JPH11187583A - Auxiliary power bicycle, noncontact charger and charging system therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a versatile maintenance-free noncontact charger for auxiliary power bicycle excellent in compatibility in which possibility of electrical contact is not required to be taken into account even if the charger is exposed to wind and rain. SOLUTION: A battery pack 10 to be mounted on an auxiliary power bicycle has a section 12 for receiving power externally without touching and supplying power to a secondary battery 11. A noncontact charger 20 comprises a section 22 for transmitting power to the power receiving section 12 of the battery pack 10 without touching, and a power supply circuit 23 for converting source power of commercial frequency supplied from a power supply side plug 21 into power of a specified frequency. Noncontact power transmission is established between the power transmitting section 22 and the power receiving section 12 utilizing electromagnetic induction between the primary coil at the power transmitting section 22 and the secondary coil at the power receiving section 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an auxiliary power bicycle, and more particularly, to a structure of a battery pack mounted on the bicycle and a charger.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, the term "bicycle" refers to a two-wheeled vehicle in which a rider steps on a pedal and turns a wheel. Bicycles are often used in real life because they can move relatively freely and faster than walking with less physical strength, and it is a must for today's society because it is convenient to move relatively short distances It has become.

[0003] In this bicycle, when moving on a relatively flat place or down a slope, the rider's physical strength is hardly consumed, and the rider can be moved.

However, empirical facts show that the rider loses his or her physical strength when climbing a hill while riding a bicycle. Even so, if the slope is relatively gentle, it is possible to move relatively smoothly without wasting physical strength. However, the steeper the slope, the greater the exhaustion of the rider's physical strength, the slower it is than walking on foot, and the more difficult it is to climb the slope on extremely steep slopes. . In particular, for children and women with relatively low physical strength, even if the inclination is not so steep, it is slower than traveling on foot because of lack of physical strength. In such a case, one often gets off the bicycle and moves while pushing the bicycle.

[0005] In order to solve such problems, an auxiliary power bicycle has been developed and put into practical use. The auxiliary power bicycle is equipped with a battery pack containing a secondary battery, and uses electric power supplied from the secondary battery as auxiliary power. That is, the auxiliary power bicycle includes a mechanism (for example, a motor) that converts electric power from the secondary battery into mechanical rotational force. Therefore, even people with relatively low physical strength, such as children and women, can climb up the slopes with this assisted bicycle, and such sights have come to be seen. For this reason, auxiliary power bicycles have gained popularity among women and children and have become products with high customer attraction. Various types of bicycles have been developed by various manufacturers and are on the market.

FIG. 4 schematically shows the state of use of a conventional auxiliary power bicycle. As shown in FIG. 4, the auxiliary power bicycle includes a secondary battery (not shown) at a predetermined position of the frame.
With a built-in battery pack 10 ',
Power from the secondary battery is supplied to a motor (not shown),
The motor is rotated by electric power.

[0007] By the way, when the auxiliary power bicycle is used for a long time, the secondary battery mounted on the bicycle continues to discharge.
The power is also consumed, and the power capacity of the secondary battery is reduced.
In such a case, it is necessary to charge the secondary battery.
This charging has two modes. One of them is as shown in FIG.
Is a mode in which the battery is removed and charged (hereinafter, referred to as a detached charging mode). The other one, as shown in FIG.
This is a mode in which the battery pack 10 'is charged while being attached to the auxiliary power bicycle (hereinafter, referred to as an attached state charging mode).

Regardless of whether the charging mode is the detaching charging mode or the mounting charging mode, when the secondary battery in the battery pack 10 'is charged, conventionally, a dedicated charger 2 is used.
0 'is used to charge the secondary battery. That is, a power supply side plug 21 inserted into an outlet (not shown) of the commercial power supply AC100V is connected to the charger 20 ′,
Battery-side plug 2 for electrically connecting to an external connection terminal (not shown) exposed on the surface of battery pack 10 '
2 'is attached. When charging the secondary battery, the power supply-side plug 21 is inserted into a socket, and the battery-side plug 22 'is electrically connected to an external connection terminal.

[0009]

As described above, the conventional battery pack 10 'mounted (mounted) on the conventional auxiliary power bicycle has an external connection terminal for charging, which is exposed to the outside. In other words, the conventional battery pack 10 'is provided with a contact-type external connection connection terminal for charging. Since the external connection terminal is exposed to the outside, if the auxiliary power bicycle is exposed to wind and rain, the external connection terminal will rust, causing a problem in electrical contact with the battery-side plug 22 '. In addition, since the external connection terminal for charging is exposed to the outside, there is a risk of electric shock, so care must be taken during charging.

[0010] Further, since the structure of the battery pack mounted on the auxiliary power bicycle differs depending on the manufacturer or model that supplies the auxiliary power bicycle, the purchaser who purchased the auxiliary power bicycle further has a different manufacturer or model. It is also necessary to purchase a different dedicated charger 20 '. That is, there is a problem that the charger 20 'is not versatile and lacks compatibility. Therefore, the user of the auxiliary powered bicycle prepares the dedicated charger 20 'for charging the battery pack 10'.
Or carry it on an auxiliary powered bicycle,
Alternatively, it is necessary to charge the secondary battery of the battery pack 10 'to its full power capacity at home before using the auxiliary power bicycle. Therefore, it is inconvenient for the user of the auxiliary power bicycle.

Further, in the conventional charger for an auxiliary powered bicycle, since it is necessary to make electrical contact with the external connection terminal of the battery pack 10 ', an electrical contact portion of the battery side plug 22' of the charger 20 '(FIG. (Not shown) are also exposed to the outside. For this reason, the charger 20 'having such a structure is used for a bicycle parking lot, a station,
Installation in public facilities such as hospitals and schools may cause electric shock or the like, so care must be taken in handling, and it is difficult in terms of maintenance.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary power bicycle equipped with a battery pack having a structure capable of reliably charging even if it is exposed to wind and rain, a non-contact battery charger therefor, and an auxiliary bicycle. It is an object of the present invention to provide a contactless charging system for a powered bicycle.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a versatile and highly interchangeable auxiliary power bicycle, a non-contact charger therefor, and a non-contact charging system for the auxiliary power bicycle.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary power bicycle which requires no maintenance, a non-contact charger for the same, and a non-contact charging system for the auxiliary power bicycle.

[0015]

Means for Solving the Problems The present inventors have intensively studied how to solve the above-mentioned problems. As a result, the present inventors have noticed that it is only necessary to transmit electric power from the charger to the battery pack in a non-contact manner. On the other hand, the present applicant has already proposed a "cordless power station" for transmitting electric power in a non-contact manner (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-231,586). In this cordless power station, electric power is transmitted from a power transmission side to a power reception side in a non-contact manner by using electromagnetic induction.

The present inventor has thought that this cordless power station may be applied to contactlessly transmit power from a charger to a battery pack. That is, if the charger is provided with a device corresponding to the power transmission side of the cordless power station, and the battery pack is provided with a device corresponding to the power receiving side of the cordless power station, even if the battery pack is exposed to wind and rain, the problem of electrical contact is prevented. It does not need to be taken into account, is versatile, has excellent compatibility, and does not require maintenance.

That is, according to the present invention, in an auxiliary power bicycle of a type in which a battery pack containing a secondary battery is mounted and electric power supplied from the secondary battery is used as auxiliary power, the battery pack comprises: An auxiliary power bicycle is provided, comprising: a power receiving unit that receives power supplied from outside in a non-contact manner and supplies power to the secondary battery.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a non-contact charger for an auxiliary power bicycle, which is used for the auxiliary power bicycle and charges the secondary battery in the battery pack. A power transmitting unit for transmitting electric power to the power receiving unit in a non-contact manner is provided.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided an auxiliary power bicycle of a type in which a battery pack containing a secondary battery is mounted and electric power supplied from the secondary battery is used as auxiliary power. Includes a power receiving unit that receives power supplied from the outside in a non-contact manner and supplies power to the secondary battery,
A non-contact charger for an auxiliary power bicycle, which is installed on a predetermined charging stand, is used for the auxiliary power bicycle, and charges the secondary battery in the battery pack; A non-contact charger for an auxiliary power bicycle, which has a built-in power transmission unit for transmitting electric power to the power receiving unit of the battery pack in a non-contact manner. can get.

[0020]

[Function] Since non-contact power is transmitted from the non-contact battery charger for the auxiliary power bicycle to the battery pack of the auxiliary power bicycle, there is no need to take into account the problem of electrical contact even when exposed to wind and rain. It is versatile, has excellent compatibility, and can be maintenance-free.

[0021]

Next, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a battery pack 10 mounted on an auxiliary power bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a non-contact battery for charging a secondary battery 11 built in the battery pack 10 in a non-contact manner. FIG. 2 is a schematic internal perspective view showing a charger 20 in a state during charging.

The battery pack 10 is mounted on an auxiliary power bicycle as shown in FIG. The auxiliary power bicycle is a bicycle that uses electric power supplied from a secondary battery 11 built in the battery pack 10 as auxiliary power.

The battery pack 10 includes a power receiving unit 12 that receives power supplied from the outside in a non-contact manner and supplies power to the secondary battery 11 as described later. As described later, this power receiving unit 12 includes a secondary coil.

The contactless charger 20 has a commercial power supply AC10.
A power supply-side plug 21 inserted into a 0 V outlet (not shown) is attached. The contactless charger 20 is
A power transmission unit 22 that transmits power to the power reception unit 12 of the battery pack 10 in a non-contact manner is built in. Further, the non-contact charger 20 also has a built-in power supply circuit 23. Power supply circuit 2
Reference numeral 3 is connected between the power supply-side plug 21 and the power transmission unit 22 and converts power supply power of a commercial frequency (50 Hz or 60 Hz) supplied from the power supply-side plug 21 into converted power of a predetermined frequency. As described later, power transmission unit 22 includes a primary coil.

That is, the power is transmitted from the power transmitting unit 22 to the power receiving unit 12 in a non-contact manner by utilizing the electromagnetic induction generated between the primary coil of the power transmitting unit 22 and the secondary coil of the power receiving unit 12. The combination of the power transmission unit 22 and the power reception unit 12
It is called a contactless charging unit. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, when the battery pack 10 is installed in the non-contact charger 20, the distance between the primary coil and the secondary coil is 0.5 mm to
A range of about 10 mm is preferable.

FIG. 2 shows a circuit configuration of the power transmitting unit 22 and the power supply circuit 23 built in the non-contact charger 20 and the power receiving unit 12 built in the battery pack 10.

When the power supply side plug 21 is plugged into an outlet, an AC voltage having a commercial frequency of 50 Hz or 60 Hz and an effective voltage of 100 V is supplied from a power company to the contactless charger 20 via a power transmission line. .

The power transmission section 22 includes the primary coil 221 and
The primary coil 221 has a resonance capacitor 222 connected in parallel, and the primary coil 221 and the resonance capacitor 222 form a parallel resonance circuit.
On the other hand, the power supply circuit 23 includes an AC / DC converter 231 and a DC / AC converter 232. The AC / DC converter 231 and the DC / AC converter 232 convert the power supply power of the commercial frequency into the converted power of a predetermined frequency equal to the resonance frequency of the parallel resonance circuit (221, 222). The parallel resonance circuit (221, 2
The power transmission unit 22 composed of 22) functions as a transmission unit that transmits the converted power to the outside.

The power receiving unit 12 includes the secondary coil 121,
The secondary coil 121 includes a resonance capacitor 122 connected in parallel, and the secondary coil 121 and the resonance capacitor 122 form a parallel resonance circuit.
The resonance frequency of this parallel resonance circuit (121, 122) is
It is set to be equal to the resonance frequency of the parallel resonance circuit (221, 222) of the power transmission unit 22. The power receiving unit 12 further includes a rectifying diode 123 and a smoothing capacitor 12.
4 is provided. That is, the power receiving unit 12
Are connected to the power transmission unit 22.
Act as a receiving means for receiving the power from the transmitting means,
The rectifier circuits (123, 124) of the power receiving unit 12 convert the output of the receiving unit into DC power.

FIG. 3 shows a coil device 50 used as the primary coil 221 or the secondary coil 121. The coil device 50 includes a flat soft magnetic material 51 and two spiral coils 52 and 53 provided on the soft magnetic material 51. The two spiral coils 52 and 53 are connected in series such that the directions of magnetic flux at a certain moment are opposite to each other.

In the non-contact charger 20 and the battery pack 10 having the non-contact charging section unit having such a configuration, power is transmitted from the non-contact charger 20 to the battery pack 10 in a non-contact manner.

The battery pack 10 has a standardized structure regardless of the manufacturer or model that supplies the auxiliary power bicycle. By arranging the auxiliary power bicycle non-contact charger 20 at predetermined charging stations, a non-contact charging system for an auxiliary power bicycle can be constructed. The predetermined charging station is, for example, a bicycle parking lot, a station,
It may be installed in public facilities such as hospitals and schools. Thus, the purchaser (user) who has purchased the auxiliary power bicycle does not need to purchase a dedicated charger.

A machine such as a vending machine (hereinafter referred to as an automatic power supply) is installed at a predetermined charging station.
The auxiliary power bicycle non-contact charger 20 is attached to the automatic power supply device, and coins and bills are inserted (inserted) into the automatic power supply device, thereby charging only the amount of electricity (electric power amount) corresponding to the amount. What is necessary is just to make the mechanism which performs.

The battery pack 10 is a conventional battery pack 10
No external connection terminals such as' are exposed to the outside. Also, the non-contact charger 20 does not have an electrical contact portion exposed to the outside. Therefore, there is no risk of electric shock during charging, and it is possible to safely charge even a child. Furthermore, even when exposed to the elements such as wind and rain, there are no connection terminals or contact portions exposed to the outside, so that charging can be reliably performed without considering a problem of electrical contact and maintenance is not required.
In addition, by providing the battery pack 10 with a standardized structure, it is possible to provide a versatile and highly compatible auxiliary power bicycle, a non-contact charger therefor, and a non-contact charging system for the auxiliary power bicycle. I can do it.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Needless to say. For example, the resonance capacitors 222 and 122 shown in FIG. 2 may be omitted. Further, the number of coils is not limited to two, and may be one, three or more, and the connection method is not limited to the embodiment.
Further, in the above embodiment, the electric power is transmitted in a non-contact manner using a magnetic field. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the electric power may be transmitted in a non-contact manner using an electric field.

[0037]

As described above, in the auxiliary power bicycle, the non-contact charger for the same, and the non-contact charging system for the auxiliary power bicycle according to the present invention, the electric power is supplied from the non-contact charger to the battery pack in a non-contact manner. Transmission, it is not necessary to take into account electrical contact failures even when exposed to the elements such as wind and rain, and it is versatile, interchangeable, and requires no maintenance. Further, since there is no fear of electric shock, a safe non-contact charging system for an auxiliary power bicycle can be constructed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a battery pack mounted on an auxiliary power bicycle according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a non-contact charger for non-contact charging of a secondary battery built in the battery pack.
It is a schematic internal perspective view shown in the state during charge.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a circuit configuration of a power transmission unit and a power supply circuit built in a non-contact charger and a power reception unit built in a battery pack.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a coil device used as a coil constituting a power transmission unit and a power reception unit.

FIG. 4 is a view schematically showing a usage state of a conventional auxiliary power bicycle.

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a detachable charging mode in the auxiliary power bicycle shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view for explaining a wearing state charging mode in the auxiliary power bicycle shown in FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Battery pack 11 Secondary battery 12 Power receiving unit 121 Secondary coil 122 Resonant capacitor 123 Rectifier diode 124 Smoothing capacitor 20 Non-contact charger 21 Power supply side plug 22 Power transmission unit 221 Primary coil 222 Resonant capacitor 23 Power supply circuit 231 AC / DC converter 232 DC / AC converter 50 Coil device 51 Soft magnetic material 52, 53 Spiral coil

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. An auxiliary power bicycle of a type in which a battery pack containing a secondary battery is mounted and electric power supplied from the secondary battery is used as auxiliary power, the battery pack includes an externally supplied electric power. An auxiliary power bicycle, comprising: a power receiving unit that receives power from the battery in a non-contact manner and supplies power to the secondary battery. 2. The auxiliary power bicycle according to claim 1, wherein the power receiving unit includes a coil. 3. The auxiliary power bicycle according to claim 1, wherein the power receiving unit includes a flat soft magnetic material and a plurality of spiral coils provided on the soft magnetic material. 4. A non-contact charger for an auxiliary power bicycle, used for the auxiliary power bicycle according to claim 1, for charging the secondary battery in the battery pack, wherein A non-contact charger for an auxiliary power bicycle, wherein a power transmission unit for transmitting electric power to the power reception unit in a non-contact manner is built in. 5. The non-contact charger for an auxiliary powered bicycle according to claim 4, wherein the power transmission unit includes a coil. 6. The non-contact charging for an auxiliary power bicycle according to claim 4, wherein the power transmission unit includes a flat soft magnetic material and a plurality of spiral coils provided on the soft magnetic material. vessel. 7. The non-powered bicycle non-assisted bicycle according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of spiral coils are connected so that the directions of magnetic flux at a certain moment between adjacent coils are opposite to each other. Contact charger. 8. An auxiliary power bicycle of a type in which a battery pack containing a secondary battery is mounted and electric power supplied from the secondary battery is used as auxiliary power, wherein the battery pack is supplied from outside. An auxiliary power bicycle, comprising: a power receiving unit configured to receive electric power in a non-contact manner and supply power to the secondary battery; and An auxiliary power bicycle contactless charger for charging the secondary battery,
A non-contact charging system for an auxiliary power bicycle, comprising: a power transmission unit for transmitting electric power to the power receiving unit of the battery pack in a non-contact manner. 9. The power transmitting unit and the power receiving unit each include a coil, and transmit power from the power transmitting unit to the power receiving unit in a non-contact manner by using an electromagnetic induction effect generated between the coils. The non-contact charging system for an auxiliary power bicycle according to claim 8. 10. The power transmission section includes a flat power transmission side soft magnetic material and a plurality of power transmission side spiral coils provided on the power transmission side soft magnetic material. And a plurality of power-receiving-side spiral coils provided on the power-receiving-side soft magnetic material and magnetically coupled to the power-transmitting-side spiral coil. Item 9. A non-contact charging system for an auxiliary powered bicycle according to Item 8. 11. The contactless charging system for an auxiliary powered bicycle according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined charging stand is located in a bicycle parking lot. 12. The contactless charging system for an auxiliary powered bicycle according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined charging station is located in a public facility such as a station, a hospital, a school, or the like.