GB2314608A

GB2314608A - Dual control sticks

Info

Publication number: GB2314608A
Application number: GB9713444A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Bohringer; Lutz Eckstein
Original assignee: Daimler Benz AG
Current assignee: Daimler Benz AG
Priority date: 1996-06-26
Filing date: 1997-06-25
Publication date: 1998-01-07
Anticipated expiration: 2017-06-25
Also published as: DE19625496A1; ITRM970351A1; FR2750390A1; ITRM970351A0; FR2750390B1; IT1293047B1; DE19625496C2; JPH1081244A; GB2314608B; GB9713444D0

Abstract

An operating element arrangement, suitable for controlling the longitudinal and/or transverse movement of a motor vehicle, comprises two control sticks 1,2 which are coupled to one another either mechanically, using a connecting rod 4 or a Bowden cable (5a,5b Fig 2), or hydraulically using a piston and cylinder arrangement (6a,6b,7a,7b Fig 3) which runs below a driver's seat 3a. The deflection or force which is exerted on one control stick, and therefore transmitted to the other control stick, is detected by a sensor in order to control the vehicle engine, brakes or steering, as appropriate. An actuator may be used to exert a reaction force or deflection on the control sticks 1,2 as feedback for the driver. Buttons for controlling other operating functions such as lights or wipers may be accommodated in the control stick handles 1a,2a.

Description

2314608 Operating element arrangement for controlling the longitudinal

and/or the transverse movement of a motor vehicle The invention relates to an operating element arrangement for controlling at least the longitudinal movement and optionally also the transverse movement of a motor vehicle.

Conventionally, in an automobile, the steering wheel serves as operating element for controlling the transverse movement and the accelerator and brake pedals serve as operating elements for controlling the longitudinal movement. The paper by P. Brdnneby et al., Improved Active and Passive Safety by Using Active Lateral Dynamic Control and an Unconventional Steering Unit, 13th International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles, 4th to 7th November 1991, Proceedings Vol. 1, page 224, proposes as an alternative to the conventional steering wheel an operating lever which is arranged, for example, on the transmission tunnel of the vehicle.

Furthermore, it is known to provide a common operating element for controlling the longitudinal and transverse dynamics of a motor vehicle, preferably the longitudinal movement being controlled by actuating the operating element in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and the transverse movement being controlled by actuating the latter in the transverse direction, in particular as a rotational movement corresponding to the conventional steering wheel. Such an operating element is disclosed in Patent Specification U.S. 3,022,850 in the form of a control stick which is mounted on a frame so as to be pivotable about a horizontal transverse axis, the frame, in turn, being rotatable about a horizontal longitudinal axis. A further operating element of this type, which is mentioned in the paper by H. Bubb, Arbeitsplatz Fahrer - Eine ergonomische Studie [Driver's Workstation -an ergonomic study], Automobil-Industrie [Automobile Industry] 3/85,

2 page 265, contains two mechanically interconnected platelike handles which are located closely next to one another and which are attached to the end of a bar which is guided movably on the vehicle centre console. The longitudinal dynamics of the vehicle are controlled by displacing the bar in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, whilst the transverse dynamics are influenced by rotating the two plate-like handles in the transverse plane of the vehicle.

The older German Patent Application 195 48 717.6, not previously published, discloses an operating element arrangement of the type mentioned in the introduction, in which the two operating elements can be actuated independently of one another and are preferably designed as manually actuable control sticks. Coupling the two operating elements electronically prevents command collisions, for example due to the additive superposition of the control command signals, due to the manual passive switching of one operating element in each case or due to the assignment of different priorities for the two operating elements. In this case, to ensure sufficient functional safety, measures must be taken to recognize a failure of one of the two operating elements, so that the vehicle driver can immediately let go of the failed operating element in order subsequently to drive the vehicle solely by means of the operating element which is still functioning.

The published application WO 88/09279 discloses an operating element arrangement for controlling the transverse movement of an automobile, the said arrangement containing two handle operating elements mounted on a console which is positioned in the location of a conventional steering wheel. The two handles are mounted on the console so as to be pivotable synchronously via a mechanical coupling, and, in an obvious assignment of functions, pivoting movements to the right result in steering locks to the right and pivoting movements to the left result in steering locks to the left.

The published Application EP 0,525,817 A1 describes an operating element arrangement for controlling 3 the transverse movement of a motor vehicle, the said arrangement containing two operating elements which are designed as control sticks and each of which is arranged respectively in the left-hand and the right- hand side region of the driver's seat. In this case, the two control sticks are mounted so as to be movable solely in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Moreover, they are electrically coupled via a motor to one another and to the vehicle wheels to be steered, in such a way that a steering lock in a respective direction is brought about by a forward movement of one control stick and a simultaneous backward movement of the other control stick.

The present invention seeks to provide an operating element arrangement of the type mentioned in the introduction, in which high functional reliability is achieved at a comparatively low outlay.

According to the present invention there is provided an operating element arrangement for controlling the longitudinal and/or the transverse movement of a motor vehicle, with two operating elements, the longitudinal and/or transverse movement of the motor vehicle being capable of being controlled selectively by actuating one operating element or the other, wherein the two operating elements comprise control sticks and are coupled to one another mechanically or hydraulically for the transmission of regulating movements or regulating forces between the two operating elements, in such a way that they can be actuated dependently on one another.

In this arrangement, the two operating elements, which are designed as control sticks and by means of which the longitudinal movement and optionally also the transverse movement of the motor vehicle can be controlled in parallel, are coupled to one another mechanically or hydraulically in such a way that the regulating movements or regulating forces exerted on one operating element are transmitted to the other operating element in each case. The vehicle driver can drive the vehicle selectively by actuating one or the 4 other or both operating elements. The operating element arrangement having the two operating elements, with functionally reliable mechanical or hydraulic coupling, consequently possesses inherent redundancy which increases functional safety, without special components for recognizing a failure of one of the two operating elements having to be provided for this purpose.

Moreover, this operating element arrangement achieves the known advantages of a common operating element for the control of longitudinal and transverse movement, as compared with conventional arrangements with a steering wheel for the control of transverse movement and an independent accelerator and brake pedal assembly intended for the control of longitudinal movement, such as higher steering regulating speeds, the avoidance of the dangers posed by steering wheel and pedal assembly in an accident, no need to change pedals during the control of longitudinal movement, a large amount of free space for placing the instruments due to the omission of the steering wheel, a comfortable body posture with a free choice of foot position and with a near-body position of the hand on the operating element and the possibility of shortening the vehicle by the space required hitherto for the steering wheel and the pedal assembly while still providing the same amount of space and with improved access for climbing into the vehicle.

A preferred operating element arrangement particularly advantageous from the point of view of ergonomics, has the two operating elements designed as control sticks arranged at the side of the driver's seat, preferably at the driver's arm height. In this case, the control sticks are mounted so as to be actuable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and optionally also in the transverse direction of the vehicle, with the result than an intuitive assignment of the respective direction of actuation to the control function can be provided, in that the control sticks are actuated in the transverse direction to influence the transverse movement of the vehicle and in the longitudinal direction to influence the longitudinal movement of the vehicle.

In a further refinement of such an operating element arrangement, the two control sticks are coupled to one another mechanically via a linkage or a Bowden cable or hydraulically via a piston/ cylinder arrangement.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings and are described below. In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic front view of a driver's seat region of a motor vehicle, with two laterally arranged, pivotably mounted control sticks coupled via a mechanical linkage, Figure 2 shows a view of a driver's seat region corresponding to that of Figure 1, but with a mechanical Bowden cable coupling the two control sticks, and Figure 3 shows a view of a driver's seat region corresponding to Figure 1, but with hydraulic coupling of the two control sticks.

The operating element arrangement for controlling the longitudinal and transverse movement of a motor vehicle, the said arrangement being shown merely diagrammatically in Figure 1 with its components relevant here, contains two control sticks 1, 2, of which one 1 is located in the righthand and the other 2 in the left-hand side region of a driver's seat 3. The two control sticks 1, 2 each terminate at their upper free end in a handle la, 2a capable of being grasped comfortably by the driver and are fixed to the vehicle body in a middle portion, via an articulation point 1b, 2b, so as to be pivotable both in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and in the transverse direction of the vehicle. only the pivotability in the transverse direction is indicated in simplified form by corresponding double arrows P in Figure 1. The two control sticks 1, 2 are coupled mechanically to one another at their lower ends lc, 2c via a connecting rod 4 which runs parallel to the 6 transverse direction of the vehicle below a seat cushion 3a of the driver's seat. As indicated in Figure 1, the connecting rod 4 converts a pivoting movement of one control stick in the transverse direction of the vehicle into a corresponding transverse pivoting of the other control stick. For coupling the longitudinal movements of the control sticks, the connecting rod 4 is guided on the vehicle body in a way not shown in any more detail, such that it can be moved perpendicularly to the transverse direction of the vehicle without a specific rotational movement component, so that it converts a longitudinal pivoting of one control stick into an equal longitudinal pivoting of the other control stick. The longitudinal movement of the vehicle is controlled by means of this longitudinal pivoting, in that, in turn, in an associated functional assignment, a forward movement of the controlstick handle parts la, 2a brings about positive acceleration, that is to say an increase in the speed of the vehicle, whilst a backward movement of these initiates deceleration, that is to say a reduction in the vehicle speed. It goes without saying that, for this purpose, the operating element arrangement is equipped in a conventional way, not shown in any more detail, with a suitable sensor assembly and control, in order to record the position of the handles la, 2a and therefore of the control sticks 1, 2 and convert it into a corresponding action on the engine control, the brake system and/or the steering for the purpose of accelerating, decelerating and/or steering the vehicle. If required, further operating functionalities, such as operating buttons for the vehicle light system, the screen wipers and the like, may be accommodated in the handles la, 2a of the control sticks 1, 2.

In addition to the above-described design of the two control sticks 1, 2 as so-called passive regulating parts, in which the variable to be controlled is set as a function of the control stick deflection, a design as so-called isometric or active regulating parts is alter- 7 natively possible. In the case of the isometric system design, the control sticks 1, 2 remain fixed, and the variable to be controlled is set as a function of the actuating f orce exerted on the control sticks 1, 2 in the respective direction of actuation. In the design as active regulating parts, the actuating force or the deflection determines the value of the variables to be controlled, and, in addition, the control sticks 1, 2 are automatically deflected or subjected to reaction force as a function of the respective actual value of the variable to be controlled, for example as a function of the acceleration or deceleration and/or of the steering angle, as feedback for the driver. In both cases, the operating element arrangement has a suitable actuator assembly for exerting a corresponding reaction force on the control sticks 1, 2 or for the automatic deflection of these.

Irrespective of the design of the control sticks, the operating forces and/or operating movements which the driver executes on one control stick are transmitted mechanically to the other control stick as a result of the movement coupling or force coupling of the two control sticks 1, 2, in the case of the simultaneous actuation of both control sticks 1, 2, the actuating forces or the control stick deflections being averaged automatically by means of the mechanical coupling. It is therefore sufficient to assign a suitable sensor assembly to only one of the two control sticks 1, 2, in order to record the operating forces or control stick deflections exerted by the driver. For the same reason, if the control sticks are of active design, an actuator assembly is required for only one of the two. It is of course also possible for one of the two control sticks to have a passive design and the other to have an active or isometric design. At all events, the mechanical coupling of the two control sticks 1, 2 ensures redundancy which increases functional safety.

Instead of the described control of the longitudinal and transverse movement of the vehicle by means of 8 the two control sticks 1, 2, there may alternatively be provision for controlling only the longitudinal movement of the vehicle by means of the control sticks 1, 2, in that the movability of the control sticks or the recording of the actuating force is restricted to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. It may be considered, as a further version, to control the longitudinal and transverse movement of the vehicle by means of the two control sticks 1, 2, as described above, but to cause the coupling of the two control sticks 1, 2 by means of the connecting rod 4 to be effective in only one operating functionality. For example, this coupling may be restricted to the control of transverse movement, in that the moveability of the connecting rod 4 is not restricted by a longitudinal guide on the vehicle body, so that the said connecting rod transmits only transverse pivotings of the control sticks 1, 2.

Figure 2 shows a further version of the operating element arrangement of Figure 1, for the sake of clarity the same reference symbols being used for functionally identical elements, and to that extent reference may be made to the explanations regarding Figure 1. Instead of the connecting rod 4 of Figure 1, in this operating element arrangement a Bowden cable 5 is provided as mechanical coupling between the two control sticks 1, 2. So that the forces or control stick deflections in the transverse direction shown can be transmitted with the same reliability in both directions of actuation, the Bowden cable 5 connects the two lower articulation points lc, 2c of the control sticks 1, 2 both to a directly connecting portion 5a and to a deflection portion 5b which can exert pulls on the lower articulation point lc, 2c of each control stick 1, 2 from the side facing away from the other control stick. Consequently, for this operating element arrangement, there are the same coupling properties for the two control sticks 1, 2 as for the operating element arrangement of Figure 1. It goes without saying that, in addition to the Bowden cable coupling in the transverse direction, as shown, coupling of the two control 9 sticks 1, 2 in terms of their longitudinal direction of actuation is also provided.

Figure 3 shows a further version of the operating element arrangement of Figure 1, once again functionally identical elements being provided with the same reference symbols. In this operating element arrangement, hydraulic coupling of the two control sticks 1, 2 is provided instead of the mechanical coupling of the arrangements of Figures 1 and 2. This hydraulic coupling contains a piston/cylinder arrangement consisting of two cylinders 6a, 6b with associated piston rods 7a, 7b. The cylinders 6a, 6b are fixed on their sides facing one another to vehicle body portions 8a, 8b, whilst their piston rods 7a, 7b emerge from the cylinder sides facing away from one another and are articulated, on the end faces, on the respective lower end lc, 2c of the control sticks 1, 2. The interior of each cylinder 6a, 6b is subdivided by the piston of the piston rod 7a, 7b into two working spaces, each of which is fluidically connected to the corresponding working space of the other cylinder via a respective hydraulic conduit 9a, 9b.

An actuation of one control stick in the transverse direction of the vehicle is transmitted to the other control stick by this piston/cylinder arrangement via one piston rod, the hydraulic fluid flow through the hydraulic conduits 9a, 9b and the other piston rod. The hydraulic coupling of the two control sticks 1, 2 by means of the piston/cylinder arrangement therefore results in the same functioning and the same advantageous properties for the control of the longitudinal and transverse movement of the relevant motor vehicle as those explained above with regard to Figures 1 and 2, to which reference may be made. It goes without saying that, in the operating element arrangement of Figure 3, too, in addition to the coupling in the transverse direction of actuation, as shown, preferably mechanical or hydraulic coupling of the two control sticks 1, 2 in the longitudinal direction of actuation may be provided.

The examples shown make it clear that comparatively safe and reliable driving of a vehicle is achieved, at a relatively low outlay and with high driver comfort, as a result of the mechanical or hydraulic coupling of the two operating elements for the control of longitudinal movement and optionally also of transverse movement. Due to the mechanical or hydraulic coupling, altogether fewer sensors and actuators are required, in comparison with electronic coupling, since these need to be assigned to only one of the two operating elements.

11 claims 1. An operating element arrangement for controlling the longitudinal and/or the transverse movement of a motor vehicle, with two operating elements, the longitudinal and/or transverse movement of the motor vehicle being capable of being controlled selectively by actuating one operating element or the other, wherein the two operating elements comprise control sticks and are coupled to one another mechanically or hydraulically for the transmission of regulating movements or regulating forces between the two operating elements, in such a way that they can be actuated dependently on one another.

Claims

2.. An operating element arrangement according to Claim 1, wherein the two

operating elements are formed in each case by control sticks which are arranged respectively in the left-hand and right-hand side region of the driver's seat and which are mounted so as to be actuable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle for controlling the longitudinal movement of the vehicle and/or in addition, in the transverse direction of the vehicle for controlling the transverse movement of the vehicle.

3. An operating element arrangement according to Claim 2, wherein the two control sticks are coupled mechanically via a linkage or a Bowden cable or hydraulically via a piston/ cylinder arrangement.

4. An operating element arrangement for controlling the longitudinal and/or the transverse movement of a motor vehicle, substantially as described herein with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.