Electric golf cart

• US 8,005,586 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2008
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Satoshi, Miki, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sample; Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US11/971,798
• Publication Number:
  US 20080183347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/22 Microcars, e.g. golf cars
• 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 golf cart that repeatedly travels around a given course of golf links is powered by a driving motor supplied with electric power from a driving battery. The electric golf cart is provided with a travel distance integrating unit, a memory, a battery charge and discharge integrating unit, and a discharge-per-course calculating unit. Mapping data is stored in the memory, which mapping data defines the relationship between the distance that the electric golf cart travels and the number of rounds that the electric golf cart has traveled. The number of rounds that the electric golf cart has traveled is calculated by the discharge-per-course calculating unit based on the travel distance obtained by the travel distance integrating unit along with the mapping data. Then, the number of rounds obtained and the discharge calculated by the battery charge and discharge integrating unit are utilized to identify the discharge of the driving battery per course.

Claims

1. An electric golf cart arranged to be powered by a motor supplied with electric power from a battery, the electric golf cart comprising:

a travel distance calculator arranged to calculate a travel distance over which the electric golf cart has traveled;

a memory arranged to store pre-generated mapping data defining a relationship between the travel distance of the electric golf cart and a number of rounds of golf on a golf course that the electric golf cart has traveled;

a discharge calculator arranged to calculate a battery discharge;

a discharge-per-unit-round calculator arranged to calculate a discharge-per-round of the battery based on the battery discharge obtained by the discharge calculator and the number of rounds of golf on the golf course the electric golf cart has traveled, the number of rounds of golf on the golf course the electric golf cart has traveled being calculated based on the travel distance obtained by the travel distance calculator and the pre-generated mapping data;

a maximum battery capacity calculator arranged to calculate a maximum battery capacity of the battery based on the battery discharge calculated by the discharge calculator and a current-voltage characteristic mapping data of the battery; and

a remaining battery capacity calculator arranged to calculate a remaining battery capacity of the battery based on the maximum battery capacity and to calculate the number of rounds of golf on the golf course that the electric golf cart can travel with the remaining battery capacity of the battery based on the remaining battery capacity and the discharge-per-round of the battery calculated by the discharge-per-unit-round calculator;

wherein

the maximum battery capacity is updated and stored in the memory when the remaining battery capacity reaches a predetermined threshold value.

2. The electric golf cart according to claim 1, further comprising:

a notifying system arranged to calculate, using the discharge calculator, a discharge over a period from a state in which the battery was charged to the maximum battery capacity to another state in which the remaining battery capacity of the battery reaches the predetermined threshold;

wherein

the notifying system makes a notification when the calculated discharge becomes equal to or less than a discharge required for the electric golf cart to travel through a given number of rounds of golf on the golf course.

3. The electric golf cart according to claim 1, wherein the discharge-per-round is an average over a predetermined number of rounds of golf on the golf course of the discharge-per-round calculated by the discharge-per-unit-round calculator.

4. The electric golf cart according to claim 3, further comprising:

a notifying system arranged to calculate, using the discharge calculator, a discharge over a period from a state in which the battery was charged to the maximum battery capacity to another state in which the remaining battery capacity of the battery reaches the predetermined threshold;

wherein

the notifying system makes a notification when the calculated discharge becomes equal to or less than a discharge required for the electric golf cart to travel through a given number of rounds of golf on the golf course.