GB2375745A

GB2375745A - Speed control of an electrically-powered pedestrian-operated vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2375745A
Application number: GB0112598A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Hayes Jackson; Russ Critcher; Derek John Slaughter
Original assignee: TROLLTECH Ltd
Current assignee: TROLLTECH Ltd
Priority date: 2001-05-24
Filing date: 2001-05-24
Publication date: 2002-11-27
Also published as: GB0112598D0

Abstract

A control for use with an electrically powered vehicle operated by a pedestrian, for example a golf trolley 4, invalid chair or supermarket trolley, causes it to move at a speed corresponding to the walking speed of the pedestrian. The control has a detector means in the form of a spring-centred slidable sleeve 16 which, when a pedestrian gripping it starts to walk, makes or breaks a circuit to a motor of the electrically-powered vehicle to thereby cause the vehicle to move and accelerate to a speed corresponding to that of the pedestrian, and when the pedestrian slows down or stops walking causes the vehicle to decelerate to a speed corresponding to that of the pedestrian or to stop.

Description

IMPROVED SPEED CONTROL This invention is concerned with improvements in or relating to a speed control for an electrically powered vehicle and is particularly, though not exclusively, concerned with an improved speed control for an electrically powered golf trolley.

The conveyance of golf clubs around a golf course is an arduous chore and while there are many aids to reduce the hardship of this chore, for example, the electrically powered golf trolley, it is not always possible to control the speed at which the golf trolley is propelled.

This may cause the user to become disenchanted with the product and to rely on muscle power alone for the chore. In other instances the powered golf trolley may run away with its user who finds it difficult to keep up with the trolley or to control the speed thereof.

Other proposals for reducing the effort required for the conveyance of golf clubs around a golf course have included a trolley that can be hitched onto a belt worn by the golfer or caddie.

Such proposals have led to unseemly accidents where the user stops walking or stumbles on a slope and the trolley continues to move.

It is thus one of the objects of the present invention to provide an improved speed control for use with an electrically powered vehicle.

Therefore, the present invention conveniently provides a speed control for use with an electrically powered vehicle operated by a pedestrian, the vehicle, when in use, being caused to move at a speed corresponding to the walking speed of the pedestrian, characterised in that the speed control comprises a detector means operation of which, when a pedestrian starts to walk, makes or breaks a circuit to a motor of the electrically powered vehicle to thereby cause the vehicle to move and accelerate to a speed corresponding to that of the pedestrian, and which detector means, when the pedestrian slows down or stops walking, makes or breaks a circuit to the motor to thereby cause the vehicle to decelerate to a speed corresponding to that of the pedestrian or to stop.

Preferably, the detector means is located in a sleeved spindle, a longitudinal axis of which is aligned in the direction of movement of the electrically powered vehicle, or substantially so.

Conveniently, a sleeve of the sleeved spindle is normally biased into an inoperative condition when the electrically powered vehicle is not in use, in which condition of the sleeve the detector means is inoperable.

In a first preferred embodiment, provided by the present invention, the detector means comprises at least one contact switch operable, when the sleeve of the sleeved spindle is moved out of its inoperable condition, to start and accelerate or decelerate and stop the vehicle in response to the movement of a pedestrian operating the vehicle.

In a further preferred embodiment provided by the present invention the detector means comprises at least one proximity sensor operable, when the sleeve of the sleeved spindle is moved out of its inoperable condition, to start and accelerate or decelerate and stop the vehicle in response to movement of a pedestrian operating the vehicle.

Conveniently, the sleeved spindle is provided by a handle of the electrically powered vehicle, which handle is gripped, in use, by a pedestrian to cause movement of the sleeve on its spindle, whereby the detector means is operated to thereby effect start and acceleration or deceleration and stop of the electrically powered vehicle.

In another embodiment provided by the present invention the electrically powered vehicle is reversible and the detector means comprises appropriate switches or proximity sensors to facilitate the start and acceleration or deceleration and stop of the electrically powered vehicle.

Preferably, the electrically powered vehicle may be a golf trolley for the transport of golf clubs, an invalid chair or a supermarket trolley.

There now follows by way of example of the invention a detailed description of a speed control and an electrically powered golf trolley incorporating the speed control, which description is to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a trolley incorporating the novel speed control; Figure 2 is a schematic circuit diagram of the speed control ; and Figure 3 shows a section view of a modified speed control.

Conveying golf clubs around a golf course is a chore and many efforts have been made to reduce the physical effort required for carrying out this chore. The development proposed by the present invention reduces

the effort required by a golfer and or their caddie and provides a speed control 2 for use with an electrically powered golf trolley 4.

The golf trolley 4 is a conventional trolley having a frame 6 supported on wheels 7 and a drive roller 8, the speed control 2 being located on a handle 10 of the trolley 4.

The speed control 2 comprises a sleeved spindle 12 forming a hand-grip part of the handle 10, shown in section in Figure 2, comprising a spindle 14 and a sleeve 16 a mutual longitudinal axis of which spindle and sleeve 16 is aligned in the general direction of movement of the trolley 4, or substantially so.

The sleeve 16 is biased by a spring 20 to lie in an inoperative condition when the trolley 4 is not in use.

The spindle 14 provides support for detector means, viz. switches 22 and 24 operation of which switches 22 and 24 is effected when the trolley 4 is in use to make or break a circuit 26 between the speed control 2 and a speed controller 28, see Figure 2.

The speed controller 28 determines the speed at which a motor 30 is run when the trolley 4 is in use, the motor 30 being located in the drive roller 8 of the trolley 4.

When the trolley is in use a golfer, or their caddie, normally pulls the trolley 4 by gripping the handle 10. In the present instant, when the user grips the handle 10, they actually grip the sleeve 16 and, as the user begins to walk there is lost motion as the sleeve 16 moves along the spindle 14 until the switch 22 is closed.

Closing the switch 22 completes the circuit 26 to the speed controller 28 and the motor 30 whereby the drive roller 8 is started and accelerated up to a speed corresponding to the speed at which the user is walking.

If the user speeds up, the trolley is accelerated to compensate for the change in the respective speeds of the user and the trolley. In this way the effort required by the user in conveying their golf clubs around a golf course are greatly reduced.

If the user slows down or stops walking, the sleeve 16 is moved in an opposite direction along the spindle 14 to open the switch 22 and close the switch 24.

Closing the switch 24 completes a circuit 26a to the speed controller 28 and the motor 30 whereby the drive roller 8 is decelerated to run at the same speed as the user or it stops rotating thereby bringing the trolley 4 to a halt.

It will be realised that the speed control 2 provides a vastly improved way in which to convey ones golf clubs around a golf course.

Whereas the trolley 4 has been described for use by pulling behind a user, the trolley may also be pushed by the user who wishes to have greater control over where the trolley is to be guided when traversing the rough areas of a golf course.

In order to facilitate this requirement, the speed control 2 is provided with further switches 38 and 40 operation of which switches 38 and 40, when the trolley 4 is in use, make or break associated circuits 42 and 42a to the speed controller 28 and the motor 30. This causes the motor 30 to rotate in the reverse direction to allow the trolley 4 to be pushed and to respond to the movement of the user in the same manner as that described above with reference to the user pulling the trolley 4.

An alternative arrangement of speed control 2a is shown in Figure 3 and comprises a sleeve 16a slidably mounted on a spindle 14a to form a handle 10a for a golf trolley. The speed control 2a includes switches 22a and 24a operation of which acts on the speed controller 28 to slow down or speed up the velocity of the golf trolley to correspond to that of the user.

Whereas the invention has been described with reference to its use on a golf trolley, in other applications the speed control may be used on powered invalid chairs, supermarket trolleys, powered wheel barrows, powered stretcher trolleys, powered sack barrows, powered delivery trolleys used by postmen et al.

The golf trolley 4 is provided with a battery power source 50; however, other power packs or connected mains supply may be utilised depending upon the powered vehicle with which the speed control is used.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A control for use with an electrically powered vehicle operated by a pedestrian, the vehicle, when in use, being caused to move at a speed corresponding to the walking speed of the pedestrian, characterised in that the speed control comprises a detector means operation of which, when a pedestrian starts to walk, makes or breaks a circuit to a motor of the electrically powered vehicle to thereby cause the vehicle to move and accelerate to a speed corresponding to that of the pedestrian, and which detector means, when the pedestrian slows down or stops walking, makes or breaks a circuit to the motor to thereby cause the vehicle to decelerate to a speed corresponding to that of the pedestrian or to stop.
2. A speed control according to Claim 1, characterised in that the detector means is located in a sleeved spindle, a longitudinal axis of which is aligned in the direction of movement of the electrically powered vehicle, or substantially so.
3. A speed control according to Claim 2, characterised in that a sleeve of the sleeved spindle is normally biased into an inoperative condition when the electrically powered vehicle is not in use, in which condition of the sleeve the detector means is inoperable.
4. A speed control according to Claim 3, characterised in that the detector means comprises at least one contact switch operable, when the sleeve of the sleeved spindle is moved out of its inoperable condition, to start and accelerate or decelerate and stop the vehicle in response to the movement of a pedestrian operating the vehicle.
5. A speed control according to Claim 3, characterised in that the detector means comprises at least one proximity sensor operable, when the sleeve of the sleeved spindle is moved out of its inoperable condition, to start and accelerate or decelerate and stop the vehicle in response to movement of a pedestrian operating the vehicle.
6. A speed control according to any one of Claims 3 to 5, characterised in that the sleeved spindle is provided by a handle of the electrically powered vehicle, which handle is gripped, in use, by a pedestrian to cause movement of the sleeve on its spindle, whereby the detector means is operated to thereby effect start and acceleration or deceleration and stop of the electrically powered vehicle.

<Desc/Clms Page number 6>
7. A speed control according to any one of Claims 4 to 6, characterised in that the electrically powered vehicle is reversible and the detector means comprises appropriate switches or proximity sensors to facilitate the start and acceleration or deceleration and stop of the electrically powered vehicle.
8. A speed control according to any one of the preceding Claims, characterised in that the electrically powered vehicle is a golf trolley for the transport of golf clubs.
9. A speed control according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the electrically powered vehicle is an invalid chair.
10. A speed control according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the electrically powered vehicle is a supermarket trolley.
11. A speed control substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.