Electric vehicle

• US 7,116,065 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2004
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Shimizu, Norikazu, Yamagishi, Yoshihiko, Wakitani, Tsutomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Masih, Karen
• Application Number:
  US10/965,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20050088123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 318/67, 318/567, 318/560, 701/96, 180/170
• US Class Current: 318/67
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/02 comprising more than one electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/46 Series type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/22 Microcars, e.g. golf cars
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/081 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/22 Agricultural vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/41 Construction vehicles, e.g. graders, excavators
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 11/003 Electric or electronic control systems
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 11/04 by means of separate power sources
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 51/004 characterised by the transmission arrangements or mounting of transmissions in vehicles B60K17/00; gearing in general F16H
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 51/04 the driver walking
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 55/06 with tracks without ground wheels
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

An electric vehicle in which left and right electric motors respectively driving left and right transporting parts are controlled by a control part and particular turning control of the electric motors is carried out when the electric vehicle turns. The electric vehicle has a left and right pair of push-button turn switches. When one of the turn switches is operated, the control part selects a pattern from multiple preset deceleration patterns and decelerates the motor on the inside of the turn, which corresponds to the turn switch being operated, on the basis of this deceleration pattern. The electric vehicle makes turns and returns to straight-line travel optimally and smoothly and can be operated easily by an operator with no skill or experience.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle, comprising:

a machine body;

left and right transporting parts provided on the machine body for propelling the machine body;

left and right push-button type turn switches;

left and right electric motors for respectively driving the left and right transporting parts, of which electric motors the one corresponding to whichever of the left and right turn switches is being operated during a turn will be called the motor on the inside of the turn and the other will be called the motor on the outside of the turn;

a control part for controlling the left and right electric motors; and

a hand-operated target speed adjusting member for producing a target travel speed command for the left and right electric motors,

wherein the control part comprises;

inside motor deceleration pattern selecting means for, when receiving an operation signal from the left or right turn switch, selecting one deceleration pattern from among multiple different preset deceleration patterns for the motor on the inside of the turn on the basis of a target travel speed from the target speed adjusting member as of when said left or right turn switch was operated; and

inside motor deceleration control means for, only as long as said turn switch is being operated, executing deceleration control of the motor on the inside of the turn using a deceleration control value based on the selected inside motor deceleration pattern.

2. An electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control part further comprises inside motor acceleration control means for, from when it receives a control-release signal of when the left or right turn switch was released, executing acceleration control of the motor on the inside of the turn using an acceleration control value based on a preset motor acceleration pattern, and the acceleration control value is a value obtained by adding a fixed value to a minimum value of the acceleration control value that would otherwise have been assumed at the time when the control-release signal was received.

3. An electric vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a working part and a work switch for on/off-controlling this working part, the resistance to travel encountered by the left and right transporting parts differing depending on whether the working part is on or off, wherein the multiple inside motor deceleration patterns also differ according to whether the working switch is on or off and the control part selects one pattern from among the multiple inside motor deceleration patterns on the basis of a combination of an on/off-signal from the work switch and said target travel speed as of when said left or right turn switch was operated.

4. An electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control part further comprises:

outside motor deceleration pattern selecting means for, when receiving an operation signal from the left or right turn switch, selecting one pattern from among multiple different preset deceleration patterns for the motor on the outside of the turn on the basis of said target travel speed as of when said left or right turn switch was operated; and

outside motor deceleration control means for, only as long as said turn switch is being operated, executing deceleration control of the motor on the outside of the turn using a deceleration control value based on the selected outside motor deceleration pattern.

5. An electric vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the control part further comprises:

outside motor deceleration pattern selecting means for, when receiving an operation signal from the left or right turn switch, selecting one pattern from among multiple different preset deceleration patterns for the motor on the outside of the turn on the basis of said target travel speed as of when said left or right turn switch was operated; and

outside motor deceleration control means for, only as long as said turn switch is being operated, executing deceleration control of the motor on the outside of the turn using a deceleration control value based on the selected outside motor deceleration pattern.

6. An electric vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising a working part such as a snow-removing working part and a work switch for on/off-controlling this working part, the resistance to travel encountered by the left and right transporting parts differing depending on whether the working part is on or off, wherein the multiple inside motor deceleration patterns also differ according to whether the working switch is on or off and the control part selects one pattern from among the multiple inside motor deceleration patterns on the basis of a combination of an on/off-signal from the work switch and said target travel speed as of when said left or right turn switch was operated.

7. An electric vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the control part further comprises:

outside motor deceleration pattern selecting means for, when receiving an operation signal from the left or right turn switch, selecting one pattern from among multiple different preset deceleration patterns for the motor on the outside of the turn on the basis of said target travel speed as of when said left or right turn switch was operated; and

outside motor deceleration control means for, only as long as said turn switch is being operated, executing deceleration control of the motor on the outside of the turn using a deceleration control value based on the selected outside motor deceleration pattern.

8. An electric vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the control part further comprises:

outside motor deceleration pattern selecting means for, when receiving an operation signal from the left or right turn switch, selecting one pattern from among multiple different preset deceleration patterns for the motor on the outside of the turn on the basis of said target travel speed as of when said left or right turn switch was operated; and

outside motor deceleration control means for, only as long as said turn switch is being operated, executing deceleration control of the motor on the outside of the turn using a deceleration control value based on the selected outside motor deceleration pattern.

9. An electric vehicle, comprising:

a machine body;

left and right transporting parts provided on the machine body for propelling the machine body;

left and right push-button type turn switches;

left and right electric motors for respectively driving the left and right transporting parts, of which electric motors the one corresponding to whichever of the left and right turn switches is being operated during a turn will be called the motor on the inside of the turn and the other will be called the motor on the outside of the turn; and

a control part for controlling the left and right electric motors,

wherein the control part comprises;

inside motor deceleration pattern selecting means for, when receiving an operation signal from the left or right turn switch, selecting one deceleration pattern from among multiple different preset deceleration patterns for the motor on the inside of the turn on the basis of the actual speed of the motor on the inside of the turn as of when said left or right turn switch was operated; and

inside motor deceleration control means for, only as long as said turn switch is being operated, executing deceleration control of the motor on the inside of the turn using a deceleration control value based on the selected inside motor deceleration pattern.

10. An electric vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the control part further comprises inside motor acceleration control means for, from when it receives a control-release signal of when the left or right turn switch was released, executing acceleration control of the motor on the inside of the turn using an acceleration control value based on a preset motor acceleration pattern, the acceleration control value is a value obtained by adding a fixed value to a minimum value of the acceleration control value that would otherwise have been assumed at the time when the control-release signal was received.

11. An electric vehicle according to claim 9, further comprising a working part and a work switch for on/off-controlling this working part, the resistance to travel encountered by the left and right transporting parts differing depending on whether the working part is on or off, wherein the multiple inside motor deceleration patterns differ also according to whether the working switch is on or off, and the control part selects one pattern from among the multiple inside motor deceleration patterns on the basis of a combination of an on/off-signal from the work switch and said actual speed of the motor on the inside of the turn as of when said left or right turn switch was operated.

12. An electric vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the control part further comprises:

outside motor deceleration pattern selecting means for, when receiving an operation signal from the left or right turn switch, selecting one pattern from among multiple different preset deceleration patterns for the motor on the outside of the turn on the basis of the actual travel speed of the motor on the outside of the turn as of when said left or right turn switch was operated; and

outside motor deceleration control means for, only as long as said turn switch is being operated, executing deceleration control of the motor on the outside of the turn using a deceleration control value based on the selected outside motor deceleration pattern.

13. An electric vehicle according to claim 10, further comprising a working part such as a snow-removing working part and a work switch for on/off-controlling this working part, the resistance to travel encountered by the left and right transporting parts differing depending on whether the working part is on or off, wherein the multiple inside motor deceleration patterns also differ according to whether the working switch is on or off and the control part selects one pattern from among the multiple inside motor deceleration patterns on the basis of a combination of an on/off-signal from the work switch and said actual speed of the motor on the inside of the turn as of when said left or right turn switch was operated.

14. An electric vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the control part further comprises:

outside motor deceleration pattern selecting means for, when receiving an operation signal from the left or right turn switch, selecting one pattern from among multiple different preset deceleration patterns for the motor on the outside of the turn on the basis of the actual speed of the motor on the outside of the turn as of when said left or right turn switch was operated; and

outside motor deceleration control means for, only as long as said turn switch is being operated, executing deceleration control of the motor on the outside of the turn using a deceleration control value based on the selected outside motor deceleration pattern.

15. An electric vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the control part further comprises:

outside motor deceleration pattern selecting means for, when receiving an operation signal from the left or right turn switch, selecting one pattern from among multiple different preset deceleration patterns for the motor on the outside of the turn on the basis of the actual speed of the motor on the outside of the turn as of when said left or right turn switch was operated; and

outside motor deceleration control means for, only as long as said turn switch is being operated, executing deceleration control of the motor on the outside of the turn using a deceleration control value based on the selected outside motor deceleration pattern.