JP2010030492A - Turn direction indicating device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a turn direction indicating device used for indicating the turn direction of mainly an automobile or the like, which reliably indicates the direction with a simple constitution. <P>SOLUTION: A controlling means 14 detects the operation time of a lever 2 from the electric connection/disconnection of a switch contact 3, and controls the output of the drive signal according to the operation time. Thus, since the control means 14 outputs or stops the drive signal according to the operation time of the lever 2 without using any separate device such as a steering angle sensor, a turn direction indicating device can be obtained, in which any complicated connection becomes unnecessary, the device can be formed in a simple constitution, and the reliable direction is indicated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a turning direction indicating device that blinks a turn signal lamp or the like by operating a lever when turning right or left or changing lanes of an automobile.

  In recent years, the lever located under the steering wheel of a car is swung to turn the turn signal lamp in the direction to turn when turning right or left, or when changing lanes. The device is widely used.

  Such a conventional turning direction indicating device will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of a conventional turning direction indicating device, in which 1 is a substantially box-shaped case made of insulating resin, 2 is a substantially cylindrical lever made of insulating resin, and a plurality of levers 2 are cases. The case 1 is mounted on the case 1 so that it protrudes outward from the left and right sides and can swing in the vertical direction.

  The lever 2 is swung upward or downward from the neutral position by a spring (not shown) provided between the lever 1 and the lever 2 and then automatically released when the lever 2 is released. It is formed in a so-called automatic return type that returns to

  In addition, a wiring board (not shown) having a plurality of wiring patterns formed on both sides is accommodated in the case 1 and the wiring board is electrically connected to the wiring board by a copper alloy or the like according to the swinging operation of the lever 2. There are provided a plurality of switch contacts 3 for performing close contact.

  Further, 4 is a control means formed on the wiring board by electronic parts such as a microcomputer, and a plurality of switch contacts 3 are electrically connected to the control means 4 to constitute a turning direction indicating device 5.

  Then, as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 8, such a turning direction indicating device 5 is disposed below the steering wheel 6 so that the lever 2 protrudes outward and is mounted in front of the driver seat in the automobile. Is done.

  A steering angle sensor 7 is also disposed below the steering wheel 6 and is configured to detect the rotation direction and the rotation angle of the steering wheel 6 by a built-in optical element or magnetic element. 7 is electrically connected to the control means 4 of the turning direction indicating device 5 by a connector, a lead wire (not shown) or the like.

  Further, 8 is a driving means such as a flasher relay, and 9 is a turn signal lamp connected to the driving means 8 and arranged on the left and right of the vehicle. The lighting means 10 is formed by the driving means 8 and the turn signal lamp 9. The driving means 8 is connected to the control means 4 of the turning direction indicating device 5.

  In the above configuration, for example, when turning left at an intersection or the like, if the lever 2 is swung from the neutral position N to the left turn position L in the upward direction, the switch contact 3 on the left turn side is electrically connected and disconnected by this swinging operation. After that, when the lever 2 is released, the lever 2 automatically returns to the neutral position N, but the control means 4 detects the electrical contact / separation of the switch contact 3 at this time, and the control means 4 A predetermined drive signal is output to the drive means 8, and the turn signal lamp 9 on the left side of the vehicle body blinks.

  Then, after the steering wheel 6 is rotated leftward and turned left, the steering wheel 6 is rotated rightward to return to the straight traveling state, and the rotation direction and rotation angle of each steering wheel 6 are controlled by a steering angle sensor. 7 is detected, and these rotation signals are output from the steering angle sensor 7 to the control means 4.

  Further, when the control means 4 detects that the vehicle has turned left and returned to the straight traveling state by these rotation signals, the output of the drive signal to the drive means 8 is stopped, and the left turn signal lamp 9 is turned off. Then, the blinking operation of the lighting device 10 is stopped.

  For example, when the lane change from the central lane to the left or right lane is performed instead of such a left or right turn, the lever 2 is moved from the neutral position N to the upper left turn position L or the lower right turn position. When the lever 2 is swung to the left and the lever 2 is held by hand in this state, the switch contact 3 on the left-turn side or the right-turn side is electrically turned on during this time, so that the control means 4 detects this and the drive signal Is output to the driving means 8 and the left or right turn signal lamp 9 blinks only during operation.

  That is, the control means 4 detects the operation position of the lever 2 by electrical contact / separation of the plurality of switch contacts 3, outputs a drive signal for operating the lighting device 10 in accordance with this, and rotates from the steering angle sensor 7. By detecting the rotation direction and rotation angle of the steering wheel 6 based on the signal and stopping the output of the drive signal in accordance with this, the turn signal lamp 9 blinks when turning right or left or changing lanes of the vehicle. It was configured to turn off.

As a prior art document related to the invention of this application, for example, Patent Document 1 is known.
JP 2006-256356 A

  However, in the conventional turning direction indicating device, the turning direction sensor 5 detects the rotation direction and the rotation angle of the steering wheel 6, so that the turning direction indicating device 5 is added to the lighting device 10 and is another device. The steering angle sensor 7 needs to be electrically connected by a connector, a lead wire, or the like, and there is a problem that the configuration is complicated and the assembly to the vehicle is troublesome.

  The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a turning direction indicating device capable of reliably indicating a direction with a simple configuration.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the control means detects the operation time of the lever from the electrical contact / separation of the switch contact, and controls the output of the drive signal in accordance with the operation time, so that the turning direction The pointing device is configured, and without using a separate device such as a steering angle sensor, the control means outputs or stops the drive signal according to the operation time of the lever, so that complicated connection becomes unnecessary, and the device Can be formed in a simple configuration, and there is an effect that a turning direction indicating device capable of reliably indicating a direction can be obtained.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, when the lever is operated while the drive signal is being output, the control means stops the output of the drive signal. During the continuous operation of the lighting device, it is possible to easily stop the blinking of the turn signal lamp simply by operating the lever again.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain an advantageous effect that it is possible to realize a turning direction indicating device capable of performing a reliable direction instruction with a simple configuration.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part of the structure same as the structure demonstrated in the term of the prior art, and detailed description is simplified.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a turning direction indicating device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which 1 is a substantially box-shaped case made of insulating resin, 2 is a substantially cylindrical lever made of insulating resin, A plurality of levers 2 are mounted on the case 1 so as to protrude outward from the left and right sides of the case 1 and swing in the vertical direction.

  The lever 2 is swung upward or downward from the neutral position by a spring (not shown) provided between the lever 1 and the lever 2 and then automatically released when the lever 2 is released. It is formed in a so-called automatic return type that returns to

  In addition, a wiring board (not shown) having a plurality of wiring patterns formed on both sides is accommodated in the case 1 and the wiring board is electrically connected to the wiring board by a copper alloy or the like according to the swinging operation of the lever 2. There are provided a plurality of switch contacts 3 for performing close contact.

  Further, reference numeral 14 denotes control means formed on the wiring board by electronic components such as a microcomputer. A plurality of switch contacts 3 are electrically connected to the control means 14 to constitute a turning direction indicating device 15.

  Then, as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 8, such a turning direction indicating device 15 is disposed below the steering wheel 6 together with the steering angle sensor 7 and the like so that the lever 2 protrudes outwardly. It is installed in front of the driver's seat.

  Further, 8 is a driving means such as a flasher relay, and 9 is a turn signal lamp connected to the driving means 8 and arranged on the left and right of the vehicle. The lighting means 10 is formed by the driving means 8 and the turn signal lamp 9. The driving means 8 is connected to the control means 14 of the turning direction indicating device 15.

  In the above configuration, for example, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 2, when changing the lane of the vehicle 20 from the traveling right lane to the left lane, the lever 2 is moved upward from the neutral position N to the left turn position. When swinging to L for a short time, for example, about 0.5 seconds, the switch contact 3 on the left turn side is electrically turned on by this swinging operation as shown in the setting signal S1 in the waveform diagram of FIG. Then, when the hand is released from the lever 2, the lever 2 automatically returns to the neutral position N, and the switch contact 3 is also turned off electrically.

  Then, the control means 14 detects the electrical contact / separation of the switch contact 3 and, as shown in FIG. 3B, a drive signal with an interval of about 0.5 to 1 second, for example, an interval of 0.7 seconds. T1 is output from the control means 14 to the drive means 8, and the turn signal lamp 9 on the left side of the vehicle body blinks only once.

  Furthermore, after this, the control means 14 detects the electrical contact / separation of the switch contact 3 again, and when the switch contact 3 is OFF after the drive signal T1 is output as shown in FIG. It is determined that the operation time of the lever 2 is short, and as shown in FIG. 3B, only the two drive signals T2 and T3 are continuously output to the drive means 8, and the left turn signal lamp 9 continues to 2 Flashes once.

  That is, when it is not necessary to blink the turn signal lamp 9 for a long time, such as when changing lanes, if the lever 2 is operated for a short time, the switch contact 3 is turned on for a short ON time by the operation of the lever 2, that is, The control means 14 detects the operation time of the lever 2, and it is comprised so that the turn signal lamp 9 may blink only for the predetermined time which changes a lane, for example, 3 times.

  Further, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 4, when the vehicle 20 is going straight from the state where the vehicle 20 is traveling straight, for example, at the intersection, the lever 2 is moved from the neutral position N to the left turn position L in the upward direction for a predetermined time. For example, when the swing operation is performed for about 1 to 2 seconds, the switch contact 3 on the left turn side is electrically turned on for a predetermined time as shown by the contact signal S2 in the waveform diagram of FIG. Then, when the hand is released from the lever 2, the lever 2 automatically returns to the neutral position N, and the switch contact 3 is also turned off electrically.

  Similarly to the above, the control means 14 detects the electrical contact / separation of the switch contact 3 and, for example, as shown in FIG. Is output to the driving means 8 and the turn signal lamp 9 on the left side of the vehicle blinks once, and then the control means 14 detects the electrical contact / separation of the switch contact 3 again.

  Thereafter, similarly to the above, the control means 14 continuously outputs the drive signals T2 and T3 to the drive means 8, and the left turn signal lamp 9 blinks twice in succession. If the switch contact 3 remains ON after the drive signal T1 is output as shown in FIG. 5 (a), the control means 14 outputs the drive signal T3, and then the electrical power of the switch contact 3 again. Detects close contact.

  If the switch contact 3 that was ON after outputting the drive signal T1 is OFF after outputting the drive signal T3, the lever 2 is operated for a long time between the drive signals T2 and T3. Since the drive signal is continuously output from the control means 14 to the drive means 8, such as the drive signal T4,... Following the drive signal T3, the left turn signal lamp 9 blinks. Will continue to do.

  That is, when it is necessary to keep the turn signal lamp 9 blinking for a relatively long time such as a left turn or a right turn, the lever 2 can be operated by operating the lever 2 for a time longer than the drive signal T1. The control means 14 detects a long ON time of the switch contact 3 by the above, that is, a long operation time of the lever 2, and the turn signal lamp 9 continues to blink after one operation.

  Then, with the turn signal lamp 9 blinking in this way, for example, turn left and return the vehicle body to the straight traveling state, then move the lever 2 from the neutral position N to the upper left turn position L or the lower right turn position R. For example, when the swinging operation is performed for a short time, the control means 14 detects the contact signal S1 of the switch contact 3 as shown in FIG. 5A, stops the output of the drive signal, and the turn signal lamp 9 Turns off.

  That is, when the lever 2 is operated for a predetermined time or longer, the turn signal lamp 9 continues to flash and continues after the left turn or right turn is completed, but the turn signal lamp 9 is flashed, that is, the control means 14. When the lever 2 is operated again while the drive signal continues to be output, the control means 14 detects the electrical contact / separation of the switch contact 3 and stops the output of the drive signal, and the turn signal lamp 9 Turns off.

  Furthermore, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 6, when the left turn signal lamp 9 is blinked while traveling on a gently curved road and the lane change from the right lane to the left lane of the vehicle 20 is performed, for example, If the lever 2 is swung from the neutral position N to the left turn position L in the upward direction, and the lever 2 is held at the left turn position L by hand as it is, the switch contact 3 on the left turn side is kept in the ON state. The contact signal is a contact signal S3 as shown in the waveform diagram of FIG.

  Similarly to the above, the control means 14 detects the electrical contact / separation of the switch contact 3 and first outputs a drive signal T1 to the drive means 8 as shown in FIG. After blinking the signal lamp 9 once, it is detected again that the electrical contact / disengagement of the switch contact 3 is ON, the drive signals T2 and T3 are continuously output, and the turn signal lamp 9 is continuously flashed twice. Let

  Further, after outputting the drive signal T3, the control means 14 again detects the electrical contact / separation of the switch contact 3 in the same manner as described above. At this time, the switch contact 3 is in the case of the left turn or the right turn as described above. However, since the drive signal T3 remains ON after being output, in this case, the drive signal T3 is followed by the drive signal T4,... Continuously until the contact signal S3 is turned OFF. The control means 14 continues to output the drive signal to the drive means 8, and the left turn signal lamp 9 keeps blinking.

  Then, with the turn signal lamp 9 blinking in this way, after changing the lane from the right lane to the left lane in the middle of the curve, when the lever 2 is released, the lever 2 automatically returns to the neutral position N. As a result, the switch contact 3 is electrically turned OFF, and this is detected by the control means 14, the output of the drive signal is stopped, and the turn signal lamp 9 is turned off.

  That is, after the lever 2 is swung to the left turn position L or the right turn position R, the lever 2 is held in this state by hand, and the switch contact point after the control means 14 outputs the drive signals T1, T2, T3. 3 remains electrically ON, the control means 14 detects that the lever 2 remains operated, and the lighting device 10 is turned on until the lever 2 is returned to the neutral position N. The turn signal lamp 9 is continuously operated, and the turn signal lamp 9 continues to blink.

  That is, the control means 14 detects the operation time of the lever 2 from the electrical contact / separation of the switch contact 3, and controls the output of the drive signal to the drive means 8 according to this operation time, for example, lane change If the switch contact 3 is turned off after the lever 2 is operated for a short time as described above and the control means 14 outputs the drive signal T1, the turn signal lamp 9 blinks only three times.

  On the other hand, when the lever 2 is operated for a predetermined period of time, such as a left turn or a right turn, and the switch contact 3 remains ON after the control means 14 outputs the drive signal T1, the turn signal lamp 9 Continues to flash, and when the left or right turn is finished in this state and the lever 2 is operated again, the turn signal lamp 9 is turned off.

  Further, if the switch contact 3 is still ON after the control means 14 outputs the drive signal T3 while the lever 2 is operated to the left turn position L or the right turn position R, the lever 2 is continuously operated. When the turn signal lamp 9 continues to flash and the lever 2 is released and the switch contact 3 is electrically turned off, the turn signal lamp 9 is turned off.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, the control means 14 detects the operation time of the lever 2 from the electrical contact / separation of the switch contact 3, and controls the output of the drive signal according to the operation time, Without using a separate device such as a rudder angle sensor, the control means 14 outputs and stops the drive signal according to the operation time of the lever 2, so that complicated connection is not required and the device is formed in a simple configuration. In addition, it is possible to obtain a turning direction indicating device capable of reliably indicating directions.

  Further, when the lever 2 is operated while the drive signal is being output, the control means 14 stops the output of the drive signal, so that it is easy to operate the lever 2 again during the continuous operation of the lighting device 10. It becomes possible to stop the blinking of the turn signal lamp 9.

  In the above description, the control unit 14 is integrally provided on the wiring board of the turning direction indicating device 15 and the driving unit 8 of the lighting device 10 is connected to the control unit 14. The present invention can also be implemented with a configuration formed on the electronic circuit side or a configuration in which the lighting device 10 is connected to the electronic circuit of the vehicle.

  The turning direction indicating device according to the present invention has a simple configuration and can provide a reliable direction indication, and is useful mainly for turning direction indication of an automobile or the like.

The block diagram of the turning direction instruction | indication apparatus by one embodiment of this invention Plan view Waveform diagram Plan view Waveform diagram Plan view Waveform diagram Steering wheel perspective view Configuration diagram of conventional turning direction indicating device

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Case 2 Lever 3 Switch contact 6 Steering wheel 7 Steering angle sensor 8 Driving means 9 Turn signal lamp 10 Lighting device 14 Control means 15 Turning direction indication device 20 Vehicle

Claims (2)

A lever that can be swung up and down from the neutral position, a plurality of switch contacts that make electrical contact and separation according to the operation of the lever, and a drive that activates the lighting device according to the electrical contact and separation of the switch contact A turning direction indicating device comprising control means for outputting a signal, wherein the control means detects an operation time of the lever and controls output of a drive signal in accordance with the operation time. The turning direction indicating device according to claim 1, wherein when the lever is operated while outputting the drive signal, the control means stops outputting the drive signal.

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