JP2014000884A - Operation control device for accelerator pedal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a behavior and sense of a driver correspond to an engine operation, ensure reflex response to a wrong operation by the driver, then prevent sudden starting when a vehicle is stopped and enable reflex response by an operator to a possible contingency during traveling.SOLUTION: A connecting shaft 212 fixed to a pedal portion 211 of an accelerator pedal 21 and a transmission shaft 214 rotatably connected to the connecting shaft 212 are energized by a pair of springs 213b, 213b so as to form a straight line. In a case where locking of the pedal portion 211 is released by depressing the pedal portion 211 in a direction different from a depressing direction and thus bending the transmission shaft 214 and the connecting shaft 212 at a connecting portion 213, an engine speed is controlled based on the movement amount of the transmission shaft 214 functioning as the depressing amount of the accelerator pedal 21.

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation control device for an accelerator pedal that prevents malfunction caused by stepping on an accelerator pedal mistakenly as a brake pedal.

  In recent years, in a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission (so-called “AT car”), accidents that start suddenly while the vehicle is stopped due to an erroneous operation by a driver who makes a mistake in pressing the brake pedal and the accelerator pedal are increasing. Therefore, it is desired to prevent the engine speed from increasing when the accelerator pedal is depressed by mistake as a brake pedal.

  In order to prevent such a stepping mistake between the brake pedal and the accelerator pedal, for example, there is a technique disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, an erroneous operation determination switch that operates by moving a toe of a foot placed on an accelerator pedal to the side is provided on the accelerator pedal, and an accelerator pedal operation is performed on an engine control means that controls engine rotation. Correct / incorrect determination means is provided for determining whether the operation is incorrect, and when the erroneous operation determination switch is not activated when the accelerator pedal is depressed, the correct / incorrect determination means determines that the operation is incorrect and performs control so as not to increase the engine speed.

  According to such a technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, when an operation is performed by placing a foot on the accelerator pedal, if the toe presses an erroneous operation determination switch and the switch is activated, an operation of depressing the accelerator pedal is a normal operation. The engine is controlled based on the pedal depression amount. On the other hand, even if the accelerator pedal is mistakenly pressed as a brake pedal, the erroneous operation determination switch does not operate on the toes, so the erroneous operation determination switch does not operate.Therefore, it is assumed that the operation of depressing the accelerator pedal is not a normal operation. The vehicle does not rise, the acceleration of the vehicle is suppressed, and safety is ensured.

JP 2008-240595 A

  However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, an erroneous operation is prevented by controlling the engine by electronic control called an erroneous operation determination switch. Therefore, in order to increase the engine speed by depressing the accelerator pedal, the function must be canceled by stepping on the erroneous operation determination switch. As a result, in order to start or accelerate by depressing the accelerator pedal, two operations are required, and in many cases, there is a structural defect that it is not applicable to automobile driving that requires prompt operation. In addition, because of this structural defect, even if it is possible to prevent sudden start when the vehicle is stopped, it is not possible to reflexively respond to unforeseen circumstances that may occur while driving, and it is possible to induce further erroneous operations. There is sex.

  In addition, since the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above has a structure that prevents an erroneous operation by electronic control, there is a possibility that the electronic system may not operate normally due to a failure of the electronic system, particularly a failure of the electronic system when an accident occurs. There is a defect.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been proposed in order to address the above-described problems of the prior art. According to the above invention, an accelerator pedal for accelerating the automobile and a brake pedal for stopping the automobile are adjacent to each other. In the operation control for the automobiles arranged in this way, the driver's behavior and senses and the engine operation are matched to ensure a reflective response to the driver's erroneous operation, and then sudden start at the time of stopping due to erroneous operation An object of the present invention is to provide an operation control device for an accelerator pedal that can prevent and allow a reflexive response of an operator to an unexpected situation that may occur during traveling.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is an operation control apparatus for an automobile, in which an accelerator pedal for accelerating the automobile and a brake pedal for stopping the automobile are disposed adjacent to each other. And the depression direction of the said accelerator pedal and the depression direction of the said brake pedal are different directions, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

In the above invention, the accelerator pedal is
A transmission shaft for transmitting a pressing force generated by depressing the accelerator pedal;
A connecting shaft rotatably connected to the transmission shaft via a connecting portion;
A pedal portion fixed to the connecting shaft;
An urging means for urging the transmission shaft and the connecting shaft so as to be linear at the connecting portion;
In a state where the pressing force against the pedal portion is released and the transmission shaft and the connecting shaft are maintained in a linear shape by the biasing means, the pedal portion or the connecting shaft is locked, A locking portion that restricts movement of the pedal portion in the depression direction;
The pedal portion is stepped in a direction different from the stepping direction, and the transmission shaft and the connecting shaft are bent at the connecting portion, whereby the locking at the locking portion is released.

  In the above invention, the fuel supply means is controlled based on the depression amount of the accelerator pedal, and the engine control means for controlling the engine rotation is further provided.

  Another invention is an operation control method for an automobile, wherein the accelerator pedal for accelerating the automobile and a brake pedal for stopping the automobile are disposed adjacent to each other, and the accelerator pedal is provided. And the brake pedal depression direction is different from each other, and the engine rotation of the automobile is controlled based on the depression amount of the accelerator pedal.

In the above invention, the connecting shaft fixed to the pedal portion of the accelerator pedal and the transmission shaft rotatably connected to the connecting shaft are urged so as to be linear by the urging means,
In a state where the pressing force to the pedal portion is released and the transmission shaft and the connecting shaft are maintained in a straight line by the biasing means, the pedal portion or the connecting shaft is locked, and the pedal Restrict the movement of the part in the stepping direction,
The amount of movement of the transmission shaft when the pedal portion is stepped in a direction different from the stepping direction and the engagement is released by the transmission shaft and the connection shaft being bent at the connection portion. The engine rotation can be controlled using the accelerator pedal depression amount.

  In the above-described invention, the engine supply can be controlled by controlling the fuel supply means based on the depression amount of the accelerator pedal.

  As described above, according to the above invention, in the operation control for the automobile in which the accelerator pedal for accelerating the automobile and the brake pedal for stopping the automobile are disposed adjacent to each other, the behavior and sense of the driver, The operation of the engine can be matched, and a reflective response to a driver's erroneous operation can be ensured. As a result, according to the above-described invention, it is possible to prevent a sudden start when the vehicle is stopped and to allow a reflective response of the operator to an unexpected situation that may occur during traveling.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows the whole structure of the motor vehicle which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the accelerator pedal and brake pedal which concern on 1st Embodiment. It is a side view which shows schematic structure of the accelerator pedal which concerns on 1st Embodiment. (A) is a rear view which shows the structure of the connection part which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (b) is the side view. (A) is a perspective view which shows the structure of the stopper which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (b) And (c) is explanatory drawing which shows the latching state of a stopper. (A)-(d) is a rear view which shows the bending state of the accelerator pedal which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the whole structure of the motor vehicle which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. (A) And (b) is a rear view which shows the positional relationship of the accelerator pedal which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and a latching | locking part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the apparatus of the depression direction of the accelerator pedal and brake pedal which concern on the example of a change. (A) And (b) is a rear view which shows the protrusion part provided in the floor inside which concerns on the example of a change.

[First Embodiment]
Exemplary embodiments of a vehicle operation control device according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an overall configuration of an automobile 10 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, as a device related to operation control of an automobile, a vehicle speed sensor 8, a rudder angle sensor 7, an engine control unit 1, a driving force control device 4, a braking force control device 3, an engine 6, And an operating device 2.

  The vehicle speed sensor 8 is a device that detects the vehicle speed of the host vehicle by measuring the number of rotations of the wheels and the number of rotations on the output side of the transmission. The detected vehicle speed information is output to the engine control unit 1.

  The steering angle sensor 7 is an angle sensor or the like attached in the vicinity of a steering column or a steering wheel (not shown), detects the rotation of the steering shaft as a steering angle, and outputs it to the engine control unit 1.

  The fuel supply unit 9 is a device that supplies fuel to the engine 6. For example, a fuel injection device that injects a circular amount of liquid in the form of a mist is used. The engine 6 explosively burns a mixture of hydrocarbon fuel such as gasoline and light oil supplied from the fuel supply unit 9 and air in the combustion chamber, and reciprocates the piston accompanying the explosion combustion of the mixture. It is configured as an internal combustion engine that outputs power by converting it into rotational motion. The fuel supply unit 9 and the engine 6 are connected to the engine control unit 1, and the engine control unit 1 controls the fuel supply unit 9 based on the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 21 to control the rotation of the engine 6. .

  The engine control unit 1 includes a CPU and CPU peripheral components such as a ROM and a RAM, and is a control unit that controls the entire automobile 10. The engine control unit 1 recognizes the traveling state of the host vehicle from the host vehicle speed information input from the vehicle speed sensor 8. The engine control unit 1 controls an operating device 2 that is operated by the driver for driving operation. Here, the operating device 2 is, for example, an accelerator pedal 21 and a brake pedal 22 that are operated when the driver accelerates or decelerates the host vehicle.

  The accelerator pedal 21 is an operating device for accelerating the automobile, and the accelerator pedal 21 is provided with an accelerator pedal stroke sensor 21a for detecting the depression amount (pressing force) of the accelerator pedal 21. The accelerator pedal operation amount detected by the accelerator pedal stroke sensor 21 a is output to the engine control unit 1 and the driving force control device 4.

  On the other hand, the brake pedal 22 is an operation device for stopping the automobile, and the brake pedal 22 is provided with a brake pedal stroke sensor 22a for detecting the depression amount (pressing force). The brake pedal operation amount detected by the brake pedal stroke sensor 22 a is output to the braking force control device 3.

  The driving force control device 4 controls the engine 6 so as to generate a driving force according to the operation state of the accelerator pedal 21 and changes the driving force to be generated according to an external command. The braking force control device 3 controls the brake fluid pressure so as to generate a braking force according to the operation state of the brake pedal 22, and changes the brake fluid pressure to be generated according to an external command.

(Accelerator pedal configuration)
Next, the configuration of the erroneous operation preventing device provided in the accelerator pedal 21 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a top view illustrating a schematic configuration of the accelerator pedal 21 and the brake pedal 22 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a schematic configuration of the accelerator pedal 21 according to the present embodiment.

  4 (a) and 4 (b) are front views showing the configuration of the connecting portion according to the present embodiment, FIG. 4 (b) is a side view thereof, and FIG. 5 (a) is the present embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the stopper which concerns on this, (b) And (c) is explanatory drawing which shows the latching state of a stopper.

  The accelerator pedal 21 is formed of a member made of metal or synthetic resin, and is disposed adjacent to the brake pedal 22 below the driver's seat as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the depression direction of the accelerator pedal 21 and the depression direction of the brake pedal 22 are different from each other. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the accelerator pedal 21 is generally configured by a pedal portion 211, a connecting shaft 212, a transmission shaft 214, a connecting portion 213, and a locking piece 215.

  The pedal portion 211 is a member that is disposed on the floor 30 of the driver's seat and places the driver's feet. The pedal portion 211 is attached to a support portion 33 provided on the floor 30 at a lower end portion. In this embodiment, this support part 33 is comprised by the spherical bearing and the spherical body, for example. With such a configuration, the pedal portion 211 can rotate in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction around the support portion 33. Further, the support portion 33 has a biasing means such as a spring. When the spring does not depress the operator, the upper end of the pedal portion 211 is placed on the floor surface as shown in FIG. To a position having a predetermined height.

  Further, a connecting shaft 212 is fixed to the lower surface of the pedal portion 211, and the connecting shaft 212 penetrates through the floor 30 through the opening 30 c. On the other hand, a transmission shaft 214 that transmits a pressing force generated by depressing the accelerator pedal 21 to the inside of the floor 30 is disposed inside the floor 30 of the driver's seat.

  The connecting shaft 212 and the transmission shaft 214 are connected via a connecting portion 213. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4A, the connecting shaft 212 and the transmission shaft 214 are connected by a connecting pin 213a. With such a configuration, the connecting shaft 212 and the pedal portion 211 fixed to the connecting shaft 212 can be rotated rightward about the connecting pin 213a.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the connecting portion 213 includes a pair of springs 213b and 213b. With the pair of springs 213b and 213b, when the accelerator pedal 21 is not depressed, the transmission shaft 214 and the connecting shaft 212 are linear at the connecting portion 213a.

  Further, the accelerator pedal 21 is provided with locking means for restricting movement of the pedal portion 211 in the stepping direction. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6A, the connecting shaft 212 is provided with a locking piece 215 that is fixed to or integrally formed with the connecting shaft 212 and protrudes a predetermined distance longer than the width of the opening 30c. It has been. The lower end 215a at the right end of the cross-sectional view shown in the figure is cut obliquely toward the upper right, and is in contact with the opening right edge portion 30a cut toward the lower left. Because of this structure, even if the driver mistakes for a brake and swallows the accelerator pedal vertically, the locking piece 215 is blocked by the opening right edge portion 30a and the opening left edge portion 30b, and the accelerator pedal operates. do not do. However, if the accelerator pedal is stepped diagonally to the lower left, the lower right end portion 215a of the locking piece 215 slides down the slope of the opening right edge portion 30a. As shown, it is structured to operate.

  Further, the accelerator pedal 21 according to the present embodiment is provided with a function for preventing the vehicle from bending more than a certain angle when the accelerator pedal 21 is depressed in the lower left direction.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, a stopper 213c protruding to the side of the connecting shaft 212 is provided on the side of the transmission shaft 214, and the connecting shaft 212 is provided on the side where the stopper 213c is disposed. A notch 212a is provided at the end. With such a configuration, as shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C, when the transmission shaft 214 and the connection shaft 212 are more than a certain angle with the connection pin 213a as an axis, the notch 212a is locked to the stopper 213c. Thus, the accelerator pedal 21 is prevented from bending more than a certain angle.

(Automobile operation control method)
Next, a vehicle operation control method using the above-described operation control device will be described. First, when the operator does not place his / her foot on the pedal portion 211, as shown in FIG. 6A, a pair of springs 213b and 213b are connected to the connecting shaft 212 so as to be rotatable. The transmission shaft 214 is urged so as to be linear.

  As described above, when the pressing force to the pedal portion 211 is released and the transmission shaft 214 and the connection shaft 212 are linearly maintained by the pair of springs 213b and 213b, the pedal portion 211 is stepped vertically downward. As shown in FIG. 6 (a), the opening right edge portion 30a and the opening left edge portion 30b are located below the locking piece 215, so that the locking piece 215 includes the opening right edge portion 30a and the opening right edge portion 30a. The opening left edge portion 30b locks the movement of the pedal portion 211 in the step-down direction.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the operator puts his / her foot on the pedal portion 211 and is stepped in a direction different from the vertical direction in which the pedal portion 211 is stepped, that is, in the lower left direction in the figure, As shown in c), when the transmission shaft 214 and the connecting shaft 212 are bent at the connecting portion 213, the locking piece 215 is rotated and the locking by the opening right edge portion 30a is released in advance. .

  In this state, when the pedal portion 211 is depressed by the operator, the transmission shaft 214 is pushed downward and moved as shown in FIG. 6D. The amount of movement of the transmission shaft 214 is detected by the accelerator pedal stroke sensor 21 a and is input to the engine control unit 1 as the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 21. The engine control unit 1 controls the fuel supply unit 9 based on this signal to rotate the engine 6 and drive the driving force control device 4.

(Action / Effect)
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the depression direction of the accelerator pedal 21 and the depression direction of the brake pedal 22 are configured to be different from each other. The pedal 21 is depressed in the lower left direction.

  With such a configuration, in the operation control on the automobile, the behavior and sense of the driver and the operation of the engine can be matched, and a reflective response to the driver's erroneous operation can be ensured. As a result, according to this embodiment, sudden start at the time of stopping is prevented, and an operator's reflex response to unexpected situations that may occur during traveling is enabled.

[Second Embodiment]
In the above-described first embodiment, the accelerator pedal 21 is always operated so that the depression direction of the accelerator pedal 21 is different from the depression direction of the brake pedal 22, but in this embodiment, when the vehicle starts and when it travels. A case where the operation is controlled differently will be described as an example.

  FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of the automobile 10a according to the embodiment according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a rear view showing the positional relationship between the accelerator pedal and the locking means according to the second embodiment. It is. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the functions and the like are the same unless otherwise specified, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the latch control part 5 which moves the opening left edge part 30b of a floor board member is provided. The locking control unit 5 includes a servo motor that is an actuator incorporated in the drive mechanism of the accelerator pedal 21, a servo motor drive circuit, and the like. The locking control unit 5 outputs a current corresponding to a command from the engine control unit 1 from the drive circuit, controls the torque generated by the servo motor, and moves the position of the opening left edge portion 30b.

  The engine control unit 1 acquires own vehicle speed information such as the number of rotations of the wheels and the number of rotations on the output side of the transmission from the vehicle speed sensor 8, and the vehicle speed information and a threshold value stored in a memory or the like When the current speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed, a control signal that does not restrict the movement of the pedal 211 in the stepping direction is output to the locking control unit 5. When the lock control unit 5 obtains this control signal, the left edge portion 30b of the opening is slid leftward so that the floor 30 surface is not positioned below the lock piece 215 as shown in FIG. 8B. I'm moving it.

  On the other hand, when the current speed is less than the predetermined speed, the engine control unit 1 outputs a control signal that restricts the movement of the pedal unit 211 in the depression direction to the locking control unit 5. When the lock control unit 5 acquires this control signal, as shown in FIG. 8A, the opening left edge portion 30b is not moved and the surface of the floor 30 is left below the lock piece 215. .

  According to the present embodiment, since the movement of the pedal unit 211 in the stepping direction is restricted at the time of starting, it is possible to prevent a sudden start or the like due to an operator's erroneous operation. Further, since the movement in the stepping direction of the pedal unit 211 is not restricted during driving, for example, driving operation is performed without forcing the driver into an unreasonable posture when driving the accelerator pedal 21 continuously. Can do.

[Example of change]
The description of each embodiment described above is an example of the present invention. For this reason, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various modifications can be made according to the design or the like as long as the technical idea according to the present invention is not deviated.

  That is, according to the present invention, in the operation control for the automobile, the behavior and sense of the driver and the operation of the engine are matched to ensure a reflective response to the driver's erroneous operation and prevent sudden start when the vehicle is stopped. In addition, it is only necessary to enable a reflective response of the operator to an unexpected situation that may occur during traveling. For example, as shown in FIG. The accelerator pedal 121 in which the 121b and the pedal portion 121a are integrally formed is installed at a position moved to the right side of the position where the conventional accelerator pedal 23 is installed, and the accelerator pedal 121 is disposed in an inclined state. Do not confuse the accelerator pedal with the brake pedal.

  In the above-described embodiment, the stopper 213c provided on the side portion of the transmission shaft 214 prevents the accelerator pedal 21 from being bent more than a certain angle when the accelerator pedal 21 is depressed in the lower left direction. However, the bending angle is controlled by another structure. May be. For example, as shown in FIG. 10 (a), a wall 31 inside the left edge of the floor 30 is formed with a protruding portion 31 that protrudes by a predetermined distance toward the accelerator pedal 21, and the transmission is performed as shown in FIG. When the shaft 214 and the connecting shaft 212 are bent at a predetermined angle or more, the connecting portion 213 is abutted against the protruding portion 31 so that the transmission shaft 214 and the connecting shaft 212 are not bent. Note that only one of the stopper 213c and the protruding portion 31 in the above-described embodiment may be provided, and can be selected according to the structure of the automobile.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Engine control part 2 ... Operation apparatus 3 ... Braking force control apparatus 4 ... Driving force control apparatus 5 ... Locking control part 6 ... Engine 7 ... Steering angle sensor 8 ... Vehicle speed sensor 9 ... Fuel supply part 10 ... Automobile 10a ... Automobile DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 ... Accelerator pedal 21a ... Accelerator pedal stroke sensor 22 ... Brake pedal 22a ... Brake pedal stroke sensor 23 ... Conventional accelerator pedal 30 ... Floor 30a ... Opening right edge part 30b ... Opening left edge part 30c ... Opening 31 ... Protruding part 33 ... Support part 121 ... Accelerator pedal 121a ... Pedal part 121b ... Transmission shaft 211 ... Pedal part 212 ... Connection shaft 212a ... Notch part 213 ... Connection part 213a ... Connection pin 213b, 213b ... Spring 213c ... Stopper 214 ... Transmission shaft 215 ... Locking Piece 215a ... Bottom

Claims (6)

An operation control device for an automobile in which an accelerator pedal for accelerating the automobile and a brake pedal for stopping the automobile are disposed adjacent to each other,
An operation control apparatus for an automobile, wherein a depression direction of the accelerator pedal is different from a depression direction of the brake pedal. The accelerator pedal is
A transmission shaft for transmitting a pressing force generated by depressing the accelerator pedal;
A connecting shaft rotatably connected to the transmission shaft via a connecting portion;
A pedal portion fixed to the connecting shaft;
An urging means for urging the transmission shaft and the connecting shaft so as to be linear in the connecting portion;
In a state where the pressing force against the pedal portion is released and the transmission shaft and the connecting shaft are maintained in a linear shape by the biasing means, the pedal portion or the connecting shaft is locked, A locking portion that restricts movement of the pedal portion in the depression direction;
The pedal portion is depressed in a direction different from the depression direction, and the transmission shaft and the connection shaft are bent at the connection portion, whereby the engagement at the engagement portion is released. The vehicle operation control device according to claim 1.   The vehicle operation control device according to claim 2, further comprising engine control means for controlling fuel supply means based on a depression amount of the accelerator pedal and controlling engine rotation. An operation control method for an automobile in which an accelerator pedal for accelerating the automobile and a brake pedal for stopping the automobile are disposed adjacent to each other,
A method for controlling the operation of an automobile, wherein the depression direction of the accelerator pedal is different from the depression direction of the brake pedal, and the engine rotation of the automobile is controlled based on the depression amount of the accelerator pedal. The connecting shaft fixed to the pedal portion of the accelerator pedal and the transmission shaft rotatably connected to the connecting shaft are urged so as to be linear by the urging means,
In a state where the pressing force to the pedal portion is released and the transmission shaft and the connecting shaft are maintained in a straight line by the biasing means, the pedal portion or the connecting shaft is locked, and the pedal Restrict the movement of the part in the stepping direction,
The amount of movement of the transmission shaft when the pedal portion is stepped in a direction different from the stepping direction and the engagement is released by the transmission shaft and the connection shaft being bent at the connection portion. The vehicle operation control method according to claim 4, wherein the engine rotation is controlled as a depression amount of the accelerator pedal.   6. The method for controlling operation of an automobile according to claim 5, wherein the fuel supply means is controlled based on the depression amount of the accelerator pedal to control engine rotation.