JP6178327B2 - Accelerator grip assembly and vehicle equipped with accelerator grip assembly - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an accelerator grip assembly and a vehicle including the accelerator grip assembly.

  2. Description of the Related Art An accelerator device for a motor vehicle is known that applies an external force to an accelerator operation member by an actuator such as a motor for cruise control and other purposes.

  Patent Document 1 describes a straddle-type vehicle in which a valve shaft to which a throttle valve is fixed and an accelerator grip are each rotated by an electric motor so as to keep the vehicle speed constant according to selection of an auto-cruise state. Has been.

  Patent Document 2 describes an accelerator pedal device that includes a rotating member having a contact portion that removably contacts a pedal arm, and includes a reaction force adding mechanism that adds a reaction force in a direction to return the pedal arm to a rest position. Has been.

Japanese Patent No. 4414389 JP 2011-68175 A

  If the accelerator operating member such as the accelerator grip or the accelerator pedal cannot be operated in the direction of decreasing the output of the prime mover, and the throttle valve remains open, the vehicle cannot be decelerated, which is inconvenient. In general, the accelerator operating member is mechanically biased by a spring or the like in the direction of decreasing the output of the prime mover. However, if the actuator is provided with a mechanism for applying an external force to the accelerator operating member, the control system or the actuator itself There is no possibility that the above-mentioned inconvenience may occur due to a malfunction.

  In this regard, in Patent Document 2, the reaction force addition mechanism can be detached from the pedal arm, and the pedal arm can return to the rest position even if the reaction force addition mechanism malfunctions. However, the reaction force adding mechanism described in Patent Document 2 is designed for an accelerator pedal that is generally used in a four-wheeled vehicle, and is often used in a saddle type vehicle such as a light vehicle, particularly a motorcycle. It is not clear how to provide a mechanism having a similar function to the accelerator grip. In addition, when the reaction force addition mechanism of Patent Document 2 is detached from the pedal arm, a reaction force is applied to the pedal arm in a direction to return to the rest position until the reaction force addition mechanism comes into contact with the pedal arm again. This will cause a delay.

  This delay is not so much a problem in a four-wheeled vehicle in which the inertial mass of the vehicle itself is large and instantaneous accelerator pedal operation does not significantly affect the behavior of the vehicle. However, in a light vehicle having a small inertial mass, the response of the behavior of the vehicle to the operation of the accelerator grip is fast, and therefore a response delay considered to be caused in Patent Document 2 cannot be ignored.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a viewpoint, and an object of the present invention is to provide an accelerator grip assembly having an accelerator grip to which an external force is applied by an actuator, while ensuring operation of the prime mover in the direction of decreasing output while delaying. Without applying external force to the accelerator grip.

  The invention disclosed in the present application has various aspects, and outlines of typical aspects of the aspects are as follows.

  (1) A handlebar, an accelerator grip for adjusting the output of the prime mover, which is rotatably mounted around the shaft of the handlebar, an urging member for urging the accelerator grip in the output reduction direction of the prime mover, and a gear mechanism And an electric motor arranged to transmit power to the accelerator grip via a power transmission path including a one-way clutch, and the one-way clutch transmits power of the electric motor to the accelerator grip. Accelerator grip assembly that transmits in the direction of decreasing the output of the engine and not in the direction of increasing the output of the prime mover.

  (2) The accelerator grip assembly according to (1), wherein the biasing member biases the accelerator grip at a position closer to the accelerator grip than the one-way clutch on the power transmission path.

  (3) In (1) or (2), an accelerator grip assembly having a rotation angle detection sensor that detects a rotation angle of the accelerator grip at a position closer to the accelerator grip than the one-way clutch on the power transmission path. .

  (4) In (3), the controller includes a controller that controls the electric motor, and the rotation angle detection sensor includes a member that rotates integrally with the accelerator grip and the accelerator grip among members included in the gear mechanism. The electric motor is configured to detect a rotation angle of any one of the members except for the controller, and the controller generates power in a direction of decreasing the output of the prime mover with respect to the accelerator grip so as to eliminate backlash of the gear mechanism. Accelerator grip assembly to control.

  (5) A vehicle including the accelerator grip assembly according to (4), wherein the controller detects that the vehicle is in a specific situation and sends a control signal corresponding to the situation to the electric motor. The electric motor is configured to generate power in the output reduction direction of the prime mover with respect to the accelerator grip and to remove backlash of the gear mechanism when the vehicle is not in the specific situation. Vehicle to control.

  (6) A vehicle including the accelerator grip assembly according to any one of (1) to (4).

  According to the above aspect (1) of the present invention, in the accelerator grip assembly including the accelerator grip to which an external force is applied by the actuator, the operation to the output direction of the prime mover is ensured and the accelerator grip can be applied without delay. External force can be applied.

  According to the above aspect (2) of the present invention, the accelerator grip can be urged by the urging member in the direction of decreasing the output of the prime mover even if a failure occurs in the electric motor or the control system.

  According to the above aspect (3) of the present invention, the rotation angle of the accelerator grip can be correctly detected even if a failure occurs in the electric motor or the control system.

  According to the above aspect (4) of the present invention, the rotation angle of the accelerator grip is detected with higher accuracy than that in which the rotation angle of the accelerator grip is directly detected while removing the detection error due to the backlash of the gear mechanism. it can.

  According to the above aspect (5) of the present invention, in a vehicle having an accelerator grip to which an external force is applied by an actuator, an external force is applied to the accelerator grip without delay while guaranteeing an operation in the direction of decreasing the output of the prime mover. be able to.

1 is a schematic plan view of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of an accelerator grip assembly. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of an accelerator grip assembly. It is sectional drawing of the accelerator grip assembly which passes along the rotating shaft of an accelerator grip side gear, an intermediate | middle gear, and an electric motor side gear. It is a functional block diagram of the vehicle regarding an accelerator grip assembly.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the vehicle 1 is a motorcycle. However, the vehicle targeted by the present invention is not limited to a motorcycle, and any vehicle with a prime mover having a bar-type steering handle may be used. A vehicle having such a type of steering handle is generally a saddle type vehicle having a saddle on which an occupant sits. The saddle riding type vehicle includes, for example, a three-wheeled or four-wheeled buggy and a snowmobile called a motorcycle, a three-wheeled vehicle, an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle), and the like.

  The right side portion of the steering handle of the vehicle 1 is an accelerator grip assembly 2 to which an accelerator grip is attached, and the driver can operate the accelerator by rotating the accelerator grip. Further, the vehicle 1 is provided with an internal combustion engine such as a 2-stroke or 4-stroke gasoline engine as a prime mover. In the figure, a throttle valve 30 for adjusting the amount of air flowing into the internal combustion engine and a throttle valve are driven. A throttle motor 31 that is an electric motor that adjusts the opening, a throttle opening detection sensor 32 that detects the opening of the throttle valve 30, and an ECU (Engine Control Unit) 28 that electrically controls the operation of the entire vehicle 1. The approximate position and shape are indicated by broken lines.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the accelerator grip assembly 2. The accelerator grip assembly 2 includes a handle bar 3 and an accelerator grip 4 that is rotatably mounted around the axis of the handle bar 3. An end member 5 is attached to the handlebar 3 on the outer end side of the accelerator grip 4 to protect the accelerator grip 4 from being damaged in the event of a fall. Further, a case 6 is provided on the inner end side of the accelerator grip 4 and accommodates various members included in the accelerator grip assembly 2. The case 6 is provided with an engine start switch 7 and an engine stop switch 8. Further, from the case 6, a rotation angle detection line 9 that outputs the rotation angle of the accelerator grip 4 as an electric signal and an electric motor control line 10 that supplies and controls electric power to an electric motor described later extend. Similarly, the electric wires extend from the engine start switch 7 and the engine stop switch 8, but they are not shown in FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the accelerator grip assembly 2. This figure is obtained by removing the case 6 and the parts around the engine start switch 7 and the engine stop switch 8 from FIG.

  The accelerator grip 4 is integrally attached to a guide tube 11 that is externally attached to the handle bar 3, and the guide tube 11 is exposed from the inner end of the accelerator grip 4. An end portion of the guide tube 11 is provided with a flange portion 12 having an outer diameter swelled. The flange portion 12 is provided with a protrusion 13 so that one end of the torsion coil spring 14 is hooked. The other end of the torsion coil spring 14 is hooked with another protrusion provided on the case 6 (not shown), and this torsion coil spring 14 urges the guide tube 11 with rotational force as an urging member. As a result, the accelerator grip 4 is urged in the output decreasing direction of the prime mover of the vehicle 1. For this reason, when the driver does not operate the accelerator grip 4 and no rotational force is applied, the accelerator grip 4 automatically returns to the stop position where the output of the prime mover is reduced most. The torsion coil spring 14 is an example of an urging member, and any member may be used as long as it is a member that urges the accelerator grip 4 in the output decreasing direction of the prime mover. Further, an accelerator grip side gear 15 that is integrally formed with or coupled to the guide tube 11 is provided on the outer peripheral side of the flange portion 12. The teeth of the accelerator grip side gear 15 do not necessarily have to be provided on the entire circumference, and it is only necessary to have teeth over a range corresponding to the operation angle of the accelerator grip 4. Therefore, the teeth of the accelerator grip side gear 15 are partially provided as shown.

  The accelerator grip side gear 15 meshes with the small gear 17 of the intermediate gear 16. Further, the large gear 18 of the intermediate gear 16 meshes with the electric motor side gear 19. A detection element 20 such as a magnet is attached to the shaft end of the intermediate gear 16, and the rotation angle of the detection element 20 is detected by a rotation angle detection sensor 21 which is a detector provided facing the detection element 20. That is, the rotation angle of the intermediate gear 16 is detected. The detected rotation angle is output from the rotation angle detection line 9 as an electrical signal.

  The electric motor side gear 19 is attached to the output shaft of the electric motor 22 via a one-way clutch 23. The number of teeth of the accelerator grip side gear 15, the small gear 17 and the large gear 18 of the intermediate gear 16, and the electric motor side gear 19 is transmitted to the accelerator grip 4 by decelerating the rotation of the output shaft of the electric motor 22. Designed to be. That is, the accelerator grip side gear 15, the intermediate gear 16, and the electric motor side gear 19 constitute a gear mechanism that transmits the power of the electric motor 22 to the accelerator grip 4, and at the same time, the rotational speed of the output shaft of the electric motor 22. It is a reducer that decelerates.

  The one-way clutch 23 is a clutch mechanism that transmits the rotational force only in one direction. Here, the power of the electric motor 22 is transmitted to the accelerator grip 4 in the direction of decreasing the output of the prime mover of the vehicle 1 and the output of the prime mover. It is provided in a direction not transmitting in the increasing direction. That is, when the rotation of the output shaft of the electric motor 22 is to rotate the accelerator grip 4 in the direction of decreasing the output of the prime mover, the output shaft of the electric motor 22 and the electric motor side gear 19 rotate synchronously, When the rotation of the output shaft of the electric motor 22 is reversed, the output shaft of the electric motor 22 rotates idly with respect to the electric motor side gear 19. From the side of operating the accelerator grip 4, when the accelerator grip 4 is rotated in the direction of increasing the output of the prime mover, it is connected to the output shaft of the electric motor 22, and the accelerator grip 4 is rotated in the direction of decreasing the output of the prime mover. In this case, the connection with the output shaft of the electric motor 22 is disconnected. The type of the one-way clutch 23 is not particularly limited, and may be a sprag type, a cam type, or another type.

  The electric motor 22 is a motor that generates rotational power in response to a control signal from a controller (not shown) input via the electric motor control line 10. The type of the motor is not particularly limited, and an arbitrary one may be used.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the accelerator grip assembly 2 passing through the rotation axes of the accelerator grip side gear 15, the intermediate gear 16 and the electric motor side gear 19.

  The accelerator grip 4 is fixed to the outer periphery of the guide tube 11, and the guide tube 11 is rotatably supported on the outer periphery of the handlebar 3 by a flat bearing (slide bearing) 24 and a deep groove ball bearing 25. Further, a friction member 26 is inserted between the case 6 and the guide tube 11 so as to give an appropriate resistance when the driver rotates the accelerator grip 4. A rubber ring such as an oil seal may be used as the friction member 26 as appropriate.

  The intermediate gear 16 is rotatably supported by inserting one end of a shaft into a shaft hole formed in the case 6. A detection element 20 is attached to the other end of the shaft of the intermediate gear 16 so as to face the rotation angle detection sensor 21 fixed at a predetermined position of the case 6 with a certain gap.

  One end of the shaft of the electric motor side gear 19 is rotatably supported in the case 6 by a ball bearing 27, and the other end of the shaft is attached to the outer ring of the roller-cam type one-way clutch 23. The inner ring of the one-way clutch 23 is attached to the output shaft of the electric motor 22. A cam surface is formed on the inner periphery of the outer ring, and a roller is interposed between the cam surface and the inner ring.

  Further, the accelerator grip side gear 15 and the small gear 17 of the intermediate gear 16 provided on the flange portion 12 of the guide tube 11 and the large gear 18 of the intermediate gear 16 and the electric motor side gear 19 are engaged with each other as shown in the figure. .

  Although the cross section of the case 6 is shown as an integral part for convenience of illustration, it may be divided and assembled as appropriate in consideration of various circumstances such as molding, assembly, and the like. The same applies to other members. Further, the materials of the members such as the case 6, the guide tube 11, the intermediate gear 16, and the electric motor side gear 19 are not particularly limited, and may be appropriately selected. In this embodiment, the case 6 is made of metal, the guide tube 11 and the electric motor side gear 19 are made of synthetic resin, and the intermediate gear 16 has a shaft portion made of metal and a gear portion made of synthetic resin. In addition, if the case 6 is made of a material excellent in heat conduction such as metal, it is advantageous for radiating heat generated in the electric motor 22, and the portion of the case 6 that houses the electric motor 22 as shown in FIG. It is also preferable to provide a heat-dissipating structure such as a heat-dissipating fin.

  In the accelerator grip assembly 2 described above, even if a malfunction occurs in the control system or the electric motor 22, the accelerator grip 4 is driven by the driver's operation or the urging force of the torsion coil spring 14 by the action of the one-way clutch 23. It is always possible to rotate in the output decreasing direction. Further, since the one-way clutch 23 is a clutch that operates depending on the rotation direction of the shaft, when the electric motor 22 generates power that rotates the accelerator grip 4 in the output decreasing direction of the prime mover, the one-way clutch 23 promptly The power is transmitted to the accelerator grip 4 and almost no delay occurs.

  The torsion coil spring 14, which is an urging member, urges the accelerator grip 4 at a position closer to the accelerator grip 4 than the one-way clutch 23 in the power transmission path from the electric motor 22 to the accelerator grip 4. In such an arrangement, even if a malfunction occurs in the control system or the electric motor 22, the urging force by which the torsion coil spring 14 urges the accelerator grip 4 in the output decreasing direction of the prime mover is not hindered. Return to the stop position of 4 is guaranteed.

  Further, the rotation angle detection sensor 21 detects the rotation angle of the accelerator grip 4 at a position closer to the accelerator grip 4 than the one-way clutch 23 in the power transmission path from the electric motor 22 to the accelerator grip 4. In the embodiment shown here, the rotation angle detection sensor 21 detects the rotation angle of the accelerator grip 4 by detecting the rotation angle of the intermediate gear 16. In such an arrangement, even if a malfunction occurs in the control system or the electric motor 22, the detection of the rotation angle of the accelerator grip 4 by the rotation angle detection sensor 21 is not affected. The rotation angle detection sensor 21 detects the rotation angle of the intermediate gear 16 as a member other than the accelerator grip 4 or a member that rotates integrally with the accelerator grip 4. Here, as described above, since the gear mechanism is a reduction gear that reduces the rotational speed of the output shaft of the electric motor 22, the gear mechanism is a member other than the accelerator grip 4 or a member that rotates integrally with the accelerator grip 4. The rotation angle of a certain intermediate gear 16 or the electric motor side gear 19 is larger than the rotation angle of the accelerator grip 4. Therefore, if the rotation angles of these members are detected, the rotation angle of the accelerator grip 4 is detected with higher accuracy.

  In the present embodiment, the gear mechanism serving as a power transmission path from the electric motor 22 to the accelerator grip 4 is configured by three members of the electric motor side gear 19, the intermediate gear 16, and the accelerator grip side gear 15. It is an example and is not limited to such a configuration. The intermediate gear 16 may be omitted, and the electric motor side gear 19 and the accelerator grip side gear 15 may be directly meshed with each other, or another intermediate gear may be added.

  FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle 1 relating to the accelerator grip assembly 2. The ECU 28 shown in the figure is an information processing apparatus that electrically controls the overall operation of the vehicle 1, and is a general computer or so-called microcontroller comprising a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, etc., and a DSP (Digital Signal). And an electronic circuit such as a processor. The ECU 28 has a function as a controller that controls the electric motor 22 of the accelerator grip assembly 2 according to a program executed on the ECU 28. Ideally, the ECU 28 includes a controller 29 that controls the electric motor 22. It will be included inside. The controller 29 may be prepared separately from the ECU 28 so that the controller 29 and the ECU 28 communicate with each other. In this specification, such a controller 29 is treated as a part of the accelerator grip assembly 2.

  The controller 29 appropriately supplies electric power to the electric motor 22 according to the state of the vehicle 1 and controls its rotation or generated torque. Then, the rotation angle of the accelerator grip 4 determined as a result of the power from the electric motor 22, the urging force of the torsion coil spring 14, and the operation of the driver is detected by the rotation angle detection sensor 21 and output to the ECU 28.

  The ECU 28 determines the opening degree of the throttle valve 30 based on the rotation angle of the accelerator grip 4 detected by the rotation angle detection sensor 21 and the state of the vehicle 1, and controls the throttle motor 31 that is an actuator for driving the throttle valve 30. Supply and control power. The actual opening of the throttle valve 30 is detected by a throttle opening detection sensor 32 and monitored by the ECU 28.

  The ECU 28 is connected to and controls various other electrical components provided in the vehicle 1, but here, these various electrical components are collectively shown as other devices 33.

  In the present embodiment, the vehicle 1 is shown as having an internal combustion engine as a prime mover. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an external combustion engine such as a Stirling engine or an electric motor may be used as the prime mover. .

  The controller 29 detects that the vehicle 1 is placed in a specific situation, sends a control signal corresponding to the situation to the electric motor 22, and applies a rotational force in the direction of decreasing the output of the prime mover to the accelerator grip 4. . Various situations are conceivable and may be appropriately determined according to the use and function of the vehicle 1. Typical examples of such situations are as follows. -When the speed limit is set, the speed of the vehicle 1 exceeds or is likely to exceed the speed limit. The speed limit may be determined by the driver as appropriate, or may be automatically set based on information communication such as a road traffic information communication system or road information of a car navigation system.・ When the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle is short. In this case, the rotational force applied to the accelerator grip 4 may be one that avoids a collision with the preceding vehicle or one that warns the driver. The inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle may be detected by an inter-vehicle distance sensor such as a millimeter wave radar. -When a situation in which the behavior of the vehicle 1 becomes unstable, such as a slip of a rear wheel (power wheel), is detected.・ When a situation that should alert the driver, such as falling asleep, is detected. It can be detected from the steering operation pattern or the like that the driver's consciousness level is lowered.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle 1 is not in the specific situation described above, the controller 29 may cut off the energization of the electric motor 22 and make its output shaft freely rotate. In the embodiment, the electric motor 22 is controlled so as to continuously apply a weak torque to the accelerator grip 4 in the direction of decreasing the output of the prime mover. The reason is as follows. In the state in which the output shaft of the electric motor 22 freely rotates, no torque acts on the intermediate gear 16 and the electric motor side gear 19, so that these gears can freely rotate within a so-called backlash range. Therefore, the rotation angle of the intermediate gear 16 for detecting the rotation angle by the rotation angle detection sensor 21 becomes indefinite within the backlash range, which is an error in detecting the rotation angle of the accelerator grip 4. Therefore, the electric motor 22 does not interfere with the operation of the accelerator grip 4 by the driver, but when the torque to the extent that the gear teeth of the gear mechanism come into contact with each other is applied to the intermediate gear 16 and the electric motor side gear 19, Such backlash is removed, and the detection error of the rotation angle of the accelerator grip 4 is eliminated.

  Since this torque must be transmitted to the electric motor side gear 19 through the one-way clutch 23, it is in the direction of decreasing the output of the prime mover. Therefore, the weak rotational force applied to the accelerator grip 4 by the electric motor 22 in the direction of decreasing the output of the prime mover is power that can remove the backlash of the gear mechanism that acts in the direction of reduced output of the prime mover.

The embodiment described above shows an example of the accelerator grip assembly 2 and the vehicle 1 according to the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these illustrated specific examples. The detailed shape and arrangement of each member and the number thereof may be arbitrarily changed by those skilled in the art as needed. Each member may be replaced with another functionally equivalent mechanism. For example, in the embodiment described above, the speed reducer is configured exclusively by the gear mechanism, but other types of speed reducers, such as a ball speed reducer, may be used.

Claims (6)

A handlebar,
An accelerator grip for adjusting the output of the prime mover, which is rotatably mounted around the handlebar axis;
An urging member for urging the accelerator grip in an output decreasing direction;
An electric motor arranged to transmit power to the accelerator grip via a power transmission path including a gear mechanism and a one-way clutch,
The one-way clutch is an accelerator grip assembly that transmits the power of the electric motor to the accelerator grip in the direction of decreasing the output of the prime mover but not in the direction of increasing the output of the prime mover.   The accelerator grip assembly according to claim 1, wherein the biasing member biases the accelerator grip at a position closer to the accelerator grip than the one-way clutch on the power transmission path.   The accelerator grip assembly according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a rotation angle detection sensor that detects a rotation angle of the accelerator grip at a position closer to the accelerator grip than the one-way clutch on the power transmission path. A controller for controlling the electric motor;
The rotation angle detection sensor detects a rotation angle of any member of the gear mechanism excluding a member that rotates integrally with the accelerator grip and the accelerator grip,
4. The accelerator grip assembly according to claim 3, wherein the controller controls the electric motor to generate power in a direction of decreasing the output of the prime mover with respect to the accelerator grip so as to eliminate backlash of the gear mechanism. 5. A vehicle comprising the accelerator grip assembly according to claim 4,
The controller detects that the vehicle is in a specific situation and sends a control signal corresponding to the situation to the electric motor to generate power in the direction of decreasing the output of the prime mover with respect to the accelerator grip. A vehicle that controls the electric motor to remove backlash of the gear mechanism when the vehicle is not in the specific situation. A vehicle comprising the accelerator grip assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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