Patent Publication Number: US-2021179158-A1

Title: Electric board that can switch between automatic and manual operation

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0165953 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Dec. 12, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present disclosure relates to an electric board that can switch between automatic and manual operation. In detail, the present disclosure relates to an electric board configured to cut off or reapply electric power applied to an electronic brake through an operation of a lever. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     An electric board may mean a small vehicle driven by a motor while having a simple structure such as an electric wagon, an electric kickboard, an electric wheel, or an electric skateboard. 
     Therefore, it is difficult to operate the electric board only by manual power of a person while electricity is applied, and if the electric board needs to be moved only by manual power of a user while being driven, it may be troublesome to turn off a power source of the electric board. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a function of cutting off or applying electric power applied to an electronic brake built into a motor through a lever provided in the motor of an electric board. This allows a user to automatically or manually drive the electric board. 
     In an electric board that can switch between automatic and manual operation according to an example of the present disclosure to solve the technical problems described above, the electric board includes: a frame configured to accommodate an occupant; a plurality of wheels being coupled to a base plate and moving the electric board; a plurality of motors respectively installed on the wheels; and a lever coupled directly to the motor and configured to manually cut off electric power applied to the motor through an operation of a user. When the electric power applied to an electronic brake provided in the motor is cut off by the lever, an operation of the electronic brake which controls a gearwheel of the motor by the electric power is stopped, and the electric board is configured to be converted into a state of being controlled by manual power of the user. 
     In addition, the electric board may further include a base plate coupled to a lower end of the frame; and a bracket for connecting and fixing the wheels and the motors to the base plate. 
     In addition, the lever may extend to a predetermined length, may be formed to be parallel to the base plate, and may be operated by being tilted up and down. 
     In addition, the bracket may be configured of a first bracket for connecting the wheel to one side of a lower surface of the base plate and a second bracket for coupling the motor coupled to the wheel, to an inside of the lower surface of the base plate. 
     In addition, the lever may have a structure that avoids the bracket and a shaft fixing portion for fixing the first bracket and the wheel. 
     In addition, the lever may be configured by coupling a first extension portion extending to a predetermined length rearward the electric board, a vertical extension portion formed to a predetermined length in the other side of the first extension portion in a vertical direction to avoid the first bracket and the shaft fixing portion, and a second extension portion extending to a predetermined length at an end of the vertical extension portion rearward the electric board and being provided with a handle of the user. 
     In addition, the motor may be coupled to the wheel by the second bracket, a shaft of the motor may be provided with a gearwheel of a predetermined form, an inner ring of the wheel may be provided with an internal gear of a form corresponding to that of the gearwheel to couple the wheel in an in-wheel structure. 
     In addition, a battery groove having a predetermined size may be formed in one region of an upper surface or a lower surface of the base plate. 
     In addition, a battery of which a size corresponds to the size of the battery groove may be attached or detached to or from the battery groove, and the battery groove may have a structure to which the battery is attached, to apply electric power to the motor. 
     In addition, a locking member may be formed in one side surface of an inside of the battery groove to prevent the battery from being detached therefrom when the battery is coupled. 
     In addition, when the lever is formed to be coupled to any one of the base plate and the battery groove, the lever may be formed in a structure in which the electric power applied to the motor is cut off or supplied based on an operation of the user. 
     In addition, the frame may be configured of a rim-shaped first frame surrounding the occupant and a plurality of second frames provided in a side portion of the base plate and fixing the first frame to a predetermined height from an upper surface of the base plate. 
     In addition, the electric board may further include a canopy angle adjustment portion provided in a pair at a position of the first frame corresponding to a center position of the side surface of the electric board; and a canopy coupled to the canopy angle adjustment portion. 
     In addition, the canopy may be folded or unfolded by the canopy angle adjustment portion, and when the canopy is folded, the canopy may be flipped toward any one of a front portion or a rear portion of the first frame. 
     In addition, the canopy close to one side of the first frame may be formed to correspond to a shape of one side of the first frame based on the canopy angle adjustment portion. 
     In addition, the electric board may be any one of an electric wagon, an electric kickboard, an electric wheel, and an electric skateboard driven by a motor. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, it is possible to implement a function of cutting off or applying the electric power applied to the electronic brake built into the motor through the lever provided in the motor of the electric board. Therefore, the user can operate the electric board automatically or manually. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  is a side view of an electric board that can switch between automatic and manual operation according to an example of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of the electric board that can switch between automatic and manual operation according to an example of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating a bottom surface of a base plate according to an example of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the base plate according to an example of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating an upper surface of the base plate according to an example of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5A  is a side view of the electric board for explaining a canopy according to an example of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5B  is a side view of the electric board for explaining a canopy according to an example of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5C  is a front view of a canopy angle adjustment device according to an example of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT 
     Hereinafter, examples of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure may be modified in various different forms and is not limited to the examples described here. In the drawings, portions irrelevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly describe the present disclosure, and like reference numerals designate like portions throughout the specification. 
     Throughout the specification, when a portion is “connected” to another portion, it includes not only “directly connected” but also “electrically connected” with another element interposed therebetween. In addition, when a portion is said to “include” a certain configuration element, which means that it may further include the certain configuration element, without excluding other configuration elements, unless specifically stated otherwise. It is to be understood that the present disclosure does not exclude a presence or a possibility of adding of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, configuration elements, partial components, or combinations thereof. 
     The following examples are detailed description to aid the understanding of the present disclosure, and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the disclosure of a same scope performing a same function as that of the present disclosure will also fall within the scope of the present disclosure. 
     In addition, the ‘electric board’ referred to in the present specification may refer to any one of an electric wagon, an electric kickboard, an electric wheel, and an electric skateboard driven by a motor. Therefore, a shape and a detailed name of the electric board does not limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
       FIG. 1A  is a side view of an electric board that can switch between automatic and manual operation according to an example of the present disclosure. 
       FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of the electric board that can switch between automatic and manual operation according to an example of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the electric board may include a first frame  100   a , second frames  100   b , a base plate  200 , wheels  300 , and a canopy unit  700 . 
     As described above, the ‘electric board’ refers to vehicle means driven by a motor, but for the sake of easy description of the present disclosure, the electric board referred to in the present specification will be described based on a shape of a stroller. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, a lever is provided in the motor of the electric board, so that a user can cut off electric power applied to an electronic brake provided in the motor by operating the lever. 
     In this case, when the electric power is cut off by the lever, the electronic brake for controlling a gearwheel of the motor is stopped, and the electric board is switched to a state of being controlled by manual power of the user. 
     Therefore, in a case in which the lever is operated to a state in which the electric power is applied to the electronic brake, the electric board can be operated only by driving of the motor, and in this state, the user does not move the electric board even if the user pushes the electric board. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, the frame may be configured in a form that can accommodate an occupant. 
     Therefore, the frame may be configured of the rim-shaped first frame  100   a  surrounding the occupant and a plurality of the second frames  100   b  provided in a side surface portion of the base plate  200  to fix the first frame  100   a  to a predetermined height from an upper surface of the base plate  200 . 
     In this case, the first frame  100   a  and the second frame  100   b  may be provided with walls that serve as outer walls, and a seat on which the occupant is sitting may be further provided in an inside of the frame. If the base plate  200  has a form corresponding to a shape of a bottom surface of the electric board, the seat may be omitted. 
     In addition, in a case in which the electric board has a purpose other than the stroller and a shape corresponding thereto, accessories fitted thereto may be provided in the frame. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, the base plate  200  is coupled to a lower end of the frame, and a battery, a motor, a control unit, and the like may be coupled thereto. 
     Therefore, the base plate  200  may have various shapes, that is, the base plate  200  may have a shape corresponding to the lower surface of the electric board or may be implemented in a shape corresponding to one region of the lower surface of the electric board to be coupled to the second frame  100   b.    
     According to an example of the present disclosure, the wheel  300  may be coupled to the base plate  200  or the frame. In addition, one or a plurality of the wheels  300  may be provided in order to move the electric board. 
     Positions where the wheels  300  are provided may generally be both sides of the electric board, and some of the wheels  300  may be coupled to the motor to be rotated. 
     In this case, a size or a shape of the wheel  300  provided in the electric board can be applied in various ways depending on a structure of the electric board, and the plurality of the wheels  300  provided in the same electric board can also have different shapes or sizes as necessary. Therefore, in the present disclosure of the present application, the shape of the wheel  300  provided in the electric board does not limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, the canopy unit  700  may be configured of a canopy frame and a blocking sheet (not illustrated) which is coupled to the canopy frame to cover an open upper portion of the electric board. 
     In this case, the blocking sheet of the canopy unit  700  may be made of a flexible material such as cloth, vinyl, or plastic, and maintains its shape through the frame. 
     In addition, the canopy unit  700  may have a structure that freely flips the canopy frame forward or rearward the electric board. By opening the upper portion of the electric board or unfolding the frame of the canopy unit  700  by driving a motor, it is possible to cover one region of the open upper portion of the electric board. 
     Although not illustrated in the drawings, as a further example, a control unit for driving the electric board may be fur provided. The control unit may be provided in a handle formed in the first frame  100   a  or may be provided in a separate wired/wireless controller to control the electric board. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating a bottom surface of the base plate according to an example of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a battery groove  210 , the wheel  300 , an inner gearwheel  310 , a motor  400 , a bracket  500 , and a lever  600  may be confirmed on the bottom surface of the base plate  200 . 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, the battery groove  210  may be provided in a shape of a groove having a predetermined size in one region of the upper surface or the lower surface of the base plate. 
     In this case, when the battery is a detachable form, the battery groove  210  is formed to correspond to the shape of the detachable battery, and a position of the battery groove  210  may be formed in a region of the base plate  200  in which the user can be easily attach or detach the battery. 
     In this case, a configuration included in the battery groove  210  will be further described with reference to  FIG. 4  which is described later. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, the motor  400  is installed on each wheel  300 , and rotates the coupled wheel  300  through the electric power applied from the battery. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, the inner gearwheel  310  refers to a gearwheel in a shape of an internal gear formed on an inner ring of the wheel  300 . 
     In this case, the motor  400  is coupled to the wheel  300  by the bracket  500 , a shaft (not illustrated) of the motor  400  is provided with a predetermined gear wheel, to be coupled to the inner gearwheel  310 . 
     Therefore, the inner gearwheel  310  is provided in a shape corresponding to that of the gearwheel provided in the motor  400 , so that the motor  400  and the wheel  300  are coupled in an in-wheel structure. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, the bracket  500  may serve to connect and fix the wheel  300  and the motor  400  to the base plate  200 . 
     In this case, the bracket  500  serves to couple the wheel  300  and the motor  400  to the base plate  200 , respectively, and the description of such a structure will be given with reference to  FIG. 3  which is described later. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, the lever  600  may be directly coupled to the motor  400  to manually cut off or reapply the electric power applied to the electronic brake of the motor  400  through an operation of the user. 
     In this case, the lever  600  may be configured to be extended to a predetermined length, formed to be parallel to the base plate  200 , and operated by a method of being inclined up and down. 
     As described above, the user may cut off the electric power applied to the electronic brake according to an operation of the lever  600 . In this case, if the electronic brake does not operate, the user can drive the electric board only by a force of the user for holding and pushing the frame or the handle of the electric board. 
       FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the base plate according to an example of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the bracket  500 , the lever  600 , and a wheel fixing portion  320  for fixing the bracket  500  and the wheel  300  can be confirmed in the bottom surface of the base plate  200 . 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, the bracket  500  may be configured of a first bracket  510  for connecting the wheel  300  to one side of the lower surface of the base plate  200  and a second bracket  520  for coupling the motor  400  coupled to the motor  400 , to an inside of the lower surface of the base plate  200 . 
     In this case, the shaft fixing portion  320  may be provided to couple the wheel  300  to the first bracket  510 , and to prevent the wheel  300  from being disassembled during rotation. 
     Therefore, the lever  600  may be formed in a structure that avoids the bracket  500  and the shaft fixing portion  320 . 
     In this case, in order to have a structure that avoids the bracket  500  and the shaft fixing portion  320 , the bracket  500  may be configured of a first extension portion  610 , a vertical extension portion  620 , and a second extension portion  630 . 
     First, the first extension portion  610  may be provided in a shape in which one side thereof is coupled to the motor  400  and extends to a predetermined length rearward the electric board. 
     In addition, the vertical extension portion  620  is formed on the other side of the first extension portion  610  in a vertical direction and may be formed to have a predetermined length to avoid the first bracket  510  and the shaft fixing portion  320 . 
     Finally, the second extension portion may be provided in a shape to extend to a predetermined length rearward the electric board at an end of the vertical extension portion  620 . 
     In this case, the second extension portion may be provided with a handle  631 , so that the user can grip the lever. 
     In a further example, the lever  600  is not provided in the shape of tilting up and down but the lever  600  may be provided in a shape of being pulled or pushed forward or rearward. 
     In a yet further example, in a case in which the lever  600  is not coupled to the motor  400  but is provided in another region of the electric board, the lever  600  may have a shape different from that described above. For example, in a case in which the lever  600  is provided in the control unit, the lever  600  is not in a shape of a lever but is provided in a shape of a button to cut off the electric power applied to the electronic brake of the motor  400 . 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating the top surface of the base plate according to an example of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a battery  220  coupled to the battery groove  210  and a locking member  230  for fixing the battery  220  may be formed on the upper surface of the base plate  200 . 
     When the battery  220  may be implemented as a detachable battery so as to be mounted on the battery groove  210  and capable of being replaced with another battery by releasing the locking at an end of its life. 
     In addition, the locking member  230  may be formed on one side surface of the battery groove  210 , and when the battery  220  is coupled, the locking member  230  may be formed in a structure to prevent the battery from being detached. For example, the locking member  230  may be provided in a form of a latch as illustrated in the drawing or may be provided in a form of a cover corresponding to the open surface of the battery groove  210 . 
     Therefore, the form of the locking member  230  does not limit the scope of the present disclosure, and in a further example, in a case in which there is an electric charging structure, a separate charging cord may be further provided. 
     In addition, in a further example, the lever  600  described above may be coupled to the battery groove  210 . Based on an operation of the lever  600 , the electric power of the battery  220  coupled to the battery groove  210  can be cut off from being applied to the outside. This may be a method of electrically cutting off the application of the electric power to the battery  220  or may be a method of physically cutting off the electric power by inserting the lever  600  between the battery groove  210  and the battery  220 . In such a case, the user can operate the electric board by manual power by directly cutting off the electric power applied to the motor  400 , rather than cutting off the electric power applied to the electronic brake. 
       FIGS. 5A and 5B  are side views of the electric board for explaining the canopy according to an example of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5A and 5B , the canopy unit  700  may be constituted of a canopy frame  710  and a canopy angle adjustment portion  720 . 
     First, the canopy angle adjustment portion  720  may be provided in a pair at a position of the first frame  100   a  corresponding to a center position of the side surface of the electric board. 
     In this case, the canopy frame  710  is coupled to the canopy angle adjustment portion  720 , and the canopy unit  700  can be folded or unfolded through an operation of the canopy angle adjustment portion  720 . 
     For example, the canopy frame  710  serves as a grate of a window, and when the canopy unit  700  is folded, the canopy frame  710  can be flipped in the forward direction (for example,  FIG. 5A ) or the rearward direction (for example,  FIG. 5B ) of the first frame  100   a.    
     In this case, the flipped surface of the canopy frame  710  has a shape corresponding to the shape of one side of the first frame  100   a . For example, when the canopy unit  700  is fully unfolded, a blocking sheet may be formed to cover one region of the first frame  100   a  based on the canopy angle adjustment portion  720 . On the contrary, when the canopy unit  700  is folded and flipped back, the upper portion of the electric board is completely opened. 
       FIG. 5C  is a front view of a canopy angle adjustment device according to an example of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5C , the canopy angle adjustment portion  720  may be configured of a first coupling portion  721 , a rotation portion  722 , and a second coupling portion  723 . 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, the first coupling portion  721  can be coupled to the canopy frame  710 . 
     In this case, the number of the first coupling portions  721  may be provided to correspond to the shape (number of frames serving as a grate of the blocking sheet) provided in the canopy frame  710 . 
     In addition, one side of each of the plurality of first coupling portions  721  may be coupled through the rotation portion  722 , and each canopy frame  710  can move about the rotation portion  722 . 
     For example, in a case in which the angle between the two first coupling portions  721  illustrated in the drawing is minimized, the blocking sheet provided in the canopy unit  700  is folded. On the contrary, when the angle between the two first coupling portions  721  is maximized, the blocking sheet of the canopy unit  700  is fully unfolded. In addition, when the entire first coupling portions  721  are rotated in a clockwise direction by the rotation portion  722 , the canopy performs light blocking in one direction. In addition, when the entire first coupling portions  721  are rotated in a counterclockwise direction, the canopy performs light blocking in a direction opposite to the one direction. In other words, in the present disclosure, the canopy is nut folded and unfolded in a state in which the position of the canopy is fixed at a position like a general stroller, but the canopy itself is allowed to be rotated left or right by the rotation portion  722  (see the positions of the canopy frame  710  of  FIGS. 5 a  and 5 b   ). In this case, when a child boarding on the electric board (or the electric wagon) is sitting in the left side, the canopy can be moved in the left direction to block the light, and when the child is sitting in the right side, the canopy can be moved in the opposite direction, that is, in the right direction to block the light. 
     In addition, the first coupling portion  721  positioned in any one of the left direction and right direction can be moved in the direction of the first frame  100   a  which is closest thereto. This allows the blocking sheet to freely fold or unfold forward or rearward the electric board. 
     For example, the first coupling portion  721  close to the front side of the electric board is flipped forward to be fixed and then the first coupling portion  721  close to the rear side is unfolded or folded, and thereby the blocking sheet can be formed in front of the electric board. On the other hand, in a case in which the two first coupling portions  721  are each unfolded to have a same angle from the first frame  100   a , the blocking sheet may be formed at the center of the electric board. 
     Finally, the second coupling portion  723  may be used for coupling the canopy angle adjustment portion  720  to the first frame  100   a.    
     Therefore, the canopy unit  700  is fixed to the electric board, and in a further example, the second coupling portion  723  is formed in a structure that is separated from the first frame  100   a , so that the canopy unit  700  can also be separated from the electric board if necessary. 
     The foregoing description of the present disclosure is intended for illustration, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be easily modified in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that the examples described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each configuration element described as a single type may be implemented in a separated manner, and similarly, configuration elements described as separated may be implemented in a coupled form. 
     The scope of the present disclosure is illustrated by the following claims rather than the above description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents should be construed as being included in the scope of the present disclosure. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                   
               
               
                 &lt;Description of symbols&gt; 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                 100a: first frame 
                 100b: second frame 
               
               
                   
                 200: base plate 
                 300: wheel 
               
               
                   
                 400: motor 
                 500: bracket 
               
               
                   
                 600: lever 
                 700: canopy unit