JP4927802B2 - Vehicles capable of switching manned and unmanned operation - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle capable of switching between manned driving and unmanned driving.

In a vehicle that can be switched between manned driving and unmanned driving, the steering handle rotates during the unmanned driving, which is dangerous. Therefore, it is conceivable to hide the steering handle. For example, in Patent Documents 1 and 2 below, a cover capable of covering the steering handle and the driver's seat during unmanned driving is provided, and during the manned driving, the cover is removed or slid backward to get in the driver. Such a vehicle is disclosed.
JP 2006-44395 A JP-A-8-244648

  However, as can be understood from the drawings, these covers are large enough to be integrated with the vehicle body and cover the entire driver's seat, so that a space for storing the cover is secured. In addition, such a cover is very expensive.

  Therefore, the present invention solves the above-described problems, and in a vehicle capable of switching manned and unmanned operation, the rotating steering handle can be partially covered with a cover during unmanned driving, and takes up space during manned driving. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle having a structure that can accommodate the cover without any problem.

  As a result of various studies conducted by the present inventors, as a particularly preferred form, a folding cover comprising two plate-like panels connected at two hinges is provided on the side surface of the vehicle near the steering handle. During manned operation, the two panels are stored along the side of the vehicle so that they form a single plate at a position below the steering handle, and the cover does not get in the way. During operation, the cover is pulled up so that the angle formed by the two panels is 90 °, and the upper part of the steering handle is covered with a scissors shape, thereby covering the upper part of the steering handle at a low cost. In addition, it is possible to detect that the upper side of the steering handle is covered with a cover on the side of the vehicle, and that the upper side of the steering handle is not covered with the cover. Provide a vehicle that can switch between manned and unmanned operation with high safety, low cost, and excellent operability by providing a simple sensor to determine the position of the cover and interlocking with the operation mode. The present invention has been completed by finding out what can be done.

A vehicle capable of switching the manned and unmanned operation of the present invention capable of solving the above-described problems includes a manual steering mode and an automatic steering mode,
In the vicinity of the steering handle of the vehicle, a cover capable of covering the upper part of the steering handle is provided. In the manual steering mode, the cover is stored in a predetermined storage position, and the automatic steering mode Sometimes the cover is positioned to cover only the steering handle part ,
The storage position for storing the cover is positioned below the steering handle;
The cover includes a first cover member and a second cover member connected by a hinge, and the first cover member includes a first hinge attached to a side surface of the vehicle at a position near the steering handle. And is fixed to the upper end portion of the first cover member so as to be fixed in a state of being raised upward so as to be positioned in a direction substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the steering handle. The second cover member that covers the upper portion of the steering handle and can be positioned substantially parallel to the upper surface of the steering handle is connected via the second hinge. And
The first cover member in the raised state is moved 180 degrees around the rotation axis of the first hinge, and further, the second cover member is moved around the rotation axis of the second hinge. The first cover member and the second cover member are positioned and housed along the side surface of the vehicle in a state where the first cover member and the second cover member are flush with each other by rotating in the outward direction. .

  Further, the present invention provides a first fixing means for fixing the first cover member in a state in which the first cover member is raised upward in the vehicle having the above-described characteristics and capable of switching the manned unmanned operation. The second cover member is provided with second fixing means for fixing the second cover member in the storage position.

  The present invention is also characterized in that the first fixing means and the second fixing means are magnets in a vehicle capable of switching manned and unmanned operation having the above characteristics.

  Further, the present invention provides the vehicle having the above-described features and capable of switching the manned unmanned operation, the position where the first cover member is caused to be raised above the first hinge in the side surface of the vehicle. And a first sensor for switching to the automatic steering mode is provided at a position below the first hinge 180 degrees from the position where the first cover member is raised. A second sensor for detecting that the storage position is rotated downward and switching to the manual steering mode is also provided.

  In the case of the vehicle capable of switching manned and unmanned operation according to the present invention, during the manned operation, since the two cover members are positioned along the side surface of the vehicle, the cover does not disturb the driver, and the entire steering handle portion is opened. In this state, the steering handle can be operated freely. During unmanned operation, the two cover members are pulled up so that the angle formed by the two panels is 90 °. Safety is ensured by covering with the shape of the eaves, and when the sensor detects whether or not the cover is in a position covering the steering handle, the operation mode is automatically switched, and safety and operability are high. In addition, the vehicle of the present invention has the advantage that it is not necessary to provide an expensive tooth clutch and there are few failures.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings showing preferred specific examples of the vehicle capable of switching manned and unmanned operation of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to those illustrated in the drawings.
FIGS. 1A and 1B are views showing the internal structure of the vicinity of a steering handle 1 in a preferred example of a vehicle capable of switching manned and unmanned operation according to the present invention. FIG. It is a figure which shows the state, ie, the state in which the steering handle 1 is covered with the 1st cover member 2a and the 2nd cover member 2b, (b) is the state at the time of manned driving, ie, the steering handle 1 is It is a figure which shows the state which is not covered with the 1st cover member 2a and the 2nd cover member 2b.
FIG. 2 shows a state in which the steering handle 1 is not covered with a cover member (shown by a solid line) and a state in which the steering handle 1 is covered with a cover member (see FIG. 2). FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1 (a), a vehicle side surface portion (vertical side surface portion on the driver's seat side) 6 in the vicinity of the steering handle 1 in a vehicle capable of switching manned and unmanned operation according to the present invention The hinge-shaped first hinge 3a is attached, and the first cover member 2a is attached via the first hinge 3a. The first cover member 2a is used for steering during unmanned operation. It can be fixed in a state where it is raised upward so as to be positioned in a direction substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the handle 1. The first cover member 2a is generally a rectangular plate-like body, but is not limited to this. Incidentally, 5a in FIG. 1 (a) is a first fixing means for fixing the first cover member 2a in the raised position, and a rubber magnet is used in the case of an iron vehicle side surface portion. However, the fixing method of the first cover member 2a is not limited to this.
And the 2nd hinge 3b is attached to the upper end part of the 1st cover member 2a fixed in the raised state, The 2nd cover member 2b is connected via this 2nd hinge 3b. The second hinge 3b maintains the angle formed by the first cover member 2a and the second cover member 2b at 90 °, so that the second cover member 2b covers the steering handle 1 above, And it is located substantially parallel to the upper surface of the steering handle 1. As can be seen from the drawing, the second hinge 3b must be positioned higher than the uppermost end of the steering handle 1 when the first cover member 2a is pulled up and fixed.

  Further, in the vehicle capable of switching manned and unmanned operation according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1B, the first cover member 2a in the state of FIG. Is moved 180 degrees downward about the rotation axis of the first hinge 3a, and the second cover member 2b is moved outward (downward) about the rotation axis of the second hinge 3b. By tilting, the first cover member 2a and the second cover member 2b are stored along the vehicle side surface portion 6 in the storage position located below the steering handle 1 in a state where they are in the same plane. Since the first cover member 2a and the second cover member 2b do not protrude toward the driver side, the first cover member 2a and the second cover member 2b are provided even when the driver performs the steering handle operation. It does not get in the way. Incidentally, 5b in FIG. 1 (b) is a second fixing means for fixing the second cover member 2b in the storage position, and in the case of an iron vehicle side surface, a rubber magnet is used.

Further, in the vehicle capable of switching manned and unmanned operation according to the present invention, the first cover member 2a is in a position where the first side cover member 2a is raised above the position where the first hinge 3a is attached to the side surface 6 of the driver's seat. The first sensor 4a for detecting this and switching the driving mode to the automatic steering mode is provided, and the first cover member 2a is raised below the mounting position of the first hinge 3a. A second sensor 4b is provided for detecting that the storage position is rotated 180 degrees downward from the first position, and switching to the manual steering mode. By signals from the first sensor 4a and the second sensor 4b, The operation mode is automatically switched. In the present invention, the type of sensor (4a, 4b) for determining the position of the first cover member 2a is not limited, and a proximity sensor or the like can be used.
EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example of this invention is given and this invention is demonstrated, this invention is not limited to this.

The driver's seat portion has the appearance shown in FIG. 2 and includes the internal structure shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), so that the steering handle is covered with a cover member during unmanned operation. During manned operation, the steering handle can be opened without being covered by the cover member, and two sensors that can detect the position of the cover member are installed on the side surface of the vehicle. Then, it is detected whether or not the steering handle portion is covered with the cover member. When the steering handle portion is covered with the cover member, the operation mode is switched to the automatic steering mode, and the steering handle portion is covered with the cover member. A vehicle capable of switching the manned and unmanned operation of the present invention in which the driving mode is switched to the manual steering mode when not covered by the vehicle is manufactured.
In the above-described vehicle capable of switching manned and unmanned operation, the sensor detects the position of the cover member only by moving the cover members downward (the state shown in FIG. 1B). In this case, since the two cover members are positioned along the side surface of the vehicle, the cover does not interfere with the driver, and the steering handle portion is fully opened, so that the steering handle operation can be performed. Was able to go freely. Then, the two cover members are pulled up so that the angle between the two panels is 90 °, and the steering handle is covered with a scissors shape in the state shown in FIG. The sensor detected that the cover was in a position covering the steering handle and switched to the automatic steering mode, which was excellent in terms of safety and operability.

  The vehicle capable of switching manned and unmanned operation according to the present invention has a structure capable of covering the steering handle at low cost, and the cover accommodated during manned driving does not get in the way, and the side surface portion of the vehicle With the structure that the position of the cover is automatically determined by the two sensors provided in the and the operation mode is interlocked, the operation mode can be switched reliably and easily, which is very convenient. It will be something.

(A), (b) is a figure which shows the internal structure of the vicinity part of the steering handle 1 in the vehicle which can switch manned unmanned driving | operation of this invention, (a) is the upper surface of the steering handle 1 being 2nd. It is a figure which shows the state at the time of unmanned driving | running | working covered with the cover member 2b, (b) is a figure which shows the state at the time of manned driving | running | working where the upper surface of the steering handle 1 is not covered with the 2nd cover member 2b. . It is a perspective view which shows the driver's seat part in the vehicle which can switch the manned unmanned driving of this invention, the state in which the steering handle 1 is not covered with the cover member is shown as the continuous line, and the steering handle 1 is the cover member The state covered with is indicated by a virtual line.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Steering handle 2a 1st cover member 2b 2nd cover member 3a 1st hinge 3b 2nd hinge 4a 1st sensor 4b 2nd sensor 5a 1st fixing means 5b 2nd fixing means 6 Vehicle side part

Claims (4)

A vehicle capable of switching between manned and unmanned driving with a manual steering mode and an automatic steering mode,
In the vicinity of the steering handle of the vehicle, a cover capable of covering the upper part of the steering handle is provided. In the manual steering mode, the cover is stored in a predetermined storage position, and the automatic steering mode Sometimes the cover is positioned to cover only the steering handle part ,
The storage position for storing the cover is positioned below the steering handle;
The cover includes a first cover member and a second cover member connected by a hinge, and the first cover member includes a first hinge attached to a side surface of the vehicle at a position near the steering handle. And is fixed to the upper end portion of the first cover member so as to be fixed in a state of being raised upward so as to be positioned in a direction substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the steering handle. The second cover member that covers the upper portion of the steering handle and can be positioned substantially parallel to the upper surface of the steering handle is connected via the second hinge. And
The first cover member in the raised state is moved 180 degrees around the rotation axis of the first hinge, and further, the second cover member is moved around the rotation axis of the second hinge. The first cover member and the second cover member are positioned and housed along the side surface of the vehicle in a state where the first cover member and the second cover member are flush with each other by rotating in the outward direction. Vehicles that can be switched between manned and unmanned operation. First fixing means for fixing the first cover member in a state where the first cover member is raised upward is provided on the first cover member, and the second cover member is placed in the storage position on the second cover member. The vehicle capable of switching between manned and unmanned operation according to claim 1, further comprising a second fixing means for fixing . The vehicle capable of switching between manned and unmanned operation according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first fixing means and the second fixing means are magnets . A first sensor for detecting that the first cover member is in an upwardly raised position and switching to the automatic steering mode is provided above the first hinge on the side surface of the vehicle. And detecting that the first cover member is in a storage position rotated 180 degrees downward from a position where the first cover member is raised below the first hinge and switching to the manual steering mode. The vehicle capable of switching manned and unmanned operation according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a second sensor is provided .

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