Vehicle, notification method, notification program, storage medium, and notification device

Abstract

Provided is an electric bicycle (10) as a vehicle that comprises: crank pedals (79) that receive input from the legs of a rider; a rear wheel (78) to which power inputted into the crank pedals (79) is inputted; and a motor (M) from which outputted power is transmitted to the rear wheel (78), and the electric bicycle (10) is switchable between an EAB driving state as a first driving state in which the rear wheel (78) is driven by at least the power inputted into the crank pedals (79) and an EV driving state as a second driving state in which the rear wheel (78) is driven by only the power from the motor (M).

Description

Vehicle, notification method, notification program, storage medium, and notification device

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle, a notification method, a notification program, a storage medium, and a notification device.

[0002] Electrically assisted bicycles that use motor power to assist pedal effort have been known for some time. Patent Document 1 discloses an electric bicycle that can be selectively switched between self-propelled driving using a drive motor and assisted driving, in which pedal effort is assisted by the drive force of the drive motor.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-239982

[0004] In a vehicle that can take a first drive state in which the wheels are driven by power input from at least the occupant's legs, and a second drive state in which the wheels are driven only by power from the electric motor, it is desirable to run in an appropriate drive state depending on the state and circumstances of the occupant, vehicle, and driving environment.

[0005] The present invention provides a vehicle that can be driven in a suitable driving condition.

[0006] The first invention is a vehicle comprising an input section that receives force input from the legs of an occupant, a wheel to which the force input to the input section is transmitted, and an electric motor that transmits output power to the wheel or another wheel different from the wheel, wherein the vehicle is switchable between a first drive state in which the wheel is driven by at least the force input to the input section, and a second drive state in which the wheel or the other wheel is driven only by the power of the electric motor.

[0007] A second invention is a notification method for notifying the outside of a vehicle of the driving state of a vehicle that includes an input unit that receives force input from the legs of an occupant, a wheel to which the force input to the input unit is transmitted, and an electric motor that transmits output power to the wheel or another wheel different from the wheel, the notification method comprising the steps of: providing notification of a first mode when the vehicle is in a first driving state in which the wheel is driven by at least the force input to the input unit; and providing notification of a second mode different from the first mode when the vehicle is in the second driving state after switching from the first driving state to a second driving state in which the wheel or the other wheel is driven only by the power of the electric motor.

[0008] A third invention is an alarm program that notifies the outside of the vehicle of the driving state of a vehicle that includes an input unit that receives force input from the legs of an occupant, a wheel to which the force input to the input unit is transmitted, and an electric motor that transmits output power to the wheel or another wheel different from the wheel, the alarm program performing the following steps: when in a first driving state in which the wheel is driven by at least the force input to the input unit, notifying of a first mode; and when in the second driving state after switching from the first driving state to a second driving state in which the wheel or the other wheel is driven only by the power of the electric motor, notifying of a second mode different from the first mode.

[0009] A fourth invention is a vehicle equipped with an electric motor that transmits output power to wheels, the vehicle being switchable between a first running state in which the wheels are driven by the power of the electric motor with a first maximum speed as an upper limit, and a second running state in which the wheels are driven by the power of the electric motor with a second maximum speed as an upper limit that is lower than the first maximum speed, and the vehicle also having an alarm unit that notifies the outside of the vehicle of the running state of the vehicle, the alarm unit making an alarm in a first mode when in the first running state, and making an alarm in a second mode different from the first mode when in the second running state.

[0010] A fifth invention is a notification method for notifying the outside of a vehicle of the running state of a vehicle equipped with an electric motor that transmits output power to wheels, the notification method comprising the steps of: making a notification of a first mode when the vehicle is in a first running state in which the wheels are driven by power from the electric motor with a first maximum speed as an upper limit; and making a notification of a second mode different from the first mode when the vehicle is in a second running state after switching from the first running state to a second running state in which the wheels are driven by power from the electric motor with a second maximum speed as an upper limit that is lower than the first maximum speed.

[0011] A sixth invention is an alarm program that causes the driving state of a vehicle having an electric motor that transmits output power to wheels to be notified to the outside of the vehicle, the alarm program performing the following steps: when in a first driving state in which the wheels are driven by power from the electric motor with a first maximum speed as an upper limit, making an alarm of a first mode; and when in the second driving state after switching from the first driving state to a second driving state in which the wheels are driven by power from the electric motor with a second maximum speed that is lower than the first maximum speed, making an alarm of a second mode different from the first mode.

[0012] A seventh invention is an alarm device that is mounted on a vehicle having an acquisition unit that acquires the type of driving path and that issues an alarm to the outside of the vehicle, wherein the alarm device (i) issues an alarm in a first mode when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is driving on a walkway where pedestrians pass, and issues an alarm in a second mode different from the first mode when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is not driving on the walkway or that the vehicle is driving on a driving path other than the walkway, or (ii) issues an alarm in a third mode when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is driving on a vehicle path on which vehicles are driving, and issues an alarm in a fourth mode different from the third mode when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is not driving on the vehicle path or that the vehicle is driving on a driving path other than the vehicle path.

[0013] An eighth invention is an alarm method for an alarm device that is mounted on a vehicle having an acquisition unit that acquires the type of driving path and that issues an alarm to the outside of the vehicle, the alarm method comprising: (i) a step of issuing an alarm in a first mode when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is driving on a walkway where pedestrians pass; and a step of issuing an alarm in a second mode different from the first mode when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is not driving on the walkway or that the vehicle is driving on a driving path other than the walkway; or (ii) a step of issuing an alarm in a third mode when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is driving on a vehicle path on which vehicles are driving; and a step of issuing an alarm in a fourth mode different from the third mode when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is not driving on the vehicle path or that the vehicle is driving on a driving path other than the vehicle path.

[0014] A ninth invention is a notification program that causes an alarm device that is mounted on a vehicle having an acquisition unit that acquires the type of driving path and that issues a notification to the outside of the vehicle to perform the following steps: (i) when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is driving on a walkway where pedestrians pass, issuing a notification of a first mode; and when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is not driving on the walkway or that the vehicle is driving on a driving path other than the walkway, issuing a notification of a second mode different from the first mode; or (ii) when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is driving on a vehicle path on which vehicles are driving, issuing a notification of a third mode; and when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is not driving on the vehicle path or that the vehicle is driving on a driving path other than the vehicle path, issuing a notification of a fourth mode different from the third mode.

[0015] A tenth aspect of the present invention is a computer-readable storage medium storing the notification program according to any one of the third, sixth, and ninth aspects of the present invention.

[0016] According to the present invention, a vehicle can be provided that allows the vehicle to run in an appropriate driving state.

[0017] 1 is a side view of an electric bicycle 10. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a power transmission mechanism including an electric assist unit 20. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a control device 40. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between assist ratio and vehicle speed in assisted driving mode. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between upper limit torque of the motor M and vehicle speed in EV driving mode. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of driving mode transitions in an electric bicycle 10. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of EV driving mode switching control for switching to EV driving mode. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a first example of changes over time in the torque value Tq, cadence, and vehicle speed as the electric bicycle 10 is driven. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a second example of changes over time in the torque value Tq, cadence, and vehicle speed as the electric bicycle 10 is driven. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of EV driving mode switching control of a first modified example. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of driving mode transitions in an electric bicycle 10 of a second modified example. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing driving modes that can be switched by an electric bicycle 10 of a third modified example. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of a notification manner by an electric bicycle 10 of the third modified example. FIG. 14 is a side view of an electric vehicle 10A of a fourth modified example. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing driving modes that can be switched by an electric vehicle 10 of the fourth modified example. Fig. 10 is a side view of a stand-up vehicle 10B of a fifth modified example. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing switchable running modes of the stand-up vehicle 10B of the fifth modified example. Fig. 12 is a side view of a stand-up vehicle 10C of a sixth modified example. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing switchable running modes of the stand-up vehicle 10C of the sixth modified example. Fig. 14 is a diagram showing switchable running modes of the stand-up vehicle 10C of the seventh modified example.

[0018] An electric bicycle as one embodiment of a vehicle of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, identical or similar elements will be designated by identical or similar reference numerals, and their description may be omitted or simplified as appropriate. The drawings should be viewed in accordance with the orientation of the reference numerals. Furthermore, for simplicity and clarity of explanation, the front-to-rear, left-to-right, and up-to-down directions in this specification and elsewhere will be described according to the direction as seen by the rider of the electric bicycle of this embodiment.

[0019] <Vehicle Structure> First, the vehicle structure of the electric bicycle of this embodiment will be described. As shown in Figure 1, the electric bicycle 10 of this embodiment includes a front wheel 73, a rear wheel 78, a bicycle frame 67, a battery 2, and an electric assist unit 20 that generates power using electricity supplied from the battery 2.

[0020] The bicycle frame 67 comprises a head pipe 68 at the front end, a down pipe 69 extending downward from the head pipe 68 from the front to the rear of the vehicle body, a support pipe 66 (see Figure 2) fixed to the rear end of the down pipe 69 and extending to the left and right, a seat post 71 extending upward from the support pipe 66, and a pair of left and right rear forks 70 extending rearward from the support pipe 66.

[0021] A front fork 72 is steerably supported on the head pipe 68, and a front wheel 73 is journaled at the lower end of the front fork 72. A steering handlebar 74 is provided at the upper end of the front fork 72. Grips that can be held by the rider are provided on both left and right ends of the steering handlebar 74. Of the left and right grips provided on the steering handlebar 74, the right grip is an accelerator grip 74a that receives an operation from the rider corresponding to a drive request to a motor M (described below) provided in the electric assist unit 20. In addition, a headlight 51, which uses an incandescent bulb as a light source, for example, and illuminates the area ahead in the direction of travel of the electric bicycle 10 when riding in dark places, such as at night, is attached to the front fork 72. Note that the headlight 51 may be provided on the front side of the electric bicycle 10, and its attachment position is not limited to the front fork 72 and may be, for example, on the steering handlebar 74.

[0022] A rear wheel 78 serving as a drive wheel is journaled between the rear ends of a pair of left and right rear forks 70 extending rearward from the seat post 71. A rear reflector 52 is attached to the rear side of the bicycle frame 67 above the rear forks 70. The rear reflector 52 reflects light irradiated from behind the electric bicycle 10 toward the rear of the electric bicycle 10. The color of the light reflected by the rear reflector 52 is, for example, orange or red. The rear reflector 52 only needs to be located on the rear side of the electric bicycle 10, and its attachment position is not limited to the bicycle frame 67, and it may also be, for example, the seat post 71 or a rear fender (described below).

[0023] A support shaft 75 with a seat 76 at its upper end is attached to the seat post 71 in a manner that allows the vertical position of the seat 76 to be adjusted. A battery 2 that supplies power to the electric assist unit 20 is detachably fixed to the front of the seat post 71 below the seat 76.

[0024] A pair of crank pedals 79 for receiving force (pedaling force) from the rider's legs are connected to the left and right ends of a crank shaft 83 that coaxially passes through the support pipe 66 of the bicycle frame 67. Pedaling force applied to the crank pedals 79 is transmitted to the crank shaft 83 and input to an endless chain 82 via a drive sprocket 80. The chain 82 is wound around the drive sprocket 80 and a driven sprocket 81 attached to the axle of the rear wheel 78.

[0025] Referring also to FIG. 2, the electric assist unit 20 is a unit consisting of the motor M and crankshaft 83 and is mounted around the support pipe 66 of the bicycle frame 67 .

[0026] In the electric assist unit 20, the output shaft 21 of the motor M and the crankshaft 83 are arranged parallel to each other inside the case 24. The crankshaft 83 is rotatably supported inside a cylindrical sleeve 26 via a first one-way clutch 28, and a driven gear 26a that meshes with a motor output gear 21a provided on the output shaft 21 of the motor M and a drive sprocket 80 are fixed to the outer periphery of the sleeve 26. Therefore, the torque (also referred to as power) of the motor M is transmitted to the drive sprocket 80 via the motor output gear 21a, the driven gear 26a, and the sleeve 26.

[0027] In addition, a second one-way clutch 32 is provided between the driven sprocket 81 and the rear wheel 78 .

[0028] In the electric bicycle 10 configured in this manner, when the crank pedal 79 is pedaled forward (also referred to as the forward rotation direction), the first one-way clutch 28 engages, and the forward rotational power of the crankshaft 83 is transmitted to the drive sprocket 80 via the sleeve 26, and then to the driven sprocket 81 via the chain 82. At this time, the second one-way clutch 32 also engages, and the forward rotational power transmitted to the driven sprocket 81 is transmitted to the rear wheel 78.

[0029] On the other hand, when the crank pedal 79 is pedaled in the reverse direction (also called the reverse rotation direction), the first one-way clutch 28 does not engage, the reverse rotational power of the crankshaft 83 is not transmitted to the sleeve 26, and the crankshaft 83 rotates freely.

[0030] Furthermore, when forward rotational power is input from the rear wheel 78 in the forward direction (i.e., forward rotation direction), such as when the electric bicycle 10 is being pushed forward, the second one-way clutch 32 does not engage, and the forward rotational power of the rear wheel 78 is not transmitted to the driven sprocket 81. Therefore, the rear wheel 78 rotates relative to the driven sprocket 81.

[0031] On the other hand, when reverse rotational power in the reverse direction (i.e., reverse rotation direction) is input from the rear wheel 78, such as when pushing the electric bicycle 10 backward, the second one-way clutch 32 engages and the reverse rotational power of the rear wheel 78 is transmitted to the driven sprocket 81 and then to the drive sprocket 80 via the chain 82. At this time, the first one-way clutch 28 also engages, so the reverse rotational power transmitted to the drive sprocket 80 is transmitted to the crankshaft 83 and crank pedal 79, causing the crankshaft 83 and crank pedal 79 to rotate in the reverse direction.

[0032] As described above, in the electric bicycle 10, the torque in the forward rotation direction output from the motor M is transmitted to the rear wheel 78 via the motor output gear 21a, driven gear 26a, sleeve 26, drive sprocket 80, chain 82, driven sprocket 81, and second one-way clutch 32, and is used to drive the rear wheel 78 (i.e., to drive the electric bicycle 10).

[0033] The electric bicycle 10 is also configured to be switchable between an EAB (Electric-Assisted Bicycle) driving mode (electrically assisted bicycle driving mode) in which the electric bicycle 10 travels in an EAB (Electric-Assisted Bicycle) driving state in which the rear wheel 78 is driven by at least the force input to the crank pedals 79 (i.e., the pedaling force), and an EV (Electric Vehicle) driving mode in which the electric bicycle 10 travels in an EV (Electric Vehicle) driving state in which the rear wheel 78 is driven only by the power of the motor M. Switching of the driving mode (i.e., the driving state) of the electric bicycle 10 is controlled, for example, by a control device (illustrated as CTR) 40 of the electric assist unit 20. The control device 40 will be described later using FIG. 3 etc.

[0034] The electric bicycle 10 is also provided with various sensors for acquiring various types of information required for controlling the electric bicycle 10. For example, the electric assist unit 20 is provided with a motor rotation speed sensor SE1 that acquires (e.g., detects) the rotation speed of the motor M. The sleeve 26 is also provided with a torque sensor SE2 that acquires a torque value Tq generated by the force (pedal force) applied by the rider to the crank pedal 79. The rear wheel 78 is also provided with a rear wheel rotation speed sensor SE3 that acquires the rotation speed of the rear wheel 78. Furthermore, the accelerator grip 74a is provided with an accelerator opening sensor SE4 (see FIG. 1) that acquires the amount of operation of the accelerator grip 74a (also referred to as accelerator opening).

[0035] The electric bicycle 10 is also provided with a cadence sensor SE5 that acquires the cadence, which is the number of rotations of the crank pedals 79. For example, when the crank pedals 79 have rotated 90 degrees or more, the cadence sensor SE5 acquires an integer greater than 0 (i.e., a natural number) as the cadence. In other words, even if the crank pedals 79 have rotated to some extent, for example, by the rider lightly touching the crank pedals 79, if the amount of rotation is less than 90 degrees, the cadence acquired by the cadence sensor SE5 will be 0.

[0036] Output values ​​of various sensors including a motor rotation speed sensor SE1, a torque sensor SE2, a rear wheel rotation speed sensor SE3, an accelerator opening sensor SE4, and a cadence sensor SE5 are sent to a control device 40.

[0037] Furthermore, the electric bicycle 10 is provided with a front warning lamp 90a that can be perceived from the front and sides of the electric bicycle 10 and a rear warning lamp 90b that can be perceived from the rear and sides of the electric bicycle 10, as warning units that notify the outside of the electric bicycle 10 of which riding mode (in other words, which driving state) the electric bicycle 10 is in. Here, "perceptible" means, for example, that it can be recognized visually or audibly.

[0038] Here, the front warning lamp 90a and the rear warning lamp 90b are light-emitting elements that are visible (i.e., visually recognizable) from outside the electric bicycle 10. This makes it possible to provide visually recognizable warnings to traffic participants around the electric bicycle 10. In other words, traffic participants can visually recognize the driving mode (driving state) of the electric vehicle 10, which is difficult to determine just by observing the driving behavior, etc.

[0039] As an example, in this embodiment, the front warning lamp 90a and the rear warning lamp 90b have an LED (Light-Emitting Diode) as a light source and are configured to emit light in yellow. Note that the LED as the light source of the front warning lamp 90a may be disposed near the incandescent light bulb that is the light source of the headlight 51, and the front warning lamp 90a may be configured integrally with the headlight 51. Furthermore, the light color of the front warning lamp 90a and the rear warning lamp 90b may be a color other than yellow, and the light source of the front warning lamp 90a and the rear warning lamp 90b may be an incandescent light bulb or other light-emitting element other than an LED.

[0040] In this embodiment, the front warning lamp 90a is provided on the front side of the electric bicycle 10 (on the steering handlebars 74 in the example shown in FIG. 1) and is visible from the front and sides of the electric bicycle 10. The rear warning lamp 90b is provided on the rear side of the electric bicycle 10 relative to the front warning lamp 90a (on the rear fender located above the rear wheel 78 in the example shown in FIG. 1) and is visible from the rear and sides of the electric bicycle 10. It is sufficient that the front warning lamp 90a is visible at least from the front of the electric bicycle 10, and it is sufficient that the rear warning lamp 90b is visible at least from the rear of the electric bicycle 10.

[0041] As will be described in more detail below, the front warning lamp 90a and rear warning lamp 90b turn on or off to notify traffic participants (including pedestrians and various vehicles such as bicycles, motorcycles, and automobiles) around the electric bicycle 10 of the riding mode (in other words, the driving state) of the electric bicycle 10.

[0042] 1 shows an example in which the front warning lamp 90a is provided on the steering handle 74 and the rear warning lamp 90b is provided on the rear fender located above the rear wheel 78, but the positions of these lamps are not limited to this. Also, a configuration in which only one of the front warning lamp 90a and the rear warning lamp 90b is provided may be used.

[0043] In this embodiment, when the electric bicycle 10 is driven in the EAB driving mode, the rider drives the electric bicycle 10 by pedaling the crank pedals 79 that are provided so as to be perceptible from the front, rear, and sides of the electric bicycle 10. On the other hand, when the electric bicycle 10 is driven in the EV driving mode, the rider drives the electric bicycle 10 by operating the accelerator grip 74a without pedaling the crank pedals 79.

[0044] In this embodiment, for ease of explanation, the gear ratio between the motor output gear 21a and the driven gear 26a is set to 1, and the rotation speed of the motor M always matches the rotation speed of the sleeve 26. Therefore, the output value of the motor rotation speed sensor SE1 can be regarded as the rotation speed of the sleeve 26.

[0045] <Control Device> Next, the control device 40 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. For example, the control device 40 includes a processor (not shown) capable of executing various calculations, a RAM (Random Access Memory) used as a work area for the processor, and a storage medium such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) for storing various information. As shown in Fig. 3, the control device 40 has an occupant information acquisition unit 410, a road information acquisition unit 420, a driving state control unit 430, a notification control unit 440, and a motor control unit 450 as functional blocks realized by the processor executing a program stored in the storage medium such as the ROM.

[0046] The rider information acquisition unit 410 acquires information about the rider of the electric bicycle 10 (hereinafter also referred to as rider information). The rider information includes, for example, age information about the rider's age. The age information is, for example, information indicating the rider's age (e.g., 20 years old). The age information may also be information indicating whether the rider is above a predetermined age. Here, the predetermined age may be the age (e.g., 16 years old) at which the electric bicycle 10 is permitted to be ridden in EV driving mode (i.e., EV drive state), and may also be the age at which it is socially acceptable to ride the electric bicycle 10 in EV driving mode.

[0047] The rider information may also include license information regarding the driver's license (also simply referred to as a license). The license information is, for example, information indicating whether the driver has a license to ride the electric bicycle 10 in EV riding mode.

[0048] The rider information acquisition unit 410 can acquire rider information, for example, by communicating with a terminal device (e.g., a smartphone carried by the rider) or a server device that stores rider information. The rider information acquisition unit 410 may also acquire rider information by reading the rider information from a storage medium (e.g., an IC chip) included in a driver's license, personal identification number card, health insurance card, or the like. The rider information acquisition unit 410 may also acquire rider information input by the rider via an input device (e.g., a touch panel or keyboard) that the rider can operate. The rider information acquisition unit 410 may also acquire age information by performing image recognition on a facial image of the rider captured by a camera or the like included in the electric bicycle 10 or the above-mentioned terminal device.

[0049] The roadway information acquisition unit 420 acquires information (hereinafter also referred to as roadway information) regarding the type of roadway (hereinafter also referred to as roadway) on which the electric bicycle 10 travels. Types of roadway include pedestrian roadways (hereinafter also referred to as footpaths) on which pedestrians walk, and vehicle roadways (hereinafter also referred to as vehicle roadways). Here, a pedestrian road is, for example, a sidewalk or roadside strip on which pedestrians are permitted to walk under Japanese laws. A vehicle road is, for example, a roadway, bicycle path, bicycle-only lane, etc. on which vehicles are permitted to walk under Japanese laws. The roadway information is information indicating, for example, whether the type of roadway on which the electric bicycle 10 travels is a pedestrian road or a vehicle roadway.

[0050] The road information acquisition unit 420 can acquire road information by communicating with a terminal device (e.g., a smartphone carried by the rider) or a server device that stores map information including information indicating the type of each road. Alternatively, the electric bicycle 10 may be equipped with a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver that can acquire the current position of the electric bicycle 10 based on signals received from positioning satellites, and the road information acquisition unit 420 may acquire road information based on the current position of the electric bicycle 10 acquired by the GNSS receiver and map information that the road information acquisition unit 420 can refer to. Furthermore, the road information acquisition unit 420 may acquire road information from a terminal device (e.g., a smartphone carried by the rider) or a server device that stores map information by transmitting information indicating the current position of the electric bicycle 10 acquired by the GNSS receiver. The road information acquisition unit 420 may also acquire road information by performing image recognition on a landscape image including the road along which the electric bicycle 10 is traveling, captured by a camera or the like provided on the electric bicycle 10 or the terminal device. Furthermore, the road information acquisition unit 420 may acquire road information from information transmitted via near-field wireless communication from an external device installed on the road and storing the road type. The road information acquisition unit 420 may also acquire road information based on the road type input by the rider (e.g., the driver) of the electric bicycle 10.

[0051] The driving state control unit 430 controls the driving mode (in other words, the driving state) of the electric bicycle 10 based on the vehicle speed, which is the traveling speed of the electric bicycle 10, operation of the accelerator grip 74a (i.e., operation corresponding to a request for driving from the motor M), and operation of the crank pedal 79 (i.e., input of force to the crank pedal 79).

[0052] For example, if the accelerator grip 74a is operated when the vehicle speed is below a predetermined speed (15 km / h in this embodiment, as an example), the driving state control unit 430 switches the electric bicycle 10 to EV driving mode. Also, if the crank pedal 79 is operated while the electric bicycle 10 is in EV driving mode, the driving state control unit 430 switches the electric bicycle 10 to EAB driving mode. Furthermore, if the vehicle speed exceeds the above-mentioned predetermined speed, the driving state control unit 430 switches the electric bicycle 10 to EAB driving mode regardless of the driver's operation.

[0053] The vehicle speed can be calculated based on the output value of the rear wheel rotation speed sensor SE3, the operation of the accelerator grip 74a can be detected based on the output value of the accelerator opening sensor SE4, and the operation of the crank pedal 79 can be detected based on the output value of the torque sensor SE2 or the cadence sensor SE5.

[0054] In addition, the driving state control unit 430 is equipped with a judgment unit 431 and a switching prohibition unit 432, and is configured to be able to prohibit switching to EV driving mode based on the occupant information acquired by the occupant information acquisition unit 410 and the road information acquired by the road information acquisition unit 420.

[0055] For example, the determination unit 431 determines whether the age of the driver represented by the age information in the occupant information acquired by the occupant information acquisition unit 410 is equal to or greater than a predetermined age. Then, the switching prohibition unit 432 prohibits switching to the EV driving mode when the determination unit 431 determines that the age of the occupant is not equal to or greater than the predetermined age (i.e., the age of the occupant is less than the predetermined age).

[0056] The determination unit 431 may also determine whether or not the rider has a license to ride the electric bicycle 10 in EV driving mode, based on the license information in the rider information acquired by the rider information acquisition unit 410. The switching prohibition unit 432 may prohibit switching to EV driving mode when the determination unit 431 determines that the rider does not have a license to ride the electric bicycle 10 in EV driving mode.

[0057] Furthermore, the determination unit 431 may determine whether the type of road on which the electric bicycle 10 is traveling is a pedestrian path based on the road information acquired by the road information acquisition unit 420. The switching prohibition unit 432 may prohibit switching to the EV driving mode when the determination unit 431 determines that the type of road on which the electric bicycle 10 is traveling is a pedestrian path.

[0058] The notification control unit 440 controls notification units such as the front notification lamp 90a and the rear notification lamp 90b to notify the outside (for example, to traffic participants around the electric bicycle 10) of the riding mode (i.e., the driving state) of the electric bicycle 10. For example, when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB riding mode (in other words, when it is in the EAB driving state), the notification control unit 440 turns off the front notification lamp 90a and the rear notification lamp 90b as a first type of notification. On the other hand, when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EV riding mode (in other words, when it is in the EV driving state), the notification control unit 440 turns on the front notification lamp 90a and the rear notification lamp 90b as a second type of notification.

[0059] In this embodiment, the first mode of notification when in EAB driving mode is achieved by turning off the front warning lamp 90a and the rear warning lamp 90b, and the second mode of notification when in EV driving mode is achieved by turning on the front warning lamp 90a and the rear warning lamp 90b (more specifically, lighting them in yellow light), but this is not limited to this.

[0060] For example, if the front alert lamp 90a and the rear alert lamp 90b are provided as light-emitting elements whose light color can be changed, the alert control unit 440 may use the light color of the front alert lamp 90a and the rear alert lamp 90b to alert the outside of the riding mode of the electric bicycle 10. As an example, the alert control unit 440 may light the front alert lamp 90a and the rear alert lamp 90b in light blue to alert the first mode when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB riding mode, and light the front alert lamp 90a and the rear alert lamp 90b in yellow to alert the second mode when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EV riding mode.

[0061] Furthermore, if the front alert lamp 90a and the rear alert lamp 90b are provided as light-emitting elements whose light emission intensity (in other words, brightness) can be changed, the notification control unit 440 may use the light emission intensity of the front alert lamp 90a and the rear alert lamp 90b to notify the outside of the riding mode of the electric bicycle 10. As an example, the notification control unit 440 may light the front alert lamp 90a and the rear alert lamp 90b in yellow and at low intensity (in other words, low brightness) to notify the first mode when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB riding mode, and may light the front alert lamp 90a and the rear alert lamp 90b in yellow and at medium intensity (in other words, medium brightness) that is higher than low intensity to notify the second mode when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EV riding mode.

[0062] Furthermore, if the front alert lamp 90a and the rear alert lamp 90b are provided as light-emitting elements with variable blinking intervals, the alert control unit 440 may use the blinking intervals of the front alert lamp 90a and the rear alert lamp 90b to alert the outside of the riding mode of the electric bicycle 10. As an example, the alert control unit 440 may blink the front alert lamp 90a and the rear alert lamp 90b in yellow at a long interval to alert the first mode when the electric bicycle is in the EAB riding mode, and may blink the front alert lamp 90a and the rear alert lamp 90b in yellow at a short interval shorter than the long interval to alert the second mode when the electric bicycle is in the EV riding mode.

[0063] Note that the front and rear warning lamps 90a and 90b do not have to have their light intensity reach 0 (i.e., completely off) at the moment when they flash at their weakest intensity. Also, if the front and rear warning lamps 90a and 90b are provided as light-emitting elements that can flash, with the intervals between turning on and off being longer than the flashing intervals, the warning control unit 440 may be configured to warn the outside world of the riding mode of the electric bicycle 10 based on the intervals between the flashing of the front and rear warning lamps 90a and 90b.

[0064] The notification control unit 440 may also be configured to notify the outside of the riding mode (i.e., the driving state) of the electric bicycle 10 by a combination of two or more of the above-mentioned light color, light intensity, and flashing interval (or blinking interval). As an example, if the front notification lamp 90a and the rear notification lamp 90b are provided as light-emitting units with changeable light color and flashing interval, the notification control unit 440 may make the front notification lamp 90a and the rear notification lamp 90b flash in light blue at long intervals to notify the first mode when the electric bicycle is in the EAB riding mode, and may make the front notification lamp 90a and the rear notification lamp 90b flash in yellow at short intervals to notify the second mode when the electric bicycle is in the EV riding mode.

[0065] The motor control unit 450 controls the motor M based on the vehicle speed, operation of the accelerator grip 74a, and operation of the crank pedal 79. The motor control unit 450 also varies the control manner of the motor M based on the riding mode (i.e., driving state) of the electric bicycle 10.

[0066] For example, in the EAB driving mode, the motor control unit 450 controls the motor M based on the amount of force input to the crank pedal 79. Specifically, in the EAB driving mode, the motor control unit 450 calculates the force (pedaling force) with which the driver depresses the crank pedal 79 from the torque value Tq, which is the output value of the torque sensor SE2, and controls the motor M to generate an assist force determined by the calculated pedaling force and an assist ratio according to the vehicle speed.

[0067] Japanese regulations require that the upper limit of the assist ratio relative to vehicle speed is 2 up to a vehicle speed of 10 km / h, as shown by the solid line in Figure 4, and that the assist ratio be gradually reduced from 2 to 0 as the vehicle speed increases from 10 km / h to 24 km / h.

[0068] Therefore, in this embodiment, the assist ratio indicated by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 4 is preset in the control device 40 so as not to exceed the upper limit of the assist ratio set by Japanese regulations. Therefore, when in the EAB driving mode, the motor control unit 450 controls the motor M so as to generate an assist force corresponding to the pedal force and the assist ratio indicated by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 4. This EAB driving mode can also be referred to as a high-speed electric driving mode in which the rear wheels 78 are driven by the power of the motor M with a maximum speed of 24 km / h as the upper limit. Note that when in the EAB driving mode, the motor control unit 450 prohibits driving of the motor M based on operation of the accelerator grip 74a.

[0069] On the other hand, in the EV driving mode, the motor control unit 450 controls the motor M so as to generate power according to the accelerator opening (i.e., the amount of operation on the accelerator grip 74a).

[0070] In this embodiment, the upper limit torque (hereinafter also simply referred to as upper limit torque), which is the upper limit of the power that can be generated by the motor M in the EV driving mode that can be set when the vehicle speed is 15 km / h or less, is set to Tmax (where Tmax > 0) [Nm] as shown in FIG. 5 . Therefore, in the EV driving mode, the motor control unit 450 controls the motor M to generate power corresponding to the accelerator pedal position within a range equal to or less than the upper limit torque (i.e., Tmax [Nm]). This EV driving mode can also be referred to as an electric driving mode (medium-speed electric driving mode) in which the rear wheels 78 are driven by the power of the motor M with a maximum speed of 15 km / h as the upper limit. Note that the upper limit torque may be the maximum output or the rated output of the motor M. Alternatively, the upper limit value for the control of the motor M may be used as the upper limit torque. Furthermore, the upper limit torque may be a value that varies depending on the vehicle speed.

[0071] Here, a specific example of control of the motor M by the motor control unit 450 when the riding mode (i.e., driving state) of the electric bicycle 10 is switched will be described.

[0072] T1 (where T1≦Tmax) [Nm] in Fig. 5 is an example of the torque that the motor control unit 450 causes the motor M to output when the accelerator opening is a predetermined value greater than 0 in EV driving mode. The dashed-dotted line in Fig. 5 is an example of the torque (assist force) that the motor control unit 450 causes the motor M to output when the pedal force is 5 [Nm] in EAB driving mode. The dashed-two-dotted line in Fig. 5 is an example of the torque (assist force) that the motor control unit 450 causes the motor M to output when the pedal force is 1 [Nm] in EAB driving mode.

[0073] For example, in EV driving mode, the vehicle speed is 5 km / h, and the crank pedal 79 is operated with a pedal force of 5 Nm while the motor M is outputting T1 Nm in accordance with the accelerator pedal position. In this case, in response to the operation of the crank pedal 79, the driving state control unit 430 switches the driving state of the electric bicycle 10 from the EV driving mode to the EAB driving mode. In response to the switch to the EAB driving mode by the driving state control unit 430, the motor control unit 450 prohibits the motor M from being driven in accordance with the accelerator pedal position. Then, as shown by the arrow 501 in FIG. 5 , the motor control unit 450 changes the output of the motor M from T1 Nm in accordance with the accelerator pedal position to 10 Nm in accordance with the pedal force of the crank pedal 79.

[0074] Also, suppose that in EV driving mode, the vehicle speed is 5 km / h, the crank pedal 79 is operated with a pedal force of 1 Nm when the motor M is outputting T1 Nm corresponding to the accelerator pedal position. In this case, the driving state control unit 430 switches the driving state of the electric bicycle 10 from the EV driving mode to the EAB driving mode in response to the operation of the crank pedal 79. Then, in response to this switch to the EAB driving mode, the motor control unit 450 changes the output of the motor M from T1 Nm corresponding to the accelerator pedal position to 2 Nm corresponding to the pedal force of the crank pedal 79, as shown by the arrow 502 in FIG. 5 .

[0075] Also, suppose that in EV driving mode, when the motor M is outputting T1 [Nm] corresponding to the accelerator pedal position, the vehicle speed reaches 15 km / h. In this case, the driving state control unit 430 switches the driving state of the electric bicycle 10 from EV driving mode to EAB driving mode, even if the crank pedal 79 is not operated. If the crank pedal 79 is not operated when the vehicle speed reaches 15 km / h, the motor control unit 450 changes the output of the motor M from T1 [Nm] corresponding to the accelerator pedal position to 0 Nm, as indicated by the arrow 503 in FIG. 5. If the crank pedal 79 is subsequently operated and the pedal force is 5 Nm, the motor control unit 450 controls the motor M to generate an assist force corresponding to the pedal force (here, 5 Nm) and the vehicle speed (here, 15 km / h), as indicated by the arrow 504 in FIG.

[0076] However, if the output of motor M is suddenly changed to 0 [Nm] when the vehicle speed reaches 15 [km / h], the output of motor M will change suddenly, causing discomfort or annoyance to the rider and potentially reducing the marketability of electric bicycle 10. Therefore, from the perspective of suppressing sudden changes in the output of motor M, motor control unit 450 may be configured to gradually reduce the output of motor M in EV driving mode before the vehicle speed reaches 15 [km / h].

[0077] <Example of Riding Mode Transitions on an Electric Bicycle> Next, an example of riding mode transitions on the electric bicycle 10 will be described with reference to Figure 6. As shown in Figure 6, when the accelerator grip 74a is operated while the electric bicycle 10 is in a "standby state" in which the drive of the motor M is stopped (step S101), the control device 40 switches the electric bicycle 10 to EV riding mode (step S102). When the electric bicycle 10 is in EV riding mode, the control device 40 causes the front warning lamp 90a and the rear warning lamp 90b to issue a second type of notification to notify the outside of the electric bicycle 10 that it is in EV riding mode.

[0078] Then, when the crank pedal 79 is operated while the electric bicycle 10 is in EV driving mode and the accelerator grip 74a is being operated (step S103), the control device 40 switches the electric bicycle 10 to EAB driving mode (step S104). When the electric bicycle 10 is in EAB driving mode, the control device 40 causes the front warning lamp 90a and the rear warning lamp 90b to issue a first warning, thereby notifying the outside of the electric bicycle 10 that it is in EAB driving mode.

[0079] Furthermore, as described above, when the vehicle is switched from the EV driving mode to the EAB driving mode, the control device 40 prohibits the motor M from being driven in accordance with the accelerator pedal position. Therefore, even when the vehicle is switched from the EV driving mode to the EAB driving mode while the accelerator grip 74a is being operated, the control device 40 can prevent the motor M from outputting torque in accordance with the accelerator pedal position.

[0080] Furthermore, even if the crank pedal 79 is operated when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EV driving mode and the accelerator grip 74a is not being operated (step S105), the control device 40 also switches the electric bicycle 10 to the EAB driving mode (step S106). In other words, if the crank pedal 79 is operated when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EV driving mode, the control device 40 can switch the electric bicycle 10 to the EAB driving mode regardless of whether the accelerator grip 74a is being operated at that time.

[0081] Furthermore, when the electric bicycle 10 is in EV driving mode, there is no operation on the accelerator grip 74a or the crank pedal 79 (step S107), and the electric bicycle 10 decelerates and the vehicle speed becomes 0 (step S108), the electric bicycle 10 enters standby mode again (step S109).

[0082] On the other hand, when the crank pedal 79 is operated while the electric bicycle 10 is in the standby state (step S111), the control device 40 switches the electric bicycle 10 to the EAB driving mode (step S112). When the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB driving mode, the control device 40 causes the front warning lamp 90a and the rear warning lamp 90b to issue a first warning, thereby notifying the outside of the electric bicycle 10 that the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB driving mode.

[0083] Then, when the accelerator grip 74a is operated while the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB traveling mode and the crank pedal 79 is not being operated (step S113), the control device 40 switches the electric bicycle 10 to the EV traveling mode (step S114). When the electric bicycle 10 is in the EV traveling mode, the control device 40 causes the front warning lamp 90a and the rear warning lamp 90b to perform a second type of notification, thereby notifying the outside of the electric bicycle 10 that it is in the EV traveling mode.

[0084] Furthermore, when the electric bicycle 10 is in EAB driving mode, there is no operation on the accelerator grip 74a or the crank pedal 79 (step S115), and the electric bicycle 10 decelerates and the vehicle speed becomes 0 (step S116), the electric bicycle 10 enters standby mode again (step S117).

[0085] Furthermore, when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB driving mode and the crank pedal 79 is being operated, even if the accelerator grip 74a is operated (step S118), the control device 40 continues the EAB driving mode (step S119).

[0086] As described above, the rider can put the electric bicycle 10 into EV driving mode by operating the accelerator grip 74a, and can put the electric bicycle 10 into EAB driving mode by operating the crank pedal 79.

[0087] As described above, the control device 40 performs a notification method for notifying the outside of the electric bicycle 10 of the riding mode (i.e., the driving state) of the electric bicycle 10, which includes a step of notifying in a first manner when in the EAB riding mode (i.e., the EAB driving state) (see, for example, step S112), and a step of notifying in a second manner when in the EV riding mode (i.e., the EV driving state) after switching from the EAB riding mode to the EV riding mode (i.e., the EV driving state) (see, for example, step S114). In this way, the riding mode (i.e., the driving state) of the electric bicycle 10 can be notified to the outside of the electric bicycle 10.

[0088] Furthermore, by announcing the riding mode (i.e., drive state) of the electric bicycle 10 to the outside of the electric bicycle 10, traffic participants in the vicinity of the electric bicycle 10 can determine from the manner of the notification on the electric bicycle 10 whether the electric bicycle 10 is riding in EAB riding mode (i.e., EAB drive state) or EV riding mode (i.e., EV drive state), and can easily determine whether the electric bicycle 10 is riding appropriately in accordance with the state and circumstances of the riding environment, etc. This can further increase the driver's (i.e., passenger's) awareness of riding the electric bicycle 10 appropriately in accordance with the state and circumstances of the riding environment, making it possible for the electric bicycle 10 to ride in the appropriate riding mode (i.e., drive state).

[0089] In the example described here, the control device 40 switches the electric bicycle 10 to the EAB driving mode (see steps S103 and S104) when the crank pedal 79 is operated while the electric bicycle 10 is in the EV driving mode and the accelerator grip 74a is operated. However, this is not limited to this. For example, the control device 40 may be configured to continue the EV driving mode even if the crank pedal 79 is operated while the electric bicycle 10 is in the EV driving mode and the accelerator grip 74a is operated. Alternatively, the control device 40 may be configured to stop driving the motor M and transition the electric bicycle 10 to a standby state when the crank pedal 79 is operated while the electric bicycle 10 is in the EV driving mode and the accelerator grip 74a is operated.

[0090] Furthermore, in the example described here, the control device 40 continues the EAB driving mode even if the accelerator grip 74a is operated when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB driving mode and the crank pedal 79 is operated (see steps S118 and S119), but this is not limited to this. For example, the control device 40 may switch the electric bicycle 10 to EV driving mode when the accelerator grip 74a is operated when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB driving mode and the crank pedal 79 is operated. Alternatively, the control device 40 may stop driving the motor M and transition the electric bicycle 10 to a standby state when the accelerator grip 74a is operated when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB driving mode and the crank pedal 79 is operated.

[0091] <Example of a specific way to use an electric bicycle> Here, an example of a specific way to use the electric bicycle 10 will be described. For example, a rider rides the electric bicycle 10 on a sidewalk. Japanese regulations stipulate that when riding on a sidewalk, a bicycle must travel slowly from the center of the sidewalk toward the roadway. For this reason, the rider riding the electric bicycle 10 on the sidewalk will head toward the roadway while pedaling the crank pedals 79 to travel the electric bicycle 10 in EAB riding mode (here, traveling slowly).

[0092] When the rider reaches the roadway, he or she can stop pedaling the crank pedals 79 and operate the accelerator grip 74a to drive the electric bicycle 10 in EV driving mode. Furthermore, while the rider is driving the electric bicycle 10 in EV driving mode, the rider can drive the electric bicycle 10 in EAB driving mode by appropriately pedaling the crank pedals 79. For example, if the rider wants to increase the vehicle speed above 15 km / h, the rider can simply pedal the crank pedals 79 to drive the electric bicycle 10 in EAB driving mode. Furthermore, if the rider gets tired of pedaling the crank pedals 79, the rider can simply operate the accelerator grip 74a to drive the electric bicycle 10 in EV driving mode.

[0093] Then, when the rider arrives near the destination, he or she switches the electric bicycle 10 to the EAB driving mode, and after confirming that the electric bicycle 10 is in a slow-moving state (i.e., a state in which the electric bicycle 10 is permitted to be ridden on sidewalks under Japanese laws and regulations), returns to the sidewalk and dismounts from the electric bicycle 10. Note that, in order to enable the rider to properly determine whether the electric bicycle 10 is in a slow-moving state, the electric bicycle 10 may be equipped with a slow-moving state notification unit that notifies the rider (i.e., passenger) when the electric bicycle 10 reaches a slow-moving state (for example, a speed at which the electric bicycle 10 can be stopped immediately) while in the EAB driving mode.

[0094] <EV Driving Mode Switching Control> As mentioned above, it is preferable that the control device 40 switch to the EV driving mode taking into consideration not only the operation of the accelerator grip 74a but also the vehicle speed, the age of the driver, the type of road, etc. Below, an example of EV driving mode switching control for switching the electric bicycle 10 to the EV driving mode will be described with reference to Figure 7. For example, when the power of the electric assist unit 20 is on, the control device 40 executes the EV driving mode switching control shown in Figure 7 at a predetermined cycle. Note that an EV driving mode switching control program that causes the control device 40 to execute the EV driving mode switching control shown in Figure 7 is stored in advance in, for example, a storage medium of the control device 40.

[0095] First, the control device 40 determines whether the accelerator grip 74a has been operated (step S01). If the accelerator grip 74a has not been operated (step S01: NO), the control device 40 simply ends the series of processes shown in Fig. 7. Note that if the series of processes shown in Fig. 7 ends without performing the process of step S07, which will be described later, the control device 40 places the electric bicycle 10 in the EAB driving mode (i.e., the EAB drive state) and controls the motor M to generate an assist force determined by the pedaling force on the crank pedal 79 and an assist ratio corresponding to the vehicle speed.

[0096] When the accelerator grip 74a is operated (step S01: YES), the control device 40 determines whether the vehicle speed is 15 km / h or less (step S02). If the vehicle speed is greater than 15 km / h (step S02: NO), the control device 40 ends the series of processes shown in FIG.

[0097] On the other hand, if the vehicle speed is 15 km / h or less (step S02: YES), the control device 40 determines whether the driver's age has been confirmed (step S03). In step S03, for example, if the above-mentioned age information has been acquired, the control device 40 determines that the age has been confirmed, and if the age information has not been acquired, the control device 40 determines that the age has not been confirmed. If the age has not been confirmed (step S03: NO), the control device 40 ends the series of processes shown in FIG. 7.

[0098] On the other hand, if the age has been confirmed (step S03: YES), the control device 40 determines whether the driver is 16 years of age or older based on the acquired age information (step S04). If the driver is under 16 years of age (step S04: NO), the control device 40 ends the series of processes shown in FIG.

[0099] On the other hand, if the rider is 16 years of age or older (step S04: YES), the control device 40 determines whether the road on which the electric bicycle 10 is traveling is a road for vehicles (i.e., not a pedestrian path) based on the acquired road information (step S05). If the road on which the electric bicycle 10 is traveling is not a road for vehicles but a pedestrian path (step S05: NO), the control device 40 ends the series of processes shown in FIG.

[0100] On the other hand, if the road on which the electric bicycle 10 is traveling is a road for vehicles (step S05: YES), the control device 40 determines whether the crank pedal 79 is being operated (step S06). If the crank pedal 79 is being operated (step S06: NO), that is, if the crank pedal 79 is being pedaled, the control device 40 ends the series of processes shown in FIG.

[0101] On the other hand, if there is no operation on the crank pedal 79 (step S06: YES), i.e., if the crank pedal 79 is not being pedaled, the control device 40 sets the electric bicycle 10 to the EV driving mode (i.e., the EV drive state) (step S07), and ends the series of processes shown in Fig. 7. In this way, when the process of step S07 is performed and the series of processes shown in Fig. 7 is ended, the control device 40 controls the motor M so that power corresponding to the accelerator opening is generated within a range not exceeding the upper limit torque.

[0102] <First Example of Changes in Torque Value Tq, Cadence, and Vehicle Speed ​​Over Time> Next, a first example of changes in torque value Tq, cadence, and vehicle speed over time for the electric bicycle 10 will be described with reference to Figure 8. The first example is an example in which the rider starts pedaling the crank pedals 79 from a stopped state of the electric bicycle 10, and the electric bicycle 10 travels on flat ground in EAB riding mode. Note that in Figure 8, the solid line represents the torque value Tq, the dashed-dotted line represents the cadence, and the dashed line represents the vehicle speed. Also, in Figure 8, the further to the right the time series is, the later the time series is.

[0103] 8, when the electric bicycle 10 is traveling on flat ground in the EAB traveling mode, the torque value Tq is substantially constant, and the vehicle speed increases as the cadence increases. When the rider stops pedaling the crank pedals 79 (when the cadence becomes 0), the vehicle speed decreases.

[0104] <Second Example of Changes in Torque Value Tq, Cadence, and Vehicle Speed ​​Over Time> Next, a second example of changes in torque value Tq, cadence, and vehicle speed over time for the electric bicycle 10 will be described with reference to Figure 9. The second example differs from the first example in that the road on which the electric bicycle 10 is traveling becomes downhill while the electric bicycle 10 is traveling in EAB traveling mode. Note that the following second example will mainly describe the differences from the first example described above, and descriptions of the same parts as in the first example will be omitted as appropriate.

[0105] At time t20 shown in Figure 9, the road on which the electric bicycle 10 is traveling becomes downhill, so the rider stops pedaling the crank pedals 79. As a result, from time t20, the torque value Tq and cadence become 0. In addition, in the second example, because the road is downhill, the vehicle speed is maintained to a certain extent even after the rider stops pedaling the crank pedals 79, compared to when the road is flat.

[0106] <Effects of the Electric Bicycle> As described above, the electric bicycle 10 of this embodiment is configured to be switchable between an EAB driving mode in which the electric bicycle 10 travels in an EAB drive state in which the wheel (e.g., the rear wheel 78) is driven by at least the force input to the crank pedal 79 (i.e., the pedaling force), and an EV driving mode in which the electric bicycle 10 travels in an EV drive state in which the wheel (e.g., the rear wheel 78) is driven only by the power of the motor M. This enables the electric bicycle 10 to travel in an appropriate drive state.

[0107] As mentioned above, the EAB driving mode can also be referred to as a high-speed electric driving mode in which the rear wheel 78 is driven by the power of the motor M with a maximum upper speed of 24 km / h. The EV driving mode can also be referred to as an electric driving mode (medium-speed electric driving mode) in which the rear wheel 78 is driven by the power of the motor M with a maximum upper speed of 15 km / h. Therefore, the electric bicycle 10 is configured to be switchable between the EAB driving mode, which is the high-speed electric driving mode, and the EV driving mode, which is the electric driving mode. This allows the electric bicycle 10 to travel in an appropriate driving mode (i.e., drive state) and at an appropriate maximum speed.

[0108] Furthermore, when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB driving mode, it travels in the EAB drive state. In this EAB drive state, the rear wheel 78 is driven not only by the force input to the crank pedal 79 (i.e., the pedaling force), but also by the power of the motor M, with the maximum speed being 24 km / h as mentioned above. As a result, when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB driving mode and the vehicle speed is 24 km / h or less, it can travel using the force input to the crank pedal 79 (i.e., the pedaling force) and the power of the motor M.

[0109] Furthermore, when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EV driving mode, it switches to the EAB driving mode (i.e., the EAB drive state) when a force is input to the crank pedal 79 (i.e., an operation on the crank pedal 79). This allows the rider to use the crank pedal 79, which accepts an operation to drive the wheels in the EAB driving mode, to switch to the EAB driving mode. This allows the electric bicycle 10 to switch to the EAB driving mode in response to a rider request, with a simple configuration that does not require an operation switch or the like separate from the crank pedal 79 to accept the operation to switch to the EAB driving mode. The presence or absence of force input to the crank pedal 79 may be determined when the output value of the torque sensor SE2 or the cadence sensor SE5 exceeds a predetermined threshold. This prevents the electric bicycle 10 from switching to the EAB driving mode against the rider's will, for example, if the rider unintentionally touches the crank pedal 79.

[0110] In addition, by switching to the EAB driving mode when force is input to the crank pedal 79 in the EV driving mode, it becomes possible to distinguish between the EAB driving mode and the EV driving mode.

[0111] Furthermore, when the electric bicycle 10 is in EV driving mode, the motor M is driven based on operation of the accelerator grip 74a. This allows the electric bicycle 10 to travel in EV driving mode using the power of the motor M in response to requests from the rider received via the accelerator grip 74a. Note that instead of the accelerator grip 74a, an accelerator lever, accelerator stick, or the like may be provided near the grip portion.

[0112] Furthermore, when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EV driving mode and a force is input to the crank pedal 79 (i.e., an operation on the crank pedal 79), the electric bicycle 10 prohibits the driving of the motor M based on an operation on the accelerator grip 74a, thereby making it possible to distinguish between the EAB driving mode and the EV driving mode.

[0113] Furthermore, in the EAB driving mode, the electric bicycle 10 controls the motor M based on the amount of force input to the crank pedal 79 (specifically, the torque value Tq). This allows the electric bicycle 10 to travel in the EAB driving mode with appropriate power from the motor M according to the amount of force input to the crank pedal 79. Specifically, in the EV driving mode, the electric bicycle 10 drives the motor M based on operation of the accelerator grip 74a. On the other hand, in the EAB driving mode, the electric bicycle 10 prohibits driving of the motor M based on operation of the accelerator grip 74a and controls the motor M based on the amount of force input to the crank pedal 79. This allows the electric bicycle 10 to travel with appropriate power from the motor M in both the EAB driving mode and the EV driving mode.

[0114] Furthermore, the electric bicycle 10 is configured to be able to switch between EAB driving mode and EV driving mode based on the age of the rider. This allows the electric bicycle 10 to travel in an appropriate driving state according to the rider's age. Specifically, the electric bicycle 10 prohibits switching from EAB driving mode to EV driving mode (i.e., switching from EAB driving state to EV driving state) when the rider is under a predetermined age. This prevents the electric bicycle 10 from traveling in EV driving mode when a rider under the predetermined age is riding the electric bicycle 10.

[0115] The electric bicycle 10 may be configured to prohibit driving in EV driving mode (i.e., driving in EV drive state) when the rider is under a predetermined age. This also prevents the electric bicycle 10 from driving in EV driving mode when a rider under the predetermined age is driving the electric bicycle 10. Alternatively, for example, driving in EV driving mode may be prohibited in the standard setting (so-called default) state, and the electric bicycle 10 may permit switching from EAB driving mode to EV driving mode (i.e., switching from EAB drive state to EV drive state) or permit driving in EV driving mode (i.e., driving in EV drive state) when the rider is at least a predetermined age. This also prevents the electric bicycle 10 from driving in EV driving mode when a rider under the predetermined age is driving the electric bicycle 10.

[0116] Furthermore, the electric bicycle 10 is configured to be able to switch between the EAB driving mode and the EV driving mode based on the results of a determination as to whether or not the rider has a license to ride the electric bicycle 10 in the EV driving mode. This allows the electric bicycle 10 to ride in an appropriate driving state according to the rider's license status. Specifically, the electric bicycle 10 allows switching from the EAB driving mode to the EV driving mode (i.e., switching from the EAB driving state to the EV driving state) when the rider has a license to ride the electric bicycle 10 in the EV driving mode. This allows the electric bicycle 10 to ride in the EV driving mode when the rider has a license to ride the electric bicycle 10 in the EV driving mode, improving the convenience of the electric bicycle 10 for the rider.

[0117] The electric bicycle 10 may be configured to permit driving in EV driving mode (i.e., driving in EV drive state) when the rider has a license to drive the electric bicycle 10 in EV driving mode. Even in this case, the electric bicycle 10 can be driven in EV driving mode when the rider has a license to drive the electric bicycle 10 in EV driving mode, thereby improving the convenience of the electric bicycle 10 for the rider. Furthermore, for example, driving in EV driving mode may be permitted in the standard setting state, and the electric bicycle 10 may prohibit switching from EAB driving mode to EV driving mode (i.e., switching from EAB drive state to EV drive state) or prohibit driving in EV driving mode (i.e., driving in EV drive state) altogether based on a determination that the rider does not have a license to drive the electric bicycle 10 in EV driving mode. Even in this case, the electric bicycle 10 can be driven in EV driving mode when the rider has a license to drive the electric bicycle 10 in EV driving mode, thereby improving the convenience of the electric bicycle 10 for the rider.

[0118] Furthermore, the electric bicycle 10 is configured to be able to switch between EAB driving mode and EV driving mode based on the type of road on which the electric bicycle 10 is traveling. This allows the electric bicycle 10 to travel in an appropriate driving state according to the type of road on which the electric bicycle 10 is traveling. Specifically, the electric bicycle 10 prohibits switching from EAB driving mode to EV driving mode when the electric bicycle 10 is traveling on a pedestrian path. This makes it possible to prevent the electric bicycle 10 from traveling in EV driving mode when the electric bicycle 10 is traveling on a pedestrian path.

[0119] The electric bicycle 10 may be configured to prohibit driving in EV driving mode (i.e., driving in EV drive state) when the electric bicycle 10 is traveling on a pedestrian path. This also prevents the electric bicycle 10 from driving in EV driving mode when traveling on a pedestrian path. Furthermore, for example, driving in EV driving mode may be prohibited in the standard setting state, and the electric bicycle 10 may permit switching from EAB driving mode to EV driving mode (i.e., switching from EAB drive state to EV drive state) or driving in EV driving mode (i.e., driving in EV drive state) when the type of road on which the electric bicycle 10 is traveling is a road for vehicles (i.e., other than a pedestrian path). This also prevents the electric bicycle 10 from driving in EV driving mode when traveling on a pedestrian path.

[0120] The electric bicycle 10 also includes a front notification lamp 90a and a rear notification lamp 90b as notification units that notify the outside of the electric bicycle 10 whether the electric bicycle 10 is in EAB driving mode or EV driving mode (i.e., whether the electric bicycle 10 is in EAB drive state or EV drive state). This makes it possible to notify the outside whether the electric bicycle 10 is in EAB driving mode or EV driving mode (i.e., whether the electric bicycle 10 is in EAB drive state or EV drive state).

[0121] Specifically, the front warning lamp 90a is provided so as to be perceptible from the front and sides of the electric bicycle 10, and therefore the front warning lamp 90a can notify traffic participants in front and to the sides of the electric bicycle 10 of the riding mode (i.e., driving state) of the electric bicycle 10. Furthermore, the rear warning lamp 90b is provided so as to be perceptible from the rear and sides of the electric bicycle 10, and therefore the rear warning lamp 90b can notify traffic participants in rear and to the sides of the electric bicycle 10 of the riding mode (i.e., driving state) of the electric bicycle 10. As mentioned above, it is sufficient that the front warning lamp 90a is perceptible (e.g., visible) at least from the front of the electric bicycle 10, and it is sufficient that the rear warning lamp 90b is perceptible (e.g., visible) at least from the rear of the electric bicycle 10.

[0122] Furthermore, the front alert lamp 90a and the rear alert lamp 90b are turned off as a first alert when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB traveling mode, and are turned on as a second alert when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EV traveling mode. As a result, the difference in the alert manner of the front alert lamp 90a and the rear alert lamp 90b makes it possible to clearly notify those outside the electric bicycle 10 that the electric bicycle 10 is in either the EAB traveling mode or the EV traveling mode. As mentioned above, the first alert and the second alert are not limited to the front alert lamp 90a and the rear alert lamp 90b being turned on and off, and may be different in at least one of the light color, light intensity, and flashing interval (or blinking interval) of the front alert lamp 90a and the rear alert lamp 90b.

[0123] Furthermore, the front warning lamp 90a is provided on the front side of the electric bicycle 10, and the rear warning lamp 90b is provided on the rear side of the electric bicycle 10 relative to the front warning lamp 90a. This makes it possible to easily see the front warning lamp 90a from the front of the electric bicycle 10, and to easily see the rear warning lamp 90b from the rear of the electric bicycle 10.

[0124] The electric bicycle 10 is a bicycle that includes a front wheel 73, a rear wheel 78, and a seat 76 as a seating portion on which a rider (i.e., a passenger) sits. The input portion of the electric bicycle 10 that receives pedaling force from the rider's legs is the crank pedal 79. This allows the electric bicycle 10, which is a bicycle on which a rider sits and rides, to travel in an appropriate driving state.

[0125] Note that a notification device according to one embodiment of the present invention can be realized, for example, by the front and rear notification lamps 90a and 90b mounted on the electric bicycle 10, which has a roadway information acquisition unit 420 that acquires the type of roadway, and the control device 40. As described above, assume that the electric bicycle 10 is configured to travel in EAB driving mode (i.e., EAB drive state) on pedestrian roads and in EV driving mode (i.e., EV drive state) on vehicular roads (i.e., roads other than pedestrian roads). In this case, the notification device according to this embodiment, which is realized by the front and rear notification lamps 90a and 90b, and the control device 40, can be said to issue a notification of the first type when the roadway information acquisition unit 420 acquires that the electric bicycle 10 is traveling on a pedestrian road (see, for example, step S05: NO). Furthermore, the notification device of this embodiment can issue a second notification mode different from the first notification mode when the path information acquisition unit 420 acquires information that the electric bicycle 10 is not traveling on a pedestrian path or is traveling on a path other than a pedestrian path (e.g., a vehicular path) (see, for example, step S05: YES and step S07). This allows traffic participants around the electric bicycle 10 to determine, from the notification mode of the electric bicycle 10, whether the electric bicycle 10 is traveling on a pedestrian path in EAB driving mode (i.e., EAB drive state) or on a path other than a pedestrian path in EV driving mode (i.e., EV drive state), and can easily determine whether the electric bicycle 10 is traveling appropriately depending on the type of path. This can further increase the driver's (i.e., passenger's) awareness of traveling the electric bicycle 10 appropriately depending on the type of path (more specifically, traveling in an appropriate driving mode depending on the type of path), and enables the electric bicycle 10 to travel in an appropriate driving mode depending on the type of path.

[0126] Furthermore, the notification device of this embodiment can also issue a notification in a second mode when the road information acquisition unit 420 acquires information that the electric bicycle 10 is traveling on a road for vehicular traffic (see, for example, step S05: YES and step S07). The notification device of this embodiment can also issue a notification in a first mode, which is different from the second mode, when the road information acquisition unit 420 acquires information that the electric bicycle 10 is not traveling on a road for vehicular traffic or when it acquires information that the electric bicycle 10 is traveling on a road other than a road for vehicular traffic (e.g., a pedestrian road) (see, for example, step S05: NO). This allows traffic participants around the electric bicycle 10 to determine, from the mode of the notification from the electric bicycle 10, whether the electric bicycle 10 is traveling on a road for vehicular traffic in EV driving mode (i.e., EV drive state) or on a road other than a road for vehicular traffic in EAB driving mode (i.e., EAB drive state), and can easily determine whether the electric bicycle 10 is traveling appropriately according to the type of road. This increases the driver's (i.e., passenger's) awareness of driving the electric bicycle 10 appropriately according to the type of road (more specifically, driving in an appropriate driving mode according to the type of road), and enables the electric bicycle 10 to be driven in an appropriate driving mode according to the type of road.

[0127] <First Modification> Next, a modification of the above-described embodiment will be described. The first modification described below differs from the above-described embodiment in that a request for drive from the driver to the motor M is acquired via the crank pedal 79. Note that the following description of the first modification will focus on differences from the above-described embodiment, and the same reference numerals will be used to designate the same parts as in the above-described embodiment, and description thereof will be omitted where appropriate.

[0128] In the first variant, the driving state control unit 430 puts the electric bicycle 10 into EV driving mode when the vehicle speed is below a predetermined speed (e.g., 15 km / h), and puts the electric bicycle 10 into EAB driving mode when the vehicle speed exceeds the predetermined speed.

[0129] The motor control unit 450 controls the motor M based on the force input to the crank pedal 79 whether the electric bicycle 10 is in EV driving mode or EAB driving mode, but differs the control manner of the motor M based on the driving mode of the electric bicycle 10.

[0130] Specifically, when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB driving mode, the motor control unit 450 controls the motor M to generate an assist force determined by the pedaling force on the crank pedal 79 and an assist ratio (see the dashed line in FIG. 4) that corresponds to the vehicle speed, as described above. On the other hand, when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EV driving mode, the motor control unit 450 controls the motor M to generate power that corresponds to the cadence within a range below the upper limit torque (see the solid line in FIG. 5).

[0131] In addition, even in the first variant, the driving state control unit 430 can prohibit switching to EV driving mode using the judgment unit 431 and the switching prohibition unit 432 based on the driver's age, license status, or the type of road on which the electric bicycle 10 is traveling, etc.

[0132] <EV driving mode switching control of first modified example> Next, an example of EV driving mode switching control of a first modified example will be described with reference to Fig. 10. For example, the control device 40 of the modified example executes the EV driving mode switching control shown in Fig. 10 at a predetermined cycle when the power of the electric assist unit 20 is on. Note that an EV driving mode switching control program that causes the control device 40 to execute the EV driving mode switching control shown in Fig. 10 is stored in advance in a storage medium or the like of the control device 40.

[0133] First, the control device 40 determines whether or not the crank pedal 79 has been operated (step S11). If the crank pedal 79 has not been operated (step S11: NO), the control device 40 ends the series of processes shown in FIG.

[0134] When the crank pedal 79 is operated (step S11: YES), the control device 40 determines whether the vehicle speed is 24 km / h or less (step S12). If the vehicle speed is greater than 24 km / h (step S12: NO), the control device 40 sets the electric bicycle 10 to the EAB driving mode (however, the assist ratio is 0 as shown in FIG. 4) (step S13), and ends the series of processes shown in FIG. 10. Note that in this specification, the EAB driving mode in which the assist ratio is 0 (i.e., the assist force by the motor M is 0) is also simply referred to as the bicycle mode to distinguish it from an EAB driving mode in which the assist ratio is not 0.

[0135] On the other hand, if the vehicle speed is 24 km / h or less (step S12: YES), the control device 40 determines whether the vehicle speed is 15 km / h or less (step S14). If the vehicle speed is greater than 15 km / h (step S14: NO), the control device 40 switches the electric bicycle 10 to the EAB driving mode (step S15), controls the motor M to generate an assist force determined by the pedaling force on the crank pedal 79 and the assist ratio according to the vehicle speed, and then ends the series of processes shown in FIG.

[0136] On the other hand, if the vehicle speed is 15 km / h or less (step S14: YES), the control device 40 determines whether the driver's age has been confirmed (step S16), similar to the above-mentioned step S03. If the age has not been confirmed (step S16: NO), the control device 40 proceeds to the processing of the above-mentioned step S15.

[0137] On the other hand, if the age has been confirmed (step S16: YES), the control device 40 determines whether the driver is 16 years of age or older (step S17), similar to the above-mentioned step S04. If the driver is under 16 years of age (step S17: NO), the control device 40 proceeds to the processing of the above-mentioned step S15.

[0138] On the other hand, if the driver is 16 years of age or older (step S17: YES), the control device 40 determines whether the road on which the electric bicycle 10 is traveling is a road for vehicles (i.e., not a pedestrian path) (step S18), similar to the above-mentioned step S05. If the road on which the electric bicycle 10 is traveling is not a road for vehicles but a pedestrian path (step S18: NO), the control device 40 proceeds to the processing of the above-mentioned step S15.

[0139] On the other hand, if the road on which the electric bicycle 10 is traveling is a road for vehicles (step S18: YES), the control device 40 sets the driving state of the electric bicycle 10 to EV driving mode (step S19), controls the motor M so that power according to the cadence is generated within a range below the upper limit torque, and ends the series of processes shown in Figure 10.

[0140] <Effects of the First Modification> As described above, the electric bicycle 10 of the first modification makes it possible to obtain a request from the rider to drive the motor M with a simple configuration that does not include the accelerator grip 74a. Then, when in EV driving mode, the electric bicycle 10 can be driven by the power of the motor M in response to the request from the rider received via the crank pedal 79.

[0141] <Second Modification> Next, a second modification will be described. The second modification described below differs from the previously described embodiment in that the electric bicycle 10 is stopped when switching between riding modes (i.e., drive states). Note that the following description of the second modification will focus on differences from the previously described embodiment, and the same reference numerals will be used to designate the same parts as in the previously described embodiment, and their description will be omitted where appropriate.

[0142] 11 , when the accelerator grip 74a is operated while the electric bicycle 10 is in a "standby state" where the motor M is stopped and the vehicle speed is 0 (step S201), the control device 40 switches the electric bicycle 10 to EV driving mode (step S202). When the electric bicycle 10 is in EV driving mode, the control device 40 causes the front warning lamp 90a and the rear warning lamp 90b to issue a second type of warning to notify the outside of the electric bicycle 10 that it is in EV driving mode.

[0143] When the crank pedal 79 is operated while the electric bicycle 10 is in EV driving mode (step S203), the control device 40 stops driving the motor M (step S204). After that, when the electric bicycle 10 decelerates and the vehicle speed becomes 0 due to the driving of the motor M being stopped (step S205), the electric bicycle 10 enters the standby state again (step S206), and it becomes possible to switch the driving mode.

[0144] Furthermore, when the electric bicycle 10 is in EV driving mode, if the accelerator grip 74a is no longer operated and the electric bicycle 10 decelerates and the vehicle speed becomes 0 (step S207), the electric bicycle 10 enters standby mode again (step S208), making it possible to switch driving modes.

[0145] On the other hand, when the crank pedal 79 is operated while the electric bicycle 10 is in the standby state (step S211), the control device 40 switches the electric bicycle 10 to the EAB driving mode (step S212). When the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB driving mode, the control device 40 causes the front warning lamp 90a and the rear warning lamp 90b to issue a first warning, thereby notifying the outside of the electric bicycle 10 that the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB driving mode.

[0146] Then, even if the accelerator grip 74a is operated while the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB driving mode (step S213), the control device 40 continues the EAB driving mode without causing the motor M to output torque corresponding to this operation (i.e., the accelerator opening) (step S214). After that, when the crank pedal 79 is no longer operated and the electric bicycle 10 decelerates and the vehicle speed becomes 0 (step S215), the electric bicycle 10 enters the standby state again (step S216), and it becomes possible to switch the driving mode.

[0147] Furthermore, when the electric bicycle 10 is in EAB riding mode, if the crank pedal 79 is no longer operated and the electric bicycle 10 decelerates and the vehicle speed becomes 0 (step S217), the electric bicycle 10 enters standby mode again (step S218), making it possible to switch riding modes.

[0148] <Effects of the Second Modification> As described above, with the electric bicycle 10 of the second modification, when the electric bicycle 10 is in a standby state where the motor M is stopped and the vehicle speed is zero, the rider can switch the electric bicycle 10 to EV driving mode by operating the accelerator grip 74a, or to EAB driving mode by operating the crank pedal 79. This makes it possible for the electric bicycle 10 to be driven in an appropriate driving state. Furthermore, while in the above-described embodiment the driving mode (i.e., the driving state) could be switched while the electric bicycle 10 was being driven, in the second modification, switching driving modes always requires a stop, making it easier for the rider to recognize which driving mode the electric bicycle is being driven in.

[0149] In the example described here, the control device 40 stops driving the motor M when the crank pedal 79 is operated while the electric bicycle 10 is in EV driving mode (see steps S203 and S204), but this is not limited to this. For example, the control device 40 may be configured to continue the EV driving mode even if the crank pedal 79 is operated while the electric bicycle 10 is in EV driving mode.

[0150] Furthermore, in the example described here, even if the accelerator grip 74a is operated while the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB driving mode, the control device 40 continues the EAB driving mode (see steps S213 and S214), but this is not limited to this. For example, the control device 40 may be configured to stop driving the motor M when the accelerator grip 74a is operated while the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB driving mode. Then, when there is no further operation of the accelerator grip 74a or the crank pedal 79 and the vehicle speed becomes 0, the electric bicycle 10 may enter the standby state described above, making it possible to switch the driving mode.

[0151] <Third Modification> Next, a third modification will be described. The third modification described below differs from the above-described embodiment in that the vehicle is further provided with a switchable EV low-speed traveling mode. Note that the following description of the third modification will focus on differences from the above-described embodiment, and the same reference numerals will be used to designate the same parts as in the above-described embodiment, and descriptions thereof will be omitted where appropriate.

[0152] 12 , the electric bicycle 10 of the third modified example is configured to be switchable between an EAB driving mode, an EV driving mode, and an EV low-speed driving mode. The EV low-speed driving mode can be a driving mode in which the rear wheel 78 is driven by the power of the motor M in an EV drive state, with an upper limit of a maximum speed (10 km / h, for example) that is lower than the 15 km / h maximum speed of the EV driving mode. This EV low-speed driving mode can also be referred to as a low-speed electric driving mode in which the rear wheel 78 is driven by the power of the motor M, with an upper limit of a maximum speed of 10 km / h.

[0153] In the third modified example, the control device 40 switches from the EAB driving mode to the EV driving mode or the EV low-speed driving mode based on the operation of the accelerator grip 74 a, for example, as in the embodiment described above. Furthermore, when switching from the EAB driving mode to the EV driving mode or the EV low-speed driving mode, the control device 40 may determine whether to switch to the EV driving mode or the EV low-speed driving mode based on the age of the driver, the type of road, etc.

[0154] For example, the control device 40 switches to EV driving mode when the road on which the electric bicycle 10 is traveling is a road for vehicles, and switches to EV low-speed driving mode when the road on which the electric bicycle 10 is traveling is a pedestrian road. The control device 40 may also switch to EV driving mode when the driver is at least a predetermined age (e.g., 16 years old), and switch to EV low-speed driving mode when the driver is under the predetermined age. Furthermore, the control device 40 may switch to EV driving mode when the driver has a license to travel in EV driving mode, and switch to EV low-speed driving mode when the driver does not have a license to travel in EV driving mode.

[0155] Furthermore, in the third modified example, the control device 40, as in the above-described embodiment, notifies the outside of the electric bicycle 10 of the riding mode using the front alert lamp 90a and the rear alert lamp 90b. For example, when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB riding mode, the control device 40 causes the front alert lamp 90a and the rear alert lamp 90b to perform a first notification, thereby notifying the outside of the electric bicycle 10 that it is in the EAB riding mode. When the electric bicycle 10 is in the EV riding mode, the control device 40 causes the front alert lamp 90a and the rear alert lamp 90b to perform a second notification, thereby notifying the outside of the electric bicycle 10 that it is in the EV riding mode. When the electric bicycle 10 is in the EV low-speed riding mode, the control device 40 causes the front alert lamp 90a and the rear alert lamp 90b to perform a third notification, thereby notifying the outside of the electric bicycle 10 that it is in the EV low-speed riding mode. Here, the third mode is a mode in which at least one of the luminous color, luminous intensity, and blinking interval is different from the first mode and the second mode, for example.

[0156] 12, for example, the first mode of notification may be achieved by turning off the front and rear warning lamps 90a and 90b (shown as OFF), and the second mode of notification may be achieved by turning on the front and rear warning lamps 90a and 90b. In this case, the third mode of notification may be achieved by turning on (emitting) the front and rear warning lamps 90a and 90b with a different light color, light intensity, or blinking interval than that used for the second mode of notification.

[0157] Of course, the first mode of notification is not limited to turning off the front and rear notification lamps 90a and 90b. Therefore, for example, the front and rear notification lamps 90a and 90b may be turned on in different colors for the first, second, and third modes of notification, respectively.

[0158] More specifically, it is assumed that the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b are configured to be able to change the light color. In this case, as shown in Fig. 13 , the control device 40 may illuminate the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b in light blue to indicate a first mode of alert when the vehicle is in the EAB driving mode, illuminate the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b in yellow to indicate a second mode of alert when the vehicle is in the EV driving mode, and illuminate the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b in orange to indicate a third mode of alert when the vehicle is in the EV low-speed driving mode.

[0159] As another example, the control device 40 may flash the front warning lamp 90a and the rear warning lamp 90b in yellow at a long interval to indicate a first mode when in EAB driving mode, flash the front warning lamp 90a and the rear warning lamp 90b in yellow at a medium interval to indicate a second mode when in EV driving mode, and flash the front warning lamp 90a and the rear warning lamp 90b in yellow at a short interval to indicate a third mode when in EV low-speed driving mode.

[0160] Furthermore, at least two of the light color, light intensity, and blinking interval (e.g., light color and blinking interval) of the front alert lamp 90 a and the rear alert lamp 90 b may be different between the first, second, and third alert modes. For example, in the EAB driving mode, the front alert lamp 90 a and the rear alert lamp 90 b may be made to blink in light blue at a long interval to indicate the first alert mode, in the EV driving mode, the front alert lamp 90 a and the rear alert lamp 90 b may be made to blink in yellow at a medium interval to indicate the second alert mode, and in the EV low-speed driving mode, the front alert lamp 90 a and the rear alert lamp 90 b may be made to blink in orange at a short interval to indicate the third alert mode. In addition, any one of the first, second, and third notification modes may be a mode in which the front notification lamp 90a and the rear notification lamp 90b are turned off.

[0161] As described above, suppose the electric bicycle 10 switches to EV driving mode when traveling on a road where vehicles are traveling, and switches to EV low-speed driving mode when traveling on a road where pedestrians are traveling. In this case, it is expected that the distance between the electric bicycle 10 and pedestrians will be closer when traveling in EV low-speed driving mode than when traveling in EV driving mode. For this reason, in this case, it is preferable that the third mode of notification has a higher notification intensity (in other words, a higher degree of notification) than the second mode of notification, such as a darker luminous color, a shorter flashing cycle, or a higher luminous intensity. In this way, the third mode of notification can be made more easily perceived (e.g., visible) by pedestrians around the electric bicycle 10.

[0162] As described above, the electric bicycle 10 of the third modification is configured to be switchable between the EAB driving mode, the EV driving mode, and the EV low-speed driving mode, thereby enabling the electric bicycle 10 to travel in an appropriate driving mode (i.e., appropriate driving state and maximum speed).

[0163] Furthermore, the control device 40 causes the front alert lamps 90a and rear alert lamps 90b to provide a first alert when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB traveling mode, causes the front alert lamps 90a and rear alert lamps 90b to provide a second alert when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EV traveling mode, and causes the front alert lamps 90a and rear alert lamps 90b to provide a third alert when the electric bicycle 10 is in the EV low-speed traveling mode. As a result, the difference in the alert modes provided by the front alert lamps 90a and rear alert lamps 90b makes it possible to clearly notify those outside the electric bicycle 10 that the electric bicycle 10 is in the EAB traveling mode, EV traveling mode, or EV low-speed traveling mode.

[0164] In the example described here, the electric bicycle 10 is switchable between three driving modes: the EAB driving mode, the EV driving mode, and the EV low-speed driving mode. However, this is not limited to this. For example, in addition to these three driving modes, the electric bicycle 10 may also be configured to be switchable to a non-electric driving mode in which the wheels (e.g., the rear wheel 78) are driven solely by force input to an input unit (e.g., the crank pedals 79) that receives force input from the rider's legs. Here, the non-electric driving mode may be a driving mode in which driving of the motor M is uniformly prohibited, regardless of, for example, the vehicle speed, the age of the rider, the type of road, etc.

[0165] When such a non-electric traveling mode is provided, for example, the electric bicycle 10 is provided with an operation switch for switching to the non-electric traveling mode. Then, when an operation to switch to the non-electric traveling mode is received via this operation switch, the control device 40 switches the electric bicycle 10 to the non-electric traveling mode and does not switch to another traveling mode. On the other hand, when an operation to switch to the non-electric traveling mode is not received, the control device 40 switches the traveling mode of the electric bicycle 10 between the EAB traveling mode, EV traveling mode, and EV low-speed traveling mode as described above, as appropriate, and does not switch to the non-electric traveling mode.

[0166] <Fourth Modification> Next, a fourth modification will be described. The fourth modification described below differs from the third modification described above in that the present invention is applied to a so-called motor-driven bicycle (hereinafter also referred to as an electric vehicle). Note that the following description of the fourth modification will focus on the differences from the embodiment and third modification described above, and the same reference numerals will be used to designate the same parts as the embodiment and third modification described above, and descriptions thereof will be omitted where appropriate.

[0167] 14 , the electric vehicle 10A of the fourth modified example has a pair of foot rests 79A on the left and right sides of the vehicle body, where the rider's feet rest, instead of the crank pedals 79. Furthermore, the electric vehicle 10A of the fourth modified example has a drive unit 20A that generates power using electricity supplied from the battery 2, instead of the electric assist unit 20. The drive unit 20A does not have the power transmission mechanism that drives the rear wheel 78 using force input to the crank pedals 79, for example, as compared to the electric assist unit 20, and includes a motor M that is driven based on operation of the accelerator grip 74a, a control device 40, etc. Unlike the electric bicycles 10 of the above-described embodiment and each of the modifications up to the third modified example, the electric vehicle 10A does not receive force input from the rider's (rider's) legs.

[0168] Furthermore, in the electric vehicle 10A of the fourth modified example, as with the electric bicycle 10 of the previously described embodiment, the torque in the forward rotation direction output from the motor M of the drive unit 20A is transmitted to the rear wheel 78, thereby driving the rear wheel 78 (i.e., propelling the electric vehicle 10A). Note that, although the battery 2 is disposed behind the seat post 71 below the seat 76 in the example shown in Figure 14, this is not limiting, and for example, the battery 2 may be disposed in front of the seat post 71 below the seat 76, as with the previously described embodiment.

[0169] As shown in FIG. 15 , electric vehicle 10A of the fourth modified example is configured to be switchable between EV driving mode and EV low-speed driving mode. In the fourth modified example, for example, control device 40 causes electric vehicle 10A to travel in EV driving mode when the roadway is a road for vehicles, and causes electric vehicle 10A to travel in EV low-speed driving mode when the roadway is a pedestrian road. Control device 40 may also cause electric vehicle 10A to travel in EV driving mode when the driver is at least a predetermined age (e.g., 16 years old), and cause electric vehicle 10A to travel in EV low-speed driving mode when the driver is under the predetermined age. Furthermore, control device 40 may cause electric vehicle 10A to travel in EV driving mode when the driver has a license to travel in EV driving mode, and cause electric vehicle 10A to travel in EV low-speed driving mode when the driver does not have a license to travel in EV driving mode.

[0170] Furthermore, in the fourth modified example, similarly to the third modified example described above (for example, the example shown in FIG. 13 ), when electric vehicle 10A is in the EV traveling mode, control device 40 causes front notification lamps 90a and rear notification lamps 90b to perform the second notification, thereby notifying the outside of electric vehicle 10A that it is in the EV traveling mode. Furthermore, when electric vehicle 10A is in the EV low speed traveling mode, control device 40 causes front notification lamps 90a and rear notification lamps 90b to perform the third notification, thereby notifying the outside of electric vehicle 10A that it is in the EV low speed traveling mode.

[0171] As described above, suppose that the electric vehicle 10A is set to travel in the EV driving mode on the vehicle path and in the EV low-speed driving mode on the pedestrian path. In this case, when the electric vehicle 10A traveling on the vehicle path enters the pedestrian path (i.e., when the type of the driving path changes from the vehicle path to the pedestrian path), the control device 40 switches the driving mode of the electric vehicle 10A from the EV driving mode to the EV low-speed driving mode, as shown in the speech bubbles of steps S301 and S302 in FIG. 15 and the outline arrows between them. At this time, the control device 40 also switches the notification by the front notification lamps 90a and the rear notification lamps 90b from the second notification mode to the third notification mode.

[0172] That is, in the fourth modified example, the control device 40 can perform a notification method for notifying the outside of the electric vehicle 10A of the traveling mode of the electric vehicle 10A, which includes the steps of: making a notification of the second mode when the vehicle is in the EV traveling mode in which the rear wheels 78 are driven by the power of the motor M with a maximum speed of 15 km / h (see, for example, step S301); and making a notification of a third mode different from the second mode when the vehicle is in the EV low-speed traveling mode after switching from the EV traveling mode to the EV low-speed traveling mode in which the rear wheels 78 are driven by the power of the motor M with a maximum speed of 10 km / h (see, for example, step S302). In this way, the traveling mode of the electric vehicle 10A can be notified to the outside of the electric vehicle 10A.

[0173] As described above, electric vehicle 10A according to the fourth modification is configured to be switchable between an EV driving mode and an EV low-speed driving mode, thereby enabling electric vehicle 10A to travel in an appropriate driving mode.

[0174] Furthermore, the control device 40 causes the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b to provide a second alert when the electric vehicle 10A is in the EV driving mode, and causes the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b to provide a third alert when the electric vehicle 10A is in the EV low-speed driving mode. As a result, whether the electric vehicle 10A is in the EV driving mode or the EV low-speed driving mode can be clearly notified to those outside the electric vehicle 10A by the difference in the alert manner provided by the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b.

[0175] As described above, suppose that the electric vehicle 10A is configured to travel in the EV low-speed travel mode on pedestrian paths and in the EV travel mode on vehicular paths (i.e., paths other than pedestrian paths). In this case, the notification device of this modified example, which is realized by the front notification lamps 90a, the rear notification lamps 90b, and the control device 40, can be said to provide a notification of the third mode when the path information acquisition unit 420 acquires information that the electric vehicle 10A is traveling on a pedestrian path (see, for example, step S302). Furthermore, the notification device of this modified example can be said to provide a notification of the second mode, which is different from the third mode, when the path information acquisition unit 420 acquires information that the electric vehicle 10A is not traveling on a pedestrian path or that the electric vehicle 10A is traveling on a path other than a pedestrian path (e.g., a vehicular path) (see, for example, step S301). As a result, traffic participants around the electric vehicle 10A can determine from the notification mode of the electric vehicle 10A whether the electric vehicle 10A is traveling on a pedestrian path in EV low-speed traveling mode or traveling on a path other than a pedestrian path in EV traveling mode, and can easily determine whether the electric vehicle 10A is traveling appropriately according to the type of traveling path. This can further increase the driver's (i.e., passenger's) awareness of traveling the electric vehicle 10A appropriately according to the type of traveling path (more specifically, traveling in an appropriate traveling mode according to the type of traveling path), and enables the electric vehicle 10A to travel in an appropriate traveling mode according to the type of traveling path.

[0176] Furthermore, the notification device of this modified example can also issue a notification in a second mode when the path information acquisition unit 420 acquires information that the electric vehicle 10A is traveling on a vehicular path (see, for example, step S301). The notification device of this modified example can also issue a notification in a third mode, which is different from the second mode, when the path information acquisition unit 420 acquires information that the electric vehicle 10A is not traveling on a vehicular path or that the electric vehicle 10A is traveling on a path other than a vehicular path (e.g., a pedestrian path) (see, for example, step S302). This allows traffic participants around the electric vehicle 10A to determine, from the mode of the notification from the electric vehicle 10A, whether the electric vehicle 10A is traveling on a vehicular path in EV traveling mode or on a path other than a vehicular path in EV low-speed traveling mode, and can easily determine whether the electric vehicle 10A is traveling appropriately according to the type of path. This increases the driver's (i.e., passengers') awareness of driving the electric vehicle 10A appropriately according to the type of road (more specifically, driving in an appropriate driving mode according to the type of road), and enables the electric vehicle 10A to drive in an appropriate driving mode according to the type of road.

[0177] <Fifth Modification> Next, a fifth modification will be described. The fifth modification described below differs from the previously described embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a bicycle in that the present invention is applied to a stand-up vehicle such as a kick scooter that is ridden (driven) by a rider while standing. Note that the following description of the fifth modification will focus on differences from the previously described embodiment, and parts that are the same as those in the previously described embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted as appropriate. Also, in the fifth and sixth modifications described below, "EAB" will be an abbreviation for "Electric-Assisted Board," for example.

[0178] As shown in FIG. 16 , the standing-on vehicle 10B of the fifth modified example includes a front wheel 73, a rear wheel 78, a base 67A, a kick pedal 79B supported rotatably in the front-rear direction relative to the base 67A around an axis CL extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle body, a battery 2, and a drive unit 20B that generates power using electricity supplied from the battery 2.

[0179] Base 67A has approximately the same height as the upper ends of front wheels 73 and rear wheels 78, and is formed in a generally plate-like (board-like) shape that extends approximately horizontally from above front wheels 73 toward above rear wheels 78. Furthermore, footrests 79C on which the driver's feet are placed are provided in base 67A at a position between front wheels 73 and rear wheels 78.

[0180] More specifically, the base 67A comprises a pair of left and right horizontal frames (not shown) that extend approximately horizontally from the front to the rear of the vehicle body at approximately the same height as the upper ends of the front wheel 73 and the rear wheel 78, a horizontal surface 67a that is provided approximately horizontally so as to span from the top of one of the pair of left and right horizontal frames to the top of the other, a head pipe 68 that extends upward from approximately the front end of the horizontal surface 67a, and a pair of left and right rear forks 70 that extend from the pair of left and right horizontal frames toward the center of the rear wheel 78.

[0181] The horizontal surface 67a constitutes the upper surface of the base 67A and functions as a support surface on which the driver can place their feet. At least a portion of the horizontal surface 67a is provided as the footrest 79C described above. In addition, the battery 2 and the drive unit 20B are provided on the base 67A below the footrest 79C.

[0182] A force (pedal force) from the driver's leg is input to the kick pedal 79B. When a pedal force is input to the kick pedal 79B (i.e., when the driver depresses the kick pedal 79B), the kick pedal 79B rotates rearward as shown by arrow A1. The pedal force input to the kick pedal 79B in this manner is transmitted to the rear wheel 78 via a power transmission mechanism (not shown) to drive the rear wheel 78. On the other hand, when the driver stops depressing the kick pedal 79B (i.e., when the pedal force input to the kick pedal 79B is set to 0), the kick pedal 79B rotates forward as shown by arrow A2 due to the biasing force of a spring (not shown) or the like, and returns to a predetermined initial position (e.g., the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 16 ). However, power that may be generated when the kick pedal 79B rotates forward is prevented from being transmitted to the rear wheel 78 by a one-way clutch (not shown) or the like.

[0183] The drive unit 20B includes, for example, a motor M that generates power using electric power supplied from the battery 2, a power transmission mechanism (not shown) that transmits the power of the motor M to the rear wheels 78, and the control device 40. That is, the power of the motor M of the drive unit 20B is transmitted to the rear wheels 78 via the power transmission mechanism to drive the rear wheels 78. Note that in the example described here, the drive unit 20B including the motor M is provided on the base 67A, but this is not limiting. For example, the motor M may be configured as an in-wheel motor for the rear wheels 78.

[0184] The standing vehicle 10B is also provided with a torque sensor SE2 (not shown in FIG. 16) that acquires a torque value Tq generated by the force (pedaling force) applied by the driver to the kick pedal 79B.

[0185] As shown in FIG. 17 , the standing-on vehicle 10B of the fifth modified example is configured to be switchable between an EAB driving mode in which the vehicle runs in an EAB drive state in which the rear wheels 78 are driven by at least the force input to the kick pedal 79B (i.e., the pedaling force), and an EV driving mode in which the vehicle runs in an EV drive state in which the rear wheels 78 are driven only by the power of the motor M.

[0186] Like the EAB driving mode in the above-described embodiment, the EAB driving mode in the fifth modified example is a high-speed electric driving mode in which the rear wheels 78 are driven by the power of the motor M up to a maximum speed of, for example, 24 km / h. Also, like the EV driving mode in the above-described embodiment, the EV driving mode in the fifth modified example is an electric driving mode (medium-speed electric driving mode) in which the rear wheels 78 are driven by the power of the motor M up to a maximum speed of 15 km / h.

[0187] Furthermore, the standing vehicle 10B of the fifth modified example is configured to be switchable to an EV low-speed running mode, which is a low-speed electric running mode in which the rear wheel 78 is driven by the power of the motor M in an EV drive state, with a maximum speed of 10 km / h as the upper limit, for example, as with the electric bicycle 10 of the third modified example.

[0188] When the stand-on vehicle 10B is in the EAB traveling mode, the driver repeatedly depresses the kick pedal 79B. Each time the driver depresses the kick pedal 79B, the pedal force is transmitted to the rear wheels 78, driving the rear wheels 78. This causes the stand-on vehicle 10B to travel. Furthermore, when the stand-on vehicle 10B is in the EAB traveling mode, the control device 40 causes the motor M to output a predetermined power (assist force) that corresponds to the force with which the driver depresses the kick pedal 79B (pedal force) and the vehicle speed. The power output from the motor M in this way is also transmitted to the rear wheels 78 and used to travel the stand-on vehicle 10B.

[0189] Furthermore, when the standing-on vehicle 10B is in the EV driving mode and the EV low-speed driving mode, the control device 40 drives the motor M based on the operation of the accelerator grip 74a, and drives the rear wheels 78 with the power of the motor M, thereby causing the standing-on vehicle 10B to travel.

[0190] Furthermore, in the fifth modified example, the control device 40 switches from the EAB driving mode to the EV driving mode or the EV low-speed driving mode based on the operation of the accelerator grip 74 a, for example, as in the third modified example described above. Furthermore, when switching from the EAB driving mode to the EV driving mode or the EV low-speed driving mode, the control device 40 may determine whether to switch to the EV driving mode or the EV low-speed driving mode based on the age of the driver, the type of road, etc.

[0191] For example, the control device 40 switches to the EV driving mode when the roadway of the stand-on vehicle 10B is a roadway for vehicles, and switches to the EV low-speed driving mode when the roadway of the stand-on vehicle 10B is a roadway for pedestrians. The control device 40 may also switch to the EV driving mode when the driver is at least a predetermined age (e.g., 16 years old), and switch to the EV low-speed driving mode when the driver is under the predetermined age. Furthermore, the control device 40 may switch to the EV driving mode when the driver has a license to drive in the EV driving mode, and switch to the EV low-speed driving mode when the driver does not have a license to drive in the EV driving mode.

[0192] Furthermore, in the fifth modified example, similarly to the third modified example described above (for example, the example shown in FIG. 13 ), the control device 40 notifies the outside of the standing-on vehicle 10B of the traveling mode by the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b. For example, when the standing-on vehicle 10B is in the EAB traveling mode, the control device 40 causes the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b to perform a first type of notification, thereby notifying the outside of the standing-on vehicle 10B that it is in the EAB traveling mode. Furthermore, when the standing-on vehicle 10B is in the EV traveling mode, the control device 40 causes the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b to perform a second type of notification, thereby notifying the outside of the standing-on vehicle 10B that it is in the EV traveling mode. When the standing vehicle 10B is in the EV low-speed traveling mode, the control device 40 causes the front notification lamp 90a and the rear notification lamp 90b to perform a third type of notification, thereby notifying the outside of the standing vehicle 10B that it is in the EV low-speed traveling mode.

[0193] As described above, the stand-on vehicle 10B of the fifth modification is configured to be switchable between the EAB driving mode, the EV driving mode, and the EV low-speed driving mode. This enables the stand-on vehicle 10B to travel in an appropriate driving mode (i.e., appropriate drive state and maximum speed).

[0194] Furthermore, the control device 40 causes the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b to provide a first alert when the stand-on vehicle 10B is in the EAB traveling mode, causes the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b to provide a second alert when the stand-on vehicle 10B is in the EV traveling mode, and causes the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b to provide a third alert when the stand-on vehicle 10B is in the EV low-speed traveling mode. As a result, it is possible to clearly notify those outside the stand-on vehicle 10B that the stand-on vehicle 10B is in the EAB traveling mode, the EV traveling mode, or the EV low-speed traveling mode, depending on the difference in the alert modes provided by the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b.

[0195] The standing vehicle 10B may also be configured to be further switchable to the non-electric driving mode described above.

[0196] <Sixth Modification> Next, a sixth modification will be described. The sixth modification described below differs from the fifth modification described above in that the input portion to which force (pedal force) from the driver's legs is input is a footrest portion 79C. Note that the following description of the sixth modification will focus on differences from the above-described embodiment and fifth modification, and portions similar to those of the above-described embodiment and fifth modification will be denoted by the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0197] As shown in FIG. 18 , the standing vehicle 10C of the sixth modified example does not have the kick pedal 79B described above, and instead has a footrest 79C provided between the front wheels 73 and the rear wheels 78 on which the driver's feet are placed, which serves as an input section to which force (pedal force) from the driver's legs is input.

[0198] More specifically, the driver places his / her non-dominant foot (e.g., left foot) on the footrest 79C, kicks the ground with his / her dominant foot, and inputs the reaction force of the force of kicking the ground into the footrest 79C, thereby causing the standing vehicle 10C to travel. In other words, the footrest 79C functions as an input unit that receives the reaction force of the force of the driver's leg kicking the ground. Furthermore, the standing vehicle 10C is provided with, for example, a sensor (not shown) instead of the torque sensor SE2 that acquires the reaction force (pedal force) input by the driver to the footrest 79C.

[0199] As shown in FIG. 19 , the standing-on vehicle 10C of the sixth modified example is configured to be switchable between an EAB driving mode, an EV driving mode, and an EV low-speed driving mode, similar to the standing-on vehicle 10B of the fifth modified example.

[0200] When the standing-riding vehicle 10C is in the EAB traveling mode, for example, the driver places his / her non-dominant foot (e.g., left foot) on the footrest 79C while the standing-riding vehicle 10C is stopped and kicks the ground with his / her dominant foot to assist in propelling the standing-riding vehicle 10C. Furthermore, when the vehicle speed decreases, the driver kicks the ground again with his / her dominant foot to assist in propelling the standing-riding vehicle 10C again. Furthermore, when the standing-riding vehicle 10C is in the EAB traveling mode, the control device 40 causes the motor M to output a predetermined power (assist force) that corresponds to the reaction force (pedal force) input by the driver to the footrest 79C and the vehicle speed. In this way, the power output from the motor M is also transmitted to the rear wheels 78 and used to propel the standing-riding vehicle 10C.

[0201] Furthermore, when the standing vehicle 10C is in the EV driving mode and the EV low-speed driving mode, the control device 40 drives the motor M based on the operation of the accelerator grip 74a, and drives the rear wheels 78 with the power of the motor M, thereby causing the standing vehicle 10C to travel, as in the fifth modified example described above.

[0202] Furthermore, in the sixth modified example, the control device 40 switches from the EAB driving mode to the EV driving mode or the EV low-speed driving mode based on the operation of the accelerator grip 74 a, for example, as in the third and fifth modified examples described above. Furthermore, when switching from the EAB driving mode to the EV driving mode or the EV low-speed driving mode, the control device 40 may determine whether to switch to the EV driving mode or the EV low-speed driving mode based on the age of the driver, the type of driving road, etc.

[0203] Furthermore, in the sixth modified example, similarly to the third modified example (e.g., the example shown in FIG. 13 ) and the fifth modified example, the control device 40 notifies the outside of the standing-boarding vehicle 10C of the traveling mode by the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b. For example, when the standing-boarding vehicle 10C is in the EAB traveling mode, the control device 40 causes the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b to perform a first type of notification, thereby notifying the outside of the standing-boarding vehicle 10C that it is in the EAB traveling mode. Furthermore, when the standing-boarding vehicle 10C is in the EV traveling mode, the control device 40 causes the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b to perform a second type of notification, thereby notifying the outside of the standing-boarding vehicle 10C that it is in the EV traveling mode. When the standing vehicle 10C is in the EV low-speed traveling mode, the control device 40 causes the front notification lamp 90a and the rear notification lamp 90b to perform a third type of notification, thereby notifying the outside of the standing vehicle 10C that it is in the EV low-speed traveling mode.

[0204] As described above, the stand-on vehicle 10C of the sixth modification is configured to be switchable between the EAB driving mode, the EV driving mode, and the EV low-speed driving mode. This enables the stand-on vehicle 10C to travel in an appropriate driving mode.

[0205] Furthermore, the control device 40 causes the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b to provide a first alert when the stand-on vehicle 10C is in the EAB traveling mode, causes the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b to provide a second alert when the stand-on vehicle 10C is in the EV traveling mode, and causes the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b to provide a third alert when the stand-on vehicle 10C is in the EV low-speed traveling mode. As a result, whether the stand-on vehicle 10C is in the EAB traveling mode, EV traveling mode, or EV low-speed traveling mode can be clearly notified to those outside the stand-on vehicle 10C by the difference in the alert modes provided by the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b.

[0206] The standing vehicle 10C may also be configured to be further switchable to the non-electric traveling mode described above.

[0207] <Seventh Modification> Next, a seventh modification will be described. The seventh modification described below differs from the sixth modification described above in that, like the fourth modification described above, the EAB running mode (i.e., the EAB driving state) is eliminated. Note that the following description of the seventh modification will focus on differences from the embodiment and the sixth modification described above, and portions that are similar to the embodiment and the sixth modification described above will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0208] As shown in FIG. 20 , the stand-on vehicle 10C of the seventh modification is configured to be switchable between EV driving mode and EV low-speed driving mode, similar to the fourth modification described above. In the seventh modification, for example, similar to the fourth modification described above, the control device 40 causes the stand-on vehicle 10C to drive in EV driving mode when the roadway is a vehicular road, and causes it to drive in EV low-speed driving mode when the roadway is a pedestrian road. The control device 40 may also cause the vehicle to drive in EV driving mode when the driver is at least a predetermined age (e.g., 16 years old), and cause it to drive in EV low-speed driving mode when the driver is under the predetermined age. Furthermore, the control device 40 may cause the vehicle to drive in EV driving mode when the driver has a license to drive in EV driving mode, and cause it to drive in EV low-speed driving mode when the driver does not have a license to drive in EV driving mode.

[0209] Furthermore, in the seventh modification, similarly to the sixth modification described above, when the stand-on vehicle 10C is in the EV traveling mode, the control device 40 causes the front notification lamps 90a and the rear notification lamps 90b to issue a notification of the second type, thereby notifying the outside of the stand-on vehicle 10C that it is in the EV traveling mode. Furthermore, when the stand-on vehicle 10C is in the EV low-speed traveling mode, the control device 40 causes the front notification lamps 90a and the rear notification lamps 90b to issue a notification of the third type, thereby notifying the outside of the stand-on vehicle 10C that it is in the EV low-speed traveling mode.

[0210] As described above, assume that the stand-on vehicle 10C is configured to run in EV driving mode on vehicular roads and in EV low-speed driving mode on pedestrian roads. In this case, when the stand-on vehicle 10C traveling on the vehicular road enters the pedestrian road (i.e., when the type of road changes from a vehicular road to a pedestrian road), the control device 40 switches the driving mode of the stand-on vehicle 10C from EV driving mode to EV low-speed driving mode, as shown in the balloons of steps S401 and S402 in Fig. 20 and the outline arrows between them. At this time, the control device 40 also switches the notifications by the front warning lamps 90a and the rear warning lamps 90b from the second notification mode to the third notification mode.

[0211] That is, in the seventh modification, the control device 40 can perform a notification method for notifying the outside of the standing-on vehicle 10C of the traveling mode of the standing-on vehicle 10C, which includes the steps of: making a notification in a second manner when the vehicle is in an EV traveling mode in which the rear wheels 78 are driven by power of the motor M with a maximum speed of 15 km / h (see, for example, step S401); and making a notification in a third manner different from the second manner when the vehicle is in the EV low-speed traveling mode after switching from the EV traveling mode to the EV low-speed traveling mode in which the rear wheels 78 are driven by power of the motor M with a maximum speed of 10 km / h (see, for example, step S402). This allows the traveling mode of the standing-on vehicle 10C to be notified to the outside of the standing-on vehicle 10C.

[0212] <Effects of the Seventh Modification> As described above, the stand-on vehicle 10C of the seventh modification is configured to be switchable between the EV driving mode and the EV low-speed driving mode. This enables the stand-on vehicle 10C to travel in an appropriate driving mode.

[0213] Furthermore, the control device 40 causes the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b to provide a second alert when the stand-on vehicle 10C is in the EV running mode, and causes the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b to provide a third alert when the stand-on vehicle 10C is in the EV low-speed running mode. As a result, whether the stand-on vehicle 10C is in the EV running mode or the EV low-speed running mode can be clearly notified to those outside the stand-on vehicle 10C by the difference in the alert modes provided by the front alert lamps 90a and the rear alert lamps 90b.

[0214] As described above, it is assumed that the standing vehicle 10C is configured to travel in the EV low-speed travel mode on footpaths and in the EV travel mode on vehicular paths (i.e., paths other than pedestrian paths). In this case, the notification device of this modified example, which is realized by the front notification lamps 90a, the rear notification lamps 90b, and the control device 40, can issue a notification in the third mode when the path information acquisition unit 420 acquires information that the standing vehicle 10C is traveling on a pedestrian path (see, for example, step S402). Furthermore, the notification device of this modified example can issue a notification in the second mode, which is different from the third mode, when the path information acquisition unit 420 acquires information that the standing vehicle 10C is not traveling on a pedestrian path or is traveling on a path other than a pedestrian path (e.g., a vehicular path) (see, for example, step S401). As a result, traffic participants in the vicinity of the stand-up vehicle 10C can determine from the mode of the notification from the stand-up vehicle 10C whether the stand-up vehicle 10C is traveling on a pedestrian path in EV low-speed traveling mode or traveling on a path other than a pedestrian path in EV traveling mode, and can easily determine whether the stand-up vehicle 10C is traveling appropriately according to the type of traveling path. This can further increase the driver's (i.e., passenger's) awareness of traveling the stand-up vehicle 10C appropriately according to the type of traveling path (more specifically, traveling in an appropriate traveling mode according to the type of traveling path), and enables the stand-up vehicle 10C to travel in an appropriate traveling mode according to the type of traveling path.

[0215] Furthermore, the notification device of this modified example can also issue a notification in a second mode when the roadway information acquisition unit 420 acquires information that the stand-on vehicle 10C is traveling on a vehicular road (see, for example, step S401). The notification device of this modified example can also issue a notification in a third mode, which is different from the second mode, when the roadway information acquisition unit 420 acquires information that the stand-on vehicle 10C is not traveling on a vehicular road or that the stand-on vehicle 10C is traveling on a roadway other than a vehicular road (e.g., a pedestrian road) (see, for example, step S402). This allows traffic participants around the stand-on vehicle 10C to determine, from the mode of the notification from the stand-on vehicle 10C, whether the stand-on vehicle 10C is traveling on a vehicular road in EV driving mode or on a roadway other than a vehicular road in EV low-speed driving mode, and can easily determine whether the stand-on vehicle 10C is traveling appropriately according to the type of roadway. This can further increase the driver's (i.e., passenger's) awareness of driving the standing vehicle 10C appropriately according to the type of road (more specifically, driving in an appropriate driving mode according to the type of road), and makes it possible for the standing vehicle 10C to drive in an appropriate driving mode according to the type of road.

[0216] The notification methods described in the above various embodiments can be realized, for example, by executing a prepared notification program on a computer (processor). The notification program is stored in a computer-readable storage medium and executed by being read from the storage medium. The notification program may also be provided in a form stored in a non-transitory storage medium such as a flash memory, or provided via a network such as the Internet.

[0217] Although various embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the components of the various embodiments described above may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0218] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the maximum speed in the EAB driving mode is 24 km / h, the maximum speed in the EV driving mode is 15 km / h, and the maximum speed in the EV low-speed driving mode is 10 km / h, but these are not limited to these. The maximum speed in the EAB driving mode may be any value within the range of, for example, 21 to 23 km / h, the maximum speed in the EV driving mode may be any value within the range of, for example, 16 to 20 km / h, and the maximum speed in the EV low-speed driving mode may be any value within the range of, for example, 6 to 9 km / h.

[0219] Furthermore, for example, in the embodiment described above, the wheel driven by the input of force to the crank pedals 79 and the wheel driven by the power of the motor M are both the rear wheel 78 on the electric bicycle 10, but this is not limited to this. For example, the wheel driven by the power of the motor M may be the front wheel 73, and the wheel driven by the input of force to the crank pedals 79 may be the rear wheel 78. Furthermore, the wheel driven by the input of force to the crank pedals 79 may be the front wheel 73, and the wheel driven by the power of the motor M may be the rear wheel 78.

[0220] In addition, in the above-described embodiment and each modified example, the notification unit that notifies the outside of the riding mode (i.e., driving state) of the electric bicycle 10 or the like is the front notification lamp 90a and the rear notification lamp 90b that emit light that can be perceived by the visual organ, which is one of the sensory organs, but this is not limited to this. Instead of, or in addition to, the notification unit that notifies the outside of the riding mode (i.e., driving state) of the electric bicycle 10 or the like may be a display that can display text information, shape information, etc. as sensory information, or a speaker that emits sound that can be perceived by the auditory organ, which is one of the sensory organs.

[0221] For example, if the notification unit that notifies the driving mode is a display, the control device 40 may cause the display to display a message indicating the current driving mode, such as "Driving in EV driving mode" when the vehicle is in the EV driving mode. Also, if the notification unit that notifies the driving mode is a speaker, the control device 40 may cause the speaker to output a predetermined sound, such as an approach warning sound, when the vehicle is in the EV driving mode, but may not output the sound when the vehicle is in the EAB driving mode.

[0222] In the above-described embodiment, the driving mode is switched to the EAB driving mode when there is an input to the crank pedal 79 (i.e., an operation on the crank pedal 79) in the EV driving mode, but this is not limited to this. For example, the driving mode may be switched to the EAB driving mode when it is predicted (estimated) that there will soon be an input to the crank pedal 79 in the EV driving mode.

[0223] In the above embodiment, the electric bicycle 10 is described as a two-wheeled vehicle having a front wheel 73 and a rear wheel 78, but this is not limiting. The electric bicycle 10 may be a three-wheeled vehicle, a four-wheeled vehicle, or the like, other than a two-wheeled vehicle.

[0224] In addition, the power transmission path from the crank pedal 79 to the wheels driven by input to the crank pedal 79 and the power transmission path from the motor M to the wheels driven by the power of the motor M may be arranged so as to have portions that are parallel to each other.

[0225] Furthermore, when starting the electric bicycle 10 or the like in EV driving mode, the control device 40 may start the electric bicycle 10 or the like on the condition that it has confirmed that the rider is already on board. This makes it possible to prevent the electric bicycle 10 or the like from suddenly jumping out unintentionally when the rider is not properly riding the bicycle.

[0226] As one example, a touch sensor may be provided on the left grip portion of the steering handle 74, and when the accelerator grip 74a is operated while contact with the left grip portion is detected by the touch sensor, the control device 40 may determine that the driver is already in the vehicle and start the vehicle in EV driving mode. Alternatively, the control device 40 may determine that the driver is already in the vehicle and start the vehicle in EV driving mode when the torque value Tq acquired by the torque sensor SE2 is equal to or greater than a threshold value. Furthermore, the control device 40 may determine that the driver is already in the vehicle and start the vehicle in EV driving mode when a predetermined operation is performed on the driver's terminal device (e.g., a smartphone) and boarding completion information is received from the terminal device.

[0227] Furthermore, from the viewpoint of preventing the electric bicycle 10 from unexpectedly jumping out, the control device 40 may be configured to set the EAB driving mode when starting off. Furthermore, when in the EAB driving mode, the accelerator grip 74a may be configured to accept operations other than operations corresponding to requests for drive from the motor M, such as operations to change the assist rate, for example.

[0228] In the above-described embodiment, the electric bicycle 10 is enabled to travel in EV driving mode when the type of road is a road for vehicles, but this is not limited to this. For example, the control device 40 may enable the electric bicycle 10 to travel in EV driving mode on the condition that there are no pedestrians in front of or around the electric bicycle 10. Whether or not there are pedestrians in front of or around the electric bicycle 10 can be determined, for example, by image recognition of a landscape image around the electric bicycle 10 captured by a camera or the like provided on the electric bicycle 10 or the rider's terminal device. Furthermore, the control device 40 may determine that the road is a pedestrian path based on the presence of a predetermined number or more pedestrians in front of or around the electric bicycle 10, and enable the electric bicycle 10 to travel in EAB driving mode.

[0229] In the above-described embodiment, vehicle settings in accordance with Japanese laws and regulations have been described as an example, but it goes without saying that vehicle settings may also be made in accordance with the laws and regulations of countries other than Japan, i.e., laws, government ordinances / ministerial ordinances, treaties, regulations, etc.

[0230] This specification describes at least the following items. Note that the components in parentheses correspond to those in the above-described embodiment, but are not limited to these.

[0231] (1) A vehicle (electric bicycle 10, stand-on vehicle 10B, stand-on vehicle 10C) that includes an input unit (crank pedal 79, kick pedal 79B, footrest unit 79C) that receives force input from the legs of a rider, a wheel (rear wheel 78) to which the force input to the input unit is transmitted, and an electric motor (motor M) that transmits output power to the wheel or another wheel (front wheel 73) different from the wheel, and that is switchable between a first drive state (EAB drive state) in which the wheel is driven by at least the force input to the input unit, and a second drive state (EV drive state) in which the wheel or the other wheel is driven only by the power of the electric motor.

[0232] According to (1), the vehicle is configured to be switchable between a first drive state in which the wheels are driven by at least the force input to the input section, and a second drive state in which the wheels or other wheels are driven only by the power of the electric motor, thereby enabling the vehicle to run in an appropriate drive state.

[0233] (2) The vehicle according to (1), further comprising an input acquisition unit (torque sensor SE2, cadence sensor SE5) that acquires a force input to the input unit, wherein the vehicle switches to the first driving state when the input acquisition unit acquires a force input to the input unit in the second driving state.

[0234] According to (2), when a force is input to the input unit in the second drive state, the vehicle can be switched to the first drive state. That is, the input unit that accepts an operation to drive the wheels in the first drive state can be used to accept a switch operation to the first drive state from the occupant. This makes it possible to switch to the first drive state in response to a request from the occupant with a simple configuration that does not require an operation switch or the like for accepting a switch operation to the first drive state, separate from the input unit. Furthermore, by switching to the first drive state when a force is input to the input unit in the second drive state, it is possible to distinguish between the first drive state and the second drive state.

[0235] (3) The vehicle according to (1) or (2), further comprising another input unit (accelerator grip 74a) that receives a drive request from the occupant to the electric motor, and in the second drive state, the vehicle drives the electric motor based on the drive request to the other input unit.

[0236] According to (3), when in the second driving state, the electric motor is driven based on a drive request from the occupant to another input unit, thereby enabling the vehicle to run using the power of the electric motor in response to the request from the occupant.

[0237] (4) The vehicle according to (3), further comprising an input acquisition unit that acquires a force input to the input unit, wherein the vehicle prohibits driving of the electric motor based on the drive request to the other input unit when the input acquisition unit acquires a force input to the input unit in the second driving state.

[0238] According to (4), when a force is input to an input part in the second driving state, driving of the electric motor based on a request to drive another input part is prohibited, so that the first driving state and the second driving state can be distinguished.

[0239] (5) The vehicle according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein in the first driving state, the vehicle drives the electric motor based on the amount of force input to the input unit.

[0240] According to (5), when in the first driving state, the electric motor is driven based on the amount of force input to the input section, thereby enabling the vehicle to run using the force input to the input section and appropriate electric motor power according to that amount.

[0241] (6) The vehicle described in (5), further comprising another input unit that receives a drive request from the occupant to the electric motor, wherein the vehicle drives the electric motor based on the drive request to the other input unit in the second drive state, and prohibits drive of the electric motor based on the drive request to the other input unit in the first drive state.

[0242] According to (6), when in the second drive state, the electric motor is driven based on a drive request to another input part, while when in the first drive state, driving of the electric motor based on a drive request to another input part is prohibited, thereby making it possible for the vehicle to run using appropriate electric motor power in each drive state.

[0243] (7) The vehicle according to (1), wherein in the second driving state, a request for driving of the electric motor from the occupant is acquired based on an amount of force input to the input unit.

[0244] According to (7), when in the second driving state, a request for driving the electric motor from the occupant is obtained based on the amount of force input to the input unit, making it possible to obtain a request for driving the electric motor with a simple configuration that does not require another input unit to accept the request for driving the electric motor.

[0245] (8) A vehicle according to any one of (1) to (7), further comprising an age acquisition unit (occupant information acquisition unit 410) that acquires the age of the occupant, and the vehicle is configured to be switchable between the first driving state and the second driving state based on the age acquired by the age acquisition unit.

[0246] According to (8), the vehicle is configured to be able to switch between a first driving state and a second driving state based on the age of the occupant, thereby enabling the vehicle to run in an appropriate driving state according to the age of the occupant.

[0247] (9) A vehicle as described in (8), wherein the vehicle prohibits switching from the first driving state to the second driving state or prohibits driving in the second driving state when the age acquired by the age acquisition unit is less than a predetermined age, or permits switching from the first driving state to the second driving state or permits driving in the second driving state when the age acquired by the age acquisition unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined age.

[0248] According to (9), it is possible to prevent the vehicle from running in the second drive state when a passenger under a predetermined age is on board.

[0249] (10) A vehicle according to any one of (1) to (9), further comprising a determination unit (determination unit 431) that determines whether the occupant has a license to drive the vehicle in the second drive state, and the vehicle is configured to be switchable between the first drive state and the second drive state based on the determination result of the determination unit.

[0250] According to (10), the vehicle is configured to be able to switch between the first drive state and the second drive state based on the determination result of whether or not the occupant has a license to drive the vehicle in the second drive state, making it possible for the vehicle to be driven in an appropriate drive state according to the occupant's license status.

[0251] (11) The vehicle described in (10), wherein the vehicle permits switching from the first driving state to the second driving state or permits driving in the second driving state when the determination unit determines that the occupant has the license, or prohibits switching from the first driving state to the second driving state or prohibits driving in the second driving state when the determination unit determines that the occupant does not have the license.

[0252] According to (11), when a passenger who has a license to drive the vehicle in the second drive mode is on board, the vehicle can be driven in the second drive mode, thereby improving convenience for the passenger.

[0253] (12) A vehicle according to any one of (1) to (11), further comprising a roadway acquisition unit (roadway information acquisition unit 420) that acquires the type of roadway on which the vehicle is traveling, and the vehicle is configured to be switchable between the first driving state and the second driving state based on the type acquired by the roadway acquisition unit.

[0254] According to (12), the vehicle is configured to be able to switch between a first driving state and a second driving state based on the type of road on which the vehicle is traveling, thereby enabling the vehicle to travel in an appropriate driving state according to the type of road on which the vehicle is traveling.

[0255] (13) The vehicle described in (12), wherein the vehicle: prohibits switching from the first drive state to the second drive state or prohibits driving in the second drive state when the type acquired by the roadway acquisition unit is a pedestrian path on which pedestrians pass; or permits switching from the first drive state to the second drive state or permits driving in the second drive state when the type acquired by the roadway acquisition unit is a vehicle path on which vehicles pass.

[0256] According to (13), it is possible to prevent the vehicle from traveling in the second drive state when traveling on a walkway.

[0257] (14) The vehicle according to any one of (1) to (13), further comprising a notification unit (front notification lamp 90a, rear notification lamp 90b) that notifies the outside of the vehicle that the vehicle is in either the first driving state or the second driving state.

[0258] According to (14), whether the vehicle is in the first drive state or the second drive state can be notified to the outside of the vehicle.

[0259] (15) The vehicle according to (14), wherein the notification unit is provided so as to be perceptible from the front and rear of the vehicle.

[0260] According to (15), traffic participants in front of or behind the vehicle can be notified whether the vehicle is in the first driving state or the second driving state.

[0261] (16) The vehicle described in (15), wherein the notification unit has a front notification unit (front notification lamp 90a) provided on the front side of the vehicle, and a rear notification unit (rear notification lamp 90b) provided on the rear side of the vehicle relative to the front notification unit.

[0262] According to (16), the front notification section can be easily perceived from the front of the vehicle, and the rear notification section can be easily perceived from the rear of the vehicle.

[0263] (17) The vehicle according to (15) or (16), wherein the notification unit is further provided so as to be perceptible from a side of the vehicle.

[0264] According to (17), traffic participants present to the side of the vehicle can be notified whether the vehicle is in the first driving state or the second driving state.

[0265] (18) The vehicle according to any one of (14) to (17), wherein the notification unit issues a notification of a first mode in the first driving state, and issues a notification of a second mode different from the first mode in the second driving state.

[0266] According to (18), the manner of notification by the notification unit makes it possible to clearly notify outside the vehicle whether the vehicle is in the first drive state or the second drive state.

[0267] (19) The vehicle according to (18), wherein in the first driving state, the wheel is driven by the force input to the input section, and the wheel or the other wheel is driven by the power of the electric motor.

[0268] According to (19), when in the first driving state, the vehicle can be driven by the force input to the input portion and the power of the electric motor.

[0269] (20) The vehicle described in (19), wherein the vehicle is switchable between a first driving state (EAB driving mode) in which the wheel or the other wheel is driven by the power of the electric motor in the first drive state with a first maximum speed as an upper limit, and a second driving state (EV driving mode) in which the wheel or the other wheel is driven by the power of the electric motor in the second drive state with a second maximum speed lower than the first maximum speed as an upper limit.

[0270] (20) allows the vehicle to travel in appropriate driving conditions (i.e., running conditions) and at maximum speed.

[0271] (21) The vehicle according to (20), wherein the notification unit issues a notification of the first mode when in the first traveling state, and issues a notification of the second mode when in the second traveling state.

[0272] According to (21), it is possible to clearly notify the outside of the vehicle whether the vehicle is in the first driving state or the second driving state.

[0273] (22) The vehicle according to (21), further configured to be switchable to a third driving state (EV low speed driving mode) in which the wheels or the other wheels are driven by the power of the electric motor in the second driving state with a third maximum speed lower than the second maximum speed as an upper limit.

[0274] (22) allows the vehicle to travel in appropriate driving conditions (i.e., running conditions) and at maximum speed.

[0275] (23) The vehicle according to (22), wherein the notification unit, in the third traveling state, provides notification of a third mode different from the first mode and the second mode.

[0276] According to (23), it is possible to clearly notify the outside of the vehicle which of the first, second, and third driving states the vehicle is in.

[0277] (24) A vehicle according to any one of (1) to (23), wherein the vehicle is a bicycle (electric bicycle 10) having a front wheel (front wheel 73), a rear wheel (rear wheel 78), and a seating portion (seat 76) on which the rider sits, and the input portion is a pedal (crank pedal 79) that receives a pedaling force input from the rider's legs.

[0278] According to (24), it is possible for a vehicle, which is a bicycle on which a rider sits and rides, to run in an appropriate driving state.

[0279] (25) A vehicle according to any one of (1) to (23), wherein the vehicle is a stand-up vehicle (stand-up vehicles 10B, 10C) having front wheels (front wheels 73), rear wheels (rear wheels 78), and a footrest (footrest 79C) provided between the front wheels and the rear wheels on which the occupant places their feet, and wherein the input unit is the footrest that receives an input of a reaction force of the occupant's legs kicking the ground.

[0280] According to (25), it is possible for a vehicle, which is a standing vehicle in which passengers ride while standing, to run in an appropriate driving state.

[0281] (26) A notification method for notifying the outside of a vehicle (electric bicycle 10, stand-on vehicle 10B, stand-on vehicle 10C) of a driving state including an input unit (crank pedal 79, kick pedal 79B, footrest unit 79C) that receives a force input from the legs of a rider, a wheel (rear wheel 78) to which the force input to the input unit is transmitted, and an electric motor (motor M) that transmits output power to the wheel or another wheel (front wheel 73) different from the wheel, the method comprising the steps of: making a notification of a first mode when the vehicle is in a first driving state (EAB driving state) in which the wheel is driven by at least the force input to the input unit; and, after switching from the first driving state to a second driving state (EV driving state) in which the wheel or the other wheel is driven only by the power of the electric motor, and a step of issuing a notification of a second mode different from the first mode when in the second driving state (step S114, step S214).

[0282] According to (26), whether the vehicle is in the first driving state or the second driving state can be clearly notified to the outside of the vehicle.

[0283] (27) A notification program that notifies the outside of a vehicle (electric bicycle 10, stand-on vehicle 10B, stand-on vehicle 10C) of a driving state of the vehicle that includes an input unit (crank pedal 79, kick pedal 79B, footrest unit 79C) that receives a force input from the legs of a rider, a wheel (rear wheel 78) to which the force input to the input unit is transmitted, and an electric motor (motor M) that transmits output power to the wheel or another wheel (front wheel 73) different from the wheel, the notification program comprising: a step (step S112, step S212) of notifying a first mode when the vehicle is in a first driving state (EAB driving state) in which the wheel is driven by at least the force input to the input unit; and a second driving state (EV driving state) in which the wheel or the other wheel is driven only by the power of the electric motor after the first driving state is switched to a second driving state (EV driving state) in which the wheel or the other wheel is driven only by the power of the electric motor. and a step of notifying the driver of a second mode different from the first mode when the driver is in the second driving state (steps S114 and S214).

[0284] According to (27), whether the vehicle is in the first driving state or the second driving state can be clearly notified to the outside of the vehicle.

[0285] (28) A vehicle (electric bicycle 10, electric vehicle 10A, stand-on vehicle 10B, stand-on vehicle 10C) equipped with an electric motor (motor M) that transmits output power to wheels (rear wheels 78), the vehicle being switchable between a first running state (EV running mode) in which the wheels are driven by power from the electric motor with a first maximum speed as an upper limit, and a second running state (EV low-speed running mode) in which the wheels are driven by power from the electric motor with a second maximum speed as an upper limit that is lower than the first maximum speed, and the vehicle being equipped with an alarm unit (front alarm lamp 90a, rear alarm lamp 90b) that alarms the running state of the vehicle to the outside of the vehicle, the alarm unit providing an alarm of a first mode in the first running state, and providing an alarm of a second mode different from the first mode in the second running state.

[0286] According to (28), whether the vehicle is in the first driving state or the second driving state can be clearly notified to the outside of the vehicle.

[0287] (29) The vehicle according to any one of (14) to (23) and (28), wherein the notification unit has a light-emitting unit that is provided so as to be visible from outside the vehicle.

[0288] According to (29), traffic participants around the vehicle can be notified visually in a recognizable manner.

[0289] (30) The vehicle according to (29), wherein the light emitting unit is provided so that at least one of the light emitting color, light emitting intensity, and blinking interval or flashing interval can be changed.

[0290] According to (30), traffic participants around the vehicle can be notified visually in a recognizable manner.

[0291] (31) A notification method for notifying the outside of a vehicle (electric bicycle 10, electric vehicle 10A, stand-on vehicle 10B, stand-on vehicle 10C) of a traveling state of the vehicle equipped with an electric motor (motor M) that transmits output power to wheels (rear wheels 78), the notification method comprising the steps of: making a notification of a first mode when the vehicle is in a first traveling state (EV traveling mode) in which the wheels are driven by power of the electric motor with a first maximum speed as an upper limit (steps S301 and S401); and making a notification of a second mode different from the first mode when the vehicle is in a second traveling state (EV low-speed traveling mode) in which the wheels are driven by power of the electric motor with a second maximum speed as an upper limit that is lower than the first maximum speed (steps S302 and S402).

[0292] According to (31), it is possible to clearly notify the outside of the vehicle whether the vehicle is in the first driving state or the second driving state.

[0293] (32) A notification program that notifies the outside of a vehicle (electric bicycle 10, electric vehicle 10A, stand-on vehicle 10B, stand-on vehicle 10C) of the running state of the vehicle equipped with an electric motor (motor M) that transmits output power to wheels (rear wheels 78), the notification program performing the following steps: notifying a first mode when the vehicle is in a first running state (EV running mode) in which the wheels are driven by power of the electric motor with a first maximum speed as an upper limit (steps S301 and S401); and notifying a second mode different from the first mode when the vehicle is in a second running state (EV low-speed running mode) in which the wheels are driven by power of the electric motor with a second maximum speed as an upper limit that is lower than the first maximum speed (steps S302 and S402).

[0294] According to (32), it is possible to clearly notify the outside of the vehicle whether the vehicle is in the first driving state or the second driving state.

[0295] (33) A notification device (controller 40, front notification lamp 90a, rear notification lamp 90b) mounted on a vehicle (electric bicycle 10, electric vehicle 10A, stand-on vehicle 10B, stand-on vehicle 10C) having an acquisition unit (roadway information acquisition unit 420) that acquires the type of roadway, and that issues a notification to the outside of the vehicle, wherein the notification device (i) issues a notification of a first mode when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is traveling on a footpath where pedestrians pass, and issues a notification of a second mode different from the first mode when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is not traveling on the footpath or is traveling on a roadway other than the footpath, or (ii) issues a notification of a third mode when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is traveling on a roadway where vehicles are traveling, and issues a notification of a third mode when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is not traveling on the roadway where vehicles are traveling, or is traveling on a roadway other than the roadway where vehicles are traveling, An alarm device that performs a fourth mode of alarm that is different from the third mode.

[0296] (33) enables the vehicle to run in an appropriate driving condition.

[0297] (34) A notification method for a notification device (control device 40, front notification lamp 90a, rear notification lamp 90b) mounted on a vehicle (electric bicycle 10, electric vehicle 10A, stand-on vehicle 10B, stand-on vehicle 10C) having an acquisition unit (roadway information acquisition unit 420) that acquires the type of roadway, and that issues a notification to the outside of the vehicle, comprising: (i) a step of issuing a notification of a first mode when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is traveling on a footway where pedestrians pass (step S05: NO); and a step of issuing a notification of a second mode different from the first mode when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is not traveling on the footway or is traveling on a roadway other than the footway (step S05: YES, step S07), or (ii) a step of issuing a notification of a second mode different from the first mode when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is traveling on a roadway where vehicles are traveling, a step of issuing a notification of a third mode (step S05: YES, step S07); and a step of issuing a notification of a fourth mode different from the third mode (step S05: NO) when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is not traveling on the vehicle lane or that the vehicle is traveling on a lane other than the vehicle lane.

[0298] (34) enables the vehicle to run under appropriate driving conditions.

[0299] (35) A notification device (control device 40, front notification lamp 90a, rear notification lamp 90b) that is mounted on a vehicle (electric bicycle 10, electric vehicle 10A, stand-on vehicle 10B, stand-on vehicle 10C) having an acquisition unit (roadway information acquisition unit 420) that acquires the type of roadway and that issues a notification to the outside of the vehicle, is made to perform the following steps: (i) when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is traveling on a footpath where pedestrians pass, issue a notification of a first mode (step S05: NO); and when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is not traveling on the footpath or is traveling on a roadway other than the footpath, issue a notification of a second mode different from the first mode (step S05: YES, step S07), or (ii) when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is traveling on a roadway where vehicles are traveling, issue a notification of a second mode different from the first mode (step S05: YES, step S07). a step of issuing a notification of a third mode (step S05: YES, step S07); and a step of issuing a notification of a fourth mode different from the third mode (step S05: NO) when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is not traveling on the vehicle lane or that the vehicle is traveling on a lane other than the vehicle lane.

[0300] (35) enables the vehicle to run under appropriate driving conditions.

[0301] (36) A storage medium readable by a computer (control device 40) that stores the notification program according to any one of (27), (32), and (35).

[0302] According to (36), it is possible for a computer to execute the notification program according to any one of (27), (32), and (35).

[0303] This application is based on a Japanese patent application (Patent Application No. 2021-080616) filed on May 11, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application.

[0304] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Electric bicycle (vehicle) 10A Electric vehicle (vehicle) 10B, 10C Standing vehicle (vehicle) 73 Front wheel (other wheel) 74a Accelerator grip (other input unit) 78 Rear wheel (wheel) 79 Crank pedal (input unit) 79B Kick pedal (input unit) 79C Footrest unit (input unit) 90a Front warning lamp (notification unit) 90b Rear warning lamp (notification unit) 410 Rider information acquisition unit (age acquisition unit) 420 Road information acquisition unit (road acquisition unit) 431 Determination unit M Motor (electric motor) SE2 Torque sensor (input acquisition unit) SE5 Cadence sensor (input acquisition unit)

Claims

1. an input unit that receives a force input from the legs of an occupant; a wheel to which the force input to the input unit is transmitted; an electric motor that transmits output power to the wheel or a wheel other than the wheel; A vehicle comprising: The vehicle is a first driving state in which the wheel is driven by at least a force input to the input portion; a second driving state in which the wheel or the other wheel is driven only by the power of the electric motor; A vehicle in which the above-mentioned switchable is provided.

2. 2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, an input acquisition unit that acquires a force input to the input unit, The vehicle is The vehicle is configured to switch to the first driving state when the input acquisition unit acquires a force input to the input unit in the second driving state.

3. 3. A vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, Further, another input unit is provided for receiving a request from the occupant to drive the electric motor, The vehicle is The vehicle is configured to drive the electric motor based on the drive request to the other input unit in the second driving state.

4. 4. A vehicle according to claim 3, an input acquisition unit that acquires a force input to the input unit, The vehicle is When the input acquisition unit acquires a force input to the input unit in the second driving state, driving of the electric motor based on the drive request to the other input unit is prohibited.

5. 2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, The vehicle is The vehicle drives the electric motor based on an amount of force input to the input portion in the first driving state.

6. 6. A vehicle according to claim 5, Further, another input unit is provided for receiving a request from the occupant to drive the electric motor, The vehicle is In the second driving state, the electric motor is driven based on the drive request to the other input unit; In the first driving state, driving of the electric motor based on the drive request to the other input unit is prohibited.

7. 2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, The vehicle further comprises: a vehicle driver receiving, in the second driving state, a request for driving the electric motor from the occupant based on an amount of force input to the input portion.

8. 2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, An age acquisition unit for acquiring the age of the occupant is further provided, The vehicle is The vehicle is provided so as to be switchable between the first driving state and the second driving state based on the age acquired by the age acquisition unit.

9. 9. A vehicle according to claim 8, The vehicle is prohibiting switching from the first driving state to the second driving state, or prohibiting driving in the second driving state, when the age acquired by the age acquisition unit is less than a predetermined age. Or, A vehicle which permits switching from the first driving state to the second driving state, or permits driving in the second driving state, when the age acquired by the age acquisition unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined age.

10. 2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, a determination unit that determines whether or not the occupant has a license to drive the vehicle in the second drive state, The vehicle is The vehicle is provided so as to be switchable between the first drive state and the second drive state based on a determination result of the determination unit.

11. 11. A vehicle as claimed in claim 10, The vehicle is permitting switching from the first driving state to the second driving state, or permitting driving in the second driving state, when the determination unit determines that the occupant has the license. Or, A vehicle in which, when the determination unit determines that the occupant does not hold the license, switching from the first driving state to the second driving state is prohibited, or driving in the second driving state is prohibited.

12. 2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, A road acquisition unit that acquires a type of the road on which the vehicle travels, The vehicle is The vehicle is configured to be switchable between the first drive state and the second drive state based on the type acquired by the road acquisition unit.

13. 13. A vehicle as claimed in claim 12, The vehicle is When the type acquired by the path acquisition unit is a walkway on which pedestrians pass, switching from the first drive state to the second drive state is prohibited, or driving in the second drive state is prohibited. Or, A vehicle that permits switching from the first driving state to the second driving state or permits driving in the second driving state when the type acquired by the road acquisition unit is a road on which the vehicle is traveling.

14. 2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, The vehicle further includes a notification unit that notifies an outside of the vehicle that the vehicle is in either the first drive state or the second drive state.

15. 15. A vehicle as claimed in claim 14, The notification unit is provided so as to be perceptible from the front and rear of the vehicle.

16. 16. A vehicle as claimed in claim 15, The vehicle, wherein the notification unit has a front notification unit provided on a front side of the vehicle, and a rear notification unit provided on a rear side of the vehicle relative to the front notification unit.

17. 17. A vehicle according to claim 15 or 16, The notification unit is further provided so as to be perceptible from a side of the vehicle.

18. 15. A vehicle as claimed in claim 14, The notification unit provides notification of a first aspect in the first driving state, and provides notification of a second aspect different from the first aspect in the second driving state.

19. 20. A vehicle as claimed in claim 18, The first driving state is In addition to the wheels being driven by the force input to the input section, A vehicle in which the wheel or the other wheel is driven by the power of the electric motor.

20. 20. A vehicle as claimed in claim 19, The vehicle is a first driving state in which the wheel or the other wheel is driven by the power of the electric motor in the first driving state with a first maximum speed as an upper limit; a second driving state in which the wheel or the other wheel is driven by the power of the electric motor in the second driving state with a second maximum speed lower than the first maximum speed as an upper limit; A vehicle in which the above-mentioned switchable is provided.

21. 21. A vehicle as claimed in claim 20, The notification unit performs the notification of the first aspect when the vehicle is in the first traveling state, and performs the notification of the second aspect when the vehicle is in the second traveling state.

22. 22. A vehicle as claimed in claim 21, The vehicle is The vehicle is further configured to be switchable to a third driving state in which the wheels or the other wheels are driven by power of the electric motor in the second driving state with a third maximum speed, which is lower than the second maximum speed, as an upper limit.

23. 23. A vehicle as claimed in claim 22, The notification unit, when in the third traveling state, provides notification of a third manner different from the first manner and the second manner.

24. 2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, The vehicle is a bicycle having a front wheel, a rear wheel, and a seat on which the rider sits, The input unit is a pedal that receives a pedal force input from the legs of the occupant.

25. 2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, The vehicle is a standing vehicle having front wheels, rear wheels, and a footrest portion provided between the front wheels and the rear wheels on which the feet of the occupant are placed, The input unit is a footrest unit that receives an input of a reaction force of the occupant's legs kicking the ground.

26. an input unit that receives a force input from the legs of an occupant; a wheel to which the force input to the input unit is transmitted; an electric motor that transmits output power to the wheel or a wheel other than the wheel; A method for notifying an outside of a vehicle of a driving state of the vehicle, comprising: a step of notifying a driver of a first mode at least when the vehicle wheel is in a first driving state in which the vehicle wheel is driven by a force input to the input unit; After switching from the first driving state to a second driving state in which the wheel or the other wheel is driven only by the power of the electric motor, In the second driving state, a notification of a second mode different from the first mode is performed; The notification method includes the steps of:

27. an input unit that receives a force input from the legs of an occupant; a wheel to which the force input to the input unit is transmitted; an electric motor that transmits output power to the wheel or a wheel other than the wheel; A notification program for notifying an outside of a vehicle of a driving state of the vehicle, comprising: a step of notifying a driver of a first mode at least when the vehicle wheel is in a first driving state in which the vehicle wheel is driven by a force input to the input unit; After switching from the first driving state to a second driving state in which the wheel or the other wheel is driven only by the power of the electric motor, In the second driving state, a notification of a second mode different from the first mode is performed; An information program that:

28. A vehicle equipped with an electric motor that transmits output power to wheels, The vehicle is a first running state in which the wheels are driven by power of the electric motor with a first maximum speed as an upper limit; a second running state in which the wheels are driven by power of the electric motor with a second maximum speed as an upper limit, the second maximum speed being lower than the first maximum speed; and a notification unit that notifies an outside of the vehicle of a traveling state of the vehicle; The notification unit provides a notification of a first manner in the first traveling state, and provides a notification of a second manner different from the first manner in the second traveling state.

29. A vehicle according to any one of claims 14 to 16, 18 to 23, and 28, The notification unit has a light-emitting unit that is arranged to be visible from outside the vehicle.

30. 30. A vehicle as claimed in claim 29, The light-emitting unit is provided in a vehicle such that at least one of a light emission color, a light emission intensity, and a blinking interval or a flashing interval can be changed.

31. A method for notifying an outside of a vehicle of a running state of the vehicle including an electric motor that transmits output power to wheels, the method comprising: a step of notifying a first mode in a first traveling state in which the wheels are driven by power of the electric motor with a first maximum speed as an upper limit; After switching from the first traveling state to a second traveling state in which the wheels are driven by the power of the electric motor with a second maximum speed lower than the first maximum speed as an upper limit, In the second traveling state, a notification of a second mode different from the first mode is performed. The notification method includes the steps of:

32. A notification program for notifying an outside of a vehicle of a running state of the vehicle including an electric motor that transmits output power to wheels, the program comprising: a step of notifying a first mode in a first traveling state in which the wheels are driven by power of the electric motor with a first maximum speed as an upper limit; After switching from the first traveling state to a second traveling state in which the wheels are driven by the power of the electric motor with a second maximum speed lower than the first maximum speed as an upper limit, In the second traveling state, a notification of a second mode different from the first mode is performed. An information program that:

33. A notification device that is mounted on a vehicle having an acquisition unit that acquires a type of a road and that notifies the outside of the vehicle, The notification device includes: (i) when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is traveling on a pedestrian path, A notification of the first mode is made, When the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is not traveling on the walkway, or when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is traveling on a travel path other than the walkway, A notification of a second mode different from the first mode is performed. Or, (ii) when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is traveling on a vehicle travel path, A third mode of notification is performed, When the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is not traveling on the vehicle path, or when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is traveling on a path other than the vehicle path, The notification device performs a fourth mode of notification that is different from the third mode.

34. A notification method of a notification device mounted on a vehicle having an acquisition unit that acquires a type of a road and that notifies an outside of the vehicle, comprising: (i) when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is traveling on a pedestrian path, A step of notifying the first aspect; When the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is not traveling on the walkway, or when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is traveling on a travel path other than the walkway, A step of notifying a second mode different from the first mode; having Or, (ii) when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is traveling on a vehicle travel path, A step of notifying the third aspect; When the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is not traveling on the vehicle path, or when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is traveling on a path other than the vehicle path, A step of notifying a fourth aspect different from the third aspect; The notification method includes the steps of:

35. A notification device is mounted on a vehicle having an acquisition unit that acquires a type of a road and notifies the outside of the vehicle, (i) when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is traveling on a pedestrian path, A step of notifying the first aspect; When the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is not traveling on the walkway, or when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is traveling on a travel path other than the walkway, A step of notifying a second mode different from the first mode; To carry out Or, (ii) when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is traveling on a vehicle travel path, A step of notifying the third aspect; When the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is not traveling on the vehicle path, or when the acquisition unit acquires that the vehicle is traveling on a path other than the vehicle path, A step of notifying a fourth aspect different from the third aspect; An information program that:

36. A computer-readable storage medium storing the notification program according to any one of claims 27, 32, and 35.