JP2005059645A - Winker cancel device in steer-by-wire type steering device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely cancel a winker of a steer-by-wire type steering device. <P>SOLUTION: Since the relationship between an operating amount of the steering wheel and a turning angle of the wheel can be arbitrary set in the steer-by-wire type steering device, there is a possibility that the winker cannot be canceled with the conventional mechanical winker cancel device. When the winker is turned on at a step S1, a yaw rate is reduced to less than a predetermined value at a step S2, the steering angle of the steering wheel 23 in the direction to cancel the winker becomes not less than a predetermined value at a step S3, it is detected that the automobile has already passed through the intersection or branch point at a step S4, and the vehicle speed is not less than a predetermined value at a step 5, the winker is forcibly canceled by actuating an actuator at a step S6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention cuts the mechanical connection between the steering operator and the wheel, steers the wheel with a motor that operates based on a signal output by the operation of the steering operator, and turns the winker with an actuator that is operated by a control means. The present invention relates to a winker canceling device in a steer-by-wire steering device that cancels.

A winker cancel device that mechanically cancels a winker turned on by a driver when the vehicle changes its direction in accordance with a return operation of a steering wheel is known from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-151867.
JP-A-9-161610

  By the way, since the steer-by-wire type steering device can arbitrarily set the relationship between the steering angle of the steering wheel and the turning angle of the wheel, if the effectiveness of the steering wheel is set sharply, the steering wheel can be returned after the direction of the vehicle is changed. As the amount is reduced, there is a possibility that a situation in which the winker cannot be canceled frequently occurs in the conventional winker mechanical cancel device.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to reliably cancel the blinker of the steer-by-wire type steering apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a motor that disconnects the mechanical connection between the steering operator and the wheel and operates based on a signal output by the operation of the steering operator. In a steer-by-wire steering device that steers wheels and cancels the winker with an actuator that is operated by the control means, a winker operation detection means that detects whether or not the winker is on, and a vehicle yaw rate is detected And a control unit for operating the actuator to cancel the winker when the winker is on and the yaw rate is reduced below a predetermined value. A blinker canceling device in a wire type steering device is proposed.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, the mechanical connection between the steering operator and the wheel is cut off, and the wheel is steered by a motor that operates based on a signal output by the operation of the steering operator, In a steer-by-wire type steering device that cancels the winker with an actuator that is operated by the control means, a winker operation detecting means that detects whether or not the winker is on, and an operation amount detection that detects the operation amount of the steering operator And the control means cancels the winker by operating the actuator when the winker is on and the operation amount of the steering operator in the direction of canceling the winker exceeds a predetermined value. Blinker cancellation in a steer-by-wire steering system Location is proposed.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, the mechanical connection between the steering operator and the wheel is cut off, and the wheel is steered by a motor that operates based on a signal output by the operation of the steering operator. In a steer-by-wire type steering device that cancels the winker with an actuator that is operated by the control means, a winker operation detecting means that detects whether or not the winker is on, and an operating force detection that detects the operating force of the steering operator And the control means cancels the winker by operating the actuator when the winker is on and the operating force of the steering operator in the direction of canceling the winker exceeds a predetermined value. Blinker cancellation in a steer-by-wire steering system Location is proposed.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, the mechanical connection between the steering operator and the wheel is cut off, and the wheel is steered by a motor that operates based on a signal output by the operation of the steering operator. In a steer-by-wire type steering device that cancels a winker with an actuator operated by a control means, a winker operation detection means for detecting whether or not the winker is on, and a road shape for detecting a road shape in the vicinity of the own vehicle Detecting means, and the control means operates the actuator to cancel the winker when the winker is turned on and the own vehicle passes through an intersection or a branching point. A blinker canceling device in a wire type steering device is proposed.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the structure of any one of the first to fourth aspects, the vehicle speed detection means for detecting the vehicle speed is provided, and when the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined value, the blinker A turn signal canceling device in a steer-by-wire steering device is proposed, which is characterized by prohibiting the cancellation of the steering wheel.

  The steering wheel 23 of the embodiment corresponds to the steering operator of the present invention, the steering angle detection means Sa of the embodiment corresponds to the operation amount detection means of the present invention, and the steering torque detection means Sb of the embodiment corresponds to the present invention. The winker electronic control unit Ud of the embodiment corresponds to the control means of the present invention.

  According to the configuration of the first aspect, when the winker operation detecting means detects that the turn signal is turned on and the yaw rate detecting means detects that the yaw rate has decreased below a predetermined value, the vehicle turns right or left. Since the actuator cancels the blinker when it is determined that the turn signal has been completed, the blinker can be reliably canceled even when the return amount of the steering operator is small.

  According to the configuration of claim 2, it is detected that the winker is turned on by the winker operation detection means, and the operation amount of the steering operator in the direction in which the winker is canceled by the operation amount detection means becomes a predetermined value or more. When this is detected, it is determined that the right turn or left turn of the vehicle has been completed, and the actuator cancels the winker. Therefore, even if the return amount of the steering operator is small, the winker can be canceled reliably.

  According to the configuration of the third aspect, it is detected that the winker is turned on by the winker operation detecting means, and the operating force of the steering operator in the direction in which the winker is canceled by the operating force detecting means becomes a predetermined value or more. When this is detected, it is determined that the right turn or left turn of the vehicle has been completed, and the actuator cancels the winker. Therefore, even if the return amount of the steering operator is small, the winker can be canceled reliably.

  According to the configuration of the fourth aspect, when it is detected that the turn signal is turned on by the turn signal operation detecting means and the vehicle shape detecting means detects that the own vehicle has passed an intersection or a branch point, Since the actuator cancels the turn signal by determining that the right turn or the left turn is completed, the turn signal can be reliably canceled even when the return amount of the steering operator is small.

  According to the configuration of claim 5, when the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detection means is less than a predetermined value, the blinker is prohibited from being canceled. For example, when the blinker is operated to the left side to stop the vehicle on the road shoulder, Even if the steering operator is operated to the right side in order to make the vehicle parallel to the road shoulder, the turn signal is not canceled because the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined value.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on examples of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings.

  1 to 3 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an overall view of a vehicle steering system, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a winker control system, and FIG. It is a flowchart.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a steering gear box 11 that steers wheels W of an automobile includes a rack bar 12 that can slide in the left-right direction of the vehicle body, and both ends of the rack bar 12 have left and right tie rods 13 and 13. To the left and right wheels W, W. A pinion 15 rotated by a first steering actuator 14 made of an electric motor meshes with a rack 16 formed on the rack bar 12, and when the first steering actuator 14 is driven, the rack bar 12 moves to the left and right sides of the vehicle body via the pinion 15 and the rack 16. Sliding in the direction, the left and right wheels W, W are steered through the tie rods 13,13.

  A second steering actuator 17 made of an electric motor and an annular drive gear 18 rotated thereby are arranged so as to surround the outer periphery of the rack bar 12. A male screw member 21 meshes with a female screw member 20 supported by a bracket 19 fixed to the rack bar 12, and a driven gear 22 provided at one end of the male screw member 21 meshes with the drive gear 18. Accordingly, when the second steering actuator 17 is driven, the rotation of the drive gear 18 is transmitted to the male screw member 21 via the driven gear 22, and the female screw member 20 that meshes with the rotating male screw member 21 moves in the left-right direction of the vehicle body. The bar 12 slides in the left-right direction of the vehicle body and the left and right wheels W, W are steered.

  A steering reaction force generating means 25 is provided at the lower end of the steering shaft 24 integrated with the steering wheel 23. The steering reaction force generating means 25 applies a pseudo steering reaction force to the steering wheel 23 by an electric motor or hydraulic pressure, and the direction and magnitude of the steering reaction force can be arbitrarily controlled.

  The operation of the first steering actuator 14 is controlled by the first steering actuator electronic control unit Ua, the operation of the second steering actuator 17 is controlled by the second steering actuator electronic control unit Ub, and the operation of the steering reaction force generating means 25 is performed. Is controlled by the steering reaction force generating means electronic control unit Uc.

  The first and second steering actuator electronic control units Ua and Ub include a steering angle δ detected by the steering angle detection means Sa, a vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed detection means Sc, and a rack position detected by the rack position detection means Sd. P is input, and the steering reaction force generating means electronic control unit Uc receives the steering angle δ detected by the steering angle detecting means Sa, the steering torque T detected by the steering torque detecting means Sb, and the vehicle speed detecting means Sc. The detected vehicle speed V is input.

  Next, the operation of the steer-by-wire steering device will be described.

  The first steering actuator 14 is used during normal operation, and the second steering actuator 17 is used as a backup when the first steering actuator 14 fails. When the driver operates the steering wheel 23 at the normal time when the first steering actuator 14 functions normally, the steering angle δ detected by the steering angle detection means Sa, the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed detection means Sc, and the rack position detection means The rack position P detected in Sd is input to the first steering actuator electronic control unit Ua. The electronic control unit Ua for the first steering actuator drives the first steering actuator 14 so as to obtain the turning angle γ of the wheels W, W proportional to the steering angle δ of the steering wheel 23, for example, and the steering gear box 11 Wheels W and W are steered via

  At this time, feedback control is performed so that the rack position P detected by the rack position detection means Sd (that is, the turning angle γ of the wheels W, W) matches the target position. For example, when the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed detection means Sc is high, the target turning angle of the wheels W and W is decreased, and when the vehicle speed V is low, the target turning angle of the wheels W and W is increased. While improving the straight running stability of the vehicle at a high speed, the vehicle can be easily handled at a low speed.

  In the steer-by-wire type steering device, since the steering reaction force from the wheels W, W does not act on the steering wheel 23, the steering reaction force generation means 25 is driven by a command from the steering reaction force generation means electronic control unit Uc. It is necessary to apply a steering reaction force to the steering wheel 23. The target steering torque at that time is set so as to decrease as the steering angle δ increases, for example. The drive of the steering reaction force generating means 25 is feedback-controlled so that the steering torque T detected by the steering torque sensor Sb matches the target steering torque. In this way, by applying a pseudo steering reaction force to the steering wheel 23 by the steering reaction force generating means 25, the driver's uncomfortable feeling can be eliminated.

  When the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor Sc is small, a small steering reaction force is generated in the steering reaction force generating means 25, and when the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor Sc is large, the steering reaction force generating means 25 is greatly steered. By generating the reaction force, it is possible to stabilize the vehicle behavior during high-speed driving and to facilitate the steering of the driver when entering the garage.

  When the first steering actuator 14 fails, the second steering actuator electronic control unit Ub controls the second steering actuator 17 in the same manner, so that the wheels W and W can be continuously steered.

  Next, the structure of the winker canceling device will be described based on the block diagram of FIG.

  A blinker 26 is provided in the vicinity of the steering wheel 23 in order to display a driver's intention to change the direction of the vehicle at an intersection or a branch point. The turn-on operation of the winker 26 is performed by a manual operation of the driver. In the winker electronic control unit Ud for controlling the operation of the actuator 27 of the winker 26, the winker operation detecting means Se for detecting that the winker 26 is in the on state, and the steering angle detection for detecting the steering angle δ of the steering wheel 23. The means Sa, the vehicle speed detecting means Sc for detecting the vehicle speed V, the yaw rate detecting means Sf for detecting the yaw rate YR of the vehicle, and the road shape detecting means Sg using the existing navigation system are connected.

  When the vehicle passes through an intersection or a branch point, the yaw rate YR of the vehicle gradually increases, and gradually decreases after reaching the peak. Further, the steering angle δ of the steering wheel 23 gradually increases and gradually decreases after reaching the peak.

  Next, the operation of the winker canceling device will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in step S1, the winker operation detecting means Se detects that the winker 26 is turned on, and in step S2, the yaw rate YR detected by the yaw rate detecting means Sf is decreased below a predetermined value. In step S3, steering is performed. The steering angle δ of the steering wheel 23 in the direction to cancel the turn signal 26 detected by the angle detection means Sa becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and the road shape detection means Sg has passed the intersection or branch point in step S4. When the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed detection means Sc is equal to or higher than a predetermined value in step S5, the actuator 27 is operated to cancel the winker 26 in step S6.

  In the steer-by-wire type steering device, the relationship between the operation amount of the steering wheel 23 and the turning angle of the wheels W, W can be arbitrarily set, and the steering of the wheels W, W with respect to the operation amount of the steering wheel 23 is possible. When the ratio of the angles is increased, that is, when the effectiveness of the steering wheel 23 is sharpened, the return amount of the steering wheel 23 after the direction change of the vehicle is reduced, and there is a possibility that the winker 26 cannot be canceled by the conventional mechanical winker canceling device. is there.

  However, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to solve the above-mentioned problem peculiar to the steer-by-wire type steering device by detecting the completion of the direction change of the vehicle and canceling the winker 26 by the actuator 27. .

  In the flowchart of FIG. 3, “Yaw rate has decreased below a predetermined value” in step S2 and “Steering angle δ of steering wheel 23 in the direction of canceling turn signal 26 has exceeded a predetermined value” in step S3. And the winker 26 is canceled when all of “the vehicle has passed the intersection or branch point” in step S4 is established, but the blinker 26 may be canceled when at least one of them is established. .

  In step S5, when the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed detection means Sc is less than a predetermined value, the reason for prohibiting the blinker 26 is that, for example, when the blinker 26 is operated to the left to stop the vehicle on the road shoulder, Even if the steering wheel 23 is operated rightward in order to make the vehicle parallel to the road shoulder immediately before, the winker 26 is prevented from being canceled against the driver's will because the vehicle speed V is less than a predetermined value. It is.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but various design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in addition to the requirements of steps S2 to S4 in the flowchart of FIG. 3, “addition that the steering torque T in the direction of canceling the turn signal 26 detected by the steering torque detecting means Sb has become a predetermined value or more” is added. Alternatively, this requirement may be replaced with the requirement of step S3 that “the steering angle δ of the steering wheel 23 in the direction of canceling the blinker 26 has become a predetermined value or more”.

  Further, the steering operator of the present invention is not limited to the steering wheel 23, and other steering operators such as a joystick can be adopted.

Overall view of vehicle steering system Blinker control system block diagram A flowchart for explaining the operation of canceling the blinker

Explanation of symbols

23 Steering wheel (steering operator)
26 Blinker 27 Actuator M Motor Sa Steering angle detection means (operation amount detection means)
Sb Steering torque detection means (operation force detection means)
Sc vehicle speed detection means Se turn signal operation detection means Sf yaw rate detection means Sg road shape detection means Ud turn signal electronic control unit (control means)
W wheel

Claims (5)

The mechanical connection between the steering operator (23) and the wheel (W) is disconnected, and the wheel (W) is steered by the motor (M) that operates based on the signal output by the operation of the steering operator (23). In addition, in the steer-by-wire type steering device in which the winker (26) is canceled by the actuator (27) operated by the control means (Ud),
A winker operation detecting means (Se) for detecting whether or not the winker (26) is on, and a yaw rate detecting means (Sf) for detecting the yaw rate of the vehicle,
The control means (Ud) cancels the winker (26) by operating the actuator (27) when the winker (26) is on and the yaw rate decreases below a predetermined value. Blinker cancellation device in steer-by-wire steering system. The mechanical connection between the steering operator (23) and the wheel (W) is disconnected, and the wheel (W) is steered by the motor (M) that operates based on the signal output by the operation of the steering operator (23). In addition, in the steer-by-wire type steering device in which the winker (26) is canceled by the actuator (27) operated by the control means (Ud),
A winker operation detecting means (Se) for detecting whether or not the winker (26) is turned on, and an operation amount detecting means (Sa) for detecting an operation amount of the steering operator (23), the control means ( Ud) activates the actuator (27) when the turn signal (26) is turned on and the operation amount of the steering operator (23) in the direction of canceling the turn signal (26) exceeds a predetermined value. A winker canceling device in a steer-by-wire steering device, wherein the winker (26) is cancelled. The mechanical connection between the steering operator (23) and the wheel (W) is disconnected, and the wheel (W) is steered by the motor (M) that operates based on the signal output by the operation of the steering operator (23). In addition, in the steer-by-wire type steering device in which the winker (26) is canceled by the actuator (27) operated by the control means (Ud),
A winker operation detecting means (Se) for detecting whether or not the winker (26) is turned on, and an operating force detecting means (Sb) for detecting an operating force of the steering operator (23), the control means ( Ud) activates the actuator (27) when the winker (26) is turned on and the operating force of the steering operator (23) in the direction of canceling the winker exceeds a predetermined value to turn the winker (26 The winker canceling device in the steer-by-wire type steering device. The mechanical connection between the steering operator (23) and the wheel (W) is disconnected, and the wheel (W) is steered by the motor (M) that operates based on the signal output by the operation of the steering operator (23). In addition, in the steer-by-wire type steering device in which the winker (26) is canceled by the actuator (27) operated by the control means (Ud),
A winker operation detecting means (Se) for detecting whether or not the winker (26) is on, and a road shape detecting means (Sg) for detecting a road shape in the vicinity of the own vehicle,
The control means (Ud) cancels the winker (26) by operating the actuator (27) when the winker (26) is turned on and the own vehicle passes an intersection or a branch point. A winker canceling device in a steer-by-wire steering device. The vehicle speed detecting means (Sc) for detecting the vehicle speed is provided, and when the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined value, the cancellation of the turn signal (26) is prohibited. Turn signal canceling device in the steer-by-wire steering system.

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