JP2006062527A - Steering gear of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simply and securely prevent theft of a vehicle when a driver gets off. <P>SOLUTION: Turn operation of a steering wheel 11 is transmitted to a steering wheel through a steering column 12, an upper part steering shaft 13, and a lower part steering shaft 14 when driving the vehicle. When a shift lever is switched to a parking range and the driver gets off, a disconnection mechanism 30 separates the upper part steering shaft 13 from the lower part steering shaft 14 to inhibit steering of the steering wheel by turn operation of the steering wheel 11. When the driver grips the steering wheel 11 for starting driving again, an individual person certification sensor 15 and an individual person certification circuit 41 certify the driver to switch the disconnection mechanism 30 to a connection condition automatically and allow steering of the steering wheel by turn operation of the steering wheel 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle steering apparatus that prevents theft of a vehicle by preventing the steering operation from being transmitted to a steered wheel even if the steering handle is steered when the driver gets off the vehicle.

Conventionally, as an apparatus of this type, as shown in Patent Document 1 below, an intermittent mechanism that selectively transmits an operation of a steering wheel to a steering wheel is interposed in a steering shaft, and a key is operated by rotating a key. It is known to switch the intermittent mechanism between a disconnected state and a connected state to prevent the vehicle from being stolen. Patent Document 1 below also introduces that an electronic box is provided instead of a key, and the interrupting mechanism is connected by a magnetic or electro-optical tape including a secret code.
JP-A-8-268226

  However, in the former example of the above prior art, if the driver gets off with the key inserted into the key cylinder or left in the passenger compartment, the vehicle cannot be stolen. . Also in the latter example, if the driver gets off with the magnetic or electro-optical tape including the secret code left in the passenger compartment, the vehicle cannot be stolen. Furthermore, in the latter example, in order to switch the intermittent mechanism to the connected state, it is necessary to perform a special operation different from the driving operation of the vehicle, which is troublesome for the driver.

  The present invention has been made to cope with the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle steering apparatus that can easily and reliably prevent the vehicle from being stolen even when the driver gets off.

  In order to achieve the above object, a feature of the present invention is that a transmission mechanism for transmitting a steering operation of a steering wheel to a steering wheel is provided, and the steering wheel is adjusted according to the steering operation of the steering wheel transmitted through the transmission mechanism. In a steering device for a vehicle to be steered, it is interposed in a transmission mechanism, allows transmission of a steering operation from the steering wheel to the steering wheel in a connected state, and transmits a steering operation from the steering wheel to the steering wheel in a disconnected state. The disconnection mechanism for prohibiting the disconnection, the disconnection control means for setting and controlling the disconnection mechanism in the disconnected state, the personal authentication means for authenticating a specific driver by biometric feature information (so-called biometrics), and the disconnection mechanism are set in the disconnected state And a connection control means for setting and controlling the intermittent mechanism to the connected state when a specific driver is authenticated by the personal authentication means.

  In this case, the disconnect control means disconnects the interrupting mechanism on the condition that the driver gets off the vehicle, for example, when the shift lever is switched to the parking range or an instruction from the portable wireless transmitter possessed by the driver. It is preferable to control the setting to the state. In addition, on the condition that the driver's getting off was detected by detecting that the driver left the driver's seat after the vehicle stopped, opening / closing the driver's seat door after the vehicle stopped, and the driver leaving the vehicle, The cutting control means may set and control the intermittent mechanism to the cutting state.

  Further, the personal authentication means may be provided, for example, in at least one of a steering handle, a shift lever, an armrest, and a door knob. The personal authentication means may be any authentication means as long as it can authenticate a specific driver based on biometric feature information such as finger vein patterns, fingerprints, irises, and voices.

  According to the present invention configured as described above, the steering operation of the steering wheel is not transmitted to the steered wheel when the disconnection control unit is operated and the intermittent mechanism is set to the disconnected state. Only when the person is authenticated, the steering operation of the steering wheel is transmitted to the steered wheels, so that theft of the vehicle can be surely avoided. Further, when the driver returns to the vehicle and resumes driving, if the driver is automatically recognized by the personal authentication means, the connection control means sets and controls the intermittent mechanism. The steering wheel can be steered by the steering operation, and the driver does not need to perform a troublesome anti-theft release operation.

  Another feature of the present invention is that a position sensor is provided in the transmission mechanism for detecting a relative displacement between both side portions cut by the intermittent mechanism, and the connection control means is provided on both sides detected by the position sensor. The intermittent mechanism is set and controlled to be in a connected state in a state where there is no relative displacement of the parts. According to this, even when the steering handle is turned in the cutting state of the cutting mechanism, when the both side portions of the transmission mechanism cut by the intermittent mechanism are connected, the positional deviation of both side portions is always As a result, the driver can always turn the steering wheel without a sense of incongruity.

  Another feature of the present invention is that the configuration of the present invention further includes automatic driving / disconnecting control means for setting and controlling the intermittent mechanism in a disconnected state during automatic driving of the vehicle. This automatic driving of the vehicle is performed, for example, when the vehicle is parked. According to this, even when the driver touches the steering wheel during the automatic driving of the vehicle, the steered wheels are steered depending on the automatic driving, so that the automatic driving is not hindered.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 schematically shows a steering mechanism 10 of a vehicle steering apparatus according to the present invention. The steering mechanism 10 includes a steering handle 11, a steering column 12, an upper steering shaft 13, and a lower steering shaft 14. The steering column 12, the upper steering shaft 13, and the lower steering shaft 14 constitute a transmission mechanism of the present invention, and transmit the rotation of the steering handle 11. The lower steering shaft 14 is mechanically connected to the steered wheel via a pinion gear, a rack bar, a tie rod, a knuckle arm, and the like (not shown), and the steered wheel is steered according to the rotation around its axis. Yes.

  The steering handle 11 has a circular shape that is rotated by the driver, and a personal authentication sensor 15 is provided at a position where the driver holds the steering handle 11. The personal authentication sensor 15 is used for personal authentication of a driver by detecting a finger vein pattern, which is human biometric feature information, for example. Further, instead of the sensor that detects the vein pattern, a sensor that detects a fingerprint that is human biometric feature information may be used.

  The upper end of the steering column 12 is connected to the steering handle 11 so as to rotate integrally around the axis, and the lower end of the steering column 12 is inserted into a column tube 16 fixed to the vehicle body so as to be rotatable about the axis. . The upper steering shaft 13 has its upper end portion inserted from the lower end surface of the column tube 16 so as to be relatively rotatable about the axis and displaceable in the axial direction. The upper end portion of the upper steering shaft 13 is connected to the lower end portion of the steering column 12 in the column tube 16 so as to be displaceable in the axial direction and to rotate integrally around the axis.

  On the upper outer peripheral surface of the upper steering shaft 13, a ring 17 is assembled so as to be rotatable around the axis and not displaceable in the axial direction. One end of a drive rod 18 extending in the axial direction of the upper steering shaft 13 is fixed to the ring 17. The drive rod 18 is provided with rack teeth 18a, and a pinion gear 21 is engaged with the rack teeth 18a. The pinion gear 21 is rotationally driven by an electric motor 22 fixed to the vehicle body. Accordingly, when the electric motor 22 is rotated, the upper steering shaft 13 is displaced in the axial direction thereof.

  A large gear 23 is assembled on the outer peripheral surface of the lower end portion of the upper steering shaft 13 so as to rotate integrally with the upper steering shaft 13. The large gear 23 meshes with a small gear 25 fixed to the lower end of a rotating rod 24 having an inner spline at the upper end. The rotating rod 24 is connected to an output shaft 26a of an electric motor 26 fixed to the vehicle body by spline coupling so as to be displaceable in the axial direction and not to be relatively rotatable around the axis. Thereby, even if the upper steering shaft 13 is displaced in the axial direction, the meshing of the large gear 23 and the small gear 25 is maintained, and the upper steering shaft 13 is rotated by the rotation of the electric motor 26. .

  As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 2, the upper steering shaft 13 and the lower steering shaft 14 are selectively switched between a disconnected state and a connected state by an intermittent mechanism 30. A cylindrical fitting portion 31 is formed at the lower end of the upper steering shaft 13 and has a smaller diameter than the upper portion. On the outer peripheral surface of the fitting portion 31, a plurality of protruding portions 32 (two protruding portions 32, 32 in the present embodiment) protruding in the radial direction are formed along the circumferential direction. The protrusions 32 are respectively formed with cylindrical fitting holes 32a having the axial direction of the upper steering shaft 13 as the axial direction.

  The lower steering shaft 14 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and when the upper steering shaft 13 is displaced downward, the fitting portion 31 enters from the upper surface. A plurality of cutout portions 33 (two cutout portions 33 and 33 in this embodiment) are formed along the circumferential direction at the upper end portion of the lower steering shaft 14 along the axial direction from the upper end surface. Yes. In these notches 33, cylindrical pins 34 are fixed in a standing manner with the axial direction of the lower steering shaft 14 as the axial direction. When the upper steering shaft 13 is displaced downward, the pin 34 enters the fitting hole 32a, the projecting portion 32 enters the cutout portion 33, and the fitting portion 31 enters the lower steering shaft 14, The upper steering shaft 13 and the lower steering shaft 14 rotate integrally around the axis. On the other hand, when the upper steering shaft 13 is displaced upward, the above-described pin 34 enters the fitting hole 34a, the protrusion 32 enters the notch 33, and the fitting portion 31 enters the lower steering shaft 14. Even when the upper steering shaft 13 rotates about the axis, the lower steering shaft 14 does not rotate about the axis.

  Position sensors 35a and 35b are fixed on the outer peripheral surface of one protrusion 32 and the outer peripheral surface of the lower steering shaft 14, respectively. For example, one of the position sensors 35a and 35b is configured by a light emitting element and the other is configured by a light receiving element, and can detect a position where the other faces each other. These position sensors 35a and 35b are opposed to each other when the steering handle 11, the steering column 12, and the upper steering shaft 13 are at the reference position, and the steering mechanism from the lower steering shaft 14 to the steering wheel is at the reference position. It is assembled to come to.

  Next, an electric control circuit device for electrically controlling the steering mechanism 10 and other related parts will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the electric control circuit device includes a personal authentication circuit 41, an engine control unit 42, a shift lever control unit 43, a steering control unit 44, and a parking assist switch 45. Note that these circuits and units 41 to 45 are constituted by a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and exhibit functions to be described later by built-in program processing.

  The personal authentication circuit 41 analyzes the human biometric feature information (vein pattern or fingerprint) detected by the personal authentication sensor 15, and the biometric feature information and the biometric feature information registered and stored in advance as a driver. Are output to the engine control unit 42, the shift lever control unit 43, and the steering control unit 44. The engine control unit 42 controls the operation of the engine device 51, and permits the engine device 51 to start on the condition that the authentication signal is input. The shift lever control unit 43 controls the shift lever device 52, and unlocks the shift lever on condition that the authentication signal is input. The shift lever control unit 43 detects that the shift lever has been switched to the parking range, and supplies this detection signal to the steering control unit 44.

  The steering control unit 44 includes a cutting control unit 44a and a connection control unit 44b. The cutting control unit 44a operates the electric motor 22 when a signal indicating that the shift lever is switched to the parking range is input from the shift lever control unit 43, and when a parking assist switch 45 described later is turned on. The intermittent mechanism 30 is set and controlled to be disconnected. The connection control unit 44b operates the electric motor 22 on condition that the authentication signal is input, and sets the intermittent mechanism 30 to the connected state. Before starting the operation of the electric motor 22, one of the light emitting elements of the position sensors 35a and 35b is operated and a signal is input from the other light receiving element until the position sensors 35a and 35b come to positions facing each other. The motor 26 is operated to eliminate the positional deviation between the upper steering shaft 13 and the lower steering shaft 14.

  The parking assist switch 45 is a switch for instructing parking of the vehicle by automatic driving. When the parking assist switch 45 is operated, the parking automatic driving device 53 operates to park the vehicle by automatic driving. The operation signal of the parking assist switch 45 is also supplied to the steering control unit 44. Further, the parking automatic driving device 53 outputs an operating signal to the connection control unit 44b in order to prohibit the operation of the connection control unit 44b until the parking is completed.

  In the vehicle steering apparatus configured as described above, when the driver gets on and grips the steering handle 11, the driver is authenticated by the personal authentication sensor 15 and the personal authentication circuit 41, and this authentication signal is sent to the engine control unit 42. The shift lever control unit 43 and the steering control unit 44 are supplied. As a result, the start of the engine device 51 is permitted, the shift lever device 52 is unlocked, and the upper steering shaft 13 and the lower steering shaft 14 are connected, so that the vehicle can be driven. In such a state, when the driver starts the engine device 51 and drives the vehicle, and then switches the shift lever to the parking range in order to stop the vehicle and park, the signal accompanying this switching is transmitted to the steering control unit. 44 is supplied to the cutting control unit 44a.

  In response to the supplied signal, the cutting control unit 44a operates the electric motor 22 to displace the upper steering shaft 13 upward by a predetermined amount via the drive rod 18 and the ring 17. Thereby, the intermittent mechanism 30 is set to a disconnected state, and the upper steering shaft 13 and the lower steering shaft 14 are separated. When the driver leaves the vehicle in this state, even if another person tries to move the vehicle, the turning operation of the steering handle 11 is not transmitted to the steering wheel, and therefore the vehicle cannot be moved. Note that when the driver leaves the vehicle, whether or not the engine device 51 is stopped, the disconnect control unit 44a sets the interrupting mechanism 30 to the disconnected state, so that the driver operates the engine device 51. Even if the vehicle is left unattended, the vehicle can be reliably prevented from being stolen.

  After that, when the driver returns to the vehicle and gets on again to grip the steering handle 11, the start of the engine device 51 is permitted by the personal authentication as described above, and the shift lever device 52 unlocks the shift lever, In addition, since the intermittent mechanism 30 is set to the connected state and the upper steering shaft 13 and the lower steering shaft 14 are connected, the vehicle can be driven. In this case, the connection control unit 44b rotates the electric motor 22 in the direction opposite to that in the case of the cutting, and moves the upper steering shaft 13 downward by a predetermined amount. As a result, the driver can drive the vehicle only by grasping the steering handle 11, so that the vehicle can be resumed even if the driver does not perform a troublesome releasing operation for theft prevention.

  Further, when setting the intermittent mechanism 30 to the connected state, the connection control unit 44b eliminates the positional deviation between the upper steering shaft 13 and the lower steering shaft 14 in cooperation with the position sensors 35a and 35b. The electric motor 22 is operated in the state. That is, when another person rotates the steering handle 11 while the vehicle is parked, the steering handle 11, the steering column 12, and the upper steering shaft 13 are rotated, but the lower steering shaft 14 is not rotated. A relative displacement occurs between the steering shafts 13 and 14. In this case, the connection control unit 44b controls the rotation of the electric motor 26 so as to eliminate the positional deviation based on the detection of the positional deviation by the position sensors 35a and 35b. When the position shift is eliminated by the rotation of the electric motor 26 around the axis of the upper steering shaft 13 via the small gear 25 and the large gear 23, the rotation of the electric motor 22 is controlled as described above. Therefore, when the upper steering shaft 13 and the lower steering shaft 14 that are cut by the intermittent mechanism 30 are connected, the positional deviation between the steering shafts 13 and 14 is always eliminated, so that the driver always holds the steering wheel without a sense of incongruity. It can be turned.

  When the parking assist switch 45 is turned on, this turn-on signal is supplied to the cutting control unit 44a. The cutting control unit 44a sets the intermittence mechanism 30 to the cutting state as described above, and Disconnect from the lower steering shaft 14. On the other hand, the parking automatic driving device 53 operates to park the vehicle by automatic driving. And this automatic driving device 53 for parking outputs an operating signal to connection control part 44b, and prohibits operation of connection control part 44b during an automatic driving operation. Therefore, during automatic driving of the vehicle, even if the driver touches the steering handle 11, the steered wheels are steered depending on the automatic driving, so that the automatic driving is not hindered.

  Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be employed within the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the intermittent mechanism 30 is set to the disconnected state on the condition that the shift lever is switched to the parking range, but the intermittent mechanism 30 is disconnected only when the driver gets out of the vehicle. You may make it set to a state. For example, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 2, the driver carries the portable transceiver 55 and the vehicle is equipped with the transceiver 56, and the distance between the portable transceiver 55 (driver) and the vehicle is a predetermined distance or more away. In the vehicle system that can detect this, the portable transmitter / receiver 55 and the transmitter / receiver 56 detect that the driver has moved down from the vehicle by putting the shift lever into the parking range, and that the driver has been separated from the vehicle by a predetermined distance. On this condition, the cutting control unit 44a may set the interrupting mechanism to the cutting state.

  Further, the portable transceiver 55 may be provided with an operation switch, and a signal indicating the operation of the operation switch by the driver may be transmitted. Then, the transmitter / receiver 56 receives the transmitted signal, and in response to the reception, the disconnect control unit 44a sets the interrupting mechanism 30 to the disconnected state. In this case, the portable transceiver 56 need only have a transmission function. According to this, when the driver gets off the vehicle and operates the operation switch, the intermittent mechanism 30 is set to the disconnected state. In addition, a door opening / closing detection switch and a distance sensor are provided on the driver's seat door, and after the door opening / closing detection switch detects that the driver's seat door is opened and closed, the driver is separated from the vehicle by a predetermined distance or more. On the condition that the distance sensor detects this, the cutting control unit 44a may set the intermittent mechanism 30 to the cutting state. Furthermore, when the driver detects that the driver has left the driver's seat by a seating sensor provided in the driver's seat, or when the driver's door is opened or closed by a door opening / closing detection switch provided on the driver's seat door, the driver When the vehicle gets off, the disconnection mechanism 30 may be set and controlled to be disconnected by the disconnection control means 44a.

  In the above embodiment, the personal authentication sensor 15 comprising a vein pattern detector or a fingerprint detector is provided on the steering handle 11. However, the personal authentication sensor 15 is assembled to a shift lever, an armrest, a door knob, or the like. May be.

  In the above embodiment, the personal authentication sensor 15 is constituted by a vein pattern detector or a fingerprint detector. However, instead of this, as the personal authentication sensor 15, an iris detector for detecting an iris or a voice discriminator for identifying voice by inputting voice may be used. In this case, however, a glow detector or a voice classifier may be arranged in front of the driver's seat.

  In the above-described embodiment, the upper steering shaft 13 is displaced in the axial direction by the electric motor 22 to control the disconnection and connection between the upper steering shaft 13 and the lower steering shaft 14. However, instead of this, as shown in FIG. 4, the intermittent mechanism 30 may be configured by an electromagnetic clutch 61 including a movable piece 61 a and a fixed piece 61 b. In this case, the movable piece 61a is assembled to the lower end portion of the upper steering shaft 13 so that it cannot rotate around its axis and can be displaced in the axial direction, and is urged upward by a spring (not shown). The fixed piece 61b is fixed to the upper end. The electromagnetic clutch 61 disconnects the upper steering shaft 13 and the lower steering shaft 14 in a non-energized state, and connects the upper steering shaft 13 and the lower steering shaft 14 so as to rotate together in an energized state.

  In the case of this modification, the upper steering shaft 13 is assembled to the column tube 16 so as not to be displaced in the axial direction. Also in this modified example, positioning position sensors 35a and 35b are assembled at opposing positions on the outer peripheral surface of the movable piece 61a and the fixed piece 61b of the electromagnetic clutch 61. In the modified example configured as described above, the disconnect control unit 44a sets the electromagnetic clutch 61 to the non-energized state, and the connection control unit 44b controls the electromagnetic clutch 61 to the energized state. Also by this, since the intermittent mechanism 30 is set and controlled in the disconnected state or the connected state as in the above embodiment, the same effect as in the above embodiment is expected.

  Furthermore, the vehicle steering apparatus according to the above embodiment can be modified as shown in FIG. In this modification, the intermittent mechanism 30 is switched between a disconnected state and a connected state by using the driving force of the telescopic mechanism 71 built in the column tube 16. The intermittent mechanism 30 includes a ring 72 and levers 73 to 75. The ring 72 is assembled on the outer peripheral surfaces of the upper steering shaft 13 and the lower steering shaft 14 so as not to rotate around the axis and to be displaceable in the axial direction. A plurality of grooves 72 a extending in the axial direction are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the ring 72, and the plurality of grooves 72 a are provided on the outer peripheral surfaces of the upper steering shaft 13 and the lower steering shaft 14 in the axial direction. A plurality of extended linear protrusions 13a and 14a invade displaceably in the axial direction.

  The lever 73 is configured such that its upper end is pulled and pushed upward in the drawing in the state where the swing of the axis is allowed in the drawing plane in conjunction with the operation of the telescopic mechanism 71. The lower end portion of the lever 73 is connected to one end of the lever 74 so as to be rotatable in the illustrated plane. The lever 74 is rotatably supported in the center of the column tube 16 (vehicle body) in the illustrated plane, and the other end is rotatably connected to the upper end of the lever 75 in the illustrated plane. Yes. The lower end of the lever 75 is connected to the upper surface of the ring 72 by a ball joint 76. Also in this modified example, position sensors 35 a and 35 b are assembled on the opposing surfaces of the large gear 23 and the ring 72 in order to position the upper steering shaft 13 and the lower steering shaft 14. In this modification, the upper steering shaft 13 is not displaced in the axial direction, so the electric motor 26 is directly connected to the small gear 25.

  In the modified example configured as described above, when the driver pulls out the key to get off, the telescopic mechanism 71 moves the steering handle 11 from the driving position to the storage position obliquely below. Pulling out this key corresponds to detection of the driver getting off. Alternatively, when the shift lever is switched to the parking range, the telescopic mechanism 71 may operate as described above. The operation of the telescopic mechanism 71 pulls the lever 73 upward in the figure, and the rotation of the lever 74 pushes the lever 75 downward in the figure. As a result, the ring 72 is displaced on the upper steering shaft 13 and the lower steering shaft 14 downward in the axial direction thereof, and the engagement with the upper steering shaft 13 is released. Therefore, also in this modified example, when the driver gets off, the intermittent mechanism 30 is set to the disconnected state, and the vehicle is prevented from being stolen.

  When the driver gets on and starts driving, the telescopic mechanism 71 is activated by personal authentication by the personal authentication sensor 15 and the personal authentication circuit 41, and the steering handle 11 is returned to the driving position by the telescopic mechanism 71. It is. At this time, the lever 73 is pushed downward to the right in the figure, contrary to the above, and the lever 75 is displaced obliquely upward to the left in the figure. As a result, the ring 72 starts to displace in the axial direction on the lower steering shaft 14 and finally engages with the upper steering shaft 13. Therefore, in this state, the intermittent mechanism 30 is set to the connected state, and the upper steering shaft 13 and the lower steering shaft 14 are mechanically coupled, so that the vehicle can be driven.

  When the steering handle 11 is turned while the driver gets out of the vehicle, the electric motor 26 is operated before or during the operation of the telescopic mechanism 71, so that the case of the above embodiment is performed. Similarly, it is necessary to position the upper steering shaft 13 and the lower steering shaft 14. In the modified example that operates in this manner, the intermittent mechanism 30 is driven using the driving force of the telescopic mechanism 71, so that a drive source such as an electric motor for driving the intermittent mechanism 30 can be omitted.

1 is a schematic side view of a vehicle steering mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is an expansion perspective view of the intermittent mechanism part of FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electric control circuit device for electrically controlling the steering mechanism of FIG. 1 and other related parts. It is a schematic side view of the steering mechanism of the vehicle which concerns on the modification of the said embodiment. It is a schematic side view of the steering mechanism of the vehicle which concerns on the other modification of the said embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Steering mechanism, 11 ... Steering handle, 12 ... Steering column, 13 ... Upper steering shaft, 14 ... Lower steering shaft, 15 ... Personal authentication sensor, 22, 26 ... Electric motor, 30 ... Intermittent mechanism, 35a, 35b ... Position Sensor 41, personal authentication circuit 42 engine control unit 43 shift lever control unit 44 steering control unit 44 a disconnect control unit 44 b connection control unit 45 parking assist switch 61 electromagnetic clutch 71 ... Telescopic mechanism, 72 ... Ring, 73-75 ... Lever.

Claims (7)

In a vehicle steering apparatus that includes a transmission mechanism that transmits a steering operation of a steering wheel to a steering wheel, and that steers the steering wheel according to the steering operation of the steering wheel that is transmitted via the transmission mechanism.
An intermittence mechanism interposed in the transmission mechanism, allowing transmission of a steering operation from a steering wheel to a steering wheel in a connected state, and prohibiting transmission of a steering operation from the steering wheel to the steering wheel in a disconnected state;
A cutting control means for setting and controlling the interrupting mechanism in a cutting state;
Personal authentication means for authenticating a specific driver with biometric feature information;
And a connection control means for setting and controlling the interrupting mechanism to a connected state when a specific driver is authenticated by the personal authentication means in a state where the interrupting mechanism is set to a disconnected state. A vehicle steering device.   2. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the disconnection control unit sets and controls the intermittent mechanism to a disconnected state on condition that the shift lever is switched to a parking range.   2. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the disconnection control unit sets and controls the intermittent mechanism to a disconnected state on condition of an instruction from a portable wireless transmitter possessed by a driver.   2. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the disconnection control unit sets and controls the intermittence mechanism in a disconnected state on condition that the driver gets off the vehicle. In the transmission mechanism, a position sensor for detecting a relative position shift of both side portions cut by the intermittent mechanism is provided,
The said connection control means described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4 which sets and controls the said interruption mechanism in a connection state in the state without the relative position shift of the both sides detected by the said position sensor. Vehicle steering device.   6. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the personal authentication means is assembled to at least one of a steering handle, a shift lever, an armrest, and a door knob. The vehicle steering apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising:
A vehicle steering apparatus comprising: an automatic driving / disconnecting control unit configured to control the intermittent mechanism to be in a disconnected state during automatic driving of the vehicle.

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