JP2005161922A - Steering handle for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering handle for a vehicle, which does not put a burden on the arm and the wrist of a driver in operation. <P>SOLUTION: The steering handle 23 is operated by being gripped by both hands of the driver. The axis Ls of a steering shaft is tilting so as to be high on the front side of a car body. In addition, a left grip 24L to be gripped by a left hand and a right grip 24R to be gripped by a right hand can turn in the mutually reversed directions about an axis Lg orthogonal to the axis Ls of the steering shaft. By this configuration, a driver's upper body tilting rearward because the driver is sitting on a seat becomes nearly parallel with the rotation plane of the steering handle 23. As a result, the driver can turn the steering handle 23 without elongating and contracting his arms. In addition, the steering operation can be easily carried out by preventing an unnatural twist of the driver's wrist when the steering handle 23 is turned. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle steering handle for turning a wheel by rotating a steering handle held by a passenger seated on a seat with both hands around an axis of a steering shaft.

A part of the circular steering handle attached to the steering shaft is cut out, and a knob that can be rotated around a rotating shaft parallel to the steering shaft is supported on the cut portion, so that the knob can be moved with one hand without changing the steering handle. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-151867 discloses that the steering wheel is rotated by grasping.
JP-A-11-227614

  By the way, a circular steering handle that has been generally used for vehicles is attached to the rear end of a steering shaft that is inclined so that the front side of the vehicle body is lowered. The distance from the body to each part of the steering handle is not constant, the distance increases at the upper part of the steering handle, and the distance decreases at the lower part of the steering handle. Therefore, when an occupant seated on a vehicle seat grasps and rotates the steering wheel, his / her arm needs to be extended or contracted, which is an unnatural movement for the occupant and increases the burden of steering operation. Moreover, in the conventional steering handle, the wrist of the occupant is unnaturally twisted when the steering handle is rotated, which also increases the burden on the steering operation of the occupant.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle steering handle that does not put a burden on an occupant's arm or wrist during operation.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, for a vehicle that steers a wheel by rotating a steering handle that is gripped with both hands by an occupant seated in a seat around the axis of the steering shaft. A steering handle for a vehicle is proposed in which the axis of the steering shaft is inclined so that the front side of the vehicle body is higher.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the wheel is steered by rotating the steering handle held by both the hands of the occupant seated on the seat around the axis of the steering shaft. In a vehicle steering handle, the steering handle includes a left grip gripped with a left hand and a right grip gripped with a right hand, and the left grip and the right grip are rotatable around an axis perpendicular to the axis of the steering shaft. A vehicle steering handle is proposed.

  According to a third aspect of the invention, in addition to the configuration of the second aspect, the left grip and the right grip are connected by an interlocking mechanism so that they can rotate in opposite directions. A steering handle is proposed.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the structure of claim 3, the interlocking mechanism includes a left bevel gear fixed to the left grip, a right bevel gear fixed to the right grip, a left bevel gear and a right bevel gear. A steering handle for a vehicle is proposed, characterized by comprising an idle bevel gear that meshes simultaneously.

  The first steering shaft 28 of the embodiment corresponds to the steering shaft of the present invention.

  According to the configuration of the first aspect, when the steering wheel gripped by the occupant with both hands is rotated around the axis of the steering shaft, the axis of the steering shaft is inclined so that the front side of the vehicle body is higher, so Thus, the distance between the upper body of the occupant leaning backward and the steering handle is kept substantially constant at any rotation position of the steering handle, allowing the occupant to rotate the steering handle without extending or retracting the arm. This makes steering operation easier.

  According to the configuration of claim 2, since the left grip and the right grip of the steering handle that steers the wheel are rotatable around an axis perpendicular to the axis of the steering shaft, the wrist of the occupant when the steering handle is rotated. The steering operation can be made easier by preventing unnatural twisting.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the left grip and the right grip are connected by the interlocking mechanism so that they can rotate in the opposite directions, so that the steering operation of the occupant can be further facilitated.

  According to the configuration of claim 4, since the interlocking mechanism is configured by the left bevel gear fixed to the left grip, the right bevel gear fixed to the right grip, and the idle bevel gear meshing simultaneously with the left bevel gear and the right bevel gear, The left and right grips can be automatically rotated in the opposite direction.

  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 5 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an overall view of a vehicle steering apparatus, FIG. 2 is a front side view of the vehicle, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory diagram when the handle is operated in the left turning direction.

  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.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the steering handle 23 includes a left grip 24 </ b> L gripped by the driver with the left hand and a right grip 24 </ b> R gripped with the right hand, and the left and right grips 24 </ b> L and 24 </ b> R are arranged on a common axis Lg. The left and right rotary shafts 25 and 25 are rotatably supported by a frame-shaped housing 26. Left and right bevel gears 27L and 27R are fixed to opposite ends of the left and right rotating shafts 25 and 25, respectively. The left and right bevel gears 27L and 27R are first steering shafts 28 to which the housing 26 is fixed (see FIG. 3). ) And a common idle bevel gear 29 supported so as to be relatively rotatable. The left and right bevel gears 27L, 27R and the idle bevel gear 29 constitute an interlocking mechanism 30, and the interlocking mechanism 30 causes the left and right grips 24L, 24R to rotate in opposite directions in conjunction with each other. The housing 26 and the interlocking mechanism 30 are covered with a spherical cover member 31.

  The left and right grips 24L and 24R are biased toward a neutral position shown in FIG. 4 by a spring (not shown).

  The first steering shaft 28 fixed integrally with the housing 26 is rotatably supported by the rear column cover 32. The axis Ls of the first steering shaft 28 is arranged to rise forward by a predetermined angle (30 ° in the embodiment) so that the front side of the vehicle body becomes higher, and this axis Ls is on the upper body of the driver seated in the seat 33 in a leaning posture. It is substantially orthogonal to the direction. The common axis Lg of the left and right grips 24L and 24R is orthogonal to the axis Ls of the first steering shaft 28.

  The rear end of the second steering shaft 34 rotatably supported by the rear column cover 32 is connected to the front end of the first steering shaft 28 via a universal joint 35 and is connected to the front of the rear column cover 32. The rear end of the third steering shaft 37 that is rotatably supported by the cover 36 is connected to the front end of the second steering shaft 34 via a universal joint 38.

  A steering angle sensor Sa that detects the steering angle δ input by the driver to the steering handle 23 is provided at the front end portion of the third steering shaft 37, and the driver is attached to the steering handle 23 at an intermediate portion of the third steering shaft 37. A steering torque sensor Sb for detecting the input steering torque T is provided. Further, a steering reaction force generating means 39 is provided at an intermediate portion of the third steering shaft 37. The steering reaction force generating means 39 applies a pseudo steering reaction force to the steering handle 23 by an electric motor or hydraulic pressure, and the drive gear 40 provided on the output shaft thereof is connected to the driven gear 41 provided on the third steering shaft 37. The direction and magnitude of the steering reaction force can be arbitrarily controlled by meshing.

  The operation of the first steering actuator 14 is controlled by the electronic control unit Ua for the first steering actuator, the operation of the second steering actuator 17 is controlled by the electronic control unit Ub for the second steering actuator, and the operation of the steering reaction force generating means 39 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 have a steering angle δ detected by the steering angle sensor Sa, a vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor Sc, and a rack position P detected by the rack position sensor Sd. The steering reaction force generating means electronic control unit Uc is inputted with the steering angle δ detected by the steering angle sensor Sa, the steering torque T detected by the steering torque sensor Sb, and the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor Sc. Entered.

  Next, the operation of the embodiment having the above configuration 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 handle 23 at a normal time when the first steering actuator 14 functions normally, the rotation of the first steering shaft 28 is rotated via the universal joint 35, the second steering shaft 34, and the universal joint 38. The steering angle δ and the steering torque T are detected by the steering angle sensor Sa and the steering torque T transmitted to the third steering shaft 37.

  The steering angle δ detected by the steering angle sensor Sa, the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor Sc, and the rack position P detected by the rack position sensor Sd are 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 that, for example, the steering angle γ of the wheels W and W proportional to the steering angle δ of the steering handle 23 is obtained, 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 sensor 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 sensor 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. Sometimes, it is possible to improve the straight running stability of the vehicle and facilitate the handling of the vehicle 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 handle 23, the steering reaction force generation means 39 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 handle 23. The target steering reaction force at that time is searched for a map using the steering angle δ detected by the steering angle sensor Sa and the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor Sc as parameters. This map is set so that the steering reaction force increases as the steering angle δ increases, and the steering reaction force increases as the vehicle speed V increases. The drive of the steering reaction force generating means 39 is feedback-controlled so that the steering torque T detected by the steering torque sensor Sb matches the target steering reaction force. In this way, by applying a pseudo steering reaction force to the steering handle 23 by the steering reaction force generating means 39, the driver's uncomfortable feeling can be eliminated.

  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.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the driver holds the left grip 24L with the left hand and the right grip 24R with the right hand to operate the steering handle 23, the tip of the left and right arms from the elbow to the upper body Since the driver is substantially vertical, the driver can grip the steering handle 23 in a natural posture. When the steering handle 23 is operated in the left turning direction around the axis Ls as shown in FIG. 5B from the neutral state shown in FIG. 5A, the left grip 24L moves toward the cover member 31 around the axis Lg. It rotates counterclockwise, and the right grip 24R rotates counterclockwise around the axis Lg toward the cover member 31.

  When the steering handle 23 is operated in the left turning direction around the axis Ls in this way, the left and right grips 24L and 24R rotate in the opposite direction around the axis Lg, so the left and right wrists of the driver are naturally twisted. This makes the driver's steering operation easier without making an unreasonable angle. As shown in FIG. 5C, the limit rotation angle around the axis Ls of the steering handle 23 is suppressed to 90 °. Further, since the interlocking mechanism 30 is composed of the left and right bevel gears 27L and 27R and the idle bevel gear 29, the left and right grips 24L and 24R can be interlocked with each other and rotated in the reverse direction.

  Further, since the axis Ls of the first steering shaft 28 that is directly rotated by the steering handle 23 is lifted forward, the steering handle 23 rotates in a plane substantially parallel to the upper body of the driver. Even if it rotates, the distance between the upper body of the driver and the grips 24L and 24R is kept constant. This eliminates the need for the driver to extend and retract the arm as the steering handle 23 rotates, and allows the steering handle 23 to be easily operated while keeping the posture of the upper body constant.

  Although the case where the steering handle 23 is operated in the left turning direction has been described so far, the operation when the steering handle 23 is operated in the right turning direction is the same.

  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, the present invention is not limited to a steer-by-wire steering device, but a shaft-type steering device in which a steering handle and a steering gear box are connected by a shaft, and a cable-type steering in which a steering handle and a steering gear box are connected by a cable. It can also be applied to a device.

  Further, in the embodiment, the first steering shaft 28 is arranged to rise forward at an angle of 30 °, but the angle is not limited to 30 °.

Overall view of vehicle steering system Front side view of the vehicle 2 is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. Perspective view corresponding to FIG. Action explanatory diagram when the handle is operated in the left turning direction

Explanation of symbols

23 Steering handle 24L Left grip 24R Right grip 27L Left bevel gear 27R Right bevel gear 28 First steering shaft (steering shaft)
29 Idle bevel gear 30 Interlocking mechanism 33 Seat Lg Axis Ls perpendicular to the axis of the steering shaft Ls Steering shaft axis W Wheel

Claims (4)

In a vehicle steering handle for turning a wheel (W) by rotating a steering handle (23) held by a passenger seated on a seat (33) with both hands around an axis (Ls) of a steering shaft (28),
A steering handle for a vehicle, wherein the axis (Ls) of the steering shaft (28) is inclined so that the front side of the vehicle body becomes higher. In a vehicle steering handle for turning a wheel (W) by rotating a steering handle (23) held by a passenger seated on a seat (33) with both hands around an axis (Ls) of a steering shaft (28),
The steering handle (23) includes a left grip (24L) gripped by the left hand and a right grip (24R) gripped by the right hand, and the left grip (24L) and the right grip (24R) are the axis (Ls) of the steering shaft (28). A steering handle for a vehicle, which is rotatable around an axis (Lg) perpendicular to the vehicle. The steering handle for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the left grip (24L) and the right grip (24R) are connected by an interlocking mechanism (30) so as to be rotatable in opposite directions to each other. The interlocking mechanism (30) is simultaneously applied to the left bevel gear (27L) fixed to the left grip (24L), the right bevel gear (27R) fixed to the right grip (24R), the left bevel gear (27L), and the right bevel gear (27R). 4. The vehicle steering handle according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises an idle bevel gear (29) that meshes.

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