JP2005145324A - Controlled target value setting device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a target speed value indication device for a vehicle suitable for providing dynamic steering feeling. <P>SOLUTION: A rotating shaft 45 connected to an operation lever 46 is installed in a casing fixed to a handle lever 11. The operation lever 46 is rotated to provide a throttle opening indication value. Coiled springs 47 and 48 are fitted to the rotating shaft 45. The rotating shaft 45 is disposed eccentrically from the handle bar 11 to the operator's seat side. At a low target speed value indication position, the operation lever 46 is extended approximately parallel with the handle bar 11. When the throttle opening is increased, the tip of the operation lever 46 is apart from a grip. Accordingly, a thumb 55 is released from a free movement 56 and moved along the route 57 of the tip of the operation lever so as to near the center of a vehicle body while being extended forward. When the speed is increased from a low speed range, the thumb takes such a movement 57, an operator gets the feeling of the operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control target value setting device, and more particularly to a vehicle control target value setting suitable for making it easier for a driver to feel an operation when attempting to increase a control target value such as a vehicle speed target value. Relates to the device.

  In a throttle opening instruction device as a speed setting device for a motorcycle or a tricycle driven by an engine, a throttle operation member provided on a handle (more specifically, a grip or a portion near the grip) is rotated by a hand or a finger. By operating, the throttle opening instruction corresponding to the rotation angle of the operation member is given.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-212625 discloses an uneven terrain vehicle (ATV) in which a thumb throttle lever, which is an operation member that can be operated with a thumb, is attached to a handle bar. The thumb throttle lever has a feature that the throttle opening / closing operation can be performed only with the thumb, unlike the throttle opening degree indicating device that rotates the entire grip by grasping the grip as an operation member by hand.
JP-A-1-212625.

  A throttle opening indication device having a thumb throttle lever can be operated only with the thumb. However, since the rotation shaft of the thumb throttle lever is in front of the handlebar (from the vehicle traveling direction), the thumb throttle lever is maintained substantially parallel to the handlebar, that is, the grip even in a region where the throttle opening is large. Therefore, the movement of the tip of the thumb throttle lever is in the range of the natural movement of the thumb when the grip is held with the entire hand. Therefore, regardless of whether the throttle opening is small or large, the driver can perform the throttle operation without being particularly aware of the operation of the thumb.

  By the way, when traveling at low speed on a congested road, it is common to frequently adjust the throttle opening in the low throttle opening range.

  In consideration of the low-speed driving, the present invention provides a vehicle control that allows a driver to feel whether the throttle opening is in a low opening area or any other area without special awareness. An object is to provide a target value setting device.

  The present invention provides a control target value for a vehicle having an operation lever that is provided adjacent to a grip portion provided on a steering handlebar of a saddle-ride type vehicle and sets the control target value of the vehicle according to an operation angle. In the setting device, when the operation lever is rotated from one end to the other end of the operation range, the tip of the operation lever once approaches the grip portion, and then the grip portion in the axial direction of the handle bar. There is a first feature in that a rotating shaft of the operation lever provided to be biased toward the driver's seat side of the vehicle with respect to the steering handlebar is provided so as to move away from the steering handlebar.

  In the present invention, the control target value is a vehicle speed target value, one end of the operation range is a minimum speed target value setting position, and the other end of the operation range is a maximum speed. A second feature is that the positions of the rotation shaft and the operation lever are determined so as to be the target value setting position.

  The third aspect of the present invention is that the operation range is determined so that the tip of the operation lever at one end of the operation range is located closer to the rear of the vehicle than the tip of the operation lever at the other end. There are features.

  Furthermore, the present invention has a fourth feature in that a partial spherical knob provided at the tip of the operation lever is formed.

  According to the present invention having the above features, the rotation shaft of the operation lever is in a position biased toward the driver from the handlebar, and the natural thumb position when the driver grasps the grip follows the operation lever. Since the position is at the minimum rotational speed target value setting position, the speed can be adjusted within the range of natural thumb movement in the low speed range. On the other hand, when trying to increase the speed away from the low speed range, the operating lever is rotated away from the grip position, so that the thumb moves more actively to follow the movement of the operating lever. become. Therefore, the driver can experience whether or not the operation lever is in the low throttle opening range only by the sense of the thumb.

  Further, since the partial spherical knob is provided at the tip of the operation lever, the degree of contact of the thumb operating the operation lever is fixed regardless of the rotation angle of the operation lever.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is an external side view of an electric vehicle including a speed setting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, an electric vehicle 1 includes a handle 4 that is rotatably supported by a head pipe 3 positioned at a front portion of a body frame 2, and a handle 4 that extends upward. And a front fork 6 having a front wheel 5 at the lower end. A down pipe 7 extending downward and rearward is connected to the head pipe 3, and the down pipe 7 is further connected to a lower pipe 8 extending rearward and a seat post 9 rising upward from the lower pipe 8. The lower pipe 8 once branches from the down pipe 7 to both sides in the vehicle body width direction and extends rearward, and is further combined rearward and coupled to the lower end of the seat post 9. An annular seat frame 10 extending rearward is connected to the upper portion of the seat post 9. The lower pipe 8 is provided with a floor step 12, and the lower part from the floor step 12 is covered with an under cover 13. A battery 13 is accommodated between the branched lower pipes 8 and 8 below the floor step 12.

  A power unit 14 is attached to the lower portion of the seat post 9 so as to be swingable up and down. A rear wheel 15 as a drive wheel is provided at the rear of the power unit 14. A rear cushion unit 16 is provided between the upper portion of the power unit 14 and the seat post 9. A stay 17 extends rearward from the middle of the seat post 9, and the stay 17 is provided with a charging / voltage conversion device 18 and a tail lamp 19 positioned behind the charging / voltage conversion device 18.

  The handle 4 includes a handle pipe 11 that extends on both sides in the vehicle width direction, and a head lamp 20 and a main switch 21 are attached to the head pipe 3. A speed target value indicating device (described later) for controlling the speed of the vehicle by adjusting the output of the vehicle driving motor 22 is attached to the right end of the handle pipe 11.

  In addition to the motor 22, the power unit 14 houses a power control unit 23 including a switching member such as a power FET, and a smoothing capacitor 24. The output of the motor 22 is transmitted to the rear wheels via a reduction gear (not shown). A seat 25 is disposed on the seat frame 10. The shape of the annular portion of the seat frame 10 is set so that the helmet 26 can be hooked and held.

  FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view of the speed target value indicating device, and FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the same. In both figures, the casing 41 of the speed target value indicating device 40 is attached to the handle bar 11. The casing 41 includes a lower casing 411 and an upper casing 412, and a lever support portion 413 for supporting the brake lever 42 with the pivot 43 is formed in the lower casing 411. The lower casing 411 has a clamp portion 414, the handle 11 is sandwiched from above and below by this clamp portion 414, and is fastened and fixed by bolts 44.

  A thicker portion of the lower casing 411 is provided with a bearing hole 415 penetrating vertically, and a rotating shaft 45 is fitted into the bearing hole 415. An operation lever 46 is fitted into the lower end of the rotation shaft 45 and is fixed by a bolt 51. The rotation shaft 45 is provided at a position biased toward the front side, that is, toward the driver with respect to the handle 11. The operation lever 46 is rotatable about the rotation shaft 45.

  In FIG. 1, the operation lever 46 is in a position that indicates the maximum target value of the vehicle speed. The operation lever 46 can be operated within the rotation range indicated by the arrow L in FIG. Since the rotation shaft 45 is disposed in front of the handle pipe 11, when the operation lever 46 is pushed forward from the front of the handle pipe 11, that is, from the initial position and rotated about the rotation shaft 45, the operation lever 46 is operated. The tip of 46 draws a circular arc so as to move away from the grip 11A along the axis of the grip 11A. That is, the tip of the operation lever 46 rotates so as to approach the center of the vehicle body. The rotation range of the operation lever 46, that is, the operation range will be described later.

  In the middle of the rotating shaft 45, springs 47 and 48 for biasing the operation lever 46 in one direction (clockwise in FIG. 1) are provided. Each of the springs 47 and 48 is a coil spring having a coil portion coaxial with the rotating shaft 45 and a hook portion or end portion extending from the coil portion, and both are wound so as to generate a repulsive force, that is, torque in the same direction.

  Each of the first spring 47 and the second spring 48 is shaped so as to generate a repulsive force according to the operating angle of the operating lever 46. Details will be described later. A plate 49 engaged with one end of the springs 47 and 48 is fitted to the upper portions of the springs 47 and 48 so as to rotate integrally with the rotation shaft 45. The plate 49 is fitted to the rotary shaft 45, and a horizontal portion that provides a portion with which one end of the springs 47 and 48 engages, and extends downward from the horizontal portion, and is near the other end of the second spring 48. Has a second spring engaging portion 491 that abuts.

  An engagement pin 50 is erected on the lower casing 411 so that the other end of the second spring 48 is engaged. The other end of the first spring 47 is in contact with the inner surface of the side wall of the lower casing 411.

  A stay 52 that protrudes horizontally from the side wall surface is provided inside the upper casing 412. The stay 52 constitutes a bearing portion that supports the upper end of the rotating shaft 45. Above the stay 52, a rotation sensor 53 for detecting the rotation angle of the rotation shaft 45 is provided. The shaft of the rotation sensor 53 is positioned so as to be engaged with the protrusion at the upper end of the rotation shaft.

  The speed target value indicating device 40 configured as described above operates as follows. 4A to 4C are enlarged views of the main part of the speed target value indicating device showing the position of each part corresponding to the operation of the operation lever 46. FIG. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing a state in which the initial position of the operation lever, that is, the minimum speed target value is instructed. In FIG. 4A, the plate 49 is rotated to the maximum in the clockwise direction in the drawing by the action of the first spring 47. In this state, since the second spring 48 is separated from the engagement pin 50, the repulsive force of the second spring 48 does not act on the rotating shaft 45. Therefore, the driver's hand (especially the right thumb 55 pushing the tip of the operating lever 46) operating the operating lever 46 within the range of the arrow 54 from the initial state (the speed target value is zero) is repulsive only by the first spring 47. I feel the force load.

  FIG. 4B is a diagram showing a state where a speed target value larger than the initial state is instructed. In FIG. 4B, the rotation shaft 45 is rotated to a position where one end of the second spring 48 starts to contact the engagement pin 50. Therefore, when the rotation shaft 45 is further rotated counterclockwise from this state, a load for twisting the second spring 48 in addition to the first spring 47 must be applied to the operation lever 46. That is, when instructing a larger speed target value from the state shown in FIG. 4B, the driver feels with his / her finger 55 a load that is much larger than the load felt through the operation lever 46 before that.

  FIG. 4C is a diagram illustrating the position of each unit when an instruction for the maximum speed target value is given. In FIG. 4C, the rotation shaft 45 rotates to the maximum in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing and indicates the maximum speed target value. In this state, the first spring 47 and the second spring 48 are also largely twisted, so that the driver operating the operation lever 46 feels the largest load on the finger 55.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the rotation angle of the operation lever 46, that is, the speed target value, and the torque necessary for operating the operation lever 46. As shown in FIG. In the figure, as the rotation angle of the operation lever 46 increases from the initial value α0, the required torque increases at a rate corresponding to the spring constant of the first spring 47. When the rotation angle reaches an angle α1 at which the second spring 48 comes into contact with the engagement pin 50, the torque of the second spring 48 is added to the torque of the first spring 47, and the spring constant changes. The rate of increase in torque required to rotate the is significantly increased.

  Thereby, the driver can feel the change in the operation torque between the region where the vehicle speed is low and the region where the vehicle speed is high with the finger via the operation lever 46.

  Note that the operating torque of the operating lever is not limited to change in two steps, and for example, as shown in FIG. 10, the operating torque can be changed in three steps. In FIG. 10, the required torque increases as the rotation angle of the operation lever 46 increases from the initial value (first operation angle) α0. When the rotation angle exceeds the second operation angle α1, the increase rate of the operation torque is made larger than the increase rate in the range of the operation angles α0 to α1. Furthermore, the increase rate of the operation torque is made smaller than the increase rate in the range of the operation angles α1 to α2 in the region exceeding the third operation angle α2.

  By changing the operation torque of the operation lever 46 in this way, the driver can feel that the throttle opening range is out of the low opening range at the second operation angle α1. And in the area | region beyond 3rd operation angle (alpha) 2, since the torque burden concerning a finger | toe is reduced, throttle operation can be performed with a normal feeling.

  FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the operation lever 46. A stepped hole 462 for fixing the knob is formed at the tip of the lever portion 461 of the operation lever 46 (the portion having a small thickness). The knob 463 includes a partially spherical head 464 and a flanged stem 465. The knob 463 is preferably made of a soft or elastic material such as rubber. Since the knob 463 is made of a soft material, the thumb hits softly and is deformed when pressed with the thumb, so that the contact area can be increased while being spherical, and the grip feeling of the knob is good. The knob 463 inserts the stem 465 into the stepped hole 462 and engages and fixes the flange (projected edge) portion of the stem 465 to the step of the stepped hole 462.

  FIG. 7 is a plan view of the speed target value indicating device in which the movement of the operation lever and the free movement of the thumb are described together. In the same figure, the trajectory when the thumb 55 can be moved freely with the handle 11 held by the right hand is indicated by an arrow 56. The locus of the knob 463 of the operation lever 46 is indicated by an arrow 57. Thus, unlike the free thumb trajectory 56 and the trajectory 57 of the knob 463 of the operating lever 46, the trajectory 57 of the knob 463 is greatly different from the free thumb trajectory 56, particularly in the range where the speed target value is large. Yes.

  In other words, in a region where the vehicle speed is low, the speed can be adjusted by the movement of the thumb while holding the handle 11. However, in the operation range in which the vehicle speed is increased, the thumb is consciously biased toward the center of the vehicle body and pushed forward to match the locus 57. Therefore, the driver can drive while feeling the movement of the operation lever 46 during the speed adjustment operation.

  With respect to such movement of the operation lever 46, the contact posture between the thumb 55 and the operation lever 46 changes. However, since the knob 463 is partially spherical, the thumb 55 is directed toward the center of the knob 463 even when the operation lever 46 is rotated, and the contact feeling can be maintained constant. Further, the knob 463 is recessed when pressed by the elasticity of rubber, and a good contact feeling between the thumb and the knob 463, that is, a grip feeling can be obtained.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a saddle-type buggy vehicle for rough terrain equipped with a speed target value indicating device as a control target value setting device of the present invention. In the figure, the buggy vehicle 100 exhibits high climbing performance and running performance by making full use of the large-diameter wheel 101, the under cover 102, the four-wheel drive mechanism, and the like. A meter unit 107 is provided at the center of the handle 106, and a vertical type or patch type GPS receiving antenna 103 is erected at an upper part thereof. The buggy car 100 has many opportunities to be used on rough terrain where the posture change during driving is large, but by adopting a helical antenna with a wide directivity angle as the receiving antenna 103, the GPS signal can be received well regardless of the posture change. it can.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the handle of the buggy vehicle 100. In the figure, an instrument panel 109 is provided on a cover 108 that covers the central portion of the handle 11. A speed target value indicating device 40 is provided at a position slightly deviated from the right grip 110 of the handle 11 to the cover 108 side.

  In the above embodiment, the plurality of springs are provided so that the torque required to move the operation lever 46 in a stepwise manner according to the rotation angle of the operation lever 46 is not limited to this. The operation lever 46 may be urged by a spring.

  The vehicle to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to the vehicle shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, but may be other types of motorcycles and tricycles. Further, the control target value by the operation lever is not limited to the vehicle speed target value. It may be a lighting illuminance setting value, a volume setting value of a vehicle equipped with an audio device, a setting value of a communication volume in a vehicle equipped with a communication device, or the like.

It is a top view of the speed target value instruction | indication apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the speed target value instruction | indication apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a perspective side view of a motorcycle to which a speed target value indicating device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the speed target value instruction | indication apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the speed target value instruction | indication apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the speed target value instruction | indication apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between a lever operation angle and a lever operation torque. It is an exploded view of an operation lever. It is a figure which shows a motion of an operation lever and a thumb. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle suitable for applying the present invention. It is a principal part perspective view of the vehicle of FIG. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the lever operation angle which concerns on a modification, and lever operation torque.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Handle, 40 ... Speed target value indicating device, 41 ... Casing, 45 ... Rotating shaft, 46 ... Operation lever, 47 ... First spring, 48 ... Second spring, 49 ... Plate, 50 ... Locking pin, 463 …Knob

Claims (4)

In a vehicle control target value setting device provided adjacent to a grip portion provided on a steering handlebar of a saddle riding type vehicle and having an operation lever for setting a control target value of the vehicle according to an operation angle,
When the operating lever is rotated from one end to the other end of the operating range, the tip of the operating lever once approaches the grip portion, and then moves away from the grip portion in the axial direction of the handlebar. As described above, the vehicle control target value setting device is provided with a rotation shaft of the operation lever provided to be biased toward the driver's seat side of the vehicle with respect to the steering handlebar. The control target value is a speed target value for a vehicle;
The positions of the rotating shaft and the operation lever are determined so that one end of the operation range is the minimum speed target value setting position and the other end of the operation range is the maximum speed target value setting position. The vehicle control target value setting device according to claim 1, wherein   The operation range is determined so that the tip of the operation lever at one end of the operation range is located closer to the rear of the vehicle than the tip of the operation lever at the other end. Vehicle control target value setting device.   The control target value setting device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a partial spherical knob provided at a tip of the operation lever is formed.

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