JP2021188913A - Transmission actuator of vehicle self-driving device - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable a knob to be grasped in versatile way and accurate shift operation to be performed while allowing for inclination of a shift lever due to shift operation.SOLUTION: A transmission actuator unit 131 of a vehicle self-driving device includes: an actuator 133 for select operation that operates in a vehicle width direction; and an actuator 134 for shift operation that operates in a vehicle longitudinal direction. A grip hand 168 has: an arm 201 rotatably supported at the tip of a rack shaft 166; a hand part 202 constructed by a fixed-side finger 203 and a movable-side finger 204 in combination; and a screw mechanism 205 for tightening the movable-side finger 204 toward the fixed-side finger 203. The hand part 202 is rotatably supported at the tip of the arm 201.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a transmission actuator of an automatic vehicle driving device that operates a shift lever of a transmission when, for example, a running test of a vehicle is performed on a chassis dynamometer, and more particularly to an improvement of a structure for gripping a knob of the shift lever.

When conducting a running test of a vehicle on a chassis dynamometer, an automatic vehicle driving device that performs pedal operation and shift lever operation of the vehicle on behalf of the driver is generally used. To operate the shift lever, the vehicle automatic driving device is equipped with a transmission actuator.

The transmission actuator generally has a configuration in which a left-right actuator that moves the shift lever along the vehicle width direction and a front-rear actuator that moves the shift lever along the vehicle front-rear direction are combined, and the front-rear direction actuator is movable. The knob at the tip of the shift lever is connected to the part.

In Patent Document 1, a cup-shaped adapter having a spherical seat surface on the outer periphery is attached to the knob as a connection structure between the knob at the tip of the shift lever and the front-rear actuator, and this adapter is attached to the front-rear actuator. Disclosed is a configuration arranged in a box-shaped member having a square cross section provided in a movable portion of the above. That is, the spherical seat surface makes point contact with the inner wall surfaces of the four sides of the box-shaped member having a square cross section, and the shift lever is allowed to tilt due to the movement in the front-rear direction.

In Patent Document 2, as a structure for gripping the knob at the tip of the shift lever, a cup-shaped member to be mounted on the knob is divided into two pieces so as to form a substantially semi-cylindrical shape, and the knob is covered with the knob. A configuration is disclosed in which the screws are fastened to each other in the radial direction. In this product, the shift lever is allowed to tilt by providing a play along the front-rear direction between the cup-shaped member and the knob.

Japanese Patent No. 4665714 Jikkenhei 7-036037 Gazette

In both Patent Documents 1 and 2, since the cup-shaped member is mounted on the knob, the applicable range is narrow when the size or shape of the knob differs depending on the vehicle model. Therefore, it is necessary to replace parts for each vehicle type, and as a result, the work efficiency of the running test on the chassis dynamometer deteriorates.

In addition, it is configured to give some play or gap to allow the shift lever to tilt, and the rigidity of the shift lever operation by the actuator is low, and the shift lever operation may be insufficient depending on the vehicle model. ..

The transmission actuator of the vehicle automatic driving device according to the present invention is
A first actuator that is supported by a frame placed in the driver's seat of the vehicle and operates in the width direction of the vehicle,
A second actuator having an actuator rod that is supported by the moving body of the first actuator so as to be vertically swingable around a first rotation center along the vehicle width direction and that operates in the vehicle front-rear direction.
An arm whose base is attached to the tip of the actuator rod and whose tip extends to the front of the vehicle,
The first finger and the second finger, which are curved inward, are connected to each other so as to grip the knob of the shift lever between them so as to be openable and closable at the hinge portion at one end, and along the vehicle width direction. A hand portion in which the intermediate portion of the first finger is swingably supported by the tip portion of the arm with the second rotation center as the center.
A tightening mechanism that tightens the second finger toward the first finger with the knob sandwiched between them.
It is equipped with.

In this configuration, the knob at the tip of the shift lever is arranged between the first finger and the second finger of the hand portion, and the knob is tightened by tightening the second finger toward the first finger by the tightening mechanism. It is fixed to the hand part. Since the hand portion is configured such that the first finger and the second finger curved inward are opened and closed, it is possible to grip various knobs. In this state, when the second actuator operates in the vehicle front-rear direction, the shift lever moves in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a so-called shift operation is performed.

The inclination of the shift lever in the front-rear direction changes with this shift operation, but the hand portion is oscillatingly supported by the tip portion of the arm around the second rotation center along the vehicle width direction. The hand part tilts freely to allow the tilt of the shift lever (that is, the tilt of the knob). At this time, the second rotation center is located in the middle portion in the longitudinal direction of the first finger, and the second rotation center passes near the center in the front-rear direction of the knob. Therefore, the vertical displacement of the second rotation center due to the change in the angle of the shift lever is minimal. The vertical displacement of the second rotation center is absorbed by the second actuator swinging up and down about the first rotation center along the vehicle width direction, but the swing displacement of the second actuator is also absorbed. It will be minimal.

When the second center of rotation passes near the center of the knob in the front-rear direction, the force in the front-rear direction by the second actuator is transmitted to the vicinity of the center of the knob in the front-rear direction, and the shift lever operates reliably. ..

In one preferred embodiment, the arm is formed in a substantially L-shape so that the tip portion thereof is positioned offset in the vehicle width direction with respect to the central axis of the actuator rod. Then, preferably, the hinge portion of the hand portion is located on the central axis of the actuator rod.

In such a configuration, the force in the front-rear direction by the second actuator is linearly transmitted to the shift lever via the actuator rod. In other words, the knob moves on the central axis of the actuator rod, which simplifies the operation.

In one preferred embodiment, the arm is swingably supported at the tip of the actuator rod about a third rotation center along the vehicle front-rear direction. For example, when the shift lever is tilted along the vehicle width direction due to the select operation of the shift lever (operation along the vehicle width direction), it is necessary to absorb the tilt of the knob at any position. By supporting the arm so as to be swingable around the third rotation center, the inclination of the shift lever along the vehicle width direction is absorbed.

It is also possible to absorb the inclination of the shift lever along the vehicle width direction at another location, and in this case, the arm can be configured not to swing with respect to the actuator rod.

Further, in one preferred embodiment, the tip of the first finger is bifurcated and formed so that the tip of the second finger can enter the gap between the two. With such a configuration, it is possible to grip a knob having a relatively small diameter, and as a result, the dimensional range of the knob that can be gripped by the hand portion is widened.

Further, in one specific embodiment, the first finger and the second finger are curved in an arc shape, respectively, and the gripping surface inside the first finger and the inside of the second finger. A spindle-shaped space is formed by the gripping surface, and the second center of rotation is located at the center of the spindle-shaped space. Except for special shapes, the knob will be gripped near the center of the spindle-shaped space, so that the second center of rotation will pass near the center of the knob in the anteroposterior direction.

According to the present invention, the knob can be firmly gripped by the hand portion at the tip of the actuator rod while allowing the shift lever to tilt due to the shift operation, and the forward / backward movement by the second actuator can be reliably performed on the shift lever. Can be communicated.

The perspective view which shows the state which the vehicle automatic driving apparatus of one Example is mounted in the driver's seat. Side view in the same mounted state. A plan view in the same mounted state. The perspective view which shows only the vehicle automatic driving device. A perspective view of the entire vehicle automatic driving device with the transmission actuator unit and the pedal actuator removed. Perspective view of the transmission actuator unit. The perspective view of the transmission actuator unit which shows the state which the shift actuator is removed. Top view of the grip hand of one embodiment. Side view of the grip hand. Side view of the grip hand shown from the opposite side. A perspective view of the grip hand seen from diagonally above. A perspective view of the grip hand seen from diagonally below. The explanatory view which shows the behavior with the shift operation of the grip hand of an Example. Explanatory drawing which shows the behavior with the shift operation of the grip hand of a reference example.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, the overall configuration of the vehicle automatic driving device 1 according to the present invention will be described. 1 to 3 show a state in which the vehicle automatic driving device 1 according to the present invention is mounted on the driver's seat 2 of the vehicle. 4 and 5 show the entire vehicle automatic driving device 1 in a state of being removed from the vehicle. This vehicle automatic driving device 1 is used when a running test of a vehicle is performed on a chassis dynamometer (not shown), and a pedal operation such as an accelerator pedal and a transmission of a transmission are performed by a signal from a control device arranged outside the vehicle. Operate the shift lever.

Here, the vehicle automatic driving device 1 of the present embodiment can be used regardless of whether it is a manual transmission type vehicle having a clutch pedal or an automatic transmission type vehicle not provided with a clutch pedal. It can be applied to both a so-called right-handed vehicle in which the driver's seat is on the right side of the vehicle and the shift lever is operated with the left hand, and a so-called left-handed vehicle in which the driver's seat is on the left side of the vehicle and the shift lever is operated with the right hand. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 is a configuration example in which the vehicle is a manual transmission type vehicle including an accelerator pedal 45, a brake pedal 46, and a clutch pedal 47, and is applied to a right-hand steering wheel vehicle. The vehicle automatic driving device 1 of the above is shown.

The vehicle automatic driving device 1 includes a frame 11 arranged so as to extend diagonally downward from the vicinity of the upper end portion of the seat back 4 of the driver's seat 2 toward the front of the vehicle, and downward along the front end of the seat cushion 3 at the front end of the frame 11. A pair of extended legs 12, three pedal actuators 41 extending from the front end of the frame 11 to the front of the vehicle to operate the three pedals 45, 46, 47, respectively, and a seat cushion 3 and a seat back 4 in the middle of the frame 11. It is roughly composed of a movable unit 101 supported in a floating state, a transmission actuator unit 131 mounted on the upper surface of the movable unit 101, and a connection box 106 located at the front end of the frame 11.

The connection box 106 has a connection portion between various actuators and sensors included in the vehicle automatic driving device 1 and a cable (including a power supply system and a signal system) (not shown) drawn into the vehicle from a control device outside the vehicle. It is composed.

The movable unit 101 is configured to be slidable in the front-rear direction with respect to the frame 11, and functions as a support base for the transmission actuator unit 131. The movable unit 101 and the connection box 106 are electrically connected to each other via a flexible flat band-shaped cable 100.

In the illustrated example, the transmission actuator unit 131 operates a shift lever located on the left hand side of the driver's seat 2, and has a select actuator 133 that operates the shift lever along the vehicle width direction (so-called select operation) and a shift. It is configured by combining a shift actuator 134 that operates the lever along the front-rear direction of the vehicle (so-called shift operation). Specifically, the transmission actuator unit 131 includes a grip hand 168 that grips, for example, a substantially spherical knob (sometimes called a grip) of a shift lever head (not shown), and the grip hand 168 is a shift actuator. Both the select operation and the shift operation are realized by moving forward and backward by the operation of the 134 and moving the entire shift actuator 134 along the vehicle width direction by the operation of the select actuator 133. The transmission actuator unit 131, which is a main part of the present invention, will be described in detail later. In FIGS. 1 to 5, as the grip hand 168, a grip hand 168'as a reference example, not an embodiment of the present invention, is shown.

The vehicle automatic driving device 1 mounted on the driver's seat 2 of the vehicle is fixed to the vehicle by pulling it diagonally backward and downward via the belt 25 on both the left and right sides of the driver's seat 2. In order to protect the driver's seat 2 from scratches and the like, a rigid seat support 27 is arranged at the rear end of the seat cushion 3, and belts 25 are hung on both ends of the seat support 27. The belt 25 is configured in a loop shape on each of the left and right sides via a general-purpose belt tightening device (not shown), and the tightening operation is performed by the belt tightening device. In a state of being tightened and fixed via the belt 25, the lower end of the leg portion 12 comes into contact with the vehicle body floor 6 and the frame 11 is fixed on the driver's seat 2 (see FIG. 2).

The frame 11 is formed in a hollow tubular shape using, for example, carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), and includes a main frame 15 and a subframe 16, both of which are integrally configured (FIG. 4). , See FIG. 5).

The main frame 15 has a substantially U-shape in a plan view (meaning a state seen from above the vehicle as shown in FIG. 3). That is, the main frame 15 has a pair of main beams 15a extending diagonally in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and a horizontal beam 15b connecting the upper ends of the pair of main beams 15a to each other. In the vehicle-mounted state, the lateral beam 15b abuts on the upper part of the seat back 4, and the main beam 15a extends diagonally downward toward the front end of the seat cushion 3 from here.

The pair of main beams 15a are symmetrical to each other. Here, in the plan view of the main frame 15, as shown in FIG. 3, each main beam 15a is curved in an arch shape so as to form a barrel shape as a whole.

The subframe 16 is located inside the main frame 15 which is inflated in a barrel shape as described above. The subframe 16 has a substantially U-shape as a whole in a plan view, and has a pair of linear subbeams 16a located parallel to each other and a hollow plate-shaped lateral beam connecting the lower ends of the pair of subbeams 16a to each other. It has a connection box support portion 16b extending forward in a bent shape from the lower end of the lateral beam 16b.

The pair of sub-beams 16a and lateral beams 16b extend along one inclined plane corresponding to the inclination of the main frame 15. The connection box support portion 16c is formed so as to be along a horizontal plane in a vehicle-mounted state. Therefore, the sub-beam 16a and the lateral beam 16b and the connection box support portion 16c are continuous with a predetermined angle.

The connection box support portions 16c arranged along the horizontal plane are located between the front ends of the pair of main beams 15a of the main frame 15 and are integrated with each other.

The connection box 106 is arranged so as to be embedded in the connection box support portion 16c of the subframe 16 forming a hollow tube. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a relatively large main connector 107 is arranged behind the lower part of the connection box 106. A relatively large centralized connector 116 at the tip of a cable (not shown) drawn into the vehicle from an external control device is connected to the main connector 107.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a metal guide rail 20 for slidably guiding the movable unit 101 is attached to the lower surface of each of the pair of sub-beams 16a, as will be described later.

A metal pedal actuator supporting slide rail 31 extending in the vehicle width direction is attached to the front end surface of the pair of main beams 15a, and the pair of main beams 15a are connected to each other by the pedal actuator supporting slide rail 31. (See Fig. 3).

The pedal actuator support slide rail 31 slidably supports the three pedal actuator supports 51. The three pedal actuators 41 (accelerator pedal actuator 41A, brake pedal actuator 41B, clutch pedal actuator 41C) are detachably supported by the corresponding pedal actuator support 51.

When applied to a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission, the clutch pedal actuator 41C is in a removed state, and the configuration includes only two pedal actuators 41, that is, an accelerator pedal actuator 41A and a brake pedal actuator 41B.

As shown in FIG. 5, the movable unit 101 is located in the frame 11, specifically, between the pair of main beams 15a of the main frame 15.

The movable unit 101 includes a movable frame 102 supported by a pair of sub-beams 16a, and a rigid actuator support plate 105 located on the upper surface of the movable frame 102. The movable frame 102 has a substantially triangular shape in a side view, and is slidably supported in the front-rear direction by a pair of sub-beams 16a (specifically, a guide rail 20 attached to the lower surface thereof).

Along with this sliding in the front-rear direction, the height of the actuator support plate 105 that supports the transmission actuator unit 131 also changes. Therefore, the height position of the transmission actuator unit 131, and thus the basic height position of the grip hand 168, changes, and it becomes possible to widely support shift levers having different heights and different lengths depending on the vehicle model.

The actuator support plate 105 made of a metal plate has a rectangular shape in a plan view, and is supported by a movable frame 102 so as to be basically horizontal.

A transmission actuator unit 131 is detachably attached to the upper surface of the actuator support plate 105 (see FIG. 5). For mounting the transmission actuator unit 131, grommets 121 having lock holes are embedded at two diagonal positions in the four corners of the rectangular actuator support plate 105.

Similarly, the actuator support plate 105 is provided with two front and rear connectors for the transmission actuator unit for making an electrical connection with the transmission actuator unit 131. One of these two transmission actuator unit connectors 123 is used depending on the mounting posture of the transmission actuator unit 131.

The two grommets 121 and the two connectors 123 in the actuator support plate 105 are in a point-symmetrical relationship with the center of the rectangular actuator support plate 105 as a point of symmetry. That is, the arrangement and configuration are such that they overlap each other when rotated by 180 °.

The transmission actuator unit 131 has a configuration that can be easily attached to and detached from the movable unit 101. Then, by reversing the mounting posture (front-back orientation) with respect to the movable unit 101 by 180 °, the mode can be easily changed between the mode for a so-called right-hand drive vehicle and the mode for a left-hand drive vehicle.

6 and 7 show the transmission actuator unit 131 removed from the movable unit 101 as a single unit. In these FIGS. 6 and 7, the grip hand 168 of the embodiment is shown as the grip hand 168.

As described above, the transmission actuator unit 131 is configured by combining a select actuator 133 that performs a select operation along the vehicle width direction and a shift actuator 134 that performs a shift operation along the vehicle front-rear direction. ..

The transmission actuator unit 131 includes a relatively thick and highly rigid base plate 132, and a selection actuator 133 is configured on the base plate 132. The select actuator 133 has an actuator housing 135 having an elongated box shape along the vehicle width direction, and the actuator housing 135 is fixed on the base plate 132. Further, in the central portion of the actuator housing 135 in the longitudinal direction, a box-shaped connector cover 137 is provided on one side, and a box-shaped motor cover 138 is provided on the other side. The connector cover 137 is integrally continuous with the actuator housing 135.

The base plate 132 has a flat plate shape and has an outer shape substantially along the outer contours of the actuator housing 135, the connector cover 137, and the motor cover 138. That is, the base plate 132 has a shape in which the width (dimensions in the vehicle front-rear direction) is narrow at both ends in the longitudinal direction and the width is wide at the center.

The select actuator 133 is a pinion rack type linear motion actuator in which a rack shaft 141, which is an actuator rod, moves in the vehicle width direction by the action of an electric motor and a speed reducer housed in a motor cover 138. Almost the entire rack shaft 141 is housed in the actuator housing 135 in the retracted state, and one end of the actuator housing 135 (the end that becomes the left hand side when the connector cover 137 is turned forward). Only the tip of the rack shaft 141 protrudes from the rack shaft 141. A shift actuator 134 is supported at the tip of the rack shaft 141. In the configuration for a so-called right-hand drive vehicle shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the shift actuator 134 is located on the left-hand side with respect to the frame 11 and the movable unit 101 located on the driver's seat 2. The rack shaft 141 is guided by a guide mechanism (not shown) inside the actuator housing 135 so that the rack shaft 141 can move linearly with high accuracy while bearing the load of the shift actuator 134.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, in one side of the connector cover 137 (one side along the vehicle width direction) and the other side of the motor cover 138, the base plate 132 is the actuator housing 135 and It projects from the contours of the connector cover 137 and the motor cover 138, and is formed as a pair of extension portions 132a located diagonally. The quadrangular range of the central portion of the base plate 132 including the extension portion 132a forms a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the actuator support plate 105 of the movable unit 101. Each of the pair of extension portions 132a is provided with a lock pin 144 constituting the lock mechanism 143 together with the grommet 121 of the actuator support plate 105 on the movable unit 101 side described above. The lock pin 144 has a tip portion protruding downward from the surface of the base plate 132, and has a grip portion 145 at the upper end portion for rotational operation with fingers. The lock mechanism 143 is a general-purpose screw type that locks with axial tightening by rotating the lock pin 144 having the knob portion 145 by a constant angle (for example, 90 ° to 180 °).

The two locking mechanisms 143 are located diagonally so that the transmission actuator unit 131 can be mounted upside down by 180 ° depending on whether the shift lever is on the left or right hand side.

Further, on the bottom surface of the base plate 132, a transmission actuator side connector (not shown) corresponding to the transmission actuator unit connector 123 in the actuator support plate 105 is provided. The connector 171 is located at a position covered by the connector cover 137, and is connected to either one of the transmission actuator unit connectors 123 according to the mounting posture of the transmission actuator unit 131.

A plurality of prismatic legs (not shown) are provided on the bottom surface of the base plate 132, and these legs are the locating opening 124 and the locating notch 125 in the actuator support plate 105 (FIG. 5). By fitting to (see), the transmission actuator unit 131 is positioned.

A substantially U-shaped handle 136 that can be gripped by the operator is attached to the upper surface 135a of the actuator housing 135 so that the operator can carry the removed transmission actuator unit 131. The handle 136 is arranged at a position corresponding to the position of the center of gravity of the entire transmission actuator unit 131 including the shift actuator 134.

As described above, the transmission actuator unit 131 can be removed from the movable unit 101 simply by loosening the pair of lock mechanisms 143. On the contrary, the transmission actuator unit 131 can be mounted on the movable unit 101 and can be attached to the movable unit 101 by rotating the pair of lock pins 144 with fingers to lock the lock mechanism 143. An electrical connection is made by the connector 123 at the same time as the attachment, and there is no need to connect an external cable or the like.

Further, the transmission actuator unit 131 removed from the movable unit 101 can be attached to the movable unit 101 by reversing the front and rear by 180 °. As a result, the shift lever can easily correspond to a vehicle located on the right side of the driver's seat 2, that is, a so-called left-hand drive vehicle.

In both the mounting posture for the right-hand drive vehicle and the mounting posture for the left-hand drive vehicle, the centers of the rack shaft 141 of the select actuator 133 are at the same position and do not change from each other. That is, the rack shaft 141 is always located at the center of the actuator support plate 105 in the front-rear direction.

As described above, the shift actuator 134 is supported by the tip of the rack shaft 141 of the select actuator 133, and the shift actuator 134 can be easily attached to and detached from the tip of the rack shaft 141 (see FIG. 7). .. Further, it is configured so that the mounting posture of the shift actuator 134 with respect to the select actuator 133 can be reversed back and forth. That is, when the mounting posture of the transmission actuator unit 131 is reversed by 180 ° due to the change between the mode for right-hand drive vehicles and the mode for left-hand drive vehicles described above, in many vehicle models, the actuator for selection is used. Since the position of the shift lever is on the front side of the rack shaft 141 of 133, it becomes necessary to change the direction of the shift actuator 134 (that is, which side the grip hand 168 is on the front or rear side). In this embodiment, the front-rear direction of the shift actuator 134 is easily reversed.

FIG. 7 shows a state in which the shift actuator 134 is removed from the select actuator 133. The orientation of the shift actuator 134 (posture with respect to the select actuator 133) in FIGS. 6 and 7 corresponds to the mode for a so-called right-hand drive vehicle as shown in FIG.

The rack shaft 141 that advances and retreats from the actuator housing 135 of the select actuator 133 has a prismatic shape, and an L-shaped bracket 151 is attached to the tip of the rack shaft 141 via a rotatably supported joint 152. The joint 152 has a rotation center axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the rack shaft 141 (corresponding to the "first rotation center" in the claim), and the L-shaped bracket 151 has this rotation center axis (point O1 in FIG. 13). It is supported so that it can swing around (see). The L-shaped bracket 151 has a rectangular mounting surface 151a forming a plane parallel to the rotation center axis of the joint 152, and on both sides of the mounting surface 151a, a first guide surface 151b rising vertically from the mounting surface 151a and A second guide surface 151c is provided (see FIG. 7).

The rotation center axis of the joint 152 is below the rack shaft 141, and the mounting surface 151a is offset below the rotation center axis of the joint 152. Therefore, the mounting surface 151a is located below the extension line of the rack shaft 141. Further, the first guide surface 151b and the second guide surface 151c extend in a direction orthogonal to the rotation center axis of the joint 152 (in other words, a direction orthogonal to the rack axis 141) and are parallel to each other.

A lock pin 155 constituting the lock mechanism 154 is arranged at the center of the mounting surface 151a of the L-shaped bracket 151. The lock mechanism 154 is a general-purpose screw-type lock mechanism substantially the same as the above-mentioned lock mechanism 143 for fixing the transmission actuator unit 131, and the lower end of the lock pin 155 is rotated by a finger. The knob portion 156 is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the shift actuator 134 includes a box-shaped actuator housing 161 having a rectangular bottom surface, a speed reducer housed inside the actuator housing 161 (not shown), and a speed reducer thereof. It includes an electric motor 165 connected to the machine and a rack shaft 166 as an actuator rod whose tip protrudes from the end of the actuator housing 161. The rack shaft 166 has a rod shape with a circular cross section as a basic shape excluding the tooth portion. The actuator housing 161 includes a cylindrical portion 161a that extends linearly rearward, and when the rack shaft 166 is in the retracted position, most of the rack shaft 166 is housed in the cylindrical portion 161a.

The bottom surface of the actuator housing 161 is composed of a relatively thick bottom plate (not shown) having high rigidity, and the bottom plate has a rectangular shape having a long side in the longitudinal direction of the rack shaft 166. .. The width of the bottom plate on the short side is substantially equal to the width of the mounting surface 151a of the L-shaped bracket 151, that is, the distance between the first guide surface 151b and the second guide surface 151c. That is, the bottom plate has dimensions that can be relatively tightly fitted to the mounting surface 151a sandwiched between the first and second guide surfaces 151b and 151c of the L-shaped bracket 151. A grommet (not shown) having a lock hole to which the lock pin 155 engages is attached to the center of the bottom plate. This grommet is similar to the grommet 121 in the actuator support plate 105 described above, and constitutes the lock mechanism 154 together with the lock pin 155.

Therefore, by placing the actuator housing 161 on the L-shaped bracket 151 and rotating the lock pin 155 in the locking direction with the fingers via the knob 156, the actuator housing 161 is placed on the mounting surface 151a of the L-shaped bracket 151. Tightened. As a result, the shift actuator 134 is fixed on the L-shaped bracket 151. In this mounted state, the left and right side edges of the bottom plate of the actuator housing 161 engage with the first and second guide surfaces 151b and 151c of the L-shaped bracket 151, so that the shift actuator 134 does not tilt to the left or right. .. That is, the rack shaft 141 of the select actuator 133 and the rack shaft 166 of the shift actuator 134 always maintain a correct orthogonal state. Therefore, the rack shaft 166 having the grip hand 168 at the tip can swing up and down about the swing center of the L-shaped bracket 151 (see point O1 in FIG. 13).

Further, by rotating the knob 156 on the lower surface of the L-shaped bracket 151 in the unlocking direction, the lock mechanism 154 is unlocked, and the shift actuator 134 can be removed from the L-shaped bracket 151 as shown in FIG. can. Then, by reversing the removed shift actuator 134 back and forth by 180 ° and reattaching it to the L-shaped bracket 151, it can be combined with the select actuator 133 in the reverse mounting posture corresponding to the so-called left-hand drive vehicle.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the select actuator 133 and the shift actuator 134 are two cables 167 from the tip of the rack shaft 141 of the select actuator 133 to the electric motor 165 of the shift actuator 134. Connected by.

The shift actuator 134 is a pinion rack type linear motion actuator in which the rack shaft 166, which is an actuator rod, moves in the front-rear direction of the vehicle by the action of the electric motor 165 and the speed reducer. A rack (not shown) that meshes with the pinion at the final stage of the gear train is formed on the rack shaft 166 having a circular cross section.

Next, the grip hand 168 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 8 to 12. A grip hand 168, which is a connection portion with a shift lever, is attached to the tip of the rack shaft 166. The grip hand 168 tightens the arm 201 attached to the tip of the rack shaft 166, the hand portion 202 formed by combining the fixed side finger 203 and the movable side finger 204, and the movable side finger 204 toward the fixed side finger 203. It is roughly composed of a screw mechanism 205.

The arm 201 is formed in a substantially L-shape, and the short side portion 201a corresponding to the short side of the L-shape is arranged in a direction orthogonal to the rack axis 166 and has a length corresponding to the long side of the L-shape. The side portion 201b extends toward the front of the vehicle while gently curving inward. The base of the short side portion 201a is attached to the tip of the rack shaft 166, and more specifically, it is rotatably attached to the shaft portion of the tip of the rack shaft 166 via a bearing portion. That is, the arm 201 is rotatable with respect to the rack shaft 166 with the center line of the rack shaft 166 having a circular cross section as the center of rotation (corresponding to the "third center of rotation" in the claim) (see the center line L3 in FIG. 8). Or it can be rocked. The center line of the rack shaft 166, which is the center of rotation of the arm 201, also corresponds to the "center axis of the actuator rod" in the claim. The long side portion 201b of the arm 201 is located offset outward from the center axis of the rack shaft 166, that is, the rotation center line L3 of the arm 201, and the hand portion 202 is rotatably supported at the tip portion thereof. A support shaft 207 for the purpose is provided. The support shaft 207 projects inward of the arm 201 along a direction orthogonal to the center line (L3) of the rack shaft 166. When the arm 201 is in a posture along the horizontal plane as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the support shaft 207 extends along the vehicle width direction.

The fixed side finger 203 and the movable side finger 204 constituting the hand portion 202 are each curved inward. Specifically, each of them is formed by being curved in an arc shape, and is combined in a shape that is convex toward the outside of each other. These fixed-side fingers 203 and movable-side fingers 204 are openably and closably connected to each other at a hinge portion 208 at one end so as to grip a knob (not shown) of a shift lever between them. In the illustrated example, the hinge portion 208 is configured by a pin penetrating the fixed side finger 203 and the movable side finger 204.

The inner gripping surface 203a of the fixed side finger 203 and the inner gripping surface 204a of the movable side finger 204 basically have a symmetrical shape, and as shown in FIG. 8, the tip of the fixed side finger 203 and the movable side finger 204 These gripping surfaces 203a and 204a are substantially symmetrical with respect to the center line (L3) of the rack shaft 166 when they are in the open / closed state closest to the tip. Then, in the opened / closed state in which the tips of the fingers 203 and 204 are close to each other in this way, a spindle-shaped space having a major axis in the longitudinal direction of the rack shaft 166 is formed by the gripping surfaces 203a and 204a of both. The knob is housed in this spindle-shaped space.

The fixed side finger 203 is formed by bifurcating the tip portion, and the tip portion of the movable side finger 204 can enter the gap 209 between the pair of tip portions 203b (FIGS. 9 and 9). See 10). As a result, the fixed side finger 203 and the movable side finger 204 can be opened and closed over a wide angle range. Further, when the knob has a spherical shape or a shape close to a sphere, the portion having the largest diameter is located in the gap 209, and the pair of tip portions 203b presses the upper and lower two places, so that the knob can be fixed in the vertical direction. It will be certain.

In particular, in the illustrated embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a concave groove 204b is formed in the center of the gripping surface 204a of the movable side finger 204 in the width direction along the longitudinal direction of the movable side finger 204. Therefore, when the knob is spherical, the movable side finger 204 also comes into contact with the knob at two points, the upper edge and the lower edge of the concave groove 204b, and together with the bifurcated fixed side finger 203, the spherical knob has a total of four points. Can be reliably supported.

The screw mechanism 205 constituting the tightening mechanism is for rotating with the rod 211 penetrating the fixed side finger 203 and the movable side finger 204 at a position closer to the hinge portion 208 and the fingers provided at the base end of the rod 211. It is composed of a knob portion 212 and cylindrical nut members 213 and 214 embedded in the fixed side finger 203 and the movable side finger 204, respectively.

The rods 211 are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the axes of symmetry of the two gripping surfaces 203a and 204a having symmetrical shapes. The grip portion 212 is located on the side opposite to the arm 201, that is, on the movable side finger 204 side. The rod 211 is provided with a pair of threads that are opposite to each other, and the threads in the first direction at the tip end are screwed into the nut member 213 of the fixed side finger 203, and the second thread at the base end portion. A directional thread is screwed into the nut member 214 of the movable finger 204. Therefore, for example, when the rod 211 is rotated clockwise through the knob 212, the fixed side finger 203 and the movable side finger 204 approach each other, and conversely, when the rod 211 is rotated counterclockwise, the fixed side finger is operated. The 203 and the movable finger 204 are separated from each other. Therefore, the screw mechanism 205 opens and closes the hand portion 202 and tightens and fixes the hand portion 202. The nut members 213 and 214 can rotate with respect to the fixed side finger 203 and the movable side finger 204, and a slight change in angle with respect to the rod 211 due to the opening / closing operation is absorbed by these rotations. In this embodiment, by using a pair of screws in opposite directions as the screw mechanism 205, it is possible to obtain a large change in the opening / closing angle of the hand portion 202 with respect to the rotation amount of the rod 211.

The entire hand portion 202 that grips the knob is rotatably supported by the support shaft 207 at the tip of the arm 201. Specifically, the intermediate portion (preferably the center of the gripping surface 203a) in the longitudinal direction of the fixed-side finger 203 forming an arc is supported by the support shaft 207. As a result, the hand portion 202 has a rotation center line extending along a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the rack axis 166 (corresponding to the "second rotation center" in the claim) (see the center line L2 in FIG. 8). It is rotatable as a center. Assuming the above-mentioned spindle-shaped space formed by the two gripping surfaces 203a and 204a, the rotation center line L2 by the support shaft 207 extends along the minor axis direction of the spindle shape and is positioned so as to cross the center of the spindle shape. is doing.

In a preferred embodiment, the rotation center line of the arm 201 with respect to the rack shaft 166 (which is also the center line of the rack shaft 166 having a circular cross section as described above) L3 and the rotation center line of the hand portion 202 with respect to the arm 201 (support). (Center line of rotation by axis 207) L2 intersects with each other at approximately the center of the spindle-shaped space (see FIG. 8). In other words, the grip hand 168 of the embodiment constitutes a so-called two-axis gimbal structure, and the arm 201 can be rotated and the hand portion 202 can be rotated while the intersections of the two rotation center lines L2 and L3 are immovable. Is. Also, the two fingers 203, 204 and the arm 201 can be aligned on one plane including the rack axis 166. In the present invention, the gimbal structure does not necessarily have to be ideal, and the two rotation center lines L2 and L3 may be different from each other.

In the grip hand 168 of the above embodiment, various knobs having different shapes and sizes can be reliably gripped by adjusting the opening and closing of the hand portion 202 provided with the screw mechanism 205. Then, the movement of the rack shaft 166 is reliably transmitted to the knob via the arm 201 and the hand portion 202. Since there is no unnecessary play or gap between the rack shaft 166 and the knob, the feeling of rigidity of force transmission is increased, and a reliable shift operation can be performed.

The tilt change of the shift lever due to the movement of the shift lever in the vehicle front-rear direction means that the hand portion 202 can swing with respect to the arm 201 and the shift actuator 134 with respect to the rack shaft 141 of the select actuator 133. It is permissible or absorbed by being swingable.

Here, particularly in this embodiment, since the rotation center (L2) of the hand portion 202 with respect to the arm 201 is near the center of the hand portion 202, the angle change of the shift actuator 134 due to the tilt of the shift lever is small. It has become. This will be described below with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the behavior of the shift lever 251 with the shift operation, and the grip hand 168 grips the cylindrical knob 252 at the upper end of the shift lever 251. In the figure, the point O1 indicates the rotation center of the shift actuator 134 with respect to the select actuator 133, and the point O2 indicates the rotation center of the hand portion 202 with respect to the arm 201 (which corresponds to the rotation center line L2). In (b) of the figure, the shift lever 251 is in an upright state, and in the example of the figure, the rack shaft 166 of the shift actuator 134 is horizontal at this time. The rotation center O2 of the hand portion 202 with respect to the arm 201 passes near the center of the knob 252 in the front-rear direction.

(A) in the figure shows a state when the shift lever 251 is shifted to the rear of the vehicle, the shift lever 251 is tilted, and the position of the knob 252 also changes. With such tilting of the shift lever 251 the hand portion 202 swings around the point O2, and the entire shift actuator 134 also swings slightly around the point O1.

On the contrary, (c) in the figure shows a state when the shift lever 251 is shifted forward in the vehicle, and the shift lever 251 is tilted forward. With such tilting of the shift lever 251 as well, the hand portion 202 swings around the point O2, and the entire shift actuator 134 also swings slightly around the point O1.

As is clear from the comparison of (a), (b), and (c) in FIG. 13, the angle change of the entire shifting actuator 134 is relatively small, and therefore, the vertical displacement of the rear end of the cylindrical portion 161a of the actuator housing 161 is large. small.

As a reference example, FIG. 14 shows the behavior of the grip hand 168'where the vertical rotation center O2' of the hand portion 202'is located near the tip of the rack shaft 166 without the arm 201. Similar to FIG. 13, FIG. 13 shows the states when FIG. 13B is in the neutral position, FIG. 13A shows a shift operation to the rear of the vehicle, and FIG. 13C shows a state when the shift operation is performed to the front of the vehicle. As is clear from each state of FIG. 13, in the configuration of the reference example in which the rotation center O2'is located near the tip of the rack shaft 166, the vertical displacement of the rotation center O2'is relatively large. The angle change of the entire shift actuator 134 centered on the rotation center O1 becomes large. Therefore, the vertical displacement of the rear end of the cylindrical portion 161a of the actuator housing 161 is large, and it easily interferes with other parts.

Next, in the select operation by the select actuator 133, the rack shaft 141 of the select actuator 133 moves forward and backward along the vehicle width direction, so that the entire shift actuator 134 moves along the vehicle width direction, and the grip hand 168. The knob gripped by the vehicle moves in the vehicle width direction. At this time, the shift lever may be tilted along the vehicle width direction in accordance with the select operation, and such a change in the angle of the shift lever along the vehicle width direction causes the arm 201 to rotate at the tip of the rack shaft 166. It is permissible or absorbed by being. That is, the arm 201 swings around the center line of the rack shaft 166 and follows the change in the angle of the shift lever.

In particular, in the illustrated example, the grip hand 168 is configured as a so-called two-axis gimbal structure, and the intersection of the two immovable axes is located near the center of the knob (in other words, on the extension line of the shift lever). Stable operation can be obtained in both the operation and the select operation without being affected by the tilt of the shift lever.

Since the change in the angle of the shift lever due to the select operation is generally small, the arm of the grip hand 168 can absorb the change in the angle of the shift lever at other places such as the rack shaft 166 and the drive mechanism of the shift actuator 134. The 201 may be fixed to the tip of the rack shaft 166 in a non-rotating manner.

Further, in the above embodiment, as described above, the transmission actuator unit 131 can be changed into a mode for a so-called right-hand drive vehicle and a mode for a left-hand drive vehicle. At this time, if the arm 201 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the rack shaft 166 as in the above embodiment, the knob portion 212 of the screw mechanism 205 is on the outside (that is, the actuator housing of the select actuator 133) in any embodiment. The grip hand 168 can be flipped so that it is located on the opposite side of 135). This improves the workability of attaching to the knob in each mode.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and various modifications can be made. For example, in the above embodiment, the fixed side finger 203 and the movable side finger 204, which are the first finger and the second finger, are curved in an arc shape, respectively, but are curved in another substantially V shape or a polygonal shape. May be. Further, although the screw mechanism 205 is provided as the tightening mechanism in the above embodiment, the screw mechanism 205 is not limited to this, and other mechanisms such as a spring mechanism can also be used.

1 ... Vehicle automatic driving device 2 ... Driver's seat 11 ... Frame 131 ... Transmission actuator unit 133 ... Select actuator 134 ... Shift actuator 166 ... Rack shaft 168 ... Grip hand 201 ... Arm 202 ... Hand part 203 ... Fixed side finger 204 ... Movable side finger 205 ... Screw mechanism

Claims (6)

A first actuator that is supported by a frame placed in the driver's seat of the vehicle and operates in the width direction of the vehicle,
A second actuator having an actuator rod that is supported by the moving body of the first actuator so as to be vertically swingable around a first rotation center along the vehicle width direction and that operates in the vehicle front-rear direction.
An arm whose base is attached to the tip of the actuator rod and whose tip extends to the front of the vehicle,
The first finger and the second finger, which are curved inward, are connected to each other so as to grip the knob of the shift lever between them so as to be openable and closable at the hinge portion at one end, and along the vehicle width direction. A hand portion in which the intermediate portion of the first finger is swingably supported by the tip portion of the arm with the second rotation center as the center.
A tightening mechanism that tightens the second finger toward the first finger with the knob sandwiched between them.
The transmission actuator of the vehicle automatic driving device is equipped with. The transmission actuator of the vehicle automatic driving device according to claim 1, wherein the arm is formed in a substantially L shape so that the tip portion thereof is positioned offset in the vehicle width direction with respect to the central axis of the actuator rod. .. The transmission actuator of the vehicle automatic driving device according to claim 2, wherein the hinge portion of the hand portion is located on the central axis of the actuator rod. The automatic vehicle driving device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the arm is swingably supported at the tip of the actuator rod about a third rotation center along the vehicle front-rear direction. Transmission actuator. Any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tip of the first finger is bifurcated and formed so that the tip of the second finger can enter the gap between the two. Transmission actuator of the vehicle automatic driving device described in. The first finger and the second finger are curved in an arc shape, respectively.
Claimed that a spindle-shaped space is formed by the inner gripping surface of the first finger and the inner gripping surface of the second finger, and the second rotation center is located in the center of the spindle shape. The transmission actuator of the vehicle automatic driving device according to any one of 1 to 5.

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