JPH11139368A - Bicycle generator - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To reduce the burden on a driver by adjusting the load associated with power generation according to the running state of a bicycle. SOLUTION: A generator 10 in which a rotor 10a is formed integrally with a wheel hub 9 and a stator 10b is formed integrally with an axle is provided, and a load associated with power generation of the generator is adjusted according to a running state of a bicycle. Was provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bicycle power generator, and more particularly to a technique for reducing a load on a driver by adjusting a load associated with power generation according to a running state of a bicycle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a bicycle power generator which is mounted on a bicycle and supplies electric power to lights for lighting at night is generally directly connected to a rotor of a generator (dynamo) fixed to a front fork of the bicycle. The pulley is pressed against the side surface of the tire of the front wheel, and the rotation of the front wheel is transmitted to the rotor via the pulley to rotate the rotor, thereby generating power.

[0003]

By the way, in the above-described conventional bicycle power generator, even if it is for a bicycle, a load is generated in the running of the bicycle with the operation of the dynamo, and this load is In particular, when starting or going uphill, the driver has a considerable burden.

Also, since the dynamo is electrically connected directly to the lighting light, there is a problem that the magnitude of the power generated by the dynamo directly affects the brightness of the lighting light. That is, when the amount of power generated by the dynamo is small, that is, when the bicycle speed is low, the lighting light is darkened, and when the dynamo is stopped, the dynamo does not operate at all, so the lighting light is turned off. is there.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reduce the burden on the driver by adjusting the load associated with power generation according to the running state of the bicycle.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a bicycle power generator according to the present invention is provided with a generator having a rotor integrally formed with a hub of a wheel and a stator integrally formed with an axle. Means for adjusting the load associated with the power generation of the generator according to the running state of the bicycle.

Therefore, it is possible to adjust the load associated with power generation so as not to burden the driver according to the running state of the bicycle.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the bicycle power generator according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the bicycle 1 comprises a frame 2, a handle 3, a chain wheel 4, a crank 5, pedals 6, 6, a front wheel 7, a rear wheel 8, and the like.

A power generator 10 is built in the hub 9 of the front wheel 7. That is, since the generator 10 has a known structure, its detailed description and illustration are omitted, but as schematically shown in FIG. 1, the hub 9 and the rotor 10 a are attached to an axle (not shown) of the front wheel 7. Stator 10b
Are formed integrally with each other. Therefore, with the rotation of the front wheel 7, the rotor 10a
b around which power is generated.

An illumination lamp 12 is fixed to a front fork 11 that supports the front wheel 7. For example, a detection target attached to a hub 9 of the front wheel 7 and a detection unit provided on the front fork 11. A speed sensor 13 for detecting the rotation speed of the front wheel 7 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, the rotation of the chain wheel 4, that is, the pedal 6,
A pedal sensor 14 for detecting the rotation of the crank 6 is provided. The crank 5 is provided with a torque sensor 15 for detecting the strength of the torque applied to the crank 5 by detecting, for example, a twist of a crankshaft (not shown). I have.
An inclination sensor 16 for detecting the inclination of the bicycle 1 in the front-rear direction is provided at an appropriate position on the frame 2.

A control box 18 is attached to the top tube 17 of the frame 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the control box 18 includes a speed detection circuit 19, a load detection circuit 20, a charge / discharge control circuit 21, a rectifier circuit 22, a storage device 23 composed of an electric double-layer capacitor or a rechargeable battery, and the like. doing.

The speed detecting circuit 19 includes the speed sensor 13
From the signal from the pedal sensor 14, and whether or not the pedal is rotating and the rotational speed thereof based on the signal input from the pedal sensor 14, and fill the result.
This is output to the discharge control circuit 21.

The load detecting circuit 20 includes the torque sensor 1
5 and an input from the inclination sensor 16 to detect whether a load is applied to the rotation of the crank 5, that is, whether or not the driver feels a burden on depressing the pedals 6, 6. It is determined whether or not the bicycle 1 is approaching an uphill when the load is applied to the rotation of the rotation of the fifth rotation, and is determined whether or not the bicycle 1 is approaching a downward slope when the load is not applied. Then, the results are output to the charge / discharge control circuit 21.

The charge / discharge control circuit 21 obtains various detection results of the speed detection circuit 19 and the load detection circuit 20, and charges / discharges the battery 23 under specific conditions as described later.
It performs a certain operation of controlling discharge, activation / deactivation of the generator 10, and whether or not the generator 10 is short-circuited to function as a regenerative brake.

A power output terminal 24 is provided at the control box 18 or at an appropriate place on the bicycle 1. The power supply output terminal 24 is used to output the electric power generated by the generator 10 or the electric power stored in the electric storage device 23 when the bicycle 1 is running or stopped, in addition to the lighting lamp 12, to an external device directly connected to the lighting lamp 12, For example, a cassette player,
It can be supplied to portable televisions, navigation systems and the like.

As shown in FIG. 2, a relay 25 whose on / off operation is controlled by a charge / discharge control circuit 21 is provided between the generator 10 and the rectifier circuit 22. The generator 10 has its output line connected between plus and minus via a relay 26 and a resistor 27 therebetween. A lighting switch 28 is provided between the illumination lamp 12 and the charge / discharge control circuit 21.

Then, as shown in FIG.
As described above, the control box 18 including various circuits and the various sensors 13, 14, 15, 16 and the like constitute the bicycle power generator 29.

Next, the operation of the bicycle power generator 29 of the present invention will be described.

The specific running conditions of the bicycle 1 that affect the operation of the bicycle power generator 29 in various running states of the bicycle 1 are as follows.

(Condition 1) When the speed of the bicycle 1 is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed V1 (for example, 10 km / hour), (Condition 2) when the speed of the bicycle 1 is equal to or higher than V1. 3) When the bicycle 1 is approaching uphill, (Condition 4) when the bicycle 1 is approaching downhill, and (Condition 5) when decelerating the bicycle 1.

The recognition of the above (condition 1) is performed simply by receiving a signal from the speed sensor 13 and transmitting the speed of the bicycle 1 to the charge / discharge control circuit 21 by the speed detection circuit 19. And the running state of the bicycle 1 is (condition 1)
2, the charge / discharge control circuit 21 stops the power generation operation of the generator 10 by turning off the relay 25 and eliminates the load generated by operating the generator 10 as shown in FIG. To do. In other words, when the bicycle 1 is at a low speed equal to or lower than V1, the bicycle 1 is frequently used when the bicycle 1 starts moving from a stopped state and accelerates to a certain speed. To do that.

The recognition of (condition 2) is similar to the case of (condition 1), and the speed detection circuit 19 receives the signal from the speed sensor 13 and transmits the speed of the bicycle 1 to the charge / discharge control circuit 21. This is done by: When the running state of the bicycle 1 satisfies (condition 2), that is, when the speed is equal to or higher than V1, the charge / discharge control circuit 21 turns on the relay 25 to cause the generator 10 to perform the power generation operation. . That is, when the speed of the bicycle 1 is equal to or higher than V1, the inertia associated with the speed also acts. This is because, even when a load accompanying the power generation operation is applied, the burden on the driver is lower than when the speed is equal to or lower than V1.

(Condition 3) is determined by the load detection circuit 20
However, the torque sensor 15 receives a signal indicating that a heavy load is applied to the crankshaft (that is, the pedals 6, 6), and the tilt sensor 16 receives a signal indicating that the bicycle 1 is tilted in the front-rear direction. Will be When the running state of the bicycle 1 falls under (condition 3), that is, when the load detection circuit 20 transmits a signal to the charge / discharge control circuit 21 that the bicycle 1 has reached an uphill, The discharge control circuit 21 turns off the relay 25 to stop the power generation operation of the generator 10 so as to eliminate the load during running of the bicycle 1 caused by operating the generator 10. That is, also in this case, as in the case of the above (Condition 1), when the generator 10 is operated on an uphill, the load on the driver is further increased by this load.

(Condition 4) is determined by the load detection circuit 20
However, the torque sensor 15 receives a signal indicating that a load is hardly applied to the crankshaft (that is, the pedals 6, 6), and the tilt sensor 16 receives a signal indicating that the bicycle 1 is tilted in the front-rear direction. Will be When the running state of the bicycle 1 falls under (condition 4), that is, when the load detection circuit 20 transmits a signal indicating that the bicycle 1 has reached a downhill to the charge / discharge control circuit 21, The discharge control circuit 21 turns on the relay 25,
Alternatively, when the power is already on, the power generation operation of the power generator 10 is started by continuing the on state, or is continued. In other words, on a downhill, the bicycle 1 can run by inertia, so that the driver does not need to step on the pedals 6, 6 at all, or even if he needs to step on the pedals 6, 6, This is because the load on the driver hardly changes even if the power generating operation of the generator 10 is performed because there is almost no burden on stepping.

(Condition 5) is determined by the speed detection circuit 19
Receives a signal from the speed sensor 13 that the running speed of the bicycle 1 is decreasing and the pedal sensor 1
5 by receiving a signal that the pedals 6, 6 are almost not rotating. And bicycle 1
When the traveling state of (1) corresponds to (condition 5), the charge / discharge control circuit 21 turns off the relay 25 and turns on the relay 26. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the output terminals of the generator 10 are short-circuited, and the resistance associated with rotating the rotor of the generator 10 increases. That is, the generator 10 acts as a so-called regenerative brake, It functions as an auxiliary brake of the mechanical brake of the bicycle 1 and effectively works for deceleration of the bicycle 1. As described above, in addition to automatically using the generator 10 as the auxiliary brake, the use or non-use of the auxiliary brake may be manually determined by the driver.

As described above, in the bicycle power generator 29, the load detection circuit 20 detects that the bicycle 1 is tilted in the front-rear direction by the tilt sensor 16, and the detection result of the torque sensor 15 Taking into account
The bicycle 1 detects that the bicycle 1 is approaching an uphill or a downhill, and turns on / off the power generation operation of the generator 10. However, the torque sensor 16 alone causes a strong load on the crankshaft. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the power generation operation of the generator 10 is turned on / off by detecting whether or not the power is being applied, that is, whether or not the driver has a great burden in pressing the pedals 6, 6. Conceivable.

In addition to using the generator 10 as a regenerative brake when the bicycle 1 is decelerated to act as an auxiliary brake, when the bicycle is decelerated, the generator 10 continues the power generation operation until it stops irrespective of the speed. It is also conceivable to use the load associated with this power generation operation as the braking force.

In the above (condition 1) and (condition 3), when the generator 10 is not generating power, power is supplied to the outside when the lighting lamp 12 is turned on or from the power output terminal 24. When the power is on, the charge / discharge control circuit 21 supplies power from the battery 23 to them.

[0031]

As is apparent from the above description, the bicycle power generator according to the present invention is provided with a generator in which the rotor is formed integrally with the hub of the wheel and the stator is formed integrally with the axle. Since the means for adjusting the load associated with the power generation of the generator according to the running state of the bicycle is provided, the load associated with the power generation can be adjusted according to the running state of the bicycle so as not to burden the driver.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the load associated with power generation or the load is increased by short-circuiting the output terminals to make the generator function as a braking device. The deceleration can be performed more reliably, and safety can be further improved.

According to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, the generated electric power is stored in the storage battery, so that the lighting can be performed regardless of the running state of the bicycle and the operation / non-operation of the generator. Lamp can always be turned on with a constant illuminance.

Further, according to the present invention, the running state of the bicycle is determined by detecting the speed of the bicycle, the rotational speed of the pedal, and the like, and the load on the driver and the braking force are determined. Is adjusted, so that the load associated with power generation can be adjusted in more detail according to the running state of various bicycles so as not to burden the driver.

Further, according to the inventions described in claims 8 and 9, a power supply output terminal for supplying the electric power stored in the battery and the electric power generated by the generator to the outside is provided. The electric power generated by the electric machine and the electric power stored in the battery can be used for multiple purposes.

It should be noted that the specific shapes and structures of the respective parts shown in the above-described embodiment are merely examples for embodying the present invention, and the technical features of the present invention are not limited thereto. The scope should not be construed as limiting.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an entire bicycle on which a bicycle power generation device of the present invention is mounted.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a bicycle power generator according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the bicycle power generation device according to the present invention in association with traveling of a bicycle in relation to time, speed, and power generation amount.

[Description of Signs] 1 ... Bicycle, 9 ... Hub, 10 ... Generator, 10a ... Rotor, 10b ... Stator, 12 ... Lighting lamp, 23 ... Electric storage, 24 ... Power output terminal, 29 ... Bicycle power generator

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A bicycle power generator for generating power along with rotation of a wheel of a bicycle and supplying the power to a lighting lamp or the like, wherein a rotor is formed integrally with a hub of the wheel, and a stator is formed on an axle. A generator integrally formed with the bicycle, and means for adjusting a load associated with power generation of the generator according to a running state of the bicycle. 2. The generator according to claim 1, wherein a load associated with power generation or a short circuit between output terminals increases the load so that the generator functions as a braking device.
A power generator for a bicycle according to claim 1. 3. The bicycle generator according to claim 1, wherein the generated electric power is stored in a storage device. 4. The bicycle generator according to claim 2, wherein the generated electric power is stored in a storage device. 5. The bicycle according to claim 2, wherein a running state of the bicycle is determined by detecting a speed of the bicycle, a rotation speed of a pedal, and the like, and a load and a braking force on the driver are adjusted.
A power generator for a bicycle according to claim 1. 6. The bicycle running state is determined by detecting a bicycle speed, a pedal rotation speed, and the like, and a load on a driver and a braking force are adjusted.
A power generator for a bicycle according to claim 1. 7. The bicycle according to claim 4, wherein a running state of the bicycle is determined by detecting a speed of the bicycle, a rotation speed of a pedal, and the like, and a load and a braking force on the driver are adjusted.
A power generator for a bicycle according to claim 1. 8. The bicycle power generator according to claim 3, further comprising a power output terminal for supplying power stored in the battery and power generated by the generator to the outside. 9. The bicycle power generator according to claim 4, further comprising a power supply output terminal for supplying power stored in the battery and power generated by the generator to the outside.