JP2007261493A - Steering mechanism of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering mechanism of a vehicle having achieved facility of driver performance in turning travel. <P>SOLUTION: A seat frame 7 comprises a front member 24 extended under a steering shaft 5, a center member 25 extended from the rear end of the front member 24 under the right and left, and a rear member 26 having an L shape in side view which is extended from the right and left rear end of the center member 25 and holds a seat surface part 8a and a backrest part 8b of the seat 8. The tip end of the front member 24 is held in a freely rotating manner on a main frame 2 through a tapered roller bearing 31 of a thrust bearing. The upper part of the center member 25 is supported in a freely rotating manner on the main frame 2 through an elastic mount 32. The upper end of the rear member 26 is supported in a freely rotating manner on the main frame 2 through the elastic mount 32. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle steering mechanism that facilitates driving operation during turning.

When the inertial force (lateral acceleration) accompanying the lateral movement acts on the vehicle body during turning, the four-wheeled vehicle rolls outside the turning, contrary to the motorcycle. The roll to the outside of the turn not only prevented the driver from gazing at the direction of travel, but also forced the driver to have an unnatural posture such as tilting the head inside the turn to double the lateral acceleration. . To solve these problems, the seat is supported by a horizontal swing shaft so that the center of rotation is above the center of gravity of the occupant and the seat, and is rolled inside the turn when the vehicle is turning. A pendulum type sheet as described above has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). Further, as an example of a rear two-wheeled three-wheeled vehicle, a vehicle body frame to which a steering handle and a seat are attached is slidably connected to the center of the rear axle so that the driver can incline inside the turn during turning Game disembarkation has been proposed (see Patent Document 2).
JP-A-60-51133 JP 2004-24780 A

  The pendulum type seat of Patent Document 1 has various problems when applied to a driver seat for a four-wheeled vehicle due to being supported by a horizontal swing shaft. For example, since the steering wheel is attached to the rear end of the tearing shaft fixed to the vehicle body, if only the seat swings inward of the turn, a large deviation occurs between the position of the driver's hands and the steering wheel. Steering becomes very difficult. Even if the seat rotation center and the steering wheel position are close to each other, the steering shaft is installed at the front lower position, so the angle of the steering wheel changes greatly with respect to the driver when the seat swings. This makes steering difficult. In addition, the driver's seat of the car is equipped with a driver's operation pedal and footrest such as an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal. However, when only the seat swings, it is difficult for the driver to operate these driver's operation pedals. Become.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 2 adopts a configuration in which the entire vehicle body frame to which the steering handle and the seat are attached is swung. However, since the swing shaft (roll center) of the seat is below the center of gravity, the seat tilts inward. In order to achieve this, the driver had to change weight. Further, the configuration of Patent Document 2 is extremely difficult to apply to a four-wheeled vehicle having steering wheels on the left and right, unlike a rear two-wheeled three-wheeled vehicle having only one steering wheel. .

  The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle steering mechanism that facilitates driving operation during turning.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, a vehicle steering mechanism includes a vehicle body including a seat frame that holds a seat for seating of an occupant and a swing shaft that supports the seat frame, the swing shaft including the seat It is located above the seat surface portion of the seat, and is installed in a front-down direction from the rear to the front of the vehicle body.

  A vehicle steering mechanism according to a second aspect of the present invention is the vehicle steering mechanism according to the first aspect, wherein the seat is a driver's seat and at least one of a driving operation pedal and a footrest is the seat frame. It is characterized by swinging integrally with the.

  A vehicle steering mechanism according to a third aspect of the present invention is the vehicle steering mechanism according to the first or second aspect, wherein the seat is a driver's seat and the swing shaft is an axis of a steering shaft. It is characterized by being installed approximately parallel to the heart.

  A vehicle steering mechanism according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle steering mechanism according to the first or second aspect, wherein the seat is a driver's seat and the swing shaft is an axis of a steering shaft. It is installed approximately coaxially with the heart.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle steering mechanism according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the seat frame swings left and right at an angle of 45 ° or less. To do.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle steering mechanism according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, further comprising a damper that attenuates the swing of the seat frame.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle steering mechanism including at least one thrust bearing that suppresses the longitudinal displacement of the seat frame in the vehicle steering mechanism according to the first to sixth aspects. It is characterized by.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle steering mechanism according to the first to seventh aspects, wherein the swing shaft is elastically supported by the vehicle body via at least two elastic mounts. It is characterized by that.

  A vehicle steering mechanism according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle steering mechanism according to the eighth aspect, wherein the elastic mount is an outer cylinder secured to either the vehicle body or the seat frame. And an inner cylinder fixed to one of the vehicle body and the seat frame, and an elastic body interposed between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder.

  A vehicle steering mechanism according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle steering mechanism according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein either the seat frame or the vehicle body has a swing of the seat frame. In the movement limit position, an elastic stopper that is locked to either the seat frame or the vehicle body is attached.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle steering mechanism according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the seat frame is swung with respect to the vehicle body, and the actuator is mounted on the vehicle. It is characterized by comprising drive control means for performing drive control according to the driving situation.

  According to the vehicle steering mechanism of the first aspect, the seat frame rolls inside the turning centering on the swinging shaft that is lowered forward by the lateral acceleration acting on the occupant and the seat frame during turning, so that the occupant himself moves inside the turning. This makes it unnecessary to incline the head toward the inside of the turn and facilitates gaze in the traveling direction. Since the swing shaft is installed at the front lower side, the position and angle of the steering wheel are difficult to shift with respect to the position of the driver's hands when the seat frame swings. According to the vehicle steering mechanism of the second aspect, the driver can easily operate the driving operation pedal. According to the vehicle steering mechanism of the third aspect, the position and angle of the steering wheel are more difficult to shift with respect to the position of the driver's hands when the seat frame is swung. According to the vehicle steering mechanism of the fourth aspect, the position and angle of the steering wheel are not shifted from the position of the driver's hands when the seat frame is swung. According to the vehicle steering mechanism of the fifth aspect, the center of gravity of the occupant or the seat frame does not rise easily when the seat frame swings, and the running stability and the like are improved. In addition, according to the vehicle steering mechanism of the sixth aspect, it is difficult for the seat frame to slightly swing and swing back, and traveling stability and the like are improved. Further, according to the vehicle steering mechanism of the seventh aspect, the seat frame becomes difficult to move in the front-rear direction, and the ride comfort and running stability are improved. In addition, according to the vehicle steering mechanism of the eighth aspect, it is difficult for an impact from the road surface during traveling to be transmitted to the seat frame, and the ride comfort and the like are improved. According to the vehicle steering mechanism of the ninth aspect, the neutral position can be maintained and the swing can be attenuated while adopting a relatively simple and low-cost configuration. Further, according to the vehicle steering mechanism of the tenth aspect, the impact and noise due to the metal touch between the seat frame and the vehicle body do not occur at the swing limit position of the seat frame. In addition, according to the vehicle steering mechanism of the eleventh aspect, for example, when the driver steers the steering wheel, the seat frame can be rolled inwardly before the lateral acceleration is generated. Can be further improved.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a racing cart and a partial modification thereof will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a principal part showing a racing cart according to the embodiment, FIG. 2 is a side view showing a frame structure of the racing cart according to the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion III in FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the IV part in FIG. 2, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the arrow V in FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the VI part in FIG. It is a VII enlarged arrow view in FIG.

<< Configuration of Embodiment >>
<Overall configuration of racing cart>
As shown in FIG. 1, a racing cart 1 according to an embodiment includes a main frame (vehicle body) 2, four wheels 3 rotatably attached to the main frame 2, and an engine mounted on the rear portion of the main frame 2. 4, a steering shaft 5 rotatably held at the front portion of the main frame 2, a steering wheel 6 attached to the rear end of the steering shaft 5, and a seat swingably supported on the upper portion of the main frame 2 The frame 7 and the seat 8 attached to the rear portion of the seat frame 7 are main components.

  The main frame 2 is a steel pipe welded structure, and a front cowl 10 is attached to a front end thereof, and left and right side guards 11 and 12 are attached to both side ends. On the other hand, the seat frame 7 is also a steel pipe welded structure. The fuel tank 13 is fixed to the front portion of the seat frame 7 so as to be suspended. The upper cowl 14 is attached to the upper surface of the front portion, and the wing 15 is attached to the upper portion of the rear end. Yes. Further, an accelerator pedal 17 and a brake pedal 18 that are operation pedals are held via a cross pipe 16 at the front portion of the seat frame 7.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the main frame 2 is provided with a front support column 21 standing at the front, and a substantially U-shaped center support column 22 with the lower portion opened at the center, and is reverse to the rear. A V-shaped rear support column 23 is erected. On the other hand, the seat frame 7 extends from the front member 24 that extends below the steering shaft 5, the center member 25 that extends downward from the rear end of the front member 24, and the left and right rear ends of the center member 25. The rear member 26 is L-shaped in side view and holds the seat surface portion 8 a and the backrest portion 8 b of the seat 8.

<Seat frame support mechanism>
In the case of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the front end of the front member 24 rotates to a seat frame support cylinder portion 21 a formed at the upper end of the front support column 21 via a tapered roller bearing 31 that is a thrust bearing. It is held freely. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the upper portion of the center member 25 includes an elastic mount 32 formed by vulcanizing and bonding rubber 32c between a metal inner cylinder 32a and an outer cylinder 32b, and a needle bearing 34. Are supported by a seat frame support cylinder portion 22a formed on the upper portion of the center support column 22. 6 and 7, the upper end of the rear member 26 is also supported by a seat frame support cylinder portion 23a formed on the upper portion of the rear support column 23 via an elastic mount 32 and a needle bearing 34. Yes. As shown in FIG. 2, the swing axis Z of the seat frame 7 is located above the seat 8 and is disposed so as to be forwardly lowered from the rear to the front of the main frame 2. In the present embodiment, the swing axis Z of the seat frame 7 is located slightly below the axis C of the steering shaft 5.

  4 and 6, the elastic mount 32 and the needle bearing 34 are rotatably held by the center member 25 and the rear member 26 on the main frame 2 side by the nut 33, and the outer cylinder 32b is supported by the center on the seat frame 7 side. The column 22 and the rear support column 23 are press-fitted into seat frame support cylinders 22a and 23a.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a cylindrical stopper rubber (elastic stopper) 35 is fitted on the rear end of the front member 24, and as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The stopper rubber 35 comes into contact with the inner side of the center support column 22 when it is swung left and right by a predetermined angle (45 degrees in this embodiment), and further swinging of the seat frame 7 is suppressed.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a telescopic hydraulic damper 41 is mounted on the upper portion of the rear support column 23, and a rod 41 a of the hydraulic damper 41 is connected to a stay 42 attached to the upper portion of the rear member 26. Has been.

<< Operation of Embodiment >>
When the driver D gets on the racing cart 1, as shown in FIG. 2, the seat surface portion 8a of the seat 8 is below the swing axis Z by a predetermined amount, so the driver D, the seat 8, and the fuel tank 13 are included. The center of gravity G of the seat frame 7 is positioned below the swing axis Z. Therefore, when the racing cart 1 starts running on the circuit and turns left and right, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the seat frame 7 has a lateral acceleration (FIG. 8, FIG. 8) corresponding to the turning radius and the running speed. 9 (shown by a thick arrow in FIG. 9) acts on the center of gravity G, and the seat frame 7 rolls inwardly about the swing axis Z according to the magnitude of the lateral acceleration. At this time, since the seat frame 7 does not swing 45 degrees or more to the left and right, a decrease in running stability due to an excessive rise in the center of gravity G is prevented.

  As a result, the driver D seated on the seat 8 can drive the racing cart 1 while paying attention to the traveling direction. Further, since the axis C of the steering shaft 5 and the swing axis Z are close to each other, even if the seat frame 7 rolls, the position of both hands with respect to the steering wheel 6 does not change so much, and the driver D performs the steering smoothly. be able to. Further, since the accelerator pedal 17 and the brake pedal 18 are attached to the seat frame 7, the driver D can easily perform the accelerator operation and the brake operation.

  On the other hand, when the seat frame 7 rolls inside the turn, as shown in FIG. 10, the lateral acceleration received by the driver D becomes very small. As a result, it is not necessary for the driver D to take an unnatural posture such as tilting the head inward of the turn during turning. The seat frame 7 of the present embodiment is elastically supported by the main frame 2 at two locations (the upper part of the center member 25 and the upper end of the rear member 26) via the elastic mount 32, and the upper part of the rear member 26 and the main frame 2 Since the hydraulic damper 41 is also interposed between them, transmission of traveling vibration from the main frame 2 to the seat frame 7 is mitigated, and the roll behavior during cornering is attenuated with a high damping force. As a result, the fatigue of the driver D is greatly reduced, and at the same time, the running of the racing cart 1 becomes very stable.

[First Modification]
FIG. 11 is a side view showing the frame structure of the racing cart according to the first modification. As shown in the drawing, the overall configuration of the first modification is the same as that of the above-described embodiment, but the swing axis Z is arranged coaxially with the axis C of the steering shaft 5. As a result, in this modified example, there is no deviation between the position of the hand of the driver D and the steering wheel 6 when the seat frame 7 swings, and the steering of the driver D becomes easier.

[Second Modification]
FIG. 12 is a rear view showing the main part of the racing cart according to the second modification. As shown in the figure, the second modification also has the same overall configuration as that of the above-described embodiment, but an electric actuator 51 is mounted on the upper portion of the rear support column 23 in place of the damper. A rod 51 a of the actuator 51 is connected to a stay 52 attached to the upper part of the rear member 26. The electric actuator 51 is driven and controlled by an ECU 53 installed in the main frame 2 or the like based on a vehicle speed signal, a steering amount signal, a steering speed signal, or the like. In this modification, for example, when the driver D performs steering, it is possible to realize smoother driving by rolling the seat frame 7 to the inside of the turn by the electric actuator 51 before the lateral acceleration occurs. It becomes.

  Although the description of the specific embodiment is finished as described above, the present invention can be widely modified without being limited to the above-described embodiment and some modified examples. For example, the above-described embodiment and some modified examples are those in which the present invention is applied to the driver's seat of a racing cart, but can also be applied to passenger cars, freight cars, etc. It is. In the above embodiment, the tapered roller bearing is installed at the front end of the seat frame. However, a thrust bearing may be installed in the middle portion of the seat frame, or an angular bearing or the like may be adopted as the thrust bearing. In the above embodiment, the seat frame is supported by the main frame via the elastic mount and the needle bearing. However, instead of the damper, the inner cylinder fixed to the seat frame and the outer cylinder fixed to the main frame. An elastic mount in which an elastic body is vulcanized and bonded may be employed, or the seat frame may be rigidly supported using a roller bearing or the like in order to improve maneuverability. In the above embodiment, the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal, which are operation pedals, are swung together with the seat frame. However, the clutch pedal and the footrest may be swung together with the seat frame. It is also possible to oscillate only. In the second modification, the seat frame electric actuator is used to swing, but other types of actuators such as a hydraulic actuator may be adopted. In addition, the specific number of components of the racing cart and the seat frame can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

It is a principal part perspective view which shows the racing cart which concerns on embodiment. It is a side view which shows the frame structure of the racing cart which concerns on embodiment. FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a part III in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion IV in FIG. 2. It is a V arrow directional view in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a VI part in FIG. 2. It is a VII enlarged arrow view in FIG. It is a front view which shows the turning running state of the racing cart which concerns on embodiment. It is a top view which shows the turning running state of the racing cart which concerns on embodiment. It is a graph which shows the change of the longitudinal acceleration and the lateral acceleration at the time of the right turn of the racing cart concerning an embodiment. It is a side view which shows the frame structure of the racing cart which concerns on a 1st modification. It is a rear view which shows the principal part of the racing cart which concerns on a 2nd modification.

Explanation of symbols

1 Racing cart 2 Main frame (car body)
5 Steering shaft 6 Steering wheel 7 Seat frame 8 Seat 8a Seat surface 17 Accelerator pedal (operating pedal)
18 Brake pedal (operating pedal)
21 Front Support Column 22 Center Support Column 23 Rear Support Column 24 Front Member 25 Center Member 26 Rear Member 31 Tapered Roller Bearing (Thrust Bearing)
32 Elastic mount 35 Stopper rubber (elastic stopper)
41 Hydraulic damper (damper)
51 Electric actuator (actuator)
C Steering shaft axis D Driver G Center of gravity Z Swing shaft

Claims (11)

The vehicle body includes a seat frame that holds a seat that is used for seating an occupant and a swing shaft that supports the seat frame,
The vehicle steering mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the swing shaft is disposed above the seat surface portion of the seat and is forwardly lowered from the rear to the front of the vehicle body. The seat is a driver seat;
2. The vehicle steering mechanism according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the driving pedal and the footrest swings integrally with the seat frame. The seat is a driver seat;
The vehicle steering mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the swing shaft is disposed substantially parallel to an axis of a steering shaft. The seat is a driver seat;
The vehicle steering mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the swing shaft is installed substantially coaxially with an axis of a steering shaft.   The vehicle steering mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the seat frame swings from side to side at an angle of 45 ° or less.   The vehicle steering mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a damper that attenuates swinging of the seat frame.   The vehicle steering mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising at least one thrust bearing that suppresses longitudinal displacement of the seat frame.   The vehicle steering mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the swing shaft is elastically supported by the vehicle body via at least two elastic mounts.   The elastic mount has an outer cylinder fixed to one of the vehicle body and the seat frame, an inner cylinder fixed to the other of the vehicle body and the seat frame, the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder The vehicle steering mechanism according to claim 8, further comprising an elastic body interposed therebetween.   One of the seat frame and the vehicle body is provided with an elastic stopper that is locked to either the seat frame or the vehicle body at a swing limit position of the seat frame. The vehicle steering mechanism according to claim 1.   The actuator according to claim 1, further comprising: an actuator that swings the seat frame with respect to the vehicle body; and a drive control unit that drives and controls the actuator according to a vehicle driving situation. Vehicle steering mechanism.

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