JP2000052997A - Steering unit for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate operation, dispensing with hand shift operation of a steering wheel. SOLUTION: A turning angle θr and turning force Fr around a rotating operation axis Ar, and an oscillating angle θs and oscillating force Fs around an oscillating operation axis As are detected as manipulated variable of a steering wheel device 3. A control part 23 controls right and left wheel actuators 25, 27 to generate wheel steering angles ψR, ψL corresponding to this manipulated variable, to wheels 29, 31, and operating reaction corresponding to the manipulated variable is supplied to the steering wheel device 3. Since steering operation is divided in rotating operation and oscillating operation, large operation is unnecessary, so that hand shift operation of a driver is dispensed with, and the response of steering angle to operation need not to excessively sensitive.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering apparatus for a vehicle, and more particularly, to an apparatus which can easily change the direction of wheels without changing the operating device such as a steering wheel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional general vehicle steering system has a steering wheel operated by a driver. The steering wheel is connected to the gearbox via the column shaft, and the gearbox is a link mechanism (tie rod, etc.)
Is connected to the wheels via a. The rotation of the steering wheel is transmitted to the wheels via the above elements, and a wheel steering angle corresponding to the rotation operation angle of the steering wheel is obtained.

In a conventional steering apparatus, it is necessary to increase the steering angle by changing the steering wheel when turning at an intersection or the like. The switching operation means that after turning the steering wheel to a certain extent, the driver releases his / her hand from the steering wheel, grasps another place, and continues further rotation. From the viewpoint of improving the operability, it is desired that the above-mentioned changing operation is not required.

[0004] As a technique to meet such a demand, a variable transmission ratio steering apparatus is known, and it is attempted to reduce a changeover operation by changing a transmission ratio between a steering wheel and a wheel. This type of device includes a type that mechanically changes the gear ratio and a type that uses motor assist. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-38269
In the steering device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H10-209, the rotation transmission ratio is changed according to the vehicle speed.

[0005]

However, when the rotation transmission ratio is increased to a level at which the changeover operation becomes unnecessary, the response of the wheel steering angle to the steering rotation operation becomes very high. That is, the steering angle of the wheel is largely changed by slightly turning the steering wheel by the driver. As a result, the operation system may be too sensitive depending on the specifications of the vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a highly operable vehicle steering system which can eliminate the need for a changeover operation without making the operation system irrelevant. is there.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle steering system according to the present invention is provided so as to be rotatable around a rotary operation shaft and swingable around a swing operation shaft. An operation device operated by a driver, and wheel steering angle control means for controlling a wheel steering angle in accordance with a rotation operation state and a swing operation state of the operation device are included. According to the present invention,
A rotation operation and a swing operation are performed on the operation device.
The driver does not need to perform all the steering operations only by the rotation operation, and only has to perform a relatively small amount of operation in each of the rotation operation and the swing operation. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the movement of the driver's hand without making the operation system too sensitive, and it becomes possible to eliminate the need for a changeover operation.

Incidentally, the rotation operation state of the present invention is, for example,
The rotation angle of the operation device, the rotation operation force, or a combination thereof. The swing operation state is, for example, the swing angle of the operation device, the swing operation force, or a combination thereof.

[0009] Preferably, the vehicle steering system of the present invention comprises:
In a small steering angle region where the wheel steering angle is small, the wheel steering angle is controlled in accordance with the rotation operation state around the rotation operation axis. In the large steering angle region where the wheel steering angle is larger than the small steering angle region, the swing operation shaft is controlled. The wheel steering angle is controlled according to the surrounding swing operation state.
In a region where the wheel steering angle, which is commonly used, is small, a rotation operation around the rotation operation axis, that is, an operation similar to the conventional operation is performed. Since the steering angle region in which the rotation operation and the swing operation are performed is divided and the rotation operation is performed first, the operability is high, and the driver can easily adjust the wheel steering angle.

The small steering angle region and the large steering angle region are defined as follows.
It does not necessarily need to be completely separated, and may partially overlap. The distribution of the small steering angle area and the large steering angle area is arbitrary.

Preferably, when the wheel steering angle belongs to the small steering angle range, the swing operation around the swing operation axis is restricted, whereby the high operability is reliably obtained.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the swing operation around the swing operation shaft is regulated according to the state of the vehicle. The state of the vehicle includes, for example, vehicle speed, brake on /
OFF, surrounding environment (environment of the road on which the vehicle runs), state of occupants in the vehicle, and the like. For example, when a vehicle speed equal to or higher than a predetermined speed is detected, the swing operation is restricted, and only the rotation operation is performed. At a high vehicle speed, the wheel steering angle is limited to a small value, so that the wheel steering angle has a size suitable for the vehicle speed. As described above, since the swing operation itself is restricted in a situation where the swing operation is inappropriate based on the state of the vehicle, an appropriate operation is reliably performed on the operation device, and adverse effects due to erroneous operation or the like can be reduced. .

Preferably, the regulation of the swing operation is as follows:
This is realized by causing the operating device to generate a reaction force to the swing operation around the swing operation axis. As a result, the swing operation is restricted with a little uncomfortable feeling.

Preferably, when it is determined that the swing operation state around the swing operation axis is abnormal, the change of the wheel steering angle according to the swing operation state is suppressed. The abnormal swing operation state occurs, for example, when the driver hits the operation device. In such a case, since the wheel steering angle is not changed, unnecessary change of the steering angle can be prevented.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the operating device includes an airbag device having a shape that wraps the driver's head from left and right when activated. ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, since the rotational displacement of the operating device such as the steering wheel can be reduced, it is possible to adopt an airbag shape having a high protection capability of wrapping the driver's head from left and right.

A vehicle steering system according to one aspect of the present invention includes:
An operating device operated by a driver configured to be able to move around a plurality of operating axes, and wheel steering angle control means for controlling a wheel steering angle according to an operation state of the operating device around the plurality of operating axes; ,including. As described above, the operating device of the present invention is not limited to the two-axis type device of the rotary operation shaft and the swing operation shaft. An operating device having a plurality of, for example, three operating axes may be applied.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as embodiments) will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall structure of the steering device 1. The steering wheel device 3 shown in FIG.
An operation device operated by the driver. Referring to FIG. 2, the steering wheel device 3 has a rotation support mechanism 7 attached to the vehicle body 5, and the rotation support mechanism 7 rotates the column shaft 9 around a rotation operation axis Ar (hereinafter, rotation axis Ar). Support as much as possible. The swing support mechanism 11 fixed to the column shaft 9 moves the steering wheel 13 to the swing operation axis A.
s (hereinafter, swing axis As) so as to be swingably rotatable.

The steering wheel device 3 shown in FIG. 2 is installed near an instrument panel in a vehicle interior. When turning the vehicle to the right, the driver turns the steering wheel 13 clockwise around the rotation axis Ar (right rotation operation). When the driver wants to turn the vehicle largely to the right, the driver further pushes his / her right hand forward and pushes the steering wheel 13.
Is rotated about the swing axis As (right swing operation). When turning the vehicle to the left, an operation in the opposite direction is performed (left rotation operation and left swing operation).

Returning to FIG. 1, the steering wheel 13 is provided with a rotation angle sensor 15, a rotation force sensor 17, a swing angle sensor 19, and a swing power sensor 21 for detecting an operation amount (operation state). . Sensor 15 ~
21 is a rotation angle θr, a rotation force Fr,
The swing angle θs and the swing power Fs are detected and output to the control unit 23; a rotation angle θr: an angle rotated around the rotation axis Ar (amount of rotation); a rotation force Fr: operation in a direction around the rotation axis Ar -Swing angle θs: Angle of rotation about swing axis As (rotation amount) -Swing power Fs: Operating force given by driver in the direction around swing axis As Note that θr and Fr at the time of right rotation are positive, and θs and F at the time of right rotation.
Let s be positive.

The control unit 23 controls the target wheel steering angles ψR * and ψL * of the right front wheel 29 and the left front wheel 31 based on the input data.
To determine. The wheel steering angle ψ is an angle between the traveling direction of the vehicle and the direction of the wheels. The larger the operation amount (angle or force), the larger the target value. As is well known, it is necessary to slightly shift the wheel steering angle between the inner wheel and the outer wheel. The target wheel steering angles ψR * and ψL * are the right wheel actuator 2 respectively.
5 and the left wheel actuator 27.
The actuators 25 and 27 can change the directions of the right front wheel 29 and the left front wheel 31, respectively. Each actuator adjusts the direction of the wheel to be controlled so that the target steering angle is achieved.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the actuator 25,
The direction of the wheels 29 and 31 is changed by 27. Since the steering wheel device 3 and the wheels 29 and 31 are not mechanically connected to each other, the reaction force generated at the wheels due to steering is not transmitted to the steering wheel 13. However, it is difficult to operate the steering wheel without reaction force.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, a rotation angle control device 33 and a rotation reaction force actuator 35 are provided to generate an appropriate reaction force (hereinafter, operation reaction force) opposing the steering rotation operation. I have. The rotation angle control device 33 can adjust the rotation angle θr and its angular velocity and angular acceleration. Rotary reaction force actuator 35
Can apply a rotational reaction force about the rotation axis Ar to the steering wheel device 3, and can adjust the magnitude of the reaction force. The rotation angle control device 33 and the rotation reaction force actuator 35 are built in the rotation support mechanism 7 in FIG. Similarly, the swing support mechanism 11 is provided with a swing angle (angular velocity,
A swing angle control device 37 that adjusts angular acceleration) and a swing reaction force actuator 39 that applies a reaction force to the steering wheel device 3 to the swing operation are built in.

These components 33 to 39 are provided by the control unit 2
3 is controlled. The control unit 23 causes the steering wheel device 3 to generate an appropriate operation reaction force based on input data from the sensor group. The control unit 23 increases the operation reaction force as the handle operation amount increases.

Further, the control unit 23 can completely control (prohibit) the steering operation with a little uncomfortable feeling by controlling the angle control device and the reaction force actuator. The operation restriction is realized by setting the change in the angle to almost zero and setting the operation reaction force to infinity or a considerably large value.

Next, referring to FIG. 3, the control unit 23 is a computer device and has a calculation unit 41. Control unit 2
3 is provided with a plurality of differentiators. Thus, the rotation angle θr, the rotation angular velocity ωr and the rotation angular acceleration ωr ′ are input to the calculation unit 41, and further, the rotation force Fr and the derivative Fr ′ thereof are input. Also,
Along with the swing angle θs, the swing angular velocity ωs and the swing angular acceleration ωs ′ are input, and further, the swing power Fs and its differential value Fs ′ are input. These data are used to determine the wheel steering angles ψR and ψL *, and are also used for control that regulates operation.

Next, the processing performed by the control unit 23 will be described with reference to FIG. In the “small steering angle region” until the wheel steering angle reaches a predetermined threshold angle, the control unit 23 controls the wheel steering angle based only on the rotation operation. In a "large steering angle region" in which the wheel steering angle is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold angle, the wheel steering angle is controlled based on the swing operation. Whether or not the wheel steering angle has reached a predetermined threshold angle is determined based on the amount of steering wheel operation. Here, the rotation angle θr and the swing angle θs are used as parameters representing the operation amount.

In FIG. 4, the control unit 23 has a rotation angle θ.
r is read (S10), and the absolute value of the rotation angle θr is compared with a predetermined threshold angle θr0 (S12). | Θr | <θ
In the case of r0, the swing of the steering wheel 13 is restricted (S14). Here, under the control of the control unit 23,
The swing angle control device 37 regulates the swing angle θs to 0 or a predetermined small value or less, and the swing reaction force actuator 39 generates an infinite or considerably large swing operation reaction force. Regulations are enforced. The operation may be restricted using one of the angle control device and the reaction force actuator (the same applies hereinafter).

The controller 23 determines the target wheel steering angles ψR * and ψL * based on the rotation angle θr (S16). ΔR * and ΔL * are determined to be larger as the rotation angle θr is larger.
The determined target rudder angle is the left and right wheel actuator 2
The actuators adjust the direction of the wheels according to the target steering angle.

Further, the control unit 23 controls the rotation angle control device 33 and the rotation reaction force actuator 35 to cause the steering wheel device 3 to generate a rotation operation reaction force corresponding to the rotation angle θr (S18). Here, only one of the angle control device and the reaction force actuator may be used (the same applies hereinafter).

S12 is YES, that is, the rotation angle θr
The above process is repeated until the threshold angle θr0 is reached. S12 is NO, that is, | θr | ≧ θ
In the case of r0, the control unit 23 permits the swing operation of the steering wheel device 3 (S20). Here, the swing operation in the same direction as the rotation operation direction is permitted, but the swing operation in the opposite direction is restricted. For example, when the right rotation operation is being performed (θs is positive), only the right swing operation is permitted. Thereby, it is possible to avoid inconsistency in the directions of the rotation operation and the swing operation.

The controller 23 reads the swing angle θs (S22), and based on the swing angle θs, the target wheel steering angle ψR
*, ΔL * are determined (S24). Referring to FIG.
The control unit 23 stores a map that associates the rotation angle θr and the swing angle θs with the target wheel steering angles ψR * and ψL *, and ψR * and ψL * are determined using this map. Until the rotation angle θr reaches the threshold angle θr0,
The wheel steering angle belongs to the small steering angle area (smaller than the threshold angle ψ0). In the small steering angle region, the target wheel steering angle is determined only from θr. However, in the large steering angle region, the swing angle θ
The target wheel steering angle is determined from s. The larger the swing angle θs, the larger the target wheel steering angle. The target wheel steering angle is output to the wheel actuators 25 and 27, and the directions of the wheels 29 and 31 are adjusted according to the target value.

A specific example of numerical values in the map of FIG.
The rotation threshold angle θr0 is set to an appropriate value between 30 and 60 °. θr0 is set to an angle within a range in which the driver does not feel that the driver needs to change the steering wheel. $ 0
Is set to an appropriate value between ± 1.5 ° to ± 10 °, for example, and ψ changes according to the rotation operation within a range having both positive and negative ψ0 at both ends. Furthermore, the maximum swing angle θ
smax is, for example, about ± 30 °. θs = θsm
The maximum wheel steering angle ψmax at the time of ax is, for example, ± 40 °
It is set to an appropriate value between ±± 50 °. These various values may be variable.

Further, the control unit 23 controls the swing angle control device 37 and the swing reaction force actuator 39 to generate a swing operation reaction force corresponding to the swing angle θs in the steering wheel device 3 (S26). ). A map in which the target operation reaction force is set to be larger as the swing angle θs is larger is prepared in advance, and control according to this map is performed. The generation of the swing operation reaction force makes it easier for the driver to adjust the wheel steering angle. When the swing angle reaches θsmax in FIG.
In order to restrict the further swing operation, the swing reaction force is increased to infinity.

The processing of S20 to S26 is continued until the swing angle θs becomes small and becomes 0 or a predetermined small threshold angle. During this time, the steering rotation operation is regulated under the control of the control unit 23.

In the above processing, the rotation angle θr and the swing angle θs are used as the operation amount parameters. However, the rotational force Fr and the swing power F
Similar processing can be performed using s. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the rotational force Fr and the oscillating force Fs
A map for obtaining the target wheel steering angle is used.
Further, it is needless to say that the angle and the force as the operation amounts may be appropriately combined and used for determining the target wheel steering angle.

The shape of the map for determining the target wheel steering angle is not limited to those shown in FIGS. The wheel steering angle may increase along a curve instead of a straight line, and an appropriate steering feeling can be obtained by adjusting the shape of the map. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the target wheel steering angle may be determined using an appropriate function without using the map.

Further, the determination of switching between rotation and swing (S in FIG. 4)
Regarding 12), the threshold value of the rotation operation amount (angle or force) may be variable. Further, in addition to the rotation operation amount, the determination may be made based on the magnitude of the reaction force generated due to the rotation operation.

Further, the regulation of the swing operation at a small rotation angle and / or the regulation of the rotation operation during the swing operation may be realized by a mechanical structure.

Next, a method of operating the above steering device will be described. First, the driver rotates the steering wheel 13 around the rotation axis Ar from the neutral position. Accordingly, the direction of the wheels changes, and the traveling direction of the vehicle also changes. When the rotation operation amount reaches the threshold value, further rotation operation becomes impossible. Therefore, when the driver wants to largely change the direction of the vehicle, the driver performs a swing operation. This further increases the wheel steering angle. In order to move the vehicle straight, the driver reduces the swing operation amount, then reduces the rotation operation amount, and returns the steering wheel 13 to the neutral position.

As described above, in this embodiment, the steering operation is divided into the rotation operation and the swing operation.
In each of the rotation operation and the rocking operation, the driver does not need to move his hand significantly. For each operation, it is not necessary to increase the response of the steering angle to the operation amount. Therefore, it is possible to make the operation system less sensitive and to ensure the easiness of the operation, while eliminating the need for the changeover operation.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the turning operation and the swinging operation are performed in different steering angle regions with the threshold steering angle as a boundary (however, all wheel steering angles are substantially divided into two regions). The case where the small and large steering angle areas in FIGS. 4 and 5 overlap near the boundary is also included in the present invention). In addition, a rotation operation that is easy to operate is performed in a small steering angle region that is frequently used. With such a configuration, adjustment of the wheel steering angle is easy for the driver, and high operability is obtained.

In this embodiment, the left and right front wheels are steered wheels. However, vehicles that steer four wheels, or
Of course, the present invention is also applicable to vehicles that steer rear wheels.

When the target steering angle is determined based on the operation angle, the operation force sensors (17, 21) may be omitted. Conversely, when determining the steering angle based on the operation force, the operation angle sensors (15, 19) may be omitted.
The rotation operation angle θr may be used in the small steering angle area, and the swing operation force Fs may be used in the large steering angle area (and vice versa).

In the present embodiment, the angle control device and the reaction force actuator are provided for generating the operation reaction force, but one of them may be omitted as long as the same operation can be obtained (rotation, rotation, etc.). In one or both swings).

<Detection of Abnormal Operation> It is possible that the driver performs an abnormal operation on the steering wheel device 3. The abnormal operation is, for example, the steering wheel 13
It is an operation of tapping. It is necessary to prevent erroneous operation of changing the wheel steering angle due to abnormal operation. Therefore, it is determined whether an abnormal operation has occurred in the early stage of the detection of the swing operation.

In this embodiment, an appropriate play is set for the swing operation. That is, the wheel steering angle is not changed in accordance with the swing operation until the operation amount (angle or force) reaches a predetermined value. In the play range, an appropriate swing reaction force that can prevent the steering wheel 13 from wobbling is given.

The controller 23 controls the swing angular velocity ωs and the swing angular acceleration ω when the swing operation amount is within the play range.
Reference is made to s ', the swing operation force Fs and its derivative value Fs'. For each value, a threshold for abnormality determination is set. When any of ωs, ωs ′, Fs and Fs ′ exceeds the abnormality determination threshold value, the subsequent input of the swing operation amount is invalidated.

Further, in response to the input of the swing operation being invalidated, the control unit 23 sets the angle regulation and the operation reaction force relating to the swing to the maximum values of the apparatus. The swing angle is controlled to 0, the swing reaction force is set to infinity, and the swing operation is completely restricted. The operation regulation is released after a predetermined time.

By such processing, a change in the steering angle in accordance with the swing operation is suppressed, and a malfunction due to an abnormal operation is prevented.

More preferably, the control unit 23 accumulates the frequency of occurrence of abnormal operations (input invalidation) as a database over a predetermined period. Then, the angle regulation and the maximum value of the swing reaction force are changed according to the frequency of occurrence. If the frequency of the abnormal operation is low, the angle regulation is relaxed and the maximum value of the swing reaction force is reduced. As a result, the load on a system such as an actuator for generating a reaction force can be reduced, and improvement in durability can be expected.
When the frequency of the abnormal operation is high, the angle regulation is strictly maintained, and the swing reaction force is maintained at infinity.

<Displacement of Operation Axis> As a modification of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the operation axis (rotation axis Ar and swing axis As) may be configured to be displaceable. The position of the operation axis may be changed according to the driver's preference and body shape. Further, the position of the operation shaft may be changed according to the steering operation amount.

<Addition of Operation Axes> In the present embodiment, the operation axes are the rotation axis Ar and the swing axis As. However, the number of operation axes is not limited to two. That is, the third
The steering wheel device 3 may be configured so as to be able to move around the operation axis of the steering wheel, and the wheel steering angle may be controlled according to the operation amount. Further, the direction of the operation axis is not limited to the above embodiment.

<Control Based on State of Vehicle> As shown in FIG. 1, signals from various sensors in the vehicle are input to the control unit 23, and the control unit 23 is communicably connected to another ECU. ing. The steering device 1 may further operate as follows based on an input signal to the control unit 23.

(1) Wheel steering angle and operation reaction force are controlled based on vehicle control information, for example, vehicle speed, wheel speed, brake signal, and engine control signal. For example, as the vehicle speed increases, a greater reaction force is applied to the rotation and swing operation. In addition, the swing operation is prohibited (restricted) at a vehicle speed exceeding a certain value. The swing operation is prohibited during the brake operation. As a result, during high vehicle speed and braking operation,
The wheel rudder angle does not increase, and becomes an appropriate size. The vehicle control information includes, in addition to various sensors, a dynamic vehicle height control device,
It is input from an ECU such as a brake assist device and a vehicle stability (stability) device.

(2) Surrounding environment information such as traffic information, outside air temperature, and weather (whether there is snowfall) can also be used for steering control as a kind of vehicle state information. This information is
It can be obtained using VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System). For example, it is preferable to increase the operation reaction force during snowfall.

(3) It is also possible to use information on the estimated value of the road surface friction coefficient and the tire pressure. For example, when the friction coefficient is small, the operation reaction force of rotation and swing is increased.

(4) The information on the number of occupants and the information on the loaded weight obtained from the dynamic vehicle height control device can also be used. The steering response is changed according to the vehicle weight. By preparing a plurality of maps in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6, the responsiveness can be made variable.

(5) The operation information of the airbag can also be used. When the airbag is operated, the rotation operation and the swing operation are completely restricted so that the steering wheel device 3 is not moved.

(6) It is also preferable to provide the steering wheel 13 with a grip force sensor for detecting the grip force of the driver. When the driver's consciousness level decreases, the grip strength decreases. Therefore, when the grip force decreases, the swing operation is restricted.
Thereby, the wheel steering angle can be kept small. It is possible to prevent a large change in the direction of the vehicle due to a large wheel steering angle.

(7) It is also preferable to use the driver's biological information such as blinking and heart rate. For example, a camera is installed in the passenger compartment to photograph the driver's face. The captured image is processed to detect the driver's blink. If it is determined that the driver's consciousness has decreased, the swing operation is restricted. Alternatively, a heart rate sensor may be installed in the driver's seat. If it is determined from the heart rate that the driver's consciousness is decreasing, the swing operation is restricted.

(8) Control based on the weight of the driver is also preferable. A weight sensor is provided in the driver's seat to detect the weight of the driver. When the weight is heavy, the force to move the steering wheel 3 in the swinging direction in response to sudden braking or the like also increases.
Therefore, the control unit of the steering device generates a swing reaction force having a magnitude corresponding to the weight.

(9) It is also preferable to use information on the strength of the driver. When the driver's arm strength is strong, the swing operation force Fs also increases, so the swing reaction force is increased.
Similar processing may be performed for the rotational reaction force. It should be noted that a database of the grip strength is created by accumulating the detection values of the grip strength sensors described above, and the arm strength of the driver can be estimated from the grip strength database.

(10) It is also preferable that the personal information of the driver can be registered in the control unit 23 or another ECU, and that the information is used. The personal information includes, for example, distinction between right-handed and left-handed, gender, age, and the like. When the driver is right-handed, the reaction force of right swing is made larger than that of left swing.
The swing reaction force varies depending on gender and age. It is also preferable to appropriately change the threshold for switching between rotation and oscillation.

Regarding (11) and (10), it is also preferable to use calendar information. The steering system includes
There is a built-in calendar to find the date. Update the driver's age based on the calendar information. The swing reaction force is controlled according to the age.

<Airbag> The steering device according to the present invention has the following advantages with respect to the installation of the airbag device. As is well known, an airbag is built in a steering wheel and is activated and inflated when a strong impact is applied to a vehicle.

Conventionally, it is not known at which position the steering wheel is to operate the airbag.
A circular airbag shown in FIG. 8A is generally employed. However, in this embodiment, the operation amount of the steering wheel is small. Therefore, the shape of the airbag can be determined without considering the state in which the steering wheel is largely rotated, and the degree of freedom is large.

Therefore, in this embodiment, a forked airbag as shown in FIG. 8B is employed. The airbag has a shape that wraps around the driver's head from the left and right when activated, thereby increasing the ability to protect the head, especially the temporal region.

The airbag shown in FIG. 8B is preferably constructed such that the branch portion 50 is opened from the outside and has the shape shown in the figure. This is for bringing the driver into contact with the airbag in a more appropriate state.

In order to prevent the driver's eyes (glasses) from being damaged, it is preferable to provide a recess 52 around the contact portion of the eye.

Further, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the steering column shaft 54 can be bent in a predetermined direction as shown in FIG. Thus, the occupant can be easily rescued in the event of an accident.

[0072]

As described above, according to the present invention, the wheel steering angle is controlled in accordance with the rotation operation and the swing operation of one operating device. It is possible to reduce the hand movement of the steering operation by the user, eliminate the need for a changeover operation, and facilitate the operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a steering wheel device of the steering device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a control unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of a control unit in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a map used for the control of FIG. 4 for determining a target wheel steering angle from an operation angle.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a map for determining a target wheel steering angle from an operation force.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration in which an operation shaft of a steering wheel is displaced.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an airbag suitable for the steering device of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a view showing a modified example of the steering shaft of the steering device shown in FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 1 steering device, 3 steering wheel device, 7 rotation support mechanism, 11 swing support mechanism, 13 steering wheel, 15 rotation angle sensor, 17 rotation force sensor, 19 swing angle sensor, 21 swing power sensor, 23
Control unit, 25 right wheel actuator, 27 left wheel actuator, 29 right front wheel, 31 left front wheel,
33 rotation angle control device, 35 rotation reaction force actuator, 37 swing angle control device, 39 swing reaction force actuator.

Claims (8)

[Claims] A rotatable operation shaft rotatable; and
An operating device that is provided to be swingable around a swing operation shaft and is operated by a driver, and a wheel steering angle control unit that controls a wheel steering angle according to a rotation operation state and a swing operation state of the operation device. A steering device for a vehicle, comprising: 2. The vehicle steering system according to claim 1, wherein in a small steering angle region where the wheel steering angle is small, the wheel steering angle is controlled in accordance with a rotation operation state around the rotation operation shaft, and the small steering angle is controlled. A steering apparatus for a vehicle, wherein a wheel steering angle is controlled in accordance with a swing operation state around the swing operation axis in a large steering angle region where a wheel steering angle is larger than a region. 3. The vehicle steering system according to claim 2, wherein a swing operation around the swing operation axis is restricted when a wheel steering angle belongs to the small steering angle region. Vehicle steering system. 4. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a swing operation around the swing operation axis is regulated according to a state of the vehicle. 5. The steering apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the regulation of the swing operation is realized by causing the operation device to generate a reaction force against the swing operation about the swing operation shaft. A vehicle steering system characterized by being performed. 6. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that the swing operation state around the swing operation shaft is abnormal, the wheel steering angle is changed according to the swing operation state. A steering device for a vehicle, characterized in that the steering is suppressed. 7. The vehicle steering system according to claim 1, wherein the operating device includes an airbag device having a shape that wraps a driver's head from left and right when activated. Vehicle steering system. 8. An operation device operated by a driver configured to move around a plurality of operation axes, and a wheel for controlling a wheel steering angle according to an operation state of the operation device around the plurality of operation axes. A steering apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: steering angle control means.