion suppresses rotation of the rotor portion in the first direction by sandwiching the plate portion in the axial direction of the drive shaft.

3. The drive device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The drive shaft further includes a pulley attached to the drive shaft for transmitting power of the drive shaft to the driven shaft.

3. The drive device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The drive shaft further includes a gear mechanism attached to the drive shaft for transmitting power of the drive shaft to the driven shaft.

3. The drive device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The operation unit includes: a pinion gear attached to the drive shaft so as to transmit only the rotation in the second direction out of the rotation in the first direction and the rotation in the second direction to the drive shaft; a rack gear having engaging teeth arranged vertically to mesh with the pinion gear, the rack gear being lowered by a depression operation to rotate the pinion gear in the second direction; and a biasing portion that biases the rack gear, which has been lowered by the depression operation, upward to return it to its original position.

3. The drive device according to claim 1 or 2.

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