JP6631955B2 - Auxiliary steering system for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an auxiliary steering device for a vehicle such as an automobile.

  In a vehicle such as an automobile, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, an occupant sitting on a seat operates a steering wheel arranged in front of the seat, thereby controlling the traveling direction of the vehicle.

JP 2014-167726 A

  By the way, in vehicles such as automobiles, technical development for automatic driving has recently been started. For example, it is desired that a vehicle be able to keep a lane and turn appropriately to a destination without turning a steering wheel by a driver. Thereby, the driving burden on the driver can be reduced, which can contribute to safety.

However, unlike a circuit with restricted access, on a general road or highway where other vehicles or other objects are present, various events can be assumed, so until the driver can not steer the steering wheel at all. Requires further technical development. Particularly, in an emergency where an unexpected event occurs, it is expected that the driver needs to operate the steering wheel.
As described above, in the automatic driving, it is important to request the driver to operate the steering wheel in an emergency.

  On the other hand, in automatic driving, the driver's attention tends to be away from driving. In particular, there is a possibility that the timing of releasing the handle from the handle may occur. If an emergency occurs while releasing the handle, the driver must rush up and grasp the handle, and then operate the handle. Such a time loss can be problematic in a time-critical emergency.

  As described above, there is a demand for a vehicle that can easily perform a steering operation in an emergency or the like during automatic driving.

  An auxiliary steering device for a vehicle according to the present invention is an auxiliary steering device for a vehicle in which an occupant sits on a seat and operates a front handle, and is provided on the left and right sides of the seat. Left and right armrests that can be placed, left and right armrest bars provided at the front ends of the left and right armrests, left and right sensors that detect operations on the left and right armrest bars, and according to the detection of the left and right sensors A control unit for controlling steering of the vehicle.

  Preferably, the left and right armrest bars are in the shape of a straight bar, and are erected upward at the front ends of the left and right armrests.

  Preferably, the left and right armrest bars have an arc bar shape, and are erected upward at the front ends of the left and right armrests so that the arcs of the left and right armrest bars follow a common virtual circle. Good.

  Preferably, the control unit may enable steering by the left and right armrest bars during automatic driving in which an occupant does not operate the steering wheel and controls steering of the vehicle.

  Preferably, when the control unit detects a possibility of an obstacle during automatic driving, it is preferable to enable steering by the left and right armrest bars.

  Preferably, the left and right sensors each detect an operation along the rod axis direction of the left and right armrest bars, and the control unit determines that the operation of the left and right armrest bars in the rod axis direction is upside down. The steering of the vehicle may be controlled assuming that the steering wheel is operated in the operation direction.

  In the present invention, the left and right armrest bars are provided at the front ends of the left and right armrests, and the steering control of the vehicle is executed in accordance with the operation on the left and right armrest bars. Therefore, the occupant sitting on the seat can perform the steering operation of the vehicle by gripping the left and right armrest bars with his / her hand without moving the arm resting on the left and right armrests. Even in an emergency, operation can be easily handled with minimal time loss.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side perspective view of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the occupant riding state. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the auxiliary steering device for a vehicle according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control system of the auxiliary steering device for the vehicle in FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example of steering control by the control unit in FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a modification of the auxiliary steering device for the vehicle in FIG.

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

  FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of an automobile 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The automobile 1 is an example of a vehicle.

  The vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a vehicle body including a front room 2, a passenger room 3, and a rear room 4. Power units such as an engine and an electric motor are arranged in the front room 2. A luggage space is provided in the rear room 4. In the occupant room 3, seats 5 on which the occupants are seated are provided in front and rear two rows. In the passenger compartment 3, in front of the driver's seat 5, operating members such as a steering wheel 6, an accelerator pedal, and a brake pedal are provided. The handle 6 is provided to protrude rearward from the dashboard.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the occupant riding state.
FIG. 2A shows a riding state during normal driving in which the occupant operates the steering wheel 6. The occupant sitting on the driver's seat 5 extends his arm forward and grasps the front handle 6 with his hand. In this state, the steering wheel 6 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise. Thereby, the running automobile 1 can make a right turn or a right turn. The car 1 runs according to the operation of the occupant.

FIG. 2B shows an example of a riding state during automatic driving in which the occupant does not operate. As compared with the normal operation in FIG. 2A, the seat of the seat 5 is lowered and the back of the seat 5 is reclined rearward. The occupant is in a relaxed position with both arms on the armrest 7. It is common sense that such a driving posture should be prohibited even during automatic driving, but there is a possibility that some occupants may take such a driving posture during automatic driving.
Then, in a situation where the occupant is in such a relaxed driving posture, for example, if a danger event such as a collision occurs, the occupant must rush up, raise his arms forward, and hold the steering wheel 6. No. Then, the handle 6 must be operated on that. Unlike a circuit where access is restricted, on a general road or highway where other vehicles 1 or other objects are present, various events can be assumed, so such emergency operations are necessary. Not a few. Such a time loss can be problematic in a time-critical emergency. In particular, if other things are taken into account, further time loss may occur.
Thus, the automobile 1 is required to be able to easily perform a steering operation in an emergency during automatic driving or the like.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the auxiliary steering device 10 of the automobile 1 according to the present embodiment. 3A is a right side view, FIG. 3B is a front view, and FIG. 3C is a top view.
On both left and right sides of the back of the seat 5, left and right armrests 7 on which the occupant seated on the seat 5 can put their arms are shown. The armrest 7 extends forward from the back.
At the front ends of the left and right armrests 7, left and right armrest bars 11 are provided.
The armrest bar 11 has a straight bar shape. The armrest bar 11 having a straight bar shape is erected so as to protrude upward from the front end of the armrest 7.
Then, the occupant can hold the left and right armrest bars 11 with the left and right hands while keeping the arm resting on the armrest 7 in a relaxed posture.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control system of the auxiliary steering device 10 of the automobile 1 in FIG.

The control system in FIG. 4 includes an imaging device 21, a speed sensor 22, an armrest bar sensor 23, a timer 24, and a control unit 25 to which these are connected.
FIG. 4 also shows a steering motor 26 to be controlled, which is connected to the control unit 25. The steering motor 26 is provided in a steering device of the automobile 1 and drives the steering for automatic steering and the like.

  The image pickup device 21 is, for example, a pair of image pickup devices, and is provided on the roof or windshield of the passenger compartment 3 so as to face forward as shown in FIG. The control unit 25 can specify an obstacle such as another car 1 in front of the car 1 as the surrounding situation of the car 1 from the captured image and determine the possibility of collision of the obstacle. This makes it possible to detect the running state of the vehicle 1 before the collision.

  The speed sensor 22 is fixed to the vehicle body, and detects the speed of the vehicle 1 as the traveling state of the vehicle 1.

  The armrest bar sensor 23 detects an operation on the armrest bar 11. The armrest bar sensor 23 may be, for example, a pressure-sensitive distribution sheet wound around the peripheral surface of the armrest bar 11. Thus, an operation of the armrest bar 11 along the rod axis direction can be detected by a change in the pressure-sensitive position of the armrest bar sensor 23.

  The timer 24 measures time.

  The control unit 25 executes automatic steering control or auxiliary steering control by the steering motor 26 based on the detection signals of these sensors.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example of the steering control by the control unit 25 of FIG. The control unit 25 periodically and repeatedly executes the processing of FIG.

  In order to execute the automatic steering control or the auxiliary steering control, the control unit 25 determines whether or not the automatic driving is necessary (step ST1). For example, when an automatic driving start button (not shown) is operated, the control unit 25 determines that automatic driving is necessary. Otherwise, it is determined to be unnecessary, and the processing in FIG. 5 ends.

  When determining that the automatic operation is necessary, the control unit 25 starts the automatic control (step ST2). In the automatic control, the control unit 25 controls the steering, speed, acceleration, and the like of the vehicle 1.

  Further, the control unit 25 determines whether or not a warning is necessary (step ST3). The control unit 25 determines the possibility of a collision with an object existing in the front direction, for example, based on an image captured by the imaging device 21 or the speed of the own vehicle. If there is a possibility of collision, it is determined that a warning is necessary. Otherwise, it is determined to be unnecessary.

  If it is determined that a warning is necessary, the control unit 25 enables the steering by the armrest bar 11 or the like during automatic driving, and issues a warning (step ST4). The warning may be performed by voice or display, for example.

After notifying the warning, the control unit 25 detects steering by the occupant (step ST5). This includes the operation of the auxiliary steering device 10 of FIG.
When a predetermined operation on the left and right armrest bars 11 is detected, the control unit 25 executes a steering control according to the operation amount or the operation force (step ST6).
For example, when the operation of the left and right armrest bars 11 in the bar axis direction is upside down, the control unit 25 drives the steering motor 26 in the operation direction on the assumption that the handle 6 has been operated in that operation direction. Further, the driving amount of the steering motor 26 is controlled based on the amount of change in the pressure-sensitive position of the armrest bar sensor 23.
In addition to this, for example, the control unit 25 may execute the steering based on the operation of the left and right armrest bars 11 only when the force for gripping the armrest bar sensor 23 is equal to or more than a predetermined threshold.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the left and right armrest bars 11 are provided at the front ends of the left and right armrests 7, and the steering control of the automobile 1 is executed according to the operation on the left and right armrest bars 11. Therefore, the occupant sitting on the seat 5 can perform the steering operation of the automobile 1 by grasping the left and right armrest bars 11 by hand without moving the arm resting on the left and right armrests 7. Even in an emergency, operation can be handled with minimal time loss.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the left and right armrest bars 11 are in the shape of a straight bar, and are erected upward at the front ends of the left and right armrests 7. Therefore, the armrest bar 11 can be gripped while the lower arm is placed on the left and right armrests 7.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 25 enables the steering by the left and right armrest bars 11 during automatic driving in which the occupant does not operate the steering wheel 6 and controls the steering of the vehicle 1. Therefore, steering control is not executed by an operation on the left and right armrest bars 11 at a timing other than during the automatic driving. The influence can be prevented during the normal operation by the occupant.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the control unit 25 enables the steering by the left and right armrest bars 11 when detecting the possibility of a failure during the automatic driving. Therefore, even during automatic driving, steering control is not executed by an operation on the left and right armrest bars 11 at a timing when the possibility of a failure is not detected. Even if the left and right armrest bars 11 are touched accidentally or for other purposes during automatic driving, the automatic driving can be prevented from being affected.

  In the present embodiment, the left and right sensors detect the operation of the left and right armrest bars 11 along the bar axis direction, and the control unit 25 determines that the operation of the left and right armrest bars 11 in the bar axis direction is upside down. In some cases, the steering of the automobile 1 is controlled assuming that the steering wheel 6 has been operated in the operation direction. Therefore, even if other operations or unintended operations are performed on the left and right armrest bars 11, the steering control is not executed. Even if the left and right armrest bars 11 are accidentally touched during automatic driving or for another purpose, it is possible to prevent the automatic driving from being affected.

  The above embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications or changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a modified example of the auxiliary steering device 10 of the automobile 1 in FIG.
In FIG. 6, the left and right armrest bars 11 have an arc bar shape. The left and right armrest bars 11 are erected upward at the front ends of the left and right armrests 7 such that their arcs follow a common virtual circle.
Thus, the armrest bar 11 can be gripped while the lower arm is placed on the left and right armrests 7. In addition, since the left and right armrest bars 11 are in the state of imitating the circular handle 6, the occupant can operate the left and right armrest bars 11 with the same feeling as operating the normal handle 6.

In the above embodiment, the control unit 25 enables the steering by the left and right armrest bars 11 when the possibility of a failure is detected during automatic driving.
Alternatively, for example, the control unit 25 may enable the steering by the armrest bar 11 or the like at the timing when the automatic driving is started. Thereby, steering can be performed by operating the left and right armrest bars 11 instead of the steering wheel 6 during automatic driving.

1 ... Car (vehicle)
2 front room 3 passenger room 4 rear room 5 seat 6 handle 7 armrest 10 auxiliary steering device 11 armrest bar 21 imaging device 22 speed sensor 23 armrest bar sensor (sensor)
24 timer 25 control unit 26 steering motor

Claims (6)

An auxiliary steering device for a vehicle in which an occupant sits on a seat and operates a front handle,
Left and right armrests provided on the left and right of the seat, on which an occupant seated on the seat can put his arm,
Left and right armrest bars provided at the front ends of the left and right armrests,
Left and right sensors for detecting operations on the left and right armrest bars,
A control unit that performs steering control of the vehicle in accordance with detection of the left and right sensors,
Having,
Auxiliary steering device for vehicles. The left and right armrest bars have a straight bar shape, and are erected upward at the front ends of the left and right armrests.
The auxiliary steering device for a vehicle according to claim 1. The left and right armrest bars have an arc bar shape, and are erected upward at the front end portions of the left and right armrests so that the arcs of the left and right armrest bars follow a common virtual circle.
The auxiliary steering device for a vehicle according to claim 1. The control unit, during automatic driving to control the steering of the vehicle in a state where the occupant does not operate the steering wheel, to enable the steering by the left and right armrest bar,
An auxiliary steering device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The control unit, when detecting the possibility of a failure during automatic driving, enables the steering by the left and right armrest bar,
The auxiliary steering device for a vehicle according to claim 4. The left and right sensors each detect an operation of the left and right armrest bars along a bar axis direction,
When the operation of the left and right armrest bars in the bar axis direction is upside down, the control unit controls the steering of the vehicle assuming that the steering wheel is operated in the operation direction,
An auxiliary steering device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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