JP2006123870A - Vehicular steering device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular steering device capable of steering two steered wheels by a simple steering mechanism. <P>SOLUTION: Steering shafts 4 are provided on steered wheel supporting frames 3 rotatably journaling the steered wheels 1, and the steering shafts 4 of the steered wheel supporting frames 3 are respectively attached to a vehicle body 5 so as to horizontally rotate. A handle shaft 6 provided on a handle bar 2 is horizontally rotatably attached to the vehicle body 5 at a position between the pair of the steering shafts 4. Wheels 7, 8 are respectively provided to the handle shaft 6 and the steering shafts 4. The wheel 7 of the handle shaft 6 and the wheels 8 of the steering shafts 4 are coupled by a power transmitting cable element 9, and the steering shafts are horizontally rotated by following horizontal rotations of the handle shaft 6. The handle shaft 6 is rotated by rotating the handle bar 2, thereby rotating the pair of the steering shafts 4 coupled to the handle shaft 6 through the wheels 7, 8 and the power transmitting cable element 9 in the same direction. Therefore, the pair of steering wheels 1 can be rotated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering apparatus for a vehicle such as a four-wheel electric riding cart.

  The electric passenger cart includes a wheelchair type mainly used by elderly people and physically disabled people, a type used when traveling to a nearby place such as shopping, and a type used by bringing it to a golf course. Any type of passenger cart is desired to be small and light in terms of handling and the like.

  In order to simplify the structure of such a passenger cart, various three-wheel types have been proposed in which one front steering wheel is provided and two rear drive wheels are provided (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

However, the three-wheeled type passenger cart is not stable and easily falls. Therefore, various types of four-wheel types have been proposed in which the front wheels have two steering wheels and the rear wheels have two driving wheels (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
JP 2001-25488 A JP 2001-301663 A

  Although the four-wheel type passenger cart is difficult to tip over and has excellent stability, the steering wheel of the front wheel becomes two wheels as described above, and the steering mechanism simultaneously controls the direction of the steering wheel of the two wheels by operating the steering wheel. It is necessary to rotate in the same direction.

  However, when the steering wheel is operated and the directions of the two steering wheels are simultaneously rotated in the same direction, the steering device has a complicated structure in which a crank mechanism or a gear mechanism is combined between the handle shaft and the steering wheel. There are problems such as an increase in the number of parts and an increase in weight and cost.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle steering apparatus capable of steering two steering wheels by a simple steering mechanism.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a steering apparatus for a vehicle in which a steering wheel support for pivotally supporting each steering wheel 1 in a vehicle in which the direction of a pair of steering wheels 1 is operated by a handle 2 for steering. A steering shaft 4 is provided on each frame 3, the steering shaft 4 of each steering wheel support frame 3 is horizontally attached to the vehicle body 5, and the handle shaft 6 provided on the handle 2 is connected to the pair of steering shafts 4. At the position between them, it is attached to the vehicle body 5 so as to be able to rotate horizontally, and wheels 7 and 8 are provided on the handle shaft 6 and the steering shaft 4 respectively, and the wheel 7 of the handle shaft 6 and the wheel 8 of the steering shaft 4 are connected to the power transmission cable. The steering shaft 4 is connected by the body 9 and is driven by the horizontal rotation of the handle shaft 6 so that each steering shaft 4 rotates horizontally in the same direction.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the steering support 10 is provided in the vehicle body 5 in the first aspect, and the steering shaft 6 and the steering shaft 4 are attached to the steering support 10 so as to be horizontally rotatable. Is pivotally attached to the vehicle body 5 so that the steering support 10 can be rotated up and down.

  According to the present invention, by rotating the handle 2 and rotating the handle shaft 6, the pair of steering shafts 4 connected to the handle shaft 6 via the wheels 7 and 8 and the power transmission cable body 9 are connected to each other. The pair of steering wheels 1 can be rotated by rotating in the direction. Accordingly, a power transmission mechanism using the wheels 7 and 8 and the power transmission cable body 9 can form a steering device by using a power transmission mechanism including a chain wheel (sprocket) and a chain, for example. The steering wheel 1 can be steered.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described.

  1 and 2 show an example in which the steering device according to the present invention is applied to a four-wheel type electric passenger cart. The vehicle body 5 is separated into a front vehicle body 16 and a rear vehicle body 17. To be formed. The front vehicle body 16 is provided with a steering support body 10, and the lower end of the steering support body 10 is pivotally supported on the upper surface of the front vehicle body 16 by a hinge 18 so as to be pivotable in the front-rear direction. Can be raised and lowered freely. On both sides of the front vehicle body 16, there are provided angle adjustment support plates 19 projecting upward in an arc shape. A plurality of fixing holes 21 are formed in the angle adjustment support plate 19. Receiving holes 22 are provided at both ends of the steering support body 10 at positions corresponding to the fixing holes 21. By inserting the fixing pins 20 into the receiving holes 22 from the fixing holes 21, the steering support body 10 can be arbitrarily set. The angle adjustment support plate 19 is supported and fixed at an inclination angle.

  Protruding portions 23 are provided so as to protrude from upper end portions on both side ends of the steering support body 10, and cylindrical steering wheel rotating bearings 24 that are opened up and down are provided in the respective protruding portions 23. Between the pair of steering wheel rotation bearings 24, a cylindrical handle rotation bearing 25 that opens upward is provided at the center of the upper end portion of the steering support 10 in the width direction.

  A handle rotation shaft 26 is pivotally attached to the handle rotation bearing 25 so as to be horizontally rotatable, and the wheel 7 is fixed to an upper end portion of the handle rotation shaft 26 protruding upward from the handle rotation bearing 25. Attached. The wheel 7 is attached to the handle turning shaft 26 in a state where the wheel 7 is vertically stacked. A handle fitting hole 27 is formed on the upper end surface of the handle turning shaft 26. The handle 2 is formed in a T shape as a whole by providing grips 28 at both ends and hanging the handle shaft 6 downward in the center. Then, by inserting and fitting the lower end portion of the handle shaft 6 into the handle fitting hole 27, the handle shaft 6 is coupled and fixed to the handle rotation shaft 26, and the handle shaft 6 is connected via the handle rotation shaft 26. It is attached to the handle rotating bearing 25 so as to be horizontally rotatable, and a wheel 7 is provided at the lower end of the handle shaft 6.

  Further, a steering wheel rotation shaft 31 is pivotally attached to each steering wheel rotation shaft 24 so as to be horizontally rotatable, and protrudes above the steering wheel rotation bearing 24 of each steering wheel rotation shaft 31. A wheel 8 is fixedly attached to the upper end. Each steering wheel rotation shaft 31 has a through hole 33 penetrating vertically. The steering wheel 1 is rotatably attached to a bifurcated fork 34 projecting downward from the steering wheel support frame 3 by pivotally attaching a rotation shaft 35, and the steering shaft 4 projects from the upper end of the steering wheel support frame 3. A female screw hole 37 is provided on the upper end surface of the steering shaft 4. The steering shaft 4 is inserted into the steering wheel rotating shaft bearing 24 from the lower side so as to be horizontally rotatable, the bolt 38 is inserted into the through hole 33 of the steering wheel rotating shaft 31, and the lower end portion of the bolt 38 is connected to the female screw hole. 37, the steering shaft 4 is coupled and fixed to the steering wheel rotation shaft 31, and the steering wheel support frame 3 is attached to the steering wheel rotation bearing 24 by the steering shaft 4 so as to be horizontally rotatable. A wheel 8 is provided on the shaft 4 via a turning shaft 31 for a steering wheel.

  As described above, a pair of wheels 7 is attached to the handle shaft 6 and a wheel 8 is attached to the steering shaft 4 of each steering wheel support frame 3, and one wheel 7 and one steering wheel of the handle shaft 6 are attached. A power transmission cable body 9 is connected between the steering shaft 4 of the support frame 3 and the wheel 8 of the steering shaft 4 of the other steering wheel support frame 3. By suspending the transmission cable bodies 9, the pair of wheels 7 of the handle shaft 6 and the wheels 8 of the steering shaft 4 of the respective steering wheel support frames 3 are respectively connected by the power transmission cable bodies 9. Here, the wheels 7 and 8 and the power transmission cord 9 are not particularly limited. For example, a sprocket (chain wheel) is used as the wheels 7 and 8, and a chain is used as the power transmission cord 9. By using such a chain-sprocket mechanism, power can be transmitted without causing slippage.

  As described above, the pair of steering wheels 1 are attached to the front vehicle body 16 as front wheels, and the pair of drive wheels 40 are attached to the rear vehicle body 17 as rear wheels. An electric motor, a battery, and the like are mounted in the rear body 17, and the driving wheel 40 is driven to rotate by the electric motor. A seat receiving tube portion 41 protrudes from the upper surface of the rear vehicle body 17, and the driver seat 42 is attached to the rear vehicle body 17 by inserting a seat shaft 43 protruding from the lower surface of the driver seat 42 into the seat receiving tube portion 41. It is attached. The seat receiving cylinder portion 41 and the seat shaft 43 are provided with connecting holes 44 and 45, respectively, and the driving seat 42 is fixed by inserting the connecting pins 46 into the connecting holes 44 and 45. The driver seat 42 can be removed from the rear vehicle body 17 by removing the connector from the connecting holes 44 and 45 and releasing the fixation.

  A slide bar 48 is attached to the lower side of the front vehicle body 16 so as to protrude rearward. The slide bar 48 is attached and fixed to the front vehicle body 16 by screwing a bolt 64 passed through a through hole 63 provided in the front vehicle body 16 into a screw hole 65 provided at an end of the slide bar 48. . On the upper surface of the slide bar 48, positioning holes 49 are provided at a plurality of locations. Two slide bars 48 are provided in parallel, and a rack 50 is provided on the lower surface of each slide bar 48 along the front-rear direction. A guide rail 52 is fixedly attached to the chassis or the like below the rear vehicle body 17 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5 (b), the guide rail 52 is formed of a cylindrical body that is long in the front-rear direction with a slit-like opening 53 provided on the lower surface, and two guide rails 52 are provided in parallel. Bearing plates 54 are provided on both sides of the front end portion of each guide rail 52 so as to protrude downward. A single gear shaft 55 is rotatably attached through each bearing plate 54, and each guide rail of the gear shaft 55 is mounted. A gear (pinion) 56 is fixedly attached to each lower position of 52. A rotation operation handle 57 is detachably attached to the end of the gear shaft 55 so that each gear 56 can be rotated by rotating the gear shaft 55 by the operation of the rotation operation handle 57. is there.

  The front vehicle body 16 and the rear vehicle body 17 can be connected by inserting and attaching the slide bar 48 fixed to the front vehicle body 16 to the guide rail 52 fixed to the rear vehicle body 17. When the slide bar 48 is thus inserted into the guide rail 52, the rack 50 provided on the slide bar 48 projects downward from the opening 53 on the lower surface of the guide rail 52 as shown in FIG. As shown in (a), the slide bar 48 is slidable in the front-rear direction along the guide rail 52. At this time, the gear 56 is engaged with the rack 50 protruding from the opening 53 on the lower surface of the guide rail 52, and the rack 50 is moved by turning the gear 56, thereby moving the slide bar 48 along the guide rail 52. Can be slid back and forth. Here, when the gear shaft 55 is rotated in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 5A, the rack 50 is moved as indicated by the arrow B in FIGS. When the wheel is rotated in the direction of arrow C, the rack 50 moves as indicated by arrow D by the rotation of the gear 56. Therefore, the slide bar 48 is slid in the front-rear direction along the guide rail 52, so Can be moved closer to and away from each other.

  Accordingly, the step plate 59 is mounted on the slide bar 48 in a state where the front vehicle body 16 and the rear vehicle body 17 are separated from each other. The step plate 59 is provided with an insertion hole 60 at a position corresponding to the positioning hole 49. By inserting the mounting pin 61 from the insertion hole 60 into the corresponding positioning hole 49, the step plate 59 is positioned to slide the slide bar. 48 can be fixed. By attaching the step plate 59 between the front vehicle body 16 and the rear vehicle body 17 in this manner, the gap between the front vehicle body 16 and the rear vehicle body 17 can be closed, and an electric passenger cart as shown in FIG. It can be used as Then, by sitting on the driver's seat 42 with the feet placed on the step board 59 and holding and operating the handle 2, it is possible to drive and drive the passenger cart.

  Here, when the handle 2 is turned to change the direction of travel of the passenger cart, the handle shaft 6 which is the rotation shaft of the handle 2 is rotated, and the pair of wheels 7 provided on the handle shaft 6 together with the handle shaft 6 are the same. Rotated in the direction. When the wheel 7 of the handle shaft 6 rotates in this way, the wheel 8 of the steering shaft 4 of each steering wheel support frame 3 connected by each wheel 7 and the power transmission cable body 9 is driven and rotated. Each steering wheel support frame 3 can be horizontally rotated around the steering shaft 4. The direction of rotation of the wheel 8 of each steering wheel support frame 3 is the same as the direction of rotation of the wheel 7 of the handle shaft 6, and the wheel 7 and the wheel 8 have the same diameter. Therefore, each steering wheel support frame 3 can be rotated in the same direction as the direction in which the handle 2 is turned, and the pair of steering wheels 1 attached to each steering wheel support frame 3 is horizontally rotated in the same direction. The steering can be performed by changing the direction of travel in the direction in which the handle 2 is turned.

  In this way, a steering device for steering the two steering wheels 1 to simultaneously rotate in the same direction is a power transmission mechanism including the wheels 7 and 8 and the power transmission cable body 9, for example, a chain wheel (sprocket). It can be formed by a power transmission mechanism using a chain, and there is no need to provide a steering device having a complicated structure in which a crank mechanism or a gear mechanism is combined between the handle shaft 6 and the steering wheel 1, and a simple mechanism. Thus, the two steering wheels 1 can be steered. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of parts of the steering device, reduce the weight and reduce the cost, simplify the structure, prevent troubles, and facilitate maintenance. It is possible to obtain an excellent effect.

  The above-mentioned electric passenger cart can be stored compactly. That is, first, the mounting pin 61 is pulled out, and the step plate 59 is removed from the slide bar 48. Next, the rotation operation handle 57 is fitted and attached to the gear shaft 55, and the gear 56 is rotated by the rotation operation handle 57. When the gear shaft 55 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow B in FIG. 5A, the rack 50 moves in the direction of the rear vehicle body 17 as indicated by the arrow B in FIG. 4 and FIG. The slide bar 48 slides in a direction to be inserted into the guide rail 52, and the front vehicle body 16 and the rear vehicle body 17 come close to each other. Thus, by bringing the front vehicle body 16 and the rear vehicle body 17 close to each other, the size in the front-rear direction of the electric passenger cart can be shortened to about 2/3 as shown in FIG. Further, the connecting pin 46 can be pulled out to remove the driver seat 42 from the rear vehicle body 17. Further, by pulling out the fixing pin 20 and turning the steering support 10 backward to tilt, the handle 2 provided on the steering support 10 can be folded over the rear vehicle body 17 so that the electric riding is possible. The height dimension of the cart can be reduced to 1/2 or less, and the cart can be made more compact. In addition, since the steering wheel support frame 3 for supporting the steering wheel 1 is also attached to the steering support body 10, when the steering support body 10 is rotated and tilted in this way, the steering wheel 1 comes to float upward. Thus, the vehicle height of the electric passenger cart can be reduced, and the vehicle can be made more compact.

  As described above, the present invention has been described by applying it to an electric passenger cart. However, the present invention is not limited to such a passenger cart, and may be applied to all vehicles including a pair of steering wheels 1. It is something that can be done. As the wheels 7 and 8 and the power transmission cable body 9, in addition to a chain wheel (sprocket) and a chain, a pulley and a belt can be used.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows an example of embodiment which applied this invention to the passenger cart. It is a perspective view same as the above. It is a perspective view of the state which compacted the passenger cart same as the above. It is the schematic which shows the expansion-contraction mechanism of a passenger cart same as the above. FIG. 2 shows a part of the same expansion / contraction mechanism, in which (a) is a perspective view and (b) is a cross-sectional view.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Steering wheel 2 Handle 3 Steering wheel support frame 4 Steering wheel 5 Car body 6 Handle shaft 7 Wheel 8 Wheel 9 Power transmission rope 10 Car body 11 Steering support

Claims (2)

  In a vehicle in which the direction of a pair of steering wheels is operated by a steering wheel, a steering shaft is provided on each steering wheel support frame that rotatably supports each steering wheel, and the steering shaft of each steering wheel support frame is provided. Are attached to the vehicle body so as to be horizontally rotatable, a handle shaft provided on the handle is horizontally attached to the vehicle body at a position between the pair of steering shafts, wheels are provided on the handle shaft and the steering shaft, respectively. The wheel of the steering shaft and the wheel of the steering shaft are connected by a power transmission cable body, and each steering shaft is horizontally rotated in the same direction by following the horizontal rotation of the steering shaft. A vehicle steering device.   A steering support is provided on the body of the vehicle body, and the steering shaft and the steering shaft are attached to the steering support so as to be horizontally rotatable, and the steering support is pivotally attached to the vehicle body to turn the steering support upside down. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle steering apparatus is freely configured.

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